Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 217

217. A Rat in the Gutter

It was then, as the cleaning lady reassured the worried female employee, that she peered inside while kneeling on the floor.

“Wait a minute……! Oh my!!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh my goodness, what is that?!”

“What is it? What’s there?”

“There’s a shoe…….”

“A shoe?”

“Yeah. But it’s a man’s shoe.”

What the cleaning lady saw through the crack in the door was definitely a black men’s shoe.

“A man’s shoe? Oh! Is it a pervert?”

At the word ‘man,’ the female employee raised her voice and began to get agitated, beyond mere excitement.

“I knew I had a strange feeling.”

“Excuse me, what’s going on?”

While the two were distracted by the potential bathroom pervert, a female doctor in a gown entered the bathroom.

“There’s a man in here, in the bathroom, and he’s not saying anything and won’t open the door.”

“A man?”

“I think he’s a pervert.”

“A pervert! I’ll go get someone. There are a lot of police here today, so that guy needs to come to his senses.”

While the female doctor went to get help, the cleaning lady pushed the door hard again.

Thud-

“Hey! Whoever’s inside, this is your last warning. If you’re a normal person, open the door now, okay?”

“Madam! Going into a women’s bathroom is crazy.”

Bang- Bang-

“Hey! Aren’t you going to open the door? The police are coming soon.”

Bang- Bang-

As the two kicked the door simultaneously and pushed with force, Ko Gye-deuk, who was hiding inside, felt like he was dying.

‘Damn it! Those crazy bitches, why are they making a fuss here!’

Ko Gye-deuk’s heart was pounding, and he felt like his liver was shrinking as he fidgeted inside.

“This pervert isn’t going to cooperate.”

The cleaning lady, who was very angry, suddenly picked up the bucket she had been using to wash the mop and stopped in front of the bathroom door where Ko Gye-deuk was hiding.

“Madam, what are you going to do with that?”

“More importantly, where’s that mop? Bring it here.”

“A mop? Why?”

It was then that the female employee brought the mop with a curious expression.

“Why else?! I’m going to feed him some dirty water.”

Swish-

The cleaning lady poured the dirty water straight into the bathroom stall where Ko Gye-deuk was hiding.

“Ugh!!!!!!”

Ko Gye-deuk, caught off guard and covered in dirty water, screamed and dropped the doorknob he was holding.

“Give it to me.”

At that moment, the cleaning lady held the large mop in her hand and forcefully opened the bathroom door.

Click-

And then, she started rubbing the dirty mop all over Ko Gye-deuk’s face, and the female employee next to her picked up the bucket that had fallen on the floor and started hitting him with it.

Thud- Thud-

“Puhah!!!”

“Die! You pervert!!!!”

“How dare you come into the women’s bathroom!!”

“It’s here. There’s a pervert here.”

The female doctor, who had gone to get the police, returned to the bathroom.

“Ah! Stop it!!”

“Everyone, calm down and come out for a moment.”

It was a short time, but Ko Gye-deuk was beaten mercilessly, almost as if he had been caught in a downpour.

When the employees stopped hitting him, Ko Gye-deuk quickly covered his face with both hands. But the moment he was dragged out by the police, his face was revealed.

“Look at this!! Come out here.”

“Oh my!!”

“Wow, Director?”

Everyone, including the employees and even the police who saw him, was dumbfounded when they realized that the pervert hiding in the bathroom was Ko Gye-deuk.

“Are you Mr. Ko Gye-deuk?”

“…….”

Ko Gye-deuk closed his mouth while looking down at the floor in response to the police’s question to confirm his identity.

“Look here, are you Ko Gye-deuk?”

“Yes, that’s right.…….”

Ko Gye-deuk replied briefly to the police’s continued questioning.

“Mr. Ko Gye-deuk, you are under arrest for refusing to treat patients, fraud, and bribery.”

A moment later-

Ko Gye-deuk, with his arms held by the police, was being led out of the bathroom.

“Oh my! He’s really crazy.”

“I know.”

When Ko Gye-deuk came out, the medical staff and patients all commented with dumbfounded expressions.

“How could he think of hiding in the women’s bathroom?”

“I know. I’m embarrassed that such a person is an employee of the hospital as the director.”

“Hey! How can you call yourself a doctor!!”

“You said people without money aren’t patients!!”

“You son of a bitch!! Go die!”

Some of the patients and guardians who were watching the situation cursed Ko Gye-deuk for his remarks.

His appearance, covered in dirty water, was like a smelly rat that had fallen into a sewer.

He was a doctor, but he always chased after money, despised patients without money, and was a despicable opportunist who only cared about the lives of the rich.

Ko Gye-deuk, who pursued ugly success rather than clean success, eventually fell from the director’s position he wanted to protect so much, ending up in a miserable state.

Ko Gye-deuk and Tae-kyung both grew up in extreme poverty. But the two were different.

Ko Gye-deuk, who pursued dirty success and drove himself to the bottom, eventually fell from the highest place to the basement, but Tae-kyung was the opposite.

Thanks to not breaking his beliefs and going the right way, Tae-kyung grew and succeeded in his current form.

In the end, right and wrong determined the lives of the two.

With this, along with the department store accident, the Kwon Soo-hyun father and son and Ko Gye-deuk were all cleaned up.

And there was one person who was horrified to see this, and that was Ko Don-jin, the chairman of Shinhwa University Hospital.

He was hurrying back from the United States and could not stand still in the face of the serious situation.

Worried that the hospital’s image would be damaged, he released an apology message as chairman through the hospital’s YouTube channel.

“Hello. This is Ko Don-jin, chairman of Shinhwa University Hospital.

First of all, I would like to express my deep apology as the person in charge of the hospital regarding the recent department store accident.

Because of the two doctors who caused problems online, the rest of the hard-working medical staff are also hearing bad things. But I will say for sure in this position.

First of all, Ko Gye-deuk was already dismissed from the director position and was finishing up, but it was something he did alone, unrelated to the hospital.

In addition, we would like to inform you that Professor Kwon Soo-hyun was also dismissed from his position as a professor due to controversy over his lack of qualifications as a doctor.

Shinhwa University Hospital will take this opportunity to ensure that all medical staff think once again about the importance of patients and strive to move in a good direction.”

Ko Don-jin was also a thorough businessman.

As soon as Ko Gye-deuk, who had been loyal to him to the point of embarrassment, lost his value, he immediately cut him off like a knife.

After all four people were handed over to the police and prosecutors, people talked about the incident all day and felt relieved.

-Oh! I feel so relieved.

-Really, I’m glad that all the bad guys were caught this time.

-But, aren’t they going to get probation or something like that again? Originally, those kinds of people don’t actually go to jail.

-Did you guys hear? The trash four are definitely going to jail this time.

-The trial hasn’t even started yet?

-There’s a rumor circulating in the stock market that the public is angry because this time a series of big incidents are intertwined. So the government said they would show it properly as an example.

-It’s the most favorite gossip I’ve ever heard. Anyway, I hope they don’t come out of prison and live there for the rest of their lives.

* * *

The next day-

“I owe our director a great debt this time.”

Gam Deok-chan was talking with Tae-kyung in the examination room.

“You did a great job with our daughter’s surgery, and thanks to you, the bugs were cleaned up very well. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. You did everything more than I did. I’m grateful that you made someone like Ko Gye-deuk pay for his sins.”

“Not only Ko Gye-deuk but all the other three will receive proper punishment, so don’t worry.”

“I wish there were more congressmen like you in our country.”

“I wish there were more people like our director in the medical community. So please put a lot of effort into training your juniors in the future. So, do you have any plans to go to a bigger hospital?”

“Yes?”

Tae-kyung asked back at Gam Deok-chan’s sudden remark.

“A bigger hospital?”

“Yes, of course, I know that our hospital is a good hospital. But I wanted you to give a sense of alertness to your colleagues in a wider place and produce more juniors.”

“I know what you mean. But I like this place right now. I will work harder here.”

“I knew you would say that. Instead, please feel free to tell me whenever you need my help.”

“Yes, I will.”

Creak-

“I’ll get up now because it’s time for my visit.”

Gam Deok-chan got up from his seat to see his daughter.

“I’m nervous because I’m going to see my daughter, maybe because the sin I committed is so great.”

Gam Deok-chan, who had visited the intensive care unit the day before during visiting hours, only saw Gam Ji-yeon’s face briefly because she was asleep due to the medicine.

“Are you nervous?”

Unlike the charismatic appearance he showed on the live broadcast, Gam Deok-chan was trembling.

“Yes, I’m very nervous. It’s been so long, I don’t know what to say or how to say it…….”

“You don’t have to say anything.”

“……Yes?”

“Because you’re family. You’re parents and children. I think patient Gam Ji-yeon and the congressman will understand each other just by looking at each other’s faces.”

Tae-kyung, who knew the story of the two, gave strength to Gam Deok-chan.

“The director is a mysterious person the more I know him. It’s comforting to my heart. Then I’ll see you again.”

“Yes.”

Gam Deok-chan, who greeted Tae-kyung, headed to the intensive care unit with a slightly nervous face.

“……!”

As he approached the bed where his daughter was lying, the eyes of the two collided, filled with emotion.

“Ah, ah…….”

As soon as Gam Ji-yeon saw Gam Deok-chan, her eyes quickly welled up.

“Dad!”

It was a word she had wanted to say so much, but she had kept it buried in her heart because she couldn’t, but now she finally spoke it.

“Ji-yeon…….”

Gam Deok-chan’s eyes were also red.

Seeing his daughter, whom he had only watched from afar for so long, in front of his eyes, this moment felt like a dream.

“Our daughter must have had a hard time? Ji-yeon, I’m sorry.”

Parents say that children are like young children even when they get older.

She had already become the mother of a child, but in Gam Deok-chan’s eyes, his daughter still looked like a child.

Seeing his still childlike and precious daughter lying sick, his heart was torn and shattered.

“Why is Dad sorry? I was wrong then.”

Gam Ji-yeon was feeling the same emotions that Gam Deok-chan was feeling when he saw his daughter.

“I only said harsh things to Dad. I was immature. I’m sorry.”

The hatred that had been in her heart for a long time disappeared, and longing, apology, and love for her father filled her heart.

“No. Why are you sorry? I’m sorry. Let’s not say that anymore.”

“Yes. I will. I’m just really happy to see Dad’s face.”

“Dad is really happy to see our Ji-yeon’s face like this too. Ji-yeon…….”

Gam Deok-chan shed hot tears and held his daughter’s hand tightly.

“From now on, don’t worry about anything, and let’s all live happily with Lee’s husband [Ji-yeon’s husband] and Chae-young [Ji-yeon’s daughter].”

“Yes, Dad, let’s live happily with us too.”

The two, who had confirmed their longing for each other that had remained in their hearts for a long time, resolved all misunderstandings and thought only of a happy future.

“Grandpa!!”

Gam Deok-chan, who came out after visiting Gam Ji-yeon, was run up to by his granddaughter.

“Oh my! Our pretty puppy.”

“Did Grandpa see Mom?”

“Of course. I saw Mom.”

“Chae-young wants to see Mom.”

“If you wait a little bit, you can see Mom. Lee’s husband, what should I do if you can’t see your Ji-yeon because of me?”

“I saw her on the day of the surgery. And my father-in-law is more important than me. Is Ji-yeon okay?”

“Yes. Her face is better than yesterday.”

“She’ll get better in the future. Father-in-law. Instead, I can’t give up my visit tomorrow.”

“Okay, you go in tomorrow. Lee’s husband, thank you. Thank you.”

“No. If it wasn’t for my father-in-law this time, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything with those bad guys on my own. I’m grateful.”

“Chae-young is also grateful to Grandpa.”

“Grandpa is also grateful to our puppy.”

Gam Deok-chan’s heart was torn because of his daughter’s sudden accident, but with this incident, he was able to find the precious fence called family again.

His appearance, smiling with his granddaughter and son-in-law, looked happier than ever.