Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 230

Five Vital Signs – Episode 230 (230/502)

230. Who is Private Kim’s Senior?

Meanwhile, at the Baekseok Unit, while Kim Seong-hoon was lying in the hospital bed…

The long dawn darkness receded, and the two troublemakers in the living quarters were welcoming the morning, completely unaware of what had happened the night before.

“…….”

Go Cheol-soo, waking up to the morning wake-up call, felt bewildered as he looked at Kim Seong-hoon’s empty space.

“What’s with you, spacing out this early?”

“No, it’s not that. I was just wondering where that guy went.”

“Which guy?”

“Seong-hoon, who else? Look, he’s not in his bunk.”

“He probably went to the bathroom.”

“Hey! Have you ever seen Kim Seong-hoon *not* in his bunk at this hour before?”

Come to think of it, Go Cheol-soo was right.

Kim Seong-hoon was always in his bunk whenever they woke up to the morning wake-up call. He couldn’t remember a single time he wasn’t there.

“That’s right. Seong-hoon is always here.”

“Hey! Did you guys maybe bully Seong-hoon?”

“Huh? W-we did?”

“Yeah.”

It wasn’t everyone, but when problems arose in the military, it was usually the senior soldiers who tormented the junior soldiers. That’s why the squad leader asked them, just in case.

“That’s impossible. No, we didn’t.”

“That’s right. We never did that.”

“Then, has Seong-hoon been acting strange or said he was sick recently? I saw him going to the infirmary [military medical clinic] often last time.”

“Well, he seemed to have an upset stomach often, so he went to the infirmary frequently, but neither Byeong-deok nor I thought it was that serious.”

“Did you guys perhaps not send Seong-hoon even when he said he was sick or anything like that?”

“Of course n…”

Just as Park Byeong-deok was about to confidently speak, the door burst open with a bang, and Choi Tae-sik entered the living quarters. He had just returned to the unit after being at the hospital.

“Salute!”

“At ease!”

Choi Tae-sik’s eyes seemed filled with murderous intent, as if he wanted to devour someone. He was usually the type to take good care of the soldiers, but he was terrifying when angry, so the soldiers couldn’t help but be on edge.

“Squad Leader, did you tell the men about Private Kim’s news?”

“Yes, Captain. I just informed them that he had surgery.”

“As the Squad Leader just said, Private Kim Seong-hoon is currently hospitalized after undergoing surgery. To be more precise, Private Kim barely survived last night.”

“…….”

“……!”

As soon as they heard ‘barely survived,’ Go Cheol-soo and Park Byeong-deok’s expressions subtly changed, and they felt a pang of guilt.

“He was supposed to go on his new recruit vacation today as scheduled, but unfortunately, this incident occurred, and he ended up hospitalized. Everyone should be aware of this.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ah! And…”

Choi Tae-sik, about to turn around after delivering the news, stopped and turned back.

“There’s one thing I want to ask, so listen carefully and answer truthfully. Has there been any hazing or similar mistreatment of Private Kim Seong-hoon in this living quarters?”

A chilling air filled the room, and no one could meet Choi Tae-sik’s gaze.

Especially the two troublemakers, who gritted their teeth and stared straight ahead, their postures rigid.

“Squad Leader? Nothing?”

“No, sir, there isn’t.”

“Who is Private Kim’s senior?”

“Private Go Cheol-soo, sir.”

“Private Park Byeong-deok, sir.”

At Choi Tae-sik’s call, the two men shot up from their seats and gave their ranks and names.

“Was there anything strange about Seong-hoon usually?”

“No, sir. Private Kim Seong-hoon is a very quiet and docile type, so there was nothing particularly strange about him.”

“Really? Then you guys didn’t have any problems with Seong-hoon?”

“No, sir, we didn’t.”

Go Cheol-soo answered confidently.

“Squad Leader, are you sure? You guys didn’t have any problems?”

“As far as I know, that’s correct.”

The squad leader wasn’t lying. The two troublemakers mainly bullied him severely when the senior officers weren’t around, and they pretended otherwise when other soldiers were present.

So, it was natural that the squad leader didn’t suspect any hazing or bullying.

“Understood.”

Choi Tae-sik left the living quarters to report to his superiors.

“Hey, why did you answer like that?”

While the soldiers were in disarray because of Kim Seong-hoon’s situation, Park Byeong-deok whispered to Go Cheol-soo, making sure only he could hear.

“What! Should I have told the Captain, ‘Yeah, we bullied that guy’? Huh?”

“No, it’s not that, but… Hey! What if Seong-hoon tells everything?”

“You idiot, don’t you know Kim Seong-hoon even after seeing him like that? That guy would never tell.”

Go Cheol-soo answered nonchalantly while tidying up his sleeping area.

“How do you know that?”

“How do I know? Seong-hoon is extremely timid. Those kinds of guys can never admit they were bullied. If he was going to say something, he would have said it already.”

“That’s true. Kim Seong-hoon is extremely timid.”

Go Cheol-soo and Park Byeong-deok, who weren’t of good character even in high school, were more concerned about getting caught than about their wrongdoings. Even in this situation, they ignored the sick Kim Seong-hoon and were self-assured.

“Even if Kim Seong-hoon does say something, we just have to deny it no matter what.”

“Yeah, we have to deny it.”

“Just say we were close and lightly joked around, but we never bullied him. You and I just have to coordinate our stories.”

“Okay. Got it.”

The two men, who didn’t care about Kim Seong-hoon’s well-being after he had been on the verge of death, didn’t think much of the incident and tidied up their bedding.

* * *

Our Hospital-

“Did you call for me, Doctor?”

Lee Chan-hee received Tae-kyung’s call and entered the examination room.

“Chan-hee?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“I’m sorry, but can you do me a favor?”

“A favor? Of course. What is it?”

Lee Chan-hee put on a delighted expression, as Tae-kyung had never asked him for a favor before.

“Raise both of your arms.”

“A-arms? Like this?”

“Yeah. That’s right. Just bear with it for a moment.”

“Huh? What are you trying to do…? Doctor?!”

Lee Chan-hee, who was naturally raising his arms, was horrified and stepped back when he suddenly saw Tae-kyung’s hands heading towards his chest.

“D-Doctor, what are you doing right now? You’re not trying to touch my b-boobs, are you?”

Lee Chan-hee, demurely covering his chest with both arms, widened his eyes and looked surprised.

“That’s right?”

“No, Doctor, this isn’t it. Doctor, don’t tell me your taste is like that… I have someone I like. Ack!”

Tae-kyung lightly struck Lee Chan-hee’s arm.

“You idiot, it’s not like that. I have someone I like too. I’m just trying to experiment with something.”

“If it’s something like that, do it on your own body, Doctor. I’ll pass.”

“Hey! Chan-hee? Then will you do it to me? Just bear with it for a moment! Lee Chan-hee!”

Despite Tae-kyung’s earnest call, Lee Chan-hee quickly left the examination room with a greeting.

“Hmm! What is it? Was it a pinch? Or just simple dermatitis [skin inflammation]?”

Tae-kyung, sitting deeply in his chair, pondered about Kim Seong-hoon with his arms crossed.

“Could it be military hazing or something like that? Or not?”

The upper body wounds of Kim Seong-hoon, whom he had seen in the operating room a few hours ago, kept lingering in his mind.

“Ha! Damn it. Am I just being overly sensitive…? Whatever.”

Knock knock-

Tae-kyung, shaking his head briefly and clicking the mouse to view patient data, answered the knock.

“Yes, come in.”

“Hello, Director.”

Tae-kyung got up from his chair and greeted the person who came inside.

“Welcome.”

The person he greeted politely with a bright expression was Mrs. Kim, who had been in charge of cleaning at Our Hospital for a long time.

“I’m sorry to bother you when you’re busy.”

Mrs. Kim was the employee who had worked at Our Hospital the longest, next to Oh Gye-soon in the kitchen.

“It’s okay. I’m fine right now. Please sit down, Mrs. Kim. Are you feeling unwell?”

“No. Unwell? Even though I’m old, my body is still thankfully intact.”

“I’m glad you’re healthy. Would you like something to drink?”

“No. It’s not that, I came to see the Director because I have something to give you.”

“To me?”

“Yes.”

“This is it.”

Mrs. Kim handed a neatly folded piece of paper over the desk.

“I found it on the floor while cleaning the emergency room earlier, and I was going to just throw it away, but I opened it. Something seemed a little strange.”

A few hours ago, when Kim Seong-hoon changed into his hospital gown before going from the emergency room to the intensive care unit, the suicide note he had put in his clothes had fallen on the floor.

At that time, Kim Seong-hoon didn’t even realize the paper had fallen because the medical staff was surrounding him.

Then, a few hours later, Mrs. Kim accidentally found it while cleaning the emergency room.

After finishing cleaning, Mrs. Kim realized it was no ordinary matter and came to see Tae-kyung.

“I thought it would be right to give it to the Director.”

“……!”

Tae-kyung, opening the paper, was startled and frowned.

“This is…”

A suicide note. It was undeniably a suicide note.

“Mrs. Kim, do you remember where you picked up this paper?”

“Yes, I remember exactly. It was by bed number 3.”

Bed number 3 was where Kim Seong-hoon had been before going to the intensive care unit. It was certain.

“You didn’t tell anyone else, did you?”

“Of course not. Old people are amazing at reading the room and keeping their mouths shut. Don’t worry. I’ll go back to work now.”

“Yes, thank you so much.”

After Mrs. Kim left, Tae-kyung’s gaze turned to the paper in his hand.

As he slowly read from the top, Tae-kyung’s pupils began to dilate.

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“See, I told you.”

“But isn’t he just in the bathroom? Why are you so worried about a private not being in his bunk?”

“Worried? Who’s worried? I’m just saying he’s not here.”

“Hey! Maybe that guy deserted last night?”

“Oh! That would be great. Hehe. But would Kim Seong-hoon have the guts to do that? He probably just went to the bathroom.”

“I’m just kidding. Well, Kim Seong-hoon would never do that.”

Go Cheol-soo and Park Byeong-deok didn’t have the slightest worry, which would naturally arise when someone disappears.

They were just laughing, as if disappointed their toy was gone.

“Everyone, pay attention!”

Just as the two men were wondering about Kim Seong-hoon’s whereabouts, the squad leader stood up.

“I need to inform you about something.”

The soldiers stared intently at the squad leader, sensing the unusual atmosphere.

“As you can see, Seong-hoon is not in his bunk right now.”

When the squad leader brought up Kim Seong-hoon, Go Cheol-soo and Park Byeong-deok exchanged glances, looking puzzled.

“He went to the hospital with Captain Choi Tae-sik last night. I don’t know the details, but I heard Seong-hoon had surgery.”

“Huh? Sergeant Lee Jeong-min, did you say surgery?”

“Yeah.”

As Go Cheol-soo and Park Byeong-deok listened to the squad leader and the other soldier’s questions, a moment of embarrassment flashed across their faces.

“Hey! What’s going on?”

“I know, right. Why would a perfectly fine guy suddenly have surgery?”

“I don’t know. Hey! Maybe it’s because Seong-hoon kept saying his stomach hurt?”

“I don’t know. Ha! Anyway, I have a bad feeling.”

“And Go Cheol-soo, Park Byeong-deok?”

The two men flinched and reacted to the squad leader’s call.

“Private Go Cheol-soo!”

“Private Park Byeong-deok!”

“You two, come here.”

“You called for us, sir.”