Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 267

Vital Signs, Part Five – Episode 267

267. The Life and Duty of a Doctor

Creak-

Following the two people who opened the door and entered, Yoo Ji-cheon was there.

“Doc…tor.”

Yoo Ji-cheon, who was looking out the window amidst the sterile, clinical smell filling the room, greeted them.

Tae-kyung consciously shifted his gaze to the patient and their surroundings, taking in the monitors and equipment.

‘Her breathing pattern is abnormal.’

The monitor displayed irregular breathing patterns, showing shallow, infrequent breaths, and Yoo Ji-cheon was clearly struggling for air.

It was also evident that they were using the maximum dosage of vasopressors [medication to raise blood pressure] to combat her constantly dropping blood pressure.

The use of vasopressors is ultimately the guardian’s decision, so her family must have requested aggressive intervention.

“Welcome.”

Yoo Ji-cheon, who greeted them slowly, was noticeably thinner than when she was last at their hospital. Moreover, she had severe edema [swelling caused by fluid retention] in her flanks and legs.

In a way, it was an inevitable outcome.

She had become entangled with a pseudo-religious group, received a terminal diagnosis, and ultimately ceased medical treatment, so her condition was bound to deteriorate.

“How have you been feeling, Ms. Yoo?”

“I’m alright, doctor.”

Yoo Ji-cheon’s faint smile eased Tae-kyung’s heavy heart, if only slightly.

“I don’t know how to thank you for coming all this way. I’m so sorry to make you travel such a distance when you must be so busy.”

“It’s no trouble at all. I wanted to see you, too.”

“Jin-kyung, offer the doctor some juice.”

“Doctor, please have this.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Kim Jin-kyung, after handing Tae-kyung a small juice bottle at Yoo Ji-cheon’s request, excused herself with her husband for a moment.

“We’ll step out for a bit. Please, talk freely.”

Creak-

“How are you feeling…”

Tae-kyung hesitated, stopping mid-sentence.

‘How is your body, patient?’

‘Are you experiencing any discomfort?’

The routine questions he had asked countless times as a doctor now felt inadequate and difficult to voice.

“Doctor, I’m doing okay,” Yoo Ji-cheon said, noticing Tae-kyung’s discomfort. Her tone was surprisingly calm.

“Honestly, I can’t say my physical condition is good, but I can honestly say that my mental state is stable.”

“That’s a relief. You mentioned going on a trip. Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes, Jin-kyung and I explored many places, and later my husband and son joined us. I never realized there were so many beautiful spots in our country. Would you like to see some photos?”

Yoo Ji-cheon handed Tae-kyung a photo from the bedside table. It was clearly a cherished memento that she looked at frequently.

The photo captured happy moments from their travels as a family. In that image, at least, Yoo Ji-cheon’s suffering was not visible.

“You visited some wonderful places.”

“Didn’t we? It was truly amazing. Doctor, you shouldn’t spend too much time at the hospital. Get some fresh air once in a while.”

“Yes, I will.”

“By the way, were you surprised that I contacted you so suddenly?”

“A little.”

Even without her explicitly stating it, he could guess why Yoo Ji-cheon had reached out.

“I wanted to say goodbye. The doctor here informed me that I don’t have much time left…”

Yoo Ji-cheon paused, and Tae-kyung waited patiently for her to regain her composure without interrupting the silence.

“So, they advised me to see the people I wanted to see. After seeing close relatives and very dear friends, I wanted to see you, doctor.”

“I was also concerned about your condition.”

“If it weren’t for you, doctor, I wouldn’t have been able to return to my family, and I wouldn’t have created such precious memories.”

“It wasn’t just me. Despite my advice, it was ultimately your own will that made the difference. You did it yourself.”

“You haven’t changed since the first time I met you, or even now.”

“Thank you. But why did you choose to come to Busan…”

On the day Yoo Ji-cheon was discharged, Tae-kyung had provided her with a list of hospice facilities both near her travel destinations and in the area where she planned to settle. However, Busan wasn’t on that list, so he was curious about her decision.

“That’s right. I was originally planning to go somewhere else. But the happiest years of my life were when I lived in Busan.”

Yoo Ji-cheon had resided in Busan for several years due to her husband’s job.

Her beloved daughter and son were born there, and the city had a beautiful coastline. It was also a place filled with pleasant memories of a normal life, before she became involved with the cult.

So, she wanted to spend her final days in Busan.

“Coming here, I often reminisce about those times, and I find it’s good for my mental well-being.”

“Isn’t it difficult?”

Tae-kyung asked cautiously.

“It’s bearable because my heart is at peace. Doctor, I’ve been reflecting on my life recently, and there are only two things I truly regret.”

“Two things?”

“Yes, one is not being able to see my son get married. Jin-kyung found a wonderful partner and got married, but I don’t think I’ll live long enough to see my youngest son do the same. And the other is that I regret being foolish enough to fall for that cult. But that’s all. I simply regret it, but I refuse to let those thoughts consume me and cause me further pain.”

It wasn’t just empty words.

Yoo Ji-cheon, having emptied her mind of negativity and accepted her impending death, didn’t want to waste her remaining time on regret.

“I’m telling my son how much I love him, and I’ve shared my advice on how to find someone he loves in the future and how to cope with life’s challenges. I’ve also told my daughter, my son-in-law, and my husband everything I wanted to say, leaving nothing unsaid. I don’t know if I have a day, a week, or a month left, but I intend to spend that time loving my family even more.”

“You’ve thought well about it.”

I couldn’t even begin to imagine the mental anguish she must have endured to think that way and put it into practice.

Tae-kyung felt Yoo Ji-cheon, who spoke so calmly, was both admirable and pitiable.

“Doctor, I’m truly grateful. Thanks to you, I can organize my affairs well at the end. And I’m sorry to ask, but is it alright if I make one request?”

“Of course. Please, feel free to speak.”

“I have breast cancer, right? Since my trip, I’ve been researching on my phone and often see articles saying that breast cancer has genetic factors.”

About 10% of breast cancer cases are due to genetic factors, and the rest are due to environmental factors.

“If I have an abnormal gene, there’s a 50% chance that my child will inherit it. I’m okay since I’m leaving this world soon, but I don’t want my child to go through the same thing. So, I told Jin-kyung to get regular check-ups from you, and I hope you’ll take good care of her each time.”

Parents hate seeing their children sick more than they hate being sick themselves. Even in this situation, Yoo Ji-cheon was only worried about her remaining children.

She added that if her daughter were to follow the same path as her, she wouldn’t be able to close her eyes even in death.

“You’re the only doctor I can trust.”

“I understand. I’ll examine you thoroughly each time you come to the hospital. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you so much. I feel relieved now.”

After that, Tae-kyung had various conversations with Yoo Ji-cheon, and later greeted and talked with her husband and son who arrived.

“Doctor, thank you so, so much. I will never forget the kindness you have shown me, even in death. Thank you. Please continue to be a doctor who cares about patients as you do now.”

“Yes, I will.”

Unlike when he came into the room and greeted her, he couldn’t easily say ‘See you next time,’ which he usually said to other patients.

“I…”

“No, Doctor!”

Yoo Ji-cheon quickly stopped Tae-kyung, who hadn’t finished speaking.

“You were about to say you were sorry to me, weren’t you? Please don’t say that.”

As Yoo Ji-cheon said, Tae-kyung was indeed about to apologize.

It wasn’t that he had done anything directly to be sorry for. But as a doctor, seeing a patient facing death, he couldn’t help but feel that way.

Treating sick people and protecting patients’ lives was a doctor’s life and duty.

Tae-kyung had always lived his life upholding that duty as a doctor. But at this moment, he couldn’t do anything for the sick patient in front of him.

He felt helpless and sorry for the patient.

Even if he was a doctor praised as a genius by others, the vast knowledge in his head was useless in front of a patient facing death.

He knew very well that there was nothing more he could do medically, but he couldn’t help but feel sorry.

That was also because of Tae-kyung’s nature to feel pity for those who were sick.

“I should be the one saying sorry. Where else would you find a patient who doesn’t listen like me? When I was first diagnosed with cancer, you contacted me every day to get treatment until I cut off contact. There’s no one like you in the world. It’s all my fault.”

As someone who had experienced it firsthand, Yoo Ji-cheon knew Tae-kyung’s heart for his patients.

She didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable because of her, even though he had come all the way to Busan.

“And, not to joke, if it weren’t for you, I might not have reconciled with my family and might have died in that cult facility. The head of the facility told me that there are quite a few people who can’t accept death until the very end. So, there are people who suddenly pass away without even having time to say goodbye to their families. In that sense, I’m still a happy person.”

Tae-kyung came to give Yoo Ji-cheon warm words, but he felt comforted instead.

“So, Doctor, please say goodbye with a smile.”

“I’m grateful to have met you, Yoo Ji-cheon, as my patient.”

Tae-kyung conveyed his final greetings with all his heart.

“I’m grateful too. Always be healthy.”

Tae-kyung left the hospital, leaving behind Yoo Ji-cheon, who responded with a very bright smile.

He trudged towards the taxi stand and walked for a while instead of taking a taxi. He kept walking and sat on a bench where he could see the ocean well.

“Ha!”

The death of a patient never gets easier, no matter how many times you experience it.

His heart felt heavy.

Tae-kyung, who couldn’t easily move his feet, sat there blankly for a long time before returning to Seoul.

Originally, he was planning to go straight to the hospital. But strangely, he didn’t want to go to the hospital today.

He usually didn’t drink alcohol due to his father’s influence as an alcoholic, but he wanted to drink for the first time in a long time.

He wanted to rest his complicated mind and heart with the help of alcohol.

“I’d like to pay.”

“The squid is a promotional item, so I’ll include it with your purchase.”

“Okay. Thank you for your hard work.”

After calling the hospital and confirming that there were no emergency patients, Tae-kyung bought beer at the convenience store and headed home.

“Hoo!”

Tae-kyung consciously took a deep breath in and out, relieved that there were no seriously ill people around his house.

“That’s a relief.”

Unlike the foul fifth vital sign smell he had felt at the hospice, he was even grateful for the first and second stage smells [likely referring to the smells of decay, with ‘fifth vital sign’ being a euphemism for death] that invaded his nose on the night breeze.

Tae-kyung sat roughly on the porch in his suit and gulped down the beer.

“Ah! That’s refreshing.”

The coolness of the beer passing down his throat seemed to wash away his stuffy heart.

Tae-kyung emptied two cans in a row from his seat and recalled Yoo Ji-cheon’s last words as he drank the last can.

‘Doctor, to be honest, I don’t have any more desires, but there’s just one thing I desperately want.’

‘What is it?’

‘Fifteen days. I just want to live fifteen more days. That’s my son’s birthday.’

‘You’ll be able to see your son’s birthday.’

‘I hope so too.’

He didn’t know exactly how much time Yoo Ji-cheon had left, but he desperately hoped that she could live just a little longer.

And as she faced the time she had to leave, Tae-kyung prayed that she would go comfortably without pain before heading home.