Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 27

Fifth Vital Sign – Episode 27 (27/502)

Episode 27. Outpatient Treatment

“Team Leader, what are you doing? Duck down!”

“Duck down? What do you mean…”

“Just do it! Hurry and sit down.”

She gently tugged on Team Leader Choi’s top, making him crouch down.

“What’s going on?”

“I missed the timing to get up because of the pen.”

While working in the examination room, Tae-kyung had bent down to pick up a pen that had fallen from the desk.

But at that moment, Patient Jeon Geon-myeon and his guardian, who had just left the hospital, walked to the bench right in front of the examination room window.

Moreover, the window was open, so if Tae-kyung stood up, he would be noticed, and their serious conversation would be disrupted.

“It looks like the patient is about to say something important?”

“I hope it goes well.”

“Me too.”

The three people, unintentionally eavesdropping on the patient’s confession, focused on the voices coming from outside the window.

* * *

“Actually… I think I have to tell the Director.”

“Deputy Jeon, why the sudden change in expression? Is it something serious?”

“Yes, it’s not good news.”

“What are you trying to say? Speak clearly.”

“Director?”

“Yes.”

“Please accept this.”

“What is this?”

The patient took out a crumpled white envelope from his pants pocket and handed it over.

“A resignation letter! Why are you suddenly giving me this, Deputy Jeon?”

The patient, meeting the Director’s eyes, lowered his gaze. Then, with difficulty, he revealed his inner thoughts.

“I think I have to resign from the company.”

“What! Resign from the company? Why? Is it because of the accident today?”

“No, it’s not.”

“Then, are you upset with the company or having trouble with the employees?”

“It’s not that. I just… I don’t feel well.”

“I know you had a hard time today, with your arm injured by the machine and your blood vessels cut.”

“I might have AIDS [Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome].”

“AIDS?”

“…Yes.”

The patient, giving a heavy answer, lowered his head even further than before.

“I’m sorry…”

“But what does that matter?”

The patient, who was about to apologize again, looked up, surprised by the Director’s unbelievable calmness.

“I knew you had an AIDS test.”

“What!? How did you know…?”

“Deputy Jeon, you’ve been acting strangely for the past week, so I was worried about what was going on. Then I saw your computer.”

The Director, who was about to leave work a week ago, was checking the office electronics as usual.

Then, on Deputy Jeon’s monitor, which was in power-saving mode, he saw an internet page displaying search results for AIDS testing methods.

“I guessed it right away when I saw that. I thought, ‘Deputy Jeon might have AIDS.'”

Deputy Jeon, who had been searching for AIDS-related information on the company PC, had only turned off the monitor and forgotten about it because of the sudden arrival of employees.

“I told the President—no, my brother-in-law—right away. We’re only human, so we were scared at first. Because he’s my brother-in-law, I couldn’t say anything for a while.”

It was an honest feeling. It would have been stranger if he had acted like it was nothing.

“My brother-in-law and I honestly didn’t know what to do about this issue.”

“I understand. Everyone has been so good to me, but I’m sorry that I have to quit like this. I’m sorry, Director.”

“Deputy Jeon, you won’t be quitting, so don’t apologize.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s not confirmed yet.”

“That’s true, but it could be confirmed. It came out positive in the first test, so there’s a higher chance.”

The patient wondered if the Director didn’t know much about AIDS.

“My youngest daughter’s husband is a doctor in Busan. I talked to him for over two hours at dawn. He said that if AIDS is managed well, there’s no major problem living like a normal person.”

Jeon Dae-ri [Deputy Jeon’s full name] had been dedicated to the company for over 10 years since he was 19 years old.

He was a grateful friend who had endured without pay when the company was struggling.

The Director and his brother-in-law could not turn away from Jeon Dae-ri, who had been a great help in difficult times, just because he was sick.

“Even if you are an AIDS patient, we have no intention of letting you go.”

“Director…”

“My brother-in-law and I are thinking of telling the employees about this honestly. If that doesn’t work out, we can switch you to an office job from home, so don’t worry alone.”

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry.”

In an unexpected moment of overwhelming emotion, Patient Jeon Geon-myeon burst into tears.

He, who thought that he would be completely isolated and ignored from now on, was able to feel warm sincerity from Tae-kyung and the Director today.

“Thank you, Director. Sob sob!”

“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you? Don’t cry. Let’s go eat. You need to gain some weight.”

The Director patted Patient Jeon Geon-myeon’s trembling shoulder and left the hospital together.

* * *

“Oh! Is Teacher Im crying?”

“Oh my, who’s crying?”

“Team Leader, your eyes are also moist?”

The three people who had been crouching on the floor by the window got up.

“What are you talking about, Teacher? I’m a Marine Corps veteran who catches ghosts, so I don’t shed tears.”

“Anyway, Jeon Geon-myeon’s face wasn’t good, but it’s a relief that things worked out.”

“The world is still warm. But why did you two come to the examination room?”

“Ah! That’s because Teacher Im and I came to apologize on behalf of the employees for what happened earlier.”

“The employees were careless.”

“We’re sorry, Teacher.”

Team Leader Choi, who was over his mid-50s, was older than Tae-kyung, but he was a man of principle.

He reflected on his past behavior and offered a sincere apology.

“Why is everyone like this? The hospital isn’t a place where people work under duress, so why is that something to be sorry about? It’s okay. However, we are people who work in a special place called a hospital, so I hope everyone remembers that we are all medical professionals.”

“Of course, of course. That’s right.”

“If doctors and nurses are afraid of patients, who will treat the patients?”

“Yes, I’ll convey that to the employees.”

“And there’s something to discuss regarding the title of ‘Teacher’.”

“Title?”

“I think we should correct it to ‘Director’ instead of ‘Teacher’.”

“I agree with the Team Leader. You came here as a Director, so it’s not right to keep calling you Teacher.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m more comfortable with the title of ‘Teacher’.”

He came as a Director, but Kim Cheol-gi didn’t want to be addressed as Director.

“Then I’ll go on rounds now.”

“How unique.”

Team Leader Choi said, watching Tae-kyung leave the examination room.

“What is it?”

“Usually, most people who come from university hospitals like to be called Director.”

“He’s pure, that’s why.”

“He’s not a child, why are you talking about purity?”

“It’s not that, it means he only cares about patients.”

“I admit that.”

“I don’t know how reassuring it is to have Teacher Kim at our hospital.”

* * *

Director’s office, Shinhwa University Hospital.

“I heard that Shinhwa University Hospital has many applicants for the Department of Surgery, which is said to be a department that people avoid. What’s the secret?”

“Well, I think the secret is thanks to our talented surgeons. Don’t you think so, Director of the Department?”

The Director of Shinhwa University Hospital and the Director of the Department of Surgery were being interviewed by a medical media outlet.

“Then, Director of the Department, please say something.”

“I think it’s thanks to the unwavering support of the Chairman and the Director, along with the dedication of our good doctors.”

“You’re generously supporting the Department of Surgery.”

“Since talented doctors receive support, the result is good treatment for the patients.”

“Let’s move on to the next question. There’s a surgeon’s video that’s becoming a hot topic on YouTube these days. Have you two seen it?”

As Tae-kyung’s name came out of the reporter’s mouth, the Director’s eyebrows twitched.

“I haven’t seen it.”

“Director of the Department, have you seen it?”

“I haven’t seen it because I don’t have enough time, as I’m always busy seeing patients, but I’ve heard about it.”

“We found out that the doctor in the video is from Shinhwa University Hospital. Is that correct?”

“From? I think the reporter is mistaken about something?”

“Mistaken?”

“Teacher Kim Tae-kyung is not ‘from’ our hospital, but he *is* our hospital’s doctor.”

The Director, who said he had never seen the video, took the initiative to bring up Tae-kyung’s name and showed an active interest.

“So there are many videos of Teacher Kim Tae-kyung on Shinhwa University Hospital’s YouTube channel.”

“He’s a very excellent doctor who is indispensable to our hospital.”

“But I heard that Teacher Kim Tae-kyung is currently affiliated with another hospital. Is that not true?”

“That’s not wrong either. You can think of him as seeing patients at a partner hospital.”

‘What is this again?’

‘What is the Director saying now?’

The Director of the Department, who was already wondering what nonsense the Director was talking about, was having a hard time managing his expression at the phrase “outpatient treatment.”

“Teacher Kim has such a great spirit of service that I readily supported his wishes.”

The Director, skilled in Machiavellian tactics, tried to create a connection with Tae-kyung in any way possible.

“So there was such a backstory.”

“That area is a bit underserved in terms of medical benefits. Even if you want to go to a big hospital, it takes more than an hour, so we dispatched talent.”

“I see. It must have been a difficult decision because he’s so talented?”

“No. I thought it was a place where the excellent Teacher Kim Tae-kyung was really needed.”

“So the Director deliberately dispatched him there.”

“The finances are also difficult there, so I thought they needed talented people.”

“That’s amazing. Thank you for agreeing to the interview today.”

After the media company left, the Director of the Department of Surgery asked the Director as if he had been waiting.

“No, Director. Why did you say that Teacher Kim was dispatched to a partner hospital?”

“Director Lee, are you saying such leisurely things while knowing what the situation is now?”

Shinhwa University Hospital was paying the price for kicking Tae-kyung out.

People who saw Tae-kyung on the hospital’s YouTube channel were constantly canceling their appointments.

‘Why did Teacher Kim Tae-kyung suddenly leave?’

‘Please transfer me to that hospital.’

In addition, patients who had been under Tae-kyung’s care continued to ask about his absence and requested transfers.

“Why wouldn’t I know? But now Teacher Kim is no longer associated with our hospital.”

“That’s why I said things like ‘dispatch’ and ‘cooperation’ to make it seem related.”

“Director, I apologize, but Teacher Kim was kicked out of our hospital.”

“I know, Director. That’s why I’m saying this. Let’s bring him back.”

“Bring back who?”

“Who else but Kim Tae-kyung.”

“Yes!?”

He was the one who took the lead in kicking him out, but now he’s saying to bring him back. It seemed like he was out of his mind.

“We must bring him back. That bastard Kwon Soo-hyun is too terrible.”

Kwon Soo-hyun was a professor who was newly appointed thanks to money and the Chairman’s connections. The problem was that he only had showmanship, and his skills were terrible.

The difference between a star doctor arbitrarily created by the hospital and a doctor who became famous through patient word-of-mouth was significant.

That difference was also a problem directly related to money.

The Director didn’t want to miss this opportunity for Tae-kyung to become famous.

“I was going to talk to you about Professor Kwon’s problem anyway… I heard that the medical staff is suffering in the operating room because of him.”

“That’s why we need Kim Tae-kyung even more. At this rate, all the surgery patients will leave.”

“Director, even so, how can we bring him back?”

“No, then are you saying that we should continue to entrust patients to the inadequate Kwon Soo-hyun?”

For the Director, whose only purpose was the hospital’s publicity and profit, to express concern for the patients was surprising. The Director of the Department could not sympathize at all.

“Director, instead of that, why don’t we send Professor Kwon to the branch hospital and look for a talented person to replace him?”

“A branch hospital? Can Kwon Soo-hyun return the research funds he received if he’s sent to a branch hospital?”

“That’s…”

“And can you find someone as skilled as Kim Tae-kyung?”

“Ha!”

At the Director’s outburst regarding Tae-kyung, Director Lee unknowingly sighed.

“Director, please relax your face.”

“Teacher Kim won’t come back.”

“I didn’t say to bring him back right away tomorrow. Let’s put our heads together for now.”

Unlike the serious Director of the Department, the Director smiled slyly and clicked on Tae-kyung’s video again.

“But Director, was Kim Tae-kyung originally this skilled? He’s not ordinary at all. Hahaha!”

The Director, who saw Tae-kyung’s treatment skills for the first time in the video, licked his lips and his eyes sparkled like a snake’s.