Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 279

279. It’s Suspicious No Matter How I Think About It…

Lee Sori, while scrolling through the numerous comments under the online article, turned to Kang Hyuk and Kim Changhee with a curious expression.

“This is all because of Hyuk,” she said.

“Yes? Because of Hyuk?”

“I only wanted to support Minwoo, but I didn’t expect it to blow up like this.”

A few hours earlier, Kang Hyuk, having rushed to the hospital after finishing his film shoot, learned that Gu Minwoo had been taken into surgery.

The film company had suspended production, promising to wait for Gu Minwoo’s recovery, but Kang Hyuk felt uneasy.

Having spent a considerable amount of time in the entertainment industry, Kang Hyuk had always felt a sense of dissatisfaction. To be honest, it was more than just dissatisfaction.

While it was true that dramas and movies were brought to life through the performances of actors, the people who truly bore the brunt of the work were those behind the scenes.

This included the staff who worked tirelessly to make the actors shine, the minor actors who endured long waits in inadequate conditions for a single scene, and stunt performers like Gu Minwoo, who risked their lives filming dangerous sequences.

Yet, in reality, the spotlight invariably shone on those with the title of “actor,” like himself.

Even when a project became successful and actors received awards, few acknowledged the hard work of these unsung heroes.

A few years prior, a famous movie actor had briefly sparked a conversation by thanking the staff and comparing them to spoons [a Korean expression referring to social class, implying they were born with less privilege], but the moment was fleeting. As time passed, they were forgotten.

When an actor sustained an injury, it dominated headlines across all news platforms, including television.

However, if a member of the filming crew or a stunt performer died in an accident, it was often relegated to a few articles, or sometimes, not even that.

Kang Hyuk found this unacceptable.

Especially now, with his beloved younger brother, Gu Minwoo, injured, he couldn’t stand idly by, overwhelmed by a sense of injustice.

He wanted people to acknowledge Minwoo’s injury and offer genuine encouragement and support, even if it couldn’t match the attention a celebrity would receive.

So, he posted a photo of himself and Gu Minwoo taken during filming on his personal social media account, along with a message:

-Hello, this is Kang Hyuk. During filming today, action actor Gu Minwoo, who plays my character in some scenes, was injured in an accident.

Please send your support to Minwoo, who is always the most dedicated and hardworking person on set, so he can recover quickly. And please remember all the staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes.

-Minwoo, get well soon so we can film together again!

Kang Hyuk hoped that even a small number of people would offer sincere support, but his influence turned out to be far greater than he anticipated.

-Oppa, you’re so amazing! I’m proud to be your fan.

-As expected, you’re the best actor. That’s why I love Kang Hyuk.

-Wow! Amazing. I always thought he was handsome in the drama, and now he’s filming a movie with oppa. I hope he recovers quickly.

-I heard he’s famous in the stuntman world. Stuntmen really struggle, so this is a shame.

Almost instantly, over a million people clicked the “like” button, and hundreds of thousands of comments flooded in.

This news reached the members of Kang Hyuk’s fan club, and they sprang into action.

Kang Hyuk was known for his charitable acts, such as secretly donating to animal shelters and single-parent families.

It seemed that by posting on his public social media, he intended to raise awareness.

So, fan club members posted a notice and simultaneously searched for articles about Gu Minwoo on various online portals at a designated time.

-We support the speedy recovery of actor Gu Minwoo.

That article quickly rose to the top of real-time search rankings. Along with the search term, Gu Minwoo’s name also gained traction, leading to more articles. Soon, not only Kang Hyuk’s fan club members but also many others learned about the accident and offered their sincere support to Gu Minwoo.

“Oh my gosh! How could this happen…?”

Lee Sori teared up again, her heart warmed by the outpouring of support for her husband.

Even though her husband was currently in the intensive care unit, she felt as though the collective support would somehow reach him.

“You didn’t have to do this much. I don’t know how to thank you… Thank you so much for your concern.”

“No, I just posted a photo and a message. I think I just got lucky.”

“I’ll tell my husband everything when he wakes up. Because so many people are supporting him, he’ll definitely pull through and get back on his feet quickly.”

“Of course. Of course.”

Click-

Just as the three were finishing their conversation, Kim Sunho, a supporting actor, cautiously entered the hospital room after knocking.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just that I don’t think I apologized properly earlier. I think Minwoo had an accident because of me…”

Kim Sunho had been waiting outside the hospital room, wanting to ask for forgiveness for his mistake.

“It may be hard to believe, but I never wanted Minwoo to get hurt, and I didn’t intentionally cause an NG [a filming term for ‘no good,’ meaning a take that needs to be reshot]. I’m truly sorry that this happened.”

“No. Don’t apologize to me.”

Lee Sori spoke firmly to Kim Sunho.

“It’s not something you should apologize to me for. So, apologize to Minwoo, not me.”

“…”

Even though she knew that Kim Sunho’s words about not wanting the accident and not causing the NG were true, she was still disappointed in his actions. To be honest, she had felt like cursing him out just moments ago.

But what good would that do? And thinking about Haengun [meaning ‘luck’ in Korean, referring to her unborn child] in her belly, she didn’t want to harbor hatred towards anyone.

She simply hoped that he would apologize to her husband.

“Apologize directly to my husband when he wakes up.”

“Yes, I will definitely apologize to Minwoo. I’m really sorry for causing you concern.”

Kim Sunho, clasping his hands together and bowing, left the hospital room with heavy steps. He looked unwell, as if he had suffered quite a bit from the incident.

“Kim Sunho has decided to leave the movie.”

“Leave? Suddenly?”

Come to think of it, there had been an article about Kim Sunho leaving the show in the real-time search rankings earlier.

“Well, it seems like he felt sorry for Minwoo. He didn’t know a real accident would happen, but he said it seemed like things escalated because he caused an NG. So, he expressed his intention to leave to his agency, and the movie production company also knew all the facts and decided to proceed with his departure.”

“I see.”

“This industry is very sensitive to public opinion. Kim Sunho didn’t say it directly, but leaving was only a matter of time. Don’t worry about it, sister-in-law.”

“Yes.”

After that, her mother-in-law, who had gone to the convenience store, returned, and the two exchanged stories and said goodbye.

“It’s late, so I’ll go now.”

“I’ll go too. Mother and sister-in-law must have been very surprised, so please rest quickly. I’ll visit you again.”

“Okay. Thank you for coming when you’re all so busy.”

“You’re welcome. Goodbye.”

“Be careful going in.”

Click-

“Still, I’m grateful that you came for our Minwoo. Oh, right! Sori, you haven’t eaten anything all day, have you?”

After CEO Kim Changhee and Kang Hyuk left, her mother-in-law began taking something out of a large bag.

“Eat this.”

“No. Mother, I’m okay.”

“What’s okay? This is porridge.”

Her mother-in-law, having visited the convenience store, had gone to the next neighborhood to buy abalone porridge, which her daughter-in-law loved.

Inside the bag were not only porridge but also her daughter-in-law’s favorite drinks and snacks.

“You like abalone porridge, don’t you?”

“Mother, did you go out on purpose because of me?”

“I was so surprised when I heard you collapsed earlier. And you have Haengun too. You have to eat better, especially at times like this.”

“Mother…”

Lee Sori was always grateful to her parents-in-law, who cherished her like their own daughter, unlike her own parents, who lived far away.

“I’m sorry.”

“What! Why are you sorry? It’s not your fault that the accident happened, so why are you sorry? Don’t say that. It’s just that Minwoo was unlucky. But how grateful we are that he survived.”

“Mother is right. I’m really grateful.”

“Sori, I know you know your husband well, but our Minwoo is a strong person. He’s strong inside and out. He will definitely recover. So, we have to be strong too. That’s how we take care of Minwoo.”

“Yes, Mother. I won’t cry anymore. Eat with me, Mother.”

“I’m full because I ate earlier. Eat it for Haengun, even if you don’t have an appetite. And congratulations on your pregnancy. I’m so out of it that I’m only saying it now.”

Her mother-in-law hugged Lee Sori tightly, overjoyed about the pregnancy.

“Thank you. Baby.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

“Eat quickly.”

Lee Sori ate the warm porridge that her mother-in-law had bought and resolved to become stronger for her beloved husband and Haengun.

The unusually long and difficult day was finally coming to an end. The day that started with despair ended with a glimmer of hope.

* * *

The next day, afternoon.

Tae Kyung, who had decided to take a day off for the first time in a while, finished his scheduled surgeries and headed to the intensive care unit after making rounds of the patients in the ward before going home.

“Minwoo? Your mother came to visit you earlier. Did you hear her voice?”

Tae Kyung spoke to Gu Minwoo, who was asleep and unable to answer.

“The weather is really nice today too.”

It wasn’t that Gu Minwoo was a special patient or that he was more concerned about him that he was talking to him.

Tae Kyung was saying the same thing to all the patients every time he made rounds in the intensive care unit. It was a habit.

It started with the hope that even patients who were unconscious would be encouraged, and now it had become a routine.

“Minwoo, thank you for staying alive. You’re doing well now, so keep up the good work.”

After leaving the intensive care unit, Tae Kyung stopped by the medical office to buy snacks for the medical staff and prepared to leave.

“Lee and Choi, take special care of the patients I told you about and contact me immediately if there are any emergency patients. If you need anesthesia, contact Dr. Choi Donghoon, and he will come right away.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Then, good work.”

“Yes, please congratulate him.”

“Me too.”

“What are you congratulating him on?”

As Tae Kyung left the medical office, Lee Chanhee, who was eating tteokbokki [spicy rice cakes, a popular Korean street food], asked with curiosity.

“He’s going to a wedding, so of course, we’re congratulating him on the wedding.”

“Wedding? What wedding all of a sudden?”

When Lee Chanhee couldn’t understand Choi Mona’s words, nurse Im Jeongsook chimed in.

“It’s the wedding of Choi Seonhae’s patient’s daughter today.”

“Choi Seonhae… Choi Seonhae. Ha! I feel like I remember the name.”

“The patient who had a penetrating abdominal injury at the construction site and had surgery a while ago.”

“Ah! That’s right. I remember that patient. The one whose colleagues came in a *bongochha* [a type of van often used for transporting workers] because they couldn’t get paid for the *hambajip* [a construction site cafeteria], right?”

“Yes, that’s the one. You know exactly.”

“I remember it right away because it was a penetrating abdominal injury.”

The reason why Tae Kyung, who rarely took days off, had volunteered for one today was because of the wedding of Choi Seonhae’s patient’s daughter.

Choi Seonhae, who had contemplated drinking snake wine and ending her life at the hospital, was able to overcome the crisis thanks to emergency surgery.

Grateful to Tae Kyung for saving her life, she had invited him to her only daughter’s wedding as a gesture of appreciation.

It was a promise made a long time ago, so Tae Kyung decided to attend the wedding with a happy heart on behalf of the hospital.

“I knew there was no way the teacher would take a day off for no reason.”

“That’s true, but I told him not to come in after the wedding today and to get a good rest. I told him that I wouldn’t let him get away with it if he didn’t keep his days off from now on.”

“Su’s words are right. The teacher needs to rest too.”

“I agree with Choi’s words.”

“Wait a minute! Isn’t something a little strange?”

Lee Chanhee, who had been pondering something, looked at the two with a serious expression.

“What is it?”

“I’m talking about our teacher. It’s suspicious no matter how I think about it…”