Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 288

Five Vital Signs – Episode 288

288. A Professional’s Help

“Oh my gosh! That was scary. Augh. So scary.”

“Nurse Soo, are you okay?”

Lee Chanhee asked, watching Nurse Lim Jungsook muttering to herself with a serious expression at the station for a while now.

“I want to say I’m okay, but I’m not okay at all.”

“What does that mean? But Nurse Soo? What’s this about that old man running away and Agent Jang going after him?”

Lee Chanhee, who didn’t know the details because she was busy with emergency room patients, had just heard from another nurse that the old man had escaped.

“Nurse Lee? That old man isn’t a cancer patient.”

“He’s not a cancer patient?”

“Yes, and the boy next to him isn’t his grandson either.”

“That old man definitely told me he was a terminal cancer patient, living with his grandson, and he was so worried about his grandson…”

“They’re not related at all, and the painkiller the old man was trying to get was actually for the boy, who was trying to take it.”

“Why would that kid want Fentanyl [a powerful opioid painkiller]?”

“I don’t know the details yet. But what’s certain is that Fentanyl and kids are connected.”

“No way! Nurse Soo, that’s a narcotic painkiller, isn’t it?”

“Why is that so unbelievable?”

Choi Mona, who had been seeing a patient, took her place in front of the monitor and naturally joined the conversation.

“Looks like he’s addicted to Fentanyl.”

“Come on! He still had baby fuzz on his face. How could a kid be addicted?”

“Nurse Lee, you can be so naive sometimes. Does a junkie care about age when they’re doing drugs?”

“That’s in foreign countries. This is Korea.”

“In our country, if you have money and you’re determined, getting drugs is a piece of cake. If it weren’t for our director, that kid would have gotten a prescription from you, Nurse Lee. Don’t you know what Fentanyl is? We know better. It’s called a painkiller, but it’s practically a drug.”

“Ha! I can’t even speak. It’s unbelievable.”

Lee Chanhee shuddered at the thought that she might have given a prescription to a young student.

“Seriously, why are kids so scary these days?”

“Tell me about it. As a mother raising a child, it’s even scarier and more shocking. What kind of world is this that even young kids are…? Oh!”

Nurse Lim Jungsook, who had been speaking quickly in excitement, stopped talking when she saw a notification on her phone screen.

“This doesn’t seem like a normal situation.”

“Why?”

“The director… sent a KakaoTalk [a popular Korean messaging app] asking me to call him. I’ll go make a call.”

“Nurse Soo? Who are you calling?”

“Detective Kim!”

Lee Chanhee, who heard Nurse Lim Jungsook’s words, stared at Choi Mona with wide eyes.

“Hey, DogMona. Did you hear that? Detective Kim. This must be a big deal.”

“Of course, it’s a big deal when young kids are getting their hands on dangerous drugs.”

“What happens when the police come?”

“What do you think happens? If you commit a crime, you have to be punished. Personally, I think we should get rid of this ‘going easy because they’re young’ crap.”

“DogMona, you’re too cold sometimes.”

“You’re too soft sometimes. I’m going to see a patient.”

* * *

It was hard to believe that a mere 18-year-old high school student was systematically selling narcotic painkillers.

He couldn’t believe that such an absurd thing was happening so casually in Korea.

“Junwoo, you said a friend gave you this, but you didn’t do it, right?”

“Yes. Something felt off.”

“Good. It’s really good that you didn’t touch this drug.”

Taekyung, sitting across from Seo Junwoo, patted the boy’s shoulder.

“Can you tell me the name of the friend who gave this to you?”

“Go Seungkyu.”

“You said that Seungkyu is the club leader, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Seungkyu practically has all the authority in the club.”

“Listen carefully to what I’m going to say now.”

“Yes…”

“Junwoo, thank you for telling me everything, even though it must have been difficult. But what you did today, and everything that friend Go Seungkyu did, is illegal.”

“…”

Seo Junwoo slowly nodded instead of answering.

The moment he heard the reality of the painkiller in front of him, he realized that what he and Go Seungkyu were doing was illegal.

“Junwoo, I want to help you. If it was something I could handle alone, I would have helped you no matter what. But I can’t solve this problem by myself. So, I asked for help from an expert who can solve this problem.”

“An expert?”

“Yeah. The police will be here soon.”

“…”

Seo Junwoo lowered his head even further at the word ‘police.’

“Are you surprised by the word ‘police’?”

“…Yes.”

“Junwoo, to be honest, I could just close my eyes and let you go in this situation. But I don’t want to do that.”

It was true. Taekyung had briefly considered just letting Seo Junwoo, who was terrified and even crying, go. But he couldn’t do that.

If he just let this kid go, Seo Junwoo would probably never touch dangerous painkillers again.

If he instilled this much awareness, he would definitely be too scared to even look at them again. But he was worried about the other kids.

Especially because of Go Seungkyu, the leader, he couldn’t overlook this problem.

From Junwoo’s story, that kid had already gone beyond the point where he could stop on his own, so it was urgent to notify the police before more students were harmed.

“The other kids need to know that this is wrong, and we need to stop Go Seungkyu from doing bad things anymore. And whether you’re old or young, you should be held accountable for your actions. More than anything, if I just turn a blind eye to you, I don’t think you’ll feel comfortable either, Junwoo. Am I wrong?”

“No. Everything you said is right.”

Although it was something he did without knowing, Seo Junwoo was sincerely regretting his actions.

“I’m sorry.”

After that, Taekyung counseled Junwoo on the personal issues he asked about, and soon after, Detective Kim arrived at the hospital.

Having heard the general situation, Detective Kim first spoke with the old man whom Jang Deukchil was guarding in the doctor’s office. Then, he instructed his junior, who had come with him, to take the evidence Seo Junwoo had and take the old man to the police station.

This was to investigate at the police station because there was a risk of escape.

“I’m not guilty… I just handed out the drugs. The one who planned it is that guy! The tall guy is the problem!”

“Grandpa, that’s wrong and illegal. Please come to the station and tell us about it.”

After talking with Taekyung, Detective Kim accurately heard all the facts from Seo Junwoo.

He, too, couldn’t help but be shocked, but he didn’t show it and asked about Go Seungkyu, who was at the center of the incident.

“Junwoo, is that friend Go Seungkyu a bully or something?”

“No. We don’t have kids like that at our school. Everyone is so focused on getting into good universities that they’re more interested in studying. And he’s the top student in our grade.”

Detective Kim was speechless at the increasingly absurd story of Go Seungkyu.

“Junwoo, this is a huge case. But I need your help. Can you help me?”

“Yes, I’ll help you.”

Seo Junwoo, who was not at risk of fleeing and had no direct fault, decided to go home with Detective Kim for the time being.

“Junwoo, don’t forget what I said earlier, and come find me anytime if you need help. Okay?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“I’ll see you again.”

Thud-

Taekyung said goodbye to Seo Junwoo in the car and had a brief conversation with Detective Kim outside.

“Detective Kim, what will happen to Junwoo?”

“First, I think we need to go home and tell his parents the truth. And tomorrow, we’ll collect evidence and start a proper investigation. Director, how could something like this happen?”

Detective Kim, who had experienced all sorts of things while working as a police officer, couldn’t easily calm down his shocked heart. That’s how serious this issue was.

“This isn’t America…”

“I’m still dumbfounded.”

“Director? I don’t know much about this, but do they just give out these narcotic painkillers to anyone who says they’re in pain? Is it that easy to prescribe?”

“Yes, realistically, it’s not difficult to prescribe.”

Taekyung, a professional medical professional, also felt sorry about that part.

It was true that Korea’s medical system was good on a global scale, but there were definitely areas that needed improvement.

Every day, countless people visit hospitals for treatment.

Doctors have to see each patient in a short amount of time, so if someone pretends to be sick like today and deliberately deceives them, there’s no way to confirm it.

Of course, you could find out if you checked more carefully, but realistically, it’s not easy to provide treatment like that.

In particular, pain is not a visible indicator, so there were people like Go Seungkyu who exploited such points.

More than anything else, Taekyung thought that the relevant laws should be changed so that dangerous drugs like Fentanyl, which are narcotic painkillers, cannot be prescribed to minors.

In fact, several medical professionals had raised their voices since before, but there were still no changes.

“I feel frustrated every time these children’s incidents happen.”

“Detective Kim, please take good care of Junwoo.”

“Of course. Don’t worry. I’ll see you again, Director.”

Seo Junwoo arrived home a little later than usual in Detective Kim’s car.

Click-

“I’m home.”

“Junwoo. Why are you late? Mom called and texted you, but you didn’t see it? Were you with the club kids?”

“Mom. We have a guest.”

“A guest? What are you talking about? A guest at this hour?”

“Come in.”

Seo Junwoo’s mother was startled to see Detective Kim entering the house as Seo Junwoo opened the front door.

“Who are you? Junwoo, who is this?”

“I’m really sorry for coming late at night. I’m Detective Kim Homin from OO Police Station.”

Detective Kim handed his business card to Seo Junwoo’s mother, who was making a surprised expression.

“Why is the police with our son…?”

“What brings you here?”

Seo Junwoo’s father, who was in the study, also came out to the front door and asked.

“I came because of a violation of the Narcotics Control Act.”

“Na, Narcotics?”

“What do you mean? Are you saying our Junwoo did drugs?”

“No. Seo Junwoo didn’t do it.”

The couple, who had been startled for a moment, moved to the living room, relieved by Detective Kim’s words.

“This is a narcotic painkiller that the kids thought was a painkiller that relieves stress.”

The couple was speechless for a while after hearing the whole story.

“Just a moment.”

The mother quietly got up from her seat and headed to the room where her son was.

“Mom, I’m coming in.”

Click-

“Junwoo, are you okay?”

“I’m okay.”

“Is what the detective outside said true?”

“Yes, I didn’t know either. I’m sorry.”

Seo Junwoo apologized, looking dejected.

“Junwoo, look at Mom. You really didn’t do it, right?”

“Really, Mom. I didn’t know it was that dangerous.”

He was sure that he would be scolded a lot along with nagging.

He thought that he would have nothing to say even if he was scolded because it was something he had done wrong. But his mother’s strange voice made Seo Junwoo feel embarrassed.

“Listen carefully to what Mom is going to say from now on. You…”