Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 325

The Fifth Vitality – Episode 326 (325/502)

326. Tae-kyung’s Mental Breakdown

The receptionist approached the child sitting alone on a chair in the waiting room.

“Hello!”

“Hello…”

“What’s your name, little friend?”

“My name is Seung-woo.”

“Seung-woo, I see.”

“Hi, Seung-woo. I’m like a…”

“Like a?”

The child, who had been reading a book, tilted his head, puzzled by the phrase “like a.” The receptionist smiled awkwardly and corrected herself.

“Well, ‘like a’ isn’t quite right, is it? How about ‘auntie’? Auntie works here at the hospital. Are you waiting for your mom, Seung-woo?”

“No.”

“Waiting for your dad, then?”

“No.”

“Then who are you waiting for? Grandma? Grandpa?”

“No. I’m not waiting for anyone.”

The receptionist was slightly taken aback by the child’s answer that he wasn’t waiting for his mom, his dad, or anyone at all.

“You’re not waiting for anyone?”

“No, I’m not waiting.”

“…”

For a moment, the receptionist wondered if she had misheard. She watched the child, who was looking at his book with an indifferent expression, and slowly returned to the reception desk.

“Hey, I’m going to check the emergency room.”

“Huh? Why the emergency room all of a sudden?”

“That kid. He says he’s not waiting for anyone.”

“What does that mean? Does he not have a guardian?”

“Yes…”

“He came to the hospital without a guardian? Did he come alone because he’s sick?”

“He’s not exactly normal, but he doesn’t seem sick either… I think it’s best to check.”

“You’re going to check in the emergency room?”

“Yes.”

It didn’t seem like the child was lying, but she felt it would be better to check just in case.

“Okay. That’s a good idea.”

“I’ll be back.”

The receptionist went into the emergency room and checked each patient in the beds.

*Rustle*

“Excuse me, are you here alone?”

“Yes, I came alone.”

“I see.”

*Rustle*

“Excuse me, did you come to the emergency room alone?”

“No, I came with my husband. Why?”

“I was just checking if you came with a guardian. Thank you.”

*Rustle*

“Excuse me, did you come to the hospital with a guardian?”

“No, not a guardian, but I came with my child.”

“You came with a child?”

“Yes, my stomach hurts, and my husband is on a business trip, so I have nowhere to leave him. I know elementary schoolers are all grown up these days, but they’re still kids. I couldn’t leave him alone this late.”

“Of course. You can’t leave them alone at this hour. Is your child a boy?”

“…Yes. Why are you asking all of a sudden? Are you an employee here?”

“Yes, I’m a receptionist. The thing is, there’s an elementary school boy reading a book alone in the waiting room, so I was checking if he had a guardian.”

“Oh my, really? That must be my son.”

“Really?”

The receptionist’s face lit up at the patient’s words that it might be her son.

“He said he was going to the bathroom and told him to hurry back. My son loves to read, so once he starts, he doesn’t get up until he’s finished the book.”

“It’s good to read a lot. I was worried because he was alone, but it’s a relief to know he has a guardian…”

“Mom!”

Just as she was speaking with a relieved expression, the patient’s son came through the curtain.

“Chan-ho? What took you so long in the bathroom? Mom was worried.”

“Well, I went to pee, but then I had to do number two, so it took a while.”

“Did you poop? I’m glad, you were constipated. You’re not going to have diarrhea like me, are you?”

“No diarrhea.”

“Excuse me, is this child your son?”

“Yes, he’s my son.”

“Ah, I see. Okay. Get well soon and go home safely.”

*Rustle*

“That’s strange. Then what about that kid?”

“Why? What’s going on out there?”

As the receptionist walked down the emergency room hallway with a puzzled expression, Nurse Lim Jung-sook approached her.

“Ms. Soo!”

“What’s going on that you’re checking every bed?”

“Someone told me. It’s because of a kid.”

“A kid?”

“Yes, there’s an elementary school boy in the waiting room. But that kid…”

The receptionist explained the situation to Lim Jung-sook.

“Really? A kid is alone?”

“Yes. So, I came to check, but he doesn’t have a guardian.”

“Could he be from the ward?”

“The ward?”

“Yeah. It’s a bit late, but he could be a patient from the ward.”

“That’s true. That’s possible.”

“And instead of going around individually, tell the team leader to make an announcement.”

“That’s a good idea. Thanks, Ms. Soo.”

The receptionist came out of the emergency room and immediately had Team Leader Choi broadcast an announcement to the ward. But no matter how long they waited, no one related to the child appeared.

At this point, something felt strange.

“Team Leader, what should we do?”

“How did a child come without a guardian?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Could he be a runaway?”

“A runaway? What elementary schooler runs away?”

“Don’t be so sure. Haven’t you seen the news? The number of elementary school runaways is increasing every year.”

“Ah! That’s not it. I know now.”

The receptionist, who hadn’t been listening to Team Leader Choi, clapped her hands as if something had occurred to her.

“Team Leader, I think he’s lost. The kid wasn’t exactly normal either.”

“Not normal?”

“What’s going on?”

As Team Leader Choi and the receptionists were talking about the child, Tae-kyung came out of the examination room and asked.

Earlier, Tae-kyung was next to Team Leader Choi when the receptionist said she was going to make an announcement, so he knew the situation.

“Doctor, no one knows that child.”

“Could the child have run away or gotten lost and wandered into the hospital?”

“If there’s no news even after the announcement, let’s not just guess and ask the child directly.”

“Um… Doctor, it might not be easy to talk to him.”

“Why? Is it hard for the child to speak?”

“No, that’s not it, but he’s kind of unique? Peculiar? Anyway, something…”

Watching the receptionist, who couldn’t speak clearly, Tae-kyung went straight to the child.

The child, who had been sitting on a chair in the waiting room, was now standing in front of a human anatomy model.

The anatomy model was quite detailed, showing all the internal organs and bones.

Tae-kyung bent his knees to match the child’s eye level and sat next to him. At the same time, he unconsciously checked for the Fifth Vitality, which had no smell, and felt relieved.

“Hi, Seung-woo!”

“Hello.”

“Seung-woo, you were looking at the human model?”

“Yes, I’m looking at the human model. It’s cool.”

“Other kids are scared of it, but Seung-woo knows what’s up. The human body is originally mysterious and cool.”

Seung-woo, who hadn’t paid much attention to anyone who spoke to him until now, turned his head to listen to Tae-kyung’s answer and looked at him.

“…Yes, it’s cool. The inner workings of humans are as mysterious and amazing as the universe.”

With a consistently calm expression, Seung-woo seemed a little excited, as if a small light had been lit within him.

“As vast as the universe?”

“Yes. What you see on the outside isn’t everything. Inside the body, there are bones and countless organs working hard to make us breathe. A person’s bones number 305 at birth, but they become 206 as they grow.”

“Wow! Seung-woo is really cool. Do you know what this is called?”

When Tae-kyung pointed to an organ inside the head and asked, Seung-woo rattled off the answers like a string of beads.

“This is called the cerebrum. And this is called the diencephalon, which is divided into the thalamus and hypothalamus. The brainstem, which has the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata, and this is the cerebellum.”

Tae-kyung, who had been watching, looked surprised for a moment and then opened the upper body cover that showed the inside of the body.

Then Seung-woo’s eyes sparkled, and he pointed to each organ one by one, saying all the names without being asked.

“Wow! I can see everything inside. This is the liver, this is the portal vein, this is the gallbladder, this is the duodenum. And this is the pancreas, and this wrinkled place inside is called the stomach, which digests the food that people eat. And below are the large intestine, small intestine, colon, rectum, and anus. And next to it…”

Surprisingly, Seung-woo then recited the names of all the human organs and bones.

Tae-kyung listened intently without interrupting the child even once.

Clap- Clap- Clap-

“How admirable! I think the teacher [referring to himself] should learn from Seung-woo!”

“No way, how does an elementary school kid know that stuff?”

“I know, right? He’s saying all the words that we can’t even memorize even if we’re told to. Amazing.”

Tae-kyung stroked Seung-woo’s head and clapped his hands, and the employees who were watching from behind were also amazed and clapped along.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Kim Tae-kyung, a doctor at our hospital.”

“Kim. Tae. Kyung. Doctor.”

“That’s right. My name is Kim Tae-kyung. Seung-woo, can you look at me for a second?”

Seung-woo, who had been making eye contact with Tae-kyung, checked Tae-kyung’s name written on his gown and began to say something unexpected.

“Name Kim Tae-kyung, age xx, graduated from xx Elementary School, xx Middle School, xx High School, and xx University Medical School. He is a triple board certified doctor who saves lives through surgery, treats bones through orthopedics, and treats people in critical condition through emergency medicine. He is very smart and is called a genius by those around him. You are a wonderful person.”

Seung-woo rattled off Tae-kyung’s information almost as if he were talking about his favorite celebrity.

The employees who were watching were even more surprised than before, and their eyes widened.

“What! Team Leader, did you hear that just now?”

“I heard it.”

“I just got goosebumps.”

“What is he? How does he know so much about the director [referring to Tae-kyung]?”

“I know, right? Is he related to the director in some way?”

“Oh my! What’s going on? Team Leader? I just remembered something. Could he be the director’s hidden…”

“What! Are you going to say he’s a hidden son or something?”

Another receptionist, who had been listening to the two, cut off her colleague’s words with a dumbfounded expression and said instead.

“Sun-young, I told you to stop watching those trashy dramas! You only watch trashy dramas every lunchtime, and all you can say is that he’s the director’s son?”

“That’s right. Even if it’s someone else, our director wouldn’t do that. That was a bit much.”

Team Leader Choi, who had been listening, also laughed with a dumbfounded expression.

“I guess so. You’re right, I should stop watching those trashy dramas. I keep seeing them in my dreams.”

“Yeah, cut it out. It’s fun to watch those things sometimes. Watching them all the time is bad for your mental health.”

“That’s right.”

The employees stopped speculating about the child and focused on Tae-kyung, who was talking to the child.

“Wow! Seung-woo knows a lot about the teacher. But how does Seung-woo know the teacher so well?”

“I saw you on a quiz show on my phone. You’re cool.”

“Ah, you saw the show. Thank you. The teacher thinks Seung-woo is much cooler!”

“Thank you.”

Seung-woo seemed to be in a good mood and greeted him by wiggling his signature finger V sign.

“But Seung-woo?”

“Yes, teacher.”

“How did Seung-woo get to the hospital? Did you come alone?”

“Someone brought me.”

“Someone brought Seung-woo?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell the teacher who brought you?”

“Auntie.”

“What kind of auntie?”

“An auntie with a child, wearing a black skirt, white sneakers, and carrying a red bag, with short hair brought me.”

“I see. Then where is that auntie?”

“She went outside the hospital with the child earlier.”

“Who do you live with, Seung-woo?”

“I live with my sister.”

“Where’s your sister? Didn’t she come with you?”

“My sister went to save Mom from the aliens.”

“…!”

Tae-kyung was momentarily in a mental breakdown at the completely unexpected answer.