Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 326

327. Sweet Potato Stems

“My sister said Mom went to save the aliens earlier.”

“……!”

Caught completely off guard by the unexpected answer, Tae-kyung was momentarily stunned.

“Uh, Mom is an alien?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Doubtful of what he heard, he asked again, but the same answer came back.

‘Mom is Mom, and an alien is an alien, but he couldn’t understand what Mom is an alien meant at all.’

“Director? Director?”

Team Leader Choi, who had been watching the whole situation from behind, called out cautiously and gestured, so Tae-kyung approached.

Not only the reception staff but also Nurse Lim Jeong-sook, Eui-jin, Choi Mona, and Lee Chan-hee, who had heard the news, were gathered in one place.

“What’s going on? Why are you all gathered here?”

“Doctor, you said he’s not a normal kid, right?”

Lee Chan-hee continued with an interested look in her eyes.

“I saw him briefly in the bathroom earlier, and he was saying all the medical terms while looking at the human body model. I was so surprised.”

“Really? Did that child say all the medical terms?”

“Yes, Teacher Choi, I saw it clearly here. He was just rattling them off without any hesitation, and the words he chose were unusual. He’s not normal.”

“Oh! I knew it. Doctor, what’s his deal?”

Lee Chan-hee said, looking at the child who was still playing in front of the human body model.

“What deal? He’s just a kid. By the way, Doctor Lee, Teacher Choi, can you leave the emergency room empty like this?”

“Ah!”

“No. We can’t. I was just about to go back in.”

Choi Mona, noticing Tae-kyung’s expression, grabbed Lee Chan-hee’s gown and entered the emergency room.

“Um, Doctor. He seems a bit different from other kids his age…….”

“It looks like ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder], is that right?”

Nurse Lim Jeong-sook and Eui-jin, who were raising children, spoke cautiously one after another.

“Yeah. I think it’s Autism Spectrum Disorder.”

Tae-kyung could tell that Seung-woo was a bit different from other children with autism spectrum disorder from the first time he greeted Seung-woo and had a few conversations.

This was because some of the characteristic things that are usually seen in children with autism spectrum disorder were also seen in Seung-woo.

Not being able to make eye contact easily, stereotypy [repetitive behaviors] of repeating certain behaviors, and expressing emotions differently from ordinary people were among them.

“Seung-woo has one more difference from ordinary autistic children. As you may have noticed, it’s savant syndrome.”

It refers to people with autism or intellectual disabilities who have remarkably outstanding abilities in certain fields.

“Savant, you mean those genius people who appear in dramas or movies?”

Team Leader Choi asked, looking amazed.

“That’s right.”

“I knew it. The way he was talking while looking at the human body model earlier was unusual.”

“I’m not an expert in that field, so I can’t guarantee 100%, but Seung-woo’s instantaneous memory is surprisingly good, and his ability to store information in his head seems excellent.”

“I think so too. Children with ASD tend to be fixated on certain fields and have excellent knowledge in that area, and Seung-woo seems to be fixated on the human body.”

“I think so too.”

“But how did he end up coming to our hospital?”

“He lives with his sister, and an older woman brought him here……. That’s right!”

Tae-kyung seemed to have thought of something while talking.

“By any chance, do you know what Mom is an alien means?”

Tae-kyung, who was reminded of the strange words Seung-woo had answered a little while ago, began to ask the staff.

“Seung-woo said it, but I don’t know what it means. Is it a new word?”

“Could it be a cartoon movie that’s popular among kids?”

Team Leader Choi, who had been seriously contemplating next to him, said with a confident expression.

“Team Leader, come on. What cartoon movie? It’s not that, it’s an ice cream name.”

“Ice cream name!”

“Yes. You know that 32-flavor ice cream brand [likely referring to Baskin-Robbins] we sometimes eat as a snack? It’s the name of a chocolate ice cream that comes out of there.”

“They give ice cream such strange names. But why did he suddenly bring up ice cream?”

“He said his sister went to save Mom is an alien.”

“What?!”

“Does that mean his sister went to buy ice cream? What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know for sure right now.”

“But it’s getting late, Director, what should we do with this kid?”

Team Leader Choi looked at the child with a troubled expression, and the staff’s eyes turned to Seung-woo like dominoes.

“First of all, wait a minute! What time is it now?”

Tae-kyung looked at the clock on the wall and approached Seung-woo, who was in front of the human body model. Then, after saying something to Seung-woo, he grabbed the child’s hand and got up.

“Director, where are you going?”

“Going to the cafeteria.”

“Why is he suddenly going to the cafeteria?”

“I think he’s going to feed Seung-woo dinner.”

Eui-jin, who was watching the two people’s backs, said.

“We were only thinking about what to do with the child, but we didn’t even think about whether he had dinner.”

“That’s right. He hasn’t had dinner yet.”

“I know, right? If he was in the hospital, he definitely wouldn’t have had dinner……. When I see things like this, our director is a very considerate person.”

“That’s right.”

While the staff felt sorry for Seung-woo, Tae-kyung entered the cafeteria.

Squeak-

“Seung-woo. Sit here on the chair for a moment. I’ll be right back.”

“Yes. Come back soon.”

When Tae-kyung entered the kitchen, two kitchen staff were trimming vegetables.

“Hello.”

“Yes, Director, hello. Is there anything you need?”

“Is Madam here?”

“She went to the bathroom and will be back soon.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Wa? Director, is there anything you need?”

Chef Oh Gye-soon appeared as soon as he finished speaking.

“Madam, are you busy?”

“I’m done with the dinner cleanup and just preparing for tomorrow, so I’m fine now. But there’s a child sitting alone outside…….”

“The child outside is named Seung-woo. I’m sorry to ask you this when you’re tired after work, but can I ask you a favor?”

“If it’s our director’s request, I’ll listen to anything.”

Oh Gye-soon, knowing Tae-kyung’s personality of not asking for favors unless necessary, immediately accepted before even hearing what the request was.

“The child hasn’t had dinner yet, so can you give him some food?”

“Ah, giving him food is not a favor. Why are you making it so difficult? It’s okay. But what time is it that the child hasn’t eaten yet? What kind of nonsense is that?”

“I’m trying to find out the reason right now. And Madam, Seung-woo is actually a bit special compared to other children.”

“A special side?”

“Yes.”

Tae-kyung explained in detail what he knew about Seung-woo’s autism spectrum.

“Ah! I don’t know much because I didn’t go to school for long, but to put it simply, are they children who have their own world?”

“Yes, Madam, that’s right.”

“Is there anything I should be aware of or anything I should know?”

Tae-kyung told Oh Gye-soon a few things and asked her to take care of Seung-woo until he ate.

“Seung-woo. I think I need to go see some work, can you eat with this grandma here?”

“Yes, I can. Seung-woo is brave.”

“Yes. I think Seung-woo is brave too. Then have a delicious meal.”

“Yes. I’ll have a delicious meal.”

“His name is Seung-woo?”

“Yes. It’s Seung-woo.”

“Gangsae [term of endearment], he has a good personality and is handsome. So, what does our Seung-woo like? Grandma will make whatever you want to eat. Tell me everything. Should I make you pork cutlet? Or should I grill you some meat?”

“No.”

“You don’t like it? Wait a minute. Then what would be good?”

Oh Gye-soon was wondering what delicious side dish to make when an unexpected answer came out of Seung-woo’s mouth.

“Sweet potato stems.”

“What did you say?”

“Sweet potato stem stir-fry.”

Oh Gye-soon looked surprised as she watched Seung-woo nod his head.

Sweet potato stem stir-fry was good for the body and a good food, but it was surprising because it was not a side dish that elementary school students would readily say.

“Amazing. What else? What else do you want to eat?”

“Beef radish soup.”

“Beef radish soup? Tell me more.”

“Egg roll and pink sausage.”

“Okay, okay. This grandma is good at cooking? I’ll make it delicious.”

“Oh my, Sister? Who’s the kid?”

“Whose teacher’s son is he?”

The staff who were working in the kitchen came out at the sound of the child’s voice.

“It’s not.”

“Then is it the son of someone who’s hospitalized?”

“I guess so.”

“That’s not it either. What’s so important about that? More than that, the baby hasn’t eaten yet.”

“Until this time?”

“Kids get hungry even if they’re a little late for mealtime……. He must be very hungry.”

“That’s what I’m saying. I need to get him food quickly.”

“I’ll do it with you.”

“It’s okay. I can do it alone. It’s almost time to leave work, so go in quickly.”

“Sister, what’s so hard about making a child’s meal that you’re trying to do it alone? Let’s do it together.”

“That’s right. If we each make one side dish, we can make it in no time.”

“I guess that’s right. By the way. Do we have any sweet potato stems left?”

“There’s some in the vegetable section.”

“That’s good. The baby said he wanted to eat that.”

“Really? He has an adult’s taste.”

“Seung-woo, these grandmas will make it for you quickly. Just wait a little bit.”

“Yes. Please make it delicious.”

“He answers so nicely.”

“But Sister? Why is the child alone in the hospital at this hour?”

“Actually, I don’t know either. A little while ago, the director asked me to give the baby some food…….”

That’s when Oh Gye-soon and the staff were walking to the kitchen and talking.

“……do it.”

The three people were surprised by what Seung-woo suddenly said and turned their heads at the same time, as if they had agreed to it.

* * *

“Ah! Is that so? I understand. I’m sorry for bothering you so late. Go in.”

“What did they say?”

Tae-kyung asked, turning to Team Leader Choi, who had hung up the phone.

“They said he’s a child who has nothing to do with them.”

Tae-kyung was thinking about Seung-woo when he remembered the grandmother who took care of the child when he was causing a commotion in the waiting room earlier.

So, he checked the CCTV in the security office, found out the grandmother’s contact information, and contacted her.

“He’s a child he saw for the first time in the hospital today. He said he rushed to the hospital to take care of his grandson after hearing that his son had gastroenteritis.”

The grandmother said that she just protected the child because she was worried that Seung-woo, who was sitting next to her grandson, would say something to the man who was raising his voice and would be told something unpleasant.

“Can you turn the screen back a little bit?”

“Yes, Director.”

“That’s right. The grandmother is right.”

The screen showed the grandmother leaving the hospital with her son and grandson who had received treatment.

“Team Leader, Seung-woo said that a bob-haired woman brought him to the hospital. And he said he had a child too. Please check and if she’s a patient at our hospital, please check her contact information and contact her.”

“Yes, Director, I understand.”

Clang-

“Did you find out anything?”

Eui-jin, who was in the hallway, was waiting when he went outside.

“There’s no gain. The grandmother said they don’t know each other.”

“Well, if she was the kind of grandmother who would protect a child at the words of a man causing a commotion, she wouldn’t have left her grandson at the hospital.”

“That’s right. First of all, I’m going to try to contact the person who brought Seung-woo to the hospital.”

“Okay. That would be good. Senior?”

“Uh. Why?”

“Excuse me? I think Madam is calling you?”

Eui-jin pointed to the opposite side while talking, and Oh Gye-soon was approaching, gesturing urgently.