Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 355

356. Yellow… Name Tag? Number 1137

“So, you’re a prison doctor?”

“Yes, I am a prison doctor.”

The old man, who had been examining his now-stitched wound in the mirror, turned to face them, a benevolent expression on his face.

“I work at Yeonseon Prison over there.”

Everyone at the hospital knew about Yeonseon Prison.

Our hospital was located in Yeoul-dong, a district of Seoul.

A twenty-minute drive across the bridge would take you to Gyeonggi Province, where Yeonseon Prison, a correctional facility, was nestled in the mountains.

It was a place perpetually short of doctors, a place few chose to work. Public health doctors served there for three years in lieu of military service; even among doctors, it was a last resort. That was the prison.

Lee Ji-gook had spent his entire career there, treating inmates.

“So, you were injured at work today?” Nurse Lim Jeong-sook asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Yes. There was a minor scuffle inside the prison today.”

As usual, he’d gone to work and was treating inmates complaining of various ailments. However, two inmates in the medical room had gotten into an argument, and Lee Ji-gook and several guards were injured trying to break it up.

“It’s not a frequent occurrence, but I suppose I was just unlucky today. After treating the injured inmates and guards, I looked at my own wound and realized it was beyond my capabilities to handle myself. Even though I’m a doctor, I can’t stitch myself up, so I came to the hospital.”

“You did the right thing. I’m glad you weren’t seriously hurt.”

“I think so too.”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Why? Of course, I’m scared. I joke with the inmates now, say funny things, pat them on the shoulder, and tease them, but at first, I was terrified.”

Lee Ji-gook still vividly remembered his first day on the job.

After finishing his residency and working as a salaried doctor, he’d grown disillusioned with the monotony and decided to become a prison doctor.

It wasn’t something he was forced into, but when the time came to start, he was so scared he couldn’t sleep the night before.

“My wife said I was shaking while eating breakfast on my first day.”

“You must have been very nervous.”

“That’s right. I pretended to be okay on the outside, but I’m only human, so I was scared and very nervous. I saw everything from petty thieves to murderers, people who committed crimes unfairly and regrettably, and people who made me wonder how such evil could exist. At first, I even engaged in psychological warfare to avoid being taken advantage of by the inmates who came for treatment.”

“That’s amazing.”

“No, it’s not. What do you think when you see people coming to the hospital for treatment?”

Lee Ji-gook asked Tae-kyung.

“Rather than thinking anything specific, I just see them as patients and focus on doing my best to treat them.”

“I’m the same as you. What I’ve realized while working here, as I approach retirement, is that they are just patients to me.”

It was undeniable that the inmates in prison were criminals, and their wrongdoings were also undeniable. However, Lee Ji-gook, as a doctor, treated them without prejudice.

“I enjoy my work, and I also feel a sense of accomplishment. I hope to finish my remaining time here without any major incidents.”

After listening to Lee Ji-gook’s story, Tae-kyung felt a surge of respect for him as a doctor.

Working in a prison was clearly not as easy as he had imagined.

He found it truly remarkable that Lee Ji-gook had dedicated his entire career to it, not just the mandatory three years of public health service.

“I came for treatment and ended up rambling on like a busybody. I hope I haven’t wasted your time.”

“Not at all, Doctor. Your story is interesting.”

“The director is right. It’s fine; it’s not a busy time.”

“I’m always working in a place where I only see bars, so I got excited and talked a lot because it’s been a while since I’ve been outside at this hour. Anyway, thank you for treating me so well.”

“You’re welcome. You know you need to come back for disinfection, right?”

“Can I disinfect it myself?”

“You can, but feel free to come anytime if you’re uncomfortable.”

“Yes, thank you for today.”

“Stay healthy, Doctor.”

Lee Ji-gook finished his treatment, said goodbye to Tae-kyung, and left the treatment room.

Clang-

Nurse Lim Jeong-sook, who had escorted Lee Ji-gook out, returned to the treatment room.

“Please check if we can move the surgery anesthesia appointment up by 30 minutes in two hours.”

“Yes, Director.”

“Did you give the prescription to patient Lee Ji-gook?”

“Of course. The director told me to give him the dressing supplies, but he said he was okay, so I didn’t give them to him.”

“Okay. I’ll go to the intensive care unit.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

* * *

Yeonseon Prison.

“Wow! Finally, I see the sunlight.”

“That’s why I like exercise time the most.”

Inmates streamed into the exercise yard for their allotted time outdoors.

Some groups were lightly warming up, others exercised in teams, and still others gathered in small groups to talk.

Among them, a relatively thin man in his late 50s, about 170cm tall, sat alone on a stepped chair on one side of the exercise yard, reading a Bible.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Lord!”

On the left chest of the man reading the Bible, a yellow name tag bore the number 1137.

“Lord! How can you forgive this sinful human being and embrace him in your arms? Thank you, Lord.”

Moved by his reading, he muttered to himself, raised his right hand into the air, sang a hymn, and closed his eyes tightly.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like m…….”

“Ah, geez! That’s noisy.”

A young man sitting nearby turned around, his face contorted in displeasure at Number 1137’s hymn.

“Hey! Mr. Jesus freak?”

“Yes?”

“Did you rent this place?”

“Of course not. This is an exercise yard that everyone uses together.”

Even with the man’s rude words, Number 1137 maintained his smile and answered kindly.

“That’s what I’m saying. This is a space that everyone uses together, so how can you sing such unpleasant scriptures and hymns like that? Am I wrong?”

“Oh, my! I made you uncomfortable, brother. I’m sorry. I tried to keep my voice down, but I’ll make it even quieter. Amazing grace…….”

“Hey! Can’t you hear me, mister?”

Even though he was told to stop, Number 1137 tried to continue singing the hymn, so the man frowned and approached him.

Thud-

“Hey, old man, can’t you hear me? I told you not to do it.”

The old Bible that Number 1137 was holding was thrown to the ground. The man, in a fit of anger, had tossed it aside.

“You shouldn’t throw the Bible……. Oh, no, it’s all covered in dirt.”

“Hey! Are you ignoring me now? I told you it’s noisy, cough! Cough-”

At that moment, the young man’s words were abruptly cut off. A thick hand clamped down on the back of his neck, gripping it tightly.

“Cough!”

The man, his neck being strangled, turned red in the face as he tried to speak.

“Hey, you bastard. What are you doing to the teacher right now?”

“……Yes?”

The man, his vision blurring, managed to glance back and saw an inmate and a group that looked intimidating at first glance.

Overwhelmed, the man immediately backed down, answering as politely and respectfully as possible.

He instinctively knew that this was someone he had to yield to.

In prison, there was an invisible power structure even among the inmates, and being disliked for no reason could make his remaining time miserable.

“What do you mean, ‘yes’? What are you doing right now? Teacher, are you okay?”

“Oh, please don’t do that.”

Number 1137, having brushed the dirt off his Bible, spoke to the person holding the young man’s neck, and he released him.

“Hey! Apologize to the teacher right now. Apologize!”

“No. I will. I’m, I’m sorry. I think I made a mistake.”

“I’m okay. We should all get along with each other.”

Number 1137 swept the man’s back with a warm smile, like the sun in the sky, and moved to another spot.

“Hey, kid? If you mess with the teacher one more time, I won’t let you off. Got it?”

“Yes. Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’m letting you off today because of the teacher. I’ll be watching you, so behave yourself.”

“Yes. I’ll behave myself. I’m sorry.”

The group, which had been exuding a grim atmosphere, left, and the young man’s legs buckled, causing him to collapse on the spot.

“Tsk, tsk! A first-timer, right?”

A man with a blue name tag approached the trembling man and sat next to him, clicking his tongue.

“Yes? Me?”

“Yes, you. You’re acting recklessly because you don’t know anything after entering prison for the first time. It looks like you just got here, am I right?”

“Y, yes, that’s right.”

“What’s your crime? A general offense?”

“Yes, that’s right too. How did you know? I came in for theft.”

“It’s white. White! White.”

The man with the blue name tag pointed to the other person’s white name tag and continued.

“I’ll explain it simply, so listen carefully. People with white name tags like you have committed relatively minor offenses. Red is for death row inmates. Blue, like me, are so-called junkies, guys who got caught doing drugs. And yellow is for people who committed violent crimes. Do you understand now?”

“Yes. I understand.”

“That’s right. If you can’t understand after explaining it this much, you’re a blockhead. Well, everyone here is a blockhead who came in for doing blockhead things. Who are the people you should be most careful of here?”

“Yellow… name tags?”

Since it was rare to see death row inmates with red name tags in the general prison population, the most cautious group was those with yellow name tags.

“Bingo. Then here’s another question.”

“……?”

“What color was the name tag of that skinny old man over there that you looked down on earlier?”

The drug offender pointed towards Number 1137, who was walking away.

“White?”

“Wrong.”

“B, blue?”

“Nope! The answer is yellow!”

“Y, yellow? That anchovy [a derogatory term for a small or weak person], I mean, that person?”

“You don’t believe it, do you?”

“No, not at all.”

It wasn’t just because he was holding a Bible, but also because of his relatively short height, skinny build, and even the somewhat foolish smile he wore.

The Number 1137 he had just encountered did not seem like someone who had committed a violent crime like murder at all.

With an appearance and physique that made him seem easily overlooked, the new inmate simply couldn’t believe the drug offender’s words.

“Whether it’s inside or outside the prison, you have to be careful of people like that. They have the kind of face you see everywhere. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right.”

“Do you know why people like that are scary? You can’t imagine that such an ordinary face would do bad things. That person graduated from S University [likely referring to Seoul National University, one of the most prestigious universities in South Korea], the best university in Korea, and was once a successful accountant. But that person killed someone.”

“A, a murderer.”

“That’s right. But do you know how he killed them?”

“How did he kill them?”