Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 363

Fifth Vitality – Episode 364

364. Mr. Oh, Go Home

For a moment, the corner of his eye twitched slightly. His expectation of immediately drinking the coffee was dashed.

“How’s work these days?”

“I’m working hard. Is your ankle feeling better?”

“It was just a light sprain. After a few physical therapy sessions, it’s fine.”

“Still, always be careful.”

“I’m getting old, so I need to be careful. But this coffee smells really strong.”

“You know your coffee, as expected.”

Oh Chang-gyu’s voice rose a tone. He had been trying to get the staff member to drink the coffee, and he wore a satisfied expression as he watched the staff member take the takeout cup.

“They say it’s made with high-quality beans, roasted in-house, so the aroma is deep and the taste is clean.”

“Really? Then, should I give it a try?”

The dark coffee quickly traveled into the staff member’s mouth through the clear straw.

“It really tastes different! Clean and not bitter at all.”

Oh Chang-gyu’s expression was also satisfied as he watched the staff member drink the coffee with relish.

After exchanging a few words of casual conversation, he left the security office and headed to the correctional officers, the second and third coffee recipients.

“You took care of me yesterday, and you brought me coffee again today.”

“You really don’t have to do this…”

“The director and other staff members are already taking care of us, so you really don’t have to go this far.”

The correctional officers were grateful but also embarrassed, unsure of what to do.

Thanks to Tae-kyung’s consideration, they were receiving meals from the hospital from morning till night, and now receiving coffee again after yesterday made them feel even more awkward.

“I just ordered some coffee for the staff and thought of you two. Don’t feel burdened, just enjoy it.”

“Thank you. We’ll enjoy it.”

“You’re so kind, sir.”

“No, the other staff members are kinder. But is the patient asleep?”

Oh Chang-gyu’s gaze, which had been on the correctional officers, turned to inmate 1137, who was lying on his side, facing the wall without moving.

“Yes, he fell asleep a little while ago.”

“Living with multiple people in one space can make it hard to get a good night’s sleep.”

“I suppose so. Then, rest well. I’ll be going since the patient is sleeping… Oh, right!”

Oh Chang-gyu, who was about to leave after saying goodbye, stopped for a moment as if he had forgotten something, and then continued.

“Correctional officers, could you collect the trash from the room and the bathroom? The cleaning lady twisted her ankle earlier, so I offered to help while I was up here.”

“Of course.”

Without batting an eye, Oh Chang-gyu took out a trash bag from his pocket and casually emptied the trash in the room. His actions were perfectly natural.

Anyone watching would have believed his words to be true.

After emptying the trash in the room, Oh Chang-gyu went straight into the bathroom.

He deliberately left the door slightly ajar as he entered the bathroom.

The correctional officers couldn’t see inside the bathroom from where they were sitting, so there were no restrictions on what he was about to do.

Oh Chang-gyu deliberately made rustling noises, as if to let them know he was throwing away trash.

Then, after turning on the faucet, he quietly and quickly hid a few items from his pocket somewhere, and then came out of the bathroom.

“I’ll be going.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

Creak-

“Getting meals and even coffee in the hospital ward, I’ve never had it so good.”

“To be honest, it’s more comfortable than working.”

“Hey, don’t say things like that. You still need to stay sharp.”

“Of course. Stop nagging and drink your coffee.”

Oh Chang-gyu slowly closed the door to the room, and once the correctional officers were talking and drinking coffee, he closed it completely.

Then, he went to the public restroom in the ward, disposed of the trash, and went downstairs.

“Mr. Oh?”

Nurse Im Jung-sook called out to Oh Chang-gyu, who had come down to the first floor.

“You’re not feeling well, where have you been?”

“I was just bringing coffee to the correctional officers.”

“You bought them coffee too?”

“They said they really like coffee.”

“It’s good to be generous, but from now on, if you want a snack, tell me. It’s not like there are only one or two staff members, why spend your own money? You should save money when you live alone; you have a lot of expenses.”

“Yes, ma’am. I will.”

“Look at my mind. That’s not what I called you for… Mr. Oh, go home.”

“Yes!?”

Oh Chang-gyu was surprised and asked back at the word ‘go home,’ which any office worker should love.

“Leave? Now?”

“Yes. You’ve been suffering from enteritis [inflammation of the small intestine]. The evening surgery was postponed, so we have enough staff. I told the director. Go now while it’s quiet.”

“That’s right. Go home as Nurse Im said.”

Tae-kyung, who had just come out of the emergency room, also supported Im Jung-sook’s words.

“Don’t worry about work, go home now.”

Oh Chang-gyu, who had no intention of leaving yet, became even more anxious when Tae-kyung, the director, stepped in.

“No, Director. I’ll work.”

“It’s good to have that attitude, but working too hard is bad for your health.”

Tae-kyung thought Oh Chang-gyu was a very diligent employee.

He always worked hard, whether it was a busy day or a less busy day, and he often heard from Im Jung-sook that he was passionate and always looked for work to do.

“Nurse Im was worried that you were working too hard, so go home and rest today.”

“Director, I really appreciate your concern. But I’m really okay.”

“You’re the first person I’ve ever seen who doesn’t want to leave when they’re told to.”

“That’s right, Mr. Oh. This is the time to leave early. Take a warm shower and have some chicken and beer… Ah! You have enteritis. Just go home and rest.”

“That’s right. The director even gave you permission, so go now. I’d leave right away if I were you.”

Even the reception staff joined in, urging him to leave.

“No, I don’t have anyone to welcome me home anyway, and I feel more comfortable working. I took medicine earlier, so I feel good, and I’ll work my full hours. I feel worse when I’m alone at times like this.”

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes, if I’m really struggling, I’ll tell you first and leave then.”

“Okay, then do that and get some rest.”

“Yes.”

Im Jung-sook watched Oh Chang-gyu head to the staff lounge with a pleased expression.

“Really! The more I see him, the more genuine he seems.”

“He seems to have a passion for his work.”

“That’s what I’m saying. I don’t know about the future, but he’s good at his job, and I hope we can work together for a long time.”

“If your boss is a good person and treats you well, you’d want to work there for a long time.”

“The director is always good to all the staff.”

“Not me.”

“Me?”

Im Jung-sook waved her hand and continued when Tae-kyung shook his head from side to side, denying it.

“Director, please. What makes me a good boss?”

“The director is right. Nurse Im is a good boss.”

“Why are you all doing this, even the team leader? But I feel good. I’ll have to work harder in the future.”

Im Jung-sook, who was in a good mood, headed to the emergency room with Tae-kyung.

* * *

2 AM-

A deep darkness had settled.

The first floor, where the emergency room and examination rooms were located, had patients coming and going, but the atmosphere in the ward was a little different.

The rooms where patients were sleeping, except for the hallway and station area, were darkened.

Only when there were minor issues, such as noise from the next patient, phone sounds, or heating problems, would the ward nurses be called and pass through the hallway.

With a rustling sound, inmate 1137, who had been lying still, opened his eyes wide as if he had never fallen asleep in the first place.

Tick- Tock-

As he moved, the handcuffs still on his feet collided with the bed, making a small noise.

“Correctional officer?”

Inmate 1137 called out to the correctional officer, but no one answered.

“Hoo…”

“Hooo.”

The correctional officers, or rather, the correctional officers were all asleep, breathing steadily.

The people who had been taking turns sleeping every few hours the day before were now in such a deep sleep that they wouldn’t know if someone carried them away.

And the takeout coffee cups they had drunk were rolling on the floor.

The two men who had drunk the coffee containing a large amount of sleeping pills that Oh Chang-gyu had given them had fallen asleep against their will.

“Correctional officer?”

“…”

Inmate 1137 called out to the two men again, raising his voice slightly from before, but they couldn’t hear him as they were deep in sleep.

“They’re really asleep.”

Inmate 1137, who had completely raised his upper body, lay back down.

Then, he moved his body slightly to the left and deeply inserted his right arm into the bed mattress.

Hospital mattresses are not as thick as the mattresses used in ordinary homes, so they didn’t weigh much. So there was no problem lifting it slightly with one hand.

‘I’ll put it inside my elbow so it’s easy to find.’

Remembering what Oh Chang-gyu had said, he put his hand in exactly to his elbow.

Then, gritting his teeth, he slightly lifted the area of his back that still felt pain after the surgery.

“…!”

Then, a small, thin piece of metal similar to a key caught on his finger.

Inmate 1137 took out the small piece of metal attached to the mattress and immediately raised his body, easily unlocking the handcuffs.

Creak-

Then, he went into the bathroom, lifted the toilet lid, and took out the items inside one by one.

Wrapped in a bag to prevent it from getting wet were narcotic painkillers, oil, a cell phone with a string to hang around his neck, and a box cutter.

First, inmate 1137 turned on the cell phone and went to the photo album.

In the cell phone’s photo album, there were photos of newspaper articles, photos of a young man and woman smiling elegantly, and photos of a piece of paper with her information written on it.

-Cha Tae-chul, the second son of Samto Group, and Go Ji-i, the youngest daughter of Yeraeng Corporation, have announced their engagement. The two are scheduled to light the wedding candles next fall, and after the wedding, they will stay in the United States for the time being due to Mr. Cha’s management studies.

‘You must be having a lot of fun right now. Yeah, keep smiling.’

After reading the article, he said inwardly with a rotten expression, and then immediately sent a text message.

-Chang-gyu, I unlocked the handcuffs. I’ll start right away.

-Yes, hyung [older brother/term of respect]. Be careful.

-Chang-gyu, let’s make a promise.

-Yes, tell me.

-Promise me you’ll agree to it unconditionally first.

-Hyung, we don’t have time for this right now. The medical staff might be around soon. I told you before.

The director here is very meticulous, so you never know when she’ll be in the ward. She’s in treatment right now, so if it’s not urgent, tell me later.

-It’s urgent! I need your promise before I can move.

-Okay. I promise unconditionally.

-When I send the signal, you leave the hospital right away. Turn off your phone right away, throw away the SIM card, smash the device, throw it away where no one knows, and go far away. If you get caught, say that you had no choice but to do what I told you to do because of me from the beginning. Got it?

As soon as he sent the text message, inmate 1137 sent another text message in an uncomfortable tone when he didn’t receive a reply right away.

-Chang-gyu! Oh Chang-gyu, answer me quickly!

-Yes, hyung. I promise. So don’t worry about me. And the pants are in the toilet paper holder.

-Okay, thanks. And I’m sorry for dragging you into this.

-It’s your work, hyung, but it’s also my work. Don’t say that.

After exchanging a few text messages, inmate 1137 opened the large toilet paper case next to the toilet and took out the pants rolled up inside.

He unfolded the pants, hung them on the towel rack, and took off all of his hospital gown, leaving only his underwear.

Then, he took a sip of water from the sink, swallowed the painkillers he had taken out of the toilet, and carefully applied the oil all over his body, as if he were painting it.

Slippery from the oil all over his body, inmate 1137 moved carefully, put on the pants he had placed on the towel rack, took his belongings, and came out of the bathroom.

Creak-

Then, after taking off the top and socks of his junior correctional officer, who was similar in height to him, and even his shoes, he put them on, and finally pulled his hat down low.

“You took such good care of me, I’m sorry to both of you. Please understand.”

Inmate 1137 whispered to himself, bowing to the correctional officers who were still drunk with sleep.

Then, he turned off the lights and left the room casually.