Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 382

383. Isn’t There Anything You’re Hiding?

After Goiji left the hospital, Taekyung visited Yoo Hyukjin’s hospital room.

“So, you’re saying that the doctor who works at our hospital and Cha Taechul knew the woman he’s meeting?”

The day before, Yoo Hyukjin had only heard that Taekyung was going to meet the woman Cha Taechul was going to marry, but he hadn’t heard the details.

He was curious about how they had met in such a short time, but he didn’t ask because Taekyung seemed busy with patient matters.

“To be exact, she’s a senior colleague of my girlfriend.”

“You mean that doctor is the person who is seeing the director [hospital director].”

“That’s right. Actually, I was wondering how I should say something since I didn’t know the person Cha Taechul was meeting, but I found out by chance that she was a senior colleague of my girlfriend, so I got help. Of course, I didn’t say it in front of Cha Taechul, but I went with my girlfriend to meet her junior colleague and talked about it.”

“…Ah, I see.”

For some reason, Yoo Hyukjin’s expression wasn’t good. He lowered his head from looking at Taekyung and dropped his gaze onto the blanket.

“Are you disappointed that I couldn’t say it in front of Cha Taechul?”

“…”

“I was going to do it that way because it was Yoo Hyukjin’s request, but since people who knew each other were connected, it wasn’t easy in reality. I’m sorry.”

“Excuse me?! What are you talking about, Director?”

Yoo Hyukjin raised his head sharply and quickly continued speaking.

“Sorry? I’m not disappointed, and I’m not in a bad mood either. It’s the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“Yes, I feel apologetic and sorry to both the director and that doctor who is your girlfriend.”

It was definitely what he wanted, and he still doesn’t regret starting it.

Cha Taechul’s actions were wrong, so he still wanted him to suffer and be frustrated.

However, Yoo Hyukjin felt sorry that the woman was a junior colleague of Taekyung’s girlfriend.

She was someone who had helped him so much, even though he was a complete stranger, and he wondered if he had put Taekyung and Euijin in a difficult situation because of him.

“I didn’t know she was a junior colleague of your girlfriend, Director.”

“It’s natural that Yoo Hyukjin wouldn’t know since I didn’t even know.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to be sorry at all. I also wondered what to do about this because she was my girlfriend’s junior colleague. But my girlfriend insisted that I had to tell the truth, so I revealed the truth. Rather, if I had remained silent because I knew her, I would have regretted it more later.”

“I’m glad you think that way.”

“But are you going to be okay? The result Yoo Hyukjin wants might not come out.”

“Are you saying that she might not tell Cha Taechul?”

“That’s right.”

Goiji, who was planning to marry Cha Taechul and had her engagement ceremony right around the corner, found out all the facts and even received the recording file to confirm.

But perhaps she might not tell Cha Taechul.

It was an absurd thought, and the possibility was low, but it wasn’t non-existent.

It was an introduction from their parents, and they met through an arranged marriage, but the two had been together for a considerable amount of time and were a happy couple without any worries until this morning.

Someone said that the scariest thing between people is affection.

There were many people who were trapped in the wrong cycle and couldn’t escape the wrong relationship because of that affection.

Surely, those two must have built up ‘affection’ until now.

It was impossible to know what choice Goiji would make now that she knew all the facts.

If she knew the truth and covered it up and remained silent, there was nothing more he could do.

“If that really happens, are you going to tell them again in another way?”

“No. Director, I have no intention of doing that.”

“Why?”

“Actually, when you said that you told the woman, not the two of them, I thought Cha Taechul would be more devastated. Hearing the ugly truth he wanted to hide from the woman he wanted to marry would be suffering itself. But if the person involved remains silent, that means she chose Cha Taechul even so, and if I speak again then, I think that woman would be more hurt than Cha Taechul.”

He wasn’t just pretending to be nice.

It was true that he was concerned about Goiji because she resembled his younger sibling. But that wasn’t why.

If such a thing really happened, the world would know, and it was obvious that arrows would be directed at Goiji, who had lived with him.

Not only that, but her family would also be gossiped about and cursed at.

He was worried that the situation would get out of control and Goiji would be harmed.

He had lost his family before, so he knew how it felt, and he didn’t want such an ending.

He didn’t want to harm others while trying to catch Cha Taechul.

“I understand how you feel. Ah! And do you have any thoughts on retrying the case that Yoo Hyukjin served time for? I can introduce you to a good lawyer.”

The good lawyer Taekyung mentioned was Euijin’s older sister, and it was a matter that Euijin had brought up first.

If Yoo Hyukjin showed a positive reaction, Euijin was planning to have her sister defend him for free.

“No. I appreciate your words, Director, but I’m okay. I don’t know much about the law, but it’s true that I killed someone, and I was prepared for this when I went to find those guys that day, so I’m okay. It’s my fault, so it’s natural for me to take responsibility.”

“Then have you ever thought about suing Cha Taechul for your younger sibling’s case?”

“That… I don’t really want to. As you know now, Director, I’ve been dealing with people who handle such things, so I don’t trust those people.”

Taekyung understood Yoo Hyukjin’s feelings, so he didn’t force him any further.

“Okay. If you change your mind later, tell me then.”

“No. I’m okay.”

After finishing the conversation, Taekyung left the hospital room and started his ward rounds.

* * *

After leaving the hospital, Goiji walked to the taxi stand and got into a taxi.

“Welcome. Where can I take you?”

“…”

“Ma’am? Where can I take you?”

When there was no answer, the taxi driver asked again.

“Driver, I’m sorry, but can you drive around the city a few times?”

“Excuse me?”

“I need to sort out my thoughts, but I’m not in the right state of mind to drive, so I took a taxi.”

“Ah, yes… I understand.”

The driver tilted his head, but Goiji’s appearance, as seen through the rearview mirror, didn’t seem like someone who would skip out on the fare, so he started the taxi.

While the taxi roamed aimlessly around the city, Goiji thought and thought countless times.

‘What should I do? What should I do?’

‘Could there be some kind of misunderstanding?’

‘What Euijin and the doctor know might be wrong, right?’

From Goiji’s perspective, it was even harder to believe Cha Taechul’s past.

“Haa!”

It was then, as her head was getting more and more complicated without being able to do either, that –

-Bzzzzz

-Goiji, where are you? Why aren’t you answering your phone?

The messenger [messaging app] content appeared in the preview window along with the phone’s vibration.

The sender was, of course, Cha Taechul. He had been worried about Goiji, who hadn’t replied since earlier, and had been contacting her continuously.

-Have you thought about what to eat for dinner? I’ll pick you up, so contact me as soon as you see this.

Goiji’s heart became even more complicated with her boyfriend’s message, which was full of affection as usual.

-Bzzzzz

And soon after, the vibration sounded again. She naturally thought it was Cha Taechul, but the sender was Taekyung.

-This is Kim Taekyung. I’m sending you the recording file. It must have been hard because of today’s story…

A fairly long message followed along with a simple greeting, and upon closer inspection, it was a message worrying about Goiji, who had collapsed from hyperventilation.

-Goiji, it’s me, your sister. Are you okay? I was worried, so I left you a message.

The messenger sent by Euijin arrived while she was reading the message sent by Taekyung.

Euijin also sent a long message, and it was a warm message just like Taekyung, worrying about her health and telling her not to overdo it and rest.

There was no content about Cha Taechul or telling her to listen to the recording file in any of the sentences.

The recording file titled ‘Truth’ sent by Taekyung came into Goiji’s eyes as she continued to look at the phone screen.

“Driver, I’m sorry, but is there a park or something like that nearby?”

Goiji, who had been constantly worrying, asked the driver as if she had made up her mind.

“There isn’t one nearby, but there’s a park a little further away.”

“Then please drop me off there.”

After a while, the taxi stopped at the entrance of the park, and Goiji, who got out of the taxi, walked inside the park and sat on a bench where there were few people. Then she immediately called Cha Taechul.

-Goiji, why haven’t you been answering my calls?

“I was too busy talking to notice. Oh, but I think I’ll have to cancel our dinner appointment, what should I do?”

-What’s wrong?

“No, nothing’s wrong. I met some welcome people today and had some wine because I was in a good mood, and it’s not easy [I’m feeling tipsy].”

Goiji, who usually couldn’t drink well, made an excuse about alcohol.

She was going to notify him of the cancellation via messenger, but she knew he would call if she did, and there was something she wanted to ask separately, so she called.

-Why would someone who can’t drink well drink alcohol? Where are you now? Should I come over?

“Where are you coming? Aren’t you working? I’m going home. Ah! That’s right. Honey? I have something to ask you…”

-Ask me anything.

“No, I’m just saying this because I’m about to get married, but my friends told me. They said that men and women should know everything about each other before getting married without hiding anything.”

-Of course. We’re going to live together, so we shouldn’t hide anything.”

“As I said before, I haven’t hidden anything from you. I’ve told you everything, even things I wanted to hide or things I didn’t necessarily have to say.”

-I know. I said you were very honest the first day I met you.”

“So, honey, do you have anything you’re hiding from me?”

-Hiding?

“Yeah, something you did wrong in the past, or something you did that made someone else suffer, or something you couldn’t bring yourself to tell me?”

The real reason Goiji called Cha Taechul was to confirm his conscience one last time before listening to the recording file.

-Where would I have something like that? I don’t have anything.”

“You don’t?”

-Yeah.

“Really nothing?”

-Of course. You know my father is strict, so I’m secretly timid and have a weak heart, right? And why would I make other people suffer? My grandmother told me when I was young that if you harass people, you’ll get it all back, so live helping others even if you lose out.”

“I see. Okay. Honey, I’m almost home, so I should go in now.”

-Okay. Go in carefully, and I’ll call you later.

“No. I’m going to sleep early today. I’m too sleepy. I’ll contact you tomorrow.”

Goiji quickly hung up the phone and hesitated for a moment before taking out wireless earphones from her bag and playing the recording file sent by Taekyung.

As the file played, her calm expression gradually distorted, and she squeezed her eyes shut as if in pain.

The file contained a vivid conversation between the two, containing all the circumstances that could be known about what happened that day.

His voice sounded younger than it does now, but it was clearly Cha Taechul’s voice no matter who listened.

He was mocking and threatening the woman who was barely holding back her tears.

The woman was having a very hard time continuing to speak.

Her painful feelings were conveyed to Goiji, who was listening to the file.

“How could he do this…”

Goiji, who had listened to the file to the end, shed tears along with rising anger.

She was crying blankly like a person who had lost her mind for a long time, and after making all the decisions, she got up from her seat.

It wasn’t a past that could be dragged along even if she covered her eyes and ears. It was a truth that could not be buried in any way, and should not be buried.

She couldn’t forgive Cha Taechul at all.