Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 389

Five Vital Signs – Episode 390 (389/502)

390. I Did That for Over 10 Years

“Dying?!! Huh? Why are you dying!”

The old man, not caring that he had fallen, roared like a lion from his skinny body, staring straight at Jo Eung-gi as he continued.

“You have to live!!!”

“……!”

“I was just like you, just like you.”

“Do you perhaps know me, sir?”

“Don’t know, how would I know someone like you? But I know this much for sure. You’ve decided to die.”

Seeing him bewildered by the sudden situation, the old man continued to speak without concern.

“And if you were someone I knew, you would have been scolded by me long ago.”

“No, even so, why are you grabbing someone’s collar when you don’t even know them?”

“Why, you ask? Because it’s like looking at myself!”

At Jo Eung-gi’s words, an unexpected answer came from the old man.

“……!”

Surprised by the old man’s words, Jo Eung-gi turned away from his unpleasant gaze.

“Didn’t I say earlier? That I was just like you. Seeing my past self, I couldn’t help but grab your collar because I was so angry. You see?”

“……Yes?”

“Do you see what I look like now?”

“Yes… I see.”

When the old man pointed to his body with his finger and asked, Jo Eung-gi, startled by his force, answered involuntarily.

“I wasted my life on alcohol just like you. And you’re going to throw your life away over losing a few bucks!”

“Sir, it’s not a few bucks, it’s tens of millions…….”

“Shut up! Even so, is that money worth more than your life and your family’s lives? No matter how much money it is, is it more important than a person?”

“…….”

“I was so addicted to alcohol that I did that for over 10 years. The result is this. Do you know how much regret you’ll have if you end up losing your life? You feel sorry to your children and your wife, but you can’t even say you’re sorry. And what? You’re going to die together?”

“No, sir, I didn’t mean I was really going to do it, I was just thinking about it…….”

“Shut up! Can’t you see what I look like? I’m terminally ill.”

That’s right. The old man, who suddenly grabbed Jo Eung-gi’s collar and raised his voice, was a terminally ill patient.

Taekyung first met the old man a few months ago. He was brought to our hospital in an ambulance in the middle of the night.

From the moment he was brought into the hospital on a bed, the old man, who smelled of formalin [a preservative solution] beyond the 5th stage without any signs of an accident, was somewhat expected [to be in bad shape].

As expected, the paramedics who came with him told me that the old man was terminally ill and that he was quite famous in nearby university hospitals and large hospitals.

The old man, who had turned his back on the world and was addicted to alcohol, had a severely damaged body and was in the terminal stage of liver cancer.

There are usually criteria for liver transplantation, called the Milan Criteria, which were created by the Milan Group in Italy to increase the efficiency of liver transplantation.

The criteria are that the size of a single tumor should be 5cm or less, or if there are multiple tumors, they should not exceed three, the size should be 3cm or less, and there should be no vascular invasion.

Of course, these criteria are not necessarily absolute, and there have been cases where difficult liver cancer surgeries have been successfully performed by excellent medical staff in various countries. However, it is still true that the Milan Criteria are considered important when performing liver transplants.

In the old man’s case, he was far from meeting the Milan Criteria and had already missed the treatment window. Even if I wanted to help, there was nothing medically that could be done in his current condition.

The old man also extremely disliked coming to the hospital, but he had to come to relieve the pain and ascites [fluid buildup in the abdomen].

The problem was that he had a very eccentric personality, was stubborn, and didn’t listen to others, so he caused trouble whenever he went to the hospital. That’s how he ended up coming to our hospital after going around the hospitals.

Taekyung, who learned about his situation, pondered for several days whether there was a way to save him, but there was nothing that could be done with human power.

‘Sir! Why didn’t you do anything until your body was in this state?’

‘It’s my body, I can do whatever I want, whether I die or not. Why is it any of your business? When did I ask you to save me? Don’t waste your time on me and treat other patients well.’

‘There is no such thing as wasting time in treating patients. Grandpa, you must be in a lot of pain, so get treatment at our hospital.’

‘No need.’

For the first time, Taekyung got angry and argued a lot with the old patient. He told him to be hospitalized and receive pain treatment, but the old man, who didn’t have much will to live, refused to the end.

After that, he persuaded him several times and said that he would help him with the medical expenses, but the old man did not change his mind, saying that money was not the problem.

Instead, Taekyung told him not to endure the pain and to come to the hospital anytime.

In the end, the old man, who liked Taekyung’s persistent appearance, started coming to our hospital from then on.

And sometimes, when there were people who said they would die recklessly like today, he would ignite their will to live.

To other people, he looked like an eccentric and stubborn old man, but to Taekyung, he looked like a pitiful and unfortunate patient.

“Hey?”

When the old man raised his voice and called out, Jo Eung-gi raised his head.

“I don’t have much time left to live. So, listen carefully to what I say. Live! Huh! Just live. If you don’t know why you should live after losing all the money you’ve saved in your life, there’s no such thing. You just live, what reason is there! Don’t die just because you lost that money, and don’t be discouraged! You have a wife and children, too. Don’t regret it like me and live hard. Huh? You can make money again. You’re healthy, mentally sound, and you don’t have a terminal illness. Do you?”

“I have, I have pancreatitis.”

“That’s right. And do you think your remaining family will be happy if you die? Don’t talk nonsense. Your family will have to live in pain for the rest of their lives. Being able to see your children grow up and listen to your wife’s nagging is happiness. Live again with gratitude. There’s even a saying that it’s better to live in this world even if you’re rolling in a pile of dog poop than to be in the afterlife. Why else would there be such a saying? Isn’t that right?”

“Ah, yes…….”

“What’s your name?”

“M-My name?”

“Yes. You have a name that your parents gave you. What’s your name?”

“Jo Eung-gi.”

“The name itself is calling for very good energy. Jo Eung-gi, don’t ever think about dying again. Got it?”

“…….”

“Ah! Aren’t you going to answer?”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

“Okay. I hope you get good treatment. Doctor, I’m leaving now. I have an appointment, so don’t hold me back.”

“You need to get your medicine, right?”

“I still have some left. Doctor, stop worrying about me and take good care of the people who want to live. Goodbye.”

While the old man was giving a long speech, Taekyung saw that no more needles were going into his body, so he let him do as he pleased.

“Please go carefully and come to the hospital right away if anything happens.”

“I’ll take care of it myself. Take care.”

After saying what he had to say, the old man put on his clothes and left the emergency room.

After the old man left the emergency room, Jo Eung-gi was blankly staring with a dazed expression. Taekyung, who was trying to change his mind, judged that there was no need to do so because of the old man’s speech.

It was because Jo Eung-gi’s expression was showing that he had realized something.

“Are you okay, patient?”

“Yes? Ah, yes……. I’m not in my right mind at all. I feel like my soul has been completely taken away.”

“You need to listen carefully to what I’m going to say from now on, so you can’t lose your mind.”

Jo Eung-gi, still dazed, listened to Taekyung’s detailed explanation of what treatment he would receive and then went up to the ward and was hospitalized.

A few hours later-

“Honey!”

Jo Eung-gi’s wife, who had been contacted and rushed over, entered the hospital room and raised her voice.

“Hey, this is a shared room. Be quiet!”

“Do I look like I can be quiet right now?”

“I know. First, follow me. Let’s talk over there.”

Seeing the wife’s face with the Chinese character for “cheon” [anger] drawn on her forehead, Jo Eung-gi grabbed his wife’s hand and quickly moved to the ward lounge.

“Should I get you a drink?”

“Are you kidding me? Do you think I can drink a drink right now?”

“No. Were you worried a lot?”

“Is that what you’re saying now…….”

The wife, showing a dumbfounded expression, took out a note from her pocket and held it close to her husband’s face.

-Honey, I’m sorry for making you suffer because you met a bad husband. But don’t forget that I love you and our children very much, and forget about someone like me and live happily. Don’t look for me.

“How can I not worry when you just wrote this and left without answering the phone?”

“I’m sorry. Honey.”

Sensing something from the note, the wife went to all the places her husband might have gone. She searched all the company colleagues, friends, and bars she usually went to, but she couldn’t find her husband.

Then, just as she was about to report it to the police, she received a call from her husband and hurriedly came to the hospital.

“Why didn’t you answer the phone and turned it off?”

“I was so upset that I was going to jump off the bridge.”

“I knew it! Why! Because of the money?”

“That’s right. I feel sorry and ashamed to you…….”

“Why are you thinking about dying when you’re sorry! If you’re sorry, you should live harder. And what shame? Are you looking for face between husband and wife?”

The wife was also upset and hurt because of her husband who had lost a lot of money, not just a small amount. Who in the world wouldn’t be upset in this situation?

However, because she knew that her husband himself was the most upset, she didn’t nag him much.

She couldn’t stop her husband from drinking to soothe his heart, thinking about how upset he must be because he had lost money due to his own mistake after working hard all his life.

“But why did you come to the hospital? Don’t tell me you got hurt while jumping off?”

“No. It’s not like that.”

“Then did you get into a car accident while drunk?”

“It’s true that this happened because I drank, but it wasn’t a car accident.”

“Then what is it? Tell me quickly.”

“I drank so much that I got acute pancreatitis.”

“What? Ugh! I’m really getting old because of you. Getting old. You should have drunk a little less.”

“I wanted to, but I couldn’t because I kept thinking about it and getting upset when I was sober.”

“So you kept drinking and ended up leaving me and the kids behind?”

“I was so sorry to you that I didn’t want to do anything and didn’t want to live when I thought about that money…….”

“Honey! Let’s forget about that money now. While I was looking for you after seeing the note, I was really scared and worried about what would happen to you. I was looking for you like a crazy person, not lying.”

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry…….”

“How are me and our kids supposed to live without you. I can’t live. Money comes and goes. I hope you stop suffering because of the money that’s already gone.”

The wife held her husband’s hand tightly, blaming himself.

“Do you know what our couple’s biggest strength is?”

“……?”

“You and I are simpler and more positive people than we thought. Have we ever fought because we didn’t have money and were having a hard time? We haven’t. Have you forgotten what you used to say to me every day? You can make money if you work hard. Being healthy is wealth. It’s useless if you lose your health. You can make money again if you work hard.”

The kind and wise wife was grateful that nothing had happened to her husband rather than the money.

“So don’t ever think about dying again. Got it?”

“I got it. Thank you. Honey.”

Jo Eung-gi held his wife’s hand tightly and conveyed his sincerity.

“I’m going to live thinking only about you and the kids from now on. I may not have anything, but marrying you is the greatest achievement of my life.”

“If you can say it……. Are you really okay?”

“I’m okay. Someone who was hospitalized in the same room said that the director here is a famous doctor.”

“Really? Then did you know and come here?”

“No. I came by 119 [emergency services]. The taxi driver who took me to the bridge reported it to 119 and stayed with me until I came. Now that I think about it, thanks to that driver who stopped me, I was able to see a good doctor and I’m grateful.”

“That’s a really grateful person. Tell them thank you later.”

“I will. Honey? You know I check today’s fortune every day, right?”

Jo Eung-gi, recalling the taxi driver, remembered today’s fortune that he had seen on his phone.

“Why are you suddenly talking about fortune telling? Why? Did it tell you to go to the bridge today? Stop looking at that stuff.”

“It’s not that. It said that I would meet three benefactors today and it would be resolved well.”

“Benefactors?”

“Yeah. I thought it was nonsense earlier, but now that I think about it, it was right that there were three benefactors.”

“Who are they?”