Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 394

395. Waterproof Band

The old man looked puzzled at Tae-kyung’s sudden interest in his hands.

“Could you raise your right hand a bit?”

“Doctor, my hands don’t hurt.”

“Yes, I know. I’m not asking you to raise it because it hurts.”

“Then why?”

“Because of this.”

Tae-kyung gently took the old man’s right hand, which was raised somewhat awkwardly, and said, “Because of this.”

Tae-kyung pointed to a small wound on the old man’s right hand—a torn hangnail with a tiny bit of blood.

“This wound? Is that why?”

“Yes.”

Ever since seeing the old man’s abdominal ultrasound, Tae-kyung had been bothered by the wound on his right hand.

It wasn’t because this old man was special, but being an elderly person, it was more concerning.

Tae-kyung cared for all his patients, but he couldn’t help but feel more concerned about children and the elderly.

“It’s nothing serious,” the old man said.

“It’s not a big wound, but it bleeds and stings when the hangnail is torn off.”

People often casually tear off hangnails around their fingernails, but this can tear off healthy skin, causing bleeding and soreness.

It can be surprisingly uncomfortable.

Tae-kyung wanted to treat the old man’s hand.

“I think it tore while I was working. It bleeds and stings a bit, but it’s okay.”

“It’s okay, but it’s better if it heals quickly. Do you work, sir?”

“Yes, thankfully, I’m healthy enough to still work.”

“That’s great. There, all done.”

Tae-kyung disinfected the wound on the old man’s right hand and applied a waterproof bandage.

“Since this is waterproof, don’t remove it when you wash. Take it off when it turns white and swells up. And it’s good to keep your hands moisturized. Use hand cream if you have it, or just lotion if you don’t. If it happens again, don’t tear it off with your hands; use nail clippers. Got it?”

“Yes, I will. This old man’s hand is getting quite the treatment today.”

“Nothing to be ashamed of. To me, it looks like a wonderful hand that has worked hard.”

“You’re too kind.”

“……?”

“These wounds… they’re from training, aren’t they?”

The old man pointed to the old scars on Tae-kyung’s hand.

“Ah, yes.”

“I wonder how many scalpels you’ve held and how much you’ve trained to get like this. You must have studied very hard. It reminds me of a ballerina’s feet.”

The old man stroked Tae-kyung’s hand with a gentle touch. His hands were rough but warm.

“Have you ever seen a ballerina’s feet?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Ballerinas look glamorous on the outside, but they practice for tens of thousands of hours for those glamorous performances. As a result, their toenails fall out dozens of times, and their bones protrude, making their feet ugly. They say the more famous the ballerina, the uglier her feet. Seeing your hands reminded me of that. They’re really wonderful hands.”

“……”

Tae-kyung didn’t know how to respond. Or rather, he felt a bit bewildered.

It wasn’t like his hands were covered in wounds. It was from a long time ago when he bought all sorts of pig organs from Majang-dong [a district in Seoul known for its meat markets] to practice using both hands freely.

Those were the scars from that time, and it was a long time ago.

He always had those scars on his hands, so he didn’t think much of them, but being praised like this made Tae-kyung feel strange.

It was almost 5 a.m., and the slight sleepiness he had been feeling vanished.

“Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for the good care.”

“Okay, goodbye.”

“Yes, take care, Doctor.”

Tae-kyung watched the old man leave the office with a kind smile and thought to himself that it was a relief.

His fifth vital sign [odor] was good.

He only smelled a relatively light odor, not a strong one. He could tell that the old man was healthy for his age.

At that time-

The old man left the office, paid at the reception desk, and left the hospital.

Walking through the still-dark early morning streets, the old man entered a nearby subway station. He took a shopping bag from a locker and went into the restroom.

About five minutes later, the old man emerged from the restroom looking completely different.

He had been wearing shabby old sneakers, old clothes, and a fedora, but now he was wearing a luxurious suit and clean shoes.

The shiny cufflinks peeking out from his shirt sleeves also exuded considerable sophistication.

He neatly combed back his hair, made a phone call, and left through an exit away from where he had entered with the shopping bag.

“Chairman?”

As the old man exited, a tall middle-aged man quickly approached, bowed 90 degrees, and took the shopping bag.

“Did you have a good checkup? Weren’t you tired from going straight there after volunteering?”

“I’ve been doing this my whole life; I’m still going strong.”

“Is anything bothering you?”

“I had a comprehensive health checkup last month, so what could be wrong? I’ve always had polyps in my gallbladder, so nothing new. I’m fine.”

“How was it?”

“The hospital building was nicely remodeled inside, but it seems a bit old.”

“Yes, it’s an old building.”

“But it’s clean and well-maintained.”

“Chairman, can we get to the point?”

“That friend?”

“Yes, him.”

“Why? Are you curious too?”

“Of course. I’m curious about what you think and what your impression was. He’s a hot topic. He’s a doctor who’s quite well-known because of the child abuse case and the department store incident.”

“He’s the real deal. I’m leaving now.”

The old man left with just one word and got into a luxury sedan.

Thud-

“The real deal?”

The man who had been talking to the old man sat in the driver’s seat, started the car, and continued.

“Really? That’s how good he is?”

The man, who had been assisting the old man for a long time, was quite surprised and asked back. The word ‘real deal’ was the highest praise the old man could give.

“As you know, I’ve met countless people in my profession. So I’ve developed an eye for people. You don’t have to look at a person for long; you can get a sense of them just by talking to them. But this guy… how should I put it… he felt solid and deep inside.”

“You must have had a good impression.”

“These days, there are quite a few doctors who are caught up in their own authority. They treat patients as if they are something very important.”

“I also find it difficult to speak up when I meet such doctors at the hospital.”

“That’s what I’m saying. It shouldn’t be like that. Doctors take an oath when they become doctors, and it says something like this: ‘At this moment, as a recognized member of the medical profession, I solemnly pledge to dedicate my life to the service of humanity.'”

“That’s as cool as a line from a drama. I didn’t know there was such a thing.”

“They should have a serving heart and treat patients with that wonderful oath in mind, but these days, many people just chase after money, which is a shame.”

“But there’s no match for money, and it seems difficult to give up the path to making money when it’s so obvious.”

“Still, there’s such a thing as conscience. You shouldn’t just chase after money. I always say this at meetings: people with jobs that require them to help those in need should put down their sense of authority and talk to the other person on an equal footing.”

“That’s right.”

“A doctor is someone who treats and heals sick people, not someone who is authoritarian. That makes patients uncomfortable. But Kim Tae-kyung doesn’t have that. It was very impressive how he met the patient at eye level and provided sincere care.”

“So you were just trying to praise him? It sounds like you were very impressed.”

“I was very impressed.”

“I’ll have Secretary Ko send what you mentioned earlier to the hospital by the end of today.”

“Okay. Handle it quietly, without making a fuss.”

“Understood. I’ll head to the company.”

The old man looked at the bandage Tae-kyung had put on and whispered to himself with a satisfied smile.

“[He] was right about him.”

* * *

Our Hospital-

“Kim Byung-man, you can go into the examination room.”

“Okay.”

“Lee Min-i, here’s your prescription. The pharmacy is just a little further down.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Before going to work, the waiting room was filled with people trying to get treatment as usual.

After that hectic time passed, the hospital became more relaxed.

“I didn’t see Mr. Im in the cafeteria; did he go to the emergency room?”

“No, he’s in the office.”

“Thank you.”

Jang Deuk-chil, holding a shopping bag containing a small box, came into the office inside the reception desk and looked for Nurse Im Jeong-suk.

“Mr. Im.”

“Yes, did you call me?”

“This is for you.”

“Mr. Jang, what is this? Is it something to eat?”

Team Leader Choi, who was doing paperwork instead of Nurse Im Jeong-suk, got up from his seat and reacted.

“No. A man just brought it and told me to give it to the director, but the director wasn’t in the office, so I brought it here.”

“To the director? Didn’t he say who it was from?”

“When I asked, he said he was just running an errand and didn’t know.”

“Really? Who could it be?”

“Isn’t there a note or a business card inside?”

Team Leader Choi looked inside the shopping bag, but there was no business card or clue as to who sent it.

“Who sent it?”

“Oh my! Our team leader must be very curious.”

“Of course I’m curious. A mysterious box came for the director. Aren’t you curious, Mr. Im?”

“I’m a little curious.”

“See?”

“Maybe the director ordered something for delivery?”

“Mr. Jang, come on. Have you ever seen the director order anything for delivery except for snacks for the staff? What could this be?”

Unable to contain his curiosity, Team Leader Choi took the box out of the shopping bag.

“Oh my! Team Leader, why are you taking it out?”

“That’s right. It’s for the director, so you shouldn’t look at it, right?”

“Who’s looking? It’s not that, but I was just going to shake it a little.”

“Why are you shaking it? Don’t do that and put it back quickly.”

“I thought I could roughly tell what it is if I shake it a little.”

Tap- Tap-

“What’s that sound? Stop it and put it back quickly. You don’t even know what’s inside; what if it spills?”

It was then, as Team Leader Choi continued to shake the box despite the dissuasion of Nurse Im Jeong-suk and Jang Deuk-chil.

“Why would it spill? That won’t happ…!”.

The bottom of the box, which had been closed in a cross shape, opened, and the contents inside spilled onto the floor.

“Th, this is…”

“…!”

Everyone froze like ice when they saw the contents of the box.

Surprisingly, the box contained bundles of 50,000 won bills [Korean currency, approximately $40 USD per bill], and because one of the bundles had come undone, the floor was covered in money.

For a moment, the three of them stared at the bundles of money with wide eyes, unable to say anything.

“Su, surely this is money?”

“I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me… Mr. Jang, it looks like money to you too, right?”

“Yes, this is the first time in my life I’ve seen such bundles of money. Is it the director’s money?”

“Maybe our director is a hidden chaebol [wealthy conglomerate owner]?”

“Both of you, stop talking nonsense and pick up the money quickly. Team Leader? Move your foot!”

Startled by Nurse Im Jeong-suk’s shout, the two people who had been surprised by the bundles of money came to their senses and picked up the money.

“What on earth is going on…! Oh, there’s a note here.”

“Give it to me!”

As Team Leader Choi, who was picking up the money, took out the note stuck in the bundle of money, Nurse Im Jeong-suk quickly snatched it away.

“Team Leader, you’re going to look at it again, aren’t you? I’ll give it to the director.”

“I was going to give it to Mr. Im anyway. Ha! Ha! Ha!”

Team Leader Choi, who was picking up the money, suddenly burst into laughter for some reason.

“Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”

“It’s not that, but because we’re doing this, it looks like the three of us are secretly embezzling public funds, doesn’t it? I think I’m laughing because the situation itself is so absurd.”

“Ugh! Stop saying such strange things and pick up the money.”

“Mr. Im, here…”

It was then, as the three people squatting on the floor were diligently picking up the money, that Tae-kyung came in.

“What are you all doing?”

Tae-kyung asked with a surprised expression when he saw the money scattered on the floor.