Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 423

424. The Same Person?

“Let me give you a hint. Can I see your hand for a moment?”

Jeong Mu-seok suddenly held out his right hand towards Tae-kyung.

On one of the fingers of his outstretched right hand, there was a small waterproof bandage.

As Tae-kyung’s gaze naturally went to the bandage, Jeong Mu-seok immediately continued.

“Here, I had a hangnail around my fingernail, and a kind friend put this on because it can be quite bothersome if left alone.”

“……!”

Tae-kyung, who had been tilting his head in disbelief at what Jeong Mu-seok had just said, was immediately struck by the words that followed, confirming his suspicion.

“Mr. Kim, have you ever seen a ballerina’s feet?”

“……!”

“Your hands resemble the feet of a ballerina who has worked hard.”

Before Jeong Mu-seok could finish speaking, Tae-kyung remembered that he was the old man who had come for an ultrasound examination early in the morning a few months ago.

At that time, after the examination, he had put a waterproof bandage on a hangnail on one of his right-hand fingernails, and he had suddenly praised his hands, calling them wonderful.

The reason why Tae-kyung, who had a good memory, couldn’t remember was that, looking at Jeong Mu-seok now, it was hard to believe that he was the same person as that old man.

Back then, he was wearing worn-out sneakers, shabby clothes, and a hat pulled down low, but now he was completely different, with a neat and dignified demeanor.

“Judging by your expression, it seems like you remember now?”

“Yes, I remember you coming in for an abdominal ultrasound early in the morning. I didn’t recognize you because you look different from then.”

“It’s natural you wouldn’t recognize me. My attire was a bit much back then, wasn’t it?”

“Not at all.”

At that time, Jeong Mu-seok was on his way back from volunteering at a dog shelter in the countryside.

The reason why his clothes were shabby was that he deliberately wore such clothes because they were easily soiled while taking care of the dogs at the center. And since it was Eui-jin’s day off, Jeong Mu-seok thought it was the perfect opportunity to meet Tae-kyung in that attire.

“I used the waterproof bandage you gave me well. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I…”

“Honey? Mr. Kim?”

Just as Jeong Mu-seok was about to say something, Mrs. Jang came out from the kitchen, where she was preparing dinner, and called out to them.

“Come and have dinner.”

“Mr. Kim, let’s go have dinner.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Sunbae [term of endearment used for senior colleagues or someone older], sit over here. What were you talking about with Dad?”

Eui-jin, who had helped Mrs. Jang prepare dinner, was curious about what the two of them had been talking about.

“Why? Are you worried I might have said something to Mr. Kim?”

“Of course, I’m worried.”

“It’s a secret. Isn’t that right? Mr. Kim?”

“That’s right. It’s a secret.”

“What is it? It seems like Dad and Sunbae are ganging up on something? Sunbae, is it really a secret?”

“Yeah. It’s really a secret.”

“Mom, don’t you think Dad and Sunbae are acting strange?”

“What’s so strange about it? Mr. Kim must be hungry, so stop talking to him. I didn’t know what you’d like, so I prepared a little bit of everything, but there are only a lot of dishes and nothing to eat.”

Contrary to the words that there was nothing to eat, the table was filled with a variety of side dishes, almost like a buffet.

From well-grilled Korean beef to 낙지전골 (nakji jeongol, spicy octopus hot pot) that is said to revive even a fallen cow, and duck pumpkin stew, the main dishes from land, sea, and air stimulated the appetite.

“I don’t know if it will suit your taste.”

“These are all my favorite foods. And there are so many side dishes that I don’t know what to eat first.”

“Eat the meat before it gets cold.”

“Wow! The meat is really tender and delicious.”

Tae-kyung enjoyed the food that Mrs. Jang had prepared with care. Usually, in such situations, people would say the food was delicious even if it wasn’t, but every single dish was delicious.

“This 낙지전골 (nakji jeongol) broth is also refreshing and very delicious.”

“Really? I’m glad to hear it suits your taste.”

Mrs. Jang smiled contentedly as she watched Tae-kyung eat heartily.

“It’s rewarding to prepare when Mr. Kim eats so well.”

“Your mother’s cooking skills are excellent. It’s the most delicious food I’ve had recently.”

“Is that so? It’s worth studying cooking while reducing my work hours.”

“Honey, me too. It’s always delicious, but it’s even more delicious today, isn’t it?”

“Mom, me too.”

“Then everyone, please eat a lot.”

The four of them enjoyed dinner in a pleasant atmosphere with delicious food and had a tea time.

“Please have some fruit and tea. And have some of this rice cake too.”

“What rice cake is this?”

“Mr. Kim bought a bouquet of baby’s breath and a rice cake cake because he was coming to our house.”

“Really? The rice cake is very delicious, isn’t it?”

“I know, right?”

“Mr. Kim, does your mother know that you are seeing our Eui-jin?”

“Yes, I told her.”

“You haven’t met her yet, have you?”

“No, Mom. I’ve met Sunbae’s mother.”

“Really?”

“I briefly greeted her a while ago, and she came to the hospital to see Sunbae last time, and we talked a bit then.”

“My mother likes Eui-jin a lot.”

“Really? I’m grateful that she looks favorably on our daughter. Come to think of it, did you come to our house to say hello first?”

“Yes. I haven’t gone to Sunbae’s mother’s house yet.”

“Why? You should have gone to say hello first.”

“No. My mother said it would be good to greet you two first.”

“She has a very warm heart. Eui-jin, be sure to tell your mother when you go to greet her. Got it?”

“Yes, I got it.”

While drinking tea, Tae-kyung spent time mainly answering questions that Eui-jin’s mother was curious about.

“Do you know how to drink?”

After some conversation, Jeong Mu-seok asked Tae-kyung about his alcohol tolerance.

“Yes, Father. I can drink a little.”

“Are you going to drink with Mr. Kim?”

“Sunbae, it’s your first time at our house, so let’s drink next time.”

Eui-jin and Mrs. Jang were worried about Tae-kyung because Jeong Mu-seok was so strong with alcohol. Tae-kyung was also a good drinker, but he was no match for Jeong Mu-seok.

“It’s okay, Mother.”

“Dad, please drink only a little.”

“I’ll have just one drink. Don’t worry. Anyone would think I’m going to eat Mr. Kim alive.”

Leaving the worried mother and daughter behind, the two went down to the home bar in the basement.

“You brought your car, right?”

“Yes, Father. I can call a driver when I leave.”

“Since I promised Eui-jin, let’s just have one drink today. Is whiskey okay?”

“Yes, it’s okay.”

Jeong Mu-seok opened his finest whiskey, which doesn’t cause hangovers and is his most prized possession, for Tae-kyung.

“How is it? Is the taste okay?”

“The aftertaste is clean, isn’t it?”

“Right? It’s easy to drink because it’s clean. By the way, Mr. Kim, did you know about me?”

After wetting his throat with whiskey, Jeong Mu-seok began a serious conversation with his prospective son-in-law.

“No, I knew about Jeong & Jang [referring to the law firm], but I never thought it would be the two of you.”

“You must have been surprised.”

“Yes, I was surprised the first day I heard it from Eui-jin.”

“Your mother also knows?”

“Rather, my mother was more surprised than I was. She was worried about whether it was okay to proceed with a marriage with such a great family when my family is ordinary.”

It was nothing now, but Tae-kyung had also been quite surprised to hear about his girlfriend’s family.

“As I’ve lived my life, living an ordinary life is more difficult than you think. That’s why the old folks used to say to live plainly without being eccentric when getting married. But in my opinion, you are by no means an ordinary person.”

“No, Father. I’m just an ordinary doctor.”

“That statement is too humble, isn’t it? Is it common for a doctor to acquire multiple specialist certifications in this world? As far as I know, there are fewer than 50 in Korea, so how great is that?”

“Thank you for seeing me in a good light.”

“And your ordinary parents raised their child so wonderfully, so your parents are also not ordinary people. Raising children well is not an easy task.”

Jeong Mu-seok wasn’t making up things to keep Tae-kyung from being intimidated.

Because he had such an honest personality that he couldn’t make up things, he was just saying his honest thoughts as he felt them.

“Actually, I’m saying this now, but I didn’t want to see you in a good light, but I couldn’t help it.”

“Yes?!”

“How could I see my daughter’s boyfriend in a good light? I felt a bit sad the first day Eui-jin brought up your story.”

There’s a saying that even if children are over 50 years old, wrinkled, and have gray hair, they still look like children to their parents.

Jeong Mu-seok was like that too.

Jeong Mu-seok and Mrs. Jang had three children, and Eui-jin was their youngest.

The first and second were married and even became parents, but they still seemed like lovely children to the couple.

As the saying goes, love flows downward, so Eui-jin, the youngest, would be even more so.

“My daughter, who is over her mid-30s, has a boyfriend she’s going to marry, and that sound made me a little sad. Eui-jin originally had no thoughts of marriage at all.”

“I had no idea at all.”

Surprisingly, Eui-jin didn’t think much about marriage in her life.

Then, Tae-kyung came to our hospital, and as she liked him and met him, she naturally developed a desire to marry as she nurtured her love.

“So I was curious about what kind of guy this was and looked into him a bit.”

“……!”

The sound of looking into him. That meant that Jeong Mu-seok had investigated him.

As soon as Tae-kyung heard that, he tensed up for no reason, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Hahaha! Mr. Kim, relax your face. Did you think I would investigate you? I’m just kidding. Just kidding.”

Tae-kyung’s expression was constantly serious, so he joked to ease the tension. But to Tae-kyung, who was having his first drink with his prospective father-in-law, it didn’t sound like a joke.

“I support her now, but in fact, I opposed Eui-jin becoming a doctor. I even opposed her after she became a doctor, so we ended up living separately. You must be wondering why I opposed her when being a doctor is a great profession, right?”

“Perhaps you wanted her to follow the same path as you?”

“You seem to know people’s minds very well. That’s right. Like the first and second, I wanted Eui-jin to follow us.”

Like all parents, Jeong Mu-seok was like that too. He wanted to be a pillar of support for his child.

If they followed the same path as lawyers, he could give advice and help them when they were in trouble.

Knowing that dealing with people’s lives is a very difficult task, he couldn’t readily support her.

However, after seeing his daughter, who had gone through a difficult time mentally during overseas volunteer work, start again as an anesthesiologist, he couldn’t help but support her.

As a parent, Jeong Mu-seok was proud and admirable of Eui-jin’s strong and determined appearance.

The daughter he saw by his side was truly destined to be a doctor.

‘Aren’t you tired?’

‘No, Father, I’m having so much fun. I like seeing patients.’

He liked that she always worked happily, but there were times when he felt sorry for his daughter, who was always buried in work.

She was still young, and he wanted her to date, meet a good person, and get married before it was too late. But she refused every time.

Then one day, without warning, she brought up the story of her boyfriend.

‘Dad, Mom. There’s someone I’m seeing.’

The daughter, who used to twinkle her eyes and whisper that she loved Dad and Mom the most when she was young, announced Tae-kyung’s existence with her eyes twinkling like that.

“At that time, Eui-jin said that he was someone she loved very much and respected as a doctor, so I was sad but also curious about what kind of person Kim Tae-kyung was.”

“Eui-jin is a wise person with more to learn from.”

It wasn’t just something he was saying or trying to look good.

If Tae-kyung was someone that all the employees at our hospital relied on, then Eui-jin was someone who could give Tae-kyung rest and strength.

Because he was human, there were bound to be moments when he was tired and struggling, but it was always Eui-jin who gave him strength.

One of the easiest but most difficult things that a person can do for another person is expression.

Saying thank you when you’re grateful, saying sorry when you’re sorry, saying cheer up when you’re struggling. And saying I love you when you love.

These obvious but surprisingly difficult words were always expressed generously by Eui-jin, and Tae-kyung was always sincerely grateful for this.

“I have something I’m curious about, can I ask?”

“Of course. You can ask me anything comfortably.”

“I heard that Mr. Kim was at Shinhwa University Hospital before coming to our hospital… Can I ask why you left?”

“I waited for a professorship appointment but was rejected, and the hospital also wanted me to leave, so I left. The ending wasn’t very pleasant when I left Shinhwa University Hospital.”

“Usually, in that case, they create a position where you have no choice but to leave and push you out. You must have been upset.”

“At the time, I felt wronged and upset, but after time passed and I thought about it, I think I didn’t get chosen because I was at fault.”

“What are you saying right now?”

“Tak” [sound of placing something down].

Jeong Mu-seok put down the glass he was holding with a very serious expression and added.

“What you just said is quite…”