Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 430

Fifth Vital Sign – Episode 431 (430/502)

431. Tae-kyung’s Bewilderment

“Here?”

Stepping out of the taxi, the three men looked at the sign and asked the driver again.

“Driver, is this the right place?”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Tae-kyung, Lee Jae-hyun, and Park Joon-seok’s gazes naturally turned to the restaurant sign.

“Seriously, how can a restaurant sign be so clean?”

“I know, right? I’ve never seen a restaurant sign this clean before.”

The sign, so clean it looked dust-free, had the words ‘Pearl in the Sea’ written in neat lettering.

This restaurant was owned by Lee Joon-yeok, Ji-sang’s father, whom they had met on the boat to Heui-rak Island, the one whose business card Tae-kyung had.

“The owners are incredibly meticulous. They wipe the sign every day to keep it shining. Cleanliness is paramount in a restaurant, right?”

“Is this place really that good?”

“It’s a hidden gem. I might seem simple, but I have a very discerning palate. This place is different. Compared to the famous restaurants on the mainland and even on Heui-rak Island, this place is number one.”

“Is it really that good?”

“The owners are a young couple from Heui-rak Island. They lived in Seoul, got their restaurant licenses, and traveled around to famous restaurants to do research. That’s why they’re so skilled. You know how people take pictures and post them on that star thing?”

“Instagram?”

“Right, Instagram. If you search there, you’ll find lots of pictures from people who have visited. Broadcasting stations have even come to film, but they refused because it would inconvenience the customers.”

“Driver, are you perhaps related to the restaurant owners?”

Lee Jae-hyun asked, watching the driver sing the restaurant’s praises as if he were talking about family.

“Family? No way. I recommended it because the restaurant is clean and delicious. Our island is becoming known because of this owner, so how can I not be proud?”

“I see.”

“Why? Doctors, don’t you like the place?”

The taxi driver, slightly taken aback by the three men’s lukewarm reaction, asked cautiously.

“No, not at all. We were just listening intently because it’s fascinating. It’s great that the local driver recommended it.”

“Oh! The reviews on Instagram are no joke. Look at this.”

Park Joon-seok, a serious foodie, held up his phone screen to Tae-kyung and Lee Jae-hyun.

“Everyone’s raving about how delicious it is.”

“See? I told you I was right. You can’t even get a table here if you don’t have a reservation. I’ll go ask if there’s a table, so wait here for a moment.”

As the taxi driver went inside the restaurant, Park Jae-hyun wore an excited expression.

“Hey, at this point, this restaurant is our destiny. Let’s have dinner here, huh?”

“But can we even get in? You can’t eat if there are no seats. It looks packed inside.”

Although they were a short distance from the restaurant, it looked full from where they were standing.

“Should we just call the owner using the business card the director gave us?”

“Ah, hyung [older brother/friend]? No, don’t do that. Let’s just wait for the driver to come out. If there’s a seat, we’ll go in, and if not, we’ll go somewhere else.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. It would be rude to barge in if there are no seats.”

Everyone agreed with Tae-kyung, but they were also hoping for a seat inside the clearly popular restaurant.

“Doctors, there are seats available.”

Five minutes later, the taxi driver, who had gone into the restaurant, gestured from the entrance, and the three quickly entered.

“Come in quickly. Ji-sang’s dad, these are the doctors from Seoul I was telling you about.”

“Hello…!”

Lee Joon-yeok, who was greeting customers, recognized the three men and couldn’t hide his delight.

“You’ve arrived?”

“Oh! You know these guys?”

The taxi driver asked, looking puzzled at Lee Joon-yeok’s delighted expression.

“Of course. I know them well. They’re the ones who helped me out.”

“Really? That’s great. These are the people who took a taxi tour today, and they asked me to recommend a good restaurant, so I brought them here. Ji-sang’s dad, please take good care of them.”

“Of course. Don’t worry, driver.”

“Okay, then. I’ll be going now. Thanks to you doctors, I had a good time for the first time in a while. If you need a taxi to get back to your accommodation later, give me a call. I’ll take you there as a service.”

“Don’t do that. Have dinner with us.”

Tae-kyung and his friends, who had never taken a taxi tour before, had a great time traveling around the island with the friendly driver.

“No, I’m fine.”

The three men offered to have dinner with the driver, but he politely declined.

“I have to eat with my wife. Ji-sang’s dad, I’m leaving.”

“Yes, driver. Drive carefully.”

With that, the driver left the restaurant, and Tae-kyung and his friends followed Lee Joon-yeok into a private room instead of the main hall and took their seats.

“Please, sit over here. I’ve been waiting all day to see when you three would come.”

It wasn’t just empty words; Lee Joon-yeok and his wife had been turning their heads every time the restaurant door opened, wondering if it was Tae-kyung’s group.

“We’ve been wanting to come.”

“Then why are you here now?”

“These friends thought it would be a burden to the owner, so they wanted to go somewhere else, but the driver brought us here, saying this is the best restaurant.”

“You did well to come. I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t come today. Are there any seafood or foods that you can’t eat from the menu?”

Lee Joon-yeok opened the menu and carefully checked if there were any foods that the three men couldn’t eat.

“We’ll eat anything. We eat everything well.”

“Then, I’ll prepare the food with delicious dishes. Please wait a moment.”

Squeak-

“Hyung? What are you doing?”

After Lee Joon-yeok left the room, Lee Jae-hyun called out to Park Joon-seok, who was craning his neck towards the door. Park Joon-seok turned around with an expression of pure excitement.

“Hey, this place is definitely a hidden gem. I felt it from the hall earlier, but the smell coming through the crack in the door is amazing. It’s over. My nostrils flare up on their own when I come to a real hidden gem. See?”

“I’m going crazy because of you, hyung. Are you some kind of bloodhound?”

“My nickname in high school was Bloodhound. Tae-kyung, you smell something delicious too, right?”

“It does smell really good.”

Knock knock-

Just as the three men were getting intoxicated by the delicious smell, the couple came inside with the food they had been waiting for.

“Come in.”

“Hello.”

“This is my wife.”

“Hello. I’m Ji-sang’s mom.”

Kim Han-sol greeted the three men as she set up the food with her husband.

“I heard from my husband that you’re the ones who helped us find Ji-sang. I don’t know how to thank you enough… Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. It’s nothing.”

“Please enjoy your meal, and if you need anything or have any discomfort, please press this bell here.”

“Then, enjoy your meal.”

After the couple left, the three men slowly began to taste the food that had been set out on the table.

“Wow! Hey, guys? Try this. I’m not lying, the sashimi melts in your mouth. It’s more delicious than beef.”

“Hyung, try this too. The soup is amazing.”

“What is this that’s so delicious? The owners here are really skilled.”

“Shall we have a drink?”

“Let’s eat first and think about it later.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a waste to drink with it.”

The three men were so focused on the meal that was pleasing to the eye and delightful to the mouth that they forgot to talk for a while.

“Shall we have just one drink at this point?”

As they were getting full, Park Joon-seok brought up the topic of alcohol.

“Why bother drinking if you’re only going to have one drink?”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to get up tomorrow if I drink properly.”

“That’s true. Then, should we not drink?”

“But it’s a waste not to. Let’s just wet our throats.”

With that, a bottle of soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] was brought out with reluctance. They had to take a boat tomorrow morning, and if they drank as much as they usually did, they wouldn’t be able to wake up in the morning.

It was hard to resist the temptation of the delicious dishes, so they decided to just wet their throats.

“Hey! Let’s have a drink. Tae-kyung, Jae-hyun, I’m so happy to be on a trip with you guys. Cheers.”

“Cheers!”

“Ah! That’s good.”

“It’s sweet. It’s sweet. Life is bitter, and soju is sweet.”

“Hyung, what’s wrong? Mr. Park Joon-seok, are you drunk after one drink?”

“Guys, what’s life? No matter how hard we work, we’re just stuck in a small clinic. Let’s take some time off and travel like this sometimes.”

As their stomachs were filled with delicious food and alcohol swirled in their mouths, the three men naturally began to share their stories and innermost thoughts.

The smiles that had been on the faces of the three friends since dawn disappeared, and seriousness washed over them.

“It’s nice to be on a trip. I’ve been stuck in the clinic all the time.”

Park Joon-seok, who said that while swallowing the spicy soup, had entered medical school after three attempts.

He majored in neurosurgery after studying hard and worked as a professor at a local university hospital.

However, not long after becoming a professor, he was caught up in a lawsuit and was forced to leave and open his own practice.

“Let’s live life to the fullest.”

“Yeah, you’re right. No one appreciates how hard we work… We should at least live life to the fullest.”

Lee Jae-hyun quickly went out to the local area and opened a hospital after obtaining his medical license, but it went bankrupt.

“Jae-hyun, you were going to die after your hospital went bankrupt, but you’re doing well.”

“Don’t even mention it. I tried to die, but it didn’t work.”

“Have you paid off a lot? How much debt did you say you had?”

“A little over a billion won [approximately $750,000 USD].”

“Hey! Why would you die with that much? Just live. As I said before, life isn’t that big of a deal. No matter how hard it is, you can live.”

“I know, right? It’s nice to travel around like this.”

“Tae-kyung is the most successful of the three of us.”

“I agree. I couldn’t even contact you because I was worried you’d be upset about not becoming a professor, but you went to such a big hospital as the director. You’re amazing. Tae-kyung, you must be making a lot of money, right?”

“No, I’m just managing it. I’m just getting a salary from the chairman.”

“Still, you must be getting a lot, right?”

“Well, I’m not getting a small amount. Hyung, you’re making good money too, right?”

“I’m still paying off the lawsuit costs. It’ll take a long time to get rid of that.”

“Tae-kyung, shouldn’t I work at your hospital?”

“Jae-hyun, you don’t have a specialty. I’m sorry.”

“I’m just kidding, you jerk.”

Lee Jae-hyun gave an embarrassed smile at Tae-kyung’s words and continued.

“If you could just say it’s possible, wouldn’t that be nice? Hyung, this guy hasn’t changed at all since college.”

“Isn’t that Tae-kyung’s charm? He’s sincere. Hey, he still uses honorifics with me. Tae-kyung, why do you still use honorifics with me?”

“It’s more comfortable for me to use honorifics with hyung.”

“Well, I can’t help but use honorifics when I look at hyung’s face.”

“Then why do you drop them?”

“I’m friends with hyung just by looking at his face.”

“Okay, do as you please. But Jae-hyun, don’t you have a good job right now? It was something central…”

“I’m at the Central Control Center, which connects emergency medical services.”

“Really? Is the salary good?”

“It’s just enough to make a living, and it’s comfortable, so I like being there. There’s no need to work hard because all the money I earn goes to paying off debt.”

“What does your sister-in-law say?”

“Tae-kyung, what are you talking about? Jae-hyun is divorced.”

“What! Divorced?”

Tae-kyung was genuinely taken aback by the news of his friend’s divorce, which he was hearing for the first time.

Lee Jae-hyun was always a cool and cheerful friend, and above all, he was known as one of the couples with a good relationship. But the news of such a friend’s divorce was shocking.