Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 431

Five Vital Signs – Episode 432

432. Enough to Rip Your Throat

“I brought up something unnecessary. I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? It’s my fault for not telling you… Even Junseok *hyung* [older brother or male friend] only found out recently. I kept failing, and he got tired and struggled a lot, so we talked it over and broke up.”

Lee Jaehyun spoke as if he were brushing off old dust, with a calm and indifferent expression.

“It’s greedy to keep holding onto someone who’s struggling. Honestly, I should have failed a bit sooner. Anyway, that’s how it went.”

“Damn. That must have been tough.”

“No, not at all? I’m just saying this because you two are here, but I’m honestly really happy about the divorce. I don’t know how much lighter my heart feels.”

“Happy my ass. What’s so good about it?”

“*Hyung*, I’m really happy. Since we don’t have kids, there’s nothing tying me down, and I’m going to live selfishly and comfortably for myself from now on. I’m even dating these days.”

“Dating? Ah! Stop talking nonsense. You’re dating? You’re lying.”

“Why would I lie? She’s a divorcee at the same workplace, and she’s a good person.”

“This bastard’s writing a novel. Fine. I’ll believe it’s real.”

“It’s real, I’m telling you.”

“Alright, just have another drink.”

“No thanks. I’m not drinking.”

After that, the three of them shared stories about their lives and discussed the hardships of being doctors, wrapping up their dinner.

“Let’s get up now.”

“But this is going to be quite expensive. What if the owner doesn’t accept our money?”

“I thought he wouldn’t accept it, but we still have to pay.”

“I already did.”

While Park Junseok and Lee Jaehyun were wondering how to pay, Taekyung got up and said it casually.

“What! You paid?”

“When?”

“When I went to the restroom earlier.”

Looking at the spread, which seemed like it would cost a considerable amount, Taekyung couldn’t possibly eat for free.

So, he told the two he was going to the restroom and left the room.

Fortunately, the couple was busy going back and forth between the kitchen and the hall, attending to customers, and Taekyung asked a nearby employee to calculate the bill.

“You should have said something. How much was it?”

“It came out to over 250,000 *won* [Korean currency]?”

Lee Jaehyun said, looking at the receipt Taekyung handed over.

The price was quite high since the food was served as a special course, but Park Junseok and Lee Jaehyun weren’t surprised.

“That’s about right.”

“Taekyung-ah. I’ll send you the money for the meal.”

“Me too. We should really split the bill properly when we’re on a trip.”

“That’s right. If we just let it pass, it could be upsetting.”

“There are a lot of things that could be upsetting. It’s okay. I was going to pay anyway.”

“Why?”

“I was supposed to buy you dinner last time, but I was too busy. Think of it as making up for that.”

At Taekyung’s words, the two who were clicking on their banking apps quickly closed them and beamed.

“Wow! Is this the force of our hospital director? Earning a lot of money is the best after all.”

“Kim, thank you for the dinner, Director.”

“Thanks, Taekyung-ah.”

“Me too. Thanks for the meal.”

“Kim Taekyung is the best!”

“Okay, stop it.”

As the three of them left the room and headed to the counter, Lee Junhyuk, who had heard about the bill, approached with a flustered expression.

“Why did you pay? I was trying to treat you… I’ll give you a refund.”

“No, it’s okay. We’re happy enough with the delicious food we ate.”

“I can’t let you go like this. Please, give me your card.”

“Mr. President, it’s really okay.”

Lee Junhyuk, who hadn’t expected them to pay in advance, sincerely intended to give them a refund. But the three of them had no intention of doing so.

“I’d feel too bad if you did this….”

“Then we’ll come again next time, so please give us a lot of service then.”

“Alright. But then, you absolutely can’t pay.”

“Of course. Next time, we’ll get a free meal even if you tell us not to.”

“Understood.”

“We’re in trouble.”

Park Jaehyun, who had been on the phone, hung up with a troubled expression and approached the two.

“Looks like we’ll have to walk to our accommodation.”

“Why?”

“I called the driver, but his wife answered and said he had been drinking and passed out.”

The taxi driver who had accompanied them on the tour today was supposed to take them to their accommodation after dinner, but he had fallen asleep after drinking.

“Let’s call another taxi. We got a number earlier, right?”

“Don’t do that. I’ll take you.”

Lee Junhyuk said, hearing the three people’s story, and his wife, Kim Hansol, who had come to greet them, chimed in.

“No, it’s okay to call another taxi. You’re busy. It’s okay.”

“We don’t want that either. Anyway, dinner service is over, so we’re not busy, and I won’t be able to sleep tonight if I just let you three go like this.”

“My husband is right. The island mainly has tourist taxis that run late, so it will be hard to catch one now. And we won’t feel comfortable if we only receive favors today.”

Lee Junhyuk and Kim Hansol had no intention of just letting the three go.

They were like benefactors who had found their son, so they had even paid for the meal, let alone treat them.

They felt uncomfortable because of that, and it was fortunate that there was no ride available.

“Where is your accommodation?”

“Sunshine Garden.”

“Really? You can’t walk there without a car. Honey, go quickly. I can handle the cleanup, so I don’t need you.”

“Okay, I understand. Let’s go.”

“We enjoyed the meal today.”

“Drive carefully and please come visit again. Thank you so much for finding our son.”

In the end, the three couldn’t refuse any longer and decided to say goodbye to Kim Hansol and get in Lee Junhyuk’s car.

Clunk-

“Since we have kids, we have a lot of luggage. Please wait a moment.”

“No, Mr. President. Please don’t.”

As he tried to clear the luggage in the front seat, the three of them stopped him with busy hands and got into the back seat together.

“We can all ride in the back.”

“Won’t it be uncomfortable?”

“Not at all.”

The white SUV started, and Lee Junhyuk drove off.

“Are you leaving tomorrow?”

“Yes, we’re going up tomorrow morning.”

“Did you enjoy your trip?”

“Of course. The scenery is great, and thanks to you, we ate delicious food and are very satisfied.”

The four people’s conversation continued, and the car, which had left the paved road, entered an unpaved road, right at that moment.

“Really, among the trips I’ve taken in the last few years, this is the most….”

“Aaaaaaack!!!”

At the scream that tore through his eardrums, Lee Jaehyun stopped talking.

“Didn’t you hear something just now?”

“I did.”

“Aaaaaaack!!!”

The sound that was heard again seemed to be screaming with all its might, as if its throat was being torn.

The three of them felt goosebumps all over.

“Hey, isn’t that a human voice?”

“Y-yeah. I think so.”

Lee Jaehyun, who was sitting in the middle, turned his head to both sides in surprise and asked. Then Park Junseok, who was looking out the car window, agreed and continued.

“Ah! Sh*t! Isn’t that it?”

“What?”

“……!”

“Ah, *hyung*! Why are you stopping mid-sentence? What is it? Tell me quickly.”

“A murder… Isn’t it something like that?”

“A murder?”

“What are you talking about?”

Taekyung and Lee Jaehyun answered simultaneously at the sudden mention of murder.

“This is an island. I saw on ‘Case Report 25’ that a murder case happened on an island, people died, and it was a mess. A national petition was even filed to catch the culprit. It was a famous case. Don’t you know about it?”

“It sounds familiar… But if that sound just now was a scream, isn’t it an emergency situation?”

“It must be an emergency, that’s why they screamed.”

“Shouldn’t we go check it out?”

“Jaehyun-ah, are you crazy?”

Park Junseok raised his voice with an absurd expression.

“What if it’s really a murder? You want to die?”

“Who’s going to die?”

“Both of you, stop it.”

It didn’t seem like the two were overreacting.

The sound heard from somewhere on the island, which was covered in darkness, sounded like a scream, so it felt strange.

“Mr. President, shouldn’t we report it?”

Taekyung calmed the two who were out of their minds and asked Lee Junhyuk, who was driving.

What is it?

At that moment, Taekyung, who made eye contact with Lee Junhyuk smiling in the rearview mirror, wondered if he had seen it wrong.

If someone was in a dangerous situation, as Park Junseok said, it was a serious problem, so there was no way he could be smiling.

“Keu!”

But soon, a hearty laugh echoed in the car.

“Keukeuk! Haha!”

It was Lee Junhyuk’s laughter.

“…….”

“M-Mr. President……?”

While the three were flustered at Lee Junhyuk, who was almost roaring with laughter, he apologized and explained the reason for his laughter.

“I’m sorry for laughing suddenly. I think you three were too seriously surprised. That sound isn’t a human sound.”

“Yes?”

“If it’s not a human sound……?”

“It’s an animal sound.”

That’s right. The sound that the three had seriously thought was a scream was the sound of a wild animal.

“An animal?”

“Yes, it’s a roe deer sound. It’s an animal that looks a bit like a deer. Do you know what a roe deer is?”

“Ah! This.”

Lee Jaehyun, who quickly searched for a roe deer on his phone, turned the screen to the two people sitting on either side of him.

“This is a roe deer.”

“I’ve seen it on an animal show before. But does a roe deer cry like that?”

“It sounds exactly like a person screaming, right?”

“No joke, we really thought someone was hurt.”

“You three are country bumpkins from Seoul, so you should have heard a roe deer sound.”

“People who hear a roe deer sound for the first time are all surprised.”

“Wow! No way. It really sounds exactly like a human voice.”

Park Junseok, who had found a video in the meantime, made an embarrassed expression.

“Are there many wild animals here?”

“Since it’s an island, there are more than in the city. The roe deer that cried earlier are seen quite often. And there are also wild boars.”

“Wild boars? Are there wild boars?”

“Of course. They often come out on the roads, and they’re quite large when you actually see them. Roe deer and wild boars often come down from the mountains and mess up the crops in the fields.”

“I didn’t even think about wild boars. That’s amazing.”

“It’s dark now, so you can’t see it, but there was a sign saying ‘Wild Animal Area’ when we entered this road earlier.”

Hearing the story that roe deer, which make a cry comparable to a human scream, and even wild boars appear, the three people realized that the island was definitely an island.

“Woah!”

“Ah! Jeez. You’re not a kid. Seriously.”

Park Junseok, who had been quiet, surprised Lee Jaehyun, who was looking at a wild boar on his phone.

“You were surprised, but you’re pretending to be okay.”

“Sometimes I think *hyung* is the youngest among us, and Taekyung is the oldest. Don’t you think so? Taekyung-ah?”

“*Hyung* sometimes acts like that. Mr. President, it looks like Jisang is at home.”

Taekyung, who was curious about Jisang’s news, asked.

“His father and mother live near his house, and they take care of the children when he goes out to work at the restaurant.”

“It must not be easy living on an island. You’re amazing, Mr. President.”

“Amazing? There are advantages and disadvantages to living on an island or in the city, but my wife and I are originally from the island, so this life suits us well and we like it. I think you three are more amazing?”

“Us?”

“I heard that you are all doctors.”

Lee Junhyuk had heard from the taxi driver at the restaurant earlier that the three were doctors.

“Is being a doctor such a great job?”

“It’s great. I majored in architecture, so I had a lot of assignments. But there was a close pre-med *hyung* in my club in college, and he told me that he was going to die because of the amount of studying when he went up to medical school, and what he was studying was nothing compared to our major.”

“Wow! Suddenly thinking about medical school, I don’t even remember how I studied back then.”

“Really? I still remember it. The amount of studying in medical school is really insane. I probably couldn’t do it again even if I went back. Not even if you paid me.”

Just as the three were reminiscing about those days with Lee Junhyuk’s story as the starting point for the medical school story.

“No. Taekyung, that bastard, wouldn’t care even if he went back……!”

Thud-

At that moment, the car carrying the four collided with something, and a loud noise rang out.