Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 443

444. 24/7, 365 Days

At those words, everyone stopped walking as if on cue.

“A spiral staircase, you say?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“The owner of the site had planned to build a pension with a park concept, but it was abandoned midway, so the structure is a bit unique.”

As Oh Sim-bo finished speaking, the expressions on people’s faces weren’t so bright.

“Let’s keep moving for now.”

At Tae-kyung’s words, people started moving their feet again.

Everyone was preoccupied with the thought of whether they could descend the steep spiral staircase.

Tae-kyung, in particular, had more on his mind.

It was an unavoidable situation, but he was the one who suggested moving the patient directly to the helicopter landing site.

Currently, Lee Jun-hyuk’s body was secured with bandages on the bed, so there was no major difficulty in moving him.

However, this was only true for moving on flat ground.

It was uncertain whether it would hold up well on a downhill staircase.

His body might be forced downwards along the downhill staircase.

Moreover, it wasn’t just Lee Jun-hyuk, but also the bed carrying the equipment.

It would be a problem if they accidentally lost their footing and the equipment fell to the ground, or if the equipment moved and fell due to the height of the downhill staircase.

Furthermore, it was nighttime, not daytime.

Moving a patient who had just undergone brain surgery in the dark via stairs was more difficult than expected.

He couldn’t help but regret not asking if there were any obstacles on the moving route in the first place.

‘Ha! Isn’t there any way?’

Even in this situation, Tae-kyung thought while accurately illuminating the path ahead with a flashlight, not stopping his movement.

“Tae-kyung, what should we do?”

After pondering for a while, Park Jun-seok asked, frustrated, as he couldn’t come up with an answer on his own.

At that question, eight pairs of eyes in the darkness turned to Tae-kyung all at once.

No one had said it out loud, but people were already following Tae-kyung like a leader.

The staircase was now right in front of them.

“First of all…….”

Just as Tae-kyung, who hadn’t found an answer yet, was about to speak with difficulty, it happened.

“Are you Doctor Kim Tae-kyung?”

Along with a strong flashlight beam, a cheerful voice calling Tae-kyung’s name was heard from the opposite side.

“Yes, that’s me.”

With Tae-kyung at the lead, people’s steps naturally stopped, and soon the owner of the voice revealed themselves.

They were paramedics from the mainland who had hurried up the stairs.

Earlier, the helicopter had landed, and two paramedics who got off the helicopter had come up the stairs.

As they were on standby 24/7, 365 days a year to save lives, they had brought the necessary equipment just by seeing the steep staircase.

“We arrived a bit early and came up to help.”

“Wow! The timing is insane.”

Lee Jae-hyun, upon seeing the paramedics, exclaimed with excitement, and Tae-kyung and the rest of the people sighed in relief.

“Thank you so much.”

“We just did what we had to do, no need to thank us. I’m glad we arrived in time.”

After that, Lee Jun-hyuk was transferred to a safer bed that was easier to move, which the paramedics had brought.

Tae-kyung and his team helped the paramedics descend the stairs they had been worried about, and Lee Jun-hyuk and Kim Han-sol boarded the helicopter safely.

“Doctor Kim Tae-kyung, thank you so much. And thank you to all the other doctors as well. I won’t forget this kindness.”

“You’re welcome. Patient Lee Jun-hyuk will recover well.”

“Don’t worry too much, guardian.”

Tae-kyung, Park Jun-seok, and Lee Jae-hyun each said a word in turn.

Soon, even the nurse who was in the operating room offered words of comfort, and Oh Sim-bo, who had been hesitating in the back, came forward.

“Um, I’m sorry for what happened at the hospital earlier. After hearing what the guardian said, I realized that I didn’t do anything right. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay. I also got emotional and spoke out of turn. Thank you for your help. And I’ll pay the hospital bill as soon as I get back from the mainland.”

“I’ll talk to the director about it, so don’t worry about that.”

“We need to take off now, so please move away from the helicopter.”

“Thank you all so much.”

With the pilot’s words, Kim Han-sol finished his greetings and conveyed his gratitude one last time. People moved away from the helicopter.

The propeller spun powerfully, and the helicopter rose into the sky, stirring up dust with a strong gust of wind.

“Still, it’s good that we moved him to the helicopter and everything went well, right?”

“Of course.”

Lee Jae-hyun and Park Jun-seok patted each other on the shoulders, showing proud faces.

“Everyone, you’ve worked hard.”

“The doctors worked even harder.”

Tae-kyung, having successfully completed the transport, encouraged the people and returned the way they had come.

* * *

Apartment near OO University Hospital-

At a late hour when others were in dreamland, a middle-aged woman was glued to the living room sofa, unable to take her eyes off the TV.

-What? How can you do this to me? Don’t tell me you slept with that woman…….

“You didn’t sleep with her, did you?”

“What are you doing?”

The husband, who was in the kitchen, spoiled the drama’s lines by saying them first, and the wife glared at him with a mixed look of annoyance.

“I told you in advance because I thought you might be curious.”

The two, who were professors at a local university hospital, were a couple of the same age who got along well, bickering like friends.

Husband Shin Kyung-hae was known for his eccentric and harsh language to his juniors, but he was a skilled neurosurgeon.

Wife Kim Mi-sook was a psychiatrist who treated patients with emotional wounds and in need of help.

The wife had finished an important academic conference schedule and was trying to watch the dramas she had missed, but her mischievous husband kept broadcasting spoilers from the side.

“I haven’t seen this yet, okay? Please stop.”

“It’s not fun, I’m telling you. Instead, let’s have a glass of wine and watch a movie. The movie that Netflix released this time is getting a great response.”

“I’m going to watch this, so watch it alone.”

“You really won’t watch it together?”

“…….”

“Mi-sook? Kim Mi-sook?”

As the wife completely ignored him and focused on the drama, the husband deliberately teased her even more.

“Ugh! Stop it. I can’t hear you.”

“If you can’t hear, turn up the volume. The kids aren’t home, so it doesn’t matter if you turn up the sound.”

“I just need you to be quiet. I’m telling you for the last time. Be quiet.”

“Okay. I’ll be quiet.”

Unlike what he had promised, the husband couldn’t even keep his silence for 10 minutes.

Tuk- Tatak- Tuk- Tuk-

He kept going back and forth from the kitchen, making small noises, as if he was looking for something.

“No, what are you doing in the kitchen at a time when everyone else is in dreamland?”

The wife gestured at the clock, telling him to look at the time, and continued.

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to eat something?”

“I’m going to drink wine, I told you.”

“The wine and glasses are on the table, so why do you keep opening all the shelves and cabinets?”

“Oh! It’s not here? I wonder where it could be…….”

“Hey you? Shin Kyung-hae?”

“What is it? Kim Mi-sook.”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m looking for something.”

“So, what are you looking for?”

“That’s…… well, you see.”

Shin Kyung-hae couldn’t easily continue speaking about what he was looking for.

“Honey, I’m running out of breath. Why can’t someone with a hasty personality say what they want?”

“Cup noodles.”

“What!”

“I clearly hid the cup noodles I stashed away deep in this drawer, but I can’t see them.”

“……!”

Kim Mi-sook was dumbfounded when he said that someone on a diet was looking for ramen at this hour.

“Are you trying to die? You’re on a diet. What’s with the ramen? Just drink wine.”

“That’s why I lost 5 kilograms [approximately 11 pounds]. I wanted to eat ramen so badly that I dreamed of swimming in ramen for two days.”

As a ramen fanatic, he hadn’t even had a sip of ramen broth for two months due to his diet. However, since he had a day off tomorrow and wanted to watch his favorite movie while having a glass of wine with ramen as a snack, he couldn’t overcome his desire.

“It’s absolutely not allowed until you lose 5 more kilograms.”

“You’re really ruthless sometimes.”

“I know. Originally, ruthless people succeed. I became a professor because I’m ruthless.”

“I can’t beat you with words anyway.”

“I’ll make you amazing ramen with broth tomorrow, so just bear with it today.”

“Really? You’ll really make me ramen?”

“Yeah. Konjac ramen.”

“Hey! No way. I won’t eat it. Are you kidding me? Ah! That’s right, honey?”

Shin Kyung-hae, who was about to go into the study with the wine and glasses, suddenly stepped back and called his wife.

“What is it?”

“How did that patient turn out?”

“Which patient are you talking about?”

“You know, the patient who came to the closed ward because his grandson was possessed by a ghost.”

“Ah…….”

As the patient’s story came up, Kim Mi-sook took her eyes off the drama she wanted to watch so much and turned down the volume.

“That patient.”

There was a young patient who had just graduated from high school and become an adult.

The patient, who lived alone with his grandmother, was hospitalized in the hospital’s closed ward after being reported by his grandmother.

The grandson suffered from hallucinations and auditory hallucinations every day, showing incomprehensible words and actions.

When her only precious grandson showed abnormal behavior, the grandmother tried to cure her grandson with all sorts of folk beliefs, saying that he was possessed by a ghost.

In the end, after trying all sorts of methods, the grandson’s symptoms worsened, so she reported it to 119 [South Korea’s emergency telephone number] as people around her said, and he ended up in the closed ward.

Even the grandson himself struggled with the thought of whether he was possessed by a ghost, but there was a twist.

He wasn’t possessed by a ghost, but the grandson was sick.

“Why are you stopping mid-sentence? How did that patient turn out?”

“He had schizophrenia.”

The grandson’s diagnosis was schizophrenia, which many people now know.

Fortunately, the grandson’s symptoms were improving a lot through counseling and medication.

“As expected. That young friend must have suffered a lot.”

“He suffered a lot. But he was more worried about his grandmother, saying that his grandmother suffered because of him. He’s kind-hearted. He’s so kind that it’s even more heartbreaking. In my opinion, if he just maintains his current condition, he’ll be discharged quickly.”

“Still, it’s a relief that he’s improving.”

“Yeah. It’s a relief. Ugh! I missed an important scene because of you. Don’t talk to me anymore. You always talk to me when I’m trying to concentrate.”

“Rewind it and watch it again. I’m going to watch a movie. You really won’t watch it together?”

“Please just go in.”

Shin Kyung-hae ignored his wife’s nagging and came into the study and turned on the PC.

“Let’s watch a movie. Tomorrow is an afternoon shift and there’s no surgery, so let’s watch a movie for the first time in a while. Good, I feel good~”

My head is always full of surgeries and a lot of things to worry about, and it’s a tough daily life where I only look into other people’s heads when I can’t even see my own.

Shin Kyung-hae, who was so happy about the rest that was like a rain on such a daily life, made a strange sound that was indistinguishable from a song and connected to the OTT [Over-The-Top, referring to streaming] site.

“It’s a shame there’s no ramen, but this is good enough. Paradise is no different.”

Shin Kyung-hae clicked on the movie he wanted to watch and made a satisfied expression.

And just as he was about to bring the glass under the glass of high-end wine he had received as a gift to his mouth, spinning it around.

Bang-

With the sound of the door opening violently, the wife came in with her eyebrows raised.