Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 455

Fifth Vital Sign – Episode 456 (455/502)

456. I Can’t Give You Patient Information

Kim Ha-seon, having finished cleaning Seol-rae’s room, sat blankly at the vanity before jumping up.

“Honey, I’m going out for a bit.”

“At this hour?” Lee Jae-cheon, who was watching TV in the living room, replied, glancing at the clock.

Kim Ha-seon, feeling rushed, tried to quickly come up with an excuse, but nothing came to mind easily.

She could tell her husband the truth about what she found in Seol-rae’s room, but she hesitated.

If it wasn’t true, she worried it would only worsen her relationship with Seol-rae.

First, she needed to confirm whether it was true or not.

“Honey?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking where you’re going.”

“Oh, just…”

As she stalled for time, trying to think of a suitable excuse, her husband added,

“No, why can’t you just say where you’re going? It looks like you’re going to wait for Seol-rae again, aren’t you?”

“No, I just ran out of yogurt for breakfast, so I thought I’d buy some and maybe stop by [the store].”

“I told you not to wait for her like that. It’ll only tire you out. Just buy the yogurt and come back.”

“Okay.”

“Instead, should I come with you?”

“What for? Just relax and watch your favorite TV show. And don’t eat any late-night snacks.”

“Alright. Be careful.”

Kim Ha-seon stopped Lee Jae-cheon from getting up from the sofa and quickly left through the front door.

After leaving the apartment complex, she called a taxi she had booked in advance and set off.

She told her husband she was going to buy yogurt, but Kim Ha-seon’s destination wasn’t the supermarket or the academy Seol-rae attended.

It was Woori Hospital, the one on the crumpled receipt in the trash can.

“You said you’re going to Yeoul-dong Woori Hospital, right?”

“Yes, you’re the right driver.”

Was it a mother’s intuition, or was her sensitivity leading to unnecessary thoughts?

Kim Ha-seon stared intently at the hospital receipt in her hand, hoping it was neither.

A short while later, the taxi stopped in front of the hospital. It wasn’t far from home, so it didn’t take long.

“Thank you.”

Kim Ha-seon got out of the taxi and hesitated for a moment in front of the main entrance before entering the hospital.

Fortunately, there weren’t many people waiting, so she approached the reception desk employee shortly after.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes, welcome. Are you here for a consultation?”

“Actually, it’s not that. I wanted to ask something.”

“Ah, yes. Please go ahead.”

“Has a patient named Lee Seol-rae been treated here?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give you patient information.”

The employee wasn’t making things up. Hospitals weren’t allowed to disclose patient information to anyone other than the patient themselves.

The employee was curious about why she was asking and wanted to ask, but couldn’t.

“Could you at least tell me if she received treatment?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t.”

Kim Ha-seon looked troubled and helpless at the employee’s polite refusal.

Just when she thought she would have to return without any information, she decided to try one last time.

“Actually, I’m Lee Seol-rae’s mother. I came all the way to the hospital because she’s my daughter. Could you please tell me?”

“What’s going on?” Nurse Im Jeong-suk, who had come to the reception desk, asked the employee, overhearing Kim Ha-seon’s words.

“Ms. Soo? This person is asking about a patient who received treatment.”

“This is a receipt from my daughter’s room’s trash can. I’m just wondering if she received treatment here.”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk checked the receipt Kim Ha-seon handed her and hesitated for a moment.

“You said the patient you’re asking about is your daughter?”

“Yes, I’m her mother.”

“What’s the patient’s name?”

“Lee Seol-rae.”

“Please wait a moment.”

Leaving those words behind, Nurse Im Jeong-suk headed to Tae-kyung’s office, not Choi Mo-na’s.

Knock, knock.

“Yes, come in.”

“Director, about Lee Seol-rae.”

“What about her? Isn’t she with Dr. Choi right now? What’s wrong?”

Tae-kyung briefly wondered if Choi Mo-na and Seol-rae weren’t getting along.

“It’s not that, Seol-rae’s guardian has come to see you.”

“Guardian?”

“Yes, her mother came and asked to confirm if her daughter received treatment here.”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk added that Kim Ha-seon had found the receipt in the trash can.

“She doesn’t look too good… What should we do, Director?”

“Tell Dr. Choi that her guardian is here.”

Tae-kyung thought that if she was going to the trouble of finding a receipt in the trash can and coming to the hospital at this hour, she probably had some idea of what was going on.

He figured that even though patient information was important, if a parent came running in concern for their daughter, they should know.

“Understood.”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk left the office and immediately called Choi Mo-na. In less than five minutes, Choi Mo-na came out of the medical office.

“Dr. Choi? Over here. See that woman sitting on the chair in the waiting room?”

“Yes, is that Seol-rae’s mother?”

“Yes, that’s her.”

“I’ll go talk to her.”

Choi Mo-na approached Kim Ha-seon, who was holding the receipt.

“Hello. Are you Lee Seol-rae’s mother?”

“Yes, I’m Seol-rae’s mother.”

“Do you have a moment?”

“Ah, yes…”

Choi Mo-na took Kim Ha-seon past the reception desk to a quiet hallway with vending machines.

“Here, please sit. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“No, thank you. Are you a doctor here?”

“Yes, my name is Choi Mo-na.”

“I’ll get straight to the point. Seol-rae received treatment here, didn’t she?”

“Yes, that’s right. And Seol-rae is in the hospital right now.”

“She’s in the hospital now? Why? Is my Seol-rae sick somewhere?”

Kim Ha-seon asked back in surprise at the news that her daughter was in the hospital.

She wasn’t too surprised that she had received treatment, as she was almost certain of it. But she was quite surprised to hear that a child who usually hated missing school because she was so eager to study was in the hospital.

“Before that, may I ask why you came to the hospital?”

“It’s not certain, but I have a feeling that my daughter might be getting bullied, so I came to check.”

Kim Ha-seon explained everything she had seen, from the receipt to the large bandage with blood on it and the grains of sand on the floor.

“Now, please tell me what kind of treatment Seol-rae received here and why she’s in the hospital now.”

“I’m the doctor who has been treating Seol-rae. Actually, like you, I suspected school violence [bullying], but I wasn’t sure.”

No matter how you heard it, it was impossible for a parent not to be shocked.

Choi Mo-na explained in the calmest tone possible so that Kim Ha-seon wouldn’t be too surprised.

She told her everything, from when Seol-rae first came to the hospital to what kind of treatment she had received and why she was here today.

“The suture treatment is finished, and I was talking to Seol-rae and trying to persuade her.”

“…!”

Kim Ha-seon closed her eyes tightly after hearing the whole situation and seemed not to hear anything. She seemed to be in great shock.

It was a natural reaction.

What parent in the world could be okay after hearing that their child was suffering from school violence, self-harm, and swallowing objects?

And what shocked her as much as the school violence was the news of self-harm and pica [eating disorder involving the consumption of non-nutritive substances].

Her heart was pounding, and she felt like the sky was falling.

“Are you okay, Mother?”

“So, Seol-rae is harming herself and has pica, swallowing things she shouldn’t?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Oh my god! How could this happen…”

Kim Ha-seon felt like the world was going dark. It wasn’t a lie.

She had never imagined that Seol-rae, who was always confident and cheerful, was suffering from school violence.

Every time she heard related news, she was shocked by the unbelievable reality, but the fact that it was happening to her daughter was unbelievable.

And what shocked her as much as the school violence was the news of self-harm and pica.

Her heart was pounding, and she felt like the sky was falling.

“Is it okay that she swallowed the button?”

Even in the midst of her confusion, Kim Ha-seon checked on Seol-rae’s condition first.

“She said that whenever she swallowed something, it always came out in her stool within a few days. Currently, we have prescribed medication to help her pass stool rather than removing it with an endoscope [a thin, flexible tube with a camera]. If it still doesn’t come out, we’re thinking of giving her an enema [procedure to empty the bowels].”

Kim Ha-seon, still not over the shock, said nothing.

“Mother, I know you’re very surprised right now, but Seol-rae doesn’t seem to care much about the school violence. It will be difficult, but I hope you can persuade her as well.”

“Doctor, why does she do self-harm or have pica?”

“Seol-rae said that when she does those things, she can forget about the things she’s worried about for a while. And from a medical point of view, the biggest factors are anxiety and stress.”

“I think it’s partly my fault too.”

“Yes? What do you mean…”

Earlier in the medical office, Seol-rae had clearly said that her stepmother had nothing to do with it. Choi Mo-na wondered what was going on because Kim Ha-seon was suddenly blaming herself.

“I’m not her biological mother. Can I see Seol-rae now? I’m worried about her and want to see her.”

Choi Mo-na wasn’t sure what their relationship was like.

However, considering what Seol-rae had said earlier and Kim Ha-seon’s words now, she didn’t think she was a bad person.

She was just like any other mother worried about her child.

If Seol-rae had said she didn’t want to meet her, she wouldn’t have forced her to meet, but there was no reason to do that now.

“I’ll guide you.”

Kim Ha-seon got up and followed Choi Mo-na.

As the two were walking down the hallway and about to turn the corner, someone suddenly jumped out in front of Choi Mo-na and bumped into her.

“Ah!”

“Are you okay?”

The person who bumped into her was a student in a school uniform.

“Ah, yes… I’m sorry.”

“Sorry, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Hello.”

The student who told Choi Mo-na she was okay turned to Kim Ha-seon, bowed, and introduced herself.

“My name is Gu Hee-yeong. You’re Seol-rae’s mother, right?”

“Oh, yes, I am.”

Gu Hee-yeong was the friend who had been watching Seol-rae since she was dragged away and bullied by Ira-mi and her group.

Worried about her friend, Gu Hee-yeong quietly followed Seol-rae all the way to the hospital.

After Seol-rae came out of the emergency room and went into the medical office, she saw Kim Ha-seon waiting in the waiting room and had something to say, so she stayed at the hospital.

“You’re Seol-rae’s friend?”

Kim Ha-seon said, looking at the high school girl wearing the same uniform as her daughter.

“I think of myself as her friend, but Seol-rae might not like hearing that. That’s not important. I have something to tell you.”

“To me? I have to go see Seol-rae now. Is it urgent?”

“Yes, it’s urgent. Seol-rae was dragged away and bullied by those kids today. But I secretly went and filmed the whole thing. I’m going to show it to you.”

“You filmed it?”

“Yes.”

Gu Hee-yeong, wanting to help her friend who had helped her, secretly hid and recorded everything Ira-mi and her group did on her phone.

“Here, take a look.”