Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 459

460. The Turtle’s Growth

Instead of going to the academy in the evening after school, Seol-rae visited Our Hospital with Kim Ha-seon.

Although she had a bowel movement after taking the prescribed medicine, the button didn’t come out.

“Doctor, how is it?”

“Here, can you see the X-ray?”

Choi Mona showed the X-ray screen in response to Kim Ha-seon’s question.

“The stool has decreased compared to yesterday, but it hasn’t been completely discharged. As you can see, the button is still there with the stool. Seol-rae, I think you’ll need an enema.”

“Yes, an enema?”

Seol-rae, who was looking at the X-ray with Kim Ha-seon, widened her eyes, tense at the word ‘enema’.

To be honest, she didn’t want to have an enema.

“Doctor, do I really need to have an enema?”

“If the button had come out after taking the medicine, you wouldn’t need it, but it didn’t, so I think you have to. But don’t worry too much. It’s not scary or painful.”

“That’s right, what the doctor says is true. I’ve had an enema before, and it doesn’t hurt, but it feels like stool is about to come out.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

People who have never had one often have fearful thoughts about enemas, but once they have one, it’s not as painful or difficult as other procedures.

Of course, it’s a bit difficult to insert the enema medicine through the anus and wait, but it feels refreshing after the stool is discharged.

“Seol-rae, think about it this way. If the button doesn’t come out even after the enema, then we have to take it out with an endoscope [a thin, flexible tube with a camera], which is worse than that, right?”

“That’s true.”

Seol-rae, who was thinking carefully, agreed with Choi Mona. Endoscopy was scarier than an enema.

“Change your clothes, and a nurse will come to help you.”

“Yes.”

Soon after, nurse Lim Jeong-suk came and helped with the enema.

“Lie face down on the bed and relax.”

“Nurse, does it hurt a lot when the medicine goes in?”

“It doesn’t hurt when the medicine goes in. After the medicine goes in, you’ll gradually feel like you want to go to the bathroom. But you can’t go right away; you have to wait about 5 minutes for the stool to come out well. Got it?”

“Yes.”

With the help of nurse Lim Jeong-suk, as soon as the enema medicine was inserted, she quickly felt like she wanted to go to the bathroom.

She really felt the urge to defecate in an instant, and she was so embarrassed by how quickly the feeling came.

So Seol-rae barely endured for 5 minutes and hurried to the bathroom.

Clang-

“Seol-rae, how did it go?”

Kim Ha-seon, who had been waiting in front, asked, looking at Seol-rae who came out of the bathroom after a while.

“I had a refreshing bowel movement.”

“Really? That’s good. What about the button? Did the button come out?”

It was good that the old stool came out, but people’s interest was all in the button.

“Yes, the button came out well too.”

Seol-rae said with a relieved expression. She was so happy to see the button that came out with the stool that she felt like her insides were cleared out.

“Doctor, the button came out.”

Seol-rae said, looking at Choi Mona who was coming over after seeing other patients.

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Of course. I saw it with my own two eyes.”

“That’s a relief. You worked hard to get the button out, even with an enema.”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s thanks to the hospital staff for treating me well. Thank you.”

Kim Ha-seon was as happy as if it were her own business and expressed her gratitude to Choi Mona.

“I’m also grateful. Thanks to you, I was able to resolve a difficult situation.”

Seol-rae was able to open her heart and resolve the frustrating situation thanks to the sincere advice Choi Mona had given her in the medical office.

“It wasn’t me who did it, but the result was good because you took courage yourself. The stitched area is healing well, so don’t worry and only eat good things for your body from now on. Got it?”

“Yes, I will. Thank you, doctor.”

“Thank you for your hard work. I was really grateful.”

“You’re welcome. Go in.”

The two said goodbye to Choi Mona, paid the bill, and left the hospital.

Compared to when she first came to the hospital to treat her wound, Seol-rae’s face looked more comfortable and brighter than ever.

“It’s good that the button came out well, but I’m really glad that the child’s worries are gone.”

Nurse Lim Jeong-suk was also a mother raising a child, so she thought it was fortunate that this matter was resolved well.

“Did the perpetrators who bullied Seol-rae get punished?”

“Yes. Seol-rae’s mother said that she and her husband went to the school, resolved it well, and took measures to ensure they were punished.”

“That’s good.”

“It’s not just the degree of punishment.”

A nurse who was listening to the conversation at the emergency room station joined the conversation.

“My cousin is in the same school as Seol-rae, and all the perpetrators were transferred, and their personal information was revealed online, and the trainee who was in the agency was kicked out. It’s a mess.”

The school violence post that spread online in just a few hours spread uncontrollably.

Testimonies from middle school classmates who had been bullied by Ira-mi’s group continued, and Ira-mi’s group was branded with the stigma of school violence nationwide.

The perpetrators were painfully aware of the obvious fact that if you bully someone who has done nothing wrong and make them shed tears, it will definitely come back to you.

“Doctor Choi?”

Taekyung called Choi Mona as he entered the emergency room.

“Yes, doctor.”

“Good job.”

“Yes, what…”

Choi Mona trailed off at the sudden words of praise.

Taekyung hadn’t ordered her to do anything, and she hadn’t done anything to deserve praise.

“You look like you have no idea. I said good job on finishing the Lee Seol-rae patient well.”

“Ah! Is that something to be praised for? I just did what I had to do.”

“Really? Who was the person who came to the office and asked me to do it for them because they couldn’t say it? Wasn’t it Doctor Choi?”

“That’s right. Doctor Choi was the one who told the director and came to me worried.”

“I was really worried about what to do at that time.”

“There are many doctors who are good at treating patients, but there are not many doctors who listen to patients’ stories. Doctor Choi was having a hard time because of that. You did a great job this time.”

Only then did Choi Mona understand what Taekyung was saying.

“I’m so proud that our Doctor Choi thinks so much about patients.”

“You two, stop it. Why are you doing this? I’m going to go to the ward.”

Choi Mona, embarrassed by the unexpected praise, quickly left the emergency room.

“Doctor Choi has changed a lot.”

“That’s right. Who would have known that a friend who wasn’t interested in communicating with patients would change so much.”

“Oh my! I knew it? The director taught our turtle teachers hard at that time. Thanks to that, our teachers were able to grow. The director worked hard.”

“I’m suddenly embarrassed. Can I go up to the hospital room too?”

“You can’t go, director.”

“New patient.”

“Yes, I’ll go.”

Taekyung smiled awkwardly and headed to the patient.

* * *

“Wait a minute!”

Seol-rae, who had just left the hospital with Kim Ha-seon, stopped walking.

“Why? Are you not feeling well?”

“No. It’s not that, but I have something to throw away.”

“Something to throw away?”

“This?”

Seol-rae showed the box in her pocket to Kim Ha-seon, who was asking with a curious expression.

The box was an acrylic box containing buttons and small pieces.

“I’m going to throw this box away.”

Seol-rae wanted to throw the box away in front of Kim Ha-seon.

By throwing it in the trash, she vowed never to eat anything other than food again.

“I was going to ask you anyway, but thank you for throwing it away in front of me.”

“It’s nothing. I’m not going to the academy today; I’m going to study at home.”

“Seol-rae, shall we stop by the cafe in front for a while?”

“Cafe? You don’t drink coffee.”

She had never seen her drink coffee at home, so she wondered why she suddenly wanted to go to a cafe.

“It’s not for me, but someone who wants to see Seol-rae is waiting.”

“Someone who wants to see me…”

The person who was about to ask who wanted to see her seemed to know who it was.

“Your expression tells me you know who it is?”

“Did my mom come?”

“That’s right.”

“Really? My mom came?”

Seol-rae asked back with an expression that was hard to believe.

“Yes, she did. Let’s go.”

The two headed to a cafe near the hospital.

“Go in quickly. Your mom will be waiting.”

“What about you? Aren’t you coming in with me?”

“No. I have something to buy, so talk to your mom comfortably.”

“Yes.”

Seol-rae went into the cafe. As expected, her mom was there. Her real mom, whom she had missed so much.

“Seol-rae? Welcome.”

Go Su-i waved her hand happily as soon as she saw Seol-rae.

“My daughter likes strawberry juice, so I ordered it in advance. Is it okay?”

“Yes. How did you get here, Mom?”

“I heard about it from your stepmother and came to see Seol-rae.”

This morning, Kim Ha-seon went to Go Su-i without any plan and told her about Seol-rae.

Go Su-i, who had no idea what had happened, was very surprised.

She had been so focused on her personal work that she didn’t even know what had happened to her daughter.

Only then did Go Su-i realize that her daughter had been having a hard time by looking at the photos and texts Seol-rae had sent.

No matter how busy she was, she couldn’t stay like this, so she was waiting at the cafe at the time the two were coming to the hospital.

“Mom, aren’t you busy?”

“I am busy. But it’s not just any other work… I have to come. Seol-rae, are you okay?”

“I’m okay. Dad and Aunt came to school and resolved it well.”

“I heard from Dad that you were hurt. I saw the pictures too. Did you get good treatment?”

“Yes. I got treatment at the hospital. They said it was stitched up and healing well, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Seol-rae, who had wanted to meet her mom so much, was calmer than she thought, rather than being excited or elated.

She wanted to tell her mom mountains of stories all night long, but she couldn’t think of the words she had prepared.

She was even surprised at how calm she was.

“That’s a relief. You must have been very upset that you couldn’t meet me or contact me well.”

“To be honest, I was upset with Mom. I hated Mom who didn’t contact me or look for me.”

Seol-rae confessed her feelings to her mom without holding back.

“That’s right. You must have been. I’m sorry. I’m sorry not only for not being able to contact you, but also for the divorce. Mom and Dad decided on a divorce that Seol-rae didn’t want, and I think you had the hardest time. Seol-rae, actually, I was going to say this later, but I think I have to say it today.”

Go Su-i, who paused for a moment, wet her throat with cool coffee and continued.

“Were you curious about why Mom and Dad divorced?”

Seol-rae nodded silently.

“Mom and Dad’s divorce wasn’t a problem like infidelity in dramas or movies, but what should I say, it’s a bit unique? Dad was against it until the end, but Mom said let’s get a divorce.”

“Mom? Why?”

“To be honest, I think I was a bit overwhelmed by my life as a mom.”

Go Su-i calmly revealed her inner thoughts so that Seol-rae could understand.