Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 47

47. Eat This, Teacher

“Teacher, I initially said I didn’t have any family, but I actually do. I have a daughter.”

Choi Seon-hae, who had shown tears, calmed himself and began to tell his story.

“As you can see, I have polio.”

Choi Seon-hae pointed to his disabled leg with the hand that had the IV drip.

“Having nothing and learning nothing, the only people in this world for whom I wouldn’t hesitate to give my life are my daughter and wife. And my daughter is about to get married.”

He then explained why he had made such a choice. And, clasping his restless hands together, he made a request to Tae-kyung.

“Teacher, I know it’s presumptuous, but I don’t have the money to pay for the hospital bills right now. I wish I had a credit card, but I don’t have anything like that. So, what I’m saying is…”

His lips trembled as if his situation was so absurd and embarrassing to him.

“Could I pay the hospital bills in installments?”

He revealed his situation without being asked, all because of the hospital bills.

Of course, Director Lee had expressed his intention to pay the full amount of the hospital bills, but Choi Seon-hae strongly refused each time. He knew that once he received the hospital bills, Director Lee would cut off contact and not pay the overdue amount.

“It may be hard to believe, but I will definitely pay you back, even if it takes time. Please… I beg you, Teacher.”

How hard must it have been for him to say those words? Tae-kyung knew all too well the suffering of those without money and the overwhelming weight of debt.

Only then did Tae-kyung understand the emptiness and helplessness in Choi Seon-hae’s expression when he first came to the emergency room.

“If it’s hard to believe, I can write you an IOU [a written promise to repay a debt]…”

“No, an IOU is not necessary. Go ahead and do that [agree to the installment plan].”

“……!”

Choi Seon-hae was momentarily speechless at the answer he received, which made the worries he had been having since the operating room seem pointless.

“And, although it may be difficult, just focus on your body while you’re in the hospital. Stress will only slow down your recovery.”

“Thank you. Really… thank you. May you be blessed, Teacher.”

Choi Seon-hae said goodbye with all his sincerity and left. Tae-kyung felt bad, as his limping left leg seemed to represent the weight of his life right now.

* * *

“Excuse me, where did the patient here go?”

“Well… Ah! He’s coming in over there.”

“Thank you.”

Driver Lee, the only colleague who knew that Choi Seon-hae was injured, visited.

“Hey, why are you wandering around when you’re not feeling well?”

“What brings a busy man like you here again?”

Tae-kyung noticed that Choi Seon-hae’s expression was a little brighter after meeting him.

“I had the time to come. How’s your body?”

“I bled a bit yesterday and went into surgery early in the morning.”

“You’ve been through a lot. Did the surgery go well?”

“Yeah, it went well.”

“But, that bastard Director Lee, he hasn’t come yet, has he?”

“Of course not. I don’t want to see him either.”

“Then what about the medical bills? Don’t tell me he’s not even giving you the medical bills?”

“I said I wouldn’t take them. I thought I wouldn’t be able to get the payment if I took that.”

“Seriously, the rich are even worse when you look at them.”

Driver Lee, who had been expressing his anger at Director Lee throughout the conversation, comforted Choi Seon-hae and left the hospital.

* * *

“What’s wrong? Why do you look so bad? Is your son giving you trouble?”

Chef Oh Gye-soon asked, seeing nurse Im Jeong-suk coming to the cafeteria to refill her coffee.

“Our Ms. Oh, you must be psychic. How did you know?”

“Am I raising kids for a day or two? If there’s worry on a mother’s face, nine times out of ten it’s about her children, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s wrong? Is something wrong with your son?”

“My second son plays so many games, so I asked him, and he said he wants to be a pro gamer or something as his future dream.”

“Ah! I was wondering what it was. That’s E-sports, right? The one where you’re really good at games and get paid to play games?”

“How did you know that, Ms. Oh?”

The old woman, nearing 80, knew exactly what a pro gamer was.

“My grandson is coaching that in America.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s not as strange as you think. If you’re skilled, you can make quite a bit of money, can’t you?”

“I didn’t know.”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk had a preconceived notion about the word ‘game’ and didn’t even think about looking it up.

“And he’s still young.”

“He’s an elementary school student, so he’s still a kid.”

“Kids’ dreams change every year, don’t they? So, don’t stress him out already and just help him control his gaming.”

“I guess so. It seems the more you raise kids, the harder it gets.”

“Of course. In this world, the job of a mother is the most difficult. Aren’t mothers all doing it for the first time? It’s normal for it to be difficult and hard.”

“Teacher Im!”

While a warm conversation was going on, Team Leader Choi came into the cafeteria with an anxious voice.

“Teacher Im? I’ve been looking for you for a while.”

“Team Leader Choi, you’re not doing stocks these days, are you?”

“Ms. Oh, don’t even mention it. After my wife pulled out the few remaining hairs on my head, I don’t even look at the ‘ju’ in stocks [a Korean term for stocks, often associated with gambling].”

“Good thinking. Then I’m going to prepare lunch.”

As Oh Gye-soon went into the kitchen, Team Leader Choi sat down in her place.

“Teacher Im, big news.”

“What’s going on?”

“Don’t be surprised when you hear it.”

Since he was a person with bigger reactions than others, Nurse Im Jeong-suk thought that this time, too, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

“Okay, tell me quickly.”

“Teacher Kim said he would pay Choi Seon-hae’s medical bills at the accounting department instead.”

“What did you say!”

As the surprised Nurse Im Jeong-suk jumped up from her seat, Team Leader Choi also stood up.

“And he told Choi Seon-hae to say it was something the hospital was doing. Still, this is… Teacher Im?”

Leaving Team Leader Choi, who was giving a heated speech, Im Jeong-suk left the cafeteria as she was.

“I haven’t finished talking yet. Teacher Im!?”

* * *

“The coffee smells good?”

He was talking about the innocent coffee scent, but Tae-kyung seemed to know why Nurse Im Jeong-suk had come.

“You know why I came, right?”

“I want to say I don’t know, but I shouldn’t, right?”

“Of course. Teacher, I don’t think this is right.”

“The patient has some circumstances.”

Tae-kyung told Choi Seon-hae’s sad story.

“So I thought it would be good if I could help him a little bit, and that’s how it happened. Please.”

“Teacher, I’m sorry, but I can’t grant that request.”

A more resolute answer came back than expected. It was a bit unexpected since she was someone who understood patients’ situations with a wider heart than anyone else.

“Actually, I had a request from Director Kim Cheol-gi regarding you.”

“Regarding me?”

“Yes. He told me to make sure that if you ever said you would pay for a patient’s medical bills, I should absolutely not allow it.”

Kim Cheol-gi knew Tae-kyung well.

Even in situations where he was in dire straits, he paid for the medical bills of patients, so he thought he would definitely do the same in our hospital.

Helping others is a good thing. But he wanted him to save some money now that he was just getting out of the shadow of debt. Kim Cheol-gi cared for Tae-kyung that much, so he had taken precautions in advance.

“And I’m also against you paying for the patient’s medical bills without thinking.”

“It won’t work?”

“No, it won’t. But I think we can help in other ways.”

“Other ways?”

“Yes, I’ll put in an inquiry to a local welfare organization.”

“Welfare organization.”

Tae-kyung had thought about that too. Usually, tertiary hospitals have social workers stationed to prepare for such cases.

He knew it well because he had experience helping patients by visiting them frequently at Shinhwa University. But it wasn’t like you could just apply and get it, and there were conditions, so it wasn’t that simple.

“Choi Seon-hae is still hospitalized, and we also have local organizations and patient’s residential area organizations in our hospital, so I’ll look into it. Got it?”

“Okay. I understand for now.”

“Absolutely do not pay until then.”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk emphasized once again, threatening him.

“Then I’ll call you if an emergency patient comes, so please get some sleep for now.”

“I will. And did Teacher Choi leave work?”

“Yes, he left work a while ago.”

“Okay.”

* * *

Outdoor golf driving range.

“Director. The president is coming tonight.”

“Wasn’t it next week?”

The director of Narak Construction, who hadn’t even come to visit Choi Seon-hae due to his urgent schedule, was coming out of golf practice.

“Anyway, he’s an old man, so he’s impatient. That’s right! Don’t ever tell my father about the accident. Got it?”

“Yes, Director. Speaking of which, you should go visit Choi Seon-hae…”

“That’s enough! Just deposit the medical bills roughly. What’s the point of visiting?”

When the secretary, who was constantly concerned about Choi Seon-hae’s situation, brought up the visit, the director cut him off.

“Wait a minute! Is it car wash day today?”

“No. I washed it yesterday.”

“Then what’s that guy doing loitering in front of my car? Hey!”

The director, who had entered the parking lot, called out to the man who was looking at his car.

“Hey! Who are you?”

“……”

Even with the director’s call, the man continued to look inside the car.

“Who are you?”

“Me?”

The man who straightened his back was a tall, middle-aged man with a good physique.

“Are you by any chance Director Oh Beol-gu of Narak Construction?”

“I’m Oh Beol-gu.”

The man who confirmed Oh Beol-gu looked at him with a bright smile.

“We need you to come with us.”

“We? Why should I go with you!”

As soon as the director’s rebellious words ended, the door of the van behind the man opened wide.

Clank-

“Are you still not going to come?”

The director froze in an instant when he saw the scene inside the van.

* * *

“Hello, Teacher Lee.”

“Hello. Please have some of this.”

“Oh my, what is this?”

Lee Chan-hee, who came to work, handed out snacks to the reception staff.

“It’s handmade taffy sent from home, but there’s too much. Eat it later when your sugar levels drop while you’re working.”

“Oh my, I like this kind of thing.”

“Me too. I’ll enjoy it. Teacher Soo, please have some of this.”
The staff showed the taffy to Nurse Im Jeong-suk, who was coming down from the ward.

“Did your grandmother make this again this time?”

“Yes, she makes it periodically and always sends it.”

“This is really delicious. Thank you, Teacher Lee. Teacher Kim?”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk called out to Tae-kyung, who had just come out of the examination room.

“The TA [traffic accident] patient you mentioned earlier, the wrist series [wrist X-ray] is up.”

“Okay. I’ll check it now. And Teacher Lee?”

“Yes, Teacher.”

Lee Chan-hee flinched and answered at Tae-kyung’s call, which started before he could even put down his work bag.

“You did a good job for the first time.”

“Yes? Are you saying I did a good job now?”

Tae-kyung’s compliment was heard by Lee Chan-hee, who had been nervous. The subject was omitted, but he immediately knew that it was a compliment about the homework.

“Really?”

Until now, it was homework that he was always busy redoing, let alone getting compliments. But he heard a compliment for the first time.

“Then would it be fake? Just keep doing that.”

“Thank you. In that sense, Teacher, eat this taffy.”

“What! You’re telling me to eat taffy?”

Lee Chan-hee took out a long stick of taffy from his bag.

“I’ll give you the biggest, special big taffy.”

Even though there was taffy right in front of him, Tae-kyung felt strange.

“Are you trying to mess with me right now?”

“No. It’s a misunderstanding.”

“Is Teacher Lee teasing me right now?”

“It seems like he’s subtly doing that?”