Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 472

473. The Fear Itself

“Are our beloved Junhyun and Junhyuk playing well?”

“Yes. They’re playing well.”

The children were on a video call with their mom, who was away on a business trip.

“Did you eat?”

“Grandma made bulgogi [Korean marinated beef] and lots of delicious things, so we ate well. Is Mom’s work hard?”

“No. I’m not tired at all when I think about my twins. Mom will work hard and see you tomorrow. Dad will be home in the evening.”

“Okay, I love you, Mom.”

“Love you.”

“Mom loves Junhyun and Junhyuk too.”

After finishing the video call with their mom, the twins focused on their game, and Grandma took the phone into the room.

“Hello? Is this Youngji?”

Closing the door, Grandma continued the video call with her daughter in a quiet voice.

“Mom, are you having a hard time? I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry about? Your dad and I live for the joy of seeing our twins.”

“Because taking care of kids is the hardest thing in the world.”

“I’d rather have a hard time than see my baby struggle. It’s okay. More than that, I have something to tell you, so I came into the room separately.”

“Something to tell me? Why? Did the kids cause an accident?”

Lee Youngji was worried that the twins might have caused trouble for her parents since they were such active and mischievous children.

“No, it’s not that, but Junhyun is a bit sick.”

“Sick? Where? How is he sick?”

Upon hearing that her child was sick, worry quickly filled Lee Youngji’s face.

“He keeps going in and out of the bathroom, whether it’s a stomachache or enteritis [inflammation of the small intestine]. I coaxed him to take medicine earlier, but it doesn’t seem to be working.”

“Diarrhea? Last night, he seemed to go to the bathroom more often than usual, so I asked him, but he insisted he was fine.”

“Actually, earlier, Junhyuk was eating ice cream, and he kept begging to have some, so I let him have a little. I think it’s because of that. What should I do?”

Grandma thought he would get better after taking the medicine, but when it didn’t seem to work, she felt like it was her fault that her grandson was sick.

“Mom, it’s not your fault. And when those two are stubborn, even my husband and I can’t stop them. They often go to the hospital when they’re young. It’s okay.”

Of course, Lee Youngji was worried about her son.

Her husband was busy with an important company schedule, and she was on a business trip, which made her even more concerned.

However, she knew that her parents always took care of the twins with love, so she didn’t want to blame them.

It would have been better if he hadn’t eaten the ice cream, but knowing Junhyun’s stubbornness, he would have eaten it in the end, no matter how much Grandma tried to stop him.

And there were some symptoms since yesterday, but both her husband and she were too busy to pay close attention, which was her fault.

“I think it would be better to take him to the hospital.”

“It’s better to go to the hospital. Mom, if there’s a hospital with an emergency room nearby, just take him to the emergency room and get him checked. But, the waiting time in the emergency room might be long, so it might be hard to wait.”

“Don’t worry about that. There’s an emergency room in the hospital your dad and I go to.”

“But, Mom? Will it be okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Taking both Junhyun and Junhyuk to the hospital is really difficult. Every time my husband and I take them to the hospital, we’re exhausted.”

Even for her, a young person and a mother, taking the children to the hospital was a huge task, like a war.

She felt frustrated thinking about whether her elderly parents could take the mischievous kids to the hospital.

“What are you worrying about? Your dad and I will take them well.”

“Mom! They’re both something else, even though they’re my sons. Should I contact their dad to see if he can come early?”

“Don’t even think about it! Why are you contacting Yoo if he’s busy with work? I’ve been a mother raising three children for decades. Just leave it to me, I’ll take them well.”

“Okay. Call me right away if anything happens.”

“Okay, I got it.”

After ending the call with her daughter, Grandma called Grandpa into the room, and they put their heads together to figure out a way to take the twins to the hospital without a fuss.

After talking with Grandpa, Grandma decided to tell Junhyun from the beginning that they were going to the hospital.

Going to the hospital itself would be stressful for the child anyway. Therefore, she thought that hiding the fact that they were going to the hospital was not a good idea.

If he didn’t know they were going to the hospital and found out upon arrival, it could lead to a more difficult situation on the spot.

“I think it’s better to tell him from the beginning.”

“Right? I think so too.”

The grandparents came up with a good way to take the child to the hospital without him fussing or being stubborn.

“Junhyun, Junhyuk?”

The two of them came out to the living room, holding a sheet of A4 paper [standard paper size] and a pen, and headed to the room where the twins were.

Unlike Junhyuk, who was happily playing games, Junhyun, who had been to the bathroom frequently, looked tired as he lay on the bed.

“Junhyuk. Stop playing games and talk to Grandpa and Grandma for a bit, okay?”

“Can’t I play a little more?”

“You’ve played a lot of games today. We’re going to do something fun, so come quickly.”

“Okay.”

“Junhyun, are you feeling very sick?”

“No. I’m okay.”

Junhyun, who was lying on the bed, got up without showing that his stomach hurt.

“Grandma, Junhyun went to the bathroom again and says his stomach hurts.”

“Yoo Junhyuk! It’s not true! Be quiet.”

“Both of you stop it and look at this paper, okay?”

Grandpa showed the paper he was holding and tried to get the children’s attention.

“Yes, are you going to do origami?”

“No, it’s not that. From now on, write down here one thing each that Junhyun and Junhyuk want the most.”

“Something we want?”

“Can it be a toy?”

“Of course. Anything is fine. But you have to write down only one thing you want the most.”

The twins’ eyes sparkled at the mention of toys. Even if they wanted a toy, their parents didn’t buy them often because they had many at home.

They also bought books instead of toys because they were going to enter school next year, so it was difficult to buy new toys unless it was their birthday. Perhaps that’s why the twins were in a good mood.

Junhyun, who had a stomachache from diarrhea and abdominal pain, also perked up at the mention of getting a toy.

Without hesitation, the children wrote down a racing car model from a popular cartoon movie these days.

“Grandpa, Grandma. I want the Space Commando car set.”

“Me too, Junhyuk too.”

“Really? Then, Grandpa and Grandma will buy both of you this.”

“Really?”

The twins were surprised and asked again at the words that they would readily buy them toys.

“Really. But after Grandpa and I go to the hospital to see Junhyun and come out, we’ll buy it for you then.”

“Ho, hospital! No way!”

At those words, Junhyun jumped up from his seat and strongly denied it.

“Earlier, Grandma said that if I took medicine, I wouldn’t have to go to the hospital. But why are we going to the hospital?”

“Junhyun. Will you listen to Grandma for a moment? It’s true that if you take medicine and feel better, you don’t have to go. Grandma said that earlier, right?”

Junhyun nodded silently.

“But even if Junhyun takes medicine, he keeps going to the bathroom and his stomach still hurts. Even if Junhyun doesn’t say it, Grandma and Grandpa know that your stomach hurts.”

“Grandma is right. Grandpa also had a stomachache when he was young, but he was afraid of the hospital and endured it, which made it hurt even more and he suffered a lot.”

“Did Grandpa get a really big shot [injection]?”

His younger brother Junhyuk, who was next to him, continued, curious.

“Mom said that if you endure being sick, you’ll get a really big shot, but that’s a lie, right?”

“No. It’s real. Grandpa also endured it for nothing and got a really big shot.”

Junhyun began to waver at the words ‘really big shot’.

“Am I going to get a really big shot too?”

“No. Our Junhyun isn’t going to get a really big shot. He’s just going to see the doctor and get medicine.”

“We have medicine at home.”

“Since the medicine you took earlier didn’t work, you have to take different medicine. There are many kinds of cars that our puppies like, right? There are even more kinds of medicine.”

“Junhyun? Let’s go to the hospital with Grandpa, Grandma, and Junhyuk and then go buy toys. Huh? Isn’t it better to go with us than to go to the hospital with Mom and Dad?”

“Yes, Junhyun. I’ll hold your hand tightly. Let’s go.”

Junhyuk, who already had a car in his mind, tried his best to persuade his brother.

“If you go with Mom and Dad, you’ll get scolded by Mom and they won’t buy you toys.”

Junhyun, who had been listening quietly, thought that his younger brother was right.

If he just got medicine, he would get the toy he wanted, so he was honestly very tempted. He really hated the hospital, but he really wanted the Space Commando car.

“Grandma, I’m not getting a shot, right?”

“Of course, you’re not getting a shot.”

“If I don’t get a shot, I’ll go.”

“Really? Good thinking.”

In the end, Junhyun, who wanted the car set, was moved.

“Let’s get dressed and go quickly.”

* * *

A little later, the twins headed to Our Hospital with their grandparents.

After finishing the registration at the hospital reception, the twins were sitting on the emergency room waiting chairs with their grandparents.

“Ah! Please see me here quickly.”

“Patient in bed 11 needs a CT scan.”

“I’m dying. Oh! I’m dying.”

“Patient, you’re not dying. You came to the hospital to live, so please calm down a little.”

“Aaaah! I don’t want to! Mom, I want to go home. I don’t want to get a shot.”

The faces of the twins, who had been sitting quietly, were gradually hardening due to the sounds coming from the emergency room.

It was just the usual noise coming from inside the emergency room, but to young children, the sound was the fear itself.

Not only that.

A patient with blood dripping from his face being carried on a stretcher with 119 paramedics [Korean emergency services]. A guardian shouting sensitively due to a sick patient.

Even a young patient with bandages wrapped around his arm and an IV needle inserted, crying with all his might.

In other words, every scene in the emergency room was scary and frightening.

The twins, who had been brave until just before entering the hospital, were speechless like frightened rabbits.

“Why are our puppies so quiet?”

“Grandma, can’t we just go home? I don’t like the hospital.”

“Me too. I don’t like it. It’s scary.”

The twins wanted to get out of the hospital more than anything else, toys or anything.

“It’s okay. Those people are very sick, so that’s why. There’s nothing to be surprised about. We’re just going to see the doctor and leave quickly.”

Grandma and Grandpa coaxed and persuaded them, but the children’s frightened expressions did not seem to ease.

“Hello, ma’am.”

The nurse who came to guide them greeted them happily.

“Grandpa came too.”

The nurse knew the two of them because Grandpa had surgery at Our Hospital before, and Grandma sometimes came to get medicine.

“Hello, nurse.”

“Are these your grandchildren?”

“They are my youngest daughter’s children.”

“How cute. Twins, right?”

“Yes, they are identical twins.”

“The children look good.”

“Thank you.”

“You said they came with enteritis symptoms?”

“Our grandson has diarrhea and says his stomach hurts. I thought it was enteritis, so I came to see a doctor.”

“If you go to bed 9 now, the doctor will see you.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Grandma and Grandpa headed to the bed with the children, and Choi Mona approached them right away.

“Hello.”

Choi Mona, who opened the curtain and came in, couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the identical children.

“Hello, doctor.”

“You said you came with diarrhea and abdominal pain?”

“Yes, it’s the same even after taking medicine, so I brought him.”

“First, I’ll do a blood test and an X-ray. Okay! Who came because their stomach hurts?”

“Junhyun.”

Grandma answered Choi Mona’s question.

“Which of our cool friends is Junhyun, can you raise your hand?”

“…….”

Choi Mona, who matched her eye level with the children sitting side by side on the bed, asked, but the twins were silent.

“Who is Junhyun?”

“Hey! Yoo Junhyun. What are you doing? The doctor is calling you?”

“No. Doctor, I’m Junhyuk and he’s Junhyun.”

Choi Mona, who thought she would have no difficulty in seeing the children because they were quiet, was embarrassed.

The identical twins pointed at each other and started insisting that they were Junhyun.