Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 473

Fifth Vital Sign – Episode 474 (473/502)

474. Ammonia? What’s That?

Identical twin boys pointed at each other, each insisting he was Junhyun.

“Hey! Yoo Junhyun, why are you lying!”

“You’re the one lying. I’m Junhyuk, and you’re Junhyun.”

As one claimed to be Junhyuk, the other, sitting next to him, raised his voice, insisting he was Junhyun.

“Oh dear! You shouldn’t act like this at the hospital.”

“He’s just scared of our dog. Right, Junhyun?”

“Grandma! Grandpa? That’s not it. I’m really Junhyuk, not Junhyun.”

The grandparents tried to soothe the boy beside them, but he firmly stated that he was Junhyuk.

“No, you’re Junhyuk? The one sitting next to Grandma looks like Junhyun to me…”

“No, I sat next to Grandpa when we took our seats earlier. He’s Junhyun.”

The boy, looking wronged by his grandmother’s words, pointed at the twin next to him and strongly denied it.

Then, the boy next to him also shook his head with an equally wronged expression, denying it just as vehemently.

“No, I’m Junhyuk. You’re just lying because you’re scared of the hospital.”

“Hey! That’s you. You’ve been quiet since earlier because you’re scared of the hospital, pretending to be me on purpose. You think I wouldn’t notice? You liar!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Yoo Junhyun! You’re the liar. I’m going to tell Mom and Dad everything.”

“Hey! I’m going to tell Mom and Dad everything too.”

“You little rascals! Stop it. You can’t do this here.”

“Junhyun, Junhyuk. You mustn’t fight.”

The grandparents were at a loss with the boys’ continued insistence.

They already knew that their daughter was worried about bringing the twins to the hospital, and now they understood why.

They knew the twins were afraid of hospitals, but they never imagined they would refuse treatment by insisting they weren’t the one who needed it, no matter how scared they were.

“Hey, kids? How about we let our friends see the doctor?”

Choi Mona, watching the boys glare at each other, clapped her hands to get their attention.

“Our wonderful friends know that hospitals are where sick people get treated, right?”

“Yes.”

“We know.”

“You shouldn’t be raising your voices like this when you know that. Right?”

The children nodded simultaneously.

“If you keep doing this, when you came to see the doctor for a tummy ache, the examination will only get delayed, and we’ll leave the hospital later. So, let’s get the examination done quickly. Okay? Now, who is Junhyun? Raise your hand.”

Choi Mona thought that if she reasoned with them nicely, they would listen, but her expectations were completely off.

“Him!”

“Him!”

The children pointed at each other simultaneously, as if they had rehearsed it.

“Ha!”

Choi Mona stared at the children alternately for a moment, then sighed without realizing it.

She wondered if there was anything different about them that would make it possible to tell who was who, but there wasn’t.

They looked so alike that it was as if they had been made in a bread-making machine. [Meaning they looked exactly the same, mass-produced.]

Of course, as identical twins, it was natural for them to look the same. But with their hairstyles, voices, clothes, and even shoes being exactly the same, it was as if they had been copied and pasted.

“Excuse me, Grandma, Grandpa? Do you know who Junhyun is?”

“Well…”

The two people watching their grandchildren spoke with troubled expressions.

“Even my husband and I can’t tell them apart.”

“No, I was sure this one was Junhyun, but now he says he isn’t, and this one seems like Junhyun… The kids are all dressed the same, so we’re confused too. We’re sorry.”

“It’s alright. There’s no need to apologize.”

Choi Mona felt even more sorry when she saw how apologetic the grandparents were.

Come to think of it, even their family members sometimes get confused, so it didn’t make sense for someone who had just met them to try to tell the twins apart.

On the other hand, she sincerely understood how scary the emergency room must seem to the children.

Even adults get scared when they come to the hospital for treatment, so how much more frightening must it be for seven-year-old children? But as someone who had to provide treatment, she didn’t know what to do.

“Nurse Soo!”

At that moment, Nurse Lim Jungsook, who was passing by, caught Choi Mona’s eye.

“Nurse Soo, please help me.”

Choi Mona stood up abruptly and explained the situation, asking for help.

She thought that Nurse Lim Jungsook, who was raising children, might have a different approach.

“Oh my! Teacher Choi. The kids look so alike.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Nurse Soo, they’re both insisting that the other one is sick, so I can’t examine them. Please help me.”

Nurse Lim Jungsook thought for a moment and then asked in a soothing voice, but it was no use.

“Okay! Who among us will tell me who Junhyun is?”

As expected, the twins only pointed at each other, saying that the other one was Junhyun.

“Teacher Choi, this isn’t going to be easy, is it?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Nurse Soo, what should we do now?”

Choi Mona and Lim Jungsook, as well as the twins’ grandparents, were at a loss as to how to resolve this situation.

If Junhyun went to the bathroom just once, they would be able to tell right away, but he wasn’t saying anything about needing to go, whether he was holding it in or his stomach felt better.

After that, medical staff, including Lee Chanhee, stopped by to try to soothe the children and speak to them sternly, but it was all in vain.

“What’s going on?”

Just then, Taekyung, who had finished examining a patient, came into the emergency room and approached the two women.

“Director, you’ve come at the right time.”

Lim Jungsook and Choi Mona explained the situation to Taekyung.

“They look exactly alike, so we can’t find him because they keep insisting that the other one is Junhyun.”

“They’re even dressed the same, so we have no idea.”

“I know. Their clothes and hairstyles are identical.”

Taekyung looked at the children sitting side by side. The children sitting with grumpy expressions were so cute that he couldn’t help but smile.

“Teacher Choi?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“I’ll take care of the examination here, so go see the other patients.”

“You’ll take care of it? Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Yes. Anyway, there’s no point in you staying here, is there?”

That was true. She wanted to help, but there was no way to win against the children who were deliberately lying.

Choi Mona was secretly pleased with Taekyung’s words to see other patients.

“Then I’ll go see the other patients.”

“Aren’t they cute?”

“They are cute. No! Director!”

Lim Jungsook asked, feeling frustrated as she watched Taekyung smiling.

“Are you laughing right now?”

“How scared must the children have been of the hospital to lie like this? Thinking about that makes me keep laughing.”

“What about the examination?”

The grandparents were worried because their grandchildren, who had come to the hospital with stomach pain, were lying, but Taekyung didn’t seem concerned at all.

“We have to do the examination.”

“Director, do you think you can find the sick child?”

“Of course. I can find him in one go, so don’t worry.”

Leaving behind Lim Jungsook’s worried expression, Taekyung headed towards the guardians, wondering how he was going to find Junhyun.

“Hello? Grandma, Grandpa? You came because your grandson is sick?”

“Director, I’m so sorry. It’s not easy to get an examination because of our grandchildren.”

The grandmother, who was still trying to soothe the children, greeted Taekyung with an apologetic expression.

“There’s no need to apologize. No child likes hospitals. It’s okay. I’ll take a look.”

Taekyung knelt down in front of the bed where the twins were sitting.

“Hello! You must be Junhyun and Junhyuk. Am I right?”

The twins nodded.

“Okay! From what I see, Junhyun came to the hospital because he has a tummy ache, but he’s lying because he’s scared. Right?”

“I didn’t lie.”

“I didn’t either.”

“The director will tell you one thing. If you don’t get an examination now and your stomach keeps hurting, you might have to get a really big shot later.”

The children’s pupils instantly widened at the words “really big shot.”

“But if you get an examination now, the director can give you a shot that doesn’t hurt at all.”

“A lie?”

“That’s right. How can a shot not hurt?”

“Does it seem like a lie? The director doesn’t lie. Do you know why?”

The children shook their heads simultaneously.

“Excuse me, but would you two mind sitting over there? I’ll talk to the twins for a moment.”

“Yes? Ah, yes. I understand.”

Taekyung asked the grandparents, who got up from their seats, and then said the same thing to Lim Jungsook.

“Nurse Lim, please step aside for a moment.”

“Me too?”

“Yes.”

Lim Jungsook didn’t know why, but she also left.

Shhh-

Taekyung drew the curtain and approached the children, speaking in a very small voice that was barely audible.

“This is a secret that I’m only telling Junhyun and Junhyuk, but I’m actually a magician. So, I can’t lie.”

“A, a magician?”

“Hey! Lower your voice.”

“Sorry.”

The children seemed quite surprised by the word “magician,” but they didn’t seem to believe it yet.

Of course. No matter how innocent children are, it would be hard to believe if a doctor suddenly said he was a magician without any explanation.

“Are there really magicians in the world?”

“Aren’t magicians supposed to do magic?”

“That’s right. I have magic too. There are many kinds of magic, but the magic I can do is special magic.”

“What is it?”

The twins were already engrossed in Taekyung’s story.

“When people are sick, I can smell their pain.”

“Smell their pain?”

“Really?”

“Of course. Really. Right now, Junhyun has a tummy ache and diarrhea, so the director keeps smelling that smell.”

Even the medical staff and the twins’ grandparents couldn’t find Junhyun, but for Taekyung, it was easier than eating a piece of cake. [Meaning it was very easy for him.]

That’s because the child’s fifth vital sign had appeared.

Two identical children were sitting side by side, but one had no smell at all, while the other had a distinct smell.

“T, then can you tell who is Junhyun between us?”

“Of course. But if I guess right, you can’t lie. Can you promise?”

“Yes.”

“You’re Junhyun, aren’t you?”

Taekyung confidently grabbed the hand of the child sitting next to the one he had just spoken to.

Then, the child’s pupils grew and shrank. Just by looking at his changed expression, he could tell that he was Junhyun.

“Am I right?”

“…Yes. I’m Junhyun.”

Fortunately, the child admitted that he was Junhyun.

The reason Junhyun had been pretending to be Junhyuk and lying was because of the shot.

He had overheard his grandmother and Choi Mona talking about needing to get an IV drip depending on the results of the blood test.

“Wow! Really! Awesome. Director, are you really a magician?”

Junhyuk asked, looking amazed by Taekyung.

“Of course. That’s why I guessed right who Junhyun was.”

“What kind of smell does Junhyun have now?”

“A strong ammonia smell.”

“Ammonia? What’s that?”

“To put it simply, do you know the smell of pee [urine]?”

“Yes, I know. Mom always tells me to pee cleanly because she says the toilet smells like pee.”

“That’s right. That pee smell is the ammonia smell.”

“Wow! He must really be a magician.”

“What magician.”

Unlike the amazed Junhyuk, Junhyun didn’t believe it easily.

“Junhyun doesn’t believe the director?”

“Yes. It’s easy to guess one of us right.”

Junhyun continued to be uncooperative with a sulky face.

He had a stomach ache, but he still hated shots so much that he was only thinking about lying and leaving the hospital.

“The director doesn’t lie. Anyway, shall we get the examination now?”

“No.”

“Junhyun, it might be harder for you if you keep doing this. The director is a magician, and you shouldn’t break a promise with a magician, should you?”

“Hey? I’ll get the examination if you guess that right.”