Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 491

Fifth Vitality – Episode 492 (491/502)

Episode 492. 119 Ambulance?

The dark hours of early morning settled in.

A middle-aged couple was paying for the food they had enjoyed from a food truck, their small dog patiently waiting.

“How much do we owe you, sir?”

“Let’s see, two spicy, one salt, and two skewers of fish cake, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Honey, I snuck in an extra fish cake.”

“One more fish cake.”

The wife smiled affectionately at her husband, who confessed to the extra treat, and finished paying.

“Thank you for the food.”

“Have a great night!”

“Goodbye.”

-Woof – Woof

“Yeppie, quiet down now.”

“I knew you suddenly wanted to go for a walk at this hour because you couldn’t sleep,” the wife said to her husband, who was holding the dog’s leash and walking beside her.

“You just wanted a late-night snack, didn’t you?”

“Hey! Do you always think you can read me like a book? No. I really couldn’t sleep and was tossing and turning, and when I saw you were awake too, I suggested a walk.”

“Then why the sudden craving for a late-night snack when we could have just walked?”

“Look! I was walking with you and Yeppie, and I smelled those delicious chicken skewers. I was drawn to them like a moth to a flame.”

“Good excuse. Seriously, how can you eat late-night snacks again after working so hard to lose ten kilograms [approximately 22 pounds]?”

The wife playfully nagged, worried that her husband, who had struggled with his weight, would relapse.

“Honey, this is my first late-night snack since losing the weight. Do you know how much I missed this during those six months? And the trainer said it’s okay to indulge once or twice. Don’t be such a worrywart.”

-Woof – Woof

“See that? Yeppie agrees with me.”

“Okay, okay. You find happiness in eating, so how could I deny you that?”

“Yeah, you were being a bit harsh.”

“I’m just thinking about your health. We’re in our fifties now, so we have to be careful.”

“I know. That’s why I worked hard to lose weight, and I promise to be mindful in the future.”

“Okay. Oh, right, the kids are coming next week.”

“Really? We’ll see the kids after so long! Yeppie!”

While talking to his wife, the husband absentmindedly dropped the leash, and the dog darted off.

“Oh my! Yeppie? Come back here!”

Startled, the couple, who had been quietly strolling along the deserted road, suddenly found themselves sprinting after their dog.

-Woof – Woof

“Yeppie~! Come here.”

“Yeppie, let’s get you a treat.”

After a tiring chase, the middle-aged couple finally caught up with Yeppie, who had stopped some distance away.

The two were relieved that their dog had stopped running, fearing it might dart into the road.

“Ugh! I’m out of breath.”

“Are you okay? I think those chicken skewers are about to make a reappearance.”

“Don’t talk to me. I’m exhausted. But why did you drop the leash? It’s dangerous.”

“I didn’t drop it! I was holding on tight, but I think Yeppie pulled so hard it slipped out of my hand.”

“You have to be more careful when we’re outside. Yeppie! Come here.”

The couple grabbed the leash of their dog, who was sniffing something intently on the road.

“No, don’t bite that!”

“What is this…?”

The husband, holding the dog’s leash, looked around at the scattered objects with a puzzled expression.

“Honey? Look at this.”

As the husband spoke to his wife, she looked at the ground with a surprised expression.

Shopping bags and countless flower petals were strewn across the road. Along with the bag, various personal items had spilled out.

Looking at the items on the ground—a wallet, handkerchief, wet wipes, lipstick, and hand mirror—it was clear it was a woman’s purse.

“This looks like a woman’s bag…?”

“Right? Judging by the scattered items, I think so too. Did someone get hurt here?”

“I guess so… It looks like someone was injured… Oh! Honey? Isn’t that a cell phone over there?”

The wife, scanning the area, spotted a broken cell phone.

“That’s right. The cell phone is here!”

The husband, hearing his wife’s words, took a few steps and reached out to pick up the broken cell phone—but at that moment…

-Woof – Woof

At the same time as the dog barked intensely, the husband’s face paled.

“H, Ho, Honey!”

“Ah! You scared me! What’s wrong… Eek!”

The wife, turning her head at her husband’s loud voice, screamed in surprise.

“Honey! There’s a woman here!”

The reason for their shock was a young woman lying next to the utility transformer on the side of the road.

And she wasn’t just lying down.

Something was clearly wrong with the woman’s condition. It wasn’t just someone resting; it looked like someone who was seriously injured.

Overall, her situation looked dire.

The couple weren’t medical professionals, but they could tell that the woman lying on the ground desperately needed immediate help.

That’s how the middle-aged couple, out for an early morning walk with their dog, found Kana, who had been the victim of Im Ma-jun’s hit-and-run.

“Could it have been an accident?”

“This isn’t the time to speculate. Tie Yeppie over there first.”

“Oh, okay.”

The wife took the leash from her husband and secured the dog to a roadside tree so it wouldn’t run off.

“I’ll call 119 [the Korean emergency services number] first, and you gather the belongings that fell on the floor and put them back in the bag.”

“Okay.”

The couple divided their tasks to help Kana, who had collapsed.

“Hey, honey? More importantly, we should check if this woman is okay…!”

“No! Don’t touch her!”

Just as the wife was about to touch Kana’s body to help her, the husband, who was about to call 119, shouted, raising his voice.

“Ah! You scared me! Why? I’m trying to help because I don’t think we can just leave her here!”

“No. Don’t help her.”

“Don’t help her? What does that mean? Are you saying we should just abandon her?”

The wife, confused by her husband’s words, asked back in surprise.

“No, not that, but if you carelessly move someone who is injured like this, it could make things even worse, so I’m saying you shouldn’t touch them until the ambulance arrives.”

The husband, recalling something he’d seen on a TV show, knew that moving someone injured like Kana could be dangerous.

“Really? I almost made a mistake. Call 119 quickly.”

“Okay. Hello?”

The husband immediately called 119 and reported their location and Kana’s condition to the paramedics.

-Yes, this is 119. Please speak.

“Thank you for your hard work. I’m reporting that someone is lying injured on the side of the road here.”

-Someone collapsed?

“Yes, it’s a woman, and she looks very injured, and her condition doesn’t look good.”

-Did the caller find her?

“Yes, my wife and I found her while taking a walk. There was no one else around, and the woman was alone.”

-Can I get your current location?

“Yes, this is oo-dong, near the oo apartment complex. From there…”

-We will dispatch immediately. Please stay on the line.”

“Yes, I understand. Please come as soon as possible.”

-Yes, we will dispatch immediately.

After finishing the call, the husband and wife waited for the ambulance, staying by Kana’s side.

* * *

-The customer is currently unable to answer the phone. Please call again later.

Kyoko, waiting for her brother-in-law, Oh Si-won, at the convenience store, called her sister’s cell phone again, but it still went unanswered.

“Sister. Why aren’t you answering the phone…?”

“Excuse me…”

The convenience store employee approached Kyoko, who was resting her forehead in her hand with a worried look, and offered her a paper cup filled with warm water.

“Ah, thank you. Sob!”

Kyoko, receiving the warm water, burst into tears, overwhelmed by anxiety.

“Are you okay? Here.”

The employee, surprised, grabbed tissues from the counter and placed them in front of Kyoko.

“I’m sorry. I live with my sister, but I suddenly can’t get in touch with her.”

“Ah, I see. Then, wouldn’t it be better to contact the police first?”

“My brother-in-law is coming, so I’m going to look for her together first.”

“Yes. Your sister will definitely be fine. Don’t worry too much.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Ding-dong-

“Sister-in-law!”

Oh Si-won arrived at the convenience store while Kyoko and the employee were talking.

“Brother-in-law!”

“Have you heard from your sister?”

“No, I kept calling until just now, but she’s not answering.”

“Me too. I kept calling on the way here, but she didn’t answer.”

It wasn’t a lie; Oh Si-won had called non-stop after talking to Kyoko and heading to the convenience store. But she never answered.

*Really*, how could she not answer the phone? Along with that thought, countless worries flooded his mind.

At this point, Oh Si-won began to experience frightening thoughts and anxiety.

“Hey, brother-in-law. Shouldn’t we report my sister to the police?”

“Kana said she needed to stop by the convenience store today, and I dropped her off near the crosswalk, right? Let’s go there first and then go to the police station together.”

Oh Si-won found the situation increasingly strange. Kana’s disappearance, her absence from the convenience store, her failure to return home, and her unreachability were all deeply unsettling.

He thought it best to revisit the place where they last parted ways before contacting the police.

“Sister-in-law, I parked the car out front, so let’s go.”

“Yes, brother-in-law.”

“You will definitely find her. If your sister comes to the convenience store, I’ll tell her that her sister came by,” the employee said to Kyoko and Oh Si-won as they left, offering words of reassurance.

“Yes. Thank you. Have a good night.”

“Take care.”

Ding-dong-

Just as Kyoko was about to say goodbye to the employee and leave the convenience store with Oh Si-won, a middle-aged man entered, triggering the entrance chime.

“Oh my! I’m sorry.”

The man hurried in and bumped into Oh Si-won’s shoulder, immediately apologizing.

“Gee! Hope nothing’s wrong…”

The man, tilting his head as he entered, was the owner of a 24-hour karaoke [a type of singing entertainment venue] in the basement of a nearby shopping district.

“사장님 [a Korean term of address for a male business owner], did you come? Should I get you a Dis x L러스 [likely a brand of cigarette]?”

“Give me five. But did you know there’s a 119 ambulance down there now?”

“Huh? 119 ambulance?”

Oh Si-won and Kyoko, who were opening the door to leave the convenience store, suddenly stopped at the word “ambulance.”

Then, as if drawn by an invisible force, they turned around and re-entered the convenience store.

“Excuse me, did you just say ambulance?”