Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 56

56. Baseball Date?

Knock, knock.

“Teacher, I’m coming in.”

Nurse Lim Jeong-suk, her voice as urgent as her hurried knock, burst into the examination room.

She was trying to force Tae-kyung, who could count on one hand the number of times he’d left work on time, to go home, even if it meant dragging him out of the hospital. Especially today, she had been single-handedly taking care of patients without a break to allow her junior colleagues to attend a conference.

“If you say you’re not going home again, Doctor…”

But before she could even start her nagging barrage, Nurse Lim Jeong-suk’s words trailed off.

“I was wondering why you weren’t here to nag me, Nurse Lim. It’s about that time,” Tae-kyung said, taking off his gown and preparing to leave.

“No way, are you really leaving? For real?”

“Really. Should I not leave?”

“What are you talking about? Of course, you should leave. But is there something going on?”

Nurse Lim Jeong-suk had been worried about him stubbornly refusing to leave, but she was surprised to see him actually getting ready to go.

“It’s my mother’s birthday.”

To be honest, Tae-kyung hadn’t really planned on leaving. But he felt guilty for never having properly celebrated his mother’s birthday due to his busy hospital life.

“Then you should definitely go. Are you going to the house in Yangpyeong?”

“No, my mother said she’s coming to Seoul for work.”

“That’s great. Buy her lots of delicious food and be a good son for once.”

“I will. I’ve recorded everything on the system, but if anything happens in the ward, please contact me immediately.”

“I will.”

“And if you get a call about an emergency patient, don’t hesitate to call me, no matter the time…”

“Doctor? Stop worrying so much.”

Tae-kyung, taking a proper break for the first time, was unconsciously only worrying about the hospital.

“Have I been worrying too much?”

“Yes, completely. You’re off, so leave the work here to Doctors Lee and Choi. I’m here too, and I’ll call you if it’s really urgent.”

“Alright. I’ll get going then.”

“Okay, have a good weekend.”

Tae-kyung, after receiving farewell greetings from Nurse Lim Jeong-suk and the other staff, finally left work for real for the first time since he started working at Our Hospital.

* * *

“Tae-kyung? Come out and eat.”

“Coming.”

Tae-kyung, after drying himself roughly in response to Mrs. Lee’s repeated calls, opened the door and went up to the rooftop.

“Come quickly. You must be hungry.”

“Aigoo [Oh dear]. I told you I’d take you out to buy expensive food. You didn’t have to go to the trouble of setting the table.”

Tae-kyung had planned to take this opportunity to treat his mother to a nice meal at a good restaurant. But Mrs. Lee insisted that home-cooked meals were the best, so his plan fell through.

“No matter what, there’s nothing like home-cooked food. You and Tae-hoon hardly ever get to eat home-cooked meals because of your hospital life and his 택배 [delivery] job, so it’s great to have a family meal together like this.”

“We’re just worried about you, Mrs. Lee, getting tired.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. What mother in this world would find it a chore to cook for her children? Tae-hoon, you come quickly too.”

Tae-hoon, who had driven Mrs. Lee from Yangpyeong to Seoul, also took a seat at the rooftop table.

Having not seen his brother since their fight at the house in Yangpyeong, Tae-hoon felt awkward and couldn’t make eye contact with Tae-kyung.

“I still feel bad since it’s your birthday today.”

“Birthdays aren’t a big deal. But your brother made seaweed soup and birthday rice for me this morning.”

“Hyung [older brother] did?”

“Yes. And he cooked it very well.”

“Hyung is amazing.”

“Hey, I’ve always been better than you at boiling ramen water and frying eggs since we were kids.”

“That’s true. Hyung made the best ramen.”

The awkwardness between the brothers dissolved as quickly as it had appeared, thanks to the ramen story.

“The meat will get cold. Let’s eat quickly.”

“Yes, thank you for the meal.”

The pleasant sounds of delicious food smells and sizzling beef filled the air around the table.

Tae-kyung shared laughter over trivial stories and enjoyed a pleasant meal with Mrs. Lee and Tae-hoon.

“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Mrs. Lee~ Happy birthday to you.”

“Aigoo, what’s with the cake at my old age.”

“Quickly, make a wish and blow out the candles.”

Despite saying it was unnecessary, Mrs. Lee was as happy as a young girl.

“I only wish for my two sons to be healthy and for everything they do to go well. That’s all I want.”

“Here! A present for our Mrs. Lee.”

Tae-kyung handed over a white envelope containing the cash he had withdrawn from the bank on his way home from work.

“Hyung and I prepared it together.”

Of course, he had prepared it alone, but Tae-kyung said they had prepared it together to boost his brother’s spirits.

“Thank you, Tae-hoon and Tae-kyung. I’ll use it well. But Tae-kyung, there’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit when I come to Seoul…”

“We can go. Where is it?”

“Shinhwa University Hospital. I’ve never properly seen where you work.”

Mrs. Lee had never seen the hospital where Tae-kyung worked, fearing that she might be a hindrance to his work.

“Still, I want to see my son wearing a gown and working as a doctor.”

“I have something to tell you. I left Shinhwa University Hospital.”

“What!”

“Hey, what are you talking about?”

At Tae-kyung’s sudden statement, Mrs. Lee and Tae-hoon were quite surprised and put down the forks they were using to eat fruit.

“In reality, it became difficult to be appointed as a professor, and I received an offer from a good place, so I moved hospitals.”

Tae-kyung, who had been planning to tell Mrs. Lee anyway, decided to tell her the truth on this occasion.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you in advance.”

“Sorry? You went through all that trouble to become a professor…”

“Were you kicked out or something?”

“Tae-hoon, you always say such things. Are you okay, son?”

“Our Mrs. Lee is worrying again on a good day. I’m fine. Your son is very capable. See this?”

Tae-kyung showed Mrs. Lee the picture of Our Hospital that he had taken on his first day of work.

“I went to this hospital as a representative, and I’m enjoying working here now.”

“As a representative? That’s great. You must have had a hard time keeping it to yourself.”

“Not at all. So don’t worry. I’ll show you around the hospital later.”

“You’ve already moved, haven’t you? It’s okay. You’ll have more to worry about than before, so show me later. Get along well with the staff and treat the patients well. Got it?”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

With that, Mrs. Lee’s birthday party came to an end, and the three family members continued their conversation late into the night with beer.

* * *

The next day, Mrs. Lee was preparing to go back to Yangpyeong with Tae-hoon.

“Don’t you want to stay longer?”

“Stay longer? I have an appointment this afternoon, and Tae-hoon has to go to work. You have an appointment too, Tae-kyung.”

“I still have time.”

“That’s right! Look at my memory! Tae-kyung, do you want to go on a blind date?”

“Excuse me!? A blind date?”

Tae-kyung’s voice rose sharply at the word “blind date.”

He never expected that the excuse he had made to brush off Lee Chan-hee would actually come back to him.

“It’s the niece of the 국밥 [Gukbap – Korean rice soup] restaurant owner’s mother in the city, and she’s a doctor too. The 국밥 restaurant owner’s mother really wants me to set up a meeting.”

“Tae-kyung. Mom’s been trying really hard to get you to go on a blind date lately.”

“What blind date? Hyung is here. Let hyung go first.”

“Hey, crazy, do I have a girlfriend?”

“Huh? Hyung had a girlfriend? When?”

“It hasn’t been long. So you go on the blind date.”

“That’s right, you don’t have time to meet women because you work at the hospital. Should I make an appointment?”

“No. I… I have a woman I’m seeing too.”

Tae-kyung, not wanting to go on a blind date, made up something random.

“You have a woman? You? Are you lying?”

“What do you take me for, hyung?”

“Who is it?”

“There is. A colleague I work with.”

Perhaps because he had an appointment today, Tae-kyung spoke about Ui-jin, who came to his mind.

“Why are you telling me this good news now?”

“We’re just getting to know each other.”

“Okay, I understand. Anyway, do well. Tae-hoon, start the car. Let’s go now.”

While Mrs. Lee went to the bathroom, Tae-kyung, who had come down first, handed an envelope to Tae-hoon.

“It’s okay. I don’t need this.”

“Hyung. I really didn’t put much in. And I’m not just giving it to you. I’m bribing you as a younger brother to take good care of Mom.”

“Hey! She’s my mom too. Anyway, I’ll take it for the sake of the person giving it.”

“Okay. Thank you. And hyung, can I ask you for a favor?”

“You’re going to talk about gambling, right? I won’t do it. I’ve really quit now.”

“Really? I believe you.”

“I’m also human. Trust me this time.”

Tae-kyung decided not to tell Tae-hoon that he had paid off all his gambling debts. It would be better to watch his brother a little longer and tell him later.

“Son, Mom’s leaving. Eat well.”

“Yes. Don’t worry. Hyung, drive carefully.”

“Okay, I’m leaving.”

* * *

After Mrs. Lee and his brother left, Tae-kyung, who had caught up on sleep, was out at the meeting place.

“Sunbae [senior/mentor]!”

It was a meeting with Ui-jin, to whom he had promised to buy drinks and food several times.

“Did you wait long?”

“I just got here too.”

Ui-jin, waving her hand energetically as she approached, looked different than usual. She wasn’t wearing her usual gown and her hair wasn’t tied up. Her hair was styled in voluminous waves, and she was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Her style wasn’t overdone, and her makeup was fresh, just like the Ui-jin who had swept through medical school.

“Dr. Jung looks a little different today?”

“I put some effort into my hair because I was meeting sunbae.”

“It suits you well. But is this the place you were talking about?”

“Yes.”

The place where the two met was a baseball stadium. Before eating and drinking, there was a place Ui-jin wanted to go with him, and that place was a baseball stadium.

“I guess you like baseball.”

“Of, of course. I always come to the baseball stadium when I have time like today. What about sunbae?”

“I haven’t been here since I came with my father when I was young.”

There was a reason why Ui-jin, who knew nothing about baseball, insisted on coming to the baseball stadium.

It was because of Tae-kyung’s reaction to Chief Choi’s baseball story at the hospital.

The previous evening-

‘The day of the final battle is finally approaching.’

‘What day is it?’

‘Isn’t the opening game of professional baseball this weekend? And the opening game is a Blue Moon game, so my heart is pounding.’

‘Team leader, you’re a huge baseball fan.’

‘Of course. Don’t you like baseball, Doctor?’

‘I don’t like it passionately, but I want to go to the baseball stadium again.’

‘Why?’

‘My late father took me to the baseball stadium when Blue Moon was founded, and it was really nice then.’

‘Then go once. You can’t ignore the feeling of being there. It would be a better memory if you watched a Blue Moon game.’

‘Is that so?’

‘Of course. Why don’t you go to the opening this week?’

‘Maybe if I have a chance later.’

Ui-jin naturally overheard the conversation between the two from the next table. And she managed to get tickets that were sold out with difficulty through a friend who was a baseball fanatic.

“I’m a Blue Moon fan. It’s the home game opening, so I really wanted to come. Is it okay with sunbae?”

“I actually wanted to come once too. My father was a huge Blue Moon fan.”

“Oh my, what a coincidence. That’s great.”

“I know. Thanks to you, Ui-jin, I’m going to have a good time today.”

“Then you can buy me something delicious later.”

“Of course, I’ll buy you food and drinks.”

“Let’s go in quickly.”

Tae-kyung and Ui-jin entered the baseball stadium with excited hearts.

“Row A, Zone 8… Zone 8. Oh! There it is. Sunbae, we can go that way.”

“I’m going to go to the bathroom. Go ahead.”

“Zone 8, so come to the aisle on the left. Don’t get lost.”

“Jung Ui-jin. I’m not a kid.”

“Okay. I’ll go ahead.”

Ui-jin headed to her seat, and Tae-kyung headed to the bathroom.

“This feeling of being there is really something you can’t ignore.”

Tae-kyung, who hadn’t had the leisure to enjoy such cultural activities until now, felt subtly excited.

“But why are there so many people? It’s so crowded.”

Tae-kyung, moving through the crowd, unconsciously flared his nostrils. It was a kind of habit that had developed since he gained his ability, whenever people gathered in large numbers.

‘I’m even trying to find a smell here…’

Just as he was calming his flared nostrils and coming out of the bathroom, it happened.

“… !”

Suddenly, a faint Stage 2 scent passed by. But with so many people, it was difficult to pinpoint exactly who the smell was coming from.

‘Maybe I can find out if I go there.’

Eventually, Tae-kyung went up to a small space that connected the lower and upper floors of the stairs. He thought he might be able to find the source of the smell if he went to a higher place.

‘The smell is… to the left! Yes. It’s flowing in the left direction. Then…’

At that moment, as he was chasing the flow of the Fifth Vital.