Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 59

59. Legal Responsibility

“Jung Eui-jin!?”

Clang!

Instead of Eui-jin’s reply, a dull metallic sound echoed harshly as something struck the car window.

Clang, clang, clang!

“Hey, you crazy bastard, what do you think you’re doing?”

The bodyguard, having snatched the fire extinguisher from Eui-jin, screamed while striking the car window.

“Team Leader, that bastard is undressing and touching Chairman Kim!”

“What!”

As the extinguisher fluid cleared, Tae-kyung’s attempt to treat Kim Gun-hyung was clearly visible.

“Hey! Psycho, get your hands off him!”

“Team Leader, aren’t these guys kidnappers?”

“What did you say?”

Upon hearing that, the team leader reacted sharply. Although it wasn’t public knowledge, a similar incident had occurred five years prior in the company’s underground parking lot, where the chairman was nearly kidnapped.

“Hey! Contact the stadium security team and headquarters right away! Hurry!”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“Hey! You crazy bastard, if you lay even a fingertip on the Chairman, I’ll kill you.”

“Everyone seems to be misunderstanding something, but I need to touch the Chairman to save him.”

“That woman! She’s in on it too.”

“I’m trying to save your Chairman!”

No matter how many times Eui-jin tried to explain, it was no use. Right now, the assumption that they were crazy kidnappers was far more convincing than the idea that they were doctors.

“Grab that woman first.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“Why are you suddenly grabbing me? D-don’t come any closer.”

As the large bodyguard approached, Eui-jin clenched her fists and shouted.

“Since you can’t win with strength anyway, you better listen while I’m being nice.”

“I’m warning you, if you come any closer, you’ll get hurt.”

“Who’s going to get hurt? Stop arguing and… Ugh!”

Fshhh-

“I told you not to come closer, didn’t I?”

Having something to rely on, Eui-jin started spraying the bodyguard’s eyes with pepper spray from her pocket. The self-defense item her parents had provided for her safety as a woman living alone was doing its job.

“That crazy woman. She has pepper spray. Be careful.”

“Ah! My eyes.”

The bodyguard, already experiencing the spicy taste of pepper, shouted, but it was no use. Eui-jin quickly sprayed the bodyguards’ faces and kicked one in the groin, causing them to back away and hesitate to approach.

“Eui-jin? Jung Eui-jin?”

While the bodyguards, whom Eui-jin had distracted, were frantically rubbing their eyes, Tae-kyung called out.

“Sunbae [senior colleague], I’m here.”

“I need an emergency kit, but I can’t see it.”

“They usually keep it in the space under the bodyguard’s seat. Look under the seat opposite the one you’re in now.”

“Found it. Of course. A chaebol [wealthy conglomerate owner] would have something like this.”

Just as Eui-jin said, there was an emergency kit box.

“And Sunbae, this car is bulletproof, so don’t be surprised if you hear the sound of the window breaking. Just take care of it.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“Oh! Oh, let go of me.”

The security team, having received the call, arrived outside the car, and Eui-jin was apprehended by them. However, Tae-kyung couldn’t stop treating the patient.

“I’m sorry, Eui-jin.”

Tae-kyung hurriedly opened the emergency kit. Inside, there was povidone [antiseptic solution], a scalpel, and sutures.

“It’s fortunate that they have at least this much.”

It was enough to perform a quick and solid procedure.

“Whew! The smell.”

The smell of formaldehyde, like a chemical weapon, filled the car, which was incongruous with its exorbitant price, betraying the urgency of the situation.

With no time to spare, Tae-kyung quickly took action to save the patient.

Pour, pour, pour-

Tae-kyung opened the lid of the povidone container and poured it liberally onto Kim Gun-hyung’s abdomen. Then, he put on sterile gloves and picked up the scalpel.

With hands moving faster than the descending gaze, he cut the stitches and used his hands to push the surgical scar on the abdomen to both sides.

“It’s opening up easily.”

Because it hadn’t fully healed, the skin layer easily split with just a little force.

After the skin layer was completely separated, the fat layer underneath followed. Soon, the fascia [connective tissue], the most important structure in the abdominal area, was visible.

Due to the intra-abdominal pressure, the small intestine would be attached to the abdominal wall. Tae-kyung applied pressure little by little with the back of the scalpel blade, and soon the abdominal cavity opened. Due to the internal pressure, the small intestine flowed out onto the abdomen.

‘Gauze! Gauze.’

Tae-kyung quickly grabbed sterile gauze and covered the small intestine to prevent it from flowing out.

“Hoo!”

And at that moment, Kim Gun-hyung’s lip color returned, and his breathing gradually slowed.

“Thank goodness.”

He was relieved and about to move on to the next step when it happened.

Crash-

The car window, which was said to be unbreakable, shattered. Fortunately, it was the driver’s side window with the partition, not the rear window, that broke.

The security team and bodyguards had deliberately broken the window.

“Open the back door and drag that bastard out!”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“He’s not a bastard, he’s our doctor.”

“Hey, shut your mouth.”

“Listen, you big guy! Let me give you a warning. If you drag that man out now, your chairman might die.”

“What! Die? Are you threatening us?”

“It’s not a threat, it’s the truth.”

“Team Leader, what should we do?”

“What do you mean, what should we do! Do you believe this crazy woman? That psycho finally laid his hands on the Chairman’s body.”

The sight of a random man touching the chairman’s abdomen, which even the hospital director couldn’t easily handle, made the team leader’s head spin.

“Drag him out and hand him over to the police.”

“Understood.”

“Just the finishing touches!”

Tae-kyung shouted firmly as the bodyguard tried to enter the back seat of the car.

“I’ll go when I’m arrested, but I’ll finish the procedure first.”

“Bullshit. You better prepare to eat prison food.”

Even with the stern shout, the security team leader didn’t budge.

“Hey, you guys, drag him out quickly. That’s how we can move the Chairman.”

“Team Leader?”

Just as the bodyguards, following the security team leader’s orders, were about to pull Tae-kyung out from both sides.

“Just a moment.”

A man in a calm voice, wearing a Blue Moon jumper [team uniform], ran up and stopped the security team leader.

“You’re Team Leader Go, right? I’m the team doctor.”

“Ah, yes. I guess you came after receiving a call from headquarters. But right now, a crazy bastard has cut open the Chairman’s stomach.”

“What!?”

The team doctor, who had been calm, was aghast at the news that the stomach had been cut open and got into the vehicle.

“……!”

He quickly scanned the situation in front of him and looked at Tae-kyung.

‘He did all this on the floor of the car?’

Although it wasn’t GS [General Surgery], the team doctor immediately recognized that Tae-kyung was a doctor.

“Team Leader, it’s okay. This man is a doctor.”

“Yes!?”

“See? I told you he was a doctor. Now let go of me.”

Ignoring the surprised security team leader and Eui-jin’s words, the team doctor entered the opposite seat in the vehicle and took his place.

“I’m Lee Jung-hyung, the Blue Moon team doctor. Are you a surgeon?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m Kim Tae-kyung.”

“Could you explain the situation to me?”

At the team doctor’s request, Tae-kyung quickly and in detail explained the basis for his judgment and the subsequent incision.

“I understand. First, hold the small intestine so it doesn’t flow out, and I’ll secure the blood vessels next to you and supply the Chairman with fluids. You can now…”

“Ugh!”

Kim Gun-hyung’s voice was heard in the middle of the team doctor’s words.

“It hurts so much! Ugh…….”

As blood circulation returned to normal, consciousness returned. However, he was complaining of extreme pain from the incision.

“Here’s a narcotic painkiller.”

“Yes, I have it too. I’ll give it to the Chairman right away.”

Kim Gun-hyung left a few words about the pain and soon seemed to fall asleep. But he wasn’t really asleep; his state of consciousness was drowsy (a mental state where he opens his eyes and looks when called, but falls asleep if left alone).

“I’ll switch hands.”

The team doctor connected the IV and, wearing sterile gloves, took the small intestine.

Tae-kyung, having finished the procedure, finally straightened his bent back as he got out of the back seat. The security team leader glared at Tae-kyung disapprovingly.

“Even if you are a doctor, this won’t be easily overlooked.”

“I understand. More importantly, it’s urgent to get the patient to the hospital. Please hurry.”

“The Chairman’s private helicopter will arrive soon. We plan to transport him to Saehee-mang Hospital with that.”

“That’s good.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Blue Moon staff, along with a stretcher, approached the ceremonial vehicle and began to move Kim Gun-hyung.

“You’re Kim Tae-kyung, right?”

“Yes.”

“As a fellow doctor, I know that what you did was necessary for the patient. But apart from that, the Chairman may hold you legally responsible when he wakes up.”

“It doesn’t matter as long as it helped the patient.”

It was a very Tae-kyung-like answer. Tae-kyung was satisfied as he looked at Kim Gun-hyung’s face, from which the formaldehyde smell had disappeared.

In fact, if the patient lived, he was okay with any responsibility.

“Anyway, thank you for your hard work.”

“You’re welcome.”

The team doctor exchanged brief greetings with Tae-kyung. After that, he headed to the helicopter landing pad on the roof of the building next to the stadium with the security team leader and Kim Gun-hyung.

“Doctor Kim!! Doctor Lee?”

As Tae-kyung and Eui-jin were walking towards the entrance of the stadium, a man ran up to the team doctor with an urgent look on his face.

“Doctor Lee, we have a big problem.”

“A big problem? What’s wrong?”

“A fastball pitcher has been injured.”

“Was he hit by a ball?”

“No. He hasn’t been substituted yet, but it’s not that. He went to the bathroom and slipped, and his shoulder hit the floor hard.”

“Oh no!”

The team doctor’s face instantly contorted. The fastball pitcher was Blue Moon’s special ace pitcher. Moreover, he had undergone shoulder surgery a year ago and had only finished rehabilitation three months ago.

‘Thank you, Doctor. I was really in the dark during rehabilitation, but I was able to throw again because of you. I’ll be sure to repay you with a victory today.’

The words that the fastball pitcher had said this morning flashed through the team doctor’s mind.

He was a player who had been waiting for this day, but he had bumped his shoulder. He had to go and check his condition right away. But he was worried about Kim Gun-hyung’s transfer.

Kim Gun-hyung is the owner of the Blue Moon team. Moreover, he had come to show his face at the opening game today and had even collapsed. The team doctor’s mind was complicated.

“I’ll go!”

Tae-kyung, who was listening to the team doctor and the medical team member’s conversation, said.

“You will, Doctor Kim?”

“Yes, I’ll help you.”

In fact, Tae-kyung also had a slightly uneasy feeling in one corner of his heart.

He would feel relieved only after seeing that the patient he had given emergency treatment to was being safely transferred.

“Isn’t a medical helicopter coming anyway?”

“That’s right.”

“Then there will be a doctor in it, and you only need to accompany the transfer to the helicopter, right? I think that’s okay.”

The team doctor didn’t show it on the outside, but Tae-kyung’s words were correct.

The reason for accompanying the transfer to the heliport was in case of an emergency.

From that point of view, Tae-kyung, a general surgeon, was more suitable than himself, an orthopedic specialist.

“You’re the Blue Moon team doctor.”

“…….”

He knew that Kim Gun-hyung was important, but frankly, the fastball pitcher was more important. He was working while receiving money from Kim Gun-hyung, but he was still the team’s doctor, so he couldn’t help but feel more inclined towards the players.

To put it bluntly, Kim Gun-hyung had the best medical team waiting for him, but the players only had the team doctor to rely on. Even if he got cursed at later, the player came first.

“Please.”

“Don’t worry and go quickly.”

The team doctor left Kim Gun-hyung to Tae-kyung and ran to the stadium.