Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 62

62. Kim Gun-hyung’s Golden Time

Smack!

With a tremendous sound, Tae-kyung’s head snapped to the side from the slap across his face.

“How dare a doctor from nowhere touch my father!”

“……!”

Ui-jin, who was right next to him, gasped, his mouth dropping open in surprise.

Having dealt with all types of people as a doctor, he’d somewhat expected such a reaction. He even figured that being a *chaebol* [a wealthy family-controlled conglomerate], he wouldn’t hear anything pleasant. But a sudden slap was beyond the pale.

“Hey!”

In such an absurd situation, Ui-jin’s anger flared, and he raised his voice.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

“What do you mean, ‘What’s this?’ He’s the one who saved your father.”

“What, what!”

Kim Seo-hyun seemed slightly taken aback by Ui-jin’s unexpected outburst.

“How dare you speak to me so informally?”

“If you speak informally to me, why would I use polite language? Instead of being thankful, you’re hitting people. Aren’t you the one who’s acting like you came from nowhere? If you’re a *chaebol*, act like one.”

“How dare you lecture me?”

As Kim Seo-hyun raised her hand towards Ui-jin, Tae-kyung, unable to stand by any longer, stepped forward to block her.

“Ha! Unbelievable. I’m telling you clearly, I won’t let this go. If anything happens to my father…”

“I will take full responsibility for what I’ve done.”

“Of course, you should. Hey! Get these people out of my sight right now.”

“Yes, Madam.”

At Kim Seo-hyun’s shout, the hospital security team standing behind her approached Tae-kyung and Ui-jin, grabbing their arms.

* * *

“Hmm… I don’t see anything.”

“Me neither.”

“There’s absolutely nothing that bothers me.”

“I share the same opinion.”

The professors gathered in the VVIP ward were exchanging opinions while surrounding Kim Gun-hyung.

“No, he even inserted a Foley catheter.”

“Indeed.”

“What do you think, Director?”

“I agree. But we should hear the opinion of Professor Lee, our attending physician. Professor Lee, what do you think?”

“There’s nothing to criticize. It’s flawless,” Lee Ki-sul, Tae-kyung’s classmate, replied to the hospital director’s question.

‘As expected of Kim Tae-kyung!’

Lee Ki-sul had been thinking about Tae-kyung from earlier.

Even if the person was in an emergency situation, the patient was Kim Gun-hyung, the chairman of Nuga Group. If another doctor had been there, they probably wouldn’t have treated him as tenaciously as Tae-kyung did.

This was because Nuga Group moved strictly according to protocol, especially in emergency situations. Particularly for Chairman Kim Gun-hyung, their movements were exceptionally cautious. Being old and such a prominent figure, the principle was to use a helicopter to get him to Saehee Mang Hospital in time for the golden hour if his health showed any red flags.

However, it was Tae-kyung himself, not the company’s helicopter, who secured Kim Gun-hyung’s golden time today.

‘To think a person can be so consistently persistent is also a talent.’

Tae-kyung’s tenacity, which made him laser-focused once he concentrated on a patient, saved Kim Gun-hyung.

“Either way, the doctor who got off the helicopter saved the Chairman.”

The hospital director was right.

Kim Gun-hyung survived because the treatment was administered quickly and accurately at the right time during the emergency.

“Even if he had been a little late or had taken the helicopter without treatment, the Chairman would probably have passed away.”

“Come to think of it, that doctor saved our lives too.”

“That’s right. Imagine if the Chairman had passed away.”

“It’s horrifying just to imagine.”

“That witch would have latched onto our medical staff, filed lawsuits, and caused a huge uproar.”

For a moment, the professors imagined the scene and shook their heads, shuddering.

“Ah! And there’s something you all need to know. Let’s just tell the witch that we’ve finished the treatment for now.”

The hospital director carefully brought up the topic, glancing towards the door. It wasn’t to steal Tae-kyung’s credit. Rather, even if the treatment was perfect, Kim Seo-hyun would likely demand it be done again. Instead of wasting time repeating the same treatment, it was much more beneficial to gloss over it with a suitable lie and prepare for the next step for Kim Gun-hyung.

“The director is right. If she finds out we just left it like that, she might start a bloodbath.”

“It’s not ‘might.’ She definitely would.”

Click-

“Dad!”

Speak of the devil, Kim Seo-hyun burst into the hospital room as soon as the important conversation ended.

“Dad, are you okay? Was the treatment done well?”

“Yes, Madam. He should wake up in a little over three hours.”

“What’s his condition?”

“Currently, there are no major issues, and we plan to operate on his abdomen as soon as the swelling goes down.”

“That’s a relief. Because of some awful people… Anyway, waking up is the priority, and I won’t let it go after that.”

Kim Seo-hyun recalled Tae-kyung and Ui-jin’s faces, making a displeased expression.

* * *

“Hey! Can’t you hear me?”

Ui-jin and Tae-kyung were being escorted to the first floor by the security team, their arms held.

“Ah! Let go of me.”

The security team members, who hadn’t responded to Ui-jin’s shouts, finally released their grip on the two men outside the building, almost shoving them away.

As a result, they both stumbled slightly on the ground.

“If you go out the main gate over there, you’ll see the subway and bus stops. Goodbye, then.”

The security team members gave the two a cold farewell before turning their backs without looking back.

“Ui-jin, are you okay?”

“Yes, Senior. I’m fine.”

As Tae-kyung, who had gotten up first, took Ui-jin’s hand to help him up, a man neatly dressed in a suit approached them.

“Excuse me for a moment. Are you Kim Tae-kyung and Doctor Ui-jin?”

“Yes.”

“That’s right.”

“I was worried you might have already left the hospital, but thankfully you’re here. I’m from the Nuga Group legal team.”

As soon as he heard that, one fact came to Ui-jin’s mind: The second-largest law firm in Korea, known as the bodyguards exclusively for the owner, was none other than the Nuga Group legal team. And one of its employees had come to find them.

‘How dare a doctor from nowhere touch my father!’

Considering Kim Seo-hyun’s words earlier, she was exactly the type of person who would send a legal team employee.

“I’m the deputy team leader. There are some things you both need to know, so I came urgently.”

“Is it about the emergency treatment?” Tae-kyung asked, checking the business card he was handed.

“No. That will probably be handled by someone higher than me when the Chairman wakes up. I’m just here to give you advance notice about a simple billing matter.”

“Billing matter?”

“First, the carpet on the floor of the Chairman’s official vehicle and the front windshield were damaged, so you will be billed accordingly.”

“Ha! What did you say?”

Ui-jin, who had been listening from the side, scoffed in disbelief.

“Even so, aren’t you threatening to take back the life you saved by demanding money?”

“No, it’s not like that. And you should be aware that using the helicopter could be considered theft.”

“Hey, come on. This is too much.”

“Ui-jin, wait a moment.”

Tae-kyung stepped forward, his expression serious.

“Did you just say theft?”

“Yes, theft.”

“As you know better than I do, Article 329 of the Criminal Act states that anyone who steals another person’s property shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than six years or a fine of not more than ten million won.”

“I know you’re a doctor, but it seems you know a little about the law. That’s right.”

“Then you must also know that we didn’t do anything that constitutes theft.”

“Doctors say that even patients with the same diagnosis always have exceptional circumstances. The law is the same.”

The legal team employee confidently continued, with a condescending look.

“According to Article 331, Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Act, using another person’s means of transportation, such as a car, without the consent of the rights holder is subject to legal punishment. You can also be punished for consuming the economic value of an object.”

“Since I’m in charge of this case, I’d like to say something.”

“By all means.”

“Everything that happened today was my sole decision, so hold me responsible for everything.”

“I apologize for saying this, but that’s a matter for the Chairman and Madam to decide, not you or me. Why did you touch the Chairman of Nuga Group? Even in an emergency, you should be careful about who you treat. I’ll contact you later.”

The legal team employee maintained a haughty expression until the end, finished speaking, and left.

“Senior? Are you okay?”

Ui-jin called out to Tae-kyung in a low voice.

“Me? I’m fine.”

It wasn’t a bluff. He was really okay.

“I’m perfectly fine.”

Unlike Ui-jin, whose eyes had widened in surprise while listening to the legal team employee, Tae-kyung remained calm and composed throughout.

There was some absurdity, but that was all. After experiencing death once, Tae-kyung was no longer easily shaken by anything.

It might be a foolish thought, but he thought there would be a solution, just like back then.

“To be honest, I’m not thinking about anything right now. I’m just glad he’s alive.”

“What did you say?”

Because of Tae-kyung’s words, spoken with a truly nonchalant expression, the two burst into laughter.

“By the way, I’m sorry about this.”

“Why are you sorry, Senior?”

“Because you’re in trouble because of me. I’ll try my best to avoid any harm.”

“I don’t mind either.”

Ui-jin had the same mindset as Tae-kyung. Until a little while ago, he had all sorts of thoughts, but Tae-kyung’s nonchalance had infected him, and his heart felt much lighter.

And above all, they had saved a person’s life. That was enough.

‘Yeah, no matter what anyone says, Senior and I did what we had to do.’

Ui-jin, who had faced countless deaths every day on the other side of the world, thought there was no work more valuable than that.

“More than that, Senior, you were really cool earlier. Both with the emergency treatment and rattling off those legal clauses just now.”

“Cool? What are you talking about? You were the cool one.”

“Me?”

“Of course. You single-handedly subdued those big bodyguards. That’s why I was able to treat him with peace of mind. Ui-jin is cool!”

Tae-kyung smiled brightly and stroked Ui-jin’s hair. Then, Ui-jin’s lips unconsciously turned upwards.

“W-Well, that’s true.”

“I saw it clearly, and looking at the angle of that kick, it wasn’t your first time. I need to be careful too.”

“It was my first time! And I don’t do that to just anyone.”

“No, I still need to be careful.”

“Whatever.”

“Right! We were watching baseball, weren’t we?”

Tae-kyung, who had been laughing and chatting with Ui-jin, had completely forgotten that they were watching baseball.

“You’re just realizing that now?”

“It’s probably not over yet, is it?”

“I think it’ll be over by the time we get there.”

“Well, it’s been quite a while. I even got good seats for you, and I feel bad.”

“It’s okay.”

“Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“I promised to buy you something delicious today. Let’s go eat meat.”

“Awesome, meat! I like that.”

* * *

A few hours later, the two finished their meal at a barbecue restaurant in the city and came out.

“Senior, thank you for the meal.”

“I was going to buy you more, but you didn’t eat as much as I thought.”

“What are you talking about? I had rice, stew, and even cold noodles after the meal. I don’t know how delicious it was.”

“That’s a relief then. I’ll buy you the second round another time.”

The two, who had planned to have a good time drinking, decided to finish here today because of what happened earlier.

“But it seems like Senior knows a lot of good restaurants.”

“It’s all thanks to the patients who told me.”

“Patients?”

“Yeah. When you’re in the hospital, patients have dietary restrictions.”

“That’s right.”

“So they talk about food a lot. They told me to go and eat at certain restaurants.”

“I see.”

“Ui-jin. Wait here for a moment?”

“…….”

Tae-kyung, who had been talking, suddenly ran into an alley and came back with a box.

“Here! Take this.”

“What is this?”

“Cake.”

“Cake?”

“I felt bad for giving a chocolate cake to someone with a chocolate allergy. I was going to give it to you again, and I happened to see a bakery.”

“Senior…….”

“It’s okay. You’re touched again, aren’t you? You don’t have to be.”

“It’s not that. Don’t tell me it’s another chocolate cake?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“Senior!”

“I’m kidding. I’m kidding. They said it’s the most popular cake in this place. Eat it when you get home.”

“Thank you.”

The cake visible above the box was a fresh cream strawberry cake with lots of strawberries.

“Heh! Hehehe!”

While Ui-jin was happily looking at the cake, Tae-kyung suddenly started laughing to himself for no reason.

“Senior? If you’re still not over the shock, tell me. There’s a pharmacy over there, and I’ll quickly buy you some calming medicine.”

“No, it’s not that. I just feel like I’m really crazy about patients.”

“You’re just realizing that now… No, what is it?”

“There were all sorts of things that happened today, but despite that, I didn’t hesitate and saved the patient. I think I did a good job.”

“You did a good job. You probably would have done the same thing even if something similar happened.”

“I would. Because that’s the kind of guy I am.”

“I like that about Senior.”

“Thank you. I like our Doctor Jung so much too. You know I care about you, right?”

“No. Not that.”

Ui-jin stopped walking and looked at Tae-kyung. Unlike his initial plan, he had given up on confessing today.

But strangely, he felt a surge of courage now. He didn’t know if it was because of Tae-kyung’s smile or his praise. But if he didn’t say it now, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to say it in the future.

“I like you, Senior. Not as a colleague, but as a man.”

“……!”

As Tae-kyung froze like an icicle, Ui-jin confessed more clearly with strength.

“Kim Tae-kyung! I like you.”

“Huh! What, what did you say?”

There were many things that happened today, but this was the most shocking for Tae-kyung.

It was the first confession he had ever received in his life. For a moment, he wondered if he had misheard. No, he definitely thought he had misheard.

“You, you little rascal. You’re taking the joke too far.”

“I’m sorry if I surprised you suddenly. But I’m not joking.”

“Ui-jin?”

“No. Senior. Don’t say anything. One month. Tell me in one month.”

“One month?”

“Yes, Senior. You need to know what kind of person I am too. Let’s live as usual and tell me in a month. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You’re leaving now?”

“I have to. I’ll enjoy the cake.”

Ui-jin ran at full speed towards the subway entrance, talking to himself.

‘I’m crazy, I’m crazy. Senior’s expression wasn’t good… I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have said it.’

The cake in his hand was bumping around and getting ruined, but Ui-jin didn’t notice at all.

“I’m the real crazy person in this area.”