Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 75

75. Superman’s Kind Cancer

“Ha! Shit. It’s cancer.”

The CT scan was clear.

Igo-cheol had fucking cancer growing inside him.

“Ha!”

It was undeniably cancer.

Even if you flipped the monitor or stood on your head as a joke, it was still unmistakably cancer.

A large cancerous mass was prominently located in the lymph nodes, as if it owned the place.

The irregular borders looked cruel and menacing to Tae-kyung.

In fact, Tae-kyung, as a doctor, had somewhat, or rather, quite clearly, suspected it. However, thinking of the patient and his wife, he didn’t want to admit it.

‘Feels like shit.’

The cancer visible in the CT scan seemed to be mocking Tae-kyung, its appearance triumphant.

Various thoughts residing in his head chased each other’s tails, multiplying like offspring. Yet, the most prominent thought was just one.

‘I should have spoken more forcefully, more strongly.’

He should have held onto Igo-cheol when Pu-yeong first came for a consultation about her constipation. He should have pushed for tests, even at his own expense.

He had treated and operated on many patients, but Tae-kyung blaming himself like today was because of the fifth vital sign he had felt that day.

The thought of not having caught it that day tormented him with regret.

‘His wife is pregnant…….’

Moreover, Pu-yeong was in her early pregnancy; could she endure hearing the results?

Thoughts about the patient and his wife complicated his mind.

“Hoo! This is no time for this.”

Tae-kyung tried his best to calm his troubled feelings and turned his gaze back to the CT scan.

“So, it was you.”

Tae-kyung muttered to himself as he faced the deformed appearance of the thyroid on the screen. The presence of the cancer, which had spread further horizontally and already invaded the surrounding muscles, was clearly visible on the CT scan.

He had seen many cancers, but what he felt the same every time was that these bastards really looked nasty.

“Is the patient Igo-cheol there?”

Tae-kyung, who had been glaring at the cancerous mass like an enemy, picked up the phone.

-No. He said he went to have a meal with his wife near the filming location.

“Then, as soon as he arrives, guide him to the ultrasound room immediately.”

-Yes, Doctor.

“And I will explain the results, so don’t answer even if he asks.”

-Of course. I understand.

Tae-kyung, who had finished the call, was in a hurry. He felt like searching the restaurant right now and pushing Igo-cheol into the operating room.

If it was the worst-case scenario he was thinking of, time was of the essence.

Tak-

In the end, he left the office without waiting for a call in his haste. Then, he came out into the hallway and strode quickly down the stairs to the ultrasound room.

The calmed mind starts to flutter again.

‘How far has it spread?’

The image showed it had invaded the surrounding lymph nodes.

What’s next? Is the trachea okay? If the trachea is compressed, I’ll have to open it up, right? Are the blood vessels okay?

If it’s in the blocking stage? How much should the surgery cover? Above all, can the patient endure it?

An uncontrollable number of fragments of thought were derived and asked questions of himself.

It was perhaps natural for Tae-kyung to think and question himself so much.

‘I’ll know exactly when I open it up…….’

In fact, these questions were not clear until just before entering the operating room.

Images are often different from reality. Currently, the results in the operating room depend heavily on the surgeon’s senses.

Therefore, how skilled the surgeon was was quite important.

Clang-

Tae-kyung, who arrived at the ultrasound room, went straight inside. He was in such a hurry that he hurried to prepare even though the person helping him was temporarily away.

Tak- Tak-

He turned on the power to the ultrasound machine, and a sound came from behind him.

“Doctor?”

“The patient Igo-cheol has arrived.”

“Yes, come this way.”

“I took the video that the doctor told me to take and went to eat with my wife. I ate at a nearby restaurant and it was delicious.”

“There are many good restaurants around here. Did you have a good meal?”

“We had delicious braised chicken.”

“This person originally likes chicken, but since she got pregnant, she only looks for chicken dishes, so we ate chicken today too.”

Tae-kyung decided to wait for Igo-cheol’s story to end.

His face, smiling brightly after eating delicious braised chicken, and Tae-kyung’s serious face, who knew everything, contrasted like black and white.

“Doctor, by the way, I don’t have anything serious, right?”

“First, I’ll tell you while looking at the CT scan I took earlier.”

In response to Igo-cheol’s question, Tae-kyung displayed the screen on the monitor. Then, he pointed to the CT screen showing the lump above his right clavicle [collarbone] with the tip of a pen.

“Can you see this part on the screen?”

“Is that now…….”

Igo-cheol touched the lump on his shoulder and continued.

“Is this the lump that can be felt here?”

“Yes. That’s right. You can see that the border of the lump looks very irregular, right?”

“Ah, yes. It’s not smooth and looks kind of unpleasant.”

“And if you look at this part here, this is the heart. This is the lung. This is the trachea [windpipe] coming out of the lung, and this is the esophagus [tube connecting the throat to the stomach].”

Tae-kyung explained the organs visible on the screen.

“But if you go up along this trachea, you’ll see the butterfly-shaped organ that we commonly know, and that’s the thyroid [gland in the neck that produces hormones].”

“I know about the thyroid. But there’s something messy here too.”

“Yes, it’s the right side of the patient’s thyroid, and you can probably feel something hard even if you touch it now.”

As soon as Tae-kyung finished speaking, Igo-cheol touched the area and pressed it lightly.

“That’s right. Actually, it’s been like that for a while.”

“Do you have any suspected illnesses when you see it?”

“I just thought it was a lump, but is it, is it a disease?”

“I’m trying to figure it out exactly now. There is a suspected disease.”

“What kind of disease is it?”

“Would you like to listen with your wife?”

“Honey? Would you like to go out for a while?”

Igo-cheol, feeling Tae-kyung’s calm atmosphere, suggested that Pu-yeong go out.

“No. I don’t want to. I’m your wife and family, why should I go out? Doctor, I’ll listen with you.”

“Then I’ll just tell you. Igo-cheol is suspected of having thyroid cancer.”

“Oh, really? I thought…….”

Igo-cheol, who had been nervous just a moment ago, showed a nonchalant expression after hearing the diagnosis. Somehow, he was calm even in the face of the word cancer.

“I saw on TV that thyroid cancer is a cancer that can be cured. Right? They say it’s a ‘kind’ cancer.”

Igo-cheol was right. And the fact that thyroid cancer was known as a “kind” cancer was also the reason why he was calm.

The reason why thyroid cancer is called a “kind” cancer is because the prognosis [predicted outcome] is good and it recovers well. But that was only the case when it was discovered early.

In cases where cancer has progressed considerably, as it is now, the term ‘kind cancer’ was by no means appropriate.

“That’s not wrong. Most thyroid cancers progress very slowly. Sometimes we just watch it. But Igo-cheol’s case is not like that.”

“Yes?!”

“As you can see, the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes above the clavicle. It’s not clear in the image, but can you see this here?”

Tae-kyung took out the pen he had put in his gown pocket again and pointed to one spot on the screen.

“Yes, what is that?”

“If you put your thumb on the right side of your neck, you’ll feel something throbbing. That’s this. It’s a blood vessel that supplies blood to the head and a blood vessel that returns to the heart. It seems to have invaded here too.”

“I, I don’t really understand what that means.”

“I’ll tell you clearly and simply.”

It was now the moment to bring up the story that was most difficult for both the patient and the guardian to hear.

“You must have surgery as soon as possible.”

“……!”

Both the patient and the guardian’s hearts must have ‘thumped’ and sunk. Especially Igo-cheol, who had always been confident in his health, would feel even more so.

He had experienced it countless times, but even Tae-kyung, who was experienced, could not get used to this moment.

Igo-cheol’s expression, crushed by the sudden despair, looked like a soulless person. And Tae-kyung knew best what that feeling was like.

“If you don’t have surgery, it will be difficult to last a year.”

But as a doctor, he had to convey it clearly to the patient.

“Also, even if the surgery is successful, there is no guarantee that you will be completely cured in 5 years. You need to prepare for surgery as quickly as possible and have it done tomorrow.”

“……It’s thyroid cancer!”

Igo-cheol raised his voice as if he couldn’t believe it. His voice was so loud that it was as if he was shouting at the despair that had clung to him.

“Yes, you have thyroid cancer. But it has spread a lot. There are about four types of thyroid cancer, and the course of each type is different, and even the same type has a different course depending on the degree of metastasis [spread of cancer].”

“…….”

“I know you’re surprised, but now is the time to act quickly.”

“…….”

“Time is of the essence.”

“Doctor?”

Igo-cheol, who had been silent until now, opened his tightly closed mouth.

“Am I going to die?”

“Yes. If you do nothing, that will be the case. But if you have surgery, the chances increase. That’s why you must do it.”

“Doctor, I’ve really lived hard.”

Igo-cheol found it difficult to accept this fact that was facing him. A man who seemed like he could even take down a wild boar was collapsing in an instant due to ‘cancer.’

“I haven’t done anything wrong either. Doctor, this isn’t fair. Huh? I, I’ve really lived hard.”

After being scammed by a business partner in Korea, he was in despair for a while. Then, at the recommendation of his cousin in Vietnam, he went to the local area and concentrated on work again.

‘Brother, are you having a hard time?’

‘I can’t communicate well and it’s not as easy as I thought.’

It was hard enough to work in his own country, but how hard would it be to work in another country? He wondered if he had come with a reckless spirit at a not-so-young age.

‘Go-cheol, this is wrong. It’s not right.’

It was Pu-yeong who made him change his mind about wanting to go back.

‘Vietnamese is a bit difficult. I’ll help you.’

Pu-yeong, who worked as a clerk in the same office, helped him a lot with her clumsy Korean. Her bright and cheerful appearance was pretty.

Around the time he was getting used to it, the Vietnamese company he was working with his cousin also had problems.

If you’re unlucky, you’ll break your nose even if you fall forward [idiom for bad luck]. The Vietnamese business also failed.

He endured the thought of just dying because of Pu-yeong.

‘Why die? You’re healthy. You can do anything again.’

He gradually came to like her, who came to give him messages of hope every day, but he hid his feelings.

But one day, Pu-yeong confessed to him first.

‘I like Igo-cheol, let’s date.’

‘Pu-yeong? Thank you, but I’m older than Pu-yeong.’

‘What about that? Go-cheol and I are both adults. We are all single. If we like each other, age doesn’t matter. Trust me.’

That’s how they became a couple, returned to Korea, and worked hard to build a foundation.

There were no more worries. But cancer, he couldn’t believe it.

“It’s unfair.”

Igo-cheol, who had been silent for a while, opened his mouth in a miserable tone.

“I’ve really suffered a lot and lived harder than anyone else.”

Since he had experienced the same thing, Tae-kyung knew Igo-cheol’s feelings better than anyone else. That’s why he didn’t offer comfort recklessly.

He knew that listening to his words was a greater comfort than clumsy comfort.

“Now I’m going to be happy with my wife and Kkan-dam……our child, but this isn’t right. What the hell is this world!”

Igo-cheol spat out a curse mixed with resentment. He cursed with his mouth, but his eyes showed a heart that had become infinitely weak.

“Ha!”

Igo-cheol soon lowered his head.

His confident eyes turned into eyes that were about to cry at any moment. It was then that he was about to throw himself deeper and deeper into the swamp of despair and frustration.

“Superman!!”

A cheerful voice reaching out to his desperate heart raised Igo-cheol’s lowered head.

“Igo-cheol is Superman.”