Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 8

8. Patient Kim Cheol-gi

Tae-kyung immediately headed to the ward where the patients were staying via the emergency stairs.

“Let’s check.”

Click-

“Whoa!”

As soon as he opened the door to the ward, the various smells lightly assaulted his sense of smell.

“Good. If my guess is correct, I should smell it when I pass by the patients.”

Tae-kyung naturally began to walk through the corridors where the hospitalized patients were moving.

“It’s a smell.”

He smelled it as soon as he passed the first patient.

“It smells this time too.”

After experimenting for more than three hours, passing by patients, he could clearly smell it on them.

There were differences in the intensity of the smell, but so far, it was consistently a sour, ammonia-like odor.

He didn’t smell the formalin [a strong-smelling chemical compound used as a disinfectant and preservative] smell that Kim Deok-soo, who could have been in critical condition, had.

It seemed to be because there were no seriously ill or critical patients in this ward.

And the smell did not come from people other than patients, such as guardians or medical staff.

“I’m sure.”

With this, Tae-kyung’s hypothesis became clear.

“Only sick people have a specific smell, and I can smell it.”

After the cancer in his body disappeared and he came back to life, he gained a strange ability. He couldn’t think of it any other way.

“Hello?”

– It’s me, Doctor Kim.

While heading home from the hospital, he received a call from Lee Dong-hoon, an anesthesiologist.

“Dr. Lee.”

Tae-kyung, who was already thinking of calling, responded happily.

– Are you okay? After Doctor Kim left the hospital like that, the doctors and nurses were all gossiping about Professor Lee and the hospital director behind their backs.

“Doctor. I collapsed after the surgery, right?”

– I was so surprised that someone who was fine even after working so hard collapsed. I’m glad the test results showed it was due to overwork.

Lee Dong-hoon said that he collapsed due to mild fainting caused by accumulated fatigue. Tae-kyung was able to find out that the part where he was diagnosed with cancer had completely disappeared.

– In fact, the higher-ups in our hospital have been rotten with politics for a long time. I think it’s a good thing that Doctor Kim didn’t become a professor.

Lee Dong-hoon wanted to give Tae-kyung even a small amount of help.

– A talented doctor like Doctor Kim will do well anywhere, but if you have trouble finding a hospital, contact me anytime. I’ll look into it for you.

“Thank you, Doctor.”

After finishing the call with Lee Dong-hoon, Tae-kyung thought about patient Kim Cheol-gi one last time.

‘Why did he pay off my debt for me?’

He was frustrated because he didn’t know his contact information even though he was as good as a benefactor. He wondered if he should ask Lee Dong-hoon, whom he had just spoken to, but it didn’t seem right.

“Excuse me.”

As he entered the gate, still full of curiosity, someone approached him.

“Do you know someone named Kim Tae-kyung who lives here?”

A middle-aged taxi driver asked Tae-kyung.

“I’m Kim Tae-kyung. May I ask who you are?”

“Ah, really? I’m a driver who came at the request of Kim Cheol-gi.”

It was perfect timing, considering how curious he was.

“Where is he now?”

“You’ll know when you get there. I’ll take you. Get in.”

The taxi carrying Tae-kyung drove out of the alley.

* * *

“We’re here.”

The driver, who had driven for more than an hour out of Seoul, stopped the car on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.

Tae-kyung’s gaze turned to the sign attached to the top of the building.

“Bada Nursing Hospital.”

The place he arrived at was a nursing hospital on a hill.

“Do you see the octagonal pavilion next to the entrance over there?”

“Ah, yes.”

“The elder will be there. Then I’ll be on my way.”

“Thank you.”

After saying goodbye to the driver, Tae-kyung entered the hospital grounds. From the various flowers on the lawn to the beautiful trees everywhere, it was clear that the hospital was well-maintained.

He thought it was a well-equipped hospital.

“Welcome, Doctor Kim Tae-kyung.”

When Tae-kyung arrived at the octagonal pavilion, Kim Cheol-gi, who was sitting on the bench right next to it, got up with a delighted expression.

“Hello.”

“Thank you for coming all this way.”

“No, I came comfortably on the ride you sent. More than that, Elder?”

Perhaps it was because the taxi driver called him ‘Elder,’ or perhaps it was because he paid off his huge debt, but Tae-kyung blurted out the word ‘Elder’ without realizing it.

“Speak comfortably.”

“Should I? Let’s sit down first.”

Sitting down, Kim Cheol-gi handed him a bottle of fatigue recovery drink.

“There’s not even a coffee shop in this quiet rural town.”

“No. I’ll enjoy it.”

Tae-kyung was ashamed that he came empty-handed.

“I should have made rounds after the surgery, but I couldn’t. How is your body? Are you uncomfortable anywhere after the surgery? How are you doing with chemotherapy? Are you eating well…?”

“Whoa, Doctor Kim?”

Kim Cheol-gi patted Tae-kyung’s knee at the sudden barrage of questions.

“This old man is going to suffocate. Ask one at a time.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks to you for performing the surgery well, I’m recovering well. Doesn’t my face look good?”

“Yes. You look good.”

It wasn’t just empty words. Kim Cheol-gi’s face looked better than before the surgery.

Above all, he thought he was recovering well because he smelled a mild ammonia smell from him.

“Anyway, looking at your expression, you look like you’re dying of curiosity. Aren’t you curious as to why I paid off your debt for you?”

Of course, he was curious.

Come to think of it, he always asked questions as if he were treating someone he was interested in whenever he saw him.

‘Doctor Kim. Good morning.’

‘The weather is nice today.’

‘Are you eating before making rounds?’

‘You don’t go home on weekends?’

‘When I see you, you seem to work more than the interns and residents.’

Whenever Tae-kyung ran into him while going back and forth in the hospital, he always greeted him with a smiling face. However, they had not built up a great friendship to the point of paying off his debt for him.

“I’m curious. Why did you pay off my debt, Elder?”

“To cut a long story short, I run a hospital.”

Only then did Tae-kyung understand why Kim Cheol-gi was more proficient in medical terms than other patients.

“I want you to take over the hospital.”

“Yes? A hospital?”

He was being asked to take over the hospital. It was a completely unexpected answer.

“Let me ask you a question. A farmer picked stones with his bare hands, plowed the field, sowed seeds, took care of it day and night, watered it, and fertilized it. He also caught bugs so that the crops wouldn’t be damaged, pulled out weeds so that nutrients wouldn’t be taken away, and as a result, he produced very fresh crops. People came to visit him because of his dedication, and the farmer was very satisfied. But something happened to the farmer, and he couldn’t take care of the field for a while. What would you do?”

“I will find a good manager to entrust the field to.”

“That’s why I paid off your debt for you. Doctor Kim, take over my hospital.”

Tae-kyung was lost in thought for a moment at the sudden offer. Of course, he had to find a new job. He no longer had any lingering feelings about the professor position.

He was just thinking of finding a suitable pay doctor [a doctor who is employed by a hospital or clinic on a salary basis] position.

When he repeatedly failed to be appointed as a professor, he had thought about having his own hospital, but it was just a fleeting thought.

“Why me?”

“A heart that cares for patients, sincerity, and skill. This is what I think of as a good doctor. You have all three.”

“You haven’t seen me for long.”

“You can tell ten things from one. It doesn’t take long to judge a person.”

Kim Cheol-gi’s health deteriorated, and he went to all the major hospitals. It was to find the right person.

Then, at Shinhwa University, which he thought was the last, he met the right person with both skills and personality.

Tae-kyung was the doctor who always came early, stayed by the patient’s side until the latest, and performed more surgeries than anyone else.

Kim Cheol-gi became convinced after seeing Tae-kyung’s dedication while he was hospitalized for surgery, and he secretly investigated him and helped him when he found out that he had debt.

“But the surgery was originally supposed to be done by the professor, and I’m curious as to why you didn’t make me the chief physician from the beginning.”

“That’s because my friend made a reservation for me, and that professor was famous, so that’s how the reservation was made.”

In fact, Tae-kyung didn’t know about the surgery either, but Kim Cheol-gi had strongly requested to change the chief physician from before the surgery.

“I’m sorry, but I secretly rejoiced when you were kicked out of the hospital.”

“…….”

“Doctor Kim, do you perhaps dislike it?”

“It’s not that…”

“I won’t force you if you don’t like it. Instead, please deposit the debt I paid off for you by tomorrow.”

“Yes!?”

Tae-kyung was so surprised that he jumped up from his seat. To deposit 1 billion won [approximately $800,000 USD] in one day. Isn’t this ridiculous?

“By tomorrow?”

“Of course. I’m not a philanthropist, so why would I pay off the money for free? What are you going to do, say it or not…”

“I’ll do it.”

The answer came back before Kim Cheol-gi could finish speaking. There was no way he could make 1 billion won in 24 hours, no matter how hard he tried.

“I will do it.”

There was only one way.

Accept Kim Cheol-gi’s offer.

“Really?”

“Yes, I don’t know if I’ll do well, but I’ll try.”

“Hehehe! You’re not doing it against your will because of me, are you?”

“No. More than that, there’s something I want to ask.”

“Anything.”

“I’m curious as to why you’re entrusting the hospital to me. Is it because of health problems?”

“No, it’s not because of cancer. The surgery went well, and I’m recovering well with chemotherapy at a nearby hospital.”

“Then why…”

That’s when Tae-kyung asked the question.

“Honey, Cheol-gi?”

A white-haired old woman with her hair neatly braided in pigtails approached with a smile, holding a baby in a blanket.

“Honey, look at our Min-gi’s smile. His eyebrows are thick like you, and our Min-gi is handsome, right?”

She carefully opened the blanket so that Kim Cheol-gi could see the baby’s face. Surprisingly, there was a baby doll in the blanket that her hand touched.

“Of course. How pretty are his eyes like you? Our son is very handsome.”

“You think so too, right? Oh my, we have a guest. I forgot because I was looking at Min-gi. Hello.”

“This is my wife, Lee Ok-bin. And this is Kim Tae-kyung…”

“I know. You’re a doctor like you, right?”

Lee Ok-bin still held the baby doll tightly in her arms and greeted Tae-kyung.

Her face and hands were full of wrinkles, but her tone was unmistakably that of a young bride.

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

Tae-kyung, who quickly understood the situation, responded to her greeting naturally and kindly.

“I’m Kim Tae-kyung, a junior of Doctor Kim Cheol-gi.”

“But how did you know this friend was a doctor?”

“His hands. I’ve looked at your hands so much that I can tell doctors’ hands right away.”

Lee Ok-bin, who looked at her husband’s and Tae-kyung’s hands alternately, continued.

“Doctor, you must have practiced knot-tying a lot. Our husband and I have similar scars. You have good hands.”

“Thank you.”

“Look at my mind. We have a guest, but I didn’t bring out any tea. Is coffee okay?”

“No. Madam. It’s okay…”

“Honey, make two cups of coffee.”

Kim Cheol-gi lowered Tae-kyung’s hand, which was waving in refusal, and asked his wife for coffee.

“Yes, talk to each other. Min-gi, let’s go make Daddy coffee.”

Lee Ok-bin hugged the baby doll tightly in her arms and went inside the building.

“As you may have noticed, my wife has dementia. You asked me why? That person is the reason.”

Kim Cheol-gi, who looked at his wife with pity, began to tell his story.

“My wife understood and supported me more than anyone else, who was tied to the hospital.”

The two had a precious baby 7 years after they got married.

However, 6 months later, the baby passed away to heaven due to a heart attack, and Lee Ok-bin suffered from depression due to the shock. It happened an hour after Kim Cheol-gi, who received a call from an emergency patient, left the house.

After repeated miscarriages, she was exhausted both physically and mentally, and she left home 30 years ago, demanding a divorce.

“What were you doing when our son was dying? I have nothing to say when she cries sadly. I had no choice but to let go of my wife who was suffering while looking at me.”

“You two must have had a hard time.”

After that, Kim Cheol-gi lived by pouring out his longing for his departed wife to the patients. And two months ago, he received a call from a nursing hospital.

His wife, who was suffering from severe dementia and had even forgotten her name, only remembered her husband’s name and phone number.

She was also longing for her husband.

“You still love your wife.”

“You might scold me for being an old man, but my heart still beats when I see that person. She’s my first love.”

‘Still, I’m glad she doesn’t seem to have any pain.’

Tae-kyung, who was listening quietly, remembered that he didn’t smell anything from Lee Ok-bin and felt relieved.

“Okay! Let’s stop with the heavy stories and take this.”

“What is this?”

“A gift for you.”

“A gift?”

The small box that Kim Cheol-gi handed over contained a neatly printed stack of business cards.

The owner of the business card was Tae-kyung.

‘Our Night Hospital Director Kim Tae-kyung…’

It was strange. It was just a piece of paper, but his heart was warm when he received a business card with his name on it. It was the first business card he had as a doctor.

“It’s a small neighborhood hospital, so don’t feel pressured. I’ll delegate all authority to you, so think of it as your hospital and show off your skills to your heart’s content.”

“Yes, Elder. When should I start working?”

“How about tomorrow?”

“Yes!? Tomorrow is too soon.”

“I’m just kidding. Start next week. I look forward to working with you.”

“I will do my best.”

Tae-kyung vowed to use his newfound abilities for the sake of the patients.

‘Let’s do well!’