Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 88

88. Disqualified Anyway

“Nurse Su, is this the correct paperwork for patient Kim Chi-hyun in room 203?”

“Medical records, detailed statements… everything’s here. Did the interviews start?”

“Yes, but Nurse Su should have seen this earlier.”

“Seen what?”

“There’s a really fierce-looking person among the interviewees.”

“Fierce-looking?”

“Yes. They have a huge scar on their face, and their first impression is quite something.”

“Are you talking about a man with a scar under his cheek and about this tall?”

As soon as she heard about the scar, Nurse Im Jeong-suk thought of the man who was about to smoke.

“Oh, right. With a somewhat rough voice. How did you know, Nurse Su?”

“I told him off earlier for trying to smoke in the hospital yard.”

“You told that man off? Nurse Su, your guts are unmatched.”

“Smoking is prohibited in the hospital, so of course, I had to say something.”

“That’s true. I really hope that guy fails.”

“Why?”

“He doesn’t even know the basics of no smoking in the hospital, and he looks intimidating. I don’t want to work with him.”

“Trying to smoke is wrong, but you shouldn’t judge people by their appearance. The director will evaluate well and hire someone.”

* * *

And at that moment, when his head was completely facing forward,

‘Mr. Kim Tae-kyung…?’

Tae-kyung and Jang Deuk-chil’s eyes met exactly.

Thud-

Instantly, Jang Deuk-chil was so surprised that he stood up from his seat without realizing it.

“…ssi?”

“Mr. Jang Hyun-soo?”

Team Leader Choi called out to him because of Jang Deuk-chil’s sudden action.

“Yes…?”

“What’s wrong? Is there something you want to say separately?”

“Ah, no. My leg just felt a little numb.”

Jang Deuk-chil, flustered, mumbled vaguely and sat down, while Tae-kyung, equally flustered, stared at him, thinking.

‘Jang Deuk-chil!’

He blinked and looked again, wondering if he was mistaking him for someone who just looked similar, but it was definitely him.

Judging by his expression, it seemed Jang Deuk-chil didn’t know he would be here either.

‘It really is that Jang Deuk-chil?’

He never dreamed he would encounter a face he had forgotten while working at this hospital, here of all places.

‘Why?’

Why was that person sitting there as an applicant for a hospital security guard position? Why was his name Jang Hyun-soo? It was full of questions.

But one thing seemed certain.

‘The person the teacher introduced is definitely not him.’

The person Kim Cheol-gi introduced was not Jang Deuk-chil.

“Director? Shouldn’t you be asking questions?”

Team Leader Choi whispered quietly to Tae-kyung, who was just sitting still.

“I was staring too long because I liked both of your impressions.”

Tae-kyung decided to put his thoughts aside for now and focus.

Anyway, this was an important position to fill for someone who would work at the hospital, and he didn’t want to ruin the interview because of Jang Deuk-chil.

‘He had that side to him too.’

One surprising thing was how someone as bulldozer-like as him could sit so quietly.

“Then I’ll ask a question. Mr. Kim Geon-hoon, I see you have quite a bit of experience as a security guard, but the hospital is the shortest. I’m curious why you want to work at a hospital again.”

“To be honest, the security guard profession suits me well, but working at a hospital was difficult. So I moved to another security guard position. But I got injured in the leg and was hospitalized, and seeing the people working at that hospital made me want to work at a hospital again.”

“Our hospital has more working hours than other hospitals, and there may be more difficult aspects in many ways. Are you still okay with that?”

“Of course. Personally, I think it’s good to suffer when you’re young. I like the saying, ‘If you’re in pain, you’re young.’ If I get to work here, I won’t think of it as suffering.”

‘If you’re in pain, you should go to the hospital. Why are you talking about beautiful youth and being in pain? What a load of crap.’

Jang Deuk-chil, who was listening to the person next to him, thought to himself and disagreed with that opinion.

“Mr. Jang Hyun-soo, you don’t have experience working at a hospital. Do you know what a hospital security guard does?”

“I know it’s a job to protect the hospital.”

“Can you tell me more specifically than that comprehensive answer?”

“I think it’s helping patients and medical staff when they need it.”

“I’ll ask both of you a common question. What is your style of dealing with injustice? Mr. Kim Geon-hoon, please speak first.”

“If it’s a situation I can handle, I don’t hold back and step in. If I can’t help, I try to find a solution to help the situation.”

“I can’t stand injustice.”

After that, Tae-kyung and Team Leader Choi asked several questions, carefully checking the applicants’ answers and attitudes.

“I’ll ask the last question. When you work at a hospital, sometimes absurd situations happen. A drunk patient might spit, swear words and curses are basic, and you might be assaulted for no reason. What would you do if you encountered such a patient?”

“I will stabilize the patient so that other patients and medical staff are not injured and prevent it from escalating into a bigger accident. If I still feel it’s difficult, I will ask the police for help.”

Kim Geon-hoon spoke calmly and fluently this time as well.

Team Leader Choi seemed to have already made up his mind with the perfect answer that fell like clockwork as if prepared.

“Mr. Jang Hyun-soo, what would you do?”

“I will consider the patient’s condition and respond accordingly.”

“If you have anything you want to say last, Mr. Kim Geon-hoon, please go first.”

“If I become a member of our hospital family, I will take care of patients and medical staff with a family-like heart.”

“……”

“Mr. Jang Hyun-soo, do you have anything to say?”

Team Leader Choi said to Jang Deuk-chil, who was sitting still.

“If you hire me, I will work diligently and steadfastly.”

“I have heard both of your answers well so far. Thank you for coming to the interview, and Team Leader Choi here will take care of the rest.”

Tae-kyung greeted the applicants and headed to the operating room for hemorrhoid surgery.

“Were you all very nervous?”

“No. The director and team leader treated us comfortably, so I wasn’t uncomfortable at all.”

“Mr. Kim Geon-hoon, you’re a very pleasant and cool young man. Haha!”

“You’re welcome.”

“The successful candidates will be notified individually within 3 days. And from now on, I will briefly introduce you to the site where you will be working if you get the job. Let’s go!”

Jang Deuk-chil and Kim Geon-hoon began to tour the hospital with Team Leader Choi’s guidance.

* * *

“One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand… Crazy. Hey! We got 2 million won each just for today’s work.”

“Did you just realize that now? This is totally a sweet gig.”

Three men who looked like delinquents at a glance were talking while waiting for the signal at a crosswalk.

“It’s so sweet to just meet people, swear at them like the *hyungs* [older brothers or mentors], break one or two things, and collect the interest.”

“Even if you graduate from college, you can’t get a job, but if you think about it that way, we’re the heroes who succeeded in getting a job with just a high school diploma.”

“Idiot, you’re happy because you escaped being unemployed at 27.”

“My sister used to nag me all the time, calling me a freeloader, so it’s good. What, are we gangsters then? Hehehe.”

“You’re not a gangster, you’re a businessman.”

“A businessman? What kind of businessman?”

“There’s a good word for it. A loan shark.”

“Bullshit. Goo Hyun-wook? Hyun-wook, are you okay?”

The two thugs, who were talking as if it were something to be proud of, began to look at the friend next to them.

Just by looking at him, it seemed that the person named Goo Hyun-wook was playing the role of the leader among the three.

“No, is this originally this painful? It feels like I’m going crazy if I touch it even a little.”

“You’re such a drama queen for a guy.”

“Hey, do I look like I’m kidding?”

One of the group playfully tapped the swollen thumb. The friends lowered their tails as soon as Goo Hyun-wook glared at them as if he would kill them.

“Why are you messing with Hyun-wook when he’s in pain? Hyun-wook, let’s go to the hospital over there and get treatment.”

Another person pointed to ‘Woori Hospital’ across the crosswalk.

“It’s been quite a while already. We have to go to Bucheon tomorrow, what if you get worse?”

“Yeah, if you go to that local hospital, they’ll do it quickly because there’s an emergency room too.”

“Should we? But can they fix something like this at a local hospital like that? I went there before, and an old man was giving treatment.”

“That’s right. A grandfather treats people there.”

“But I saw on YouTube that the emergency room is a madhouse on Fridays. Aren’t we just going to be waiting for a long time for nothing?”

“Hyun-wook, don’t worry. They won’t mess with us when they see our tattoos.”

“Don’t say stupid things. In the emergency room, the person who is sickest is the best. Just scream like you’re dying.”

The trio of thugs, filled with bravado, headed to the hospital, unaware of what was about to happen to them.

* * *

While Tae-kyung went to the operating room after the interview, the emergency room was beginning the prelude to war.

“Ugh! My stomach hurts.”

“Soon-yi, just bear with it a little longer. The doctor will be here soon. Excuse me, please see my child quickly.”

“Yes, guardian, just a moment. Please wait a moment.”

“My leg hurts. My leg.”

“How does your leg hurt, patient?”

“It feels numb and tingly. I was playing soccer with my friends and got hit by the ball.”

“I’ll take an X-ray of this patient first.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Patient number 4 has diarrhea, so give them Faceta and antibiotics based on their weight to treat the dehydration. And patient number 8 needs dressing.”

“Yes, Dr. Choi.”

As usual on Fridays, patients were pouring in like crazy.

“This is all thanks to Dr. Lee.”

A nurse who was moving busily according to the orders said to Lee Chan-hee.

“Why is it my fault that there are so many patients?”

“Isn’t it because Dr. Lee cast that ridiculous emergency room spell that there wouldn’t be any patients earlier?”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk, who was running around with her feet on fire, clenched her teeth and headed back to the patient.

“No. It’s because it was supposed to rain…”

It is true that the number of patients decreases when it rains, but the problem was that it was raining very timidly outside, as if it might rain or not.

It was Friday, so there were too many patients, and the floor of the emergency room was slippery because of the ambiguous rain. She would rather the rain stop.

“Please, stop the rain and the patients from coming.”

Even though Lee Chan-hee wished desperately, a patient arrived as soon as those words were finished. This time, it was with 119 paramedics [Korean emergency services, similar to 911 in the US].

“This is a 73-year-old male (fall) patient who fell down the stairs while riding a bicycle after drinking.”

“What are the vitals?”

“The current vitals are okay, but he is weakly complaining of chest pain.”

“Call my grandma. Honey, my wife.”

The grandfather patient’s face was flushed red on his nose and cheekbones, probably because he had drunk a lot. But the person who was in pain kept laughing, perhaps because he was drunk.

“This old man has a weak heart, but whenever he drinks, he laughs like a crazy person.”

The grandmother who came with him explained her husband’s condition.

“First, move him to bed number 3, and prepare an electrocardiogram and echocardiography here.”

“Yes, doctor.”

“And guardian, please wait over there for a moment.”

All the medical staff, doctors and nurses alike, were running around without even having time to go to the bathroom.

Whenever Lee Chan-hee and Choi Mo-na faced these moments, they respected Tae-kyung, who volunteered to work alone on duty while they were off, without limit.

‘Ha! I miss the teacher.’

It was a hemorrhoid surgery with a relatively short operation time, but even so, she wanted Tae-kyung to come quickly.

* * *

Jang Deuk-chil, who was sitting down for a while while being guided around the hospital, had a complicated head.

‘How is Kim Tae-kyung here?’

He wondered why someone who was clearly working at Shinhwa University Hospital was suddenly at a suburban neighborhood hospital.

‘Damn it!’

Above all, he couldn’t forget Tae-kyung’s face when he was surprised as soon as he saw him earlier.

From the moment he faced Tae-kyung, his mind turned blank, and he couldn’t even remember how he answered.

‘The job and everything else is gone.’

But one thing was certain. He could never work at this hospital.

Anyway, he would be disqualified anyway.

Who in the world would hire a loan shark who used to collect interest?

That’s why you can never know what life has in store for you.

‘I need a cigarette.’

“Mr. Jang Hyun-soo?”

Team Leader Choi, who was sitting next to him, called out to Jang Deuk-chil, who wanted to go out quickly and chain-smoke.

“Yes.”

“You didn’t say much during the interview either. Is there anything you’re curious about?”

“I saw earlier that the director is young. Has he been working here for a long time?”

“Our director? It’s been a while since he was newly appointed. Our director is young, but he’s a very wonderful person. He always thinks about the patients and is a great person whom the employees respect.”

“Ah, yes. I see.”

“By the way, Kim Geon-hoon must be having a big business, it’s taking him a long time.”

* * *

-Oppa, did the interview go well?

“Of course, the interview went well.”

-Really? Do you think you’ll get in?

“Of course, why even ask? The director and the team leader here have already fallen for me. Oppa has a good impression, after all.”

-What about the person who interviewed with you?

“A big, burly man came, but he couldn’t speak well and had a scar on his face. But this man’s impression is so dirty that anyone can tell he doesn’t want to hire him.”

He is showing a completely different side from the kind appearance he had during the interview earlier.

-Then. Is the interview over?

“No, I’m doing something like a hospital tour, but I don’t know why they’re even doing a tour when there’s nothing to show in an old hospital.”

-But oppa, if you get accepted, you’re going to work at that hospital, right?

“I’m going to go, but only for 2 months. The shopping center announcement will be out in two months, so I have to go there for an interview.”

-Oh, you’re so mean.

“There are so many crazy people in the hospital, and it’s hard to work there. I have to earn money for my credit card bill and then switch jobs right away.”

-You’re already thinking about quitting after writing a fake resume. Anyway, contact me when you’re done.”

“Okay, I’ll contact you later.”

Kim Geon-hoon, who finished talking to his girlfriend, went out of the bathroom with a fake smile on his face.

“It took you a while. Are you not feeling well anywhere?”

“No. I’ve always had a stomachache before important exams since I was young. I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to be sorry. That’s how much you want to do well. Then, let’s go see the most important emergency room last.”

Team Leader Choi walked towards the emergency room with the two.

“The person who gets accepted out of the two of you will probably come to the emergency room often. Today is Friday, so…”

Team Leader Choi’s explanation was cut off when they were passing the reception desk and walking down the hallway leading to the emergency room.

“Hey! *Ajumma* [aunt or older woman]. What do you know as a nurse? Go get a doctor. How long are you going to make us wait, you xxxx!”

Suddenly, a man’s vulgar shout was heard.

“The person says they’re sick, you xxxx.”