Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 91

Fifth Vital Sign – Episode 91

Episode 91. Number 1, Number 2, Number 3, Number 4, Number 5

“If we leave this as is, we might have to amputate.”

“Excuse me!? Amputation, you say?”

At the mere mention of that dreadful word, Gu Hyeon-wook jumped up from his seat.

“Yes, amputation.”

It wasn’t just a scare tactic. Paronychia [an infection of the skin around the fingernail or toenail] was not something to be taken lightly.

Years ago, when I was in the emergency room at Shinhwa University Hospital…

There was a man in his 50s who came in early one morning complaining of severe pain.

He had paronychia around his toenail, but he had stubbornly only applied ointment to the inflammation. The condition became so severe that he eventually had to have his toe amputated.

At that time, the man could have lost his life to sepsis [a life-threatening complication of an infection] if he had been any later.

As such, if treatment is neglected for a long time and the inflammation worsens, it can lead to serious consequences, so it is important to treat it quickly in the early stages.

“Hyeon-wook, the doctor is right. There are even posts online from people who actually had amputations.”

“Really? That’s awful. Still, wouldn’t a fingernail amputation be better than a finger amputation?”

The group, curious about the word ‘amputation,’ chattered about the information they found on their phones.

“I’m telling you. Hyeon-wook, what do you think…”

“Shh! Everyone, shut your mouths.”

Jang Deuk-chil put a finger to his lips, gesturing for silence to the group that was about to speak again, and they immediately quieted down.

“Amputation is out of the question. Doctor, I’ll do it. I think it’s better to just remove the nail.”

“Okay. Good choice. Let’s get you anesthetized then.”

As Tae-kyung picked up a 10cc syringe to start the anesthesia, Gu Hyeon-wook wore a terrified expression.

Was this really the same person who was wielding a knife just an hour ago?

“Doctor! Wait! Just a moment.”

“What is it? Are you scared again?”

“Will it hurt a lot?”

“How can someone so afraid carry a knife around?”

Tae-kyung, who had been calm until now, suddenly snapped at Gu Hyeon-wook.

The sight of him trembling at the sight of a syringe, yet threatening people with a real knife, was absurd.

“When you were waving that knife at innocent people, they felt even greater fear and terror than you do right now. Do you understand now?”

“I’m sorry…”

“And it will hurt a bit.”

There’s a common saying among doctors:

-It’s bearable.

This means you’ll feel a slight pain, but it’s still manageable.

-It’ll sting a little.

This is a slightly more painful stage than ‘bearable,’ meaning you should mentally prepare yourself a bit.

-It’s going to hurt a bit.

Finally, the doctor directly warns that it will hurt. This means there will be a lot of pain from now on, so brace yourself.

In other words, Gu Hyeon-wook was about to experience a great deal of pain.

“It’s going to hurt?”

“A little.”

In fact, Tae-kyung knows very well how much it hurts.

It wasn’t as painful as treating other serious illnesses, but the area around the fingernail is very sensitive, and everyone knows it’s really painful, even if they’re not a doctor.

“Okay, we’ll start the anesthesia now. Don’t move.”

The moment the sharp needle of the syringe went deep into the swollen thumb,

“Aaaaaaaah!!!”

A scream that seemed to shake the hospital echoed.

“Don’t move. Someone hold this patient down.”

At those words, Jang Deuk-chil volunteered to hold Gu Hyeon-wook down.

“Okay, you’re doing well.”

“It hurts. Stop! Stop it.”

“Just bear with it a little longer.”

“Stooooooop!!”

Gu Hyeon-wook, held down by Jang Deuk-chil, writhed in pain like someone in an electric chair.

“Ugh! Please! I was wrong.”

It was loud enough to burst eardrums, but Tae-kyung didn’t waver at all.

To anesthetize the digital nerve branches of the thumb, he inserted the needle twice more at the base of the thumb.

“Anesthesia is done.”

“Hoo! Hoo! It doesn’t just hurt a little, it hurts like I’m dying.”

Gu Hyeon-wook, almost as exhausted as someone who had been tortured, even teared up. The pain was so much worse than he expected that he couldn’t help but regret coming to the hospital.

“It does hurt a bit, doesn’t it? But you endured it well.”

After confirming that he was anesthetized, Tae-kyung disinfected the area with povidone [an antiseptic used for skin disinfection] and covered the surroundings with a fenestrated drape [a drape with a hole in it], leaving only the thumb visible.

“Turn your head, patient.”

“Can’t I watch?”

“There’s no rule against it, but can you watch me remove your fingernail?”

“Yes? No. I won’t watch.”

At the mention of pulling out the fingernail, Gu Hyeon-wook recoiled and turned his head. At the same time, Tae-kyung, holding a mosquito forcep (a forcep with curved jaws), applied force to lift the thumbnail.

“Crazy. Not just anyone can be a doctor.”

“How can he do that so casually? I feel like I’m getting goosebumps all over my body.”

The group, still kneeling, quietly whispered with horrified expressions.

Tae-kyung was pulling out the fingernail, cutting away the flesh with scissors because the end of the lifted fingernail was stuck to the skin.

“Ugh!! That’s disgusting.”

Gu Hyeon-wook, who had turned his head slightly out of curiosity, recoiled again when he saw the sight and turned his head back.

“Don’t turn your head.”

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry.”

As soon as the fingernail was removed, the accumulated pus flowed out in an instant, and the proximal part [the part closest to the center of the body] of the fingernail was simply torn off due to the pus.

“Please send this for a culture test.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Tae-kyung sent the pus for a culture test, used antibiotics to cover the skin flora [the microorganisms that live on the skin], and finished the treatment with pus dressing.

“Good work.”

“Is it all over?”

“Yes, it’s over. Be careful not to get water on it for the time being.”

“Excuse me. We received a report and came here.”

As the treatment was finished, the police who had been waiting arrived.

“Hey! Is it you guys again?”

The police officer who arrived recognized the faces of the gang members and immediately spoke up.

* * *

“These guys are causing trouble in the traditional market over there, and they came all the way here to make a fuss.”

The police officer, after checking all the CCTV footage, was talking to Tae-kyung.

“Traditional market?”

“Yes, they’re running a private loan business targeting powerless and desperate merchants. They break things to collect interest, and the merchants are too scared to report them. You caught them red-handed.”

“Hey! You guys are really in trouble this time.”

The fellow police officer next to him gave the gang members a pathetic look and threatened them.

“You punks, causing a ruckus in a hospital? Do you know what happens if you assault or threaten medical staff?”

“It’s up to 7 years in prison or a fine of up to 70 million won [approximately $50,000 USD].”

“You know it well, probably because you’re on the force. Did you hear what the doctor said?”

“7 years in prison?”

“Is that really true?”

The gang members, who had no idea, were now realizing how much trouble they were in.

“Yeah, you punks. Anyway, see you at the police station. Officer Choi, get these guys in the car quickly.”

“Yes, sir.”

The fellow police officer handcuffed the gang members and put them in the police car.

“This is Gu Hyeon-wook’s medication.”

Tae-kyung handed the medication and instructions to the police.

“And you’ll need to take him to the hospital tomorrow to disinfect the wound.”

“When I see things like this, I think medical staff are really amazing. Why would you be nice to a guy like that?”

“Because I’m a doctor. Please make sure these people never do this again and give them a good scolding.”

“Don’t worry about that. We’re going to punish them properly this time. Anyway, there was no greater damage thanks to the doctor over there. Thank you.”

The police officer greeted Jang Deuk-chil, who was standing a little further away.

“It’s nothing.”

“I apologize for arriving late due to the many conflicts today. We will pay more attention to patrolling this area in the future.”

“Thank you. Then please drive safely.”

Tae-kyung said goodbye to the police and walked over to Jang Deuk-chil.

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

* * *

“There’s coffee and juice, what would you like to drink?”

“Anything is fine. I don’t mind just a glass of water.”

Thump-

Tae-kyung placed a cup of water in front of Jang Deuk-chil, just as he had asked.

“How have you been?”

“Well, I’m just the same as always.”

“I didn’t expect to see Mr. Jang Deuk-chil here.”

“I never dreamed I’d see Doctor Kim here either. I was so surprised when I saw you during the interview that my heart almost jumped out.”

“Did you quit the loan shark business?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I’m getting older and I want to live a normal life… something like that.”

“Living a normal life isn’t something just anyone can do.”

“……”

Jang Deuk-chil didn’t respond.

In the past, he would have instinctively said, ‘What’s it to you, you bastard!’

He used to blurt out whatever came to mind without thinking. But now, facing Tae-kyung, he strangely couldn’t speak like he used to.

It was the same when Deok-soo collapsed, but Tae-kyung is a very strange person.

Usually, they’re the same, but the difference between debt collector Kim Tae-kyung and doctor Kim Tae-kyung was enormous.

Especially when dealing with patients, his crazy, intense charisma was still there. But because it was inside the hospital, it felt like the atmosphere was even stronger than before.

‘Ha! Damn it, I shouldn’t have followed him in. This is an awfully uncomfortable situation.’

Jang Deuk-chil wanted to finish the conversation quickly and leave the hospital since he had already been rejected.

“Thank you for helping earlier. Thanks to you, no one was hurt and it was resolved well.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“But why did you help? The Jang Deuk-chil I’ve known so far doesn’t seem like such a righteous person.”

“That’s right. I haven’t lived my life with any sense of justice.”

“Then why?”

“To repay the debt I owe Doctor Kim.”

“You owe me a debt?”

“Deok-soo, my younger brother, Kim Deok-soo. Doctor Kim saved him back then.”

Kim Deok-soo was Jang Deuk-chil’s junior who collapsed due to anaphylaxis [a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction] in the past, and Tae-kyung gave him emergency treatment at the time.

“I said back then that I would repay the debt someday. I know you’re not happy to see me either. Honestly, if I had known you were the director, I wouldn’t have come.”

That was true. How long had he been pestered to repay his brother’s debt?

He wouldn’t have come out of embarrassment if he had known Tae-kyung was here, no matter what his mother asked him to do.

“Anyway, I’ve repaid the debt I owed Doctor Kim, so I’ll be going now. And Doctor Kim looks the coolest when he’s wearing that doctor’s coat. It was nice seeing you, take care.”

Creak-

“Where are you going?”

Tae-kyung called out to Jang Deuk-chil, who was turning around.

“Are you not going to work at our hospital?”

“Work! You’re telling me to work here?”

Jang Deuk-chil, who had been coolly saying goodbye and walking towards the door, sat back down in his chair as if nothing had happened.

“I was thinking of giving Mr. Jang Deuk-chil a chance.”

“A chance?”

“Yes, a chance to live a normal life.”

To be honest, he wasn’t a pleasant person to meet.

Even at the time of the interview, Tae-kyung didn’t have Jang Deuk-chil in mind. But after hearing the whole story from the staff and watching the CCTV footage, he thought it might be a good idea to entrust Jang Deuk-chil with the security guard position.

He didn’t know what kind of mindset he had when he came for the interview, but it seemed like his words about wanting to live a normal life weren’t a lie.

At least Jang Deuk-chil wouldn’t run away halfway like someone else.

“Are you serious?”

“There are conditions, though.”

“Conditions?”

Tae-kyung quickly tapped on the keyboard and printed out a piece of paper, handing it to Jang Deuk-chil.

“Read it.”

“1. Use polite and respectful language. Do not use bad language towards patients and guardians, and respect medical staff.

2. Jang Deuk-chil cannot quit his job without Kim Tae-kyung’s permission.

3. Do not throw punches recklessly.

4. Do not carry weapons such as knives, cigarettes, lighters, etc.

5. From now on, live as Jang Deuk-chil, the security guard of our hospital, not Jang Deuk-chil, the gangster.”

“Not too difficult, right?”

“It’s not, but… does number 4 mean I have to quit smoking?”

“Why, can’t you do it?”

“What’s life anyway? I’ll do it. Where do I sign here?”

Jang Deuk-chil, who seemed to hesitate for a moment, wrote his name and signed at the end of the A4 paper.

“You just signed, so there’s no turning back now.”

“A man like Jang Deuk-chil doesn’t go back on his word.”

“As you can probably guess, hospital work won’t be easy. Especially our hospital, the working hours are long, and there are times when you’ll be practically living at the hospital.”

“That’s not a problem. Is room and board provided?”

“Of course. But why did you use the name Jang Hyeon-soo?”

“My mother said that if I used the name Deuk-chil with a face that looks like it’s running away, I’d really look like a gangster.”

“Your mother is hilarious. You’ve worked hard today. Let’s do well in the future.”

Tae-kyung, who got up from his chair, extended his hand towards Jang Deuk-chil.

Creak-

Jang Deuk-chil, who also got up, grabbed Tae-kyung’s hand and bowed his head, saying.

“Director Kim Tae-kyung, I will work hard.”

After Jang Deuk-chil left, Tae-kyung sent an email to Kim Cheol-gi, expressing his apologies.

-The security guard has been newly hired. The person you introduced was also good enough. However, we have hired someone who is more suitable for our hospital at the moment.

I’m sorry that you went to the trouble of recommending someone. You may or may not remember, but Mr. Jang Deuk-chil will be working with us as the security guard of our hospital.