Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 96

96. Medical Malpractice

And he hurled a sharp cry at her brazen face.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

The female doctor, taken aback by the unexpected rebuke, widened her eyes and flinched.

“Are you even a doctor?”

“……!”

“You should have some shame. If you’re going to act like this, just don’t come at all. If the surgery is over, you should ask about the patient’s well-being first. What are you doing in front of the guardian [legal term for a person appointed to manage the affairs of another]?”

Having heard Tae-kyung’s fiery shout, the female doctor finally grasped the situation.

Of course, it wasn’t an understanding that she felt her own mistake.

As soon as she heard the word ‘guardian,’ she realized her own foolishness in asking so blatantly next to the real guardian.

‘I should have asked more quietly. The guardian is going to nitpick.’

Looking at the guardian glaring at her with tearful eyes, the female doctor turned her head uncomfortably.

Tae-kyung, who had been watching the scene with a dumbfounded expression, added a word in disbelief.

“Let’s not embarrass each other as doctors. Okay!”

“Y-Your words are a bit harsh.”

“Harsh? Isn’t what you’re saying and doing harsh? Did you trade your conscience for *yeot* [Korean taffy, often used metaphorically for something easily bartered away]?”

It was anger that Tae-kyung wouldn’t normally show.

“And don’t come if you’re going to ask something like this. Just follow the formal procedures. It looks like you’ve already hired a lawyer.”

Tae-kyung snorted and walked towards where the guardian was.

“…….”

The female doctor stood there, staring at Tae-kyung passing by like a mute who had swallowed honey [unable to speak].

“Doctor, my mother’s surgery…….”

“You were very worried, right? The surgery went well.”

“Ah! I was worried because she’s old, but thank you so much.”

Tae-kyung then spent about 10 minutes explaining the detailed surgery and future schedule to the guardian, and left the guardian waiting room with Lee Chan-hee.

“I was surprised to see you get angry earlier, Doctor.”

“Angry? I wasn’t angry. What are you talking about?”

“Yes? But you were clearly shouting earlier.”

“Ah, that? I did that on purpose.”

“On purpose?”

“Yeah, to make her come to her senses. To remind her that she’s a doctor. In that kind of situation, you have to say what needs to be said, even to a senior doctor. I think that’s the proper etiquette. Both to the senior doctor and to the guardian.”

“Etiquette…….”

“And today……. What. Where did he go?”

Tae-kyung, who was walking while talking, felt that the seat next to him was empty.

“What are you doing not coming over here?”

Looking back, Lee Chan-hee, who was standing still about two meters away, smiled at Tae-kyung.

“What’s with that creepy smile?”

“Doctor, really. How can you say it’s creepy? How should I put it? You could say my heart was briefly overwhelmed with respect and admiration for you.”

Seeing his mouth come alive with the frivolous sound, Tae-kyung could tell that Lee Chan-hee’s surprised heart and tension had completely dissipated.

“Cool judgment! A heart for the patient! Wonderful personality! And even excellent skills. How can I become like you, Doctor?”

“Are you in a speech contest? Stop saying embarrassing things.”

“I really want to be like you.”

“Do you want to know the secret?”

“Is there a secret?”

“Of course, first, review the surgery you just did twice.”

“T-Twice……!”

“And do the night shift today. That’s the secret.”

“Night shift? No. Wait a minute.”

Lee Chan-hee, suddenly struck by a thunderbolt, stopped walking and blocked Tae-kyung’s path.

“Doctor, you know. I don’t even watch my favorite movies twice. I’ve only seen the Batman series, which I love, once each.”

“Stop talking nonsense. Get out of the way.”

“I’m not talking nonsense, I’m telling you that reviewing the notes twice is impossible.”

“You were so surprised today that you couldn’t even concentrate properly during the surgery.”

“What are you talking about? It’s true that I was surprised, but I was focused.”

“Really? Then tell me how many sutures I did during today’s surgery and how many irrigations I did in total.”

“……Yes?”

“See? You can’t answer. You can’t come to your senses because I’ve been letting you off the hook lately, can you?”

It wasn’t a stretch. Normally, Lee Chan-hee would have answered that question immediately.

It wasn’t just because of today’s patient, but because Lee Chan-hee had been in a slightly excited mood lately, so he was just wielding the whip [asserting authority].

“No complaints, right?”

“I think I’ll say I don’t have any complaints because it seems like there will be more trouble if I do.”

“Of course.”

“But I’m not on night duty today, am I?”

“You have to do the night shift because so many patients came because of you.”

“No, Doctor, what kind of forced logic is that?”

“You sang a song for rain and it rained, and thanks to that, many patients came, so you have to do the night shift. Isn’t that right?”

Night duty on the weekend.

Lee Chan-hee didn’t want to admit that something he really didn’t want to think about had happened.

“Please just let me off the night shift……. Just once.”

“No way.”

“You’re here anyway, Doctor.”

“It’s good to have an extra hand on the weekend.”

“And Choi is on night duty, right?”

“That’s great. It would be nice if we all did the night shift together.”

“Doctor!!”

Despite Lee Chan-hee’s desperate cry, Tae-kyung’s decision did not waver.

* * *

In the waiting room where Tae-kyung and Lee Chan-hee came out, the guardian was talking with the doctor in question.

“I called several times saying it was strange, but you said it would be okay, that it could happen because she’s old, right?”

“Yes, it seems like that…….”

“If you had taken appropriate measures at that time, my mother wouldn’t have come to the emergency room tonight in so much pain and wouldn’t have had surgery.”

“I fully understand the guardian’s feelings.”

Unlike the words that he fully understood the situation, the doctor had not apologized even once.

‘How many times are you going to say the same thing? It’s boring!’

He was just waiting for the boring complaints that had been going on for over 10 minutes to end quickly.

He wanted to refute point by point, but he didn’t open his mouth easily in case he made a mistake.

“Understand? Would you understand this situation if you were the doctor? My mother could have died if I had made a mistake.”

“But your mother’s surgery went well, so she’s okay…….”

“What! How can you not even say you’re sorry once?”

The guardian was dumbfounded at how shameless a doctor could be.

After seeing Tae-kyung, she was even more angry at the clear difference in attitude and the way he treated patients as a fellow doctor.

“I’m not a doctor or anything like you, I’m just an ordinary person, so I don’t know anything about the professional stuff you do. But if someone does something wrong, shouldn’t they apologize first? And I clearly asked you several times, right? My mother is old, is it okay to have an endoscopy? But you said it was okay, that everyone does it, and not to worry.”

“It’s true that I did it. But. Guardian. Excuse me, but I don’t think you should blame me entirely.”

“…….”

The guardian, who had only wanted a sincere apology, was momentarily speechless at the doctor’s arrogant attitude.

“Is that what you should be saying now?”

“Actually, the patient’s stomach wall was originally weak because she was so old.”

At that moment, when the extreme shamelessness continued,

“Ah!”

With a short scream, the doctor’s head was quickly thrown back.

“Who is it! Is it this woman?”

A middle-aged woman, who was quite tall, came in and grabbed the doctor’s hair.

“What are you doing?”

“Hey! Are you the doctor who almost killed my mom?”

“Hey, Mi-hee?”

The guardian’s younger sister, who had received a call and came, couldn’t hold back her anger and rushed in.

“Sister, is this the woman?”

“Can’t you let go of this? Let go quickly.”

The doctor, who had been acting all high and mighty, didn’t know what to do and raised her voice when her hair was grabbed.

“Oh. I can’t let go. What are you going to do?”

“Mi-hee, talk to her.”

“I heard this thing hasn’t even apologized yet? That’s why I told you not to go to that hospital, right? The neighborhood is full of rumors that this person is not good.”

“Not good? You can be sued for spreading such false rumors.”

“You’re making people die and you’re talking about suing me.”

“Stop it and let go and talk.”

At her sister’s continued persuasion, the younger sister reluctantly let go of the hair she was holding and faced the doctor.

“Oh my, my hair!”

“Hey! You apologize quickly. Then we’ll let it go quietly.”

“Apologize! You pulled out my hair and spread rumors, what apology are you talking about? You should apologize to me!”

“Sister, did you hear everything? This woman’s talking. My mom almost died because of you!”

“Why are you blaming me for your mother’s old age? You wait and see. I’m going to sue you for defamation.”

“Defamation? Go ahead! I can sue you for medical malpractice. Instead, you should be punished for hurting my mom.”

“Oh my, Mi-hee! Hey, Mi-hee, no!”

With the guardian’s dissuasion, a sound of slapping rang out, and the doctor, who had been slapped on the cheek, collapsed to the floor.

The slap from a high school volleyball player was different.

“……!”

The doctor, who was so hurt and surprised by the sudden blow, was speechless as she grabbed her cheek.

“How is it? Does it hurt? My mom was in more pain earlier. Let’s call it even. Let’s go, sister.”

“Hey, you can’t just hit people like that. What if they really sue you?”

“They can’t sue me. I heard that woman had her hair pulled out in a similar incident a few years ago and changed her sign and opened up in our neighborhood.”

The sisters made a deal with the doctor and left the waiting room, heading to their mother while continuing their conversation.

“Really? No wonder she was so shameless. But is that woman okay?”

“Sister, are you worried about that woman?”

“Isn’t your hand a normal hand? It’s the hand you used to spike with.”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t give it my all. Did Mom’s surgery go well?”

“Yes. The director here did a great job. The doctor was so gentle.”

“That’s why you have to look carefully at the hospital and the doctor.”

* * *

Tae-kyung, who had finished the surgery, made rounds of the ward without a break.

“How are you feeling?”

“Doctor. You’re here again.”

When he entered Lee Go-cheol’s room, who was hospitalized after surgery, his wife, Phuong, greeted him with a happy face.

“I’m all good. Doctor.”

“Is there anything uncomfortable or painful?”

“Husband always same. Condition very good.”

“You heard this person, right? I wonder if he’s even the patient I operated on. But why do you make so many rounds, Doctor?”

If you were to pick the busiest person in our hospital, it would definitely be Tae-kyung. But he made rounds not only three times a day, morning, lunch, and dinner, but also in the early morning.

Lee Go-cheol was very amazed and impressed by Tae-kyung.

“I do it whenever I have time. And there are times when I can’t come when I’m busy.”

“You haven’t missed a single time yet, though?”

“Is that so? But if I make a lot of rounds, the patients like it. Lee Go-cheol, do you not like it?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it. I like it too. I’m just saying it because I’m worried that you’re having a hard time.”

“That’s right! Doctor must be very tired. Live while resting a bit.”

“Doctor, take good care of your health too. That way, you can fix a lot of people like me.”

“That’s true. But. I don’t think that’s what I should be hearing from a patient who’s hospitalized?”

“That’s also true. Hahaha!”

“I’m taking good care of my health too. Do you have any questions?”

“When will I be discharged? I want to be discharged quickly because of this person.”

“I’m fine. Worry about yourself, husband.”

“The surgery is going well and the calcium level is normal, so I’ll keep taking calcium supplements for a while and watch for a few more days before discharging you. And I’ll start chemotherapy after that.”

“I can wait happily for a few days. Thank you.”

“Yes, then rest.”

* * *

“Then I’ll adjust it as you said earlier, Doctor.”

“Okay, please.”

“Doctor?”

Tae-kyung, who had finished his rounds after delivering the last message to the station, was heading to the stairs when someone called him.

“Chief Doctor?”

Turning his head at the familiar voice and looking down, Woo-jin was standing there.

“Oh, our Woo-jin. I saw you earlier, but why? Do you have something to say to the doctor?”

“Yes, Chief Doctor.”

After asking his dad about the director’s intentions, Woo-jin had been calling Tae-kyung Chief Doctor ever since he heard that.

“What is it?”

Tae-kyung, who knelt down on one knee and matched his eye level with the child, asked with endlessly warm eyes.

“Okay, what does our Woo-jin have to say to the doctor?”

All the hospitalized patients were precious and worried him, but the hospitalized children were the most concerning.

It broke his heart that they were sick and in the hospital when they should be playing with their mothers and having fun with their peers.

So, when Tae-kyung was with children, he would automatically show a fatherly smile, even though he was a bachelor.

“Please help me?”

“What can the doctor help you with?”

“There are two things.”

“There are two? Then shall we say them one by one?”

“First, this.”

Woo-jin held out a yellow Lemona plastic box containing vitamin C powder.

“Are you giving this to the doctor?”

“No……. This isn’t for the Chief Doctor, it’s to give to someone.”

“Ah! To give to someone?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Okay, who should I give it to…… Ugh!”

Tae-kyung accidentally burst into laughter when he turned the box over without thinking.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Because there was a phrase written that he had never expected.