Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 99

99. Our Hospital

Monday.

The staff of our hospital, having survived another hectic weekend, trickled in for work.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Lee.”

“I wish I could say hello, but I can’t.”

“Why? Didn’t you sleep well?”

“Ms. Soo, look at this! My dark circles are practically dragging on the floor.”

Lee Chan-hee, still smarting from his on-call duty, felt utterly put-upon.

“It seems the dark circles are still lingering from Saturday’s on-call duty.”

“Let’s see? I don’t see any dark circles. Do you see them, Mr. Jung?”

“No, I don’t see any either.”

“Please, both of you, take a good look!”

“There aren’t any.”

Choi Mona, who had arrived in the meantime, offered a curt reply.

“Ms. Choi, you’re here?”

“Yes, everyone have a good Monday.”

“Hey! Choi Mona, if you heard how much I suffered on Saturday, you’d be shocked!”

“Not really. I’ll head in first.”

“Ms. Choi, let’s go together.”

Lee Chan-hee trailed after Choi Mona, who coolly ignored him and headed for the doctor’s office.

“Ms. Soo, Mr. Jung, did you see that just now? I think the sun rose in the west this morning.”

“Huh? Why are you suddenly talking about the sun?”

“I know, right? What’s up with Ms. Choi?”

A receptionist, watching Choi Mona’s retreating back, chimed in, “Just now, when she greeted us, Ms. Choi actually said, ‘Have a good Monday.'”

“So what?”

“What do you mean, ‘So what?’ Ms. Choi, the Ice Queen, would never say something like that.”

That’s right. Choi Mona, of all people, was the least likely to utter such a greeting.

“Oh my, that’s true.”

“It really is.”

Come to think of it, even with the child patient who had burns over the weekend, Choi Mona’s words and actions had been subtly shifting recently.

“The power of love is amazing. She must have gotten a boyfriend.”

“What! A boyfriend?”

“Huh? Ms. Choi has a boyfriend?” Ui-jin asked, reacting strongly.

“Yes, I’m certain she has a boyfriend.”

The staff member, who had been pondering Choi Mona’s transformation, jumped to the conclusion that she was in love.

“I usually have a great sense for these things. Usually, in cases like this, it’s 100% because they have a lover.”

“Your intuition is off this time. It’s not that.”

“It’s not? That can’t be. Then why is Ms. Choi acting like that?”

“Hello.”

While the two were gossiping about Choi Mona, a new face announced his arrival on his first day at our hospital.

“Ms. Soo, that person came… I mean, is here.”

The staff members who had witnessed Jang Deuk-chil subduing the thugs greeted him politely, almost instinctively.

“Ah, hello.”

“Why is everyone so nervous? Welcome! I didn’t even get to properly thank you that day because I was so busy. Thank you for your help.”

“It’s nothing. No need to thank me. By the way, I was wondering if I could get my lighter back that I left that day.”

“Why? Are you going to smoke again?”

“No. I’m quitting smoking.”

“Then I’ll give it to you when you succeed in quitting. Is that okay?”

“S-sure.”

“Our Agent Jang is here.”

Team Leader Choi, emerging from Tae-kyung’s office, greeted Jang Deuk-chil with a smile.

“Starting on the first day seems a bit sudden, is it okay?”

“It’s fine. I’m just wasting time anyway.”

“That’s a relief. Okay! Everyone, please gather in the doctor’s office for a moment. Agent Jang, follow me.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

* * *

Click-

“Did everyone have a good weekend?”

As Tae-kyung entered the doctor’s office with a cheerful greeting, the staff responded.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Director.”

“Ms. Choi, look at the director’s face.”

Lee Chan-hee, standing in the middle, gestured towards Tae-kyung as he entered.

“Is that even possible?”

“What is?”

“He was on call all weekend, but how can his face look so fresh?”

Lee Chan-hee was perpetually envious of Tae-kyung’s tireless energy, as if he practically lived at the hospital.

“I’m dying after just one day on Saturday. He’s a real monster.”

“Mr. Lee?”

“Yes, Director!”

“The monster can hear everything, so shut your mouth.”

“Yes. I’ll keep it tightly shut.”

“I called you all here briefly because there are a few things to go over before the clinic opens. First of all, everyone worked hard this weekend, which was especially busy.”

“The director worked the hardest.”

“Actually, the main reason we gathered is because of Hwang Seok-ho’s mother.”

“Ah! Hwang Seok-ho’s mother.”

“His mother came again today…”

The staff began to stir slightly at the mention of ‘Hwang Seok-ho’.

A few weeks ago, a CRPS [Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, a chronic pain condition] patient was rushed to the emergency room after attempting suicide due to severe depression.

It was the story of the now-deceased Hwang Seok-ho. And exactly one week later, the deceased’s mother had begun visiting the hospital continuously until today.

Hwang Seok-ho’s mother always stayed at the hospital for a certain amount of time, and during that time, she performed various small tasks.

Wiping dust off picture frames, guiding patients, picking up trash in the hospital yard, and so on. She voluntarily did quite a lot of work.

Hospital staff who knew about Hwang Seok-ho’s situation were initially uncomfortable with her presence. But Tae-kyung treated her with ease, as if nothing had happened.

‘Hello. Ms. Seok-ho.’

‘Hello. Doctor. The weather is very nice today.’

The hospital staff gradually grew accustomed to this, and no one felt uneasy around Hwang Seok-ho’s mother.

‘Excuse me, Doctor. Do you have a moment?’

And yesterday, Hwang Seok-ho’s mother revealed to Tae-kyung the reason behind her visits, which everyone had been wondering about.

‘Doctor. I’m sure the staff and everyone else have been inconvenienced because of me, right?’

‘No. The staff were all worried about Ms. Seok-ho, not inconvenienced.’

‘As you may have noticed, Doctor, I like coming to the hospital. When I come here, I can remember our beloved Seok-ho’s complete self.’

Hwang Seok-ho’s mother was reminiscing about her son at our hospital.

This was because her son’s normal appearance, before the constant pain and suffering, with his intact hands and feet and sleeping comfortably, remained imprinted here.

Her son’s name, which no one in the world except her husband and herself even remembered, was called several times a day here. That was very comforting.

The symptoms of depression that had started immediately after her son’s death also began to subside after coming to the hospital.

As his wife, who had only been crying at home, gradually brightened up, her husband encouraged her to go to the hospital.

‘Doctor. That’s why I’m asking you this. Can I continue to volunteer at the hospital like this? I’m begging you.’

‘Ms. Seok-ho. That’s not possible.’

‘Yes? I guess so. I was only thinking about myself. I’ve lived as a housewife all my life, and it was nice to be a little helpful to someone… Thank you for everything.’

‘No. Ms. Seok-ho. It’s not that I’m saying you can’t work for free anymore.’

‘Free?’

‘I’ve been thinking about it, how about working part-time at our hospital?’

‘Work? Really?’

‘Yes, work here.’

Tae-kyung offered her a job so that she could continue to remember her son while contributing to the hospital, without feeling like a burden.

It wasn’t just offering a job out of pity. She was so capable and helpful to the staff that he had been considering it for a while and finally made the decision.

‘But if it’s too hard or you want to quit, don’t push yourself and feel free to tell me anytime.’

‘I will. Thank you so much.’

There were already times when they were short-staffed when patients flooded in, so he had been thinking of hiring a new employee. But hiring a full-time employee felt excessive, and Hwang Seok-ho’s mother was the perfect solution.

“That’s how Hwang Seok-ho’s mother came to work part-time at our hospital.”

Tae-kyung explained the situation and informed the staff of the facts.

“That’s great.”

“She said she only did housework, but she’s really good at her job.”

“And I’d like to introduce one more person. Jang Deuk-chil, who will be working with us as a security guard from today. Please come out and introduce yourself.”

At Tae-kyung’s summons, Jang Deuk-chil, who had been standing at the very back, stepped forward.

“Jang Deuk-chil? Wasn’t it Jang Hyun-soo?”

“I thought so too. That’s what I knew.”

Team Leader Choi and the staff were puzzled by the different name from the interview.

“Hello. I used the pseudonym Jang Hyun-soo when I interviewed, but my real name is Jang Deuk-chil.”

“Agent Jang, why did you use a pseudonym?”

“Well, my mother told me to use a pseudonym because my face is scary and my name is scary too.”

“Wow, your real name and face are a perfect match! Ah! I’m sorry.”

Lee Chan-hee, who had inadvertently blurted out his true feelings, quickly apologized when he met Jang Deuk-chil’s gaze.

“Please take care of me.”

“Lastly, the police station called and said that there’s a group of people who are maliciously obtaining prescriptions for Fentanyl patches [a powerful opioid painkiller] these days. If anyone comes asking for a prescription, please let me know immediately.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Let’s all have a good day today.”

With Tae-kyung’s encouragement, the staff moved to their respective positions to greet patients.

* * *

“Oh my! Isn’t that Seri Sera over there?”

“That’s them! They said on their live stream yesterday that they were filming a documentary in our neighborhood. Awesome!”

“Hey, let’s ask them to take a picture with us.”

Two women walking in the park cautiously approached the YouTubers they followed.

“Excuse me, are you Seri Sera? Can we take a picture with you?”

“Yes, of course! Seri, Sera, should we take a picture with these sisters?”

“Okay.”

“Yes.”

“One, two, three.”

Click-

“Thank you! Good luck with your filming.”

“Seri, Sera, bye!”

“Bye, sisters! Goodbye.”

“Seri really has a bubbly personality.”

“Writer Han is right. Seeing them in person, the two friends’ personalities are completely opposite from what you see on YouTube.”

The PD [Producer] and writer in charge of filming asked Do Han-yeon, the children’s mother, with a hint of surprise.

“It seems that Sera’s autistic tendencies make the personality difference with Seri even more pronounced.”

Do Han-yeon calmly replied, as if she had anticipated it, subtly using Sera’s condition as an explanation.

“Ah, that’s right. With those tendencies, they tend to inhabit their own world, so they’re quieter.”

“Seri takes such good care of her sister. It’s not easy to do that.”

“Exactly. She’s always right next to Sera; she’s a total sister-lover.”

“I also have two daughters, and they fight whenever they make eye contact, so my wife is having a hard time.”

“That’s how it is for everyone. But Seri seems to feel she has to protect her because she’s bigger than her sister.”

“Oh my goodness! How admirable.”

“Mom~! Mom?”

Seri, who had been looking at a book with Sera next to the bench where the adults were sitting, urgently called out to Do Han-yeon.

“Oh, Seri, what’s wrong?”

“Mom, my stomach is starting to hurt again.”

“Again? You took medicine this morning and were fine… Why did you eat ice cream earlier? Do you need to go to the bathroom?”

“No. Not the bathroom, but my stomach hurts. It was bearable earlier, but now it hurts more and more.”

“I think we should go to the hospital.”

Sera, who had been sitting still like a doll, perked up her ears at the word ‘hospital.’

“Instead of that, let’s go in our car. Director, is that okay?”

“Of course. Anyway, we got good shots of the kids playing in the park, and the kids’ health is more important than filming, so let’s go to the hospital first.”

“Actually, Sera has been saying her stomach hurts since yesterday. I was planning to go after filming, but thank you.”

“Let’s get in the car, princesses.”

Do Han-yeon held Seri and Sera’s hands tightly and helped them into the filming car.

“Which hospital should we go to?”

“If you type ‘Our Hospital’ into the navigation, it will come up. It’s nearby, so it won’t take long.”

“Ah! It’s here. Our Hospital. It’ll take 20 minutes. Let’s go.”

The car carrying Sera left the park parking lot and headed to Our Hospital.