[101] The Rogue Patient 1
As I clung to the last threads of consciousness, my mind was filled with nothing but frustration.
I couldn’t even remember the exact year Jin Do-jun died. I thought he was twenty, but was he not?
And I was furious at the divine plan that cut short my second chance at life to just ten years. It felt like a cruel joke.
There was more.
I had just prepared for a long battle, but I couldn’t even start. Thinking about the money piled up in my account made me feel even more wronged. Or was I already dying?
Most of all, I was bitter that I couldn’t bring the Jin family to their knees before me.
Damn it.
What kind of life is this, where both deaths are so unjust and filled with resentment?
“Are you conscious?”
A bright light made it hard to open my eyes.
The snapping sound near my ear.
Was I alive? Or had I just come out of major surgery and was still hovering between life and death?
But I felt the jolt of movement. And the blurry shapes in my vision weren’t unfamiliar.
It was just like what I’d seen on TV or in movies.
An ambulance?
“Ha… Grandfa…”
I needed to tell them. If I revealed the identity of the Sunyang Group chairman, maybe they’d pay more attention.
“Ah… don’t… speak. …It’s okay…”
I couldn’t hear clearly over the ringing in my ears. Did they mean it was okay?
“Su… Sunyang… Group…”
“What? Sunyang Group?”
“The, the chairman… is here.”
I lost consciousness again.
“Hey! Did he just say Sunyang Group chairman?”
“Yeah. That old man looked familiar for some reason.”
The paramedics exchanged glances and quickly pulled out their phones.
“How’s the patient?”
“That old man might be the Sunyang Group chairman. Check carefully.”
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end, followed by an exasperated sigh.
“I’ll contact the hospital, so keep a close eye on his condition. If something goes wrong, our lives are on the line too.”
With a mix of regret, anxiety, worry, and fear, the ambulances sped towards Chungnam Gongju Medical Center.
The medical staff waiting outside the emergency room looked visibly troubled when they saw the condition of the patient being brought in.
“His breathing is faint, and there’s severe bleeding. It looks like everything below his chest is crushed. His pelvis too…”
“Got it. Let’s move quickly.”
Even before the doctor finished speaking, the medical team rushed towards the operating room with all their might.
A hospital staff member who didn’t run to the operating room spoke to the paramedics.
“What about the condition of the other patients following?”
“Two are in good condition, and two are worse off. But none are in critical condition.”
“Understood. Thank you for your hard work.”
A sigh of relief escaped, knowing that saving the severely injured patient who just entered the operating room was all that mattered.
When I regained consciousness, the bright fluorescent lights made it hard to open my eyes.
I wasn’t dead.
No, surprisingly, I felt fine. What had happened?
I had no way of knowing what had occurred while talking to my grandfather, except that it was a car accident.
Once my eyes adjusted to the bright lights, I examined my body first. There was only an IV drip hanging beside me.
My body ached all over, with large bandages stuck on like patches.
“Ah, you’re awake?”
A nurse with a bright smile full of warmth touched my forehead, wrist, and neck.
Soon, a doctor in a white coat appeared, shining a flashlight into my eyes.
“Just follow my finger with your eyes.”
I swatted away the doctor’s moving finger with my hand.
“What about my grandfather? Is he badly hurt? How is he?”
“Seems like you’re fine.”
The doctor turned off the flashlight and put it in his coat pocket.
“Is the person who came with you your grandfather?”
“Yes.”
“He’s fine too. He should wake up soon. Out of the five people involved in the accident, only one is in surgery. Don’t worry too much.”
Five? How many cars were involved in the accident?
Setting aside my curiosity, I needed to handle the urgent matters first.
“Doctor, my grandfather is the chairman of Sunyang Group. Please take measures before the hospital gets noisy.”
“Measures?”
“Yes.”
The doctor frowned.
“So what if he’s the Sunyang Group chairman? Why should a minor car accident warrant special treatment? We need to call the police and figure out the accident details. This is a provincial national medical center; we don’t have VIP suites.”
The doctor seemed to misunderstand my words, thinking I was asking for special treatment for the privileged.
“I’m not asking for VIP treatment. When he wakes up, he’ll look for me first, so I need to be by his side. And… never mind. It can’t be helped anyway… Thank you, doctor.”
The doctor signaled to the nurses, who drew the curtains and moved the bed.
“We’ll start with some tests.”
“Please give us a contact number for the guardian. We need to inform them about the accident…”
The nurses spoke in succession.
“That’s not possible right now. Let me meet my grandfather first.”
Informing the family about the accident should be left to my grandfather’s judgment. For ordinary people, it might be a given, but my grandfather’s car accident could shake the stock market in our country.
It must not leak unless it’s an official announcement.
“You’re quite stubborn… Alright. We’ll move you to the same room after the tests.”
As soon as Chairman Jin regained consciousness, he spoke to the nurse fiddling with the IV in his arm.
“Ah, miss, could you get me a phone…?”
“Oh, Grandpa, you’re awake. Just a moment. I’ll call the doctor…”
“Stop fussing and just give me a phone. Quickly!”
But the nurse ignored Chairman Jin’s words and smiled brightly.
“You need to rest now. The CT scan showed you’re fine, so just relax for a bit…”
“Come on, hurry!”
Startled by the thunderous command, she handed over the phone she had tucked in her back pocket. She had heard he was the Sunyang Group chairman… maybe it was true.
Chairman Jin struggled to remember a phone number, pressing buttons and hearing curt responses about wrong numbers several times before finally connecting with the right person.
“Yes, Chairman. I’ll take care of it immediately.”
I hadn’t expected a call from the chairman so early in the morning. And a car accident, no less. Cold sweat ran down my back, but thankfully, he wasn’t seriously injured, which was a relief.
After finishing the call with Chairman Jin, Chief Lee Hak-jae immediately started making calls.
“Select the top twenty veteran employees from Sunyang Security and send them to Chungnam Gongju Medical Center right away. I’ll be there first, so tell them to follow my instructions!”
“Find the director of Gongju Medical Center and connect them to my phone, quickly!”
Finally, he handled the most crucial directive.
“Commissioner, this is Lee Hak-jae from Sunyang.”
After making a few requests to the police commissioner, he got into the waiting car.
“We need to get to Gongju Medical Center quickly. Before we cross the Han River bridge, a police escort will join us. Drive as fast as you can.”
As they left Hannam-dong and approached the Banpo Bridge entrance, four motorcycles led the way, sirens blaring.
Director Yoo of Gongju Medical Center rushed to the hospital without even having breakfast.
For someone who had lived quietly in the provinces all his life, this was an extraordinary morning, like a bolt from the blue.
Who would have thought he’d ever speak with someone from the inner circle of Sunyang Group?
Even more shocking was the content of the call. The chairman of Sunyang Group, Jin Yang-cheol, the richest man in Korea, had been brought to his hospital’s emergency room.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Director Yoo immediately gathered all the medical staff involved in handling the morning’s accident, except those in the operating room.
“Everyone, keep your mouths shut. If this leaks, the hospital will be in chaos. Reporters will swarm, and TV cameras might show up. Sunyang Group has asked us to keep this absolutely confidential. They’ve assured us they won’t cause us any trouble, so keep that in mind. I trust you all understand.”
After ensuring the staff would keep quiet, he rushed to the hospital room.
“Chairman, are you feeling alright? Is there any discomfort?”
Chairman Jin nodded at Director Yoo, who greeted him with utmost respect.
“Sorry for causing such a fuss this morning. The doctors say I’m fine, so I must be. But I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“Have you ensured the hospital staff will keep quiet?”
“Yes, I’ve made sure they will remain silent.”
“Thank you. Soon, my staff and my children will be rushing here.”
“You’ve already contacted them? We should have done that…”
“No, it doesn’t matter who does it as long as it gets done, right?”
“Yes. And I heard your grandson wasn’t seriously injured either. He’s undergoing a few tests now, but we’ll bring him here as soon as they’re done.”
“I heard. But listen, I know it’s a lot to ask, but could you move my grandson and me to the ICU?”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll explain later, but let’s say we both were seriously injured. We had surgery, and the results are pending, something like that.”
Chairman Jin chuckled and winked playfully.
“The first person to arrive will probably be my Chief Lee Hak-jae.”
“Ah, yes. I received a call from him too.”
“Good. He’ll explain everything in detail, so please do as I ask. I’ll make sure to repay you.”
“No need for repayment. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you. Oh, and when Chief Lee arrives, please let him into the room discreetly.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Director Yoo decided not to ponder why such a request was made.
He could only hope that this chaos would end quietly and smoothly, allowing him to return to his peaceful routine as soon as possible.
“Grandpa!”
“Oh, my dear child. Are you alright? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“Just a few scratches, that’s all. What about you, Grandpa?”
“The doctor said I’m fine. Seeing you in one piece is a relief. Ha ha.”
Grandpa held my hand tightly and gently stroked my cheek.
“But why are we in the ICU…?”
“Let’s just stay here quietly for a few days. I’ve taken care of everything, so try to forget about the accident.”
“But I heard there was someone seriously injured. What if it’s the driver?”
“Don’t get worked up. It’s not good for you. I’ll handle everything. They’re in surgery now, so let’s wait.”
“Okay.”
It’s truly a blessing. I survived, and Grandpa is unharmed. The heavens haven’t taken away the chance they gave me.
For a while, we just exchanged silent glances.
I remembered how I instinctively shielded Grandpa during the accident. It wasn’t a calculated move. I realized that my act of being the dutiful grandson to seize control of Sunyang was long over.
This man is my grandfather, and I am his grandson.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Only now do I understand my own heart.
As I fought back tears, a knock on the door interrupted, and the hospital director entered.
“Am I disturbing your rest?”
“Not at all. Come in.”
The director cautiously handed over a blood-stained ID and a business card, observing us carefully.
“We found the wallet of the person currently in surgery. These were inside… I thought you might recognize them.”
I froze when I saw the name on the blood-stained card. It was more shocking than the accident itself.
“Yun-seok Kim, Deputy Manager, Sunyang Group Strategy Office.”