Chapter 3: The Rebellious Patient
Ignoring the grumbling of the disgruntled old man, I waited anxiously for the surgery to conclude.
It had been 16 hours since Deputy Director Kim Yoon-seok was wheeled into the operating room when the hospital director and the lead surgeon entered with bright expressions.
“Chairman, the surgery just finished. Fortunately, it was a success.”
The word “success” nearly brought tears to my eyes.
The old man clapped his hands and got up from the bed.
“Thank goodness. You all worked so hard.”
“Thank you, doctor. Truly, thank you.”
When I shook the surgeon’s hand, I could feel how exhausted he was. His entire body seemed drained, and his hands trembled, likely from fatigue.
“No need to thank me. I was just doing my job.”
“Mr. Kim Yoon-seok has been moved to the recovery room. Thankfully, the internal damage was minimal, so his recovery should be swift. We’ll let you know when he’s ready for visitors.”
The surgeon was humble, while the hospital director took the credit. Their roles were clear.
“I’ll make sure to express my gratitude properly. You must be tired, so please get some rest.”
“Oh, Chairman, we haven’t contacted the patient’s family yet…”
“I’ve already taken care of it. His family should be on their way here by now.”
As the two men bowed and left the room, I let out a deep sigh.
“Isn’t it such a relief?”
“Yes, I almost carried a heavy burden on my shoulders for life.”
“Not for life, surely. Haha.”
“Sorry?”
“People tend to forget favors quickly but hold onto grudges for a long time. That’s human nature. You never forget the money you lent to a friend in need that wasn’t returned, but you can’t remember when or to whom you borrowed money that you spent.”
That might be true. But isn’t it also human to try to hold onto the memory of a favor so you don’t forget it?
The old man stopped his serious talk and started talking about drinking again.
“Can we have a drink now? What do you think?”
“Yes, we should celebrate the successful surgery. What would you like to drink?”
The old man smacked his lips and thought for a moment before clapping his hands lightly.
“We haven’t eaten anything today. Let’s have something hearty. How about chicken stew and a glass of makgeolli?”
“At the hospital, fried chicken is more fitting than stewed chicken.”
“Fried chicken?”
The old man looked displeased. Being older, he probably wasn’t keen on greasy food.
“Then let’s have both stew and fried chicken. But let’s keep the drink light with just a can of beer. Makgeolli is too heavy.”
I asked the staff outside the room to order the food. It took a while for the food to arrive, probably because of the chicken stew. It’s impressive they managed to find it past 10 PM.
When the fried chicken arrived, the old man blinked in surprise.
“What is this? Why is the fried chicken so dark?”
“It’s soy sauce marinated chicken. Haven’t you seen it before?”
“What kind of trickery is this with chicken? Did they dunk it in soy sauce?”
“It’s a delicacy. Would you like to try it?”
The old man waved his hand dismissively, not interested.
“No, you go ahead and enjoy it. I’ll stick with the stewed chicken.”
We toasted with a can of beer and started on our respective chickens. But as the savory aroma filled the room, the old man couldn’t resist his curiosity.
“Let me try one of those. The smell is quite something…”
I handed him a chicken wing with a smile, curious about his reaction. As expected, his expression changed as the salty flavor hit his taste buds.
Having avoided spicy food for health reasons, this must have been a new experience for him.
“Do-jun.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s switch.”
Of course.
The taste of chicken after a sip of beer is incomparable.
The old man’s expression had already transformed into that of a child.
“Don’t eat too much. It might upset your stomach.”
As I offered him the soy sauce chicken, the bowl of stew was pushed towards me.
As expected.
Stewed chicken and beer aren’t the best combination.
“Stop pretending to be hurt and just tell us the truth. Who put you up to this?”
“Who… who are you people?”
“We’re the victim’s family. Why?”
“Could it be… are they… are they dead?”
The truck driver turned pale under the pressure of the three men in suits.
“We don’t know yet. But there’s something we want to hear from you. Someone told you to crash the truck, right?”
“No, no. It was really an accident. I just dozed off after driving all night. Please believe me.”
“Whether we believe you or not is up to us. If you tell the truth, this ends here. But if we find even a hint of a lie, your life is over.”
The truck driver suddenly got off the bed and knelt on the floor.
“Please, have mercy. Work has been so scarce that I had to drive an empty truck. I was so frustrated that I drank half a bottle of soju with dinner. I was tipsy… I’ve committed a grave sin.”
The truck driver banged his head on the floor, tears streaming down his face.
Watching this scene in silence, Chief Lee Hak-jae quietly slipped out and spoke to the secretary following him.
“Keep pressing him. If you find anything, report it immediately.”
“Yes, Chief.”
The truck driver’s tearful plea seemed convincing, but doubts lingered. His words felt off.
“By the way, when someone causes an accident, don’t they usually ask if the victim is dead or badly hurt? Do they ask if they’re dead?”
“Well… maybe he was just being polite under pressure?”
“Is that so? Alright, go on.”
Leaving the bowing secretary behind, Lee Hak-jae headed to Chairman Jin’s hospital room.
“Have the family arrived?”
“Yes, Deputy Director Kim Yoon-seok’s wife and mother are here.”
“Make sure they’re comfortable and find them a good place to stay nearby.”
“I’ve booked a hotel for them and reserved a hospital room. I’ve also assigned a staff member to assist them.”
“Good job.”
Chairman Jin nodded, satisfied with Lee Hak-jae’s meticulous arrangements.
“But Chairman.”
“Yes?”
“I haven’t informed them about your condition yet. Perhaps we should tell them about the accident.”
Chairman Jin understood Lee Hak-jae’s intention.
“You want to gauge their reaction?”
“Yes. Someone will surely make a move if it wasn’t just an accident.”
“You don’t think it was a simple accident at all, do you?”
“Sorry, but wasn’t your move to the ICU also out of suspicion?”
Chairman Jin sighed softly, looking at the bowed Lee Hak-jae.
“Alright, I’ll dance to your tune. Do as you see fit. Thanks to you, it looks like I’ll be resting here for a few weeks.”
“I’ll inform Do-jun as well. He’s quick-witted and will understand.”
“Alright. In any case, I’ll be resting here, so make sure our kids don’t come barging in.”
“Yes, I’ll ensure you have no disturbances.”
The first to rush to the hospital was Do-jun’s father, Jin Yoon-ki. A father’s instinct to protect his child is undeniable.
“Brother!”
Jin Yoon-ki, pale with worry, spotted Lee Hak-jae blocking the ICU and ran over, shouting.
“Is Do-jun okay? Is he badly hurt?”
“Calm down. Do-jun is fine. He’s recovering, so just wait patiently.”
“And what about Father? He’s okay too, right?”
Seeing Lee Hak-jae hesitate to answer, Jin Yoon-ki’s face turned white.
“Yoon-ki! Chief Lee!”
The two people who arrived next were Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi and the second son, President Jin Dong-gi.
To prevent the hospital from becoming chaotic, Lee Hak-jae led the chairman’s sons outside. He explained the accident and the measures taken so far in detail, prompting Jin Yoon-ki to shout.
“But why did Father bring the kid all the way here?”
Only Jin Yoon-ki, who didn’t understand the significance of Gunsan, could ask such a question.
“Yoon-ki, that’s not important right now!”
When his older brother yelled, Jin Yoon-ki’s face turned red. Right now, their father’s safety was more important.
“The chairman is in the recovery room after surgery. The doctors say we’ll know more in about a day.”
Lee Hak-jae watched the expressions of the two sons closely, missing nothing.
“We can’t just sit around in this rural hospital. Let’s move him. Call all the top doctors from Sunyang Medical Center…”
“Vice Chairman, we need to wait. Any shock could be dangerous. We’ll move him to Seoul once he’s stable.”
“So we just sit here twiddling our thumbs?”
Unlike the agitated Jin Young-gi, Jin Dong-gi spoke calmly.
“Chief Lee, what do the doctors say? What’s their opinion?”
“They can’t guarantee anything. We have to wait and see for 48 hours.”
The three sons sighed, their faces clouded with worry.
Lee Hak-jae’s eyes darted around, observing their expressions and even the slightest movements of their fingers.
“Chief Lee, why didn’t you report this immediately upon receiving the news? How can we, his children, only find out half a day later?”
Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi, his face flushed with anger, demanded answers, but Lee Hak-jae remained composed.
“It was the chairman’s directive. I was following the protocol for when something happens to him. I apologize if you felt slighted.”
With nothing more to say to the deferential Lee Hak-jae, the vice chairman swallowed his frustration.
“By the way, how’s Do-jun?”
Whether to change the awkward atmosphere or out of genuine concern, President Jin Dong-gi inquired about his younger brother.
“Do-jun is fine. He’s recovering.”
“Then please continue with your duties. Report any developments immediately.”
With a particular emphasis on the word “report,” Lee Hak-jae stepped into the hospital, leaving Jin Young-gi, the vice chairman, glaring disapprovingly at his back.
When Lee returned to Chairman Jin’s hospital room, the staff member standing guard at the door informed him, “Director, the chairman isn’t here right now.”
“What? Where did he go?”
“He needed to undergo some additional tests. Please follow me, I’ll show you the way.”
Lee trailed behind the staff member, eventually arriving at the MRI examination room.
“Ah, Director Lee,” the hospital director said, stepping out into the hallway upon spotting him.
“Is something wrong? Should I be concerned?”
“No, it’s nothing to worry about. There was something questionable in the CT results, so we’re just double-checking. The chairman agreed to it without any hesitation.”
“So, it’s nothing serious?”
“Exactly. We’re just being thorough, just in case.”
Lee let out a sigh of relief, but the hospital director’s expression remained somewhat somber.
“It seems the family has arrived?”
“I’ll handle them, so the hospital should remain quiet. Oh, and if you check on the chairman’s condition, please stick to what we discussed.”
“Of course. The chairman has already mentioned it, so I’ll trust and proceed as planned. Just ensure there are no issues later on.”
At that moment, Chairman Jin emerged from the examination room.
“I heard the kids are here?”
“Yes, they’re all quite worried.”
“As expected. Though, I’m sure each has their own reasons for worrying.”
Chairman Jin chuckled softly, and Lee gave him a subtle look, reminding him of the many ears around them.
“Let’s go. We’ll talk in the room.”
“Yes, sir.”
As the two turned to leave, the hospital director called after them, “I’ll come see you as soon as the results are ready.”
Without looking back, Chairman Jin raised a hand in a casual wave.