Let Us Not Get Sick Again (1)

The next day was bustling from early morning.

In the morning, movers came and started packing items marked as important, and most of the old items, including furniture, were discarded.

Since we had already prepared furniture, beds, and electronic devices for the country house in Yangpyeong, we only moved my parents’ albums, books, and necessary items. So, very few belongings were loaded into the car.

The packing that started in the morning was finished in just an hour, and the vehicle set off for Yangpyeong. By now, my aunt was probably waiting at the Yangpyeong house.

After taking time to clean thoroughly, I headed to the Korean hospital.

As soon as I entered the hospital lobby, Attorney Noh Ji-soo, whom I met yesterday, approached me.

Also, four women dressed in outfits that clearly indicated they were ‘bodyguards’ alternated between looking at their smartphones and me, cautiously approaching.

“Hello.”

As Attorney Noh Ji-soo, who approached first, extended his right hand for a handshake, one of the four female bodyguards cautiously spoke.

“Excuse me… Are you Mr. Kim Han?”

“Yes. Are you from Special One Guard?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Here are the contract and our credentials.”

“I’ll check them later. Shall we move first?”

“Yes.”

Our group of six moved silently, as if anticipating an upcoming battle.

“I would like to meet the attending doctor. I am the guardian of patient Kim Mina.”

“What? Oh, yes!”

The nurse, flustered by our intimidating presence, hurriedly made a phone call somewhere.

After about ten minutes, a man in a doctor’s coat was walking slowly towards us.

Attorney Noh Ji-soo found the sight unpleasant and kept clearing his throat.

The doctor, who had been leisurely dragging his slippers, suddenly quickened his pace, perhaps sensing the focused attention on him.

“Are you the guardian of patient Kim Mina?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Ah, yes. Currently, regarding Kim Mina’s condition–”

“That’s enough. I didn’t call you to find out about Mina’s condition. We’re requesting her discharge.”

“Yes… Then goodbye– what? What did you say?!”

With a shrill scream, the doctor jumped back, and Noh Ji-soo stared coldly as he spoke.

“Mina, who you’ve been treating like a lab rat, is being discharged. Is Korean difficult for you? Should I say it in English?”

“Th-that can’t be done!!”

“When a guardian says they want a discharge for their patient, you don’t say ‘no,’ ‘the patient is at risk,’ or ‘that can’t be done,’ as if she belongs to you.”

“That’s not what I mean…!”

I patted the short doctor’s shoulder, exuding a slight menace.

“Hey, doctor. Do you think I’m a joke? Do you think I’m easy because I’m young and seem clueless? That’s why I brought people who know a lot. Next to me is the senior attorney from the famous Go & Jang Law Firm, and the four beautiful women behind are renowned bodyguards.”

“Th-that’s…”

A human living comfortably on Earth, especially a doctor who only studied, would never have faced such a palpable threat. Terrified, he ended up wetting his pants.

However, to others, the doctor might have seemed strange. Suddenly getting angry and then wetting his pants?

The eyes of Attorney Noh Ji-soo sparkled as he observed the bizarre behavior of the doctor.
Wearing glasses he hadn’t worn yesterday, he adjusted them and glared at the doctor.

The nurses, bewildered by the absurd situation, fumbled around, hastily making phone calls and causing a commotion.

The guardians waiting near the intensive care unit began to murmur as they witnessed the series of events.

In an instant, the atmosphere turned chaotic, and more people started taking out their smartphones to record.

The doctor, unable to regain composure while looking at the yellow urine, unintentionally became a spectacle.

About five minutes later, a group of people wearing doctors’ gowns approached.

“What is this chaos?”

“Chaos? Chaos? I said I wanted a discharge, and this doctor here insisted I couldn’t, as if he owned my sister. And now he’s trembling and wetting himself? I definitely can’t leave Mina in a hospital with such a strange doctor, so I must discharge her.”

“What the?! Dr. Jung! Get a hold of yourself!!”

A doctor with white hair shook the shoulder of the urinating doctor, but the doctor named ‘Jung Dang-han’ could not regain his senses.

The doctor, clutching his forehead in frustration, glared at me.

“Are you suspecting our client now?”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Noh Ji-soo, the senior attorney for Go & Jang Law Firm for medical cases. As you can see from the CCTV footage, my client, Mr. Kim Han, did not cause any harm. Furthermore, we have evidence showing that a doctor with severe mental issues was assigned to the intensive care unit, so we will proceed with a formal lawsuit.”

“You’re from Go & Jang Law Firm?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Everything has been recorded from the moment we entered the hospital until now.”

“Ugh… Moving the patient now is extremely dangerous.”

“No, it isn’t. We’ve already completed all the necessary preparations for the transfer, and my client has agreed to cover all associated costs. Moreover, you haven’t even identified the cause of the illness, let alone the diagnosis, have you?”

“But…!”

“No more! I don’t want to argue about this any longer. You know there’s no legal issue with discharging the patient.”

“Ugh…”

If I had come alone, I wouldn’t have been able to have an argument so one-sided.

However, with the title and experience of a senior attorney from a large firm, Attorney Noh Ji-soo was able to unilaterally pressure the doctors, who were practically the authority at the hospital.

The hospital director was at a loss due to the unexpected situation.

Kim Mina was a very famous and valuable specimen among the hospital’s doctors.

Thanks to Kim Mina, the doctors at the Korean hospital received significant recognition and attention at conferences, and he himself began to gain fame at international conferences for supporting such research.

Kim Mina must be kept for the advancement of medicine.

Moreover, how dare they attempt to seize such an important specimen and intellectual property, disregarding all the care provided so far!!

“Absolutely not. Hey, you. Did you say you’re Mina’s brother?”

“Old man, do you know me? Or have we even met before? Why are you speaking informally to the guardian?”

As the hospital director urgently approached me, trying to speak informally, I responded in kind, causing him to stutter in confusion.

“N-no!! Ahem. It’s not that, do you perhaps need money…? If you keep Kim Mina in our hospital, I’ll make sure you’re compensated well.”

“What did you say?”

“It seems you’ve received other offers from another university hospital, but there’s no way they can offer better conditions than us. Yes, absolutely. We are the best university hospital in Korea…”

“You bastard!!”

Though he tried to speak quietly, from the moment he addressed me, Attorney Noh Ji-soo, the bodyguards, and other doctors and nurses were already listening intently.

Additionally, there were security personnel waiting in front of the intensive care unit for Mina’s transfer.

As the director continued, people’s expressions grew more rigid, and they focused on my outburst.

I approach the old, vile director without a word.

“Do you think everything that comes out of your mouth is worth saying out loud?”

“Wh-why are you doing this…?!”

The director, unconsciously stepping back, stuttered.

As I approached the old man, I focused the growing intensity of my anger.

The director, unable to take another step back, began to tremble in place.

Finally, when we were close enough to hear each other’s breathing, I barely suppressed the rising fury in my chest and spoke.

If I stayed like this, I felt like I might unknowingly smash this director’s face.

“Look at your ugly and filthy appearance. Aging is supposed to mean accumulating life’s wisdom and passing on good deeds to future generations, but you’ve aged in the most ugly and wretched way. Look around. All those cameras pointed at you. From now on, just because you’re someone’s parent, in-law, or relative, you won’t be respected and will be criticized no matter what you do. As much as the bad karma you’ve accumulated.”

“Th-that…!”

“Money, huh? I don’t really need money. But even if I did, I wouldn’t want the wealth you’ve gathered so dirtily. Holding that filth is like booking a ticket to hell. Struggle more, old man.”

“…”

My sharp words unknowingly carried a force.

The old, wretched director wet himself, yellow urine soaking through his pants, his eyes trembling.

The silence fell with him.

Perhaps the brief silence was regrettable, as thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the patients and guardians watching around.

Leaving the director, whose face turned pale, the doctors who were flaunting their power behind him fled the scene as if escaping.

Those around cheered even more at the sight.

The director, left alone, couldn’t move his body hardened with fear, and just trembled.

Finally, the security personnel brought out Mina, who had withered like a mummy, from the intensive care unit.

As soon as Mina appeared, the corridor, filled with cheers, fell silent.

Seeing Mina’s skeletal figure, people hurriedly made way, worried they might inadvertently hurt her.

Mina passed by, and while waiting for the attending doctor and nurse, the voices of nearby guardians and patients were heard.

“Damn it! Those so-called doctors are crazy! They drew blood from a kid like that every day? Does she even have blood left to draw?”

“It’s really the end of time. If one of the best university hospitals in our country is like this, what can we say about other places?”

“To hell with this! A big fuck you—make it a double! I’m posting this online. Not once, but twice!”

“Hey, at least cover the faces of the child and that guardian.”

“Why state the obvious?! Do you think I lack that much common sense?”

After completing the simple and quick discharge process, we hurriedly boarded the transport vehicle.

Inside the best-prepared vehicle, I looked at Mina, who was struggling to breathe, with pity, and after asking for a moment’s understanding, it was just Mina and me left inside.

“You won’t be in pain anymore. I’ll make sure of it.”

I injected a mid-level potion into the IV line connected to Mina’s arm.

After a short while, thanks to the potion, her complexion returned, and she breathed more easily than before.

With a sigh of relief at the sight, I quickly set the transport vehicle in motion.

Throughout the journey, worried about any potential issues, I continuously activated the ‘Check’ ability over and over again.

“Your sister seems to be doing well since leaving the hospital.”

Inside the transport vehicle, a female safety officer, presumably a nurse, commented on Mina’s noticeably improving complexion.

I nodded in response, yet I continued to activate the ‘Check’ ability to frequently monitor Mina’s condition, just in case something went wrong.

If there was any relief, it was that the mid-level potion worked effectively, reducing the worry of something going wrong during movement, as confirmed multiple times through the status window.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t shake off the lingering worry.