Golden Time

Chapter 120

Suhyuk’s eyes immediately became wide.

“Are you listening to me, Suhyuk?”

“Was he injured?”

“Yes, we’re now going to your hospital. Almost there.”

Coming to his senses suddenly, Suhyuk asked, “How was he injured?”

“I heard he was buried under bricks while working…”

“Come to the emergency room, mom!”

Suhyuk then moved. He ran now.

Looking at him with surprised look, Arum’s mother murmured, “Thank you so much.”

Suhyuk raced to the emergency room like a mad man.

He pressed on all the b.u.t.tons of the four elevators in the lobby.

None of the elevators were going go up or down.

Suhyuk then turned back suddenly.

As the emergency room was located on the ground floor of the cardiothoracic surgery building, it was much faster for him to cross the bridge to get there.

While crossing the bridge, he thought of all the names of medical predicaments that his father could get with his injury. And he kept murmuring, “Please, no damage to his brain…”

‘Even if he has brain damage, I would treat it by all means.’

Suhyuk was crossed the bridge before he knew it, and arrived at the cardiothoracic  surgery building.

There was a patient walking with a limp in the hallway, and another patient was carried on a stretcher.

Usually he would speak to them, but they were not in his eyes at this time.

Then the two interns and Im Gyungsu noticed Suhyuk running toward them.

“Hey, the patient you collected blood from a while ago was diagnosed with empyema. Go and…”

Blinking his eyes, Im turned his head to the side.

Without even looking at him Suhyuk pa.s.sed by.

Arriving at the emergency room, Suhyuk flung the door open and quickly looked around.

Had he arrived yet? Nowhere in the room was his father found .

“Suhyuk.”

A voice was heard from the side.

Suhyuk turned his head instantly at the voice.

Seated on the bed, his father was stroking his leg, and his mother was standing beside him.

Suhyuk, who almost ran into the room, failed to notice them right beside him.

Recognizing his father, Suhyuk found his legs tottering.

His father was looking at him with an embarra.s.sed look.

He did not look injured, except for small bruises on his legs.

It was fortunate for him. Yes, it was.

Then he felt something warm around his eyelids all of a sudden.

‘Why?’

He confirmed his father was healthy first…

“Are you okay…” asked Suhyuk, clearing his throat.

When Suhyuk approached, he smiled bitterly.

“Yes, I’m okay. I just fell over.”

“Honey, don’t talk nonsense! You said you couldn’t move a while ago!”

Talking to him in scolding tone, she then looked at Suhyuk.

“Suhyuk, your father is talking nonsense now.”

“Honey, why did you bring me here to disturb Suhyuk?”

Suhyuk bent one of his knees without saying anything.

Then Oh Byungchul, resident at the emergency room, approached them.

“Are they your family members?”

“Yes, sir.”

Oh said h.e.l.lo to them.

“h.e.l.lo. How were you injured…”

“Let me take care of him, sir,” said Suhyuk.

Oh nodded at his words, and left the scene after saying goodbye to his parents.

Suhyuk checked his s.h.i.+n carefully. There were some bruises caused by the blood being trapped under the skin from ruptured capillaries, and also some swelling.

“Were you buried under bricks, dad?”

“It’s alright. It’ll be okay after I apply a muscle relaxant patch. Just go and do your work.”

At his curt reply, Suhyuk grabbed his s.h.i.+n with some strength.

“Ooohh…”

Though he made a low moan, he did not change his facial expression at all as if he did not want to show it to his son.

Suhyuk knitted his brows a bit. It seemed like his s.h.i.+n had a fracture.

He began disinfecting it without saying anything. If he did say anything, he felt he would shed tears all of a sudden.

When he was done, he barely opened his mouth, “You seem to have a fracture in your s.h.i.+n.”

“Fracture in my s.h.i.+n? Never mind…”

“Wait a minute,” said Suhyuk, who then brought a stretcher.

“Please get on it, dad.”

“Aren’t you busy?”

“Honey, listen to him!”

He then reluctantly got on the stretcher.

Suhyuk pushed it out of the emergency room.

“How did you get injured, by the way?”

“Nothing serious, son.”

Instead of his short reply, his mother now opened her mouth,

“He was working near this place when he was buried under some piled-up bricks. He just insisted on going to another hospital instead of Daehan Hospital for treatment. You know how stubborn he is, right?”

He looked at his father lying on the stretcher. He could figure out why.

His father did not want to disturb his son.

Suhyuk was pus.h.i.+ng the stretcher without any word, and soon arrived at the scanning room.

He moved to the opposite room overlooking the scanning room.

“Careful scanning, please.”

At Suhyuk’s words, the radiologist nodded his head,

“Don’t worry, sir. As I know whose father he is…”

Weeeing…

At the sound of the scanning machine, Suhyuk fixed his eyes on his father.

What was he thinking?

Looking at his father quietly, Suhyuk wiped his eyelids with his sleeve.

Then he found his shoulder being patted by his mother gently.

Her soft voice came into his ears, “It’s alright, it’s alright.”

Then the radiologist said, “Looks like he is normal, except for one crack in his s.h.i.+n.”

Suhyuk looked at the monitor. He was right.

Checking the monitor carefully, he raised his head suddenly.

***

Suhyuk’s father had his s.h.i.+n plastered in a cast, which was done by his son.

He used synthetic cast, which had more advantages compared to ordinary plaster bandages.

First of all, it was light and tight. Also its embedded ventilation made the patient feel less stuffy around the plastered area.

“Just listen to Suhyuk,” said Suhyuk’s mother.

At her angry scolding, he would have no choice but to be hospitalized for one day according to Suhyuk’s wishes.

It was a room for two patients.

Suhyuk administered expensive tonic to him and went out for a moment.

And he went to the break room at the end of the hallway.

Looking at the sky, Suhyuk let out a long sigh.

He did not know his father was working right near Daehan Hospital.

‘How stupid I am.’

Though he paid lots of lip service to his parents with words, there was nothing he translated into action. All he did was to give them two thirds of his monthly salary.

Maybe they would deposit the money for him as the seed money for his marriage later.

Suhyuk’s deep sigh lasted a long time.

He had to look for some way to make them enjoy a happy life during their remaining years.

Returning to the patient’s room, Suhyuk was stunned.

n.o.body was there.

The toilet as well as the water purifier were inside the room.

Suhyuk waited for a moment, seated on the bed.

Still, he did not sense that his father and mother were coming back. For as long as one hour he waited.

After that, he went out to look for them but it was in vain.

Did they go home?

There was little possibility of their returning home because they could not get discharged without paying the bill.

Suddenly he took out his cell phone, but it did not turn on because it ran out of battery.

Returning back to his lodging, he charged the phone, and when it was turned on, he called his mother.

“Suyuk, did your phone run out of battery?”

“Yes, mom. I’ve just charged it. Where are you now?”

“Oh, we’ve been transferred to another room. It’s so cool here. Honey, what did they call this room? Now I remember it. VIP?”

Suhyuk’s eyes became wide.

VIP rooms of Daehan Hospital were extraordinary rooms reserved usually for company presidents or National a.s.semblymen.

Its interior was designed like hotel rooms.

“I’ll be there now.”

Suhyuk went up to the top floor of Daehan Hospital.

Getting off the elevator, he ran into Profs. Lee Mansuk and Kim Jinwook unexpectedly.

Both of them were talking with each other in front of the room.

“Let me pay the bill,” said Prof. Lee.

At his words, Kim replied with a smile,

“I think I told you at the ginseng chicken soup restaurant last time that I owe them a nice treatment someday…”

It was a lie, of course.

“Yeah, I know, but treat them next time!”

“Why should I do?”

“Let me pay today, Prof. Kim.”

They did not yet give up on Suhyuk.

Unaware of it, Suhyuk approached them, saying,

“Hi, sirs. Are my parents staying here?”

“Oh, Suhyuk. Yes, they’ve move here.”

“Suhyuk! This brother called you many, many times. Did your phone run out of battery?”

Did he not hear them well?

Suhyuk went into the room.

The first things that came into his eyes were a large TV set and luxurious sofa.

Even the refrigerator was expensive, and the room had a veranda.

It was the first time ever that Suhyuk had entered a VIP room.

It was only natural that Suhyuk had no chance to visit it because those admitted to VIP rooms were taken care by the professors alone.

“Suhyuk!”

At his mother’s voice he turned his head to her.

Seated on a soft bed, his father was enjoying fruits peeled by her.

“When did you move here…”

“Prof. Lee Mansuk and Prof. Kim Jinwook insisted we move here, saying only one room is available here.”

The VIP room charge would be very expensive.

“They told us it was because they were treated to delicious ginseng chicken soup last time. Hohoho…”

Then the two professors’ conversation was heard slightly outside the room.

“Hey, why are you stopping me like this?”

“Well, I’m just heading for the elevator…”

Their sense of presence soon faded away.

“These apples here taste very delicious. Try one, Suhyuk.”

Suhyuk was handed one piece of apple that she offered.

It was very delicious.

He then took a glance at his father.

Slightly leaning on the bed, he was watching the TV news.

“How do you feel, dad?”

“I’m fine,” said he.

They talked with each other cheerfully. Of course his father was reticent, while his mother talked most. She asked him how he was work was going at the hospital.

“Well, it’s time for a soap opera for your father, ‘Great King Kw.a.n.gge’ is on TV.”

The three cast their eyes at the TV.

How long pa.s.sed? When the history drama was at an end, his mother made a regrettable look, because Suhyuk was asleep with his face down.

“His work must be very hard…”

His father then said, “That’s why I told you to go to another hospital.”

With a short sigh, she went to the restroom.

Then, his father stroked Suhyuk’s head with his hands with many small scars.

Has he ever stroked his son’s head like this before?

“I come to live high off the hog thanks to my son…”