There's a sequel to Disease I. Check it out too! (:
[two]
Title: Disease I
Character(s): Im Seul Ong (2AM) & Kim Wichan
Summary: Wichan was determined to pass her practicum in the hospital, one step towards becoming a real doctor. It was there where she met her ex-lover and found herself getting into troubles and an incurable disease.
The aroma of espresso perked the doctors up as they stood by the corridor, each holding on to the small paper cup containing the hot drink. It was yet another strenuous day for the surgeons at the Cardiothoracic unit. Each day they had to deal with patients who had cardiac or thoracic problems. Surgery was never a relaxing job; they had to plan their actions carefully such that not a single tiny mistake would be made that might end a patient’s life on the spot. After each surgery they liked to gather by the vending machine, drinking their doses of stimulant and discussing how well the operation went and what could be improved.
Among the specialists stood a petite girl with her brown hair tied up neatly in a ponytail, her right hand gripping onto a ballpoint and scribbling on a small notepad supported by the other hand. She was concentrating on her note-taking so much that she failed to notice her nametag slipping from the coat and dropping onto the ground.
“Kim Wichan.” A bespectacled man at his thirties read the name craved on the name tag as he got up and handed the piece of plastic back to the owner.
“Oh Dr. Shim, thank you so much. I didn’t realize I dropped my nametag,” said the girl who finally looked up from her book.
“I’ve told you before, don’t call me Dr. Shim, it feels awkward…” His hand shot up to scratch his head as he blushed in embarrassment.
Wichan smiled at her modest senior who had helped her a lot as a mentor for her internship. Being an apprehensive person, she had felt unconfident when she first stepped into the hospital as a trainee. She was afraid that she could not keep up with the fast pace of the surgeons in the units. After all, every second was considered precious to a doctor.
She feared that she would make any mistake and be expelled from the hospital. Her parents would be so disappointed with her. Her elder brother had brought glory to the family by becoming the youngest director in a prestigious hospital. It was her turn, now, to prove to her parents that she fit to be their daughter, that she wasn’t dumb after all.
She was not dumb at all, in fact. Scoring distinctions in all her papers, she was considered a scholar in school. Yet being a straight A student was not enough for her, at least not for her parents. They expected her to receive an overseas scholarship and graduate from Harvard University, just like her older brother. However, Wichan did not manage to fulfil that wish and could only stay in Korea to pursue her medical career. She had already let them down; she should not upset them further by being kicked out of the hospital.
“Wichan?” Another senior called out to her. She was supposed to attend a small conference with the other trainees. Clipping the pen back to the pocket, she rushed to the next venue.
.
Gunshots were heard and blood spewed everywhere.
“RUN!”
Somebody had hollered amid the chaos and he did not even need to be reminded twice to get his feet off the ground. It was a dangerous situation. The police were chasing madly after the drug dealers who fled for their lives.
He cursed as he ran towards the exit. It was supposed to be his last assignment. After that he would be freed and he would be able to live like a normal man. Why did the police have to ruin his final deal?
His lungs exploded and he panted even more heavily. “No, don’t do this to me, not now,” he prayed to himself. Yet before he could finish his prayers a blot of pain went through his skin and hit him internally, causing him to fall onto the ground, unconscious.
.
“Im Seulong?” His in-charge peered at him through the rimless glasses.
He rolled his eyes and replied in a cold tone, “Yeah.” He hated people examining him like he was some kind of rare species. Once they knew that he’s down with a certain disease of which he could not even remember the full name, they stopped viewing him as a normal man.
“Your wound is minor. It’ll be fine after a few days…” The specialist started speaking, “but it’s affecting your lungs… that’s why we have to keep you here.”
Seulong groaned. Stupid PAP*. If he hadn’t been infected with that thing he would not have to lie in the cramped hospital and take in awful stenches of antiseptic. If not for the money, so that his PAP could be removed by a lung lavage, Seulong would not have join a gang, and got himself into all those troubles.
Now that the police had discovered their secret undergrounds, he was pretty sure they would track him down in no time. He had to escape from the private hospital, by hook or by crook. While his mind whirled about planning his escape route, the doctor-in-charge was trying to make an introduction.
“I won’t be around 24/7. I’ve got other patients to attend to, so she, Kim Wichan, is assigned to look after you. Please do not think little of her just because she’s a trainee. She has enough experience to inject anesthesia into your arm should you attempt to run away from this place.” Dr. Shim was obviously displeased with Seulong’s rude manners. He sighed when Seulong didn’t reply. Poor Wichan. She had met her jinx. The patient wasn’t easy to handle.
.
Seulong would have retorted back at the doctor’s impolite speech if not for the name the latter stated.
“Kim Wichan?” He asked, still unable to believe that it was the Wichan he knew.
“Im Seulong?” The girl responded questionably as well.
However, only one look into the eyes was required for them to recognize each other.
It came as a pleasant surprise to Seulong but an utter shock to Wichan. The former was delighted to see a familiar face in an dreadful place but Wichan was appalled that her ex-boyfriend appeared suddenly in front of her, and with a bandaged chest.
“Why are you here?” She finally found some words to say.
“Isn’t it obvious? I got shot.” He gave a snickering laugh.
“Oh… eh? No, this is the Cardiothoracic unit, you’ve only suffered from minor injuries, why are you here?” Her brain worked pretty well even with the shock from meeting Seulong.
“Huh?” Seulong raised an eyebrow, “maybe the bullet hit my heart or lung or something…how would I know anyway? Aren’t you guys supposed to be more knowledgeable than me?”
His rebuttal caught Wichan off guard, making her speechless. He’s always won over her, in arguments, in race, in everything. It was always him leading her, telling her what to do and making her heart flutter so much even if it was just a slight touch on her face. Wichan had vowed to herself, after they broke up, that she would erase that man from her memory. Yet she could not help but smile as she saw Seulong reached out clumsily for the glass on the table. She went forward and helped him with the simple tasking, earning his huge grin. She was a loser, she admitted. She could never forget him, nor to hate him.
.
Days passed with the two leads getting closer to each other. Seulong still liked to tease her about her inflexibility in handling things and Wichan would sometimes threaten to put him into an anesthetic state if he did not stop fooling around. It was strange that Seulong could always find a way to crack Wichan up, when the girl was famous for her solemnity.
Meanwhile, Wichan was still persistent in finding out what Seulong had been doing the past 2 years, of which the latter seemed reluctant to answer. What she discovered, was that he had joined a gang few years back and was involved in one of the drug exchanges when he got shot.
Coming from a honorable family which gave her strict lessons on appropriateness, Wichan was initially unhappy with the job Seulong took. Furthermore, she did not want him to get hurt again by taking such risks, but she guessed love overcame everything.
She knew she was falling for him again, just like how she did 3 years ago. It was the same man who abandoned her with just a plain goodbye. It was her first love, and her only love. She should be angry, but what was she doing? She was laughing uncontrollably at a lame joke he came up with out of the blue. She had gotten herself an incurable disease, a love disease.
“Wichan ah…” Seulong’s voice trailed off as he stared at her arranging his belongings in the drawer.
“Hmm?”
“I…”
“Yeah?”
“I… ah, never mind.”
That only made the trainee doctor more curious. “What is it, Seulong? Tell me, so that I can help you. I’m in-charge of you, remember?”
Seulong smiled at the sentence. It felt warm to have her in charge of him. In the past it was his abusive father then his demanding triad boss, who were controlling his life. He was a caged bird, unable to fly out and enjoy the freedom. However, Wichan as his in-charge did not give off any hostility at all. It was a sense of security that he received instead.
Wichan did not know, and probably never will know the big role she played in his life. 3 years ago when he was about to end his life for better days in the next lifetime, she entered his heart and gave him the air to breathe. He thought God was finally sympathizing with him and decided to send him a gift from heaven. The happiness lasted for some time, until he realized that he could not hold on to his present for long. The lungs he was born with were starting to crumble. He had to undergo a whole lung lavage so that, at the very least, his lifespan could be extended. His personal doctor told him that a lung was ready, all he needed was just the money.
If becoming a prostitute was the fastest way to earn big bucks for a woman, drug dealing was the method for a man to earn quick money. Hence, he had to make the tough decision of initiating a breakup. If he managed to accumulate adequate sum of money for the operation, he would return for Wichan. If he could not, he figured the girl would have found her true love after some time. Now that he’d accomplished the mission he set for himself, he was determined to make it till the end. The only obstacle was the police.
“Wichan ah,” he started again. “Can you get me out of the hospital?”
“What?” The girl shouted so loudly that he had to cover her mouth.
.
“Are you sure?” Wichan asked the third time as she held on to Seulong’s arm tightly. Her patient explained that the gang was going to stab him at his heart once they’ve tracked his whereabouts. He pleaded so much, declaring that he was in perfect condition to be dismissed. Wichan regretted the moment they were outside the hospital but she knew that she had no one else to blame. She was the only one who disobeyed the rules, for the first time in her entire lifetime, and let him go.
“Trust me, and… wait for me.” His other hand caressed her small face, giving her assurance.
“Promise me that you’ll come back.” She must have been crazy. She was going to get into trouble by letting a criminal escape from the hospital and she intended to wait for the man who might never return. Her condition was worsening, her love disease attacking every single part of her.
With a firm nod he ran and soon vanished from her sight.
.
The director shook his head furiously, extremely mad that one of the trainee staffs violated the rules of his hospital. He passed down the order to kick her out of the hospital and soon the news spread to all departments.
“Kim Wichan!” Dr. Shim yelled at the girl whose head did not lift up ever since she went back to the hospital. “Do you know how serious the situation is?”
“I’m sorry.” It was a sincere apology.
“No, you don’t! You wouldn’t have let him go if you know what he’s really suffering from! He’s got PAP! It’s a rare disease! He could have died anywhere anytime without intensive care!” No one had seen Dr. Shim in such a rage before. He had assigned Wichan the task because he thought highly of the girl but she had let him down so much.
Wichan’s head shot up instantly, her mouth wide open, her eyes filled with shock. How did he…?
“Wichan…” A faintly audible voice interrupted them and Wichan spun around, only to see a smiling Seulong making his way towards her.
Her eyes flicked down to spot his hand pressing hard to the chest, blood soaking the white shirt on him. There was no time for words, she dashed forward and held him in his arms as he collapsed out of fatigue.
“Wichan ah… I lied. It wasn’t the gang, it was the… police I was running away from…” His voice grew weaker as blood continued flowing, “don’t cry… I kept my… promise didn’t I? I’ve… come…back…”
She wanted to tell him, that she’d rather he didn’t come back for her. He could have dodged from the police and stayed alive. Tears choked her so much, she could not speak at all. Her only love was dying in her arms and she could do nothing to revive him.
“You know what… disease I’m suffering… from?”
“PAP…” She managed to blurt out 3 letters amid her sobs, the disease he refused to tell her for fear that she would be worried.
“No…” His lips curled up to form a final smile. “It’s… love, Wichan. It’s a love….disease."
* Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare lung disease characterized by the accumulation of protein and lipid material, called surfactant, within the lung air sacs or alveoli.
