Chapter 123

Times pa.s.sed by fast.

Suhyuk finished all the preparations in one week for his trip to the United States.

As he promised, he met Binna. She wept until her eyes were swollen, which made him very much embarra.s.sed. She did not say anything other than to express her wishes for his health and well-being. She said that while crying.

“Suhyuk,” called his mother.

Suhyuk, who was packing his suitcase, turned back his head at her voice.

With an ap.r.o.n, she was helping him with his packing after taking a day off.

He would leave for the United States tomorrow.

“Pack this too.”

She was holding daily necessities such as ointments and headache pills. All sorts of things besides insect spray.

It seemed she took out all the stuff from the first-aid kit.

Though he did not need them since he worked at the hospital, Suhyuk did not refuse.

That would make his mother feel at ease.

“Don’t you need anything else?”

“Well, I can buy other stuff there.”

“Don’t you think you need more money?”

Suhyuk shook his head, and showed her his bankbook.

There was deposit of exactly 1,000,000 won in it, which was actually the remainder his parents deposited after deducting some of his monthly salary that he used to give them.

She wanted to withdraw all the money from the savings account to give to Suhyuk, but he was opposed to the end.

She looked at him packing his suitcase quietly.

Though she was worried, she was proud of him at the same time.

That evening Suhyuk’s family had dinner together after such a long time.

His mother often wiped off tears, but his father cheered him up with encouragement.

The next day.

Suhyuk was leaving home with his carrier bag. He was alone now, as he discouraged his parents from seeing him off.

They were waving their hands at him from in front of the door.

“I’ll be back soon,” said Suhyuk with a smile.

He was determined that when he would return, he would serve them really well as a devoted son.

He then moved to the taxi stop because he felt his large carrier bag would cause inconvenience to customers on the bus.

About 10 people were forming a line to wait for taxis.

Waiting in the back, Suhyuk checked the time.

7:37 am.

It would be okay for him to arrive at Daehan Hospital by 9am, so he had plenty of time.

It would take only 20 minutes to get there.

Whenever a taxi arrived, those in the line dwindled.

Was it 10 minutes he waited for?

Finally Suhyuk could get in a taxi.

“Hi, please take me to Daehan Hospital.”

“Daehan Hospital… Okay.”

A weather forecast was sounding out from the car radio,

‘Can the plane take off safely in this weather?’

As Suhyuk would take the plane for the first time ever, he was a bit worried even though he knew a plane was safer than a car.

“Are you going there because you’re sick?”

“No, I’m a doctor.”

“Wow, you’ve got a good profession. You must have lots of girls following you seeing as you’re handsome and tall.”

“Thanks.”

Suhyuk looked out the car window slightly.

Cars were moving so slowly because of a traffic jam.

He wanted to arrive well in advance, but it seemed he could barely arrive there by 9am.

“Oh, this is the rush hour as you know. There is traffic congestion around this time in the morning. Are you busy?”

“Well, not necessarily, but I have to be there by 9am.”

The taxi driver nodded his head, saying,

“I think that as you’re a doctor who saves people’s lives, you should not be late.”

Having said that, the driver changed lane after checking the side mirror.

Now his taxi moved a bit faster than other cars.

“You don’t have to go to the trouble of doing this…”

Whenever the driver changed lane, he heard noisy cruxions in the back.

“I think I have to drive like this because you’re a doctor. I guess lots of sick people would come to the hospital even at this hour. So you had better get there quickly to save them.”

Suhyuk smiled bitterly.

Though the driver was right, Suhyuk would not see patients today.

When Suhyuk was about to say that, the driver moaned, “Oops…”

He could not drive to onto the hard shoulder because of a large bus in front of his taxi.

To make matters worse, a one-ton truck was also blocking them.

The truck was loaded with bundles of long steel poles as if it was heading to a construction site.

“You can drive slowly.”

Given the pace of the taxi moving, he felt he could arrive there around 20 minutes to 9am.

The driver wore a regrettable expression.

The taxi slowly moved, and the driver was murmuring, “I could drive faster if it wasn’t for the driver ahead of me…”

The truck driver was driving slowly for fear that the steel poles piled up high might fall down.

Then, the tail lights of the truck came on suddenly, which meant that the driver put on the brake pedal.  At that moment, the steel poles shaking dangerously came falling down.

Some of them directly fell down on the front body of the taxi.

Thump!

One of the steel poles. .h.i.t against the front window of the taxi, causing cracks in it like a web and it pierced through the window into the driver’s seat.

“Ow!!!”

When the driver screamed like that, Suhyuk glared at the scene.

A sharp steel pole was clearly flying toward him. The black hole of the pole could be seen clearly.

The pole pa.s.sed beyond his hair narrowly, sticking into his seat directly.

Then he heard the driver’s moaning, who was holding his right shoulder with his arm.

His long white sleeve was becoming stained with blood.

“Are you okay?”

The driver, pushed on the side brake, and made a frown.

Suhyuk checked his condition. Though he could not see the wounds, the driver was bleeding a lot.

“Let me have a look at the wounds.”

Suhyuk bit his clothes to tear it apart.

The wounds were laid bare when he removed the clothes.

Fortunately the bone was not seen yet, but a lot of bleeding was coming out.

Suhyuk fastened his shoulder with the torn clothes.

“Don’t worry. Your injury is not that serious.”

Once he rea.s.sured the driver, he checked the situation outside.

All the cars stopped because of the traffic accident.

And the people began getting out of their cars one by one.

The driver opened his mouth, looking at his granddaughter’s picture hung inside the car,

“Am I all right?”

“Don’t worry.”

Suhyuk called 911 quickly.

***

An ambulance arrived at Daehan Hospital urgently.

It stopped and Suhyuk got out first, followed by the taxi driver carried on a stretcher.

When he was about to head directly to the emergency room, someone called him, “Lee Suhyuk.”

He was Prof. Han Myungjin. He happened to be waiting outside as Suhyuk did not contact him.

“Where are you going?”

Han was just dumbfounded when he looked at Suhyuk, as he just got off the ambulance.

“There was an accident in a taxi I was in…”

“In the taxi you were in?”

“Yes, I’m all right, but it looks like the driver’s bleeding needs to be stopped now.”

Suhyuk turned back, when Han said, “We have to leave now.”

They could get on board the plane only if they were leaving now.

It was already 9am.

Suhyuk could not take his eyes off the patient on the stretcher.

Han approached him and said, “Do you think the patient would die without you?”

Suhyuk shook his head slowly.

If his bleeding were stopped, he would get better.

“I told you this before, but there are many doctors, and not to underestimate their capabilities.”

Suhyuk nodded his head while looking at the door of the emergency room.

Actually he did not underestimate them. He just wanted to take care of the patient by himself.

“We have to leave right now.”

They soon got in a taxi on standby.

The taxi left in no time, and Han opened his mouth,

“Hey, you don’t have any baggage?”

“Ooops, I left it in the taxi…”

Actually his baggage was in the taxi trunk. He searched in his back pocket.

Fortunately he could find the wallet and the pa.s.sport.

Han nodded, with a smile.

“You’ll have to buy several clothes there. As for your baggage, you can call the s.h.i.+pping company to have it s.h.i.+pped to you later.”

Suhyuk had to smile bitterly.

***

Incheon International Airport was crowded with pa.s.sengers and other people alike.

The boarding time was fast approaching.

Suhyuk turned back momentarily while he was showing his ticket and pa.s.sport.

“…”

It was only for a brief moment.

“What are you doing now?”

At Han’s calling, Suhyuk instantly followed him, and got on board the plane.

He looked around after taking his seat, at which Han smiled and said,

“Is this the first time you’re on a plane?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You don’t have to feel strained. Just take a nap, and you’ll be there by the time you wake up.”

Nodding his head, he fastened his seat belt and turned off his cellphone according to the in-flight announcement.

As the air pressure goes up with the plane flying high in the sky, he felt his ears becoming deafened.

Suhyuk looked out the window, seeing a tiny land below.

‘Can I find my house somewhere down there?’

For a while Suhyuk could not take his eyes off the window.

***

After going through the immigration checkpoint, Suhyuk came out.

White and black people came into his eyes.

He now fully realized that he had arrived in the United States.

Many people were holding placards at the picket line in front of the exit gate.

One of them, a white man, drew his attention because he was holding a placard with awkward Korean characters written on.

Han Myungjin written in Korean. It was none other than the name Han Myungjin.

“Hey! Michael! How are you?”

Speaking alternately in English and Korean, Prof. Han approached him gladly.

Dragging his carrier bag, Suhyuk followed Han quietly.

“Welcome to USA.”

Han grabbed his hands. Prof. Han’s English was fluent.

Then a lady with blonde hair pointed her finger at Suhyuk and approached him,

“Are you Lee Suhyuk??”

Suhyuk’s eyes became wider slightly.

When he nodded, she was more surprised.

“Oh my G.o.d! I’m a big fan of yours!”

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