Chapter 81 – Devoted Couple (2)

“Auntie Gimcheondaek, what is the matter? What is wrong with Sister?”

Nurse Park In-seon ran to them in a single breath.

Had she been beaten by someone? The patient’s body was covered in bruises.

“What else? That rotten bastard drank alcohol and went absolutely crazy!”

“My brother-in-law?”

“Brother-in-law? What kind of utter nonsense is that? For a bastard who wouldn’t even be enough if fried to death in dung water?”

She poured out harsh curses.

“…”

At that, Nurse Park In-seon wore a grim expression.

“Her head is all busted up, so what is this? Shouldn’t we give her treatment quickly? Huh?”

The patient was limp and weak.

“A terrible bastard! How could he make his own wife look like this? Huh?”

Auntie Gimcheondaek clicked her tongue in anger.

“A-Ah, I understand. Let us move her to the treatment room quickly. Fortunately, the doctor is out here!”

Park In-seon helped support the patient.

After a short while.

As the patient entered the treatment room, Kim Ji-hyuk began the treatment.

‘Her entire body is covered in bruises. For bruises to develop to this extent…’

Kim Ji-hyuk examined the patient’s body with a serious expression.

There were dark bruises under the patient’s eyes, and purple and yellow bruises were also scattered around the dark bruises.

If bruises of different colors were scattered, it was highly likely that the beatings had been carried out continuously.

“Evil bastard! What on earth did he do! Sister, tell me in detail!”

Nurse Park In-seon trembled as she looked at the patient’s face.

“…”

However, the patient turned her face to one side without saying anything.

“Ugh, I am so angry! Was it really my brother-in-law who did this? I told you to say something! This will not do. That bastard! I must report him to the police right away!”

At this, Nurse Park In-seon became even angrier.

“Nurse, please calm down first since we need to treat her.”

“But, Doctor, not only her face, but her entire body is swollen! How slim this sister used to be! It makes no sense for her body to be ruined like this in just a few months!”

Nurse Park In-seon stamped her feet in distress.

‘She was originally of a slim build? That cannot be…’

At those words, Kim Ji-hyuk tilted his head.

“Um, patient, may I ask you a few questions?”

“…”

When Kim Ji-hyuk asked, the patient nodded weakly.

“Did you gain weight rapidly over the past few months?”

“…”

“Doctor! This sister was a famous beauty even in Gangwon Province! She was so pretty that rumors spread in Gangneung and Sokcho!”

“Yes. That is right. I gained a lot of weight rapidly over these past few months.”

The woman cut off Nurse Park In-seon’s words, looking embarrassed.

“I see. First, let us check your blood pressure. Nurse, please check her blood pressure.”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

Since Kim Ji-hyuk told her to measure the blood pressure without even paying attention to the bruises on her face, Nurse Park In-seon was momentarily flustered.

Soon after, the blood pressure result came out!

The systolic blood pressure was 163, and the diastolic blood pressure was 120. It was a high blood pressure, enough to be judged as hypertension.

“Doctor, her blood pressure is high?”

Since the blood pressure was unexpectedly high, Nurse Park In-seon asked with concern.

“By any chance, do you also have diabetes? If the term diabetes is unfamiliar, it is also called wasting-thirst disease.”

“I do not know about that…”

The woman answered weakly.

“Nurse, since we need to run a diabetes test, please draw some blood. We need to check the glycated hemoglobin level, so request a test from the provincial hospital.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“And, patient. Let me ask you one more thing. Do you have irregular menstruation?”

“…?”

The woman seemed to not understand the words well.

“Sister, he is talking about your period. Have you had your periods properly lately?”

At that, Nurse Park In-seon added an explanation.

“Yes. It was originally on the regular side, but lately I often skip it.”

Following the question, the woman replied with a blushed face.

“I see.”

Kim Ji-hyuk nodded.

“Doctor, then what about the treatment?”

Nurse Park In-seon pointed to the bruised patient’s body with a chin gesture.

“First, please apply some heparinoid-based ointment. That should help reduce the bruising. Applying cold compresses around the eyes and warm compresses to the other areas will make it much better. Then there will not be any major problems.”

“Yes. I will do that. By the way, is there nothing else needed?”

Kim Ji-hyuk was still uninterested in the bruises spread all over the body. Nurse Park In-seon observed Kim Ji-hyuk’s reaction.

“It seems best to get as much rest as possible after treatment, so it would be good to stay here today.”

“Yes. I will arrange that!”

Thinking that nothing good would come from returning home anyway, Nurse Park In-seon quickly nodded to Kim Ji-hyuk’s opinion.

“Patient, then we will talk about the rest after the test results come out.”

“…”

The patient nodded.

“Then get some rest. Nurse, please come up to the second-floor official residence once the treatment is all finished.”

Kim Ji-hyuk signaled to Nurse Park In-seon with his eyes.

“Yes. I understand.”

Nurse Park In-seon nodded.

* * *

Second-floor official residence.

After a short while, Nurse Park In-seon, who had finished the treatment, came up to the second-floor official residence.

“Doctor, I am here.”

“Yes, please sit there.”

When Nurse Park In-seon came up, Kim Ji-hyuk closed the book he was reading and guided her to a seat.

“Yes.”

“How is the patient?”

“She just fell asleep. She said she could not sleep for the past few days, so I administered some sleeping pills. Just as you said, Doctor.”

“Yes. You did well. It is nothing else, but let me ask you one thing. What kind of person is Park Mi-yeong’s husband?”

“My brother-in-law?”

“Yes.”

At Kim Ji-hyuk’s question, Park In-seon hesitated for a moment. He did not pay much attention to the bruises on the patient’s body earlier, so had he been considerate because it was in front of the patient? If that were the case, there was nothing to hide.

“Well, he was originally a very good person. It was just that they did not have children, but it was an extremely harmonious family. They were the very definition of a devoted couple.”

“But?”

“Well, money is the enemy! It is all because of money that the two of them became like that.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Kim Ji-hyuk asked, curious.

“Two years ago, Sister Mi-yeong’s family did business on a somewhat large scale. My brother-in-law was quite an ambitious man, so he had a great greed for money. Moreover, since he was a smart person, he connected with the US military even during the war and supplied materials.”

Nurse Park In-seon spoke with a deep sigh.

“Business?”

“Yes. At first it went okay, no, it went extremely well.”

In a way, it was a common story. However, to the parties involved, it was an event that shook their lives. Nurse Park In-seon laid out the story of the patient and her husband point by point.

“Ah, so in the end, the business failed and he ended up with a lot of debt.”

“Yes. From then on, my brother-in-law lived with alcohol in his mouth day in and day out. In the process, cracks began to appear between the two of them. Eventually, it reached a point where he even raised his hands against her, something he had never done before.”

“He raised his hands against her?”

When Kim Ji-hyuk asked in surprise, Park In-seon wore an angry face.

“Rumors spread widely in the neighborhood. That he breaks household items and even beats Sister.”

Park In-seon had a pained expression.

“In the end, it seems they have crossed a river of no return now. The two of them!”

“If it is completely over, they can just get a divorce.”

When Kim Ji-hyuk asked, Park In-seon became furious.

“Oh my, what divorce! How could a woman even utter the word divorce? If rumors spread because of that, a woman’s life is completely ruined!”

‘Sigh, indeed…’

The current era was the 1950s, a time when the word divorce could not help but be unfamiliar.

“If the other spouse’s fault is significant and the situation is this painful, it is right to divorce! Living while being beaten like this makes no sense.”

Kim Ji-hyuk wore a meaningful expression. Nurse Park In-seon opened her mouth again with an emotional face.

“That is true for me as a third party, but it would not be easy for the person involved. She probably cannot handle her husband’s retaliation either.”

Nurse Park In-seon slowly shook her head.

It was the pain of the times that one had to maintain a married life even while being beaten.

“Then what are they going to do? In Seoul, if married life is not smooth, they also divorce! In fact, there are many such couples.”

“Sigh! That is a story for the cities. It is out of the question here. This is not a village generous enough to live while carrying such a heavy yoke. Besides, Sister Mi-yeong is a loner without a single relative, and since she has no connection to other areas, she has no place to go.”

Nurse Park In-seon bit her lips as if distressed.

“Even so, if it is to this extent, she must divorce.”

“Hmm, I think so too. Moreover, now that Sister has even collapsed, we should step forward. At this rate, I think something terrible will happen to Sister. I plan to go to the police station to report it as soon as it gets bright tomorrow! Though I do not know if it will work.”

Nurse Park In-seon seemed to have made up her mind firmly.

‘Right now, it would not be easy.’

“I see.”

When Kim Ji-hyuk nodded after hearing the whole story, Park In-seon looked straight into his eyes and spoke.

“Probably, if I report it to the station, they might come looking for you, Doctor. When the officer comes, please speak well for her.”

“Is there anything to speak well of? I believe I just need to state my opinion as a doctor.”

“Yes. O-Of course, that is how it should be.”

At the plain reply, Nurse Park In-seon blushed as if embarrassed.

“However, before reporting it to the station, I would like to meet the patient’s husband once. Would that be possible?”

“My brother-in-law? Since he lives not far from the clinic, it is not difficult, but is there a need to do that?”

Park In-seon tilted her head.

Since it was a matter of reporting to the police and taking legal steps, she wore a face that wondered why he would bother to meet the husband, who was the perpetrator.

“Well. There are a few things I want to check. If you just let me know the location of the patient’s house, I will go visit.”

“Checking… If you are thinking of persuading my brother-in-law, please give up. He is not a person who would listen to you, Doctor.”

Nurse Park In-seon shook her head firmly.

“Yes. I will keep that in mind. You can draw a map, right?”

“Sigh, there is no need to go through the trouble… It cannot be helped. I will let you know.”

Scratch, scratch, Nurse Park In-seon took out a sheet of paper and drew a map.

“It is next to Seongsan Church?”

“Yes, yes. It is the house with the faded iron gate there.”

‘Although we will have to wait for the results to know, the bruises scattered on the patient’s body might not be from beatings!’

Kim Ji-hyuk, who received the map, narrowed his eyes and firmly closed his mouth.

* * *

The next day, the clinic.

“Nurse, the patient is doing fine, right?”

Kim Ji-hyuk changed clothes early in the morning and came down to the treatment room.

“Yes. I think she has regained some stability now.”

“That is a relief. I will go out for a moment.”

“Where are you going?”

“Yes. I told you yesterday. I need to meet the patient’s husband.”

“Are you really going to meet my brother-in-law?”

“Yes. It seems I must.”

“Hmm… Yes. Well, if you insist, Doctor, it cannot be helped.”

Nurse Park In-seon nodded as if giving up.

“When the patient wakes up, please administer the painkiller I prescribed, and if you see any unusual signs, contact me immediately.”

“Yes. I will do that. Have a safe trip.”

“Yes. Then keep up the good work.”

After a short while, Park Mi-yeong’s house.

‘Is it here?’

The house Kim Ji-hyuk found while looking at the map. Just as drawn on the map, it was the house with a faded iron gate right next to Seongsan Church.

“Is anyone home?”

Kim Ji-hyuk stretched his neck to look over the shallow wall.

“…”

However, he could not sense any sign of presence.

“Hello? Is anyone inside?”

‘Are they still sleeping?’

He called out several times, but there was no reply. It appeared there was no one inside the house.

It was right at that moment.

“Who are you?”

A man walking sluggishly, carrying a few bottles of makgeolli in a black plastic bag.

As he approached Kim Ji-hyuk’s side, the smell of alcohol began to vibrate. Even though it was early in the morning.