episode_0171

“Oh, no. What are you doing, my subordinate? And, well, he’s kind-hearted.”

“That’s not the problem! Ugh!”

Suddenly, my father, who was sitting on his buttocks, lifted his upper body and grimaced in pain from his twisted waist.

“Oh, father!”

“Ouch! Oh!”

It seemed really serious, so I made excuses and went outside to grab my mom.

“Ah, that gentleman! Be careful! You’re not in your twenties anymore!”

While scolding him, my mom carefully examined my father’s condition in the room. Soon, she came out of the room, shook her head at me, and said,

“It seems like he really hurt his back. Hey, can you help me take your father to the emergency room?”

“Okay. I’ll lay him down in the backseat to make space, so please wait a bit.”

With that, she left the house, got into the car, and opened the trunk.

Seeing the clean space after removing all the luggage, she laid down the backseat to make room and then returned to the house.

“Mom, please prepare a pillow and a soft mat. Put them in the trunk. I’ll carry dad out. Kids!”

I called the kids to help quickly, and we laid down a blanket in the trunk and gently placed my father there.

“Oh, my goodness.”

He rarely complained about pain, so seeing him groan like that meant he was in a lot of pain.

“For now, Dayoung, you stay here, and Davin, come with me and mom.”

“Okay!”

With Davin in the front seat, I immediately started the car and headed to the hospital.

“Grandpa, how did you end up like this?”

“Well… your mom was on top of me, and she suddenly lifted me up.”

“What?!”

“Oh, so I was massaging his back because it wasn’t feeling good.”

“Oh, really… Mom, are you enjoying this now?”

“What?”

“Never mind. Anyway, it’s going to take a while to get to the hospital, right?”

“Yeah.”

Since it was a rural area with not many hospitals and the nearest one with an emergency room was in the neighboring city, even on the quiet country road, it would take nearly an hour to get there. And now, with the reduced speed to minimize the shaking of the car, it would take even longer.

“I’m worried. Will your grandpa be able to hold on until we get to the hospital?”

“Is it that serious?”

“Well, it’s not life-threatening, but considering his age, I’m worried he might not be able to endure the pain for over an hour.”

“Hmm… should we buy some painkillers at the pharmacy on the way?”

“No, painkillers that are strong enough for that level of pain are not sold without a doctor’s prescription, and over-the-counter painkillers like Tylenol won’t help. So, it’s better to go straight to the hospital.”

“Oh, okay.”

Davin seemed worried about his father and kept looking back anxiously. I could hear him groaning from the back, which made me feel anxious. Unconsciously, I started biting my lip and tapping my fingers on the steering wheel, showing my restlessness. Eventually, Davin looked at me and said,

“Mom.”

“Yes?”

“Everything will be okay.”

As he comforted me, he gently stroked my arm.

“Oh, yeah. I’m sorry. I made you worry too much, didn’t I?”

“No. It’s… worrying is natural, and he’s your father after all. If I were in pain like that, I don’t think I’d be any different from you now…”

Upon hearing those words, a feeling of warmth filled a corner of my heart. In this era where many families are falling apart, how many parents in the world can say such words? Thinking like that, I felt incredibly happy.

-Drip.

“Eh? Mom? Are you crying? Uh, tissues…”

As tears streamed down, Da Bin couldn’t control herself. I grabbed Da Bin’s trembling hand and quietly said,

“I’m just happy that Da Bin said those words. It’s not because I’m sad.”

“Oh, uh…okay…”

Da Bin blushed, scratching the back of her head awkwardly.

“Oh my! Do Hyun, are you still not ready? Your dad is dying!”

“Ah!”

I’m sorry, Dad. I’ll go as fast as I can.

Struggling to get to the big hospital, I left Da Bin behind and rushed into the emergency room.

After asking at the front desk for the emergency room, I was directed to a nurse who provided a mobile bed and staff to help, allowing me to finally bring Dad into the emergency room.

After waiting for about 30 minutes inside, a doctor arrived and examined Dad’s condition.

“Um…are you okay?”

“Oh, are you the guardian?”

“Yes, I’m…I mean, his daughter.”

“I see. Did this happen suddenly, or have there been symptoms before?”

“Well, I came down for the holiday and saw it, so I’m not sure if there were symptoms before, but Mom said he started feeling sick while preparing holiday food.”

“Then the chances are high that it’s acute. We’ll need to take an X-ray, but based on my initial assessment, it seems like acute lumbar strain.”

“Acute lumbar strain?”

“It’s commonly known as a back sprain. It’s not serious, usually takes about 1-2 weeks, at most a month to heal, but the pain can be very severe, so it’s best to start treatment as soon as possible.”

Upon hearing that, the worry in my heart gradually eased.

“Oh…thank you.”

“You’re welcome. We’ll need to take an X-ray to make an accurate diagnosis. You can wait here for now.”

“Okay, got it.”

The doctor then instructed the nurse, who released the brakes on Dad’s bed and said to me,

“You can come with us.”

“Yes!”

I hurriedly followed the nurse with Da Bin into the emergency room.

As Dad was taken into the X-ray room, I sat outside feeling drained and lethargic.

“Mom, should we contact Grandma?”

“Oh, right.”

She must be worrying a lot, and here I am all over the place.

I picked up the phone and called Mom, briefly explaining the current situation and that it seems to be an acute lumbar strain. Finally, Mom’s voice sounded relieved and reassured.

-“Okay, if he needs to be hospitalized, let me know. Make sure to pack a change of clothes and his belongings.”

“Okay, but according to the doctor, it doesn’t seem that serious. I’ll keep an eye on the situation and call you back.”

-“Alright, you’re doing a great job. Keep up the good work.”

“It’s nothing. Make sure to rest, Mom.”

After hanging up, as I was about to sink into my thoughts, I suddenly felt a refreshing sensation on my trapezius muscle and turned around to see Da Bin patting my shoulder.

“Not just Grandma, but Mom should rest too. She must be tired from driving all day. She needs to relax a bit.”

Da Bin was rubbing my shoulder.

“Oh, yeah. Thank you.”

Perhaps due to my recent systematic exercise routine, it felt like my hand strength had increased compared to before.

I wonder if this is how my father felt when I massaged his shoulders earlier. It was not just a physical relief, but also a sense of emotional fulfillment. It was somewhat surprising and touching to think that my child is now big enough to massage my shoulders, and there was a gentle sense of emotion in that moment.

After receiving Da Bin’s massage for a while, the door to the X-ray room opened, and the nurse from earlier came out.

“Guardian, please come back to the emergency room.”

Following her back to the emergency room, the nurse on duty from earlier greeted me.

“Yes, I’ve seen the X-ray. It confirms the acute lumbar spondylitis I mentioned. There’s no need to worry too much. I’ll prescribe painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs for you, so just observe during the holiday season and come back for treatment if it doesn’t improve. I’ll give you a week’s worth of medication for now, but after the holiday ends, I recommend you visit the orthopedic department on Monday to get the proper prescription.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you.”

After receiving a couple of injections and lying down for a while, my father was finally able to move a bit and was discharged.

“Father, let me help you up.”

“It’s fine, Ma. I can walk around a bit now. The injections really helped.”

“Oh, don’t say that. Let me help you up.”

Even Da Bin offered her back to support my father.

“Oh Ma, it’s fine. Then, Ma, at least lean on me a bit.”

Feeling a bit awkward, I just wrapped my arm around Da Bin’s shoulder, as she seemed to be the right height compared to my father.

Thankfully, my father’s words about feeling better were not a lie, although he seemed a bit uncomfortable. Seeing him walk around easily, I felt relieved.

On the way back home, with my father in the passenger seat.

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to lie down in the back seat?”

Da Bin asked with concern.

“Oh, actually, sitting in a chair that supports my back is better to avoid causing more pain from shaking.”

“I see, I understand.”

In the quietness of driving, my father suddenly asked.

“So, who is this Kim Tae Hyun?”

Oh, father… why are you so concerned about that…

I found myself rubbing my forehead like children do, shaking my head slightly before answering.