Chapter 110
“Tighten it like that! Call 911 now.”
Suhyuk shouted.
Dongsu gripped his thigh tightly and pressed his cell phone button.
“What bad luck..”
Suhyuk quickly grabbed the bag, and splattered the spring water over his calf.
He put the vinyl bag on his calf, and sucked the blood.
As he had his tooth cavity treated as a child, he could not do it with his bare mouth now.
If his friend poisoned, there was no way he could not do anything.
“Am I dying?”
“What the hell are you talking about? I’m here to help you out.”
Suhyuk did not stop sucking the blood. When he did blow hard, blood came out through the vinyl bag on his calf. That was about all he could do in this situation.
“Hello, I was bitten by a viper snake. My location is…”
It seemed that about five minutes passed since Dongsu was bitten, but he showed no symptoms.
It was fortunate for him.
“I feel dizzy…” said Dongsu.
Suhyuk’s face hardened at Dongsu’s calm voice.
“Don’t make a joke,” said Suhyuk.
Looking at Suhyuk, he smiled. Then Dongsu opened his mouth, “Let’s wait up there as the ambulance is arriving here soon.”
“You had better stay here,” replied Suhyuk.
If he was moving, it would quicken the flow of blood containing the poison, which was not good for him.
Squatting on the ground, Dongsu said,
“What the heck are we doing here as we’re on an outing here after such a long time.”
Chuckling a bit, Dongsu looked up at the sky.
White clouds were drifting away peacefully.
He felt the pain, caused by the snake bite, was disappearing slowly.
Suhyuk put his hand on Dongsu’s chest to check his heartbeat.
Typically, a normal heart pulse for normal people is 66~85 beats per minute.
Dongsu’s pulse was must faster than that.
Though he made a comfortable look, it was the opposite in his mind.
Suhyuk put him at ease as best he could.
A cool wind was blowing through the reeds.
Dongsu said, “I feel much better now.”
Then they heard the sound of an ambulance in the distance.
Arriving at their place, the rescue crew got off.
“Here. We’re here!”
They rushed toward them.
“You said you were bitten by a snake?”
“Yes, please transport him to the nearest hospital.”
One of the crew checked his calf, and the other member asked Suhyuk.
“Did the snake flee?”
“Here it is.”
When Suhyuk moved, the crew member followed him.
There they found a limp snake on the grassy ground. Checking it, the crew member turned to Suhyuk, asking, “Didn’t you say he was bit by a short-tailed viper snake?”
“Yes, that’s what I said…”
The crew member wearing gloves tapped the snake lightly.
“Looks like you were confused because ashes were on it.”
The black and white ashes on the snake were dusted off.
“It’s possible that you were confused in an emergency situation. This is not a short-tailed viper snake, but a water snake which has no poison.
Suhyuk scratched his head, relieved.
When he looked at Dongsu, he was walking with difficulty, helped by a crew member.
Approaching Dongsu, he said, “I’m sorry, I was wrong.”
Dongsu made a curious look at his remarks.
“They say it’s not a viper snake.”
Dongsu blinked his eyes at his remarks, then turning to the crew member.
“Well, this is a water snake with no poison, called Mujachi.”
Dongsu said, “Well, I still feel dizzy.”
“Maybe it’s your own feeling.”
Then Suhyuk said, “Just disinfection, please!”
As Dongsu had a shot of tetanus about one year ago at Daehan Hospital, disinfection alone was more than enough.
So after, they resumed fishing again.
-----
After a troublesome break at the fishing place, Suhyuk was now back home.
It was 5pm when he arrived home.
He had to come back quickly because Dongsu was busy.
As soon as he gave him a ride, Dongsu went back to the prosecutor’s office right away.
After taking a shower, he went out. Then he met his mother who just got back from work.
“Son, did you eat?”
“Yes, I just came in after dining with Dongsu.”
“Good! Why did you wash the dishes?I told you not to.”
“Well, because I felt bored.”
With a smile, she gestured toward him to sit beside her.
“I want to donate some of the gifts you brought to an orphanage. What do you think?”
Suhyuk tilted his head because the gifts were all health foods.
They were not for children.
Reading his mind, she opened her mouth,
“I hear the orphanage is opening a flea market. I hear many people are donating the kind of gifts you brought here, so they can sell them to help the orphanage…”
With a pleasant smile, he nodded his head.
“Did you put away some gifts for you and dad?”
“Sure, the very best of them.”
“Okay, mom, Just go ahead.”
Then, she called somewhere, saying, “Is this Hanmaum Orphanage? My son says he wants to donate some gifts. Yes, yes. By the way, the gifts we have are quite a few...”
Talking over the phone for a while, she hung up the phone, and patted him on the shoulder.
“How good-hearted you are, boy!”
Suhyuk felt once again how good-hearted she was.
“Son, let me come back in a minute. Take a break here.”
“Let me go with you, mom.”
In about 20 minutes, there arrived a small truck in front of the house.
There were lots of stuff on the truck, an indication that it was sent by the orphanage.
Suhyuk and his mother moved all the gifts for donation to the truck.
The driver also helped them, saying, “looks like you’re selling health foods.”
At his remarks, Suhyuk and his mother just smiled.
Soon the gifts were loaded onto the truck, and it took about 30 minutes to the orphanage.
Getting off the truck, Suhyuk looked at the open playing field of the orphanage.
Some of the children were playing soccer.
Dingdong, dingdong…
A bell resonated at the orphanage.
Holding a package, the driver asked, with a smile, “Did you have dinner?”
It was a bell ringing for dinner time.
“Son, shall we go for dinner?”
Guided by the driver, they headed for the dining room, walking along the winding hallway.
The hallway was clamorous with the voices of children playing and running to eat first.
Suhyuk found it lively, but at the same time he felt bitter.
These children had no families.
Then, a child fell down, and got up, rubbing his knee.
“Are you okay?” said Suhyuk, checking his knee.
“I’m alright, sir.”
The child got up suddenly, and ran again.
They soon arrived at the dining room.
“Don’t cut in line!”
“Oh, we have sausage on the menu today!”
Holding a metal tray, the children were lining up.
Suhyuk also took a tray and stood in the line.
His mother was at the office of the orphanage director.
The director wanted to treat her to coffee at her office.
Suhyuk looked around slowly.
The children varied in their ages, ranging from elementary school kids to high school students.
The whole dining room was full of children.
Soon, it was Suhyuk’s turn to get the food.
Getting rice, side dishes and soup, he took a seat.
“Who are you?” asked a boy on the opposite side.
Suhyuk said with a smile, “Oh, I’m here because I’m hungry.”
“Do you have no mommy and daddy, uncle?”
Suhyuk smiled bitterly. How can this boy with charming eyes utter such words calmly like that?
Was it because the child’s emotion was dried up? No, he might have buried his pent-up yearning for his family deep in his heart.
Looking at the boy quietly, Suhyuk smiled at him.
The boy was looking squarely into his metal tray.
Suhyuk pushed it toward him gently.
“You can eat it, too.”
“Really?”
Suhyuk nodded his head.
The boy moved his fork, picking up the sausage only.
“What’s wrong with your face?”
At his asking, the boy answered, rubbing his face with a scab on it.
“I fell over.”
“Don’t you feel any pain?”
“No, sir. Thanks.”
Eating up sausage, the boy bowed his head and then disappeared.
With a gentle smile, Suhyuk began eating.
When he stood up after eating, a girl looking like a high school student passed by him, with a frown.
‘Is she sick?’
The girl was rubbing her stomach.
Looking at her quietly, he looked around like before.
Then he moved to someone who distributed food to the children.
“Where is the director’s office?”
“Go to the 3rd floor and turn left…”
He headed straight to the 3rd floor, and easily found it.
With a knock, he went into the office.
His mother was meeting face to face with a middle-aged woman.
“Oh, he’s my son.”
At her words, the director stood up with a bright smile.
“Thanks so much for the many gifts you’ve donated.”
Suhyuk opened his mouth,
“I’m a doctor. Can I go see them?”