Afternoon.
Dong Xuebing brought Yu Meixia to the hospital in Seoul City Central in a taxi.
This area is not the famous ‘Plastic Surgery’ street. It is a large hospital, and Dong Xuebing had researched about this hospital before they come. This hospital is not as good as the other plastic surgery clinics for breast enlargements, etc. but is famous for skin grafting. Many top celebrities had come here for skin grafting procedures.
“Are you Dong Xuebing?” A woman in a doctor’s gown walks up to Dong Xuebing at the entrance.
Dong Xuebing replied. “Yes. You are Doctor Zhang Jingjing? Nice to meet you.”
The woman smiled and nodded. “Nice to meet you, Chief Dong. Let’s talk inside.” Dong Xuebing had spoken to Doctor Zhang over the phone a few times.
2nd floor. Doctor Zhang’s office.
The hospital is much better than China’s hospital, and it is not crowded. In Beijing, if you don’t start queuing up at 5 am, you might not even get to see a doctor. After some introductions, Zhang Jingjing walked over to Yu Meixia and removed her face mask. She examined the scars on Yu Meixia’s face and did not say anything. After that, she made a phone call and brought Yu Meixia upstairs for further checks.
Ten minutes…
Twenty minutes…
One hour…
The office’s door opened, and Zhang Jingjing returned.
Dong Xuebing quickly stands up. “Doctor Zhang, how is it?”
“We had looked at the patient’s scar, and it should not be a problem with the operation.” Zhang Jingjing was holding a set of documents, and she flipped to a page. “The scars are concentrated on one side of her face, and one operation is enough. Also, the area of the scars is not too big, and the patient’s buttock’s skin tone matches her face. If we use the skin from her buttocks, we should cover up the scars. But we got to wait until the operation is over before we know the result.”
Dong Xuebing was relieved. “Where is Sister Yu?”
“I had arranged for her to stay in a ward for further checks on her skin.”
“… is the operation today?”
Zhang Jingjing shook her head. “If you and the patient agree, the earliest will be tomorrow morning. We need some time to prepare for the operation.”
Alright. Thank you so much.”
At around 4 pm, Dong Xuebing met Yu Meixia again.
Yu Meixia is lying on the bed in her ward, and her face is covered in bandages again. Some medications are applied onto her face, and skin samples on her buttocks were sent for tests. Yu Meixia looks at Dong Xuebing worryingly. “Xiao Bing, I heard the operation is tomorrow?”
Yu Meixia is not accustomed to foreign surroundings. “Then… I… I will not return to the hotel tonight?”
“Yes. You need to prepare for the operation tomorrow.” Dong Xuebing asked curiously. “Do you want to return to the hotel?”
Yu Meixia did not reply to Dong Xuebing’s question. “Then… tonight… tonight… are you going back to the hotel?”
“Sister Yu, just speak your mind. What is it?”
Yu Meixia bit her lips. “I… am scared to stay here alone… I… I don’t know Korean…”
Dong Xuebing understood. “Ah… it’s not a big deal. Don’t worry. I will accompany you tonight.”
Yu Meixia blushed. “Really?”
“Yes. I will accompany you until your operation tomorrow morning.”
Yu Meixia sighed in relief and quickly explain. “I… I am not scared of the operation… I am… I…”
Dong Xuebing smiled and patted the back of her hand. “I know. Have a good rest.”
“Ok. Thank you.”
That night, Yu Meixia didn’t sleep well. She kept tossing and turning and was thinking about the operation. Dong Xuebing didn’t sleep well too. The moment he closed his eyes, the image of Yu Meixia’s scars appeared. He only fell asleep in the early hours of the day and had nightmares. He dreamt the operation had failed, and the scars become more visible and covered Yu Meixia’s whole face, making him wake up in cold sweat.
Whew… luckily, it’s just a nightmare.
Dawn. A few nurses entered the ward to check on Sister Yu’s face again.
Dong Xuebing knew it’s time for the operation, and he gave some words of encouragement to Yu Meixia. Yu Meixia’s face was pale, and Dong Xuebing had to tell her some jokes to calm her before leaving the ward.
At around 9 am, Yu Meixia was pushed into the operating theatre.
The operating theatre is out of bounds for visitors, and Dong Xuebing walks out of the hospital to have a smoke.
Nothing must go wrong with Sister Yu’s operation!
Ten minutes…
Half an hour…
Suddenly, Dong Xuebing, who was waiting in the hospital’s main lobby, heard sounds of hard braking. He saw a few ambulances stopping outside, and medics are pushing stretchers into the hospital. There is a total of seven stretchers, and all the patients were seriously injured. Some were fainted and had blood on their faces, and some were holding on to their arms in pain. All of them are wearing Taekwondo uniforms, and they are either yellow or green belts.
What happened?
Why are there so many people injured?
Because of the incident on the plane, Dong Xuebing does not have a good impression with Korean Taekwondo. He minded his own business and wondered if Sister Yu’s operation is over. But when he was about to walk upstairs, he overheard something that made him stopped in his tracks. It was one of the young men in Taekwondo uniform. His injuries are not as severe as the rest and were not on the stretcher. He is following behind the medics worryingly.
“Da Liu, Lao San, Xiao Lui… we are at the hospital. You all must hang on!”
That young man is speaking in mandarin.
Dong Xuebing turned and look at them.
A young man on the stretcher said in pain. “I am fine. Check on Sun Zhi first. His injuries are more serious than me!”
The young man’s eyes are all red. “Lao San, your ribs are broken. Stop talking!”
These people are speaking in Mandarin and should be Chinese students studying in universities here. One of them even had a Hebei accent.
Dong Xuebing paused for a second and followed them.
Ring, ring, ring… Dong Xuebing’s phone rang. His phone is still in service as he is using auto-roaming.
Dong Xuebing asked. “Hello, Doctor Zhang?”
Zhang Jingjing said. “The operation is over. Can you come over?”
“Ok… I will go over now.” Dong Xuebing looked at the back of those students and ran upstairs to Zhang Jingjing’s office.
When Dong Xuebing entered Zhang Jingjing’s office, he saw her speaking to two other doctors.
Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and asked. “Doctor Zhang, how is the operation? Is it successful?” He looked at Zhang Jingjing’s lips and was afraid she would tell him, “I’m sorry.”
Zhang Jingjing put down the file she is holding and nodded. “It is Teacher Kim who handled the operation, and I joined in later. But from what I saw, the operation is very successful as the skin tones are almost identical. Teacher Kim said that the patient has a high chance of recovering her looks. The critical part now is the post-ops treatment. We have to take care of her diet and her facial movements. I will write a list of what to look out for in Chinese for you later, and she must remain in the hospital for a few more days as we must monitor the healing of the grafted skin. If everything is fine, she can be discharged in around three weeks.”
Success!
Dong Xuebing quickly walks over to shake Zhang Jingjing and Doctor Kim’s hands. “Thank you… Thank you so much.”
Zhang Jingjing laughed. “Let’s go and look at the patient.”
“Ok. How is Sister Yu now?” Dong Xuebing asked.
Zhang Jingjing and Dong Xuebing walked out of the office. “Her general anesthesia is not ever yet, and she is not awake yet.”
About twenty minutes later, Yu Meixia slowly woke up.
Dong Xuebing smiled. “Sister Yu!”
Zhang Jingjing was holding a clipboard and asking Yu Meixia some questions like do you have blur visions, are you feeling nauseous, etc. Yu Meixia nodded and shook her head as her voice is very hoarse. After filling up the questionnaire, Zhang Jingjing told Dong Xuebing not to worry. It is common for patients to suffer from nausea and vomiting after general anesthesia. She will be fine in a few hours.
Zhang Jingjing left, and Sister Yu becomes anxious and tried to speak.
“Stop. Just listen to me.” Dong Xuebing knows what Yu Meixia wants to ask. He laughed. “Doctor Zhang says the operation is a success, and the chances of you recovering your looks are very high.”
Yu Meixia looks at Dong Xuebing, and her eyes turned teary.
Dong Xuebing laughed. “Are you relieve now?”
Yu Meixia nodded, and her tears start to flow.
“… stop crying…” Dong Xuebing quickly wiped her tears. “Your wounds are not healed, and your tears might cause infections. Stop crying.”
Yu Meixia nodded again and stopped crying.
Yu Meixia had not slept well last night and fell asleep in a few minutes. Dong Xuebing felt relieved as this matter had finally been resolved. He sighed and looks out of the window. It’s been a while since he felt so relaxed.
Oh, those students…
Dong Xuebing returned to the hospital lobby to look for the students.
Dong Xuebing looks around the lobby but did not see those students. He couldn’t speak Korean and could not ask the staff there. Just when he was about to call Zhang Jingjing, he saw a familiar figure rushing into the hospital. It is Li An, and he ran past Dong Xuebing without noticing him.
“Li An!” Dong Xuebing called out.
Li An turned. “You are… Dong… Dong Xuebing!”
Dong Xuebing asked. “Why are you at the hospital? Is someone from your family sick?”
Li An replied angrily. “Don’t mention it! Some of my classmates are beaten up. F**k! I’m mad when I think about it!”
Dong Xuebing asked. “I saw the ambulances sent a few men in Taekwondo uniforms here. They are your classmates?”
“Yes. You saw them?”
“What happened? Who beat them up so badly?”
“I am in a rush to see them, and I will explain on the way.”
Along the way, Dong Xuebing found out what happened. Li An’s classmates and a few other Chinese students are students of Tianma Taekwondo school. During their morning training, a few Korean youths starting discussing politics and insulted the Chinese. The Chinese students overheard it, and both sides started arguing. At that time, the instructor was not around, and those Korean youths started the fight. More than 30 Korean students beat up 9 Chinese students. In the end, the few Chinese students were seriously injured. Three of them had fractures, and one of them almost died and is in a coma now.
Dong Xuebing frowned. “This is very serious. Where is the person in charge of that Taekwondo school?”
“He didn’t appear at all! I didn’t even see him until now!” Li An cursed. “These Bangzhi! The fight happened in the Taekwondo school, and the school did not even send anyone to check on my friends!”
After a while, Li An brought Dong Xuebing to the few injured students.
Chen Dahui is the only student that is not seriously injured, and he is arguing with a doctor in Korean.
“Dahui!” Li An rushed forward.
Chen Dahui turned. “Li An! You are here at the right time. Did you bring any money with you?”
Li An replied. “I don’t have much money with me now. What happened?”
Chen Dahui replied angrily. “Lao San, they all had received basic first aid, but the doctor wants us to pay for deposits and treatment fees, or they will not treat them. I told them that we will pay them later, but they refused!”
Li An shouted. “Where are the people from your Taekwondo school? They are the ones who injured them, and they should be paying for the medical fees!”
“I cannot contact them! I tried calling the person in charge and the instructor, but they are not answering!”
“What did the police say?”
Chen Dahui replied angrily. “I called the police, and they say they are investigating this case now. But someone from our school told me he saw that group of Koreans having lunch at a restaurant! Investigating my ass!”
“F**k!” Li An was mad. “That means no one is going to take responsibility for them?”
Li An and Chen Dahui were furious. When they come over to Korea, the Korean students in their university had discriminated against them, and that is the reason they spend money to enroll in that Taekwondo school. This is to learn some self-defense skills. But now, they were beaten up by so many people at the Taekwondo school, and the people at the Taekwondo school and the police are ignoring them.
Dong Xuebing frowned and asked. “How are their injuries?”
“This is…” Chen Dahui looks at Dong Xuebing.
Li An replied. “This is Brother Dong. I met him on the plane.”
Chen Dahui replied. “Everyone is seriously injured. A few of them have fractures, and one is still in a coma. But we cannot afford the treatment fees now, and the hospital told me that if we don’t pay the fees, we will have to leave the hospital. We are all students and do not have money. Even if we are to ask from our families, it will also take some time…”
At this time, two young men limped over. “Let’s pull our money for Sun Zhi first. His injuries are the most serious.”
“That’s right.” The other young man, who was obviously in pain, said. “We are fine. Treat them first.”
Li An rushed forward to support them. “You two have fractures and should not be moving around. I will get the money! Go back to your ward!”
Dong Xuebing looked at them and asked. “How much are you all short of?”
Chen Dahui said an amount, but it was in Won.
Dong Xuebing thought for a while to convert Won to RMB and took out a check from his bag. “Their treatments are important. I will pay for the treatment fees first.”
Li An was stunned. “Brother Dong, how can we let you do this?”
Dong Xuebing waved his hand to stop him and wrote a 100,000 RMB check. But after writing the check, he remembered the hospitals here do not accept RMB. He had to exchange for Won with his RMB in China before wiring to Zhang Jingjing for Yu Meixia’s operation. He immediately called Zhang Jingjing on her phone.
A few minutes later, Zhang Jingjing walks over from the other end of the corridor. “What happened?”
Dong Xuebing points to those few students. “These students are injured, and the party who is supposed to compensate their medical fees are uncontactable. They do not have enough money with them. Can you ask the hospital to treat them first?”
Zhang Jingjing was troubled. “But…”
Dong Xuebing continued. “I don’t have so much Korean Won with me. Just let them get treated and if no one pays for their medical fees, ask the hospital to look for me! I will pay!”
Zhang Jingjing paused for a second and said. “… alright. I will speak to them.”
Zhang Jingjing spoke to that doctor in Korean, and that doctor looks at Dong Xuebing before nodding to her.
Zhang Jingjing replied. “Ok. He agreed.”
Chen Dahui was overjoyed. “Brother Dong… thank you!”
Li Na and the other two injured students were also touched. They had never met someone as kind-hearted as Dong Xuebing in their lives.
Dong Xuebing waved his hand. “Go and get treated.” They are all Chinese, and Dong Xuebing felt he should do his best to help them. Furthermore, Dong Xuebing is angry with the Taekwondo school. They should be responsible for these students’ medical fees, and yet they did not appear at the hospital after so long! What the f**k are they doing?!
After the medical fees are settled, Dong Xuebing, Li An, and the rest went to visit the patients.
Dong Xuebing asked about their conditions and is worried about that student whose life is still in danger.
Zhang Jingjing also found out Dong Xuebing do not know these students. She is impressed with Dong Xuebing. Paying the medical fees for a group of unknown students?! No wonder Dong Xuebing can become a Section Chief at his age.
