Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: A One-Star Amusement Park (6)
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We carefully removed the child's patient gown and began examining every inch of their body.
Back, stomach, arms, legs.
We widened our eyes to inspect each one meticulously.
In that way, the two of us were able to finish the examination quickly.
Of course, it wasn't a positive conclusion.
Faint bruise marks remained here and there on the back and buttocks.
These were bruises that appeared to have accumulated over several hours.
The police officer simply stared silently at the overlapping bruise marks that seemed to have built up layer by layer over multiple hours.
"I'll contact the Child Protection Specialist Agency right away."
"Ah, yes. Could you do that? I'm not familiar with these procedures...."
I replied, not knowing what to do.
I could make medical judgments, but I knew nothing about the administrative and legal procedures that followed.
"That's our job."
The police officer pulled out a notepad.
"For now, Doctor, if you could prepare all the medical records related to today's findings, and if possible, a report strongly suspecting child abuse, that would be great. The agency and our side will send official requests for the documents."
"Ah, yes... a report...."
A single page written by me could become legal evidence deciding one child's fate and one family's future.
Me, of all people.
No matter how I thought about it, a first-year resident's report would likely only serve as unfavorable evidence in court, not positive.
'Hmm, I probably shouldn't write the report. This needs an attending physician...'
It was then. A familiar voice came from behind me.
"You okay? What'd the cops say? What's the deal with the kid?"
It was Lee Min-jae.
He had returned before I knew it and was looking back and forth between the police officer and me.
"Uh, they said we need to preserve evidence legally... They want a report. If I write it..."
"What? You? No, no. Don't worry. These things are always handled by attendings. I already reported to Professor Kim Sung-chan, who's on duty today, and he'll write it himself. You just forget about it."
At those words, I let out a sigh of relief.
Phew. Good thing.
Documents I wrote would carry less authority anyway.
The police officer gave a light nod to Lee Min-jae and headed toward the station for other procedures.
Only then did Lee Min-jae seem to relax as he approached the bed where the child lay.
"So, how's the kid doing?"
To check the child's condition, he carefully lifted the thin blanket covering them.
Lee Min-jae's gaze fixed on the mottled bruises on the child's back.
All expression vanished from Lee Min-jae's face.
The cheeky, cheerful fourth-year face that had just reassured me was gone.
With trembling hands, Lee Min-jae began carefully checking the other bruises, making sure not to leave any marks on the child's body.
Inner arms, thighs, even the soles of the feet.
"...That bastard's completely insane, right? Beating the kid like this..."
"...Doctor?"
"Ah, sorry, sorry... No... Damn... The kid... Just barely starting to talk... And they let it get this bad...."
Lee Min-jae's shoulders trembled.
"Insane... Fucking insane bastard.... What the..."
I sensed a type of madness I'd never seen before.
Not the childish anger he threw at me with his nagging and fussing—this was pure rage bordering on murderous intent.
No good.
If I left him like this, this guy looked ready to charge out and grab the child's father by the collar right now.
"Doctor, you need to calm down. The guardians are still nearby. If we cause a scene..."
I carefully grabbed Lee Min-jae's arm.
That personality that ragged on me—if it erupted in the wrong direction here, it could mess up the entire legal process.
Please, just hold it in.
Fuss all you want at me later—I'll take it all, so please hold it together now.
Only then did Lee Min-jae seem to snap out of it, breathing heavily.
He covered the child's body with the blanket again and left the bed without a word.
Left alone, I looked down at the sleeping child's face.
I couldn't even begin to imagine the depth of pain and fear this little one had endured.
How much it must have hurt.
What more could I do for this child right here, right now?
I stood there dazed when the curtain rustled open again.
"Ah, right!"
It was Lee Min-jae.
He smacked his forehead as if he'd forgotten something important and came back in.
"I forgot to tell you something important. The pediatric resident on duty will be here soon. When I reported to the professor earlier, I asked for a pediatrics consult too. Cases like this should be handled with peds from the start."
And shortly after, the pediatric resident on duty appeared with a very tired face.
"I'm Min Ji-woo from Pediatrics, got the call. Where's the patient?"
She looked about my age.
She gave us a light nod and went straight to the child's bed.
Then, just like Lee Min-jae and I had done, she began examining the child's body thoroughly.
She checked skin turgor, palpated the anterior fontanelle to see if it was bulging, and flipped the eyelids to inspect the conjunctiva.
After finishing the full physical exam, Min Ji-woo walked to the station and pulled up the X-rays we'd taken on the monitor.
"Hmm, definitely abuse."
I cautiously asked Min Ji-woo.
"Doctor. The guardians are isolated for police questioning right now—what should we do with the child? There's no urgent medical treatment needed immediately, but for child protection, wouldn't it be best to admit them for now?"
Min Ji-woo pondered my question for a moment.
"Yes, I think so too. We can't send the child back to those parents right now. We need to contact the social work team and the Child Protection Agency to proceed with temporary protective custody and admission."
And so, the plan going forward was set.
The child's fate now left the hands of us emergency room doctors and passed to the police, pediatrics, and the Child Protection Specialist Agency.
I returned to the station for now and started sorting through the backlog of charts.
It was right then.
The counseling room door burst open, and the child's father stormed out, huffing and puffing.
A young police officer chased after him desperately, trying to stop him.
"What evidence do you have to treat us like criminals?!"
He bellowed so loudly the entire ER seemed to shake.
"I know my kid best! What do you quacks know after seeing them for a few minutes? You're spinning fairy tales off one lousy X-ray right now!"
The moment that voice pierced my ears, unbearable rage surged up.
I stopped typing and stood from my seat.
I don't know.
Instinct must have overtaken reason.
When did it start?
From the moment I saw that child's X-ray?
From the moment I saw the online comments urging to report it?
Or from the moment he called me a quack?
Just as I took a step toward him, a figure brushed past me like a shadow.
It was Lee Min-jae.
Lee Min-jae, with a face the complete opposite of my obvious "I'm pissed" expression, strode forward and blocked the path of the shouting father.
"Oh dear, guardian. You said we quacks who saw them for a few minutes don't know anything?"
Lee Min-jae pulled out his work tablet.
He turned the screen bright and shoved it in front of the father's eyes.
The screen showed the CML X-ray I'd taken earlier.
"This. This image. Do you know what it is?"
"......"
"You don't? Of course not. How would an ignorant bastard like you know?"
A sneer laced with contempt curled on Lee Min-jae's lips.
"Allow me to explain kindly. This doesn't show up unless it's child abuse. It's a fracture that absolutely can't happen unless you twist and shake a kid's leg like a toy. And this came from your son's leg. Still say it's not abuse?"
His voice grew louder and louder.
"You fucking bastard. You call yourself a father after that? Have you even counted the bruises on that tiny body? Ever once properly looked at why the kid couldn't walk and cried all night? Walker? Bullshit. You think we're idiots enough to fall for that lie?"
"What, what the fuck?! You a real doctor? You done talking? I'll remember your name! Do you know who I am?!"
The father threatened, his face red with fury.
But Lee Min-jae didn't blink.
"Yeah. Remember it real well—I hope you do. Want an autograph? By the time you're out scribbling reflection essays in prison, I'll be way up in Seoul, and you won't find me anyway."
Hearing that, a faint memory surfaced in my mind. Professor Chun Eun-jung's voice saying, 'He's been looking into a fellowship at Aseong Hospital.'
'...This guy's seriously preparing for a fellowship at Aseong Hospital?'
My brain latched onto the weirdest point.