Golden Time

Kwon Jaeik. He was a senior by just one year. It was Kwon who forced her to keep drinking to the point she passed out like that. However hard they shook her by the shoulder, she did not wake up.

“Did she get acute alcohol poisoning?!” someone shouted.

Several medical students diagnosed her condition.

However, Suhyuk had a different opinion. Even if they have acute alcoholism, most of the people have consciousness. Nonetheless, she showed no movement at all. Was the blood alcohol level in her beyond the permissible point, where it cannot be dissolved?

Suhyuk said urgently, “Can she breathe?”

Everyone cast their eyes at Suhyuk. It was Suhyuk who saved several people’s lives, which was reported in the press. His power of influence made them step back.

He approached her without hesitation and checked instantly her breathing condition.

“She is breathing,” he said. How fortunate for her.

At that moment, Kwon, already very drunk, took his hand to her mouth and said,

“I have to have her vomit!”

“No way!” Suhyuk snatched away his hands.

As a rule it’s good to help a person with acute alcoholism to vomit.

However, she has no consciousness at the moment.

If she were forced to vomit, it could block her airway while it’s coming up.

“Let go your hold of me, son of a bitch. What the heck do you know, rookie!”

He pulled away Suhyuk’s hands roughly.

At that moment, someone stretched his hands suddenly to pull away Kwon’s wrist.

He was Mr. Park Jongmin, a second-year senior.

“I think Suhyuk is right,” he said, looking at Suhyuk.

“Why can’t I do it?” asked Kwon.

“Well, her airway could be blocked while vomiting, and if she can’t breathe…”

In that case, it would be the worst situation.

“Oh, you’re right,” said Kwon.

Park smiled slightly after hearing Kwon’s response that he had wanted.

After breathing a sigh, Kwon took steps away from her.

That’s the best measure that came to his mind.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Kwon reproached himself after reflecting on his attempt to give first aid when he was intoxicated.

“Shouldn’t we take action quickly?” said Park, gesturing with his eyes towards Choi who had no consciousness.

As if he were waiting for that kind of direction, Suhyuk pinched her forearm hard to rouse her consciousness by applying stimulation like that. No consciousness, after all.

Her breathing was unstable, but her pulse was normal. Suhyuk knitted his brows. Her temperature is normal. However hard he tried to figure it out, he could not easily find an answer. Suhyuk opened his mouth urgently,

“I’m afraid we had better take her to the hospital quickly.”

After she has her stomach pumped or gets an IV to break down the alcohol in her body, she needs to have a careful examination with a medical device.

“Okay, take her to the hospital as it’s located nearby.”

Without hesitation, he carried her on his back and left for the door.

“How could Suryon become like that…”

“She will be alright.”

The freshmen at the place voiced worrisome remarks and some of them followed him to the door.

“So, why did you force her to drink that much?” said Park, patting Kwon on the back, who had been blaming himself on that.

“You’re right. I think I have to follow him,” said Kwon.

It’s only natural that he takes responsibility as he made her drunk like that.

After Kwon went out. Park had them clean up the place.

“Hey guys, she will be alright. So don’t worry too much and have fun!”

It was really an unexpected accident. It’s alright to end the welcome reception party at that point, but it would just be bad if they broke up the party with a gloomy atmosphere. It’s important that they stand by and find out her condition. All the more for the freshmen who were surprised a lot.

***

Suhyuk was stepping down the stairs urgently, carrying her on his back.

‘It’s about ten-minutes’ walking distance to the hospital.’

When he was trying to get out the beer house, he heard something like, “To the left!”

Did he hear something wrong? Suhyuk’s head turned to the side slowly.

“To the left, to the left,” she was mumbling like that, “Hurry up, hurry!”

“Uh, uh,” muttered Suhyuk.

With a blank face, Suhyuk went into an alley.

“Have you regained consciousness?” he asked.

“To the right”

“Uh, uh, okay.”

Coming out back to the street after walking through alleys, Suhyuk was wearing a dumbfounded expression.

“Put me down now,” she said.

She was now standing like a normal person when she had been carried on Suhyuk’s back only a minute ago.

“Ooops.. It really aches.”

She was rubbing her forearm roughly, where Suhyuk pinched hard.

“How could you…”

“My father told me I have to take care of my own body.”

She pretend to be asleep at the place, because she felt like she would pass out if she had more drinks.

Even though she wanted to say ‘I’m okay.’ and open her eyes, it was the timing that bothered her, because she had been treated as if she were a patient. If she woke up like a normal person, she could be the target of their witch-hunting because her act shocked everybody.

“See you tomorrow!”

Winking at him, she took a taxi and left quickly.

With a blank face, Suhyuk was watching the taxi disappearing away.

***

Coming back to the beer house, Suhyuk got everybody’s attention.

“Where have you been?”

“We couldn’t find you at the hospital. What happened? Where is Suryon?”

‘How should I explain? She took a taxi and went home?’

Suhyuk, with a perplexed look, scratched his head, and said, “She went away…”

Their eyes became wider.

“What?”

“Where did she go? ”

“Oh, no, she didn’t die, right?”

Suhyuk spoke again, “She escaped…”