Designated Call

The call

Weekend nights are always a busy time for emergency dispatchers, just like tonight.

"112, What's your emergency?" Jongdae asks as soon as he receives a call.

"Ambulance..." A raspy male voice comes from the other side of the call.

"Okay, sir. Are you injured?"

"Can't... Breath..."

M/PR having difficulty breathing

Thankfully (or not), Jongdae is experienced in handling people who have difficulty breathing. His ex-boyfriend used to have asthma attacks a few times because of his allergy and Jongdae used to help him. They met in college but had to break up after they graduated.

"Okay, sir. Is there anyone else with you?"

"No..."

PR is home alone

"Do you know what triggers the breathing difficulty?"

"Aller- Allergy... Pollen..."

Oh, Jongdae's ex is also allergic to pollen. What a coincidence.

"Okay, sir. What's the address?" Jongdae asks calmly.

"Myeong-" and then it cut off by some coughing.

Jongdae looks at his computer. The call is from a cell phone, so he doesn't have an immediate address. The GPS shows a neighborhood in Busan containing 30 possible homes.

"Can't..."

"Okay. Can you tell me what's the color of your house?"

More coughing.

"Okay, sir. I need you to take a deep breath slowly. I'm gonna help you, but you got to work with me, all right?"

The man's breathing seems to be calmer.

"Very good, sir. Now, can you tell me your name?"

"Min-" A gasped breath. "Minseok. Kim..."

"Kim Minseok?"

"Yeah..."

Oh.

What another coincidence. Jongdae's ex's name is Kim Minseok too.

There can't be that many Kim Minseok with a pollen allergy in Busan, right?

"Ok sir, I might try this way. I'm going to ask you several yes or no questions. Tap or knock two times anywhere if it's a yes, and don't knock if it's a no. Do you understand?"

Two faint knocks.

"Is this Kim Minseok who graduated from Pusan National University, majoring in sport science?"

Two knocks.

"Okay, Minseok, good. This is Jongdae. Kim Jongdae."

There's only silence for a few seconds before Minseok answers.

"Jong... Dae?"

"Yes. It's me, Minseok. I still remember some details about you, so try your best to answer, okay? Can you do that for me?"

Two knocks.

"Okay. Good. Do you still live in your old house? 160-9, Myeongnyun-dong, Dongrae-gu?"

Two knocks.

"Are you there right now?"

Two knocks.

"Great job, Minnie. Hold the line. I'm going to get you a dispatcher."

Jongdae immediately presses the dispatch button on his keyboard and speaks. "Any units clear to handle 160-9, Myeongnyun-dong, Dongrae-gu, Busan? A white house, with a brown door, two stories. PR is having a severe asthma attack. That's a code three. Code three."

Without waiting for a response, Jongdae gets back to Minseok. "Okay. You're doing a great job, Min. I'm getting the paramedics dispatched."

Units dispatched code 3 2048 hours.

"Help is on the way, Min," Jongdae reassures. "Are you hurt anywhere else? Do you have any chest pain?"

There's no response besides some mild coughing so Jongdae takes it as a no.

"That's good. Are you sitting down, Min?"

No response.

"I want you to sit down, okay? It can really help your breathing."

After a few moments, Jongdae hears two knocks.

"Very good. Now, do you have your inhaler with you?"

Two knocks.

"That's great, Min. Take your reliever inhaler now and after every sixty seconds up to a maximum of 10 times."

"Tried it-" A wheezing sound. "But Still-"

"Okay, Minnie. That's okay. Calm down."

Then, Jongdae hears a ragged sobbing.

"I'm going to die..."

"NO. No, Minnie. You're not. Listen to me. I have the paramedics on the way. You'll be okay. Trust me."

"I- I'm sorry..."

"Minnie, listen. I'm going to do everything in my power to help you. So, stay with me. Stay on the line, please."

Jongdae puts Minseok on hold. "Paramedics, what's your ETA?"

"Five to seven minutes."

"Shit." Jongdae groans. "No can do. Please go faster."

Jongdae switches his attention to Minseok again. "Min, are you still there? Are you still with me?"

There are only fast breathing sounds and it's very alarming. So, Jongdae tries some small talks to distract Minseok's mind.

"Do you remember when I first found out about your pollen allergy, Min?" Jongdae smiles. "I bought you flowers on our first date and it turned disastrous. Knock twice for me if you remember, Min."

Two knocks.

"And do you remember when I visited your house secretly in the middle of the night and your father thought I was a burglar?"

Two knocks. And a faint laugh.

"I can't believe you still live there. I still live in my old house too..."

That's when Jongdae receives a report from the paramedics.

"I think the paramedics there, Minnie. Is your front door unlocked?"

No response.

"That's okay. The paramedics need to force their way into your house, though. I'll inform them."

Units 11-3 on scene 2059 hours

When he hears some muffled sounds of paramedics in the background, he talks to Minseok for one last time. "You did a good job, Minnie. They're going to help you. You're going to be okay."

And the call got disconnected.

There are new calls coming and waiting on the queue line to be picked up but Jongdae feels sick. He can't continue to work today as if nothing happened. His head and every cell of his body is thinking about Minseok, and the chances are, he'll never find out. Because an emergency dispatcher never finds out what happens to the person they talk to after the police or paramedics get to them.

Note: 

- M/PR means Male/Person reporting.
- A code 3 Response in the United States is used to describe a mode of response for an emergency vehicle responding to a call. It is commonly used to mean "use light and siren".