Chapter 5 — Medals Are Not For You

"Didn't we already have an agreement? When I come back, you will stay on my team. We have our own families, and we will have children in the future. It's not convenient for you to follow the team everywhere." “This agreement, since when?” Luc Thua Da paused. “We have discussed it before.” "I just said it. You never agreed." A trace of impatience appeared on his face. "What's the difference? Haven't you been doing the same thing for three years now?" I leaned back in my chair, suddenly finding no reason to continue arguing. Three years ago, when he was lying on his hospital bed, the doctor said that even if the surgery was successful, he might not be able to restore his professional level. He didn't want to see anyone for weeks. The contract with the club entered the injury insurance period, and the old recovery team was transferred one by one to take charge of other athletes. I am your wife and the person who understands your injury best. I resigned from my job at the recovery center and accompanied him through the most difficult three years after surgery. At first I just wanted to help him stand up. Later he wanted to run back, so I ran back with him. He gradually got used to me being on call 24/7, and gradually forgot that I had my own patients, my own projects, and my own career path. “Tomorrow I will ask the legal department to send you a list of documents.” I zipped up the suitcase. “If you do not have my consent, please take it down.” “Kieu Tranh.” “And also, for the next stage of your treatment, let the medical team take over.” He glared at me. “What do you mean?” “Literally.” “Just because of a gold medal, you abandon my recovery?” "His recovery process has entered the daily maintenance phase, which the club's medical team can fully take care of." “They can handle it, so why did I have to quit my job three years ago?” I grabbed the suitcase handle tightly, my knuckles gradually tightening. “Because three years ago, I couldn't even get out of bed.” Luc Thua Da's face turned pale. No one of us ever proactively mentioned that time of his life. He bowed his head for a few seconds, and when he looked up, his tone softened somewhat. “You really didn't pay attention to my feelings today.” He walked over and took my hand. “Gold medal for you.” “I don't need it.” “Haven't you always wanted it?” “Before yesterday, I wanted to.” His grip slowly loosened. “So what do you want?” “Legitimate.” I withdrew my hand. “And respect belongs to a treating physician.” The next morning, I flew alone to Nam Xuyen, where the base was located. As soon as the plane landed, the club's legal department sent a copy of the "Confirmation of authorization for non-compensation of photo documents". The scope of authorization includes all my recovery records, videos, images and treatment plans, the shelf life is permanent, and allows the Club to cut, edit and redistribute. The last part of the document has Luc Thua Da's electronic signature. The signing date was ten days ago. In the notes column were the words: *[Documents provided by the athlete and family members, part of the family members confirmed by Mr. Luc Thua Da.]* I stared at that line for a long time. Then replied: *[I never authorized him to sign on my behalf. Please stop using it immediately.]* ### 3 Half an hour later, the legal department called me. “Miss Kieu, before we did not clearly understand the difference between you and Mr. Luc regarding document ownership.” The person on the other end of the phone spoke very politely, each sentence and every word was cautiously withdrawn. "Currently, the documentary has entered the process of broadcasting on the platform, and promotional materials have also been released. If it were all stopped, it would cause quite a lot of damage. We hope to be able to negotiate with you first."