Park Hyun stops to catch his breath, after he ascends a few steps that lead to the entrance to the Faculty of Engineering of Busan National University, where he teaches. Despite his panting, he uses stairs and avoids elevators.

Park was the "patient number 47" in Busan, where he became one of more than 5,000 South Koreans, who were cured of infection with the Coronavirus. However, after 25 days of confirming the negative tests for the second time, he is still fighting a new battle with the stigma of infection with the virus. Park (47 years) spent nine days in a private ward before being allowed out, then spent 14 days in isolation, in addition to another 10 days to recover, but he says that many people around him are still thinking about illness before anything else.

During Park's stay in the hospital, his mother heard a neighbor shouting in front of the family home: “We will all die because of a son in this family.”

Park said he believes there are deep suspicions in society, because a large majority of the first people with the disease were among members of a religious community surrounded by secrecy, and opinions differ in the city of Daegu, 100 km northwest of Busan.

Park says he has decided to narrate his journey with infection and treatment, to help dispel the mystery of the epidemic. Then, he recorded all the stages of his battle with the disease, whether sweet or bitter, on Facebook from the first day.

"By revealing my identity, I thought people would realize that I'm not spreading fake news, there are too many mysteries, and feelings of anxiety are born of mystery," said Park.

Park's colleagues welcomed his return to work, but without arms or shaking hands. He takes his lunch in the factory with his colleagues, but he sits at a separate table several meters away from them. And he says that if someone is concerned about his presence, they do not seem so in his presence.

"Some people have had positive tests after a full recovery, and I care about those around me," said Park, who moves around his face with a muzzle all the time.

Fears

"I understand the concerns and anxieties of my colleagues and neighbors, so I go up the stairs in the building of this university, and even to my apartment in the ninth floor, everyone stopped shaking hands, or even approaching me," Park said.

Park's first job after resuming work was making soap boxes using 3D printers, to donate them with soap to the elderly in Busan, and other cities where the disease arose.

- Park recorded all the stages of his battle with the disease on Facebook.

- Park spent nine days in a private ward, before letting him out, then 14 days in isolation.