The four of them ran toward the direction of the scream. Beneath a parasol set up on one side of the beach, a family had fallen into a state of panic.
A man in his forties was holding a child who had collapsed on the ground, while his wife stomped her feet anxiously beside him. The face of the girl, who looked to be about ten years old, was swollen and discolored.
"Hayul, sit on that bench over there and wait for a moment."
"Yes!"
After instructing Hayul, Taeho immediately approached the patient.
"Mon dieu······." (My God······.)
Sophie muttered in French and hurriedly followed.
"Qu'est-ce qui s'est passé?" (What happened?)
"Ma fille elle a mangé des crevettes et elle s'est écroulée soudainement!" (My daughter ate shrimp and suddenly collapsed!)
The woman answered, holding back sobs.
A container of fried shrimp lay fallen on the ground.
"It's a shrimp allergy!"
Sophie shouted in English.
Taeho immediately assessed the patient's condition.
"Initial stage of systemic anaphylactic shock. Gihwan, call 119!"
"Yes! Understood."
Gihwan hurriedly made the call.
"The ambulance will take at least thirty minutes!"
"Thirty minutes will be too late······."
Taeho looked around, spotted a lifeguard tower about ten meters away, and ran to retrieve a first aid kit.
"Fortunately, there's an epinephrine injector! Sophie, please help interpret. Ask if I can give the child a shot. Gihwan, help position the patient."
While Sophie explained to the child's parents, Gihwan laid the child flat on her back and lifted her chin to secure her airway.
"The parents gave permission. They want you to give the shot."
The moment Sophie spoke, Taeho administered the epinephrine auto-injector into the child's thigh with practiced hands.
Ten minutes passed. But the situation did not improve.
Taeho checked the patient's neck again and muttered.
"The airway edema keeps worsening even after giving epinephrine! She should be improving by now······."
Taeho focused for a moment, closing and opening his eyes. Bio Vision activated.
The patient's biological reactions were visible at a glance. Heart rate, blood pressure, hormone levels······.
'Strange. The epinephrine response isn't normal.'
Taeho's Bio Vision grew even clearer. The cardiovascular response pattern was visible.
'Beta receptor response is suppressed. And this pattern is······.'
Taeho's eyes opened wide.
"Sophie, is this child taking any heart medication?"
Sophie urgently asked the mother in French.
"Est-ce que votre fille prend des médicaments pour le cœur?" (Is your daughter taking heart medication?)
"Oui! Elle a des problèmes cardiaques depuis sa naissance!" (Yes! She has had heart problems since birth!)
The mother answered, crying.
Taeho found the cause of the problem.
"A beta-blocker is blocking the bronchodilator effect of the epinephrine. That's why the airway edema persists."
"Then what should we do? Should we inject again?"
Gihwan asked, flustered.
"A second dose of epinephrine is dangerous. It could strain the heart."
"What about steroids?"
Sophie asked.
"There aren't any in the emergency kit. We do have antihistamines, but······."
In the child's current state, her throat was too swollen to swallow.
Just then, the child grew more distressed, clutched her throat, and gasped for breath.
"Ugh. Maman······." (Urk. Mama······.)
The child's mother and father paled, at a complete loss.
At that very moment, Sophie shouted.
"Licorice! I have licorice tea!"
She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small thermos. It was tea brewed with licorice she had received from the herbalist grandmother the night before.
"If the licorice reduces the throat swelling, she'll be able to swallow the medicine!"
"Let's try it."
Taeho nodded.
Licorice's glycyrrhizin had powerful steroid-like effects, so they could expect it to work.
Sophie carefully gave the girl the licorice tea. The child refused at first, but Sophie coaxed her in French, and she gradually swallowed it.
Five minutes later, something amazing happened.
The girl's throat swelling began to visibly subside.
"I think we can give her the antihistamine now!"
Gihwan shouted.
The child could now swallow medicine.
"Ma chérie." (My darling.)
The father stroked his daughter's head as she began to breathe again.
By the time the ambulance arrived, the patient was already in a stable condition.
Before the patient was loaded into the ambulance and transported to the hospital, the French family expressed deep gratitude to the four of them.
"Merci beaucoup d'avoir sauvé notre fille. Vous êtes des anges que nous avons rencontrés en Corée." (Thank you so much for saving our daughter. You are angels we met in Korea.)
The girl's father said, his eyes welling with tears.
The three of them sent the family off with proud yet sheepish expressions.
After the ambulance left, Sophie muttered, staring at the thermos in her hand as if she still couldn't believe it.
"The glycyrrhizin in licorice raised cortisol levels through the HPA axis, while simultaneously showing immediate effects through direct anti-inflammatory action."
"And it supplemented the epinephrine effects that were limited by the beta-blocker."
Gihwan added.
Taeho looked at Sophie and spoke.
"If you hadn't mentioned the licorice tea, it would have been truly dangerous. Well done, Sophie."
"Not at all. I saw it in Brittany too, but Doctor Gang is truly amazing. I've seen many doctors, but I've never seen one as calm and quick in an emergency as Doctor Gang."
Sophie said, waving her hand.
Taeho was deeply impressed inwardly.
It had been an unplanned situation, but Sophie had shown the ability to apply what she'd learned about licorice the previous day directly to the field. It was a good opportunity to confirm Sophie's true worth once more.
While everyone was basking in the warmth of the moment, Hayul alone was still too shocked to say anything.
"Hayul, want to race to that pine tree over there?"
"Yes!"
"Ready, set······. Go!"
"Huh? Uncle, that's cheating!"
Gihwan deliberately ran out first, and Hayul laughed gleefully as she chased after him.
Sophie also laughed loudly and ran after them.
The evening sun was setting over the sea.
***
Taeho returned to Geumsan-ri with Hayul first.
"We'll head back first. Gihwan, please see Sophie to her lodging and take your time coming back."
Taeho said with a meaningful smile.
Only Sophie and Gihwan remained on the beach. The evening sun had completely set, and the night sea sparkled in the darkness with the sound of gentle waves.
The two sat side by side on the sandy beach, gazing at the night sea.
Sophie was the first to speak.
"I really can't believe it. To meet a French family on a beach in Korea and help them······ I don't think I'll ever forget today as long as I live."
"Just like the director said, you were truly amazing, Sophie. To think of licorice at that moment. I couldn't even remember······."
Gihwan said.
Sophie smiled brightly. A gentle breeze blew, scattering her blond hair. She looked at Gihwan with a serious expression.
"Kihwan. You humble yourself and always lift others up first. I've never seen a man like that in France."
"Huh? Hahaha, it's true. Well..."
Gihwan's heart began to race.
"No. You were different from other people. Quiet but deep, humble but with firm convictions."
Sophie's voice was soft.
"But seeing you today made it clearer. You are a truly special person."
"I'm not special. I'm clumsy at getting along with people, too."
When he first met Director Gang Taeho, Gihwan had already given up on a normal life and was living hidden in the mountains. No, he had even failed at that.
After meeting Director Gang Taeho, his life had changed 180 degrees.
He had met Hayul and found the will to live, and thanks to Director Gang Taeho's consideration, he could devote himself to the research he loved without getting hurt by others.
When Geumsan Research Institute was established, the new researchers who joined were all people who had been deeply wounded, so they understood Gihwan. One could say they understood each other's situations through unspoken empathy.
His current self was something he couldn't have imagined just two years ago.
"To tell the truth, I've always lived worrying about making mistakes in front of others."
Sophie looked at Gihwan's profile with a warm gaze.
"That's why I like you."
Gihwan looked at her in surprise.
"You don't pretend to be perfect, and you know how to acknowledge your own weakness. That is what makes a person truly strong."
"And because you are that kind of person, you can understand others' pain and truly help them, don't you think?"
Sophie carefully placed her hand on top of Gihwan's.
Feeling Sophie's warm touch, Gihwan's chest swelled with emotion.
"Kihwan, you are special enough. And I like you that way."
"Sophie."
"Don't say anything."
Sophie gently stopped him.
"I like this moment. Just like this."
Their lips met.
***
A few days later, Sophie lay in her hotel bed, staring at the ceiling.
Tomorrow, she would have to return to France.
The vacation in Korea had been short, but it felt as if her life had changed.
She kept thinking of Geumsan Research Institute, which she had toured that afternoon under Gihwan's guidance.
A laboratory filled with state-of-the-art analytical equipment, a systematically organized natural product library, and above all, an innovative research platform seeking to integrate Eastern and Western medicine.
'It was truly amazing. It felt more future-oriented than any research institute I saw in France, with infinite potential.'
She also recalled how Gihwan had looked at the institute. His eyes as he explained in his own laboratory were different from usual. They were full of confidence and passion.
'Kihwan was truly wonderful.'
A smile spread across Sophie's lips.
'And the research plans were truly exciting. Especially the new drug development project fusing immunology and pharmacology seemed like it would be so much fun······.'
She sat up and looked out the window. A night view was visible in the distance. Small lights twinkled on.
'If only I could work here······.'
Sophie's heart pounded. Of course, it was partly because Gihwan was here, but she also had ambition as a researcher.
'Here, I think I could really do fusion research that I couldn't even imagine in France.'
She lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes.
'Should I ask Doctor Gang first thing tomorrow morning?'
She recalled Doctor Gang's appearance when saving the French family.
Decisiveness without a moment's hesitation.
The ability to accurately see through a patient's condition without relying on complex equipment, even outside a hospital.
If such a capable person existed, she felt he could make not only the hospital he operated but also Geumsan Research Institute the best in the world.
Sophie wanted to join him on that path. Rather than being one of many researchers working in a massive organization like Brittany University Hospital, she had the desire to fully demonstrate her abilities at a small but strong research institute.
Sophie's heart had already tilted endlessly in that direction.