Taeho grinned.
"I've done it in training, but this is my first time in a real situation. Why, are you worried?"
"No. Not at all. Being treated by the Director puts me at ease."
Gihwan meant it.
After five minutes, Taeho washed the wound with saline solution. Slowly and meticulously, he took great care. If even a trace of foreign matter remained, it could become infected.
"I'll stitch it up now. Do you feel this?"
Taeho pressed lightly against the edge of the wound.
Gihwan shook his head.
"I'm fine."
Taeho picked up the suture thread.
It was 3-0 nylon, used for suturing skin.
He pierced the needle through the edge of the wound opening. As the needle pushed through the skin, he pulled the thread and tied a knot. The first stitch was complete.
Taeho continued. The wound opening required seven stitches in total.
"I'll do the back now. Turn your body."
Gihwan turned over.
The exit wound was larger than the entry wound, so more skin tissue had been torn.
Taeho sutured from the deepest layer up.
Muscle layer, subcutaneous layer, skin layer—he used different thread for each layer. Absorbable sutures and nylon.
His hands didn't shake in the slightest, and the needle was precise.
After about fifteen minutes, he was able to tie the final knot.
He cut the thread with scissors. The wound was neatly closed.
"All done."
He applied antibiotic ointment on the wound and covered it with sterile gauze.
"Now it's time for your antibiotic shot."
The nurse, who seemed to have quite a bit of experience, brought the ceftriaxone at just the right time.
Taeho administered it as an intramuscular injection into Gihwan's hip.
"You need to get it once a day for a week. And you need to be disinfected again in two days."
"Yes."
Gihwan answered. His face was still pale, but his eyes were alert.
"Thank you, Director."
"For what."
Taeho removed his gloves and threw them in the medical waste bin. He washed his hands again and approached Gihwan.
Gihwan lay with his eyes closed, his face pale.
"Mr. Gihwan, do you think you can get up?"
"Yes."
Gihwan got down from the operating table. His legs wobbled, but he didn't fall.
"Your body needs to recover right now, Mr. Gihwan. But I think it would be safer to leave this place first."
"I don't think I can rest easy here either. Let's go to the airport."
The two left the operating room.
The nurse saw them off with a disappointed expression.
"Come by anytime, Doctor!"
She handed over antibiotics and painkillers.
Taeho nodded and walked out, supporting Gihwan.
The car was waiting outside.
"Let's go to the airport."
"Yes, Doctor!"
As Taeho spoke, the driver nodded and started the engine.
The car soon left downtown Kinshasa.
The streets were dark. Streetlights were on sporadically, and no people were in sight.
Gihwan leaned back in the rear seat and closed his eyes.
"Mr. Gihwan, are you all right?"
Gihwan answered without opening his eyes.
"Yes. The anesthesia hasn't worn off yet."
"That's good. Get some rest, even if it's just for a moment."
Taeho also closed his eyes for a moment. The fatigue accumulated over the past few hours came crashing over him.
From the gunfight, the chase, emergency first aid, to the surgery—he hadn't been able to let his guard down for a single moment. Until he completely left this country, that tension would not be easy to release.
Taeho took a deep breath.
After about thirty minutes, the car arrived at the airport entrance.
The entrance was blocked off. Two military trucks were obstructing the road, and soldiers stood holding their rifles.
The driver turned to Taeho, bewildered.
"Why are there so many soldiers all of a sudden? Are they looking for us? What should we do, Doctor?"
"Stop the car for now."
The driver stopped the car.
A soldier with his face covered by a mask approached and rapped on the window.
"ID!"
A threatening expression and tone.
Without a word, Taeho held out his WHO identification.
The soldier examined the ID, and his eyes widened as if they would pop out of his head.
"Doctor Kang Taeho?"
The soldier hurriedly took out his radio.
"Headquarters, headquarters. We found him. We found Doctor Kang Taeho."
-"Where are you? Bring him here right now!"
A shout burst from the radio.
The car passed through the entrance and entered the airport.
Helmeted soldiers were lined up at the terminal entrance, and several armored vehicles were on standby.
When the car stopped, soldiers swarmed around it.
"Doctor Kang! Are you all right?"
A UN commander shouted as he approached. His face was drenched in sweat.
"Yes, I'm fine. What's going on?"
"What's going on? You've been out of contact for four hours! Your GPS was off, and you weren't answering your phone! WHO headquarters is in an uproar!"
The commander shouted in a hoarse voice.
Only then did Taeho take his phone from his pocket. The screen was black.
"Ah, the battery must have died."
"Secretary-General Maria called you personally! And when you didn't answer, she called President Tshisekedi!"
"What?"
"President Tshisekedi issued an emergency search order to the military! He told them to tear Kinshasa apart!"
Taeho closed his mouth. The commander continued shouting.
"The Secretary-General said it herself. If they couldn't find Doctor Kang, she would cut off all aid to Congo! Vaccines, medical personnel, money—everything!"
Taeho looked at Gihwan. Gihwan shrugged, then grimaced in pain.
"Director, you're quite popular."
Inside the terminal, an even greater commotion awaited them.
Congo government officials were gathered in front of the VIP lounge. Men in suits were milling about, and standing in the center was a man in his late fifties.
It was the Minister of the Interior of Congo. Tall and lean, with a sharp gaze behind his glasses.
When Taeho appeared, the minister's face brightened.
"Doctor Kang!"
The minister shouted. He approached with large strides.
"Are you unharmed?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"The President is waiting."
The minister took a phone from his pocket.
"You must speak with him right now."
Taeho took the phone. On the screen, the words "Presidential Office" were displayed. He pressed the call button.
"Hello."
President Tshisekedi's voice burst over the phone.
-"Doctor Kang! Are you unharmed? Are you injured anywhere?"
"Yes, Mr. President. My colleague was shot, but I am unharmed."
-"Still, I am truly relieved that you are safe. You cannot imagine how worried I was."
The President paused. A sigh was heard over the phone.
-"The airport will be secured tightly by military forces, so make your way safely to Korea."
"Thank you."
The call ended.
Taeho returned the phone to the minister.
"I am truly relieved you are safe, Doctor Kang."
The minister said once more, then guided Taeho and Gihwan to the VIP lounge.
The lounge was spacious and quiet. Leather sofas were arranged, and a chandelier hung from the ceiling. He hadn't known such a place existed at Kinshasa Airport.
"Please rest here until boarding."
The minister said. He personally poured water and handed it to Taeho.
"The plane should be able to depart in one hour. It is a direct flight to Korea."
"Thank you."
Taeho took the water and handed it to Gihwan first.
"Doctor Kang. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to tell any of the staff here."
"Thank you."
The minister nodded and went outside. The officials followed him out in a crowd.
Only Taeho and Gihwan remained in the lounge.
Gihwan leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. His face was still pale, but his breathing looked easy.
Taeho connected his phone to a charger and walked over to the window.
The runway was visible outside. A plane with a clear UN emblem was parked there.
Taeho asked a lounge attendant for a light meal and ate with Gihwan.
Once the meal was finished, he turned on his phone, and notifications flooded in.
Thirty-seven missed calls.
Most were from Secretary-General Maria.
Twelve text messages.
Most expressed concern for Taeho.
Taeho let out a hollow laugh.
The last message had come ten minutes ago.
-"Doctor Kang. I received a report that you just arrived at the airport. I am relieved you are safe. I also heard the report that Dr. Seong was shot. We will definitely uncover the masterminds behind this incident, so please get in touch once you have taken a breather."
Just then, his phone rang. It was Amira.
Taeho moved to a sofa a short distance away so Gihwan could rest for a while.
When he pressed the call button, Amira's face appeared on the screen.
Her eyes were red and swollen.
There was no way the incident here had already made the news.
Taeho guessed that Amira had a separate intelligence line in the UAE.
-"Habibi!"
"I'm safe. I'm sorry I made you worry."
Amira burst into tears again upon hearing Taeho's voice.
-"Are you really all right?"
"Yes. I'm sorry."
Amira couldn't speak for a long while.
-"There's something I need to tell you when you return."
Taeho sensed something in her trembling voice.
What is it?
"I miss you a lot."
Amira took a deep breath and spoke, wiping away her tears.
-"Ah, I can't wait any longer. You're going to be a father."
"........"
Time stopped.
Taeho stared blankly at the screen.
For several seconds, no words came out.
"...What did you say?"
-"I'm pregnant. We'll talk when you get back to Korea."
Amira nodded.
Even after the screen turned off, Taeho stared blankly at his phone.
"Director?"
Seeing Taeho walking over slowly, Gihwan opened his eyes wide in surprise.
"What is it? Your expression................"
"I'm going to be a father."
"Huh?! Really?"
Gihwan shot up and shouted, then groaned again in pain.
"Ugh, congratulations, for real. Wow!"
"Thank you."
Taeho nodded, as though it didn't feel real yet.
Shortly after, an airport employee entered as the lounge door opened.
"You two may board now."
The two left the lounge. The hallway was empty. It was a VIP-only passage.
They walked to the boarding gate. They climbed the stairs and entered the plane.
The seats were in the first row. Spacious and comfortable.
Taeho sat in the window seat. Gihwan sat beside him.
A flight attendant brought water.
"Please rest comfortably until you arrive in Korea."
"Thank you."
Taeho replied.
The plane began to move. It slowly advanced along the runway.
Taeho looked out the window.
The engine noise grew louder, and the plane accelerated.
Outside the window, the lights of Kinshasa gradually grew smaller. The city lay submerged in darkness.
Finally, he was returning to Korea.
Then, Rema's voice was heard.
-"Congratulations, Taeho. You are going to be a father."
Taeho checked that Gihwan was asleep in the seat next to him, then moved to the restroom.
-"Yes. 521 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The 12th floor of the Parnas Tower East Wing."
"Are you sure?"
-"I have cross-verified it using an alternate method."
As soon as Taeho received the report that a hacking had occurred at the Geumsan Research Institute, he ordered Rema to trace the attacker back.
-"Do you remember the code hidden in the viral RNA base sequence? 'PROMETHEUS-FINAL / BS-2048'."
"BS-2048?"
-"If BS is taken as the acronym for BioSynergy, 2048 can be interpreted as the RSA encryption key length. I analyzed the encrypted files found on the Geumsan Research Institute servers."
"So?"
-"All files were encrypted using RSA-2048. I extracted the public key fingerprint and cross-referenced it with the international certificate database; the result matched a code signing certificate issued to BioSynergy Korea Ltd. two years ago."
"What about the company?"
-"BioSynergy Korea is a publicly traded company. Listed on KOSDAQ. Market capitalization of 820 billion won. Its main businesses are gene therapy development and vaccine platform technology."
"Who is the CEO?"
-"Han Jaehyeok, fifty-five. Former professor at KAIST's Department of Biological Sciences. He was dismissed ten years ago for a research ethics violation."
"Research ethics violation?"
-"It was due to paper fabrication and experimental data falsification."
"How did someone like that become the CEO of a publicly traded company?"
-"After his dismissal, he crossed over to China and was active there for ten years. He returned in 2020 and established BioSynergy. The initial investor was an anonymous overseas fund."
"Anonymous fund?"
-"It is the 'Prometheus Capital Fund,' registered in the Cayman Islands."
"I need to meet the President."
-"Understood. I will leave a message with the Presidential Office."