Taesu was staring directly at Lee Chang-gyu’s face.
He was not merely looking and watching. In a soft voice, he called out gently.
“Chang-gyu, Lee Chang-gyu.”
“Hoo, hoo-ooh…… Ngh, ugh.”
There seemed to be a response to his voice, but Chang-gyu’s face soon contorted violently.
He was clearly in pain.
His response was encouraging, but this was no situation in which they could take pleasure in his suffering.
This pain he was feeling now—
Honestly, it was difficult for anyone to imagine.
They could only anticipate it theoretically; there was no way to fully empathize with it.
Even judged theoretically, it was pain no child should have been able to endure.
They had to ease his pain as quickly as possible.
Only then could he get through this moment a little more comfortably.
As soon as he realized that, Taesu held out his hand to Kim Hyeok-gwon and gave an order.
“Codeine.”
It was a strong analgesic with the additional effect of preventing reflux in the bronchial tubes. For Lee Chang-gyu, who currently had drainage tubes connected to his lungs, it was the most suitable choice.
Kim Hyeok-gwon hurriedly prepared the injection and handed it over.
“Here.”
“I’m administering it.”
Sshk.
Taesu personally injected the codeine into the IV.
Codeine tended to take effect quite quickly.
Perhaps because of that, the pain-filled expression on Lee Chang-gyu’s face gradually relaxed.
“Ugh, uuu…….”
The groans expressing his pain also diminished.
But no one was hasty enough to express their joy this time.
They watched carefully, their gazes subdued.
“……”
“……”
That silence continued for a while.
Twitch, twitch.
Perhaps the pain was subsiding, because the tips of Lee Chang-gyu’s fingers moved faintly. Then his pupils shifted from side to side behind his half-open eyelids.
It was proof that he was waking from his faint.
Taesu watched until he was certain, then carefully called out to him.
“Chang-gyu. Are you conscious?”
“Ho…… how…….”
His speech was unclear because he was intubated, but there was unmistakably a response.
Clench.
“Mm.”
“Mm.”
The medical staff expressed their joy at the patient’s response by clenching their fists or clasping one another’s hands.
Taesu was happy as well.
But it was still too soon to show it.
He calmed himself and continued trying to speak with the boy.
“This is a city called Padum. Do you remember falling from the tree?”
“Hoo……. E…….”
“That’s right. You were hurt pretty badly, and it took some time to get you here, so you’re going to be in pain. But don’t worry…….”
Taesu was calmly explaining the situation and trying to reassure him when—
Swish.
Jung Min-su suddenly thrust out a hand and stopped Taesu from speaking.
Why?
The question had only just arisen when Lee Chang-gyu’s faint, whisper-like voice reached them.
“H-how long…… has it…… been……?”
Taesu’s gaze shifted to Jung Min-su.
He felt a jolt of realization.
Jung Min-su had caught Lee Chang-gyu’s question, which Taesu might easily have missed.
Despite Taesu’s gaze, Jung Min-su’s eyes remained fixed on Lee Chang-gyu.
He was completely focused on the boy.
Jung Min-su, looking only at the patient.
Honestly, he looked impressive.
The weak, timid Jung Min-su of the past was nowhere to be found.
In the meantime, Jung Min-su inferred Lee Chang-gyu’s question and answered in Taesu’s place.
“It’s been quite a while. About five hours, I think.”
At the same time—
Wide.
Lee Chang-gyu’s eyes suddenly opened wide.
It was the reaction of someone who had received a shock.
Considering his current condition, that shock seemed to have hit Lee Chang-gyu with tremendous force.
As if to reveal the intensity of it, even his groans changed.
“Hoo. Uuugh.”
Beep-beep-beep.
The ECG, which had been settling into a calm rhythm, changed violently in an instant.
Gush, gush.
The blood that had been trickling from both drainage tubes began pouring out violently.
Tremble, tremble.
He even began to shake.
At that violent reaction, Taesu and everyone else opened their eyes wide.
“What’s happening?”
“Why?”
Everyone narrowed their eyes, searching for the cause.
But the bewilderment they felt was nothing compared to Jung Min-su’s.
“Why, why is he like that? What did I do…… Chang-gyu. Hey, kid.”
Jung Min-su’s face filled with consternation, and he even shouted.
That kind of stimulation was dangerous for Lee Chang-gyu right now.
Taesu immediately calmed Jung Min-su first.
“Min-su, shh.”
“No, but he…….”
“I know. I know, so shh.”
“……”
Only after Taesu soothed him did Jung Min-su close his mouth.
But Lee Chang-gyu was still reacting so violently that it could be called a convulsive seizure.
They could not simply continue watching.
Taesu did not want to solve everything with medication, but for the moment, there was no other choice.
He bit down hard on his lip and asked Kim Hyeok-gwon for the drug.
“Phenytoin.”
“Phe…… what?”
The unfamiliar name made him flinch.
Even during that brief moment, Lee Chang-gyu’s seizure grew worse.
“Grrk, grrk.”
His eyes were on the verge of rolling back.
Only a few seconds had passed.
That was how severe the shock appeared to have been.
Taesu was not the sort of person who could stand by and let that happen.
Rattle.
He searched among the injectable medicines himself, transferred the proper dose into a syringe, and immediately handed it to Jung Min-su.
“Min-su, one shot.”
“Got it.”
Sshk.
Jung Min-su took it and pushed the medicine in all at once, just as ordered.
It was a drug primarily used in neurosurgery.
The studying he had forced himself through, losing sleep night after night, had not been in vain.
Fortunately, it took effect quickly as well.
Plop.
Lee Chang-gyu’s body, which had been trembling violently, went limp.
But the tension in Taesu’s eyes remained.
“ECG.”
Swish.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward it at once.
Beep-beep-beep…… beep.
The ECG, which had been frantically sounding its warning, suddenly became steady. Fortunately, its readings were close to what they had been immediately before the seizure began.
As soon as they confirmed this, everyone looked toward Taesu.
Nod.
He merely nodded without a word.
The atmosphere was one of praise for Taesu, who had responded most swiftly and accurately.
Taesu did not notice their gazes.
He had to find the cause of Lee Chang-gyu’s sudden seizure.
That was when—
“Uh……. Uh…….”
Lee Chang-gyu’s weak, repetitive voice reached them.
Taesu and Jung Min-su both pricked up their ears and listened.
A similar sound came once more to the ears of the two men.
“Uh……. Gotta go……. Uh…….”
They had heard it clearly, but could not understand it.
Taesu and Jung Min-su looked at each other, but both their faces were filled with question marks.
That was when—
“Excuse me. Let me through for a moment.”
A loud shout in Korean rang out.
Taesu and Jung Min-su turned their heads in that direction at the same time.
Kang Yeong-hun was visible among the medical staff. However, Nurse Chu Gang-ik was blocking his path, making it impossible for him to come any closer.
Nurse Chu Gang-ik was faithfully carrying out his duty.
“Mr. Yeong-hun, Chang-gyu is all right now. He had a brief setback, but…….”
“I know. I know, so just let me talk to him for a moment.”
“What are you planning to say to that child right now? I understand that you’re worried, but…….”
“It’s something important to Chang-gyu.”
Kang Yeong-hun shouted in frustration.
They were speaking in Korean.
The other medical staff could not understand them and watched with puzzled expressions.
But Taesu and Jung Min-su understood every word.
Something important to Lee Chang-gyu?
They would have to hear it first.
Taesu immediately spoke to Nurse Chu Gang-ik.
“Nurse Chu, let him through.”
“What? But the patient…….”
“We don’t have time to argue.”
Taesu spoke firmly, his voice resolute.
His gaze was sharp.
After meeting his eyes for a moment, Nurse Chu Gang-ik eventually stepped aside.
Rustle.
Kang Yeong-hun quickly approached with brisk steps.
Then he lowered himself beside Lee Chang-gyu, his face filled with sorrow.
He spoke next in a clear voice so that Lee Chang-gyu could hear him distinctly.
“Chang-gyu, it’s Uncle. Song-i’s dad.”
“Hoo……. Uh…….”
Because of the intubation, Lee Chang-gyu’s voice did not come out properly, but his eyes slowly turned in that direction.
It was a tiny movement, but Kang Yeong-hun had been concentrating on him and understood its meaning immediately.
“That’s right. It’s Uncle. Don’t worry about your mom. Song-i’s mother and Song-i are taking good care of her. You don’t need to worry.”
“Uugh. Uuugh…….”
“That’s right, that’s right. You’ll eat together, too, and have lots of talks. So worry about yourself first, you little rascal.”
“Uhh……. Uuuh…….”
Trail.
Tears ran down Lee Chang-gyu’s eyes as he said something.
Kang Yeong-hun, watching him sorrowfully, was no different.
“It’s all right. Your mom’s really all right. I mean it.”
He repeated the same words over and over.
Kang Yeong-hun’s hands could not remain still.
He wanted to hold even one of the boy’s hands, but he could not, and the helplessness of that moment was plain to see.
Taesu, Jung Min-su, and the medical staff watched the scene with their own eyes.
There was clearly a story behind this.
And not an ordinary one.
As they made that conjecture, Nurse Chu Gang-ik’s voice reached them.
“Chang-gyu’s mother is apparently in very poor condition.”
“How bad is it?”
“Both physically and mentally. That’s why Chang-gyu became the head of the household three years ago.”
“Three years ago?”
Everyone narrowed their eyes.
If he had mentioned such a precise length of time, then what did it mean?
No matter how they thought about it, only one possibility came to mind.
Their guess appeared to be correct.
Nurse Chu Gang-ik glossed over the part that did not fit the current situation.
“Anyway, I hear Chang-gyu has lived while taking devoted care of his mother.”
“……”
“The reason Chang-gyu just had a seizure is probably related to the time.”
“The time…… Ah.”
Everyone exclaimed as they recalled the current time.
It was lunchtime.
As soon as they realized that, everyone’s gaze turned toward Lee Chang-gyu.
They also recognized what had triggered the seizure.
The thought that he had to go prepare lunch for his mother had been overwhelmingly strong.
The pain had eased after he was given the analgesic, so his reaction had clearly meant that he had to go to his mother.
He was barely old enough to enter middle school.
If he was that devoted, then it was certain that Lee Chang-gyu’s mother had considerable difficulty moving.
More than that, the sight of Lee Chang-gyu trying to care for such a mother was even more heartbreaking.
As everyone’s eyes wavered, Yun Ju-seong’s decisive voice rang out.
“Then those date palm fruits…….”
“Ah.”
Everyone forcibly swallowed the breaths that threatened to escape them.
No one needed to say it aloud.
The reason was so obvious that it made them close their mouths even more tightly.
Just as none of them could easily move—
A coarse, irritated voice suddenly rang out.
“Damn it.”
Swish.
Along with the harsh sound of irritation, Taesu felt the space beside him grow empty.
When he turned his head, Kim Hyeok-gwon had indeed stood up.
But he was showing them his back.
Even during emergency treatment, Taesu had never seen him like this before.