The other medical staff were the same.
Their additional conversations came to him one after another.
“His liver literally burst.”
“It would take the impact of a fall from at least ten meters for it to end up like that.”
“Phew. The bleeding is so severe the screen’s turned white. It’s gotten to the point where the boundary with the liver is unclear.”
Other problems were mentioned as well.
“The femur fracture is a problem, but I can’t guarantee the nerves are intact either.”
“The kidneys and spleen are fine, but the intestines are far too distended.”
“If necrosis starts, we’ll have to cut it out. But the stomach is a problem too.”
“He’s been stabbed. The stomach muscles are contracting, so it doesn’t look like anything’s flowing inward right now. But I’m worried about necrosis there too.”
Their expressions grew steadily worse.
It was because they were looking at a surgery that would span thoracic surgery, general surgery, neurosurgery, and orthopedic surgery.
The biggest problems were, as expected, the lungs and the liver.
And dealing with the nerves and setting the fractured bone could not be taken lightly either.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu’s expressions were no different.
But there was one slight difference: even at this moment, they were searching for a way to operate.
Taesu especially was.
‘For thoracic surgery, with Caprene’s knowledge, I’ll manage somehow.’
However, it was wise to worry whether his own hands could actually carry it out.
By contrast, it was difficult to make any guarantees in the field of general surgery.
As for neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery, fields he had only just begun to take his first steps in, he could not help but feel even more discouraged.
The shock Lee Changgyu had suffered while being transported here had definitely been severe.
It was clear that his already grave wounds had been shaken continuously and worsened.
Taesu was seeing that with his own eyes.
Even so, he firmly told himself it was not Raku’s fault.
‘That’s a separate matter.’
It would never be right to belittle his hardship and effort.
If Raku had turned a blind eye, this moment would never have come for Lee Changgyu.
That much was certain.
As Taesu wrestled with those thoughts, he paused.
Then the heaviness in his eyes slowly began to lift.
After that, Taesu looked around at everyone.
So many medical staff.
That was right.
He was not alone.
Aside from themselves, they were all specialists at the very least. If they helped by field, then surely they could attempt it.
The moment he thought that, Taesu flinched.
Attempt?
‘What bullshit.’
He berated himself without restraint.
This was a matter of life and death. The word “attempt” had no place here.
He tried to steel himself that way.
No, he wanted to steel himself.
But if he were honest, even Taesu did not dare imagine it.
What about Jeong Minsu across from him?
“……”
His lips were pressed tightly shut.
Brad Kim was the same, and the other doctors also could not readily show any enthusiasm.
The silence could not continue.
The one who broke it first was Taesu.
“Brad, what should we do?”
“Dr. Choi, you decide.”
“Me?”
When Taesu asked, Brad Kim looked around at everyone and spoke in a firm voice.
“This is a message from Dr. Schmidt. ‘I’ve roughly heard the patient’s condition. Everyone is to support Dr. Choi.’ That is all.”
“……”
Everyone nodded.
But not Taesu.
“Brad.”
“He had something to say separately to you, Dr. Choi.”
“……”
“He said you said this that day. That doctors aren’t gods, so they can’t save everyone. But if there is a god, doctors are the ones who can grab him by the pant leg and cling on to him to the very end in defiance.”
Brad Kim delivered the words with weight.
Taesu’s expression turned cold in an instant.
Those words just now.
They were words he had spoken when he met Dr. Schmidt in the third village of ABC.
More accurately, they had been a vow he had made to himself, back when he was wrapped entirely in venomous resolve.
Taesu did not know how to take back words he had once spoken.
That was how he had been taught and how he had grown.
It was still the same now.
“Phewww.”
Taesu exhaled slowly, his gaze cold and composed.
And he thought.
For a moment, he had grown complacent because he was with so many people.
Resident?
Specialist?
They were merely titles used to subdivide doctors.
Clinging to a patient’s breath until the very end.
That was his specialty.
Only, it was impossible here.
Then the first thing to do was change the location.
Jeong Minsu was the first to notice the change in Taesu’s atmosphere.
Since everyone’s eyes were focused on them, he asked in English.
“Dr. Choi, do you have a way?”
“We cling on.”
“How?”
Jeong Minsu’s voice turned blunt. It seemed he was frustrated by Taesu’s answer, which only stated the obvious.
But Taesu was not.
“First, let’s drain the intraperitoneal bleeding outside.”
“I’ll do that.”
Brad Kim stepped forward actively.
Even among surgeons, his skill was certain.
Without hesitation, Taesu yielded his place and gave the order.
“Brad, please proceed. Dr. Jeong, assist him.”
“Got it.”
“Yeah.”
The two quickly began to take their positions.
To stabilize the vitals even a little and buy time, draining the bleeding was the best option.
Taesu’s orders were not limited to the two of them.
It was fine to call this an authority forced upon him.
Using it properly was also an ability.
Taesu immediately met the eyes of the other medical staff one by one and gave orders.
“Nurse Stacy, you said there was another city nearby, didn’t you?”
“There’s a city called Kargil fifty kilometers away. I only know its location. I don’t know the details.”
“Who does?”
The moment Taesu asked.
Abruptly.
A hand rose from behind the medical staff, and someone stepped forward.
It was Director Briner, the head of the volunteer corps.
Perhaps because he was someone who had led the volunteer corps for a long time, his eyes were truly kind.
As though he had approached after understanding the situation here, his reply came quickly.
“Kargil is a city with fairly well-established infrastructure, and it has a mid-sized general hospital.”
“How long would it take, and what are the road conditions?”
“About thirty minutes from here. The road conditions aren’t particularly bad.”
“Then please contact them first.”
Taesu asked politely, but Director Briner’s expression was not very good.
“I’ll try contacting them for now, but I don’t know if they’ll respond willingly.”
“We’ll discuss that again when the time comes. For now, we need a proper operating room.”
“Understood. I’ll make the call first.”
Director Briner answered and stepped back for a moment.
Taesu then spoke to the other medical staff.
“You all know that with the patient’s current condition, there’s nothing we can do in a makeshift operating room.”
“That’s true.”
“We need to move him to a proper operating room, and then the surgery—”
Just before Taesu could continue.
Beep-beep-beep.
The ECG sound changed abruptly.
Then Brad Kim’s sharp voice burst out.
“Goddamn it. The intraperitoneal bleeding is too severe. Dr. Jeong, what are you doing? I told you to clamp it quickly.”
“Damn it, I am holding it.”
“Gauze first, hurry.”
At Brad Kim’s pointed urging, Nurse Choo Gangik struggled to speak in protest.
“It’s not that we’re slow. ……Ah, damn it. This bleeding…… It’s just……”
“We’re preparing the gauze.”
Nurses Hwang Jisu and Lee Chorong shouted back with all their strength.
Nevertheless, the ECG situation was worsening further.
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
The ECG was no longer announcing an emergency; it was screaming a warning.
Taesu grew anxious.
This was not the time to leisurely give orders here.
“Damn it. Anyway, quickly—anything. Please find a way somehow.”
Whoosh.
After shouting vaguely, Taesu ran to the emergency patient.
His mind had gone blank from urgency.
“Please, please.”
The feelings Taesu had pressed down deep inside his heart spilled out without him realizing it.
That was his most honest feeling right now.
Everyone understood how Taesu felt.
They could tell by looking at the ECG values.
Lee Changgyu’s current vitals were only one step away from death.
They had to cling on until death gave up.
No one had any reckless thought in their head.
And then, at that moment.
Bbaaang.
A horn sounded from over there.
Vroooom.
The sounds of truck engines mixed in various ways and began to prick at their ears.
Then Dr. Talon’s dark voice reached him.
“Dr. Choi, patients from other regions are coming in.”
“Hmm.”
“They’re first-time patients too, so we don’t know what shape they’re in. But things here are a problem too…… Holy shit.”
Dr. Talon was truly conflicted.
It seemed he was not the only one, as other distressed voices were added from here and there.
“What about the emergency here?”
“We can’t all stay gathered here.”
“What do we do? Should we divide the personnel?”
Ideas followed one after another.
Then Taesu’s clear voice reached their ears.
“Everyone, return to your tents.”
“Huh?”
“They’re patients too.”
Taesu’s gaze was unwavering.
Everyone looked at him.
“……”
“……”
There was no objection.
They had spent more than twenty days together until now.
Taesu had consistently put the “patient” first.
He treated everyone the same.
Regardless of age or gender, he responded to every life with the same weight.
That grand premise had never changed under any circumstances.
To uphold it, he had even boldly pushed away someone with a medical doctorate.
Everyone had seen and experienced that firsthand.
And this moment was no different.
He did not give the emergency patient in front of him extra points just because he was Korean.
By now, everyone knew that was who Taesu was.
—The Hero of Ijambak.
—The youngest member of James’s surgical team.
They now agreed with why those titles had been given to Taesu and not to themselves.
Dr. Talon was the first to turn around and shout.
“Everyone, return to your positions. But.”
“……But?”
“Fill up everything that needs filling first. Then let’s go back.”
The moment Dr. Talon spoke those weighty words.
Everyone’s eyes gleamed, and they moved as one.
Rumble.
“Empty the suction canisters first and restock the gauze.”
“Check the ampoules, and call out anything we’re short on.”
“Pour disinfectant over the surgical instruments.”
“Blood packs and IV fluids too, hurry.”
Tap-tap-tap.
Everyone moved swiftly.
Each step they took was truly fearsome.
The hundreds of steps one person would have had to take alone were reduced to just a few.
The speed at which the setup was renewed was literally lightning-fast.
Exactly one minute later.
“Setup complete.”
“Patients have arrived.”
“They’re coming in. Scatter, quickly.”
Tap-tap-tap.
The medical staff scattered to their respective medical tents in an instant.
Lastly, Dr. Talon and Dr. Hassan looked at Taesu.
“Dr. Choi.”
“We’ll go too.”
Regret lingered in their eyes because they could not help more.
But Taesu spoke with a resolute expression.