Meanwhile, Taesu, unaffected by all of this, was free to look around.
As he glanced about, he spotted Jeong Minsu.
He was lying face down, not moving an inch.
“Are you still crying?”
“I’m not crying.”
“Then?”
“I’m embarrassed.”
At Jeong Minsu’s answer, Taesu was dumbfounded.
“Enough already. Lift your head.”
“Mm, okay.”
Srrk.
When Jeong Minsu raised his head, Kim Hyeokgwon studied him closely and teased him.
“Oh my, your face isn’t just red—it looks like it’s about to burst.”
“Please don’t tease me.”
“Why not? Are you that happy because everyone’s been praising you?”
“Ah, come on.”
Jeong Minsu quickly covered his face with both hands.
Kim Hyeokgwon seemed to find his reaction amusing and kept teasing him.
Taesu, too, still felt the lingering tremor in his chest.
“Phew.”
He shook his head.
One moment like this was enough.
The emotion had lasted only briefly.
The embarrassment and shame lingered far longer.
And to stand before even more people?
He couldn’t even imagine it.
Perhaps reading Taesu’s embarrassment, Brad Kim lightly teased him.
“If you’re that embarrassed, how are you going to show your face properly later?”
“I only need to show it properly to patients and their guardians.”
“You should go on TV at least once.”
At Brad Kim’s words, Taesu hurriedly shook his head.
“What TV?”
“These days, doctors appear on broadcasts all the time.”
“I have absolutely no intention of doing that.”
Taesu expressed his refusal firmly.
But Brad Kim, apparently finding it quite fun to tease him, did not stop.
“Everyone says that at first, then they end up in documentaries and appear on educational programs to tell their stories.”
“There are people far more skilled and famous than me who will do that well.”
“Come on. You’ll end up appearing eventually.”
“I said I won’t.”
Glare.
Taesu even shot him a sidelong look.
“Pfft.”
Brad Kim chuckled lightly and stopped teasing him.
Taesu, on the other hand, was still embarrassed.
Just then, his eyes met for an instant with Jeong Minsu, who was lying face down on the opposite side.
‘TV?’
‘Ugh, over my dead body.’
Taesu and Jeong Minsu shuddered at the same time.
But no one could know what the future held.
In the meantime, the announcement was coming to an end.
Dr. Schmidt looked around the room and spoke energetically.
“Now, for the final piece of news.”
“Yes.”
“After today’s consultations are over… there will be alcohol and a barbecue party in the lodging courtyard.”
“Oh, ooooh.”
Everyone’s eyes sparkled fiercely.
Alcohol?
Until now, all they had had was a single can of beer.
But the alcohol being mentioned now was not beer.
It was hard liquor such as whiskey and rum—things they had not even glimpsed during the volunteer work.
Everyone was so excited their eyes were practically bloodshot.
Dr. Schmidt casually added one more thing.
“Let’s make sure we give our attention to the very last patient.”
Right now, his words were law.
Everyone shouted in one voice, their hearts filled with anticipation.
“Patients, patients.”
“Let’s hurry and go see the patients.”
“We have to wrap things up. It’s booze, hahaha.”
Just the fact that they would be freed from abstinence was already shaking everyone’s reason.
Perhaps unable to watch any longer, Volunteer Leader Briner quickly shouted.
“Meeting over. Dismissed.”
“Dismissed!”
“Let’s go see the patients.”
Rumble.
Without exception, they charged toward the dining hall doors with excited faces.
They were certainly calling out desperately for patients, but it was an open secret that their true intentions lay elsewhere.
Meanwhile, there were still some people seated.
Taesu and the Korean medical team.
Unexpectedly, none of them wore pleasant expressions.
It was not a matter of Shanmeheum.
This time, it was about Lee Changgyu.
Taesu spoke first.
“In any case, the decision has been made for us to return.”
“I think that’s for the best.”
“Yes. This way, we can take him with us.”
“Right.”
Brad Kim nodded.
Everyone else was the same.
No one showed any sadness at parting.
Their concern over Lee Changgyu, who was still unconscious, was deeper.
Taesu immediately rose from his seat and said,
“Then I’ll excuse myself first.”
Tap.
Taesu moved quickly toward Dr. Schmidt, who was walking away in the distance.
Like that, Taesu closed the distance with Dr. Schmidt.
Tap, tap, tap.
Hearing the footsteps, Dr. Schmidt glanced over and smiled faintly.
Then, even before Taesu arrived, he spoke first.
“I figured you’d come looking for me.”
“You did?”
“Let’s go to the office first.”
Dr. Schmidt naturally led Taesu along.
A short while later.
Taesu and Dr. Schmidt opened the office door and went inside.
Before, it had felt more like an examination room.
But now, it was the complete opposite.
Key volunteer members and medical staff were seated around tables, racking their brains.
“First, the size of the advance team…”
“We should put as much weight as possible on the advance team…”
“Then the number of personnel…”
Flip, flip.
As they rifled through various documents and selected personnel, they looked extremely cautious.
At another table, people had gathered with telephones in hand.
They seemed to be coordinating schedules while speaking with various related organizations.
Among them was Dr. Oliver.
Taesu was just about to approach him gladly.
Dr. Oliver’s expression twisted fiercely as he spoke on the phone.
Then a harsh voice rang out.
“Shut up, now you’re spouting that nonsense… Hang up, you goddamn bastards.”
Thud.
He slammed the receiver down as if he were going to break it, then even breathed roughly.
It seemed his anger had not subsided.
“Huff, huff.”
His usually cold personality was, as if by some lie, filled entirely with rage.
“Hup.”
Taesu was quite shocked by the sight, which he was seeing for the first time.
Dr. Schmidt approached with a stiff face and asked the agitated Dr. Oliver,
“What happened?”
“I spoke with Kargil Hospital, and these bastards really… Phew.”
“Tell me calmly.”
Dr. Schmidt urged him in a composed voice.
Dr. Oliver hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he opened his mouth.
“They’re talking about money. For opening an operating room and for admitting patients.”
“What?”
“They’re even demanding an advance payment.”
Dr. Oliver explained the situation with a troubled expression.
Taesu gave a bitter smile.
‘A leopard never changes its spots.’
They were still harping on about that.
It was also the reason the name Kargil had sounded unpleasant to him.
That was when it happened.
“Those sons of bitches.”
Boom.
A thunderous rebuke burst from Dr. Schmidt’s mouth.
At that instant, silence temporarily fell over the office.
“……”
“……”
Everyone froze like plaster statues.
Their expressions showed that this was the first time they had heard Dr. Schmidt use such fierce language.
The same was true for Taesu.
“……”
It felt as though his breath had been blocked.
They said gentle people were frightening when angry.
An enraged jaguar.
That was exactly what Dr. Schmidt looked like.
In a low, sunken voice, he spoke icily.
“So they thought an NGO was that easy to look down on.”
“……”
“Call them again and repeat my words exactly.”
“Yes, Doctor. Please go ahead.”
Dr. Oliver quickly prepared a pen and paper.
Dr. Schmidt opened his mouth coldly.
“Tell them not to dream of getting even a single cent.”
“Yes.”
“And tell them I’ll make sure not a single patient goes to that damned hospital again.”
“Sir.”
Dr. Oliver answered at once.
But Dr. Schmidt seemed unable to cool his anger and growled.
“To think they’d dare bargain with an NGO over patients.”
“It’s unthinkable.”
“Report that to headquarters exactly as it is.”
“Understood.”
Dr. Oliver replied with a completely stiffened face.
Then he immediately picked up the receiver again and continued his call with NGO headquarters.
“This is Padum. Regarding Kargil Hospital…”
The others present were equally tense.
Dr. Schmidt casually asked them,
“Is there still much left?”
“No, sir.”
At the same time as the answer,
everyone quickly got to work.
“Five people per medical department for the advance team.”
“We’ll set the nurses at a similar scale.”
“Double the number of volunteer workers.”
“We’ll assign vehicles and reduce the cargo to the bare minimum.”
Clack, clack.
The disorderly atmosphere changed in an instant into one of firm resolve.
Witnessing that change, Taesu was quite surprised.
He had not known Dr. Schmidt’s charisma was this powerful.
If one got on his bad side?
‘There wouldn’t even be bones left to pick up.’
A short while later.
Taesu and Dr. Schmidt sat down on the reception sofa.
Thump. Thump.
Seated at the head, Dr. Schmidt struck the armrest with his hand, his face still rigid.
As if anger rose again whenever he thought about it, he growled lowly.
“Rotten bastards.”
“They should be fried to death in sewage.”
Taesu quickly chimed in.
But Dr. Schmidt’s perspective was slightly different.
“A hospital can seek profit.”
“Pardon?”
“In the end, a hospital is also an institution built for profit.”
Dr. Schmidt made a clear definition.
Taesu was slightly confused.
“Then isn’t it natural for them to want money?”
“They got the order wrong.”
“Mm.”
“If they had first stated the number of patients they could accept, or what kind of support they could provide, and then said costs would arise, I could understand.”
Once Dr. Schmidt explained it that way, Taesu finally understood.
“That’s true. People come first.”
“The way they’re acting, money comes first.”
“Exactly.”
When Taesu agreed, Dr. Schmidt added,
“As times change, everyone is prioritizing material things.”
“There is that tendency.”
“I’m not saying everyone should live the same way. But even greed has to be kept within reason.”
Dr. Schmidt stated his usual belief.
Taesu replied with a bitter expression.
“It seems that ‘within reason’ is the difficult part.”
“But isn’t this a bit too profound a topic for us to discuss right now?”
“I think it’s a topic to talk about later over a drink. Ahem.”
Taesu cleared his throat, dispersing the heavy atmosphere.
Dr. Schmidt also reminded him of the original purpose of their conversation.
“You asked to see me because of the patient, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I wanted to speak with you about the patient who is still unconscious.”
“I knew you’d come.”
At his utterly calm reaction, Taesu instead gave an awkward smile.
“Y-you did?”
“He’s a patient I operated on, so I know him well. It will be difficult to take him to Kargil.”
“That’s why I’d like to take him to headquarters.”
Taesu made the request naturally.