Taesu, seated in the back, let out a low exclamation.
“Ah, we’re finally here.”
“Took a full day.”
At Jeong Minsu’s reply, Taesu shrugged and said,
“It couldn’t be helped.”
“Yeah. It couldn’t be helped.”
Swish.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu both turned around at the same time.
Lee Changgyu was lying in the trunk, and Kim Hyeokgwon was squeezing the Ambu bag.
Feeling their gazes on him, Kim Hyeokgwon said casually,
“It has been quite the long, long journey.”
“At least nothing went wrong.”
“Of course nothing was supposed to go wrong.”
Squeeze, squeeze.
Kim Hyeokgwon answered as he pumped the Ambu bag with vigor.
That much strength was still in his fingertips.
The travel time had been long, but frequent rotations had reduced their fatigue.
Thanks to that, there had been no major change in Lee Changgyu’s vitals either.
As they talked, they entered deep into the NGO headquarters.
But something was strange.
“It’s too quiet.”
Jeong Minsu’s words were exactly right.
It really was quiet.
It wasn’t that there were no patients or medical staff.
But the streets that had always been crowded were far too deserted.
Taesu, who had been looking around with him, quietly offered a guess.
“Did they declare a ceasefire or something?”
“It’s not like there are no patients at all.”
“They might be cleaning up the aftermath.”
Just as Taesu revealed that hope, Kim Hyeokgwon’s voice immediately came from the trunk, pouring cold water on it.
“Let’s not say things that drain the strength out of people.”
Squeeze, squeeze.
Taesu felt a little embarrassed, but still couldn’t completely erase his doubt.
“There really are a lot fewer patients.”
“Wars have their ebbs and flows. They’re probably resting a bit while they reorganize their lines.”
“They should just rest completely.”
“If they were going to do that, they wouldn’t have been at war this long.”
Squeeze. Squeeze.
Kim Hyeokgwon had enough stamina left to refute him point by point.
It wasn’t something that could be blamed solely on his negative personality.
The problem was that a place like Kashmir had far too many tangled interests involved.
Taesu knew that too.
“It really is a hard place to live.”
He answered bitterly, as if letting the words slip out.
There was pity in his gaze as he looked out the window.
Their conversation was more or less coming to an end.
Rrrr.
The vehicle slowly began to decelerate.
“We’re almost there.”
The driver kindly informed them.
In truth, he was focused entirely on stopping the vehicle without any jolt, even breaking out in a cold sweat.
He was taking an extremely long braking distance to minimize the impact.
It was clear at a glance that he was doing everything he could to prevent even the slightest harm from reaching the critical patient.
But instead of joy, puzzlement appeared on Taesu’s face.
“This is the internal medicine ward area.”
“I was told to bring you this way.”
“Is that so?”
Taesu answered with a strange nuance.
That was because his expectation that they would naturally arrive at the surgical ward had been completely off the mark.
In the meantime, the vehicle slowly came to a stop.
Screech. Honk.
The horn even sounded.
Then the driver turned his head back and wiped away his sweat as he said,
“Whew, we’ve arrived.”
“Thank you for driving such a long time.”
Taesu sincerely expressed his gratitude to the haggard-looking man.
The driver smiled and replied,
“It was a truly valuable experience.”
“Thank you. We’ll get the patient out first.”
“Wait a moment.”
The driver stopped Taesu.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu paused and looked at him in confusion.
“Why?”
“Is there some problem?”
The two asked in turn.
The driver was not looking at them, but somewhere else.
Then he soon smiled and said,
“They’re coming over there.”
He gestured toward the passenger side as he said something out of the blue.
Following that gesture, Taesu and Jeong Minsu turned their eyes in the same direction.
Sure enough, they could see a group of people approaching them.
The horn must have been the signal to call them.
Soon, the face of the doctor in a white coat leading the group became clearly visible.
He was a rugged middle-aged man with an untrimmed red beard growing roughly across his face.
The moment Taesu and Jeong Minsu clearly saw his appearance, they were both startled.
“Taesu, isn’t that him?”
“Yeah. Internal Medicine Team Two leader, Dr. Wallick.”
“You’re saying he really is coming here?”
“I’m telling you. His team members are with him too.”
Taesu’s answer trailed off slightly, dazed.
That was how flustered he was by Dr. Wallick’s appearance.
For convenience, he was called the leader of Internal Medicine Team Two.
Among all the internal medicine specialists dispatched to Kashmir, he was the second most skilled.
He was that much of a big shot.
And all Taesu had done was hear about him from Dr. Isakson.
In other words, they had never even met.
So he couldn’t believe Dr. Wallick was approaching them.
He must just be passing by.
Thinking it was a coincidental overlap of timing seemed the most realistic explanation.
But he was not passing by.
Dr. Wallick and his team really did approach the transport vehicle.
Swish.
Dr. Wallick made an indifferent hand gesture.
At the same time, his team members swarmed toward the trunk.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu were genuinely surprised.
“This is real?”
“That’s what I’m saying. But Taesu.”
“Ah, right. We should get out.”
Thud, clack. Click.
He was so flustered that he even fumbled while opening the car door.
After opening the door like that, Taesu and Jeong Minsu got out one after another.
At the same time, voices came from the trunk.
“Carefully. Give me the Ambu bag.”
“Check the vitals first.”
“Optic nerve response is good. His complexion isn’t bad either.”
Step, step.
Everything, from taking out Lee Changgyu to checking his responses, proceeded in perfect order.
Meanwhile.
Dr. Wallick approached Taesu and Jeong Minsu first.
Perhaps because of his red beard, he gave off an aura like flames were flickering around him.
His presence was that extraordinary.
‘Wow.’
Even Taesu, who had some backbone, felt slightly tense.
Jeong Minsu had already shrunk in on himself.
“……”
He couldn’t even properly meet the man’s eyes.
Was it because they had missed the timing to greet him?
Dr. Wallick, who had been looking back and forth between the two, spoke first.
“Mm. Just from looking, the one who seems like he’s got quite a temper must be Dr. Choi, right?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dr. Choi Taesu.”
Bow.
Taesu greeted him reflexively.
Then Dr. Wallick asked Jeong Minsu,
“Then the slightly plump one here must be Dr. Jeong.”
“Th-that’s right…… Hello, sir.”
Jeong Minsu stammered slightly, but still managed to finish his greeting well enough.
Having received their greetings, Dr. Wallick introduced himself too.
“I’m Dr. Wallick. I work in internal medicine.”
“I’ve heard much of your reputation, Dr. Wallick.”
“Glad to hear you’ve heard of me. Then leave the patient to us and go rest.”
A heavy blow suddenly came in.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu were startled for a moment and asked back.
“Rest?”
“What do you mean?”
Dr. Wallick gathered their questions of the same gist and asked in return,
“Didn’t Dr. Schmidt tell you?”
“He said we would know once we arrived at headquarters.”
“That personality of his hasn’t changed.”
“Well……”
Taesu answered awkwardly, not knowing the relationship between them.
Dr. Wallick, seemingly unconcerned, continued.
“I’ve agreed to take over that patient and look after him.”
“Pardon?”
“Are you hard of hearing, or are you the type who doesn’t listen to what other people say?”
Dr. Wallick asked sharply.
Unlike his volcano-like aura, he was quite cynical.
It was then.
Step.
A doctor in his forties with light brown hair approached Dr. Wallick.
“Doctor.”
“Mm. Galleon, how is it?”
“Please look at this first.”
The doctor called Dr. Galleon held out a sheet of paper.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu flinched.
“That’s……”
“Ah.”
It was Lee Changgyu’s medical record, written during transport.
Kim Hyeokgwon must have handed it over.
They were embarrassed because the contents had been written in such a messy manner.
Just as Taesu was feeling awkward in the sudden situation—
Thud.
Dr. Wallick looked at Taesu and Jeong Minsu with a heavy gaze.
Only his eyes were directed at them.
With his mouth, he gave an order to Dr. Galleon.
“Take the patient inside first.”
“Understood. Let’s go.”
Rattle.
At Dr. Galleon’s gesture, everyone took Lee Changgyu, who had been transferred onto the stretcher, and moved away.
On the other hand, things here remained at a standstill.
Dr. Wallick, still staring directly at the two of them, lifted the medical record and asked,
Flap.
“Who wrote this?”
“We wrote it together.”
“Then whose idea was it?”
At the same time as the quiet question—
Swish.
Jeong Minsu quickly took a step back.
He was always quick at times like this.
With the space beside him suddenly empty, Taesu was left standing out on his own.
“That bastard.”
Just as he was about to say something, Dr. Wallick called him.
“Dr. Choi.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
“Was this your idea?”
Dr. Wallick asked again.
His rigid gaze did not easily reveal the intent behind the question.
Taesu hid a bitter smile inwardly.
A transport needed someone in charge.
Then someone had to take responsibility.
Without thinking too complicatedly, he answered Dr. Wallick.
“Yes. I suggested we do it that way.”
“Why did you do this?”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“You gave the order, Dr. Choi, and yet you don’t know what was written here?”
His questioning voice was cold.
It felt more like a reprimand.
Depending on how one heard it, it was the sort of thing that could get under one’s skin.
But there was no particular change in Taesu’s expression.
“I know very well.”
“And yet you’re asking me back?”
Flap.
Dr. Wallick lightly shook the medical record.
From behind him came the sound of Jeong Minsu swallowing his breath.
“Hup.”
He seemed nervous.
But Taesu’s expression remained calm.
“We wrote it based on one-hour intervals.”
“And?”
“We added entries at ten-minute and thirty-minute intervals according to fluctuations in the patient’s vitals.”
“Who taught you that?”
Dr. Wallick asked with a fierce expression.
Even so, Taesu answered calmly.
“No one taught me.”
“Then?”
“I judged that recording changes in vitals was only natural for the doctor in charge.”
Taesu’s answer was quiet yet confident.
Even so, Dr. Wallick’s gaze remained cold.
Meanwhile, Taesu was surprisingly composed.
Even under the cold gaze tangled with that fiery aura, his expression did not change much.
Rather, he was smiling inwardly.
‘He hasn’t changed.’
It was a thought that contradicted his earlier claim that they had never met.
That was because Dr. Wallick existed in Caprene’s memories.
Dr. Wallick had a personality full of pride.
The basis for that was his certainty in his own medicine.