It was not reckless arrogance.
It was a conviction that had been built and hardened, one case at a time, through caring for an enormous number of patients again and again.
A cold personality, and a burning passion for patients.
Contradictory, yet as a doctor, an ideal disposition.
That disposition was woven into his way of speaking as well.
So while his tone was provocative, the meaning within it was filled with curiosity.
That was what Taesu was thinking.
Dr. Wallik shook the medical records and asked,
“And yet you don’t object to my taking the patient?”
“Because it’s you, Dr. Wallik.”
“Isn’t this our first meeting?”
“That’s right.”
At Taesu’s answer, Dr. Wallik’s expression stiffened slightly.
“And yet you trust a doctor you’re seeing for the first time?”
“I’ve heard many times that you’re an outstanding doctor.”
“From whom?”
“From Dr. James.”
Taesu answered at once.
In that instant, Dr. Wallik’s stiff expression melted away as if it had been a lie.
Then even his eyes sparkled as he asked,
“Dr. James said that?”
“He said it several times.”
“What did he say?”
“Surgery belongs to surgeons, treatment belongs to internists. And……”
When Taesu trailed off, Dr. Wallik narrowed his brow and urged him on.
“And what?”
“If surgery has Dr. James, internal medicine has Dr. Wallik. That’s what he said.”
“Ahem, khm.”
Dr. Wallik suddenly cleared his throat and turned his gaze away.
Then the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
It seemed he was pleased to have been praised by Dr. James.
That did not mean Taesu was flattering him.
It was something he had most certainly heard before.
He had always been that kind of person.
Caprene, too, had considered him a very dependable internist, so there had been contact between them.
However, there was no need to say that much.
Just then, Dr. Wallik composed his expression and said,
“Ahem. Then go and rest.”
“We’d like to help care for him as well.”
“Not today.”
Dr. Wallik cut him off like a knife.
Taesu might have protested, but unexpectedly, he accepted it.
“Understood.”
“You give up quickly.”
“Dr. James told me not to oppose you when it comes to patient care.”
At Taesu’s answer, Dr. Wallik nodded lightly.
“There’s nothing to lose by listening to him.”
“I agree.”
“Then come by tomorrow.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Taesu bowed his head politely.
Dr. Wallik, unexpectedly, did not simply accept that greeting.
“I have no reason to receive that thanks. Then.”
Whoosh.
With those cold words, he turned around and walked away.
Taesu looked at his chilly back and smiled faintly.
Just then, Jeong Minsu approached with a pale face.
“He’s seriously scary.”
“He seems authoritative and prickly.”
Step.
Kim Hyeokgwon also approached only now and added a word.
Taesu, on the other hand, smiled broadly and said,
“He takes phenomenal care of patients.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“But I never dreamed Dr. Wallik would show up.”
A look of puzzlement appeared on Taesu’s face.
Kim Hyeokgwon answered that part offhandedly.
“I heard Dr. Schmidt asked him.”
“How do you know?”
“The volunteer who drove him heard it right beside them.”
“Ah, are the two of them close?”
Taesu could not know that much, so he tilted his head.
Just then, Jeong Minsu quietly joined the conversation.
“Dr. Schmidt has good connections.”
“He probably wanted to make sure the patient he operated on received proper treatment.”
“That could be.”
“That’s why he must have asked that high-nosed doctor.”
Kim Hyeokgwon answered sharply.
Taesu let his words go in one ear and out the other.
It was because of something Dr. Schmidt had said to Taesu directly.
‘If we’re talking about stakes in the patient, it’s half and half.’
The patient had been brought back to life by Taesu’s emergency treatment and Dr. Schmidt’s surgery.
He had considered it only natural that Taesu would be concerned about Lee Changgyu.
The fact that he had sought help from Dr. Wallik meant Lee Changgyu’s condition was that poor.
Thinking of Dr. Schmidt, who had shown consideration in so many ways, made Taesu’s heart ache.
“He hits us with emotion here.”
“That was one unexpected blow.”
Jeong Minsu agreed wholeheartedly.
Unlike the two of them, Kim Hyeokgwon spoke calmly.
“Anyway, let’s put Changgyu out of our minds for a while.”
“That’s unexpected.”
“I know why Dr. Wallik’s nose is so high too.”
Kim Hyeokgwon’s words were unexpected.
He was especially the type to distrust rumors.
Even so, Dr. Wallik’s skills were so well known that even he believed in them.
Lee Changgyu would definitely wake up.
There was no doubt about that.
Taesu checked his wristwatch and said,
“Then, before it gets any later, let’s go report our return.”
“Ah. It’s ten minutes before quitting time. Let’s go. Hurry.”
Perhaps because he was thinking of allowances, Kim Hyeokgwon suddenly changed roughly.
“Yes, I’m going.”
“We’re on our way.”
Taesu and Jeong Minsu immediately moved.
Since they had learned about Kim Hyeokgwon’s past, they did not find his material attachment all that uncomfortable.
A short while later.
Taesu was sitting on a reception sofa in the Good Morning Earth office.
Unexpectedly, neither Kim Hyeokgwon, who had been in such a hurry, nor Jeong Minsu was in sight.
In reality, they had pushed only Taesu into the office and were waiting outside.
Taesu had been dumbfounded at first too, but after experiencing it a few times, he now simply accepted it.
The person in charge approached him.
Unusually, he was a person in charge from Korea.
They had already exchanged greetings earlier, so he first apologized for having stepped away briefly.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. The call ran a little long.”
“It’s all right. More importantly, what happened?”
“As expected, since our side did not request your dispatch to Padum, they say they cannot pay the allowance.”
“I see.”
Taesu answered calmly, but his thoughts were a little complicated.
Even if it did not matter much to him personally, it was extremely sensitive news for Kim Hyeokgwon.
But then the person in charge added in a low voice,
“However, the NGO side has decided to pay the allowance according to dispatch standards.”
“Is that so?”
“There may be some slight differences, but it shouldn’t be enough to leave you dissatisfied.”
“We should be grateful.”
Taesu answered plainly, but he felt as if his chest had been cleared wide open.
If it had been volunteer work without a penny, he had not been confident he could withstand Kim Hyeokgwon’s nagging.
He felt grateful once again to the NGO that had opened a way for them like this.
Just then, the person in charge added,
“If you wait just a moment, it should be processed.”
“Thank you.”
“I feel a bit relieved too. Then, would you like some tea?”
“I’ll enjoy it.”
After answering, Taesu immediately took a sip of tea.
At the same time, he shifted the atmosphere a little.
Up to this point, it was the usual order of things.
The truly important part began now.
Clack.
Setting down the teacup, Taesu asked the person in charge in a calm tone,
“By the way, is it possible for us to choose our dispatch site?”
“Dispatch site?”
“It has to do with the patient we transported.”
Taesu began with a weighty tone.
He had already given a rough explanation earlier.
Of course, he had refrained from mentioning anything that was not yet certain.
‘Will it be possible?’
Taesu was not sure.
Until now, they had never chosen a dispatch site first.
The chance of refusal was quite high.
The person in charge’s expression right now also suggested as much.
He seemed serious, with many thoughts crossing his mind.
After thinking it over, the person in charge asked calmly,
“You said there is a village in Kashmir where Koreans who speak Korean live, correct?”
“Yes. Their living environment is poor, so various illnesses have arisen.”
“Mm.”
After that short question, there was silence again.
Taesu was starting to feel slightly frustrated.
But then it happened.
Tap.
The person in charge lightly struck the table and gave a fiery answer.
“Very well.”
“It’s p-possible?”
“Yes. Selecting dispatch sites is under my sole authority.”
“Is that so?”
“I know better than anyone how you’ve conducted yourself, Dr. Choi.”
“That is true.”
“And I’m a Korean bastard too.”
The short but weighty answer came refreshingly.
There was a sense of solidarity in it as well.
Taesu smiled gently.
“That’s exactly how I feel too.”
“It’s strange, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Once you’re outside the country, your blood pulls at you even more.”
The person in charge expressed agreement with Taesu’s words.
“That really is a strange thing.”
“Haha.”
“Haha.”
Since the matter had been decided so refreshingly, they laughed freely as well.
Around the time the lingering laughter faded.
Fidget.
The person in charge subtly rubbed both hands together.
Then he carefully gauged Taesu’s reaction.
The moment their eyes met,
“Now then, let’s see……”
The person in charge hurriedly rummaged through the documents.
That one action clearly felt strange.
Taesu was grateful for the clear-cut decision, but upon thinking it over, something felt off.
He had not explained the dispatch location precisely.
He had only mentioned that it was deep in the mountains east of Padum City.
Yet the person in charge had accepted immediately.
Cleanly.
Taesu’s smile vanished at once.
And then.
Thud.
He placed his hand on the documents and asked,
“Is selecting a dispatch site always this simple?”
“That’s……”
“I’m grateful that you allowed it. But I’m the type who can’t stand feeling uneasy about something.”
Taesu added that condition.
His eyes slowly began to turn calm.
Before long, the atmosphere started to grow heavy.
Unable to endure the awkwardness, the person in charge opened his mouth with a bitter expression.
“You must have heard before that the atmosphere on both sides, Jammu and Azad, has been unusual recently.”
“Yes. I have heard that.”
“As tensions rise, both sides are avoiding provocation.”
“That’s why the number of patients has decreased.”
When Taesu pointed it out precisely, the person in charge nodded.
“That’s right. But they won’t maintain this state of tension forever.”
“Are you saying they’ll clash in a big way soon?”
“That is how the PKO side is analyzing it.”
“Hmm.”
Taesu let out only a heavy sound.
There was far more he did not know than he knew when it came to war.
The person in charge did not seem to know all that much either.
However, he showed strong trust in the PKO’s information.
“That’s why we were also seriously considering what to do about you and Dr. Jeong.”
“What to do with us, huh.”
“We know very well that you’re people who don’t hesitate to go into dangerous areas.”
“In any case, there’s no problem with us being dispatched, right?”
At Taesu’s question, the person in charge agreed vehemently.
“Not at all. Extremely, very much no problem. To the point that we’d be quite grateful.”
“We’re good doctors who even bring our own work.”
“Haha. That’s exactly right.”
The person in charge answered with a laugh, as if his tension had eased.
But a conversation with Taesu was not over until it was over.
As if waiting for the moment, Taesu casually spoke up.
“Usually, when people do something that sets a good example for others, there’s something extra that comes with it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’d like to ask you for one favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
The person in charge looked puzzled by the sudden remark.