Once again, Taesu grabbed the two of them and forced the surgery through.
"Hyeokgwon, bone saw."
"This is a surgical tool? Are we in a carpenter's workshop or something?"
"They're supposed to look like this. And Minsu, use the hammer and chisel to smooth out that end a bit more."
"This is my first time. And am I an orthopedist?"
Conversations crackling with tension filled the surgery tent.
But it couldn't be helped.
It wasn't just Jeong Minsu; even Taesu wasn't familiar with such a complex orthopedic surgery.
By now, it was an outdated, forgotten surgical method too.
It was something used only in field operations like this, and even then only in special circumstances.
Taesu had only done it once before.
So it was only natural for their nerves to be on edge. Caught up in their sharpness, Gim Hyeokgwon also grew infected with irritability.
Even as they snapped and shouted at one another, the surgery proceeded step by step.
Quite some time had passed.
The surgery?
Beep. Beep.
The stable numbers on the ECG were proof enough.
The oxygen saturation had also risen somewhat in the meantime, indicating that breathing had become much easier.
Taesu, Jeong Minsu, and Gim Hyeokgwon.
The three of them looked at one another.
Their surgical gowns were a mess of sweat and bloodstains, showing how intense the surgery had been.
Discarded medical supplies lay strewn messily across the floor of the surgery tent.
None of that mattered in the slightest.
The three faces were filled with smiles.
They were radiating joy and exultation from head to toe.
Among them, Taesu stuck out his thumb and said,
"Surgery. Success."
"Good work. Aigoo, I'm sore all over. At least you two are young."
Slump.
Gim Hyeokgwon collapsed right onto the floor, as if all his energy had drained away.
Jeong Minsu?
"……."
He was silent.
He stood with his mask still on, head half-bowed.
His expression was impossible to read.
Jeong Minsu's shoulders trembled faintly.
Shivering.
He simply stood still like that, his shoulders shaking.
Taesu watched him, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Because he knew all too well the emotions running through him.
A successful surgery.
It meant they had saved the patient's life.
They had produced a different result from yesterday.
The emotional torment that must have plagued Jeong Minsu all night must have lessened, even if only a little.
Taesu wasn't the type to just stand by and watch.
Swish.
Slowly circling the operating table, he approached Jeong Minsu.
"Minsu."
"……."
"Hey, Jeong Minsu. You crying?"
Pat.
Taesu nudged him lightly and asked.
Jeong Minsu quickly waved his arm and responded curtly,
"Q—quiet."
"If you're going to cry, cry properly. Don't whimper."
"Shut up."
He was grumbling, but the more he spoke, the more his shoulders shook.
Taesu spoke to him calmly.
"You know what? The thrill of saving someone is incredibly addictive."
"I—I think I know. But……"
"Put aside your other thoughts for now. Just think about this moment."
Hup.
"Jeong Minsu. You saved someone with your own hands. With your own hands."
Taesu emphasized.
It was then.
Jeong Minsu's shoulders shook slightly.
Pat. Pat.
He gently patted Jeong Minsu on the back.
And smiled serenely.
'Kapurene. What you told me was the truth.'
One only becomes a real doctor after overcoming the fear that makes your hands and feet tremble.
Just as those words said, Jeong Minsu had become a real doctor today, in this very moment.
Taesu, who had been lightly stepping out of the operating room, faltered.
Before his eyes.
A tear-soaked little kid stood trembling like an aspen tree.
Beside the child stood a middle-aged woman who appeared to be the mother, rubbing her hands together endlessly, unable to hide her vacant gaze.
It was fear.
A fear that felt as if the whole world had collapsed.
He had to dispel it immediately.
Especially the child's eyes, which were nearly losing focus.
The intense fear that his father might die because of him.
It was a trial too heavy to bear at such a young age.
Without a moment's hesitation, Taesu quickly approached and hugged the child.
"It's okay. Your father is okay."
Before he knew it, Taesus lips were brimming with a smile.
They might not understand the words, but feelings could be felt.
The child's face changed instantly.
At the same time, the middle-aged woman crumpled.
Thud.
Taesu quickly caught her with one hand.
Only then did Gim Hyeokgwon rush over and began interpreting.
"He survived. The surgery was a success."
At those words, tears streamed endlessly from the eyes of the middle-aged woman and the child.
Taesu slowly stood up and muttered.
This is why I became a doctor.
Just that one sentence.
It felt as if all the tension and fatigue he had felt during the surgery had cleanly vanished.
This was enough.
A short while later.
Only Taesu was visible inside the surgery tent.
Taesu was cleaning the surgery tent, splashing water around.
Splash, splash.
Watching the operating table and every corner of the floor become clean, his mood grew refreshed as well.
"Lalala."
He was even humming to himself, completely absorbed in cleaning.
It was then.
Swish.
The partition opened and Gim Hyeokgwon entered.
"You're making a flood here. Even if they say this village has two rivers, you're using water way too freely."
"Haha. You're here."
"You look like you're about to fly away."
"I do feel like flying, honestly."
Taesu replied with easygoing cheer, and Gim Hyeokgwon smiled in disbelief.
"Yeah. I feel the same way, actually."
"Did the patients get down safely?"
"They went down earlier, apparently. It seems Chief Kandor sent them down because he didn't know when or how the surgery would end."
Swish, swish.
Gim Hyeokgwon answered, pushing the pooling water aside with a broom.
Taesu continued cleaning and asked his next question.
"You did well. But what about Minsu?"
"Oh, boy."
"Why?"
"He cried so much here. But now the patient's family is holding onto him and crying, so he's crying again."
Gim Hyeokgwon even shook his head back and forth.
Taesu's smile deepened, on the contrary.
"The emotions you feel here and the feelings you get from the guardians are different, after all."
"You sent him there on purpose, didn't you?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
"He needs to hear the guardians' words of thanks to truly be unable to put down the scalpel."
At Taesu's down-to-earth answer, Gim Hyeokgwon glanced sideways at him.
"Wow, you calculated even that? You're a scary person."
"Shall I arrange for you to have a face-to-face talk with the guardians too, Hyeokgwon?"
"Do you need an interpreter?"
"I'm asking seriously."
Taesu straightened his back and spoke with weight.
Gim Hyeokgwon, sensing his underlying intention, was rather bewildered.
"Are you seriously telling me to become a nurse?"
"Yes."
"In Korea, do doctors just pick anyone and tell them to become a nurse?"
Taesu shrugged his shoulders at the snide question.
"This isn't Korea."
"It's not that much of a free-for-all."
"I don't think the International Council of Nurses is going to kindly come all the way here over it, do you?"
"Look here, Dr. Choe. Stop talking nonsense and clean."
Swish. Swish.
Gim Hyeokgwon resumed cleaning the moment he finished speaking.
He expressed with his whole body that he wanted no more conversation on the subject.
But Taesu wasn't the type to throw in the towel so easily.
"If you don't like being a nurse, how about a doctor?"
"Oh, come on."
"Let me know if you change your mind. Your pay will change too."
Taesu subtly prodded his weakness.
However, Gim Hyeokgwon didn't waver, unexpectedly.
"I said you're noisy."
"Hmm. Understood."
Taesu found this somewhat unexpected; he tilted his head and nodded.
Just then, he heard Gim Hyeokgwon muttering, as if he might or might not be heard.
"I'm different from you people."
"……."
Taesu quietly looked at him.
He had thought there was a backstory from the very beginning.
Because even when drawing near, he stopped at a certain line and firmly built up walls.
He had judged him to have a difficult personality to get close to, but it seemed there was another reason beyond that.
Unless he spoke first, there was no need to dig into that backstory.
It was a simple yet complicated relationship.
It seemed best to keep the relationship this way for now.
Evening.
"Are we having combat rations again today?"
It was about time for a special meal by now.
But since there was nothing prepared, he would just have to eat what was available.
He happened to be alone, so Taesu was about to prepare it.
But then.
Flap.
The partition opened and Gim Hyeokgwon entered carrying a basket, while Jeong Minsu came in carrying a large water jug.
Taesu stared and asked.
"What is that?"
"A gift."
Thud.
When they set it down, grilled fish was visible.
"Huh?"
"There are many rivers, so it seems fish are caught easily."
"I don't think that's the issue."
When Taesu showed his doubt, Jeong Minsu approached and explained in detail.
"The guy who drove us here earlier gave it."
"Ah, that guy."
"The chief came with him and explained. He said it happened while he was pushing debris to knock it over. The kid ran in; the man wasn't at fault."
"Ah, as expected."
When Taesu understood immediately, Jeong Minsu opened his eyes wide and asked.
"You knew?"
"I got a rough sense of it. I wasn't certain."
"R—right. I suppose so."
"Who knows. Let's figure that out later—it's fish! Let's eat first."
Taesu, who had been craving a special meal anyway, quickly brought the golden-brown grilled fish to his mouth.
He didn't need to know its name.
It didn't matter because the taste was amazing.
"Ahh-ho, hoo, hoo."
He noisily blew out the piping hot steam.
Yet he didn't drop a single piece.
The taste of gratitude was a heavenly delicacy even without any seasoning.
That night.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu were standing somewhere other than the medical tent.
They were in front of a certain pile of stones.
There were several more piles of stones scattered nearby.
This place, with its somewhat eerie atmosphere, was the communal cemetery of Sahad Village.
The grave before which the two stood belonged to Bashu, who had died yesterday.
Taesu stood a step back, illuminating the area with a flashlight. Jeong Minsu, on the other hand, stood right up close to the grave.
"……."
"……."
They stood quietly with their heads half-bowed.
Soon, Jeong Minsu bowed twice toward the grave.
Taesu asked Jeong Minsu, who had straightened up.
"Do you feel a little better?"
"Just because. You came here yesterday?"
"Yeah. I stopped by Bashu's house after finishing treatment and came here briefly."
"You're quick with things like that. Taesu. Can we talk?"
Jeong Minsu suggested out of the blue.
Taesu had no reason whatsoever to refuse.
"Let's go to the good spot."
When Taesu moved, Jeong Minsu followed right behind.
The "good spot" Taesu led him to was the rock where Jeong Minsu had been crouching yesterday.
It was a place with a clear view overlooking the village.
The village was steeped in deep darkness, as most had fallen asleep.
The two sat side by side on that rock.
The silence did not last long.