Taesu was a little confused.
He had the knife by the handle, yes, but he had no idea what kind of knife it was.
And then, at that moment—
Whir.
Taesu’s quick wits kicked into gear.
A request from Dr. Schmidt?
This was internal medicine.
Flash.
Taesu’s eyes gleamed as something clicked.
‘No way?’
It was only a guess, so he couldn’t be certain.
But he had the upper hand.
At times like this, the best strategy was to go for broke.
Taesu abruptly bowed to Dr. Wallik.
“I look forward to learning from you.”
He bowed deeply.
Since he was acting without any real certainty, Taesu’s heart was pounding hard.
Then Dr. Wallik’s voice reached him.
“That friend of mine was right after all.”
“……”
“He said if I opened even the slightest crack, you’d charge in on your own.”
“Was I thinking correctly?”
Taesu lifted his head, more than a little surprised.
In truth, Taesu had also been watching for a chance to ask.
Seeing Lee Changgyu recover had made him feel it keenly.
Not every illness or symptom in the world could be solved with surgery alone.
Sometimes, they had to be controlled with medicine.
And even patients who had undergone surgery could improve faster with the proper drugs.
In the end, it was something that would benefit him a hundred times over.
When Taesu spoke with surprise on his face, Dr. Wallik stroked his chin.
Srrk.
“You’re quite perceptive.”
“Then are you really going to teach us?”
“Of course.”
“W-wow.”
Just as Taesu was about to rejoice in earnest—
Dr. Wallik spoke coldly, his face unmoved.
“Rest until today. Starting tomorrow, report here.”
“Understood.”
“And bring Dr. Jeong and Mr. Kim, the ones who ran off.”
Dr. Wallik mentioned the two of them first.
To Taesu, that joy came twofold.
“Thank you.”
“Thank me? You’re not taking short-term intensive learning lightly, are you?”
“I’ll make sure you get tired from teaching us.”
Taesu showed a bold ambition.
At that moment, the corners of Dr. Wallik’s mouth shifted ever so slightly.
“Good. I’ll look forward to it.”
“Thank you.”
Taesu greeted him once more in a strong voice.
And in his heart, he conveyed the same gratitude to Dr. Schmidt, who had opened this opportunity to learn.
It wasn’t just gratitude he felt.
He was excited.
Imagining himself, Jeong Minsu, and Kim Hyeokgwon growing another step further, he couldn’t stop smiling.
A short while later.
After finishing his conversation with Dr. Wallik, Taesu left the medical tent.
Jeong Minsu and Kim Hyeokgwon were waiting nearby.
As soon as they spotted Taesu, they hurried over.
Tap-tap-tap.
“So why did he want to see you?”
“Did he chew you out for mismanaging the patient’s vitals?”
At the two men’s urgent questions, Taesu shot them a sidelong glare.
“I feel like you’ve both been pushing me forward a lot lately.”
At that accurate point, Jeong Minsu gave an awkward smile.
“H-ha. I think that’s a bit of a misunderstanding.”
“So what?”
Kim Hyeokgwon, as always, challenged him openly.
As expected, saying anything would be useless.
Taesu merely shrugged as if that was nothing new.
Then he briefly explained the conversation he had with Dr. Wallik.
“He says he’ll teach us about internal medicine.”
“I don’t need that.”
“No. He said he’d teach you nursing duties in a more systematic way, Hyeokgwon.”
“More systematic… I can see the road of hardship ahead.”
Kim Hyeokgwon looked as if the world had collapsed.
But the fact that he didn’t back out meant he must have instinctively sensed that it was time for him to change as well.
By contrast, Jeong Minsu was visibly thrilled.
“Wow, really?”
“Yeah. I think Dr. Schmidt asked him.”
“He really is an admirable man, a model for others.”
“And it’s something we were thinking about too.”
When Taesu added that, Jeong Minsu nodded vigorously.
“That’s right. We’re not in a position to pick and choose departments.”
“Exactly.”
“But at this rate, aren’t we going to become all-weather doctors who cover both internal medicine and surgery?”
Jeong Minsu smiled brightly.
It seemed he was painting a rosy future all by himself.
But Taesu cut him off firmly.
“A hundred years wouldn’t be enough to learn and master everything.”
“I know that too. The deeper you dig, the more profound that world becomes. How would I not know?”
“Then that’s fine.”
At Taesu’s answer, Jeong Minsu asked quietly.
“So when do we start?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Then when is Raku arriving?”
As Jeong Minsu tried to calculate the time, Taesu stopped him.
“He’ll come when it’s time, and he’ll tell us when it’s time.”
“You’re relaxed.”
“It’s not like we’re leaving with Changgyu right away.”
Lee Changgyu’s recovery?
Taesu was looking at at least a week—no, longer.
And that was based on the minimum condition needed for treatment to be possible in the village.
He was a child who had suffered severe blood loss and even broken limbs.
That was why Taesu was not in a hurry.
Once the matter was settled, Kim Hyeokgwon stretched and said,
“Ugh. If there’s nothing to do, let’s rest some more.”
“Yes. Let’s go rest.”
“It feels awkward but nice to suddenly be resting.”
“You need rest to regain energy.”
They chatted among themselves.
Then they walked back toward their lodging.
They had seen Lee Changgyu’s recovery with their own eyes.
So they decided to put their minds more at ease and enjoy their short break.
The three of them didn’t do anything in particular.
All they did was sleep a little more at their quarters.
For people who had escaped their busy daily lives, there was no greater luxury.
“Snore.”
“Zzz, zzz.”
A nap in the middle of the day.
This was pure bliss.
Afternoon.
News of Raku’s caravan could be heard right away.
“The caravan’s setting up now!”
“Let’s hurry over.”
The medical staff loudly spread the word and moved about busily.
Since it was Raku’s caravan, which handled good goods, its popularity was tremendous.
Meanwhile, Taesu, Jeong Minsu, and Kim Hyeokgwon arrived at the Internal Medicine Team 2 ward tent.
Srrk.
When they lifted the canvas and went inside, they looked toward Lee Changgyu’s bed.
As expected, Kang Yeonghun was there.
The three of them headed straight to him.
Step.
The moment they arrived, Kang Yeonghun lifted his head and met their eyes.
It seemed he had guessed why they had come.
But his expression was not very good.
He spoke the conclusion first.
“We received permission to set up at the village entrance.”
“Hmm. That’s ambiguous.”
“Not everyone shared the same opinion, so this was how it turned out.”
He said only that much.
It seemed that was all the news he had.
But it was neither one thing nor the other.
Taesu rolled his eyes, trying to calmly organize the situation in his head.
Then, at that moment—
Kim Hyeokgwon’s eyebrows shot up like a tiger’s.
It seemed his patience had run out.
“These people, seriously.”
Just as Kim Hyeokgwon was about to unleash a cold remark—
Thud.
Taesu immediately stepped in.
“……”
He looked at him quietly and shook his head slightly.
It meant for him to stop.
At that moment, Kim Hyeokgwon’s sharp gaze turned toward Taesu.
Piercing.
It was a gaze so fierce it made his skin prickle.
But Taesu abruptly bowed to Kang Yeonghun.
“Thank you for bringing us the news.”
“I’m not sure this is something to be thankful for.”
“It must have been a difficult decision.”
“……”
Kang Yeonghun silently avoided his gaze.
Taesu did not show any resentment.
Calmly and politely, he organized what would happen next.
“Changgyu will wake up soon.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s why I brought him here.”
“I-I see.”
Kang Yeonghun answered with an awkward expression.
Even so, Taesu continued without minding it.
“After he recovers to a certain extent, we’ll return to the village together.”
“Yes.”
“That period won’t be that long. Then we’ll come see you tomorrow.”
With a small bow, Taesu turned around.
Kim Hyeokgwon was still looking at him with an expression that said he had plenty to say.
Srrk.
Taesu took Kim Hyeokgwon by the hand and led him outside.
Surprisingly, Kim Hyeokgwon followed his hand without resistance.
It was because he assumed Taesu must have a clear reason for acting this way.
Jeong Minsu followed behind with a worried expression.
Soon, the three of them came out of the tent.
At the same time, Kim Hyeokgwon, his expression already sour, immediately asked Taesu,
“Why did you stop me? I’m so frustrated I could die, and I can’t even snap at him once?”
“What would that accomplish?”
“Kang Yeonghun can’t be feeling at ease either.”
Taesu spoke briefly.
But though the subject was omitted, the core of it was all there.
His child, Songhui, was suffering from an illness.
If he were in the father’s position, it wouldn’t be strange even if he kidnapped the medical staff.
“Hrrm.”
Kim Hyeokgwon let out a heavy sound.
Then Jeong Minsu cautiously cut in.
“Maybe it’s thanks to Kang Yeonghun that we were even allowed to approach the village entrance.”
“Minsu, bingo. We should consider that highly likely.”
Taesu strongly agreed.
At that moment, Kim Hyeokgwon waved a hand with a bitter face.
“All right. I said I’ll stop.”
“You made the right call.”
“More importantly, what are we going to do from here?”
At Kim Hyeokgwon’s question, Taesu gave a wink and smiled.
“We learn, and then learn some more.”
“That’s all?”
“They said Korea is sending us gifts. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes.”
When Taesu started saying something off the wall, Kim Hyeokgwon turned away, all the wind taken out of him.
“What on earth is inside that doctor’s head?”
Grumble, grumble.
Kim Hyeokgwon’s voice as he walked away first sounded quite irritable.
It was because the situation was unfolding in a way that left nothing feeling clear.
Taesu knew that too.
No, more than anyone, he found this situation unwelcome.
“It’s not as if I feel comfortable either.”
“The world is nothing but complicated, nothing ever goes the way I want, damn it.”
Jeong Minsu didn’t seem to be in a good mood either.
But Taesu spoke plainly.
“If you think about all of that, your hair will fall out.”
“Then what?”
“At times like this, you just roll yourself to the bone.”
Taesu spoke firmly.
Those words might have been a little irresponsible.
But when he thought about it, they were right.
If fretting right now wouldn’t change anything, there was no need to waste his heart on it.
It would help him more to use that time productively instead.
And then the next day arrived.
As promised, the three of them headed to Internal Medicine Team 2’s medical tent.
Inside, the medical staff who had already heard the situation were standing by.
Among them, Dr. Galion, who at least knew their faces, spoke to Taesu and Jeong Minsu.
“You two, come this way.”
“Yes. We’ll be in your care.”
“I’ll hear those words later. First, unlike surgery, internal medicine…”
Dr. Galion began by explaining the outline of internal medicine.
It was a fairly stiff and forceful explanation.
Seeing that he gave off Dr. Wallik’s atmosphere, it seemed he had been greatly influenced by him.
Because he pointed out only the essentials, it was easy to understand.