Just then, Taesu stepped forward with an easy, tactful air.
“Then shall we start making the rounds?”
“S-should we?”
“It’s the last day. We said we’d go see them before we left.”
“I know. Then I’ll get the medical bag.”
Jeong Minsu readily agreed.
But then Kim Hyeokgwon blocked him and said a word.
“I’ll bring it.”
“We can do it.”
“I have to do something if I’m going to get today’s assistant allowance calculated, don’t I? Don’t go after my money, and wait right here.”
Without waiting for an answer, Kim Hyeokgwon quickly headed to the neighboring tent.
As he was moving away, Jeong Minsu glanced around in case he might hear and quietly said to Taesu,
“That man really seems to think money is the best thing in the world.”
“He’s got a lot of affection, too.”
“That… is true.”
Even as he answered, his expression looked somewhat unsettled.
Taesu paid it no mind and continued.
“And so what if money is the most important thing to him? At least he isn’t harboring other thoughts behind your back.”
“Mm. Taesu, do you trust Hyeokgwon?”
“I’m coming to trust him more and more. What about you?”
When Taesu asked in return, Jeong Minsu narrowed his brow and answered.
“To be honest, I’m not sure.”
“Why?”
“My gut tells me he’s a good person. But he keeps tying everything to money, so it confuses me.”
Jeong Minsu spoke frankly.
It was then.
Tap, tap.
Taesu lightly nudged him with his elbow and said,
“The heart is more honest than the head.”
“Hm.”
Jeong Minsu let out a small sound, still deep in thought.
It was then.
Kim Hyeokgwon emerged from the military tent carrying the heavy medical bag.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, let’s.”
And so the three of them headed toward the village side by side.
The sight of them walking together did not feel awkward.
Even so, it was hard to shake the feeling that they were each slightly moving on their own.
Soon, the three of them arrived at the village.
Thud, clack.
Noises came from here and there.
The village reconstruction work that had begun early in the morning was continuing without rest.
The people were a mess of sweat and dust.
When the three appeared, the construction noise immediately died down.
They could feel gazes looking at them warmly from afar, and at times people even bowed their heads politely.
Jeong Minsu looked around as a whole and asked,
“By the way, didn’t you say this was a war zone?”
“Why?”
“I don’t think I’ve heard a single gunshot. No, I’m not saying I want the people here to be in more pain or have a harder time. I’m just curious.”
Jeong Minsu asked at length, even sneaking glances at their reactions.
Taesu’s answer, on the other hand, was short.
“They’re probably tired too, so they’re taking a break.”
“Really?”
“If not, then never mind.”
Taesu answered indifferently.
At that moment, Kim Hyeokgwon openly challenged Jeong Minsu.
“Doctor Jeong. Are you displeased that it’s quiet here?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Then what kind of question is that?”
“The situation is so different from the village Taesu said he experienced.”
Jeong Minsu answered with a flinch.
But Kim Hyeokgwon simply jerked his chin toward Taesu and said dryly,
“I told you it would be quiet because the hero of Ijambak has arrived.”
“You’re saying it’s really quiet because Taesu is here?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“Him?”
“Yes. Him.”
As Kim Hyeokgwon answered blandly, Taesu, who was listening in the middle, was dumbfounded.
“It feels strange when you talk about me as ‘this guy’ and ‘that guy’ with me standing right here.”
“It’s fine. It’s not my feelings.”
“Thank you for the cold, factual observation.”
“You’re welcome.”
Even when Taesu glared at him, Kim Hyeokgwon’s expression did not change at all.
Jeong Minsu, who had thrown the stone that made the ripples, wore an amused expression at the two men’s reactions.
It was then.
Children came rushing toward the three of them.
Their faces were grimy, and their skin was dark enough to be close to brown.
They smiled brightly enough to show all the gaps where their teeth had fallen out, and held out their hands.
“Doctor, candy.”
“Chocolate.”
The children’s interest was always snacks.
As if he had never been serious at all, Taesu pulled snacks from the pockets of his gown with a bright face and handed them into the children’s hands.
“Here, here. There’s some here. And here too.”
Rustle, rustle.
Taesu divided them as fairly as he could.
But there was no way the children’s greed for snacks would have an end.
They began to urge him on in short English.
“More.”
“Doctor, please.”
They mobilized every English word they knew and even launched a charm offensive.
In a word, it was practically a tantrum.
Even at such unreasonable pleading, Taesu’s lips were full of smiles.
Then, from behind the children, Chief Kandor suddenly approached and shouted in a booming voice.
“%.#$.#!”
“$#$^%.”
The children shouted something back and instantly scattered in all directions.
From the atmosphere, it seemed to be a cry to run away.
Chief Kandor approached the three, now left in a quieter space, and spoke with an apologetic face.
His English was clumsy and heavily accented.
Still, there was no great difficulty in understanding him.
“Are you all right? Children, every day, I am sorry.”
“No. It’s probably the time they look forward to once a day.”
“Why, every time, give snacks?”
Chief Kandor asked cautiously.
It seemed he had been curious all this time but had not dared ask until today.
Taesu gave Chief Kandor a faint smile and said,
“A young friend of mine really liked snacks like these.”
“You should save them, give to him.”
“He went on a long journey alone, so I can’t give them to him in person.”
Taesu answered with a gentle smile.
But no one could easily smile at the meaning behind it.
Chief Kandor’s smile also disappeared as he apologized.
“I am sorry. Painful memory, truly sorry.”
“No. It’s all right.”
“It is all right?”
“Yes. My young friend left while smiling happily. So I think I can remember him with a smile too.”
The smile on Taesu’s lips as he answered was not false.
But it was not everything.
A small sorrow was hidden in Taesu’s eyes.
Sabi.
It had not been that long since the child had breathed his last.
It was too early to forget.
That was why not everything could be easy.
There was certainly Sabi’s influence in the reason he gave snacks to the children of Sahad.
Perhaps he was seeing that smile through the children.
Kim Hyeokgwon, who had been listening to the conversation, turned away with a heavy face.
Taesu smiled, but Kim Hyeokgwon’s heart was in a different place.
“Damn it. Why go poking at a wound like that?”
“The young friend Taesu is talking about is…”
Just as Jeong Minsu was about to mention the name.
Flash.
Kim Hyeokgwon stopped him with a look that was not merely fierce, but sharp.
“Let’s not say that name in front of me.”
“All right.”
“Phew. I’m sorry. My temper’s garbage, so that name still hurts my chest.”
Clench.
Kim Hyeokgwon unknowingly clutched at his chest.
Jeong Minsu, who had already heard the story, quietly closed his mouth.
The three of them then moved under the guidance of Chief Kandor.
With him accompanying them, visiting each household proceeded smoothly.
Most of the patients had already finished treatment.
The span of a month had brought about that many changes.
But there were also some patients who had not.
The representative case was the patient who had undergone emergency surgery on the second day. He had bandages wrapped broadly across his left chest and shoulder.
First, they exchanged light greetings.
“How were you yesterday?”
“Uh… Ah. He says it was very itchy yesterday.”
“Then we should take a look, shouldn’t we?”
“He says to do as you please.”
It was at the same time as Kim Hyeokgwon’s playful interpretation.
Slide.
As if right on cue, the patient revealed himself with a bright face.
Taesu also returned the patient’s smile.
The greetings ended there.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu immediately began moving in earnest.
“Minsu, dressing.”
“Yeah. I’ve prepared the saline.”
Jeong Minsu’s mood changed abruptly.
He forcibly changed his timid self into a tougher appearance.
At some point, from the moment he faced a patient, he had begun consciously trying to become stronger.
Taesu knew that as well, so he spoke calmly.
“We need to undo the bandages first.”
“As much as you need.”
“Then shall we begin?”
Though the words were a request, Taesu’s hands were already moving.
Flip, flip.
As his hands moved quickly, the surgical site was soon revealed.
Thick sutures had been stitched through it.
That tremendous injury, after time had passed, now remained as nothing more than a single line of surgical scarring.
He carefully removed the stitches.
At the same time, a bright smile spread across Taesu’s face.
“It has healed very well.”
“He says he did exactly as the doctor told him.”
“Please tell him thank you, and ask him to move it a little.”
“Let’s do that. @%#$.”
When Kim Hyeokgwon interpreted, the patient moved his arm.
It was a little awkward and difficult.
Even so, the muscles of his arm, shoulder, and chest moved in concert.
Watching that, Taesu quietly extended his fist behind his back.
Thump.
He felt a light tap.
It was Jeong Minsu’s hand.
This was the first patient the two of them had operated on together.
There were no side effects or aftereffects.
Perhaps because of that, the thrill surging up in this moment was all the more intense.
They did not stop at simply confirming it.
The two then took out a thermometer and a blood pressure monitor.
Very slowly, they checked the patient’s basic vitals, such as temperature and pulse.
“His temperature is a little high.”
“High, huh. Pulse?”
“Pulse is per minute… And blood pressure is…”
Jeong Minsu reported them in order.
Taesu carefully wrote each item down in his notebook.
It was a kind of medical record notebook.
Most of the information related to the patient was recorded in it.
Unlike the two of them, Kim Hyeokgwon’s position had changed greatly.
With Jeong Minsu joining them, his importance during examinations had decreased. Depending on how one looked at it, he could have felt that there was no place for him to stand.
However, that was needless concern.
Kim Hyeokgwon found his own work in an area other than medicine. Using the professional nature of an interpreter, he talked with the patient.
It was something he had picked up by watching from the side while staying with Taesu in Ijambak.
“@$#.$#%.”
“#$%#.”
Taesu’s ears were filled with the Kashmiri language, packed with its distinctive pronunciation.
No matter how much he listened?
‘I have no idea.’
Taesu focused only on carefully checking the affected area.
A short while later.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu finished the final dressing.
Meaningful smiles hung on both their lips.
They had checked and checked again, and the results were more than satisfactory.
“Good. It’s really good.”
“There’s nothing more we could ask for.”
“You worked hard.”
“You too.”
Clap.
They secretly and lightly slapped their palms together.
It was the first patient the two of them had operated on together.
And because it was joy that had come after despair, it was doubled.
At that moment, Kim Hyeokgwon, who had been talking with the patient, addressed them.
“He says the wound was very itchy last night.”
“That’s extremely good news.”
“I told him that too. A wound itching is proof that cell regeneration is that active.”
At Kim Hyeokgwon’s fluent answer, Taesu nodded.
“That’s right.”
“And if he scratches it, it will get worse, but if he endures it and leaves it alone, it will heal faster and better.”
As soon as Kim Hyeokgwon finished answering.