Before he knew it, Elder Wang, locking eyes with him once more, began by answering Taesu’s question.
“What do I plan to do? You go and stir everything up, and then ask me that?”
“But it was a misunderstanding.”
“And yet, has it not already happened?”
“That’s….. You’re right.”
Taesu’s voice trailed off slightly.
Before they knew it, the matter had become an incident that had the entire village in an uproar.
With the atmosphere so tense, there was no way anyone would cooperate readily.
*What should I do?*
Taesu agonized over another way out.
Just then, Elder Wang’s words reached Taesu’s ears, making them perk up.
“It would be better to show your faces.”
“Pardon?”
“Everyone has already come running out.”
Elder Wang replied flatly.
But Taesu quickly discerned the underlying meaning.
“Are you telling us to go and meet them?”
“Hmm. Who knows if those folks bothered to guard the village gate on their way out.”
Was there a gate at the village entrance?
It did not mean a gate that actually existed.
It was a metaphorical expression.
Gim Hyeokgwon was the first to catch the meaning.
“It seems he is saying the village gate is open, so we should come in.”
“That is up to you fellows.”
“Then you have given us permission.”
Gim Hyeokgwon wanted a definitive answer.
But Elder Wang did not oblige him.
“I told you to handle it yourselves.”
“You could have simply said so; you really do twist your words, sir.”
“More importantly, is it alright for you to keep staying here?”
Elder Wang pointed toward the medical tent with his fingertip.
The meaning was clear: he wanted them to go.
At the same time, Taesu sprang to his feet with a startled expression.
“Min-su.”
“Let’s hurry and go.”
“Let’s go. Um…… Please excuse us first.”
He bowed.
Even in that moment, Taesu greeted the elders.
And together with Gim Hyeokgwon, he hurriedly ran toward the medical tent.
It was after the two had disappeared into the bushes.
Elder Wang, who had watched them until then, lifted his teacup, which had gone completely cold.
“Hehe.”
He suddenly let out a laugh, as if amused.
Just then, the elders who had been standing behind came out to the side.
Snap.
Their expressions had become calm and solemn.
Their previously lighthearted demeanor felt like a lie.
Among those three elders, the one standing in the middle asked on their behalf.
“You said you would go and exchange a few light words; why did you change your mind?”
“If you knock like that, it will eventually open, will it not?”
“Did you knock that hard?”
“If I had merely gestured, it would not have opened even after a hundred days.”
Elder Wang spoke profoundly.
Whether he understood that or not, the elder in the middle opened his mouth again.
“We do not know if they truly have pure intentions.”
“They are not pure. They are not children; how could they be pure?”
“So they do have an ulterior motive after all?”
“Before discussing that, recall what Song-hui said yesterday evening.”
Elder Wang began to speak with grave weight.
The elder standing on the left took up his words.
“She said the teachers had made it so she could grow into a pretty and healthy adult.”
The elder standing on the right added.
“She also said she wished everyone in the village could be pretty and healthy.”
Elder Wang nodded silently and spoke with gravity.
“That child wishes for it so earnestly; is there any reason we cannot grant it?”
“It is mere childishness.”
“Do not think so. Rather, because she is a child, she understands even better. Whether they are good people or bad people.”
“Yes. I have no intention of blaming Song-hui. However……”
The elder in the middle trailed off.
As if knowing the unspoken words hidden behind that, Elder Wang looked at the distant mountains and spoke.
“Since we have let them into the village, it will be known someday.”
“That is what worries me.”
“Let us watch and see.”
Elder Wang finished speaking thus.
The three elders also nodded silently.
At the same time.
Taesu and Gim Hyeokgwon arrived in front of the medical tent simultaneously.
Without a word, they pulled back the partition curtain first.
Swish.
It was the moment they jumped in simultaneously, wary of anything that might have happened.
“Huh?”
“Mm?”
They froze.
Taesu and Gim Hyeokgwon were considerably bewildered by the scene spread out inside.
Jeong Min-su was sitting in a chair to one side.
Before him, the villagers stood in a long line with their sleeves rolled up.
“What is this?”
“Why is it like this……”
It was utterly different from the crisis Gang Yeong-hun had described.
Even if he had been told it was a misunderstanding, this sight was completely unexpected.
Taesu’s gaze turned toward Jeong Min-su.
As expected, with the place full of strangers, he had been watching their moods cautiously.
“N-next person…… please.”
“Teacher Jeong.”
“Oh. Oh? Choe, Teacher Choe, why are you only here now.”
His tense face finally smoothed out in relief.
Taesu shook his head.
“What are we going to do with that kid?”
Whenever there were many strangers or the atmosphere turned hostile, he immediately became timid.
On the other hand, it was understandable.
It was because stacked farming tools and wooden sticks could be seen to one side.
If all these people had rushed in at once?
Even Taesu would have been a little nervous.
He set those thoughts aside for later and focused on sorting out the situation first.
No matter how urgent the business, greetings came first.
He bowed.
“Hello. I am Choe Taesu. It is an honor that we are finally able to meet.”
“Hello.”
“We are sincerely pleased to meet you.”
“Well, so are we……”
Everyone mumbled uncertainly.
It seemed they were hesitant to greet him warmly because the opposing elders weighed on their minds.
Taesu immediately dispelled that worry.
“There is nothing to worry about. I have just received permission from Elder Wang.”
“Really?”
“Yes. If you return home, we will visit every household.”
Taesu announced loudly to everyone.
Just then, Gang Yeong-hun suddenly emerged from among the villagers.
He asked quickly, his eyes wide and round.
“Did he really give permission?”
“Otherwise, would I be able to speak this boldly?”
“Ah, wow……”
“Gathering here like this is not good for the children’s recovery, either.”
The words Taesu casually added were decisive.
Gang Yeong-hun immediately fixed a sharp gaze and shouted to the villagers.
“Everyone, get out quickly. The teachers are going to visit. Hurry.”
It was a fierce urging.
The villagers had also heard Taesu’s words, so they moved obediently.
Their language was naturally Korean.
“That’s right. Let’s go out. It is a bit stifling in here.”
“We need to take those back.”
“Let’s hurry. Don’t make the kids suffer needlessly.”
“Come on, come on, let’s go.”
Rumble.
The villagers grabbed even their farming tools in orderly haste and went outside the tent.
In moments, the medical tent grew quiet.
Only Jeong Min-su had failed to adapt to this situation.
As soon as he saw only familiar faces, his voice gradually grew louder.
“What the heck was that all of a sudden.”
“Really, his personality has no middle ground.”
“Isn’t it strange how the villagers suddenly ducked out?”
Jeong Min-su was still dazed.
Gim Hyeokgwon immediately set him straight.
“Didn’t you hear what Dr. Choe just said?”
“You mean we can really enter the village?”
“You really are slow.”
Gim Hyeokgwon also seemed to be struggling to understand, but it was not easy.
Jeong Min-su, oblivious to that sentiment, asked again.
“But how?”
“We will explain that gradually; what happened to Dr. Jeong?”
“They suddenly came rushing in, asking if I was a doctor, and told me to examine them, too.”
Jeong Min-su explained calmly.
Gim Hyeokgwon understood immediately and gave a bitter smile.
“So you’re saying Dr. Jeong didn’t actually do anything.”
“Result-wise, that is how it turned out.”
“I see. You’ve had a hard time.”
Gim Hyeokgwon seemed to think it would only be stressful to say more, so he brushed it off with words of encouragement.
Meanwhile, Taesu heard the news from Gang Yeong-hun.
A much more detailed explanation than Jeong Min-su’s was given.
“……So they all thought it was an opportunity and came.”
“There are more people who want treatment than I thought.”
“I was a bit surprised, too. Even so, it is true that things went smoothly because the situation flowed in a favorable direction.”
When Gang Yeong-hun added a clue, Taesu tilted his head.
“Which part?”
“If I had come in a bit later, Teacher Jeong might have been tied up and forced to treat patients.”
“I wish you wouldn’t tell that to Min-su.”
“He was nervous earlier, too; I will keep quiet.”
Gang Yeong-hun seemed to have already noticed Jeong Min-su’s timidity.
Taesu expressed his gratitude for that consideration.
“Thank you.”
“Compared to what you have done for us, it is nothing.”
“Haha. I should look after the children first. Excuse me.”
Taesu asked for understanding and moved away from Gang Yeong-hun.
And he went straight to I Chang-gyu.
“You weren’t too surprised?”
“No. I am glad to see all of them. But……”
“That’s right. We really got permission.”
“Wow, that is amazing.”
I Chang-gyu knew how strongly the village had opposed them, so he was even more amazed.
Taesu just gave a bright smile and began checking vitals.
? Rustle.
Several simple examinations were carried out quickly.
Fortunately, I Chang-gyu had not been affected much.
The affected areas all over his body had avoided contamination thanks to the compression bandages wrapped tightly around them.
Even so, it weighed on Taesu’s mind.
Taesu replaced the compression bandages with new ones and administered antibiotics once more, taking care to guard against any eventuality.
After examining I Chang-gyu, it was Gang Song-hui’s turn.
As Taesu approached, Gang Song-hui slightly sat up as if she had been waiting. And to make it easier for Taesu to examine, she showed her face wrapped round and round in bandages.
“Here.”
“Our Song-hui knows exactly what I am going to do now?”
“Hehe. But um……”
As Gang Song-hui, who had been smiling brightly, slightly trailed off, Taesu inferred and answered first.
“That’s right. We are going into the village now. Song-hui will be able to receive treatment at home, too.”
“No. That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
As Taesu leaned in, Gang Song-hui wiggled her finger and spoke quietly.
“Doctor mister, I really like you.”
“Hmm?”
She had blurted it out without explanation.
But Taesu immediately realized what she meant.
It meant they were close friends now.
It was a moment that had arrived suddenly.
She was a pure child; he could not grasp what part had turned her heart.
Such things were not important at all.
What mattered more was that Gang Song-hui’s heart had completely opened at this very moment.
He was happy.
It had really been a long time since he had approached a child as a friend.
He thought it might be the first time since Sabi.
So Taesu called out with a broad, refreshing smile.
“Song-hui.”
“Yes. But Teacher.”
“Something else you want to say?”
“Um……. Um……”
Gang Song-hui wiggled her finger once again.
Taesu, feeling so good he could practically fly, encouraged her.
“Song-hui, what are you struggling with? We’re friends.”
“Yes. We’re friends.”
“You can tell a friend everything.”
Swoosh.
Taesu lowered his body to meet her gaze level.
Gang Song-hui opened her mouth with eyes that showed considerably less hesitation.
“You’re going to make me pretty and healthy, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then this……”
Swoosh.
She raised her pinky finger.
It meant she wanted to make the “promise” she had learned from Taesu.