The moment their eyes met, the old man spoke indifferently.
"Since my elder brother said he'd let you in, I'm not saying much."
"Thank you."
"What's there to thank? But can you figure everything out just standing there blankly?"
The old man pointed out in a twisted tone.
Taesu didn't wait any longer and approached the old man.
Thud, thud.
Walking across the bumpy floor, Taesu arrived before the old man and broke into a bright smile.
"It's nicer seeing you up close like this."
"Quit your simpering."
"They say a smiling face is at least pleasant to look at. More importantly, is there somewhere to sit here..."
As Taesu looked around, the old man pointed gruffly.
"There's a chair over there."
"Ah, you mean the log. I thought it was firewood."
"As if I'd ever burn that."
"I had my doubts about that too, but just a moment."
Taesu moved, still wearing his smile.
Rumble.
When he sat on the rolled-over log, the distance between him and the old man was quite close.
Thanks to that, Taesu could see the old man's face in detail.
Age spots were developing here and there on his face, and it was covered in fine wrinkles. Even setting aside his yellowish skin tone, his complexion was deeply tanned.
And the backs of his hands were just as wrinkled and rough as his face.
When Taesu simply stared quietly, the old man snapped gruffly first.
"You planning to eat my face or something?"
"You must have had a rough life."
"What's that supposed to mean, all of a sudden?"
"I just got that feeling."
Taesu spoke calmly with a heavy gaze.
Perhaps because that gaze was burdensome, the old man took it out on Kim Hyeokgwun, who was over there.
"What are you doing over there?"
"I'm starting a fire. Why?"
"What fire are you starting? Do you think firewood falls from the sky?"
"Oh, come on. I'll bring you firewood later."
Tok, tok.
Kim Hyeokgwun answered gruffly and threw the firewood into the stove as if to show off.
Contrary to that hand movement, he turned his gaze and glanced around the surroundings.
Adjusting his pace so the old man wouldn't be displeased, he gradually expanded the area he was observing.
At that moment, Taesu took a stethoscope from his medical bag and hung it around his neck.
After opening a notebook and pen as well, he spoke to the old man.
"Now I'll begin the examination."
"Why are you all so restless, this one and that one?"
"You just need to focus here. First, what is your name?"
The old man responded prickly to Taesu's question.
"What are you going to do by knowing that?"
"I'll be visiting homes continuously, so I'm asking because I need to write down the names so I don't get confused."
"Write whatever."
"Then please tell me roughly."
Taesu urged gently, but the old man didn't let a single thing pass smoothly.
"I'm telling you to just write it yourself."
"Hm. I plan to go see Elder Wang later, but is it alright if I pass along your words exactly as they are?"
"Y-you brat... Ugh, it's Jeon. Satisfied?"
That much was enough.
Taesu smiled even more brightly and wrote the name at the top of the notebook.
Scratch, scratch.
"Elder Jeon, how old are you?"
"Why that too?"
"Because even the same symptoms can vary depending on age."
At Taesu's words, Elder Jeon answered crookedly.
"Just say roughly seventy."
"Seventy. Is there anything particularly uncomfortable right now?"
"You lot."
Elder Jeon openly provoked him, but Taesu accepted it placidly.
"Yes. You said there's nothing particularly uncomfortable..."
"I said you lot are uncomfortable."
"Your eyesight and hearing seem good, and your vocal cords seem healthy too."
When there was no particular reaction from Taesu, Elder Jeon grew more exasperated.
"What kind of guy is this."
"Now, please roll up your outer garment."
"Why that too."
"Because I need to auscultate. I'll listen to the sounds starting from your heart one by one with this."
When Taesu showed the stethoscope, Elder Jeon furrowed his face severely.
"Why are you being so bothersome? I gave you the gist, so now leave."
"Elder Wang said..."
"You rotten brat... There. Happy now?"
Rustle.
Elder Jeon lifted his top with hands full of irritation.
Honestly, Elder Jeon's reaction—flying into a rage yet helplessly complying—was amusing.
And so, the auscultation began with Taesu, wearing a smile, directing the chest piece toward Elder Jeon's chest.
But that smile was short-lived.
Gradually, Taesu's expression darkened.
Ribs protruding gauntly.
That alone made his heart far from easy.
'Hoo.'
He let out a breath internally.
This was why he had come, and now he had taken the first step.
Rather than letting his heart ache, he steeled himself further to focus on what he could do.
The auscultation that proceeded thus was truly only the beginning.
A flashlight appeared next.
"This is to check your eyes' reaction. Look here."
"Ugh, you brat."
"You need to open your eyes wide. Right... Left..."
As Taesu led boldly, Elder Jeon seemed to be boiling inside.
"Urrgh."
"Don't grit your teeth like that, no. Now, try saying 'ah.'"
"What's that now."
"It's called a spatula; it's used to examine the inside of your mouth. Now, say ah."
"I said that's enough. Stop being a pain."
Unable to endure it, he immediately burst into anger.
At times like this, Taesu had a reliable card to play.
"Elder Wang..."
"Dang it. Fine, ah."
"Stay just like that. Done. And also..."
"I'm telling you to stop."
"If I tell Elder Wang..."
"Oh, my insides. Oh boy."
Even letting out groans, Elder Jeon ultimately followed Taesu's words.
It was after about ten minutes had passed like that.
As if the examination had ended, Taesu was smiling broadly. In contrast, Elder Jeon looked so exhausted that he seemed to have aged another five years in that short time.
Perhaps because it was his first examination ever, he had an especially hard time.
Taesu took a brief pause and temporarily shifted to an inquiry.
"Looking at everything, have you perhaps occasionally had difficulty breathing?"
"Hm?"
"The amount of air your left and right lungs take in is different."
"Hmm."
Elder Jeon briefly averted his gaze and exhaled deeply.
It seemed Taesu had hit the mark.
Since he still had more to say, he continued to ask.
"It's not severe enough to diagnose as a particular disease yet. Still, there's a possibility something small has formed inside your lungs."
"How do you know that?"
"You have a slight fever, and your nasal passages were dry too. Have you had the chills for a long time?"
Elder Jeon, who had flinched at Taesu's question, answered indifferently.
"It's just a cold."
"Of course, I think it's a cold too, but I'm asking because I want to examine you more closely."
"Let's stop now. Enough."
"Wang..."
Taesu tried to subtly pull out his trump card.
But perhaps because it was a card he had used too often, it no longer worked.
"That again. Fine, then. Shall I just go and tell my elder brother?"
"What?"
"I have a temper too, dammit. I'll get an earful from the elder brother, but this is too much."
"I'm doing all of this because it's necessary."
When Elder Wang's card didn't work, Taesu returned to persuasion.
But Elder Jeon seemed to have taken a lot of stress; his anger had risen to the top of his head.
"Necessary my ass."
"Well..."
"I said it's done."
As expected, he showed strong refusal.
At times like this, it was right for Taesu to step back.
"Understood. Really, just one thing, just one last thing, and I'll stop."
"What now."
"I'd like to draw some blood."
Rustle.
Taesu took out an empty syringe and a blood sample vial together from his medical bag.
Elder Jeon, not knowing what they were for, immediately flared up fiercely.
"You brat, so you came here to suck my blood."
"Are you saying you waited a week just to draw this much blood?"
"Don't you get dizzy when you draw blood?"
Perhaps embarrassed, Elder Jeon's momentum subsided.
Taesu didn't mind and began explaining about the CBC calmly.
"This much is nothing to worry about."
"So what are you going to do with that?"
"I'm going to request a blood test from the NGO headquarters. If we do a blood test, we can see how many white blood cells and red blood cells are in your body..."
As Taesu's explanation threatened to grow long, Elder Jeon cut him off, even making a gruff hand gesture.
Swish.
"Enough. Enough. Stop nagging, and you said that's really the last thing."
"It really, truly is the last one."
"You said that earlier too."
"Ahem. There won't be any more after this. Really."
After Taesu reassured him two, three times, Elder Jeon asked with a slightly calmed face.
"So where are you going to cut to take the blood?"
"We don't cut. We pierce this, this needle into your arm and extract it."
"Then hand over your arm?"
"Yes. Just comfortably roll up whichever arm."
While Taesu was speaking.
Rustle.
Kim Hyeokgwun, who had been keeping to himself, quietly approached from behind. Then he put his hand into the medical bag and fumbled with something.
Elder Jeon glanced at the sight but showed no particular reaction.
It seemed he appeared to be organizing the inside of the bag.
Perhaps because he thought the end was that near, Elder Jeon roughly rolled up his right arm all the way.
"Here, good enough?"
"Thank you. Then I'll draw some bloo...d."
For some reason, Taesu's voice suddenly lowered and sank.
Elder Jeon, with a face full of displeasure, reacted sharply even to that small change.
"Do you think I'll be scared just because you suddenly lowered your voice?"
"No. Ahem... There, a prick. It'll sting slightly."
"Sting my foot."
"That's how a needle prick feels. ...Now that I've collected sufficient blood and removed it, I need to fill it back in for you, right?"
Taesu winked as he put away the blood sample vial that had filled with red.
Then Kim Hyeokgwun immediately handed over a syringe filled with something, as if he had been waiting.
"I've only put in antibiotics and nutrients for now."
"Perfect."
Click.
Taesu immediately attached the syringe to the end of the needle and slowly pushed the plunger.
Feeling the clear liquid entering his body, Elder Jeon opened his eyes wide and shouted.
"You said it was all done."
"We have to finish up."
"You brat, what are you putting in? Pull it out, I said pull it out."
"It's good for your body. There, there, it's almost all in."
"You lot are just like daylight robbers."
Elder Jeon berated Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwun, barking furiously.
A short while later.
Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwun came out of the house.
No, the expression "chased out" was more accurate.
As if to prove it, the door closed roughly.
Elder Jeon's displeased state of mind was felt fully from it.
Nevertheless, Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwun smiled lightly.
Taesu spoke first, letting out a laugh.
"Hehe. Next time we'll be thrown out at the door."
"You should go a little easier on them."
"I intended to. But it's worse than I thought."
Rustle.
Taesu took out a notebook from inside his jacket and opened it.
Kim Hyeokgwun leaned over the contents and quickly scanned them with his eyes.
It was messily written with medical terminology.
Since he had now reached a level where he could more or less read it, there was no problem.
Kim Hyeokgwun's expression, which had been examining it closely, gradually hardened.
"Does he need a general hospital?"
"It's pretty severe, isn't it?"
"Leaving out the minor things... malnutrition, and even hydrothorax in the right lung?"
"Hydrothorax is still at the suspected stage. But the malnutrition seems to have been going on for quite a while."
When Taesu explained in simpler terms, Kim Hyeokgwun nodded.