To Taesu, the children looked incredibly adorable.
“Since it’s from Uncle, you can take it.”
“I-I’m not an uncle.”
“Huh?”
“I’m a teacher.”
Though hesitant, Park Seong-gu conveyed exactly what he wanted to say.
His actions were lovely, his heart was lovely, and his words were even more so.
As it turned out, Taesu was a man who acted on his feelings.
One piece of candy?
That wasn’t enough to satisfy him.
He pulled out a fistful of candy and handed it out evenly to the children.
Plop.
“Here, it’s from your teacher. You can take it.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll enjoy the tea. And you’ll be able to see your father for a little while tomorrow.”
Taesu casually let the information slip.
At those words, the children’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
“For real?”
As siblings, even their surprised expressions were identical.
Taesu nodded firmly at them.
“That’s right. You’ll be able to see him.”
“Thank you. Sob. Thank you.”
The children’s eyes were already filled with tears.
Just by looking at them, Taesu could tell what kind of father Park Huinam was to them.
Touched by their behavior, Taesu wiped away their tears with his sleeve and continued speaking.
Swish, swish.
“After you see him tomorrow, you’ll be able to see him again after sleeping a few more nights.”
“Sniff. Yes.”
“Your father is doing this so he can become healthier, so you have to wait without crying until then. Okay?”
As Taesu explained calmly, the children stopped crying and nodded vigorously.
“Sniff. Yes.”
“But just in case, you know this, right?”
Swoosh.
Taesu extended his pinky finger.
The children saw it and immediately hooked their pinkies with his without a word.
“Promise.”
“That’s right. Promise.”
“Songhui said that when you do this, you have to keep your promise no matter what.”
“Ah.”
Taesu flinched as the memory suddenly came to him.
There was no guarantee that Park Huinam’s recovery would go smoothly. Yet, feeling good because of the children’s sincerity, he had gone and made another promise.
‘I’m dead.’
Kim Hyeokgwon and Jeong Minsu would definitely come down on him if they found out.
Just imagining it made the back of his neck tingle.
But their fingers were already linked.
There was no way to take it back now.
It wasn’t that he was considering the possibility of Park Huinam having a negative outcome.
The problem was that he had made yet another promise while caught up in his emotions.
Seeing Taesu’s expression turn awkward, the children blinked and asked,
“Why are you like that?”
“Are you sick too, Teacher?”
Their eyes were filled with innocent concern.
He couldn’t disappoint children like them.
Taesu smiled brightly once more and lightly shook his head.
“No. There’s absolutely nothing wrong.”
“Yes.”
“Now go home with your mother and eat some candy.”
Taesu smiled as he encouraged them.
At that, the children wiped away their tears completely and answered energetically.
“Yes, goodbye.”
“Mom, let’s go home quickly.”
As soon as they said goodbye and turned around, they began urging Kim Jeongsun.
It seemed they wanted to eat the candy in their hands as soon as possible.
Kim Jeongsun gave them a slightly troubled greeting.
“You children. Well, have some tea, then. I was going to save it for Teacher Jeong since he said he’d be coming tomorrow. All right, let’s go, let’s go.”
Pressed by the children, Kim Jeongsun could only say goodbye before turning away.
It was after they had gone some distance away.
Suddenly, the wooden platform filled with laughter.
“Hahaha. So children are Teacher Choi’s weakness.”
“It was amusing seeing you worry that the tea might spill.”
Old Man Wang and Kang Yeonghun laughed heartily as they teased him.
Jo Jeongmin was also laughing quietly.
They weren’t merely teasing him.
Perhaps seeing Taesu show a human side, rather than only his usual stiff, medical side, had made them laugh.
Taesu didn’t particularly mind.
Their laughter was washing away the awkwardness.
So he handed the first teacup to Old Man Wang and joked shamelessly,
“This is a gift I received, but I’ll be generous and share it.”
“Stop saying such ridiculous things. More importantly, you and Songhui both seem quite good with children.”
“Pure souls naturally understand one another.”
“If you’re tired, go sleep.”
At Taesu’s shameless answer, Old Man Wang looked exasperated and turned away.
Taesu, on the other hand, paid no attention and offered tea to Kang Yeonghun and Jo Jeongmin as well.
“Have some tea. I suppose we should leave Mr. Hyeokgwon’s portion untouched.”
Swoosh.
He moved Kim Hyeokgwon’s tea to one side so it wouldn’t spill.
Meanwhile, Jo Jeongmin caught the scent of the tea and his eyes lit up.
He quickly informed Taesu.
“Ah, this is the tea that purifies the blood.”
“It’s good when you’re tired,” Kang Yeonghun added.
Taesu also lifted his teacup with a curious expression.
“Really? Hmm. It smells nice.”
Slurp.
He took a light sip, sensing an unfamiliar yet comforting fragrance.
A bitter taste with a slight sweetness lingered in his mouth.
‘Hmm.’
There was a hint of caffeine, like green tea or black tea.
It was easy to think that it would relieve fatigue.
That was the rational assessment.
The emotional assessment was completely different.
Because the tea had been given with the children’s heartfelt sincerity, its effects appeared immediately.
With just one sip, it felt as though all his fatigue had melted away.
Taesu exclaimed with entirely emotional enthusiasm.
“Wow, this is incredible.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Yes. I feel completely refreshed.”
There was no insincerity in his words; Taesu’s voice had gained a little more strength.
And so, the cup of tea the children had given him changed the awkward atmosphere on the wooden platform into a warm one.
They were in the middle of exchanging a few words over their tea when—
Beep.
The radio hanging at Taesu’s waist rang.
“Just a moment.”
After asking for their understanding, Taesu took it out, and Jeong Minsu’s voice came through.
—Beep. Taesu. Taesu, come in. Over.
“You could just call me normally. Anyway, what is it? Are you asking to switch shifts?”
—Beep. No, it’s not that. I just heard it while talking with Huinam. Apparently, the area around the village is covered with rapeseed flowers and sunflowers.
“Hmm?”
Taesu’s puzzled gaze immediately turned toward Kang Yeonghun and Jo Jeongmin.
Jo Jeongmin, receiving that gaze, pointed far off to one side and explained in greater detail.
“That’s right. They grow wild over a wide area, all the way over there.”
“Where exactly?”
“Do you see that tree where the path splits in two? It extends all the way there.”
Following his gaze, Taesu saw a tree that was especially large compared to the others.
It was only large relative to the surrounding trees.
In reality, from Taesu’s perspective, its size was similar to a thick dot.
It was that far away.
Moreover, the area around it was a flat plain with almost no slope.
After estimating the dimly visible area, Taesu’s eyes widened.
“That’s truly enormous.”
“The date-palm grove is the same. These places are invaluable and precious to us.”
“Phew. It’s really massive.”
As Taesu marveled, Jeong Minsu’s voice came through the radio again.
—Beep. They say it’s visible from the village’s wooden platform.
“It’s huuuge. It’s impossible to estimate its size.”
—Beep. Is it really that big?”
“How much would they have harvested from there?”
Taesu let his imagination run wild as he spoke into the radio.
Then, instead of Jeong Minsu, Kim Hyeokgwon’s voice came through.
—Beep. You’re asking how much? Enough to fill and store dozens of large jars.
“Have you reached the cave?”
—Beep. I’m dying from the smell of oil that’s shaking the air from the entrance onward.
Kim Hyeokgwon groaned.
Normally, he wouldn’t bat an eye even at most foul odors.
If even he was overwhelmed, it must truly have been something extraordinary.
Taking that into account, Taesu asked,
Beep.
“What exactly is there, and how much of it?
—Beep. Just the jars of pickled dates—how many of them are there?
“That many?”
—Beep. And that’s not all. Even if we ate it throughout the winter, it wouldn’t spoil.
At Kim Hyeokgwon’s answer, Taesu considered for a moment before asking,
“Is that everything?”
—Beep. There are root vegetables like potatoes, dried meat… What else is there? Cooking oil?
“Is it an oil field?”
—Beep. It’s edible oil.
Kim Hyeokgwon responded in the same deadpan manner.
The exchange sounded like a joke, but the reality was anything but.
At some point, Taesu’s eyes narrowed.
Several dozen jars or more of cooking oil?
He had a feeling about this.
Taesu quickly spoke into the radio.
Beep.
“Mr. Hyeokgwon, stand by for a moment.”
—Beep. Are you telling me to die soaked in the smell of oil?
“If it’s too much, come back immediately. In any case, hold off on the radio for a moment.”
Taesu unilaterally ended the transmission.
Then he quickly turned to Kang Yeonghun and Jo Jeongmin and asked,
“How much cooking oil do you normally consume in a day?”
“It varies somewhat by season, but we do often eat fried or grilled dishes.”
“All year round?”
At Taesu’s sharp question, Kang Yeonghun nodded.
“For the most part, yes.”
“Teacher Choi, I do some of the cooking.”
When Jo Jeongmin spoke up, Taesu immediately asked,
“Yes. So how much do you consume?”
“Excluding what’s used in cooking, about three spoonfuls per meal. And…”
“Is there more?”
“Everyone often eats dates soaked in cooking oil as a snack.”
Just as Jo Jeongmin said, Taesu had seen it while making house calls.
The dates were placed whole into cooking oil.
Anyone eating the soaked dates would consume at least another spoonful of cooking oil.
Added together, it was a considerable amount.
But what if that was per day—not per year?
And what if those amounts had accumulated over ten years?
Taesu’s expression gradually grew heavy.
“So that was it.”
“What was?”
“The cooking oil. The reason your livers have been damaged is the cooking oil.”
Taesu delivered his conclusion with a grave look in his eyes.
Everyone was bewildered.
“Wait, the cooking oil is the problem?”
“There haven’t been any problems until now.”
“……”
Even Old Man Wang furrowed his brow and reacted seriously.
Meanwhile, Taesu spoke to the two men through the radio.
Beep.
“I think the oil is the cause of the fatty liver.”
—Beep. I had a strange feeling about it too, which is why I brought it up.
—Beep. But I heard sunflower seed oil has many beneficial effects.
Kim Hyeokgwon’s voice followed, tinged with doubt.
Taesu quickly explained.
Beep.
“People say it’s good for blood circulation and liver health.”
—Beep. But?”
“That’s in small amounts.”
—Beep. This doesn’t sound like a small amount here.
Kim Hyeokgwon had made an accurate guess based on instinct alone.
Taesu made it even clearer.
Beep.
“That’s right. They consume cooking oil with all three meals every day.”
—Beep. Good grief.
“And that’s all year round. Especially in winter.”
—Beep. Of course that’s bad for you. What the hell, are they squeezing oil out of sunflower seeds and drinking it?
Kim Hyeokgwon raised his voice as he grasped the situation.
As soon as that transmission ended, Jeong Minsu’s voice followed immediately.
—Beep. Don’t we need to stop them from eating it for now?
—Beep. Doctor Jeong, the food we have will only last about two weeks at most—
—Beep. They say Raku is coming.
—Beep. He’ll come if he comes. That’s—
Kim Hyeokgwon’s agitated voice was about to continue.