The location of the wound was also a crucial point.
Taesu pictured it against his own body.
It was near the right upper abdomen, at about the ten o’clock direction from the navel.
The moment he estimated it, his eyes sharpened.
‘Not good.’
That was where the liver was.
That organ mattered most.
There was a very high chance it had ruptured.
Just then, he felt the abdomen twitch.
Jo Jeongmin’s pale, bluish face reacted—he convulsed.
His throat bobbed violently, and once again he vomited blood.
“Gurgle.”
Tremble.
The shock of vomiting blood even sent aftershocks rippling through his belly.
At a glance, there seemed to be no time to spare.
“Why aren’t they here? Why?”
Taesu burst out in anger.
It was then.
Scrape.
“Huff, huff, Taesu.”
Jeong Minsu, panting hard, arrived by sliding in beside Taesu.
Reflexively, he opened the medical bag.
Taesu immediately reached into the bag.
A stethoscope, an automatic blood pressure monitor.
He quickly took out only those two things.
Whip.
As Taesu hung the stethoscope around his neck, he gave Jeong Minsu an order.
“Analgesics, antibiotics, hemostatic. And push in as much glucose as you can with a syringe.”
He deliberately said painkillers, antibiotics, and hemostatic agents in medical terminology.
It was so Jeong Minsu would understand with the greatest accuracy.
There were also many ears listening around them.
They were drugs that would only add to people’s anxiety, so he could not say them in Korean.
Sometimes, ignorance was the best medicine.
“Got it.”
Jeong Minsu seemed to understand by instinct and immediately moved both hands.
The bag was packed with various medical tools and drugs.
But crucially, there were no blood transfusion packs.
More accurately, they could not bring the transfusion packs that were being stored frozen solid.
Taesu knew that too, which was why he had told him to substitute glucose.
After finishing his orders, Taesu put on the stethoscope and widened his field of view.
Everyone was watching with anxious faces.
Having experienced Taesu’s overwhelming force of presence, they could not easily ask questions even when their eyes met his.
Taesu paid no mind and spoke to Kang Yeonghun.
“Yeonghun-ssi, please make a stretcher.”
“Understood. Gwanghyeon.”
Rustle.
Kang Yeonghun and Kim Gwanghyeon moved at once.
Tree branches were scattered everywhere around them.
Finding ones of suitable length and thickness would not be difficult.
After making the request, Taesu put the stethoscope to his ears.
He was about to turn the chest piece toward Jo Jeongmin’s back.
“Dr. Choi.”
It was Village Chief Jeon Nosik calling him.
He flinched.
“I know Jeongmin-ssi has the hopes of the village on his shoulders.”
“No. Just now, Dr. Choi went to meet Jeongmin’s parents.”
“……”
“I just had to tell you that.”
Taesu’s gaze wavered slightly.
He understood exactly what it meant.
That also explained why Jo Jeongmin was here.
But at this moment, all of that was just distracting thought.
Taesu resolutely pushed it aside.
That was a matter for later.
Right now, he had to hold on to this man’s fading breath.
Taesu quietly continued moving his hands.
Through the stethoscope, Jo Jeongmin’s heartbeat flowed into his ears.
Thud-thud-thud.
As expected, it was far too fast and faint.
Judging by the amount of blood that had flowed outside, it was a massive hemorrhage.
But that was not all Taesu was trying to confirm, so he proceeded even more carefully.
‘The liver, and… the stomach and intestines definitely seem to have been hit.’
He muttered inwardly the names of the wounded organs.
But then the stethoscope stopped moving.
It was the limit of auscultation, judging by ear.
Taesu did not cling to it and was about to pull the stethoscope away.
It was then.
Thud-thud-thud. Thump.
There was a slight change in the heartbeat.
Why?
Just as the question rose in his mind, Jeong Minsu’s voice came to him.
“I’ve administered everything. I’m still pushing in the glucose.”
Glance.
Taesu turned his head.
The clear liquid in the syringe was entering Jo Jeongmin’s arm.
The amount of glucose that could be pushed in at once was not much.
Yet even that small amount produced a response.
It clearly indicated that, aside from the abdomen, there were no other serious injuries.
Taesu immediately said to Jeong Minsu,
“Push in the rest of that, then let’s turn him over.”
“You said there was a branch underneath him.”
“It’s broken.”
Having confirmed it with his own hands, Taesu spoke firmly.
The moment he heard that, Jeong Minsu pointed to one side and said,
“Then is that it?”
“Where?”
Whip.
Taesu’s head snapped sharply around.
He saw a branch with its end broken off.
It was roughly the same thickness he had estimated with his fingertips.
But the end of the branch was pointing upward.
Watching it, Taesu answered,
“I think that’s right.”
“Then he must have stepped there and climbed up… then put that big branch up.”
“And then he slipped, flailed… Damn it.”
Taesu’s expression hardened as he added to Jeong Minsu’s guess.
It was because, judging by the surrounding branches, he had the feeling it would not be short.
It seemed Jeong Minsu had felt the same thing.
“Even a rough guess, it looks like it’ll be about a handspan.”
“But it broke. It won’t be a problem when we turn him over.”
“Right. That much is certain.”
“What are you doing? Hold him.”
Grab.
Taesu’s words and actions came at the same time. Jeong Minsu responded quickly as well.
“I’ve got him.”
“Minimize impact to the abdomen. Slowly, carefully.”
“Got it. From the shoulder…”
Just as Jeong Minsu gave a little strength and lifted the right shoulder.
“Hngh, ugh…”
Jo Jeongmin groaned.
It seemed he was feeling pain in the abdomen that he had said had no sensation.
If anything, it was a good sign.
But Jeong Minsu seemed startled and tried to pull his hands away. Seeing the sign of it, Taesu urged him in a low, firm voice.
“Keep going.”
“He says it hurts.”
“Are we going to carry him like this?”
“Damn it… Jeongmin-ssi, bear with it.”
Jeong Minsu encouraged him in a rough voice and added more strength.
But his hands were absolutely not as rough as his voice.
They were proceeding slowly, with cautious and careful hands.
Even so, Jo Jeongmin’s groans gradually deepened.
“Hngh, hngh, hngh…”
As the faint sounds began to grow louder, worried voices came from the villagers.
“W-what are we supposed to do about that?”
“What should we do? Is there nothing we can help with?”
“Aigo, aigo.”
Even wails could be heard.
It was a situation where complete focus still might not be enough, yet his attention was about to scatter.
‘Damn it, again…’
Just as Taesu’s expression was about to turn cold.
Raku’s voice suddenly cut in, breaking that flow.
“Everybody help me.”
Help?
Glance.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu’s gazes turned that way together.
Raku was using a branch like a broom to clear a path down to the village.
Lee Manseok was with him.
Since it was physical work, he seemed to have joined in at once.
Seeing that, Village Chief Jeon Nosik pointed and shouted,
“That’s it, that!”
“Hurry, let’s go.”
Rumble.
Led by Village Chief Jeon Nosik, all the villagers began clearing the path.
Raku’s judgment had truly been wise.
Taesu was simply grateful.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu focused on Jo Jeongmin again.
They took care upon care.
They put caution into every single movement.
Only after moving like that did Jo Jeongmin’s back touch the cold ground.
Slide.
The two of them carefully pulled their hands away until the very end.
“Phew.”
They exhaled long breaths.
That did not mean they were relieved.
Now the conditions were ready to begin emergency treatment.
At the same time they caught their breath.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu’s hands became swift.
“Minsu, oral irrigation first. Saline.”
“I’ll do it, so you check the abdomen first.”
Rustle.
Each of them took what they needed from their medical bags and moved.
Before he knew it, Taesu had scissors in his hand.
Rip.
He cut away about half of the upper garment, securing only the abdomen.
Just as he had felt, a branch about the size of a finger joint was lodged in the belly.
Pull it out?
Taesu’s hand started to move, then stopped.
Heavy bleeding meant the surface of the branch was rough.
If he pulled it out now, the situation could become unmanageable.
“Damn it.”
Taesu’s irritation lasted only a moment before he changed the plan.
He rummaged roughly through the medical bag.
But apparently he did not find what he wanted, and called for Jeong Minsu.
“Minsu, saline.”
“Here.”
Grab.
“I’ve got it. Respiration?”
“Secured, but it’s thin and rough. I’m covering with the Ambu bag for now.”
Whoosh, whoosh.
The sound of the Ambu bag Jeong Minsu was squeezing could be faintly heard.
Taesu watched Jo Jeongmin’s rising and falling chest and gave an order.
“Respiration is too much.”
“I cut it in half.”
“Maintain that.”
After giving the order, Taesu poured the saline he had received over the abdomen.
Splash.
The falling stream washed away blood and snow. The abdomen was clean for only a moment, and then blood flowed out again.
Taesu was already holding another medical product.
It was a powdered hemostatic agent.
Without hesitation, he opened the lid entirely and poured it over the abdomen.
Scatter.
The white powder mixed with the blood and quickly hardened.
After confirming the bleeding had stopped, Taesu pulled his hand away.
That was the end of the emergency treatment.
Since they would go straight into a prepared operating room, wrapping the abdomen would only waste more time.
Without even checking twice, Taesu raised his voice.
“Yeonghun-ssi.”
“It’s ready.”
Kang Yeonghun and Kim Gwanghyeon approached with the stretcher they had just made.
Their clothing had become noticeably thinner.
Their upper garments were tied to the stretcher.
After confirming it, Taesu stood and said,
“Everyone take your positions.”
“Yeonghun-ssi in front, Gwanghyeon-ssi in the back.”
Jeong Minsu, having retrieved the Ambu bag, assigned positions in detail.
It meant he would take the head side, which was closer to him, while Taesu would stand at the leg side as they moved.
He had absolutely no intention of putting himself forward.
Taesu had to lift from the leg side so he could keep watching the patient while moving.
Jeong Minsu’s little schemes were improving day by day.
But there was no time to admire that.
Following Jeong Minsu’s orders, everyone took their places.
Grip.
As each person wrapped their hands around the stretcher’s legs, Taesu gave the signal.
“One, two… three. Slowly, slowly. More… more… good. Move.”
Step, step.
The four people who had lifted Jo Jeongmin began walking forward.
The snow had been cleared, so there was nothing slippery.
They moved one step at a time, much more steadily.
It was a path Raku and the villagers had opened with care.
They were still clearing it even now.
Following that path, they adjusted their speed and headed toward the village.