Taesu appreciated the witty reply, but this was no situation for laughter.
Now Jeong Minsu needed to come in.
Truthfully, he should have come in long ago.
They had held out until now.
But from here on, they wouldn't be able to.
With no way to contact him immediately, it was stifling.
But then.
Flicker, flicker, pop.
The lights flickered several times, then blazed to life.
And then.
Beeeep. Ding.
The various surgical machines also emitted their startup sounds.
Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwon were bewildered by the suddenly brightened operating room.
"What is this?"
"That's what I'd like to know."
Their confusion was on the verge of deepening.
Swish, thud.
The entrance door flew open and shut in an instant.
In that brief moment, Jeong Minsu had entered.
His face was drenched in sweat, and he was even gasping for breath.
"Huff, huff."
Considering it was sub-zero weather outside, he had clearly been running around a great deal.
Taesu was on the verge of saying something when
Jeong Minsu first presented the blood packs he had brought clutched to his chest.
"I-I'm not too late for the transfusion, am I?"
"But why do you only have those?"
Taesu opened his eyes wide.
There were only three blood packs.
The village had plenty of people.
Securing at least ten would have been the norm.
While Taesu expressed his doubts,
Jeong Minsu was already heading toward the IV stand next to Kim Hyeokgwon.
Tap, tap.
"I'll do it."
"Then that's fine by me."
Kim Hyeokgwon replied congenially.
Jeong Minsu quickly connected two blood packs as he answered Taesu's question.
"After excluding the mismatched ones and those with conditions, nothing was left."
"Ah, damn it."
"Right. Once you exclude those with various metabolic imbalances, there aren't even a few people left."
"This is driving me crazy."
A rough burst of irritation spilled from Taesu's mouth.
His hands had momentarily stopped.
He would only be able to continue once the transfusion had progressed to some degree and the numbers had stabilized.
Then Kim Hyeokgwon asked.
"Dr. Choi, the machines are working again; what should we do?"
"Please just switch the ventilator back."
"Let's do that. We should prepare just in case……. But Dr. Jeong has good dexterity."
Thud, snap.
Kim Hyeokgwon moved his hands and exclaimed in admiration.
It was because he had been freed from the Ambu bag.
With that, his range of motion had widened, and he would be able to assist with the surgery using one hand.
The ECG pads remained attached, so there was no need to use his hands separately for that.
Beep beep, beep beep.
The revived ECG displayed its presence, showing graphs and numbers on the monitor once more.
In the meantime, Jeong Minsu sprayed disinfectant on himself and approached the operating table.
Scrub, scrub.
He disinfected his hands while scanning the affected area with his eyes.
The bright lights made it much easier to examine.
Taesu's gaze was directed at the ECG.
Since the transfusion had only just begun, the pulse and blood pressure were not in balance.
The bleeding had been suppressed at a first stage.
A bit more time was needed to observe.
With the ECG running, it was easy to check at a glance.
It was impossible not to be curious about it.
Since there was a brief moment to spare, Taesu asked Jeong Minsu, who was putting on surgical gloves.
"Did you fix the generator?"
"No. The motor seems to have completely burned out."
"Then what happened?"
"Raku. He connected electrical wires to the truck battery and left the engine running."
Jeong Minsu answered, catching his breath.
In the meantime, Taesu glanced at the lights.
Perhaps because it generated far more electricity than the generator, the lights were considerably brighter.
He found himself indebted to Raku once again.
That was something to express gratitude for later.
Taesu changed the subject and asked about the villagers.
"Was there any refusal regarding the transfusion?"
"Refusal? Not at all. They gathered in one house and gladly offered their arms."
"That's a relief."
"It's more than just a relief. You have no idea how much the others pressed on, asking why they couldn't donate blood themselves. You're better off not knowing."
"It must have been something to see."
Taesu replied with a bitter smile.
But Jeong Minsu's words were not yet finished.
"The adults were the better ones. The children rolled up their sleeves and came forward; you have no idea how flustered I was."
"The children?"
"Even now, the children are outside waiting, shivering in the cold. They even asked me to make sure the teacher wouldn't be in pain."
The answer was offhanded, but his expression was dead serious.
Those answers made it clear what position Jo Jeongmin held in the village.
He had already witnessed numerous times how much hope, attention, and affection she received from the adults. Furthermore, she was also respected and held in esteem by the children.
Seeing that, it was clear that the adults had not vaguely chosen her as a 'rising star' among themselves.
She must have worked tirelessly to receive such an evaluation on her own.
They could not end Jo Jeongmin's surgery in a shoddy manner.
The ECG showed a reaction, indicating that the transfusion had progressed to some degree.
Beep beep beep, beep beep.
The ominous beeping lowered by one level.
Looking at the numbers, the pulse and blood pressure were somewhat returning to balance.
While checking with his eyes, Taesu lightly shook both hands.
Flick, flick.
It was the preparation stage to continue the surgery.
Jeong Minsu, having donned surgical gloves, was similarly shaking his hands lightly.
Swish.
Kim Hyeokgwon also approached from the side.
Since the bleeding had been somewhat controlled, he could now participate in the surgery.
"Please give me some time to put on gloves."
"……."
Taesu didn't say a word.
But at times like this, silence meant affirmation.
Kim Hyeokgwon caught on and immediately disinfected his hands and put on surgical gloves.
Swish.
Thus, Kim Hyeokgwon too was ready to participate.
Taesu gave brief orders.
"Minsu, portal vein suture."
"That's mine."
"Hyeokgwon and I will finish the liver surgery. There mustn't be a second opening."
"You don't need to tell me twice."
The concise answer was an expression of his mindset.
Without wasting any more time, Taesu immediately gave the order.
"Bobi, stand by with suction."
"Already ready."
"We're starting immediately. All the way to the finish, in one go. Begin."
The moment he gave the signal, Taesu's hand moved first.
Fwump.
When he peeled away the gauze packing, the blood that had been pooling in the liver immediately flowed out.
"Suction."
"Got it."
Gurgle, gurgle.
"I'm cauterizing. Just pull slightly with the hook on that side."
"Slightly, like this?"
"Maintain it just like that."
Sizzle.
Taesu unhesitatingly cauterized the slightly opened gap with the Bovie.
It was an outrageous method of forcibly burning the liver tissue to achieve hemostasis.
It was a surgical technique possible only because the affected area was the liver.
Its regenerative ability was so outstanding that even with only thirty percent remaining, it could regrow to one hundred percent.
Since the patient suffered from fatty liver, there would be limitations on that regenerative ability. However, once the fatty liver was treated, the liver's regenerative ability would recover as well.
Based on such a fact, Taesu's handiwork harbored no hesitation whatsoever.
But Jeong Minsu raised an objection.
"Taesu, change your angle a little."
"This is the optimal position."
"That's fine, but you're completely blocking the hepatic vein."
Jeong Minsu pointed out bluntly, asserting his rights.
It was a reasonable claim.
Though the part where the liver was being operated on was important, the process of reconnecting the hepatic vein could not be ignored.
This time, Taesu turned his direction slightly.
"Is this better? Hyeokgwon."
"I'm going this way too."
Kim Hyeokgwon's hands moved accordingly.
Gurgle, sizzle.
Even though their directions had changed, the two showed no change in surgical speed.
On the other hand, only now did surgical space appear, and Jeong Minsu's surgical instruments squeezed in.
"Shall I start too?"
Swish, swish.
Jeong Minsu's hands nimbly entered to repair the torn hepatic vein.
Because the affected area was positioned on the same line, the three had to operate in a narrow space.
It was only thanks to the surgical instruments' tips being thin and fine.
But concessions were not just once or twice.
Their desire for a stable finish was so strong that Taesu and Jeong Minsu reacted sensitively.
"Hey, your hand."
"Move your hand."
"I'm operating here like this; where do you want me to move it?"
"Then where am I supposed to go?"
Tick, tok.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu pushed each other's hands away, trying to guard their own positions.
Amidst such squabbling, Kim Hyeokgwon stepped in to mediate.
"Stop fighting and let's concentrate."
"He's the one interfering with my concentration."
"You are."
At the identical reactions from both, Kim Hyeokgwon finally growled.
"Won't you two straighten up? Dr. Choi, right hand slightly to the side."
"To the side."
"Dr. Jeong, go down slightly."
"I've gone down."
"Now, I'll go like this……. There, is this good? Let's not be so greedy and make some concessions too."
Kim Hyeokgwon cut in sharply, even acting as traffic control.
Then, the clashing definitely lessened.
The surgical speed also began to find its proper pace.
At times Taesu, at other times Jeong Minsu, and sometimes Kim Hyeokgwon took the lead.
Since Taesu was often the one leading, his share was merely a little greater.
Thus, the surgery proceeded rapidly amidst chaos.
The emergency surgery concluded after six hours.
Having started in the early morning, it was now past noon.
Beep, beep.
The ECG readings were considerably more stable than before.
They were not at a level to be compared to normal readings.
The expressions of the three surrounding the operating table were likewise not very bright.
All were watching the ECG.
Taesu spoke in a low voice.
"This is as far as we go."
"The transfusion was limited, so the vitals can't come up."
Jeong Minsu showed regret.
To him, Taesu informed of the exact fact.
"Even with an infinite number of blood packs, Jeongmin's body couldn't accept them."
"Still, it's better than having none at all."
"Don't get worked up. We're all equally frustrated."
"By the way, what are we supposed to say?"
Since Jeong Minsu had gone outside himself, he subtly changed the subject.
In that regard, Taesu's heart was heavy too.
Kim Hyeokgwon, who had been listening to the conversation the whole time, furrowed his brow.
"I thought it would end cleanly, but it ended up feeling very uneasy."
"The surgery itself was……."
"I lent a hand too; do you think I don't know it ended well?"
"Exactly."
"Go let them know the situation outside. Since this isn't our fault, make sure you tell them clearly."
Kim Hyeokgwon spoke firmly.
It was advice not to repeat the pattern of getting cursed at after going through the trouble of operating.
It was also a preemptive remark, as Taesu and Jeong Minsu were particularly vulnerable in that regard.
Nod.
The two answered with a nod.
"Understood."
"Then we'll be back."
Thud, thud.
Contrary to their answers, their footsteps toward the entrance door were extremely heavy.
Soon, the operating room's main door opened.
Creeeak.
As Taesu and Jeong Minsu came out in turn, their steps naturally stopped.
The gazes of the people waiting in the yard were focused on them.
Everyone's faces were blue from the cold.
They could be seen having lit a bonfire on one side of the yard to ward off the cold.
After looking around, Taesu lightly nudged Jeong Minsu.
"……."
Tap.
And since he had gestured first, Taesu took the lead.
Jeong Minsu walked alongside without falling behind.