Anger.

Beneath the jars, firewood was crackling away.

The three men’s faces were the very picture of languor.

“Ahh, how long has it been since I had a bath?”

“This is my first since coming here. And my first time bathing with clothes on, too.”

“When did they even prepare all this? Honestly, these people. It’s absurd.”

Kim Hyeokgwon sounded a little dumbfounded.

But that was all.

Once they sank into the warm water, they grew so languid they did not want to do anything at all.

With so much firewood now, they were able to enjoy such luxury.

Perhaps because it had been so long since their last bath, their fatigue seemed to melt away.

On top of that, it was a bath enjoyed outdoors.

“Ugh. Cheongsan.”

Cheongsan Byeolgok, which he could not even recite properly, naturally came humming out of his mouth.

But the bath was not the end of it.

After climbing out of the jars, the three men dragged their damp bodies and quickly dashed back to the house.

The moment they stepped inside—

“Oh.”

“Ah.”

Soft exclamations slipped out on their own.

The house was filled with a gentle warmth.

It was a village with no concept of locks, so anyone could come and go.

And it was not as though someone had merely lit a fire; there were all kinds of dishes laid out on the table.

They were clearly dishes made by using their winter provisions in various ways.

Anyone could tell they had been set out for them to eat.

“Let’s sit down first. Sit.”

“Y-yes, let’s.”

Scrape.

At Kim Hyeokgwon’s urging, Taesu and Jeong Minsu sat down in a daze.

The three men, seated around the table, looked at one another and smiled strangely.

“A day like this really does come.”

“It reminds me for no reason of when we first lived in the tent.”

“Compared to that, we’ve come a long way.”

All of them considered this moment special.

No, it truly was special.

This itself was a generous reward to them. It was filled with sincerity beyond any monetary value.

They were looking around and around again in deep emotion when Taesu spoke with a broad smile.

“It’s not as if this is food we can only look at.”

“Then we should eat.”

“Come on, let’s dig in.”

Just as their opinions were perfectly united, the hands reaching for the food were the same.

The taste?

The best.

Absolutely the best.

After finishing the meal, they lay side by side on their field beds.

“Ahh. It’s nice feeling this relaxed for once.”

“I hope nothing happens today, at least.”

“Since I don’t hear any construction noise, I don’t think anything will.”

It was true.

No sound could be heard from outside.

Baa-aa.

Only the occasional cry of the cashmere sheep.

It was still broad daylight, but it seemed everyone had decided to take the day off.

The medical team, of course, welcomed it with open arms.

They were full, warm, languid, and on top of that, the drowsiness after a meal put the finishing touch on it all.

Slowly.

Their eyes began to close.

It felt as if all the fatigue they had accumulated had burst out at once.

“I think I could sleep straight through until morning.”

“I always wished I could sleep like that, completely sprawled out. Looks like it’s coming true today.”

Taesu and Jeong Minsu spoke in languid voices.

“Oh, I’m melting. Let’s sleep now.”

“Let’s have ourselves a good sleep.”

After that brief exchange of greetings—

Before long, the house fell quiet.

As soon as they loosened the string of tension, they seemed to fall asleep just like that.

And so, feeling at ease for the first time in a long while, the three men slept long and deeply.

The next day.

With a determined look on his face, Taesu crossed the village.

The place he arrived at was Elder Wang’s house.

Knock, knock.

“Who is it?”

Elder Wang’s voice came from inside.

“Elder, it’s me, Taesu.”

“Why, from the morning?”

“I thought I might get a cup of tea.”

Taesu knew it was an absurd excuse, but he said it anyway.

With Elder Wang’s perceptiveness and years of experience, there was no way he would not know why Taesu had come.

But Elder Wang’s answer was completely different from what he expected.

“Come in.”

At the permission given so readily, Taesu even quickly checked the house again.

‘Did I come to the right place?’

It was so unexpected that his resolve felt almost pointless.

Still, since he had been given permission, he opened the door without delay.

When he entered, Elder Wang was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at him.

His atmosphere had settled heavily.

Taesu felt something was strange.

Then Elder Wang abruptly started by scolding him.

“Are you really asking me to serve you tea?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m saying you should go brew the tea yourself and bring it over. Didn’t you come to drink tea?”

“That’s true. Give me a moment.”

Taesu moved without complaint.

No, he could not complain.

Because he knew all too well what that dark feeling surrounding Elder Wang was.

It was the shadow of death.

He might not have known it in Korea, but it was something he had seen countless times in Kashmir.

It was also a situation he wanted to avoid while pretending not to know, even though he did.

His heart was complicated, but outwardly he had to remain calm.

Soon, Taesu prepared the tea and approached Elder Wang.

“Here it is.”

“You found it well enough.”

“It was obvious. Well, there wasn’t much to look for.”

Just as Taesu said, the household goods were terribly simple.

Near the fireplace, there was only a rough kettle, a cup, and a small jar.

It showed, plainly and clearly, what kind of personality he had.

With an expressionless face, Elder Wang also looked around his own house and spoke.

“It would be a problem if you couldn’t find it there.”

“Exactly.”

“But why are you standing? Sit.”

Tap.

Elder Wang patted the spot beside him on the bed.

Taesu slowly sat down and stated the reason he had come.

“Today, no matter what you say, I’m going to examine you.”

“Do it.”

“The examination.”

When Taesu only stared at him, Elder Wang instead asked with a puzzled expression.

“Yes. I said do it.”

“You always told me not to.”

“I’m saying I’ll do as you ask. What are you dissatisfied with?”

“You’re acting so different all of a sudden that I can’t adjust.”

“That’s none of my concern.”

Sip.

Elder Wang answered indifferently and drank his tea.

But Taesu’s face was still full of dissatisfaction.

“Are you going to keep being like this?”

“It’s bothersome.”

“Just say something harsh, get angry, something like that.”

“You brat, where do you get off raising your voice?”

When Elder Wang finally reacted, Taesu spoke again with an expectant expression.

“That’s right. That’s exactly it. Keep that feeling. I’m here to treat you.”

“Fine. Do it.”

When Elder Wang grew listless again, Taesu felt stifled inside.

“That’s not what I mean.”

“What did you eat this morning to be acting like this?”

“That’s not it… Haah. Seriously.”

Taesu felt like beating his own chest.

Elder Wang quietly watched him and then smiled faintly.

“I suppose you really are a doctor, after all.”

“What?”

“Seeing as you don’t deny it, it seems you noticed after all.”

Elder Wang spoke with the corners of his eyes drooping.

It was clear that he had guessed as well.

Taesu could not easily believe that.

Who would know that their own death was approaching?

Was such a thing even possible?

His thoughts wandered without finding a single consistent direction.

To that Taesu, Elder Wang calmly asked once more.

“Well then, Mr. Doctor. How much time do I have left?”

Flinch.

At his question, filled with certainty, Taesu’s gaze wavered.

Only for a moment, though. He quickly and shamelessly feigned ignorance.

“How much of what?”

“If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t shout like that.”

“……”

Taesu pressed his lips tightly shut.

At times like this, exercising the right to remain silent was best.

Elder Wang paid no mind to Taesu’s silence and only pressed him for an answer.

“So I’m asking how much you think I have left.”

“I don’t know.”

“I thought you might be of some use, but you really are a quack.”

“How am I supposed to know just by looking at your face?”

Taesu’s answer was reasonable, but Elder Wang seemed to think differently.

“You don’t know, and yet you can guess?”

“That’s… there’s a certain atmosphere unique to it.”

“There must have been many meetings and partings before you came to know that.”

Elder Wang spoke indifferently, but there was certainty in his voice.

Taesu was now in a situation where he could no longer simply deny it.

But something felt a little strange.

Perhaps because they had been speaking frankly with each other, Taesu did not keep it bottled up and asked right away.

“You don’t seem frightened or afraid.”

“Would that change anything?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the point of fretting? It’s a moment I’ve waited for so long.”

At the low words that followed, Taesu’s ears perked up.

“You’ve been waiting?”

“It has been a long time. Truly, a very long time, I think.”

“……”

Taesu had nothing to say.

Then Elder Wang opened his mouth again and asked.

“Have you ever thought about what it means to be the leader of a group?”

“No.”

“The fellows you travel with say you’re the captain.”

At his question, Taesu shrugged with a bitter expression.

“They nitpick every day, and when there’s something unfavorable, they push me to the front. How is that being a leader?”

As Taesu grumbled, Elder Wang, who had been listening quietly, asked another question.

“Then what do you think a leader should be like?”

“At the very least, shouldn’t there be some kind of hierarchy?”

“At times, it’s necessary.”

“I think it’s openly necessary.”

Taesu was certain of his own thoughts.

At that moment, Elder Wang bluntly posed a question that struck at the heart of the matter.

“Then why did you come all the way to this distant foreign land?”

“That’s, as I told you before… hm.”

“By your own words, you would be the problem for rebelling against your senior.”

“That’s…”

Taesu spoke in a surge of emotion, but he could not finish.

In truth, specialists—especially doctors at the department head level—were like the heavens to residents.

Even thinking back to his days at Yeonseong University Hospital, he had only been able to meet the chief of thoracic surgery after a major problem occurred.

Of course, that was separate from Chief Ha Seokjun.

It was a peculiar structure created because the surgical department at Dongseong Medical Center was so small.

As Taesu chewed over the past, there was still one thing he wanted to say.

“There’s no doubt that it was a matter directly tied to a patient’s life.”

“My question was what kind of leader is ideal.”

“Well… someone with strength? Or someone with authority?”

Even as he spoke, Taesu could not define it precisely and tilted his head.

Seeing that, Elder Wang smiled faintly and said,

“Perhaps you are still too young to think about that.”

“If someone is a leader, shouldn’t they raise their voice a little, use their strength a little, so people will follow them?”

“If you keep leading and dragging them along like that, the people beneath you will become exhausted.”

Elder Wang spoke calmly, but Taesu pushed back.

“If you look easy, you get eaten alive.”

“That senior doctor was probably thinking the same thing as you are now.”

“That… hm.”

At those words, Taesu stopped short.

Because he could not deny it.

When Taesu faltered, Elder Wang continued calmly.

“After doing this for a long time, I found that the people below do not always want someone strong.”

“Mm.”

“Listening to complaints and grievances does not make one a weak leader.”

“There are times when you have to lead strongly, aren’t there?”

When Taesu asked, Elder Wang nodded.

“At those times, you must become the spear yourself.”

“Then…”

“You think they won’t follow? Even so, has anyone in this village ever looked down on me?”

Elder Wang spoke with certainty.