It happened right then.
Sergeant Sam, who had been quietly squeezing the Ambu bag, narrowed his brows and called out.
“Hey, Doctor Choe.”
“What is it? Did something else come up?”
“Not exactly, but while I’m bagging, the resistance has decreased, yet the bleeding around the scalpel seems to be getting worse.”
At his words, Taesu’s gaze turned to the scalpel.
Indeed, each squeeze of the Ambu bag increased the bleeding from the patient’s flank.
It was a natural phenomenon.
As the lungs inflated, the thoracic cavity widened, so the wound naturally had no choice but to gape open.
Now Taesu felt irritation surge within him.
One thing went wrong, and problems erupted in succession.
*‘Choe Taesu, get a hold of yourself.’*
This was not a problem that would end here.
Swish, swish.
He quickly surveyed his surroundings.
Watching him, Sergeant Sam asked in surprise.
“What’s wrong?”
“That’s right… Sam, please hit my head hard and clear my senses.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Sergeant Sam jumped in surprise.
As expected, asking him had been too much. But Taesu truly felt like dousing his head in cold water.
Water was bound to be nearby.
In fact, water so cold it was beyond refreshing filled the surroundings.
“Damn it.”
Clutch.
Taesu grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it straight inside his clothes.
The cold of the snow cooled his burning body.
Perhaps due to the abrupt shift in body temperature, even the tips of his hair stood on end.
“Urrrgh.”
“D-Doctor Choe?”
“Urgh… Hoo-ah.”
Taesu, who had been writhing in pain, suddenly let out a sharp yell.
All the confusion that had lingered in Taesu’s eyes until now had vanished.
With eyes sharpened into focus, he spoke.
“I will focus properly.”
They were not mere words.
As determined as his cry was, Taesu’s actions grew steady.
Taesu began by thoroughly disinfecting his own hands with antiseptic.
Scrub, scrub.
The speed at which he scrubbed his hands was a work of art; even a fly would have worshipped him as its master.
Soon both of Taesu’s hands were stained thickly with reddish-brown.
“Good.”
Satisfied, Taesu pulled out the scalpel lodged in the flank.
Squelch, gush.
The bleeding began in earnest.
Without batting an eye, Taesu picked up the prepared medical supplies.
The first was the retractor.
Click.
Taesu, who had hooked the Deaver wide, passed it to Sergeant Sam and said,
“Just pull with all your strength.”
“What about the Ambu bag?”
“That’s… Right.”
Perhaps because his mind was razor-sharp, an idea surged forth.
Taesu immediately connected a thick catheter to the Ambu bag and stretched it out long. Then he passed it to Sergeant Sam and said,
“Just place it on that rock and step on it.”
“Is that okay?”
“Is this the time to fuss over hygiene? If we don’t act fast, this person will suffocate.”
When Taesu shouted sharply, Sergeant Sam immediately nodded.
“Please hand it here.”
“Here.”
“Got it. Stepping is much easier. Now, that thing—it’s what you called a retractor before, right?”
When Sergeant Sam asked, recalling, Taesu passed him the Deaver and answered,
“That’s right. Just pull.”
“Nngh. Is this enough?”
Squelch.
The area stabbed by the scalpel widened to about the size of a five-hundred-won coin.
As expected, the strength of an active-duty soldier was tremendous.
Taesu nodded with a satisfied gaze. Immediately after, he pushed the catheter straight into the hole.
Thrust.
Lung tissue being thin and delicate, it entered without significant resistance.
Now was the time to finish up.
Sergeant Sam, quick on the uptake, asked first,
“Can I let go now?”
“Wait.”
“Yes sir.”
Click.
Sergeant Sam, who had been slightly easing his strength, quickly widened the hole again.
In that interval, Taesu evenly sprinkled the transparent liquid from a syringe. Only after emptying the entire syringe did Taesu give the order.
“You can release now.”
“May I ask what you sprinkled?”
“A mixture of antibiotics and liquid hemostatic agent.”
“Is it okay to mix those?”
Sergeant Sam tilted his head.
Taesu answered without a flicker of expression.
“It’s not a completely absurd combination.”
“Ah, yes.”
Sergeant Sam decided to simply let it be.
Meanwhile, Taesu had already produced a needle holder and Mixter forceps from the emergency surgery kit, taking one in each hand.
And as he sutured the catheter to the skin, he continued,
“I’ll add more antibiotics through the IV, but since the wound was exposed externally, I sprinkled some out here as well. As for the liquid hemostatic agent, it’s a coagulant.”
“You don’t need to explain. No, I’ll refrain from asking questions.”
“Then your mouth might get bored, so please check the automatic blood pressure monitor.”
A hint of levity seeped into Taesu’s voice.
It was evidence that the emergency treatment was proceeding stably.
Feeling a sense of stability from Taesu’s tone, Sergeant Sam pressed the automatic blood pressure monitor.
Beep.
“Hm. The numbers from the top are…”
Whether it was his first time using it or not, he reported with a look of surprise.
Not satisfied with once, Taesu asked again.
“Once more.”
“The current numbers are…”
“Just two more times.”
“The first is… And the second is…”
Sergeant Sam’s report continued.
Taesu listened intently and filed the information away in his mind.
Now that he was finishing treatment and suturing, the vital changes were slight.
Even so, they were steadily climbing like steps.
Snick, snick.
The suturing naturally continued.
The speed was considerable.
It was slightly crooked, but now speed was life.
“…”
Taesu maintained that speed without a change in expression.
In this field operation, Taesu’s hand movements were incomparably more nimble than in an operating room.
Soon he finished securing the catheter.
“Sam, cut.”
“Cut.”
Snip.
The suture thread was cut cleanly.
Then the blood that had been gradually filling the catheter began to drip out.
But the amount was less than expected.
“Strange.”
When he muttered in Korean, Sergeant Sam tilted his head and asked,
“What did you say?”
“One moment… Ah, decreased blood flow due to hypothermia.”
After a brief moment of thought, Taesu immediately identified the cause.
Such was his peak concentration on the current situation.
The patient was currently lying with his upper body fully exposed.
They could not leave him like this indefinitely.
His body needed to warm up before it could respond normally.
To that end, escaping this slushy snowfield was the top priority.
Taesu immediately asked Sergeant Sam,
“Where is the stretcher?”
“I brought it here.”
Rustle.
Sergeant Sam twisted his body while repeatedly stepping on the Ambu bag and produced the stretcher.
They were perfectly in sync.
“Good thinking.”
“Even soldiers need to be sharp if they don’t want to get chewed out.”
“Isn’t that how life works? More importantly, let’s get the patient onto the stretcher first.”
“Of course I’ll help.”
Sergeant Sam stepped forward eagerly, but Taesu shook his head.
“I’m using the Ambu bag to push the blood out of the lungs. The rhythm can’t be disrupted.”
“Then… Anthony.”
Sergeant Sam quickly turned his head and shouted over there.
Soon Private Anthony’s reply came.
“Yeah!”
“Who said you could answer from over there? Why aren’t you rushing over?”
Sergeant Sam snapped.
But then Kim Hyeokgwon’s sharp voice rang out instead.
“Do you think the patient here is sleeping soundly because they’re tired?”
“Mr. Hyeokgwon, just a moment is all I need.”
Taesu quickly cut in and replied.
After a brief pause, Private Anthony’s voice was heard.
“I’ll be right there.”
“Wait. Doctor Jeong, you brought clothes, right?”
Taesu recalled what Jeong Minsu had said at home and asked.
Private Anthony answered in his stead.
“I’ll bring something even better.”
“Please come quickly.”
“I’m on my way.”
Private Anthony’s voice sounded much closer.
Before long, he came rushing into view. He was carrying a duffel bag with military patterns on his back.
Rustle.
Perhaps because the duffel bag was light, Private Anthony approached in an instant.
“I’ve arrived.”
“We’re going to move the patient onto the stretcher. But what’s the better thing?”
“This.”
Swish.
Private Anthony pulled out a rolled-up sleeping bag from inside the duffel bag.
It felt like finding a pearl in the snow.
Taesu’s eyes widened in equal surprise.
“Is that really a sleeping bag?”
“I packed it because it was a mountain rescue call.”
“Good thinking. First, unfold that and lay it on the stretcher, then let’s get the patient on.”
Taesu spoke in an elated voice.
A PKO military sleeping bag?
The performance was top-notch.
Taesu was living proof, having used it throughout his stay in the Korean village.
His hands moved as quickly as his joy.
Snap, snap.
The sleeping bag, unfolded in an instant, was laid on the stretcher, and the patient was carefully placed on top.
For now, they covered him up to his upper body.
“Be careful not to let the wind in.”
Taesu carefully pressed around the sleeping bag to block out air.
Meanwhile, Private Anthony took out a military-patterned pouch and a canteen from the duffel bag and held them out.
“These are heat packs. You just need to pour water.”
“Anthony, you’re the best.”
“We all put our heads together. Is there anything else you need?”
Private Anthony asked quickly.
He kept glancing over there intermittently.
It was clear he was anxious.
Taesu noticed as well and asked quietly,
“How is the patient over there?”
“The flesh is torn and ruptured all over.”
“As expected.”
“Furthermore, having been exposed to the cold for so long, there are concerns about frostbite.”
Private Anthony answered seriously.
Taesu did not miss a single word.
“I see.”
“But the bigger problem is that he’s completely stuck in bushes.”
“Damn.”
At those words, Taesu’s face crumpled.
He had expected it but hoped it wouldn’t be the case.
Hearing that it was true left him with a heavy heart.
Sergeant Sam chimed in, making matters worse.
“Stuck?”
“We suspect the bushes became impaled due to the impact of the fall.”
“Details.”
“A total of five places. The bushes seem to have provided some cushioning, but… so the problem is quite serious.”
Private Anthony explained with a grave expression.
Now he understood why he wanted to return over there so quickly.
Taesu worried for a moment.
Position change?
He thought it, but the words wouldn’t leave his mouth.
Switching patients now would only compound the confusion.
Taesu boldly cast aside the useless thought.
He looked straight at Private Anthony and spoke with weight.
“Please deliver a message to Doctor Jeong and Mister Kim.”
“Yes.”
“We can do it.”
We can do it.
It was a short sentence, but the weight it carried was enormous.
Perhaps Private Anthony felt it too, for he answered calmly.
“I will deliver it.”
“Please help them well. I’m asking you.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
Private Anthony unilaterally declared so and immediately headed back over.