"Exactly."
"For that reason, I’ll escort James to the surgery tent and then quietly come back."
"I respect that very clear-headed decision."
James looked pleased at how quick Taesu was on the uptake.
After that, a few more calm words passed between them.
Then James, looking at the people covered here and there with white cloths and the wreckage of collapsed buildings, asked,
"I imagine you must have resented me quite a bit."
"A tremendous amount."
"Seeing you all shedding tears earlier made me feel a little sorry."
James’s voice grew heavy.
By contrast, Taesu’s voice rose a little.
"I was prepared for it long ago. What shocked me was that reality was far more horrible than I’d imagined."
"It seems you feel many of those deaths were regrettable."
"We could have saved even one more person, but we couldn’t."
Taesu could not smile when he spoke of that, either.
Tap.
James lightly placed a hand on his shoulder and said,
"I think I mentioned it in a postscript to a letter before."
"I remember. A doctor is not God."
As Taesu answered, chewing over the words, James gave a light nod.
"That’s right. Because we are not God, we cannot turn back time that has already passed."
"That’s true."
"And even if you went back to that moment, the result would have been the same."
At James’s words, Taesu paused and looked at him.
"What do you mean, it would have been the same?"
"Was Dr. Choi playing around at that moment?"
"Absolutely not."
"You may have missed them because you were performing other emergency treatment. If not, then death came because the flame of life had burned out."
James’s conjecture was far too accurate.
Taesu immediately admitted it.
"Yes, that’s right."
"Then even if you went back to that time, wouldn’t you probably make the same decision?"
"If I knew everything, it would be different."
"That’s true for anyone. So the same moment would have to come when you knew nothing."
Only after James added that condition did Taesu’s thoughts become a little clearer.
"Then the probability that I’d make the same choice shoots up."
"That’s why the choice you make at this very moment is important."
The meaning of James’s concluding words was quite profound.
Taesu understood it as well, but he disliked the heavy atmosphere lingering too long, so he slipped in a bit of banter.
"It’s important to choose whether to eat emergency rations or cup noodles."
"That will be a dilemma that never ends."
"Haha."
A smile settled on Taesu’s face.
The conversation with James had definitely lightened the heart that had only felt heavy.
Just then, the sound of a baby crying came from a distance.
"Waaah."
At that sound, both of Taesu’s ears pricked up.
'The kids.'
Libero and Rebecca.
He was ashamed of himself for having forgotten them for a moment.
"Oh, no."
"A baby’s crying is always heartbreaking to hear."
"That’s not it. I left some babies who became orphans in someone’s care……."
Just as Taesu was about to explain, James spoke a beat faster.
"Ah, you mean Libero and Rebecca."
"You know about them?"
"They seem to be quite famous babies around here. You’re looking for their family?"
James asked in a low voice.
Taesu briefly recounted their story.
"……That’s how I found those babies."
"Tsk, tsk. To think there was such a story."
"That’s why I asked them to find their family."
"Hmm. But unfortunately, it seems they still haven’t found them."
At those words, Taesu stopped short.
"If they haven’t found them, does that mean the children’s father and all their relatives are dead?"
"It could be so, or it might not be."
"If not…… are you saying they may be deliberately pretending not to know?"
Taesu asked, faltering.
At that moment, James lightly patted his back with the hand he had placed on his shoulder.
Tap.
"That’s the worst-case assumption. It’s more likely that all of the babies’ relatives have died."
"That’s even sadder."
"In any case, the chances of someone connected to the babies appearing now are low."
"I suppose so."
Rumors spread faster when people were gathered together.
Several hours had already passed since the babies had been found. By now, all the camps set up throughout the city should have heard.
Or else James’s assumption, which he called the worst case, might be right.
Whether relatives, or acquaintances of their parents.
It made no sense that no one knew anything about the babies.
There had to be someone who knew and was pretending not to.
He couldn’t condemn them for turning away.
They, too, would have their own families to prioritize.
Now that everything had fallen apart, taking in the babies could be far too much of a burden.
Taesu cut off the baseless speculations spreading through his mind.
Nothing else mattered.
The problem was how Libero and Rebecca would live from now on.
Taesu immediately sought advice from the experienced James.
"What usually happens in cases like this?"
"War orphans are either cared for in the region, or they’re sent for adoption."
"Ah, there’s an adoption system too."
"Yes. NGOs also operate adoption centers for war orphans."
James added his advice.
But that was not something Taesu could decide right away.
"Should we wait a little longer?"
"That would be best. Until then, I’ll tell the volunteers to take good care of them."
"Thank you."
"We’ll be returning in two days, so let’s talk about it once more before we leave."
Step.
While they were talking, they arrived in front of the surgery tent.
Taesu clenched both fists toward James and cheered him on.
"James, the surgery must succeed. You can do it."
"It’s not a surgery that requires you to go that far."
"You never know. You can do it, you can do it."
Taesu showered him with encouragement without any plan at all.
Only after seeing Taesu like that did James smile softly.
"All right. That’s enough."
"Yes. Then please take care."
"Make sure you’re ready on standby."
"Sir."
Snap.
Taesu answered vigorously with an awkward salute.
And soon, James entered the surgery tent.
Only after watching the curtain close did Taesu turn around.
On the way back.
Perhaps because of the reckless greed he had indulged in all this time, a certain four-character idiom suddenly came to mind.
'Ga-bul-ji-ma.'
It was a nonsense four-character idiom that roughly matched the words for “don’t act up.”
But the meaning got across.
Taesu gave a bitter smile.
"In any case, being nosy is the problem."
Taesu decided that from now on, he needed to cultivate the beauty of restraint.
Early the next morning.
It was before the sun had even risen.
The surgeries that had continued until late at night had now paused for a while, and it was quiet, with everyone asleep.
Then the sounds of hurried footsteps came, breaking that silence.
Rustle.
Black shadows were cast by the campfire.
The group, moving in a line of several people, went straight into the medical tent where Taesu was sleeping.
Flash.
Turning on their lights, they scattered toward the three sleeping people.
"Dr. Choi."
"Dr. Jeong."
"Mr. Kim. Hey."
Their voices were full of urgency.
At that moment, the three opened their eyes wide.
Among them, Taesu frowned at the flashlight shining into his eyes.
"Ugh."
"Ah, sorry."
"But who……?"
"It’s me, Sam."
It was a familiar voice.
Soon lowering his arm, Taesu confirmed that it really was Squad Leader Sam.
However, after being forced awake, Taesu had not yet come to his senses.
"What time is it now……?"
"The sun will be up soon."
"Why at this hour? Did something happen again?"
"Yes."
At the same time Squad Leader Sam answered,
the dazed look in Taesu’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
"You said something happened?"
Apparently Taesu wasn’t the only one who heard, as Jeong Minsu and Kim Hyeokgwon reacted as well.
"What is it all of a sudden?"
"You wouldn’t have woken us up for an emergency here, would you?"
The pressure in their voices was sharp.
It was then.
Click.
When the light hanging from the ceiling was switched on, the inside of the tent brightened.
The moment they saw one another clearly, Squad Leader Sam looked for someone.
"Radio operator."
"I’m preparing it now."
Right behind him, Corporal Alton, the radio operator, had set a portable military radio on the ground and was operating it.
Crackle. Crackle.
"This is Baby. Red Fox, please respond."
—Crackle. Receiving you loud and clear.
Colonel Clark’s stern voice came from the radio.
Only then did Taesu sense that this was no ordinary matter.
At that moment, Corporal Alton held out the radio.
"Here it is."
"All right."
Tak.
Taking it, Taesu pressed the radio button and began speaking.
Crackle.
"This is Dr. Choi."
—Crackle. This is Red Fox. Is the promise you made before still valid?
There was a weighty meaning contained in the question, which was far too short and concise.
The promise he had made to him?
Perhaps because of the atmosphere, he immediately recalled what promise it was.
It was the promise that he would help reduce the meaningless sacrifices of the PKO.
Taesu immediately pressed the radio button and answered.
"Of course it’s still valid."
—Crackle. Thank you. Hear the details from Baby. Over and out.
Crackle.
Taesu was flustered by the call ending so abruptly.
"What the hell. That’s it?"
"Dr. Choi."
Squad Leader Sam immediately stepped forward.
After handing the radio back to Corporal Alton, Taesu looked at him in disbelief and asked,
"No, did you call over the radio at dawn because of this?"
"That was for the emergency dispatch……."
"What I’m saying is, you could have just woken us up and told us to go. Did you really need to make a radio call too?"
"Ah."
A small look of emotion appeared on Squad Leader Sam’s face.
And Taesu was not the only one insisting on that stance.
Step, step.
Kim Hyeokgwon and Jeong Minsu came closer and each said a word.
"The army truly has a talent for making things troublesome."
"Sam, this is a bit disappointing."
Neither of them showed even the slightest expression of refusal or opposition.
The PKO soldiers standing around them also looked deeply moved.
At that moment, Taesu rose from his place and asked,
"So when is the helicopter coming? And where do we have to go?"
"We have about twenty minutes until the helicopter arrives."
"You said you made seats for us too. Then we should get ready first."
Just as Taesu began to hurry,
Tak.
Squad Leader Sam lightly grabbed his arm.
"Please listen to the explanation first, then decide again."
"Why are you being like this?"
"You need to hear it."
Squad Leader Sam answered firmly.
Something felt off, but Taesu urged him on for now.
"Go ahead."
"The destination is a small village about sixty kilometers west of our current location."
"And?"
"After receiving intelligence that it was a hideout for an extremist armed group, one squad went out on reconnaissance."
The moment he heard that much, Taesu had a bad feeling.
Still, since the explanation wasn’t over yet, he prompted him.
"They went out on reconnaissance, and?"
"One team of three failed to return."
"You haven’t even figured out what happened to them?"
"We have located them. Two are wounded and taking cover."
After Squad Leader Sam had said that much,
Step.
Kim Hyeokgwon took one step closer and asked with a serious expression,
"Don’t tell me we’re supposed to give them emergency treatment and get them out?"
"That’s correct."
"You’re saying we should go into a place crawling with those merciless bastards."
At Kim Hyeokgwon’s words, Squad Leader Sam added one more thing.