"At present, the other squad members have drawn their attention and are engaged in combat to open a path."
"Huh?"
"They are in combat."
Squad Leader Sam emphasized it again.
At that moment, Kim Hyeokgwon dug at his ear and asked Taesu.
"What is Sam saying right now?"
"He says we need to rescue injured people isolated inside the combat zone."
"Ah, and what are we supposed to do there?"
"He says we go in with them, administer first aid to the wounded, and get out."
"Oh-ho. Ah, so that's what he meant. I thought he was saying something else."
Kim Hyeokgwon answered indifferently.
Finding his reaction strange, Jeong Minsu asked carefully.
"Are you all right?"
"Doctor Jeong, hold on. Don't block Sam."
"Yes. I'm moving."
Swish.
Jeong Minsu quietly stepped aside.
The moment Squad Leader Sam came back into view, sparks flew from Kim Hyeokgwon's eyes.
That was not all.
Grab.
Kim Hyeokgwon seized him by the collar and growled at Squad Leader Sam.
"You bastard, you think words are all it takes? What did you just say?"
Startled by his action, Taesu quickly grabbed Kim Hyeokgwon's shoulder.
Grab.
"Mr. Hyeokgwon. Calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down. He's saying he'll push us into a death trap."
"That's just how Squad Leader Sam put it. It won't actually be like that."
Taesu tried to soothe him again and again.
But Squad Leader Sam himself pushed aside Taesu's efforts.
"No. You will be entering an actual combat zone."
"What, you bastard?"
Grab.
In that instant, Taesu, also surging with anger, reflexively snatched the other side of Squad Leader Sam's collar.
The combined glare attack from Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwon was fierce.
Even so, Squad Leader Sam's expression did not so much as twitch.
"Doctor Choi, you gave your word just now. I ask that you keep it."
"Whew. What's the point in talking to Sam? Alton, give me the radio again. I need to speak with the colonel."
Swish.
Taesu let go of Squad Leader Sam's collar and headed toward Corporal Alton.
Just then, Squad Leader Sam spoke in a rigid voice.
"If not Doctor Choi, there is no one else who can go."
"There are military doctors, aren't there?"
"Even if they hurry, they will not arrive on-site until this evening."
"So because we're close, you're telling us to go?"
Taesu asked coldly.
No matter how much loyalty and affection he had for the PKO, this was not right. Strictly speaking, the Helicopter Medical Team was composed of civilians.
Being deployed in a military operation was out of the question.
And Taesu, too, knew the value of his life.
Especially after the uproar yesterday, he was all the more grateful for this moment of being alive.
Squad Leader Sam knew that very well too.
Even so, the situation in which he was making such a request angered Taesu beyond measure.
Even under Taesu's icy gaze, Squad Leader Sam did not move.
He paid no heed to the part of his collar still caught in Kim Hyeokgwon's grip.
He was staring only at Taesu, the one with the authority to decide.
"Doctor Choi, please."
"Whew."
"We will protect all of you, even if it means sacrificing ourselves."
Squad Leader Sam promised with a resolute gaze.
Taesu first brought his surging emotions under control.
'Whew.'
Reason began to take over his mind again.
Then his thoughts changed by a hundred and eighty degrees.
Even counting only the help he had received so far, he would run out of fingers.
Their duty might be to guard the NGO, but Squad Leader Sam had gone beyond that scope.
And were they just ordinary acquaintances?
When people like that were asking this much of him, he could not simply satisfy his own desires.
After thinking it over repeatedly, Taesu changed his mind.
Then, recalling the situation coolly, Taesu expressed his doubt.
"How many are on the other side?"
"We do not know precisely yet."
"If it's a hideout, it won't be just a few people, will it?"
"A company-sized force is on the move. They will enter combat before we do."
At the added explanation, Taesu's mind spun rapidly.
Thanks to a month of training, he had a basic grasp of the military.
"Hmm."
Seeing Taesu deep in thought, Squad Leader Sam added,
"With a company-sized force's firepower, they can overwhelm the enemy."
"You take care of that on your end."
"Then what are you concerned about?"
Squad Leader Sam asked cautiously.
Only then did Taesu reveal what was troubling him.
"I don't know the condition of the injured."
"Excuse me?"
Squad Leader Sam was startled by Taesu's unexpected question.
Kim Hyeokgwon was even more dumbfounded than he was.
"Doctor Choi, you're seriously saying we should go?"
"We have to."
"Because of that damned promise..."
Kim Hyeokgwon was about to fly into a rage.
Taesu cut him off with a heavy gaze.
"We've already received a great deal."
"E-even so."
"We should pay off at least one debt this time."
At Taesu's words, Kim Hyeokgwon's eyes shook violently.
As someone meticulous when it came to debts and obligations, he could not object.
Instead, he took out his irritation on Taesu.
"Then why did you grab Sam by the collar, Doctor Choi?"
"If I suddenly hear something like that, wouldn't I get angry too?"
"Well, of course..."
"But when I thought about it, we really have received too much help."
Taesu spoke with a faint smile.
Kim Hyeokgwon had no choice but to accept that as well.
"Well, what more is there to say?"
"Then let go now."
"......"
Swish.
Kim Hyeokgwon quietly released Squad Leader Sam's collar.
Taesu stepped closer, lightly brushed him off, and apologized.
"Sam, I'm sorry for treating you roughly."
"I was prepared to be beaten."
"I've never even hit you properly during sparring."
Taesu glared at him with a sullen expression.
With that exchange, the cold atmosphere began to ease little by little.
Still, just in case, Taesu asked Jeong Minsu.
"What about you?"
"Why ask when you've already decided everything?"
"Okay."
He was grateful for the brief answer.
Taesu faced Squad Leader Sam again and said in a firm voice.
"Let's move out."
Not only Taesu's eyes, but Jeong Minsu and Kim Hyeokgwon's as well, gleamed sharply.
They had made the decision, but they were not in a position to leave as they pleased.
It was not that there were restrictions on their actions.
However, they could not simply disappear without informing anyone of their whereabouts.
They also had to refill their completely empty dispatch bags.
After coming out of the tent, Taesu asked Squad Leader Sam,
"By when do we need to arrive at the temporary helipad?"
"In approximately seventeen minutes."
"We'll be there on time."
Swish.
Taesu had turned and was about to move away.
Then Squad Leader Sam's heavy voice came from behind him.
"I apologize for forcing you into a dangerous decision."
"You said you'd protect us."
"Of course."
"Then that's enough. See you shortly."
Taesu answered simply and moved.
Jeong Minsu and Kim Hyeokgwon hurriedly followed behind him.
Tap tap tap.
Once they had put some distance between themselves and the others, Kim Hyeokgwon said to Taesu,
"They say you never know what tomorrow will bring in life, and this is exactly that."
"Are you not too keen on it?"
"Do I look like I'm running toward the land of happiness with both arms wide open?"
"I always say this, but..."
As Taesu began, Kim Hyeokgwon guessed what he was going to say and answered first.
"You're not forcing me."
"That's right."
"That sounds even crueler to the person hearing it."
Kim Hyeokgwon answered in a sulky voice, and Taesu smiled bitterly.
"Is that so?"
"Of course it is. More importantly, for a dispatch like this, the allowance should be higher, right?"
It was such a Kim Hyeokgwon-like question.
However, Kim Hyeokgwon knew all about allowances inside and out.
It did not seem that he was truly curious, but rather that he wanted to draw out some motivation.
Taesu answered that expectation with a deep smile.
"I imagine it'll be pretty lucrative."
"Then before we go, tell our collateral—no, our clients—not to die."
"Mr. Hyeokgwon, why don't you make a call in advance?"
"They're hiding, so I imagine they turned off their phones."
They exchanged pointless banter and pushed away their worries about this unfamiliar dispatch.
Jeong Minsu, following a step behind, wore a rather heavy expression.
He deliberately did not join the conversation.
That silence did not feel particularly bad.
The three soon arrived at the emergency tent.
It was an emergency room set up for any patients who might appear during the night.
Rustle.
Lifting the curtain, Taesu, Jeong Minsu, and Kim Hyeokgwon entered together.
Inside the spacious but quiet tent, the medical staff on duty were dozing off.
Then, at the sound of footsteps, they all opened their eyes in surprise.
Among them was a welcome face.
It was Doctor Talon, with whom they had built a friendship in Padum City.
He sprang to his feet and asked urgently,
"Gasp. Doctor Choi, is it an emergency?"
"It is an emergency, but only for us."
"What kind of emergency is that?"
Doctor Talon looked puzzled.
Taesu soothed him as he said,
"We've received a request for a helicopter dispatch. May we pack some supplies?"
"You can pack as much as you need."
At those words, Jeong Minsu and Kim Hyeokgwon approached.
There were as many as three large dispatch bags.
Thud.
Setting them down in front of him, Jeong Minsu smiled brightly and said,
"They're completely empty inside."
"Last time you cleaned out my head, and this time you're trying to clean out the emergency tent?"
"We appreciate your help."
"You've gotten much more shameless. Since I know where everything is, let's go."
As he moved to help them personally, Jeong Minsu started to say something.
"Doctor Choi is over there..."
"I can take that much of a hint."
"Then let's go."
"I'll carry that. Mr. Kim, you come too."
Sling.
Doctor Talon personally shouldered one of the three bags and turned around.
Jeong Minsu and Kim Hyeokgwon naturally followed behind him.
Taesu watched the scene and nodded.
'Connections really are important.'
Even if these people had been unfamiliar doctors, they would probably have helped the Helicopter Medical Team.
Still, when you were close, something extra was bound to fall your way.
That was the same anywhere in the world.
In the meantime, Taesu was heading toward someone else.
Just then, a black doctor was watching from a distance with a deeply settled expression.
He was Doctor Schmidt, the doctor in charge of the shift.
He was also the person Taesu needed to meet now.
Taesu approached at once and greeted him first.
"Doctor Schmidt, you're working hard."
"What is this all of a sudden?"
"The truth is..."
Taesu explained the PKO's request.
As he listened, Doctor Schmidt's expression stiffened slightly.
"Isn't this rather serious?"
"I think it must be a special case."
"That's not the problem. This doesn't seem like something I can decide."
Doctor Schmidt's movements grew somewhat agitated.
If it was something he could not decide now, the only person he could call was James.
It was the time when he would be sleeping soundly, and Taesu did not want to wake him.
Taesu quickly reached out and said,
Grip.
"Doctor Schmidt, calm down."
"We need to get Doctor James's permission."
"The PKO said they received permission from NGO headquarters."
Taesu's words were not a lie.
Colonel Clark, the head of external cooperation, could not call up the Helicopter Medical Team on his own authority.
Only after consultation with NGO headquarters could they be dispatched.
Doctor Schmidt knew that as well.
That was why he became even more agitated.
"What on earth are those bastards at headquarters thinking?"
"There's no need to get worked up."
"What's stranger is that you're so calm right now, Doctor Choi."
Doctor Schmidt's dark-red, agitated face now carried puzzlement as well.