In response, James spoke in a low voice.
"Go quickly to the patients waiting for you."
"Then we shall be off. We will see everyone later."
Taesu, Jeong Minsu, and Kim Hyeokgwon waved to everyone and exited the emergency tent.
Once outside, Kim Hyeokgwon spoke with composure.
"At least since we're leaving without being hated, I'll still have a place to return to."
"If we were kicked out of here, we'd have nowhere to go."
"Would a doctor who knows that openly raise a revolt against James?"
"It's an exchange of opinions. Let's hurry."
Taesu, seeming embarrassed, walked briskly.
Kim Hyeokgwon moved with a dumbfounded expression, while Jeong Minsu was surprisingly quiet.
At the same time.
The smiles on James's and Doctor Schmidt's faces slowly faded.
"So they left."
"If you were uneasy, why didn't you forcibly keep them from leaving?"
"I told you, you shouldn't say things like that."
"It was a moment, truly just a moment of temporary wandering."
Doctor Schmidt glanced around with an embarrassed expression.
Meanwhile, James was staring at the tent entrance with a heavy gaze.
"What will become of them?"
"Pardon?"
"Will it be a brief wandering swayed by impulse, or will they think the path they are taking now is truly their own?"
"Well, we won't know right away, will we?"
"Yes. We will know after enough time has passed."
Even in that moment, James suppressed the anxiety in his heart alone.
A short while later.
Taesu, Jeong Minsu, and Kim Hyeokgwon headed for the temporary heliport.
The distance was considerable.
He seemed to recall hearing that it had been placed far from the medical zone to avoid the effects of dust.
It was certainly a long distance to walk while carrying heavy dispatch bags.
However, as the promised time drew near, the three walked quickly without showing any signs of fatigue.
Clack, clack.
In the distance, the temporary heliport came into view.
Squad Leader Sam and the squad members had already arrived.
As he approached, Kim Hyeokgwon immediately crunched the numbers in his head and spoke.
"Seven over there, three of us. One helicopter won't be enough, will it?"
"Then two will come."
"Well, this isn't the time to worry about money, is it?"
What Kim Hyeokgwon found acceptable was, as expected, slightly different from ordinary people.
Soon they all gathered.
"We are a bit late."
"Not at all. You arrived right on time."
Squad Leader Sam spoke kindly, but in fact the promised time had already slightly passed.
Taesu, pricked by his conscience, joked while fiddling with his dispatch bag.
Tap, tap.
"We've prepared thoroughly to make up for being late, so you can set aside your worries."
"The helicopter hasn't arrived yet, so you are not late."
"From that perspective, I suppose you are right."
Taesu smiled broadly.
Just then, the morning sun began to rise.
In the sky brightening as it pushed away the darkness, there was a single dot like a flaw in jade.
That dot grew larger, and soon a sound could be heard as well.
Thump, thump, thump.
It was a helicopter.
There was only one, but no one worried about boarding.
It was the transport helicopter they had first boarded in the snowy mountains.
Seeing that, Jeong Minsu said something quietly in Korean that hit the bone.
"They send a compact car when we deploy, but a limousine when they're going to rescue their own."
He had likened it to cars, but it was an apt comparison.
Taesu lightly nudged Jeong Minsu.
"If you're jealous, just rack up some achievements."
"We'll get a lot of bonus points for this dispatch, right?"
"Probably. But aren't you scared?"
Taesu was worried about Jeong Minsu, who was unusually quiet.
But strangely, Jeong Minsu smiled.
"I'm fine."
"Why?"
"I thought it would turn out like this someday. And that day just happens to be today."
Jeong Minsu's composed answer surprised Taesu even more.
"You predicted this?"
"When I arrived here yesterday, the thought suddenly came to me."
"Ah, right."
"What about you?"
When Jeong Minsu looked puzzled, Taesu answered with a bitter expression.
"I vaguely felt that something more remained."
"Are your intuitions usually accurate?"
"Is it a good thing that my intuition about the worst being yet to come is accurate?"
"That's definitely something you should keep quiet about."
Jeong Minsu quickly changed the subject.
Then Taesu asked with drooping eyes.
"Did I make this into too big a deal?"
"Why are you suddenly acting timid?"
"I told you, I'm not the kind of person to just charge ahead like that."
Jeong Minsu was dumbfounded by Taesu's excuse.
"I think your delusions are a little too free-spirited."
"You rascal. If you act up about being scared after we arrive, I won't let it slide."
Taesu shook off his heavy heart through idle rebukes.
Jeong Minsu was the same.
"You make sure you don't hide behind my back."
"Me? That's funny."
"Let's go and see."
"Yeah. Let's see when we get there."
Taesu and Jeong Minsu bickered for no reason.
They tried to push away their tense hearts through such meaningless squabbling.
When the transport helicopter landed, everyone boarded.
The transport helicopter briefly touched down before lifting off once more.
As it gained altitude, Malnoy came into view in a single glance.
To the north, the Indian army had set up barracks and tents.
The south was firmly held by the medical staff.
Taesu frowned slightly at the sight.
"What a mess."
It was truly an arrangement he found displeasing.
Even if Taesu complained about the situation, it would not change.
Rather, Taesu took in the sight of Malnoy with both eyes.
'May you forget sorrow and pain, and may joy find you.'
This was what he truly wanted to say.
Taesu swallowed the words inwardly, as it was still an empty wish.
But he was certain that a day would come when smiles graced everyone's faces.
He waved his hand through the transport helicopter's window, growing distant from Malnoy.
Thirty minutes later.
The transport helicopter landed in an open field.
When the rear door opened, Squad Leader Sam and the squad members emerged first while maintaining vigilance.
Swish, swish.
They exchanged hand signals with one another, confirming safety.
Only then did the medical staff disembark from the helicopter.
Their appearance was markedly different from before they had boarded.
They wore bulletproof helmets and bulletproof vests.
The color was white.
It was an eye-catching color, but it carried the effect of signaling that they were medical personnel.
Thud, thud.
Kim Hyeokgwon lightly tapped his bulletproof helmet and clicked his tongue.
"The fit is worse than a motorcycle helmet."
"The bulletproof vest makes my arms slightly uncomfortable."
Jeong Minsu also found a flaw.
Taesu said softly to those two.
"I think it's more comfortable than having bullets lodged in your head and chest."
"You really have a talent for saying things in such an infuriating way."
"I thought it was about time we slowly started getting tense."
"I've been doing that."
Kim Hyeokgwon said offhandedly.
But he was not the type to say things without meaning.
His tendency to nitpick over this and that also seemed to stem from tension.
It was after everyone had disembarked like that.
Thump, thump, thump.
The helicopter slowly rose and moved away.
As the surroundings grew quiet, another sound was heard.
Vroom.
It was the sound of a car.
Soon a military truck appeared coming up the hill. Since it was an open field quite far from the operational area, it was clearly a pickup vehicle that had come to get them.
They all obviously knew it was the PKO.
But Squad Leader Sam's vigilance was different from usual.
"Guide the medical staff behind cover. Everyone conceal themselves and prepare for any eventuality."
"Seol."
Rustle.
The squad members scattered in all directions simultaneously.
Corporal Alton hid behind a rock with the medical staff.
"Please maintain a low profile here for a moment."
"Everyone seems a bit on edge."
"You may find our appearance unfamiliar today. Now, shh."
Corporal Alton finished speaking and urged them to be quiet.
Taesu and the other two had been taught about maintaining a low profile, so they controlled their breathing and minimized their movements.
Vroom.
Soon the sound of the military vehicle approaching was heard.
Squad Leader Sam seemed to exchange countersigns with the soldier manning the turret.
That exchange was not brief either.
It was the first time they had conducted friend-or-foe identification so meticulously.
Rat-tat-tat. Boom.
The sounds of gunfire and artillery were heard from afar.
All those environmental changes made them feel with their whole bodies that they were right on the doorstep of the battlefield.
Then Squad Leader Sam's voice rang out loudly.
"Everyone assemble."
"Seol."
"Board."
Snap, snap.
At Squad Leader Sam's single word, everyone moved crisply.
Taesu and the other two also drew on their training experience and acted the same way.
After everyone boarded, they moved out once more.
Only after repeated movement upon movement did they approach their destination.
The movement by military truck was brief.
The place they arrived at was near military barracks.
It was an openly chosen position facing the village head-on.
Raising the PKO flag high was a matter of their pride.
But the radical terrorist group seemed to have no intention of acknowledging it.
Rat-tat-tat. Rat-tat. Boom.
Even now, sounds of combat were heard intermittently.
Taesu took in the village with his eyes, glimpsing the infrastructure and standard of living.
"For a village, the number of households is considerable."
"We should consider it small-city class."
"Most buildings are two stories, but there are quite a few three-story ones as well."
They shared their individual observations and grasped the overall situation.
They spoke more than usual.
That was largely because the tension was growing thicker.
It was the moment they first set foot in a combat zone, so it was natural to be tense.
Still, they were medical personnel.
They also unconsciously expected the special treatment of being relatively safe.
Then Squad Leader Sam approached and spoke.
"Please go in."
"Yes. It is only proper to greet them."
"And hear what they have to say as well."
Taesu and the other two meekly followed behind Squad Leader Sam.
Rustle.
Upon entering the barracks, a strong impression of a spartan office emanated.
Most situation rooms had this kind of atmosphere.
Among them, there were people worrying over maps spread on a table.
A soldier of lieutenant colonel rank approached among them.
His combat uniform had visible wrinkles, and his combat boots were not particularly clean.
Judging by that, he was presumed to be a man of action.
That image strongly gave the impression of an assault commander.
When the lieutenant colonel stood before them, Squad Leader Sam saluted powerfully and continued his report.
"Special Combat Squad Sergeant Sam and six others from the External Cooperation Department, and Helicopter Medical Team Doctor Choe and two others. All personnel have arrived."
"Good work. Rest easy."
"Thank you. At ease."
Snap.
Squad Leader Sam stood upright in a disciplined at-ease posture.
The lieutenant colonel left him behind and stood before the medical staff.
He introduced himself first.
"I am Battalion Commander Valentino. I have heard much about you."
"I am Doctor Choe Taesu. I will refrain from saying it is a pleasure to meet you at this location."
Snap.
Following the greeting, they shook hands lightly.
They also had a brief introduction with Jeong Minsu and Kim Hyeokgwon.
Battalion Commander Valentino had a rigid personality but was not forceful nor did he create any sense of dissonance.
He even showed effort to make them as comfortable as possible.
"Thank you very much for responding to this sudden request."
"We are also thankful that you sought us out."
"Rather, I wonder if this happened because I did not make the operational orders clear."
At those words, Taesu immediately caught on.