The operating surgeon had been James.
“James operated on me?”
“He got the call from Malnoi and flew straight to headquarters. That hour was complete chaos, I’m telling you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Forget it and just look.”
Brad Kim grumbled, but he had taken care of everything that needed taking care of.
Thanks to him, Taesu was able to examine the chart in detail.
After reading the symptoms, Taesu gave an awkward smile.
It seemed nearly twenty grenade fragments had lodged in his back.
‘So that rattling sensation was that.’
It was in the past now, and since he was safe, he could think back on it calmly.
The impact of those embedded fragments had caused a secondary injury: broken ribs.
One record immediately caught his eye—one of the broken ribs had been positioned right next to the aorta.
At that moment, even Taesu felt a chill run through him.
‘If that had shifted just a little farther, an aortic rupture? Ugh!’
It was an image he did not even want to imagine, so Taesu quickly shook his head.
That had been the biggest problem.
The rib fractures themselves had not been terribly severe.
However, the bleeding had apparently been considerable, so his vitals had been slow to recover.
“Heh.”
When Taesu suddenly let out a laugh, Brad Kim showed interest.
“Why?”
“They said blood was my problem too, didn’t they?”
“You can laugh now. When I stepped into the operating room, it made me dizzy.”
“You were in there too, Brad?”
At Taesu’s question, Brad Kim answered calmly.
“I squeezed every one of those blood packs.”
“O savior of my life!”
“I’ll be watching how you behave from now on.”
“Does your arm hurt from holding that chart, sir?”
Taesu quickly lowered himself.
He knew all too well how difficult it was to manage blood transfusion packs, so for him, it was only natural to react that way.
Brad Kim glanced at him as if dumbfounded and said,
“We’ll talk about that part later. For now, finish looking at the chart.”
“Your grace is boundless.”
“It’d be even better if you looked at it with that attitude.”
“Then I’ll take just a little longer.”
Taesu cut his reply short and carefully examined the chart.
It was not to the extent that his survival was a miracle.
Even so, he could see that there had been dangerous moments, one after another.
There must have been many problems James had prevented in advance by operating from the very beginning.
Dr. Schmidt had also assisted.
Now it felt only natural that he had been so angry.
Taesu engraved in his mind every single thing that had happened while he had been unconscious.
Everyone written in this chart was his benefactor.
‘Repay grudges tenfold, kindness a hundred-thousandfold.’
Taesu resolved inwardly.
Of course, the ratio between grudges and gratitude tended to change depending on the situation.
The greater the multiplier, the longer it would remain in Taesu’s heart.
A few days later.
In the meantime, he had repeatedly fallen asleep and woken up while controlling the pain.
These were not wounds that would heal overnight.
Jeong Minsu and Kim Hyeokgwon still had not come to see him.
Their injuries must have been no small matter either.
In the meantime, Taesu figured out where he was.
It was because he was not inside a medical tent, but lying in a proper hospital room.
Even the nurses who came and went by the hour were unfamiliar.
Taesu was able to hear from Brad Kim where this place was.
It was none other than inside the NGO headquarters building.
It was the same building where the Helicopter Medical Team’s lodgings were located.
Taesu was quite surprised by that fact.
“Wow, I can’t believe I’m lying here.”
In truth, it was embarrassing.
He had not come as a doctor to perform surgery, but was experiencing life as a patient, so it was absolutely nothing to be proud of.
Still, what was surprising was surprising.
Thoracic Surgery Team 1, Surgery Team 1, Internal Medicine Team 1, and so on.
It was where the medical staff representing each department stayed.
And there were also special surgical teams.
A prime example was the Special Trauma Team that had operated on Ohamed’s wife.
That was how central a gathering place this was for the NGO headquarters’ core medical staff.
On top of that, it was a single room.
“Happiness really isn’t far away.”
A comfortable rest enjoyed in a quiet place.
This was Taesu’s very own heaven.
And a week passed quickly.
Taesu had now recovered enough to turn his body a little.
Then he received news like a bolt from the blue.
“A roommate is coming?”
When Taesu asked blankly, Nurse Navis, who was in charge of the ward, nodded.
“Yes. He’s undergoing tests right now. He’ll be admitted in about two hours.”
“To bring me such gloomy news… how cruel of you.”
“But I heard that person is a doctor too.”
At Nurse Navis’s words, Taesu’s eyes widened.
“A doctor?”
“Yes, I heard he’s a CS specialist.”
“Then my thoughts change a little.”
When Taesu showed interest, Nurse Navis looked surprised.
“Surgery and thoracic surgery—Doctor Choi, you really do seem greedy.”
“Everyone has a bottomless jar they want to fill.”
“At least it’s a relief that you know the bottom is broken.”
“But maybe someday I’ll be able to fill it completely. In any case, thank you for the news.”
Taesu showed a relaxed smile, as much as the slight weight he had gained.
However, even as time passed, the roommate did not arrive.
The bed had already been prepared and was waiting for its owner.
Lunch passed, and evening approached.
Since the patient who was supposed to come did not, Taesu became needlessly concerned.
“Did he maybe go straight into surgery?”
That was the best scenario Taesu could imagine.
Another hour passed after that.
Rattle.
At last, the hospital room door opened.
‘He’s here.’
Taesu was filled with anticipation inwardly.
Step, step.
The person who entered with slow steps was an unfamiliar doctor Taesu had never seen before.
Strangely, he came in already wearing patient clothes.
It seemed he had changed first while undergoing tests.
He was a man in his fifties, but he was so gaunt that the patient gown hung loose on him.
His pale skin looked yellowish from severe jaundice.
More than anything, his vitality had faded, giving him the impression of a block of wood.
Taesu instinctively sensed that this was no ordinary illness.
At that moment, their gazes met.
Taesu lifted his head and gave a small nod in greeting.
“Hello. I’m Choi Taesu, a patient.”
“You’re that Doctor Choi Dr. James was talking about.”
“He probably cursed me a lot.”
“I think there was a bit more praise. I’m Dr. Hanks.”
After saying his name, he smiled faintly.
It was not a forced smile, but one that formed naturally.
Seeing that smile, Taesu felt something warm settle in his heart.
For some reason, he had a good feeling about him.
Taesu was the type to show favor when he felt it, so he spoke right away.
“Um, sir, I’m your junior by quite a margin, so please speak comfortably with me.”
“We’ve only just met. How could I?”
“Then I’ll wait until you feel comfortable enough to do so whenever you like.”
“You’re quite sociable. But I’m a little tired. Would you excuse me?”
Dr. Hanks asked as he sat on the bed.
Taesu quickly answered.
“Yes. Please rest.”
“I’m sorry. After going through the tests, I’m quite tired.”
“Of course. I also… Let’s talk later.”
“Yes. Rest well.”
Swish.
Dr. Hanks lay down on the bed at once.
And whether he had fallen asleep just like that, he did not move at all.
Taesu had no choice but to stare blankly at him.
“Everyone’s tired on their first day of admission.”
It felt a little strange, but he understood it that way.
However, it seemed Taesu’s doubts had not been for nothing.
Dr. Hanks kept sleeping.
He was almost never awake, and he did not eat his meals either.
On the other hand, Taesu was the type who could not sleep unless he ate three meals a day.
So at every mealtime, he set aside Dr. Hanks’s food so he could eat it later.
Even then, Dr. Hanks only ate a little, as if acknowledging the gesture.
Their conversations amounted to only a few words a day.
They were together twenty-four hours, yet exchanged only a handful of words.
For the remaining time, Taesu had to keep his mouth shut.
If he were alone, he would at least hum a song.
Even that was impossible now.
With someone sleeping beside him, he felt too self-conscious to talk to himself or sing.
He had no choice but to undergo intermittent silent meditation.
‘Why do I miss being alone more?’
Since his roommate had no energy at all, Taesu’s condition was affected too.
Taesu sublimated his boring hours into exercise.
Wriggle.
From exercises where he slowly turned his body, he repeated everything all day long.
Taesu was desperate in his own way.
All he wanted was to escape this suffocating hospital room and return to the field.
‘I have to live. I have to live.’
This state of being unable to speak or move was a prison to Taesu.
He was scolded for overexercising, but Taesu had absolutely no intention of stopping.
Sure enough, the body was a thing that responded when tormented.
Unable to endure the continued torment, his body eventually surrendered to Taesu’s will.
Thud.
He stood on his two feet.
Just as Taesu was about to express his surging joy, he froze.
Dr. Hanks was asleep.
He expressed his joy by muttering inwardly.
‘Viva Independence Day.’
It was true independence.
He wanted to shatter his silent meditation first.
Slowly and carefully, he attempted to escape the hospital room with his IV stand.
Rattle. Step.
As he walked slowly but steadily, the hospital room door drew closer and closer.
Soon, his hand reached the door.
Deeply moved, Taesu opened it with emotion upon emotion.
Rattle.
Even the air in the corridor was different.
Taesu immediately took a step.
It was only a single step, but he had moved from inside the hospital room to outside it.
Rattle. Click.
Right after he quietly closed the hospital room door.
Taesu clenched both fists and rejoiced.
“I did it!”
“Freeze.”
At the restraining voice that immediately rang out, Taesu was startled.
But he was even more surprised because the voice was in Korean.
Whip!
When he turned around, Jeong Minsu and Kim Hyeokgwon were approaching from over there.
The two of them were also wearing patient clothes and pushing IV stands.
When Taesu saw the two people whose news he had not known since the dispatch, his nose stung.
“Mr. Hyeokgwon, Minsu!”
Rattle. Rattle.
Taesu pushed his IV stand and approached.
Jeong Minsu, coming toward him, did the same.
Soon the two met in the middle.
Grip.
They held each other’s arms and asked after one another with deeply moved expressions.
“What happened? How did your face get so messed up?”
“Are you okay? Is it all right for you to be walking around like this now?”
Beside the two sentimental men, Kim Hyeokgwon passed by indifferently and said,
“It’s not like twins who thought each other dead are reuniting. Stop being so melodramatic and let’s hurry.”
“Mr. Hyeokgwon, where are we suddenly going?”
“Didn’t you come out because James summoned us?”
At Kim Hyeokgwon’s question, Taesu shook his head.
“This is the first time I’ve come out of my hospital room since I was admitted.”
“What about before that?”
“I was practicing silent meditation.”
“In India, there is a culture of respecting Buddhists to some extent.”
At Kim Hyeokgwon’s absurd response, Taesu paused.
“That’s not it. I seriously have so much to say that I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Then organize your thoughts and say it.”
“No, once I start talking, it’ll get organized. Why are you being so heartless?”
Taesu clung stubbornly to his chance to speak.
At that moment, Kim Hyeokgwon picked at his ear and said,
“Today’s going to be exhausting.”
“More importantly, you said we were summoned.”
“That comes first. Let’s go.”
Kim Hyeokgwon turned around first.