"All right. Well, let's set that aside. I stopped by because Doctor Hanks asked me to pass on a message."
"To me?"
"He said it was a shame he had to leave without even properly saying goodbye to his roommate."
"I already got his letter."
Taesu answered, recalling the message written on his cell phone.
Doctor Jonathan lightly shook his head and continued.
"That was telling all of you to come visit. He said this was a personal message."
"What is it?"
"He said an old doctor wanted to offer one word of nagging to a young doctor who has a lot of worries about what it means to live."
At that, Taesu flinched.
"How did he know that……"
"It seems he heard Doctor Choi muttering in his sleep."
"I see. So what did he say?"
Taesu asked, his eyes gleaming.
It was a concern that had been repeating in his mind recently, and he was curious what Doctor Hanks’s wise opinion would be.
Doctor Jonathan gave a faint smile and told him the answer.
"He said that living can’t be defined as just one thing, that it has many different faces."
"Many different faces."
"And he said that, in his opinion, living is value."
"Value, as in worth?"
Taesu could not easily understand.
Perhaps Doctor Jonathan saw that from his expression, because he explained a little more.
"He said that value would also differ from person to person."
"For example?"
"Doctor Choi, Doctor Jeong, Mister Kim. Are the standards for living the same for all three of you?"
Doctor Jonathan asked back gently, without being provocative.
In that single sentence, something lodged itself deep in Taesu’s heart.
"They’re different."
"That’s right. For some, it may be material things. For others, it may be experience and knowledge."
"You’re saying people feel alive when they seek out that value?"
"Exactly. Just as Mister Kim wouldn’t be satisfied if you gave him health instead of money."
Doctor Jonathan said it as a joke.
With that example, Taesu understood even more clearly.
"That’s the example that hits closest to home."
"Doctor Choi, you said before, didn’t you? That there was a certain head of a family who said God had taken his legs, but had made his family one."
"Yes. He did."
It was the story of the amputee patient he had met in Makut.
Taesu naturally recalled the peaceful smile the man had shown at the end.
Then Doctor Jonathan gave him one more example.
"There’s a world-famous scientist who was much the same."
"The scientist who had Lou Gehrig’s disease?"
"There’s also an opera singer. Even amid the aftereffects of a traffic accident that left him completely paralyzed, he lives looking only at one thing—music."
Only after hearing Doctor Jonathan’s continued examples did Taesu clearly get a feel for it.
"You’re right. Living really appears in so many different forms."
"That was what Doctor Hanks asked me to pass on."
"I couldn’t even see him off, but it feels like I’ve received a bundle of gifts."
A calm smile had appeared on Taesu’s face before he knew it.
Doctor Jonathan lightly stroked Taesu’s arm and rose from his seat.
"Since it seems my message was delivered well, I’ll be going now."
"Already?"
"You think there are only one or two patients waiting for me?"
"Ah, you’re on a completely different level from an unemployed doctor."
When Taesu joked, Doctor Jonathan smiled gently.
"Don’t stay unemployed forever. Take care of yourself and get back on your feet soon."
"I’m going to rest comfortably now."
"Good. I’ve given you painkillers, so you’ll get sleepy again."
"No wonder I felt myself getting more and more drowsy."
Taesu’s eyelids truly began to grow heavy little by little.
Doctor Jonathan pulled the blanket up to his neck and spoke softly.
"Rest deeply and comfortably."
"Yes. Then…… I’m getting sleepy now……"
"Don’t say goodbye. Just sleep."
"I will……. Zzz."
Taesu fell asleep just as he was speaking.
It seemed Doctor Hanks’s good news had loosened his tension even more than the painkillers.
Doctor Jonathan quietly left the hospital room so as not to disturb his sleep.
"Have good dreams."
Click.
The door closed, and Taesu’s hospital room did not open for a long time.
Thanks to that, Taesu was able to sink fully into sleep without any tension.
It was the next morning when Taesu woke from his sleep.
It felt somewhat noisy.
‘Hmm. What is it?’
When Taesu forced his bleary eyes open, he saw military uniforms filled with various shades of green.
"Squad leader, Doctor Choi is awake!"
At the booming voice, Taesu grumbled in a half-asleep daze.
"Guspia, I can hear you just fine even if you speak quietly."
"Huh. How did you recognize me when you haven’t even opened your eyes properly?"
"That’s what I’m saying. How did I, without even opening my eyes properly, know it was Guspi…… Ah?"
Flash!
Taesu hurriedly opened his half-lidded eyes.
Corporal Guspia was really looking down at him.
And that was not all.
Clack, clack!
The sound of military boots rang out, and from Squad Leader Sam to Assistant Squad Leader Leo, and even Private Rachel, the youngest, all the squad members came into view.
Perhaps worried by Taesu’s surprise, Squad Leader Sam quickly asked.
"Doctor Choi, are you all right?"
"What’s going on with all of you?"
"Shouldn’t we be the ones asking you that? How badly did you overdo it that you’re still lying here?"
There were no answers between them, only questions busily going back and forth.
Just then, Jeong Minsu squeezed his face between the squad members.
"What is with this conversation having no context?"
"Doctor Jeong. What happened?"
"What do you mean, what happened? A summary court-martial was held yesterday, so Mister Kim, James, and I went in and turned everything upside down."
After answering, Jeong Minsu added a wink and a smile.
Taesu, who had slept without moving for nearly a full day, had a vague sense of time.
"Wait, what time is it now……. No, Doctor Jonathan came by last night and left."
"That was during the court-martial."
"Hold on. My head’s a mess right now."
"To put it in order, after Doctor Hanks left and when Jonathan came here, we had gone to testify at the court-martial."
Only after hearing that did Taesu feel things begin to organize themselves a little.
With clearer eyes, Taesu quickly asked Squad Leader Sam.
"So what was the result?"
"You can think of it as a suspended sentence."
"No, how could that…… Ugh!"
Thump!
When Taesu tried to move violently and groaned in pain, everyone was startled.
"Are you all right?"
"Doctor Choi, is something wrong?"
At the soldiers’ fussing, Jeong Minsu raised both hands to calm them and said,
"He’s fine. He’s just getting worked up by himself and personally performing traditional Korean samulnori with his body."
"That’s quite the colorful way to say someone’s beating the drum and playing the janggu all by himself."
"That’s exactly what you look like right now……. Anyway, there’s nothing for everyone to worry about. He’s putting on a show all by himself."
Only after Jeong Minsu emphasized it did everyone relax.
"That’s a relief."
"Phew. That startled me."
But Taesu’s expression did not look particularly relieved.
"I’m in pain, and you call it putting on a show. Ugh."
"What do you call moving like that when you know you’re hurt?"
"They said it was a suspended sentence."
"It’s the result we got by having both sides yield as much as possible, so don’t be too unhappy with it."
Even with Jeong Minsu’s persuasion, Taesu did not seem to agree.
"Does it make sense to negotiate a sentence over a situation like that?"
"You think military law is the same as civilian law?"
"Even if it isn’t, there are limits."
"I’m telling you to think positively. Think of it as maintenance time for the Heli-Medical Team, which will resume in a month."
At that, Taesu froze.
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
"James said so. He said we’ll resume in a month, and if Squad Leader Sam’s team doesn’t escort us, we’ll deploy independently."
"Huh?"
"I’m saying James saved face for them."
Jeong Minsu explained in English, cobbling together a Korean expression.
Perhaps because everyone heard it in English, they roughly understood.
At that point, Squad Leader Sam stepped forward again.
"That’s right. Thanks to Doctor James actively defending us, it was able to end quietly."
"What was Colonel Clark’s position?"
"The colonel intended to dishonorably discharge all of us."
At that, Taesu’s expression hardened at once.
"What is that man thinking!"
"It is an undeniable fact that we failed to protect what we were supposed to protect."
"Even so, he was going to discharge the entire escort squad?"
"He is someone who absolutely does not compromise when it comes to the fundamentals of the military. That is why I respect him."
Squad Leader Sam spoke resolutely, without the slightest hint of resentment.
Strangely enough, Assistant Squad Leader Leo and the other squad members were the same.
"That’s right."
"Military discipline must be established."
Those firm expressions made Taesu’s head hurt even more.
"I really don’t understand how soldiers think."
"At times, we also do not understand how the three of you think."
"Fine. Let’s just say there’s a river between us that neither side can cross. And let’s agree not to peek beyond that river."
Taesu drew a brief conclusion.
Their goals in life were different, so there was no point arguing to force them to fit together.
Even with his throbbing head, he was trying to think about the reason for living from many angles. It was the gift Doctor Hanks had left him.
Perhaps Squad Leader Sam thought the same, though in a different context, because he comfortably agreed.
"Thank you for yielding."
"I’m doing it so my head won’t hurt."
"That is why I am thanking you. And after today, I think we will see you again on the day operations resume."
At Squad Leader Sam’s odd nuance, Taesu showed suspicion.
"Is that man going to harass you?"
"No. We requested it ourselves."
"Requested what?"
"We plan to reorganize everything so the same thing never happens again."
The moment Squad Leader Sam answered, Assistant Squad Leader Leo shook out his abundant brown hair and added solemnly,
"On the next deployment, we will make sure not even the tips of your fingers are injured."
"That’s right."
Everyone spoke in the same voice.
Sensing that trying to persuade them would be useless, Taesu simply accepted it.
"Yes. Please make sure we’re perfectly safe next time."
"Yes, sir!"
"That wasn’t me telling you to answer so brightly right now."
"We will make sure you are safe!"
At the strong answer that rang out in unison, Taesu gave up thinking.
"Yes. Thank you. I’ll just be grateful, then."
"Sir!"
"What am I supposed to do with these pickled-radish men? Ah, I’m tired. So tired."
The moment Taesu said that, Squad Leader Sam quickly gave an order to the squad members.
"Doctor Choi says he is tired. Squad, withdraw!"
"Yes, sir!"
Clack. Clack.
The squad members even marched in formation as they left the hospital room.
"Then we will see you when we deploy. Please recover soon."
Squad Leader Sam remained until the end, giving a warm farewell before heading out.
Click.
When the door closed, Taesu’s head truly throbbed.
"Ah, I’m seriously tired."
"I think you’d better just go back to sleep."
"Yeah. Anyway, seeing them like this does put my mind at ease. I’ll sleep a little more."
"Rest well."
Click.
Jeong Minsu was the last to turn off the light and leave.
Taesu closed his eyes again.
He had only just woken up, but perhaps because he had woken so suddenly, he soon slipped back into sleep.
When Taesu opened his eyes again, it was the dark of night.
"Ugh. How many times am I going to repeat sleeping and waking up?"
Taesu was dumbfounded, as though he had not expected himself to be like this.
At the same time, he thought there would be no more commotion now.
But then, he heard a voice he had not expected at all.
"How is my partner supposed to make a living when he’s this lazy?"
Korean?
And this familiar voice?
Whip!
Taesu sharply turned his head while lying down.
In the spot where Doctor Hanks had lain two days ago, a new hospital bed was now placed.
There was someone in that bed, waving a hand.
It was none other than Park Huinam’s face.