Chomp!
He took the bait and answered readily.
"I sold two hoes and one mattock."
"Ah……. Yes. I see."
"The ornaments all sold."
"How many?"
Taesu asked, forcing a smile.
Jo Jeong-min answered with an energetic expression.
"It was as many as twenty."
"Is that so?"
"After all, since they're handmade, we can't make too many."
Jo Jeong-min answered, shrugging his shoulders.
Taesu set aside the items already gone and focused on the main products, the hoes and mattocks.
"The farming tools seem a bit difficult."
"If they don't sell here, we can sell them elsewhere."
"Is that so?"
"Of course. They're quite popular in other cities and villages."
Jo Jeong-min noticed Taesu's concern and spoke up first.
Taesu didn't think it was a lie.
But telling him the truth—that it wasn't the case—also took courage.
Taesu mustered his courage with a gentle smile.
"How about trying to sell something else if the farming tools don't sell?"
"That's a bit difficult. I have a conscience, and I have loyalty to the village folks."
"Isn't experience more important?"
"But I want to sell more of our goods."
Scratch.
Jo Jeong-min scratched his head awkwardly and revealed his true feelings.
In the end, the hoes and mattocks were the main products.
Taesu thought for a moment and took out his wallet. It was a scrap of paper he hadn't needed in the Korean village, but the situation was different now.
And since he had recently received a generous allowance, his wallet was bountiful.
Taesu spoke in a low voice.
"I'll take them all."
"What do you mean? Why did you take out your wallet?"
"I need them."
The moment Taesu spoke calmly, Jo Jeong-min's expression turned serious.
"If Dr. Choe needs them, I can give them all to you."
"What are you saying?"
"But if you're buying them out of consideration for us……. I'm sorry, but I can't allow that."
Jo Jeong-min's expression was too serious.
At this moment, it seemed like not a single drop of blood would come out even if you stabbed him.
Taesu realized his mistake.
He too was Korean.
Living poorly was one thing, but touching one's pride was a taboo.
Jo Jeong-min had clearly felt that way about Taesu's actions just now.
Taesu also reproached himself for his rashness.
'Damn.'
He was slightly embarrassed.
But Taesu quickly thought on his feet and changed the subject.
"I think there's been a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?"
"Didn't I say I'm dispatched here and there? I was buying them to use when pitching tents or breaking ground."
Taesu displayed an impromptu response that he was quite satisfied with.
But Jo Jeong-min wasn't so easily fooled.
"Then since there are three of you, one of each would be enough."
"We need spares too."
"They're sturdy. If there's a problem during use, I'll exchange them for you next time. That's our village policy."
Jo Jeong-min refused, reasoning logically.
Taesu was slightly moved by the mention of after-sales service in the midst of this.
'Their artisan spirit alone is amazing.'
But this was no time for admiration.
Taesu had no choice but to move on to his next scheme.
It was the "coming clean" strategy.
The point was to exploit his disposition of softening at honesty and sincerity.
Taesu lightly composed himself and properly apologized.
"Ahem. Jeong-min. First, I'm sorry. I got ahead of myself."
"As expected, you were trying to buy them just to help us."
"You came all the way here, and I wanted to give you the title of a sell-out. So you could go back to your village with your shoulders back."
Taesu spoke candidly.
As if Jo Jeong-min had suspected as much, he slightly loosened his ironclad defense.
"I suspected it when you said you'd take them all."
"Just close your eyes once."
"I can't. Actually, the elder already gave me a hint."
Jo Jeong-min mentioned someone.
With Elder Wang's passing, the village's highest elder was now Elder Jeon.
Taesu had been so busy talking about the big and small events in the village that he hadn't asked after the elders.
Before it got any later, he took care of that first.
"The elders are in good health, I trust?"
"Hehe. Grandpa told me to say this if anyone asked that."
"What did Elder Jo say?"
"'I'll live until I smear shit on the wall, you brat……. That's what he said.'"
Perhaps because he was Elder Jo's grandson, when he imitated him, the resemblance was striking.
Just hearing it brought to mind the hale and hearty Elder Jo, and Taesu smiled unconsciously.
"His personality hasn't changed, it seems."
"He's very healthy."
"But what was the hint that Elder Jeon gave?"
When Taesu brought the topic back, Jo Jeong-min answered naturally.
"He said it's time for us to stand up with our own strength."
"It would be hurtful if you treat us as outsiders."
"He told me to tell you that a doctor should only worry about slicing and stitching."
"Well, now."
As Taesu was at a loss, Jo Jeong-min added his own thoughts.
"I've come to realize after looking around. That you three have given us tremendous favors."
"What do you mean?"
"And I heard from the other doctors here. That you three are truly remarkable people."
Jo Jeong-min answered seriously.
It was his third day at the PKO base.
He seemed to have heard many things here and there during that time.
The Helicopter Medical Team was a hot issue in the NGO and PKO circles, so news must have been easy to hear.
Their names had become known through a series of events.
Taesu was slightly embarrassed that Jo Jeong-min was aware of these things.
"Well, it's nothing that great."
"I've heard so many stories……."
"Let's put that aside. Please accept my apology first."
"Don't say that. It makes me more ashamed and small."
Fortunately, Jo Jeong-min treated it as if it never happened.
Only then did Taesu's guilt over touching Jeong-min's pride subside.
The problem was that he had no next move.
What do you do at times like this?
'Tactical retreat.'
He decided to boldly take one step back to advance two steps forward.
"Then I won't disturb your business anymore and will just watch."
"Thank you."
"Take care."
"Take your time going back. I'll return with good news this evening."
Fwip. Fwip.
Jo Jeong-min smiled again and waved his hand vigorously.
Taesu smiled and turned around.
Swoosh.
The moment he turned, his gaze changed completely.
"A sell-out, no matter what."
Make it work if it doesn't work.
It was something he had heard countless times during rappel training.
The can-do spirit activated fully in Taesu's mind.
Taesu's plan was extremely simple.
Connections were meant to be used at times like this.
'Let's go all out!'
He immediately grabbed his phone and headed somewhere.
And a short while later.
Taesu was sitting on an empty supply box behind the combined dining facility.
Another empty supply box was visible in front of him.
Finally, he was holding his wallet.
Soon, Sergeant Sam appeared from that direction.
In just the few days they hadn't seen each other, his muscles had swelled so that his clothes felt tight.
Taesu could imagine how brutally he was training.
Soon, in Sergeant Sam's hand as he approached were some dark, bumpy objects.
They were exactly the hoes and mattocks that Jo Jeong-min was selling.
Clatter.
He set them down in the empty box and spoke to Taesu.
"Everyone's moving with time gaps according to plan."
"Good work. I should give you the purchase cost for these."
"It's fine."
"What are you saying? I don't want any loose ends."
Taesu said that point firmly.
Foreigners had a strong tendency to go Dutch down to the last bean.
And since Taesu was the one who asked the favor, it was only right to pay them back.
Nevertheless, Sergeant Sam waved his hands.
"It's just the cost of a big drink here. What's the big deal?"
"Huh?"
"They're cheap and look sturdy, which is good, but it's a shame they're not practical for us. Well, excuse me."
Clack. Clack.
Sergeant Sam passed by naturally.
But Taesu was different.
'The cost of a drink?'
Considering that shop was the PX, it was practically free.
No matter how cheap hoes and mattocks were in Korea, this was Kashmir.
Considering their scarcity and commercial value, it was an absurdly low amount.
"Sam, your math is a bit fuzzy."
Taesu scolded Sergeant Sam with an expression that said it made no sense.
But Sergeant Sam's calculation wasn't fuzzy.
The other squad members' reactions were exactly the same.
They had all purchased hoes and mattocks in the same manner.
Clang. Clang.
They placed them one by one in the supply box and added:
"Dr. Choe. Let's just say we didn't hear you trying to settle it with just this."
"Is scrap iron cheaper than a drink?"
"Are you planning a side business collecting scrap metal for export?"
Their reactions were full of "it's nothing."
That confused Taesu considerably.
Now he knew the exact price too.
"Is it really that price?"
Considering the exchange rate difference, it would be more profitable to export them to Korea and sell them.
Even converted to Indian rupees or Pakistani rupees used in Kashmir, it was too cheap.
Taesu looked down at the piled-up hoes and mattocks.
If he sold all of these, would they even amount to a chunk of meat?
How much was the effort worth?
It was absurd.
Shake. Shake.
Taesu shook his head endlessly with an exasperated expression.
First, Taesu calmed his mind.
He couldn't very well carry around this many hoes and mattocks.
They had to leave Taesu's hands completely so that the keenly perceptive Jo Jeong-min wouldn't find out.
Then naturally, he had to resell them.
'I'll have to resell them at a high price.'
He had even steeled his resolve to extract an exorbitant profit.
He planned to transform that amount into gifts sent to the village, thoroughly disguising it.
Who in the base had financial leisure right now?
Many doctors came to mind, starting with James.
But to them, these were farming tools they really didn't need.
Perhaps only if they were used for leveling ground when the PKO was dispatched.
At that thought, Taesu's eyes gleamed.
"There is."
Shhhhrk!
Taesu immediately moved, lifting the heavy supply box filled with hoes and mattocks.
A short while later.
Taesu entered an office filled with a military atmosphere.
And he placed the box of hoes and mattocks on a steel table.
Thud!
On the opposite side, Colonel Clark was looking with a rather bewildered expression.
"Dr. Choe, what is this?"
"They're called hoes and mattocks, Korea's specialty farming tools."
"Why did you bring these?"
Colonel Clark couldn't grasp the situation at all.
Taesu raised his nose high at him and started with a threat.
"You said you'd take responsibility for the incident in Operation Wolf Escape's deployment. Is that correct?"
"Yes. That's correct."
"Then take care of this as you see fit."
After Taesu spoke with immense bravado, Colonel Clark seemed to catch on.
"Are you telling me to purchase these?"
"It's not a purchase request. It's a forced sale."
"Am I supposed to endure a forced sale too?"
Colonel Clark blinked his eyes, unable to understand.
At that moment, Taesu focused strength in his eyes and raised his voice.
"I almost died."
"About that……."
"The court-martial is over, so now it's fine. Is that what you're saying?"
When Taesu seized the initiative, Colonel Clark flinched greatly.