Riiip.
He immediately tore open the envelope and took in its contents.
—To Dear Dr. Choe.
An overly ordinary opening and a stream of well-wishes followed.
Even if the content was common, he carefully read every word without missing a single spelling.
It was that special of a moment.
Reading down to about the middle, there was something that caught his eye.
—My memory has not returned until now. I went home and saw my parents, but felt nothing at all.
Tae-su felt regretful about that.
"If only he had been found a little earlier."
It was already too late to regret the past, but he couldn't help feeling lingering attachment.
At that thought, Tae-su's expression turned bitter.
But that was only for a moment.
"Huh?"
The next part was even more surprising.
—This is a scenic village in Sweden. A place completely unrelated to the past. I am painting here.
Tae-su's expression changed subtly.
Art therapy?
That was one way, but there needed to be a counselor to help.
Was he with a counselor?
Various thoughts crossed his mind.
But the next part completely defied Tae-su's expectations.
—I often hear that there is one thing missing in my paintings.
Road signs.
Even when I draw roads, even when road signs are clearly visible, I discovered that I don't draw them. So I write this letter.
Words that Tae-su himself had spoken slowly came to mind.
"That's right. Life doesn't have road signs."
He had said it meaning not to be tied down.
He became curious about how the person thought about that.
The letter content regarding that continued.
—Not having decided anything doesn't mean living carelessly. Strangely, I feel peace within it.
Tae-su nodded impassively.
"There's no need to force it."
That didn't mean he thought it was necessarily right.
It simply meant diversity in ways of living.
A few more lines continued before the letter reached its end.
—I feel the preciousness of today that I am living more than the long lost time. I am grateful every day to Dr. Choe for saving me so that I could feel this emotion.
Tae-su savored the final phrase.
"Grateful every day…… Me too."
He was so grateful for the heart that had sent this letter.
After neatly putting away Liberio's letter.
Now there really was only the Hindi letter left.
If the content was in Hindi too, things could get a little difficult.
Of course, he could ask Gim Hyeokgwon for help, but since he didn't know what the content was, he couldn't help but be cautious.
"Hmm…… Right. Let's look at you first, small and cute one."
Swish.
He promptly picked one among the many letters.
And with a slightly nervous expression, he slowly opened it.
It was a unique shape with the inside of the envelope made of letter paper.
When he carefully opened it all, one sentence was written crookedly in large letters.
—I LOVE DR, CHOI.
That was all.
"W-who is it?"
Tae-su was slightly flustered by the sudden love confession.
It seemed to be sent by a child, but since he had treated and operated on so many children, he couldn't immediately think of who it was.
"Sure. Well, I love you too. Thank you."
He accepted the love confession to the letter.
Even though he didn't know who it was, even if it was just a short sentence, it didn't matter.
The sincerity he had felt filling his chest the moment he opened the letter was enough.
After that too, Tae-su opened the letters one by one.
Unexpectedly, many of the contents were in English.
He was happy to see all of them, but there were some that he thought were unexpected.
"Hamed, this old man sent a letter?"
He was the first CABG surgery patient.
The moment they had met in the middle of the bustling medical camp was dizzying even now.
Fortunately, the letter content was not alarming.
"With your wife after being discharged……. You exercise often. That's good. Your heart needs to be bothered moderately."
Tae-su smiled gently at the letter content containing Hamed's subtle bragging.
And another welcome name was seen.
Salena.
She was an emergency patient who had suffered cardiac tamponade in Padumsi.
It seemed she had faithfully kept her promise to immerse herself in English studies.
The letter written carefully and precisely like a child was very neat.
The content made Tae-su smile even more.
"I told you to become an English teacher; what are you doing taking classes together with the kids?…… That's right. Your daughter is definitely studying together too."
Tae-su believed that Salena's desired wish was coming true.
And through Salena, he was also reminded again that mental health is as important as physical health.
After that too, Tae-su checked several more letters.
Unexpectedly, letters had arrived from various villages.
More than ten of them.
Some letters had all the happenings of the village written down.
And some letters contained only short, bold core points.
As such, the letters too varied wildly depending on the sender's personality.
It was after checking all the letters.
Tae-su, who had organized them neatly, briefly clutched them to his chest.
Traces of my life?
He had no such arrogant thoughts.
Swoosh.
He calmly closed his eyes.
And he recalled those who had not forgotten and had sent letters like this.
Not just them, but he brought to mind all the patients who had passed through his hands.
And he muttered softly.
"This is the best discharge gift."
After reciting it, he slowly opened his eyes.
A faint smile hung at the corners of his mouth with a gaze that had deepened.
His chest felt so full it seemed like it would burst.
This wasn't just a letter.
It was a driving force that would raise up a weary Tae-su at any time.
A short while later.
Tae-su's attire changed.
He took off the patient gown and returned to ordinary clothes.
And.
Rustle.
He felt incomplete without it.
Tae-su, who had lightly shrugged on the white coat, looked at the letters held in one hand.
"There are too few after all."
The desire to receive more letters stimulated him.
This wasn't the time to merely yearn like this.
It was something he just had to put into action.
"Shall I get moving?"
Creak.
He opened the hospital room door.
At that moment, Patient Choe Taesu disappeared, and Dr. Choe Taesu returned.
The discharged Tae-su decided to find James first.
Upon exiting the headquarters building, a massive medical camp unfolded.
It was the scenery he had seen every day through the hospital room window.
But now, the feeling was completely different.
"Do clothes make a person this different?"
They say a person changes according to their hat.
It was a saying that Tae-su, who didn't cling to honor, had never cared about. But now, those words resonated with him deeply.
When wearing the patient gown, he had been merely part of the scenery.
On the contrary, now wearing the coat, he could feel the tension situated throughout the entire medical camp.
Rattle.
"Move aside!"
"You can go that way."
"What are you doing there. Move quickly!"
Stretchers came and went.
Doctors and nurses ran about.
Even guardians looked about anxiously.
Movements centered around patients filled the place.
Urgent and chaotic sights intersected everywhere.
The tension flowing within was not desperate.
Hope underlay it as a premise.
It was clearly the positive tension emitted by people who aspired to live.
Thump, thump.
Perhaps because Tae-su was being swept up in it too, his heartbeat gradually quickened.
And at this moment, he strongly felt that he was alive.
It was then.
"Dr. Choe, to the side!"
Rumble!
A movement was felt along with the shout.
Looking to the side, Dr. Quentin was approaching while pushing a stretcher with an urgent expression.
The moment he saw it, he instinctively sensed it.
It would be an emergency patient related to neurosurgery.
Squeak!
Tae-su quickly opened the door wide to make a path for them to pass swiftly.
"Kkudi!"
"Ssamba!"
Dr. Quentin answered with his unique manner of speech and passed by.
Rumble!
That was the end of it.
It was quite different from Dr. Quentin's usual composed demeanor.
The expressions of the medical staff moving with him were also beyond serious.
Tae-su's gaze turned to their retreating figures.
Twitch, twitch.
His fingers twitched.
Strength entered both his legs.
His whole body sent signals, but Tae-su did not chase after them.
'It's not my place to butt in.'
Nevertheless, his body reacted regardless of his will.
His chest grew hot again.
Emergency patient.
Just recalling that existence heated Tae-su up like this.
'Let's move quickly.'
Tap, tap.
Tae-su's footsteps quickened.
He wanted to greet James quickly and help patients.
Having been sick himself, the preciousness of life was felt more keenly.
A short while later.
Tae-su was sitting at a reception table inside James's medical tent.
As always, several binders were stacked on one side of the table.
Tae-su didn't even cast his gaze at the binders.
Under the table, his hands were busier checking the time on his wristwatch.
'It's already been 10 minutes since I arrived.'
In that time, Tae-su had greeted James and expressed all of his burning eagerness.
But James, who should have been seated opposite, was not visible.
He was approaching from over there holding two drinks.
James, now close, offered a drink.
"First, drink and cool your head."
"I only came to pay my respects."
"Are you pushing away my goodwill right now?"
James asked as he took the seat opposite.
Even in his casual tone, there was a great weight.
In that instant, Tae-su felt like cold water had been poured over his head.
His mind snapped to attention.
Thanks to that, he realized he had been treating James too casually.
That wouldn't do.
"No, sir. I will drink."
"No need to be so rigid."
"It's not like that. I will drink it gratefully."
Pop.
Tae-su composed himself a bit more and opened the bottle cap.
Only then did James pick up his drink too.
After taking a big sip each.
Clack.
Tae-su, having set down the drink, glanced at the medical tent entrance.
Sitting while holding a burning heart was agonizing.
He wanted to get up immediately, but because his counterpart was James, he couldn't be so rude and felt frustrated.
Then James's voice was heard.
"When conversing, it's proper to look at your partner."
"Ahem. Yes."
"I know why Dr. Choe is acting like this. But do you know why I'm holding you back like this?"
James asked leisurely.
Only then did Tae-su, facing James, shake his head.
"No. Honestly, I thought you would tell me to hurry up and go spread my wings."
"That's the imaginary James that Dr. Choe created in his head. A different being from the real James you're facing."
"Am I remembering wrong?"
"Think on it more."
James suggested with a still leisurely voice.