Perhaps his ears had been drawn to the sound, because Jeong Min-su’s words got tangled.
“If we samba the testing equipment over there… Ah, this is serious. Who’s playing around right now?”
“Samba?”
“Yeah. Samba… huh? Samba!”
Everyone’s eyes went wide.
And their gazes all turned toward the partition at once.
The operating room partition was slightly open, and Dr. Sandro’s face was visible.
The moment they saw him, everyone was startled.
“Sandro!”
“This is the right place, isn’t it?”
Dr. Sandro asked, glancing around.
Kim Hyeok-gwon, who had approached before anyone realized it, grabbed his hand and scolded him.
“You could’ve just come in. Why are you going around samba-ing again?”
“I didn’t know if this was the right place.”
“You didn’t know?”
“Dr. Choi forgot to tell me where to come. I wandered around for ages.”
Dr. Sandro, with the face of a typical passionate South American man, grumbled.
Kim Hyeok-gwon led him in and gave Taesu a piece of his mind.
“If a person tells you the purpose, it’s only polite to tell them the destination too.”
“I was going to tell him once I got an answer.”
“Now that I think about it, that’s true too.”
Kim Hyeok-gwon failed to mediate clearly and wavered between the two.
Meanwhile, Taesu looked at Dr. Sandro with concern.
“I’m grateful for your decision, but will you really be all right?”
“Dr. Choi’s summons strangely gives me a jolt. It’s always something new.”
“No, I’m asking if you’ll be okay.”
“Life is samba. Medical is soul.”
Dr. Sandro answered with something completely out of left field.
Hidden within it was the premise that he would refuse any obvious answer.
He didn’t say it directly, but his eyes did.
Taesu was grateful to him for accepting something that might cause trouble for his NGO work.
“Thank you, truly.”
“You only live once, so live without regrets. More importantly, is that cute lady the problem?”
“Yes. Her bleeding is delayed, so even collecting a blood sample is difficult.”
Taesu said with a worried expression.
At the same moment.
Smoothly.
Dr. Sandro pulled an ampoule from his pocket and showed it to him.
“Heh heh. We have medicines specialized for that sort of thing.”
“You do?”
“If we didn’t, we’d have to just sit on our hands in cases like this. And that goes against the soul of medical.”
“You’re right.”
“First, wait a moment. And relay a message to the guardian over there.”
Step. Step.
Dr. Sandro strode toward the operating table as confidently as if it were his own home.
Since the conversation had been in English, Raku understood immediately and stepped back with Hanto first.
“Please take good care of her.”
“Oh. You speak English. No, wait, I feel like I saw you in Padum?”
“I’m somewhat acquainted with Dr. Choi.”
“It’s probably more than just acquainted. Anyway, let’s talk about that later. First, excuse me.”
Dr. Sandro moved right up to the operating table.
Then he looked at Nashu, who was under sedative anesthesia, with a heavy gaze.
“Little lady, excuse me for just a moment.”
Smoothly.
Dr. Sandro asked for permission and moved his hands.
About a minute passed.
A blood sample from Nashu was in Dr. Sandro’s hand.
What was astonishing was that the bleeding, which should have taken ten minutes of pressure to stop, had ceased in less than a minute.
“Okay, sample secured.”
“Dr. Sandro, if you have that medicine, doesn’t that mean surgery is possible too?”
“No, no. It’s a special hemostatic agent developed for collecting samples. It isn’t for surgery.”
“Ah, yes.”
Taesu forcibly swallowed his disappointment.
Soon, Dr. Sandro put away the blood sample and said,
“I’ll go to the lab now, quietly run the test, and bring back the results. Two hours should do it.”
“There won’t be a problem, right?”
“Running the machine one more time won’t be noticeable. Then I’ll see you in two hours.”
Smoothly.
Dr. Sandro cut his words short and immediately put them into action.
Kim Hyeok-gwon watched his back and muttered quietly.
“South Americans really do have that fiery streak.”
“I’m sorry. Last time too, and now this time, I contacted him far too out of the blue.”
“Repay him later. He’ll probably have something come up too.”
“I’d like to repay him with just a drink, but… we’ll have to see about that later.”
Taesu did not rashly make any promises.
What was certain was his resolve that, if Dr. Sandro ever asked him for anything, he would grant it no matter what.
From now on, it was time to wait.
At least it was limited to two hours, so they would not be left in endless anxiety.
For now, the best they could do was take comfort in that and wait.
Two tense hours passed.
It was now past dawn and nearing morning.
The medical staff began exchanging glances more frequently.
It was because the sun would soon rise.
In truth, if a little more time passed, the morning routine would begin.
It was fortunate that James had permitted them to use the surgery tent. Otherwise, they really might have ended up in trouble with one another.
That concern had grown so heavy, yet even now, they remained in the same place.
Everything they had originally planned had fallen apart.
It would be a lie to say that didn’t bother him.
However, the patient was more important.
Even his worries were postponed until after the patient’s problem had been resolved.
That was only natural.
A little more time passed like that.
A familiar voice came from the pre-op room.
“Samba, samba.”
It was Dr. Sandro’s voice.
As everyone brightened, Kim Hyeok-gwon made a comment.
“You could just come in.”
“I think he has something to say outside.”
“Then go out and see.”
“I was planning to. Excuse me for a moment.”
Taesu asked for their understanding and gave Raku a light glance.
Nod.
He sent a signal with a nod and headed out of the operating room.
Taesu pulled back the partition and came out into the pre-op room.
But Dr. Sandro’s expression was strange.
His sly, easygoing face was frozen stiff.
Taesu instantly narrowed his brow.
“Dr. Sandro, what happened?”
“W-well…”
“What were the results… No, why are you empty-handed? Were you unable to run the test?”
Just as Taesu said, Dr. Sandro was empty-handed.
Growing anxious, Taesu fired off questions without pause.
Dr. Sandro could not say a word.
“……”
Smoothly.
His gaze, which had been facing Taesu, shifted slightly to the side.
He was clearly sending some kind of signal.
Following that gaze, Taesu discovered someone standing in his blind spot.
Rustle, rustle.
The person flipping through the test results was surrounded by a surging red aura.
It was none other than Dr. Wallik.
Taesu could not feel glad to see him just because they were acquainted.
When it came to medicine, he was a fierce and sharp person who allowed no compromise.
Taesu was deeply flustered.
“D-Dr. Wallik.”
“I was wondering why Dr. Sandro was loitering around the medical camp. I never dreamed it had anything to do with you, Dr. Choi.”
“You must have woken up early.”
“The inpatient tents start their day around this time. More importantly… who is this patient?”
Rustle.
Dr. Wallik asked while indifferently flipping through the test results.
Taesu’s eyes darted for a moment.
He had no idea what to answer.
Dr. Sandro looked at Taesu with his large eyes, expressing his injustice. Not only that, he even made small gestures with his hands.
Swish, flick. Point.
‘I secretly finished the test and had just arrived here, and Dr. Wallik caught me from behind.’
That was roughly what his signal meant.
Perhaps those complicated hand signals were dizzying, because Dr. Wallik said one thing.
“Dr. Sandro, if your hands are causing trouble, I can have internal medicine examine them in detail.”
“No, sir.”
Dr. Sandro answered, frozen stiff.
Taesu also could not easily cut in.
That was how low and cold Dr. Wallik’s voice was.
“……”
As Taesu quietly tried to read the mood.
Thud.
Dr. Wallik closed the test results and looked at Taesu.
His gaze was cold enough to sting.
Combined with the blazing aura around him, it called to mind a cold flame.
With the feeling of burning ice, he asked Taesu again.
“I believe I asked who this patient is. Why is there no answer?”
“That… well…”
“Was this patient the reason you delayed your departure yesterday?”
“…Yes.”
Taesu answered that part truthfully.
Just then, the partition opened and Kim Hyeok-gwon poked his face out.
“Why aren’t you coming in… gasp!”
“Mr. Kim, I think Dr. Choi will be a little late coming in.”
“Th-th-th. Ahem. Is that so? Then please have your conversation.”
Even the great Kim Hyeok-gwon was visibly shaken.
Just as he was about to quickly pull his head back, Dr. Wallik asked,
“Who is in there right now?”
“Uh, well…”
“When you stayed briefly in my tent before, did you fail to grasp my personality?”
The moment Dr. Wallik asked coldly.
Kim Hyeok-gwon shot Taesu a glare and opened his mouth.
“Dr. Jeong and the anesthesiologist, Dr. Jo, are there.”
“Only those two. Then whose test results are these?”
“The patient, the guardian, and Rajkumar. A merchant is with us as well.”
Kim Hyeok-gwon, looking as if he had no choice, told him everyone.
At that, Dr. Wallik’s expression turned sharp.
“Rajkumar.”
“He’s a merchant who sometimes comes here to sell things. We asked him to bring the patient.”
“Enough of that nonsense. Rajkumar!”
Dr. Wallik suddenly raised his voice and called Raku.
Somehow, there was a sense of familiarity in the way he addressed him.
Then Raku appeared, pulling aside the partition beside Kim Hyeok-gwon.
“Dr. Wallik. I see you early in the morning.”
The atmosphere truly did not feel unfamiliar, and Taesu was even more surprised.
“You know each other?”
“We greeted each other a few days ago through Dr. Schmidt’s introduction.”
“Ah, I see.”
Since Dr. Schmidt was close friends with Dr. Wallik, Taesu could understand.
But Dr. Wallik was not done.
“I thought I heard you were going to the Korean village. Was that not the case?”
“My schedule changed a little just before departure.”
“Then did you bring the patient?”
“Yes. I asked Dr. Choi, and that is how she was brought here.”
Raku spoke only the truth.
But there was a small problem within that answer.
Dr. Wallik immediately caught it.
“Then that is strange. How am I supposed to understand Dr. Choi delaying his dispatch and performing surgery at this hour because of you asking?”
“Because of my request…”
“This is a medical camp. I acknowledge Dr. Choi’s emergency treatment skills, but if we’re discussing surgical ability, he is not yet someone to put forward.”
As expected of Dr. Wallik.
Even with Taesu standing right in front of him, he evaluated him coldly and clearly.
Raku was not so tactless that he failed to understand that. However, there was not much he could say.
No, pretending not to know was the wise choice right now.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know the circumstances of this place in detail.”
“Then where exactly did you bring this patient from, and why is it being handled so secretly?”
At that question.
Taesu could no longer make Raku uncomfortable, so he stepped forward.
“Dr. Wallik, may I speak?”
“Did I tell you to step in, Dr. Choi?”
“I’m the one who did wrong. Raku did nothing except bring the patient here with my permission.”
Step.
Taesu stood between Dr. Wallik and Raku.
It was an action meant to draw Dr. Wallik’s eyes to himself.
Then he moved his hand behind his back and flicked it.
Whoosh, whoosh.
It was a gesture telling them to go inside.
Kim Hyeok-gwon must have seen it, because he quickly took Raku back into the operating room.
Dr. Wallik watched them all the while, then raised one corner of his mouth.
“Even at times like this, your signals match up well.”
“I apologize for acting on my own, but I didn’t want to put Raku in any more of a difficult position.”
“Fine. This is something we need to discuss among ourselves anyway. Sit down first.”
Dr. Wallik headed toward the table.