“It worked out for the best, right?”
“You’d have to call it the best possible outcome.”
“Then we… did well by staying behind, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then why do I feel so empty?”
When Jeong Minsu asked, Jo Uncheol answered in an even emptier voice.
“I was really looking forward to today’s surgery.”
“You think I wasn’t? I’ve been doing nothing but restocking medicine every day, and I thought I’d finally get to assist in surgery for the first time in ages.”
Kim Hyeokgwon also sounded somehow aggrieved.
Taesu looked around at them and asked,
“Are you that unhappy that Nashu doesn’t have to undergo surgery?”
“If you put it that way, what does that make us?”
“That’s what you all sounded like just now.”
When Taesu pressed them, Jeong Minsu shook his head.
“No. That’s not it. It’s just that my motivation was swelling up like crazy, then suddenly got snuffed out.”
“That’s right. We’re talking about the surgery itself. We’re not saying it’s a bad thing that Nashu turned out all right.”
Kim Hyeokgwon agreed with him.
Thinking over what the two of them said, it seemed they had been stressed from not being able to properly take part in surgeries all this time.
Whatever anyone said, Jeong Minsu was a surgeon, and Kim Hyeokgwon was an operating room nurse.
Taesu stopped pushing them and changed the subject.
“You’ll get to do plenty once you’re dispatched.”
“That’s true. When do we head out?”
“We need to report the situation to James, eat breakfast, and then leave.”
“Right. We should stop by internal medicine for a bit and say hello to some familiar faces too.”
Kim Hyeokgwon answered smoothly.
The surgery had been canceled, but there was nothing wrong with wanting to see the patient one more time before leaving.
Taesu felt the same way.
“Let’s go together later. For now, let’s finish cleaning up.”
“Let’s do that!”
After answering energetically, their hands grew brisk and precise.
As they worked, they slipped in the rest of their conversation.
“We didn’t even do the surgery, but I feel good.”
“We’ll be doing surgeries till we drop from here on out.”
“When that time comes, let’s not start clamoring to transfer to internal medicine.”
“Once we’re dispatched, there won’t even be an internal medicine department. What transfer?”
“Haha.”
Everyone finished tidying up the operating room with pleased expressions.
An hour later.
They were all waiting in James’s surgical tent.
Taesu, Jeong Minsu, Kim Hyeokgwon, and James’s surgical team members had all gathered.
Among them, Brad Kim was nowhere to be seen.
“Where did Brad go?”
“Oh. Dispatched to a medical volunteer team.”
“Ah, I see.”
Taesu swallowed his regret at not being able to see him.
But he had not had the faintest idea there were dispatched medical volunteer teams.
‘Well, there are a lot of things I don’t know.’
Just as that thought ended,
James came inside and went straight to the point.
“The surgery?”
“We weren’t able to operate.”
“Hmm. The reason?”
“That is…”
Taesu immediately explained what had happened.
James’s surgical team members were hearing it for the first time as well, so they all listened closely.
As Taesu gave his report, he emphasized the parts that needed emphasizing.
“Dr. Wallik insisted that I tell James directly about his achievement.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. He also asked me to stress that he would thoroughly handle the follow-up, and that although he had done something remarkable, you didn’t need to concern yourself too much over it.”
Taesu clearly relayed the parts he had been asked to convey.
At that, a gentle smile appeared on James’s face.
“Heh heh. I’ll have to make sure to meet him today and praise him.”
“But I had no idea Dr. Wallik had a talent for that kind of thing.”
“It must have been the complete opposite of his usual stiff, solemn manner.”
“Yes. It was a total twist.”
Taesu answered with a surprised expression.
But Dr. James seemed to take it as a matter of course.
“Those unexpected sides of him will help loosen the noose he’s tightened around his own throat.”
“Is that so?”
“Doesn’t Dr. Choi also become stronger when his rebellious streak kicks in? It’s a similar principle.”
“Haha. I won’t deny it.”
“In any case, I’m glad it was resolved well. Wrap things up and set out.”
James lightly signaled their parting.
Since they were only being dispatched until the Helicopter Medical Team resumed, he did not show any sadness.
The same went for Taesu, Jeong Minsu, and Kim Hyeokgwon.
Jo Uncheol had been quietly listening to the conversation.
Now that it was time to leave, Taesu raised his voice energetically.
“Then we’ll be off!”
“Everyone, stay healthy!”
After giving spirited farewells, Taesu and the other three moved with light hearts.
An hour later.
All preparations for departure were complete.
Taesu and the other three briefly stopped by Dr. Wallik’s ward tent.
Nashu was still asleep.
Dr. Gallion quietly approached and handed over the chart.
“Take a look.”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Rustle, rustle.
Taesu turned the chart to the very front and checked it with his eyes.
Jeong Minsu and Kim Hyeokgwon were stuck close to either side of him, while Jo Uncheol leaned in from the other side.
The faces of the four men gradually brightened.
“Wow, so this is how it turns out?”
“This is really all right, isn’t it?”
“Ahem. I still have a long way to go. The world of darkness is vast and deep indeed.”
Kim Hyeokgwon even fell into self-reflection.
Just then,
Tap.
Dr. Gallion took back the chart and said,
“If word of this leaks out elsewhere, I’ll suspect the four of you.”
“That will absolutely never happen.”
“No one would do something that would only hurt them.”
“Of course. And Dr. James said he would visit sometime today.”
“Really? I need to let him know quickly. Safe travels, everyone!”
Tadadak.
Dr. Gallion hurriedly ran off to find Dr. Wallik.
Seeing him like that, there were many ways in which he resembled Dr. Wall.
That aside, two people were nowhere to be seen.
“Where did Raku and Hanto go?”
“Now that the child is stable, they must be resting somewhere.”
“Looks like we won’t get to see their faces before we leave.”
“We can’t delay either, so let’s get moving.”
It was a little disappointing, but now it was time to move.
Rustle.
They left the ward tent and headed toward the vehicle.
As they approached the NGO truck, they saw Raku and Hanto waiting there.
“Huh?”
“You’re finally here.”
“Why are you here?”
Everyone looked at them in puzzlement.
Then Hanto fumbled around and held something out.
Raku explained on his behalf.
“They’re functional undergarments. The kind that don’t trap moisture easily.”
“Why this?”
“He says he didn’t have anything else, so he bought them at the PX over there, and he’s sorry.”
When Raku interpreted, Kim Hyeokgwon glanced at him sidelong.
“Raku, I have ears too.”
“Oops. Well… haha.”
As Raku made an awkward expression, Taesu immediately asked,
“Hyeokgwon, what did he leave out?”
“He says even after spending everything he had, it still wasn’t enough, so he borrowed some from Raku.”
“You didn’t have to go that far…”
“He says Nashu has no immediate problems. So once he wakes up, he’ll talk to him and return there with Raku.”
They were both careful not to mention the title Jamm.
Hearing that plan, Taesu felt a little puzzled.
“Shouldn’t you stay by Nashu’s side?”
“He says he plans to go back and properly apologize to the ranch owner first. Only then does he think he’ll be able to stand proudly before Nashu as a father.”
“Hmm. You were beaten rather badly.”
“He says it’s only natural to be punished if you do wrong. And he says he knows very well that the ranch owner isn’t a bad person, but was angrier because of the sense of betrayal.”
Kim Hyeokgwon conveyed Hanto’s awkward words exactly as they were.
If that was what Hanto thought, Taesu did not want to stop him.
“Do as you feel comfortable. But please make sure you tell him the truth.”
“I’ll be beside him and explain it properly.”
“If it’s you, Raku, I trust you.”
The reason he had interpreted sloppily a moment ago was to omit praise for himself.
Taesu knew that well, so his trust was not shaken.
Then Hanto held out the undergarments again.
When he said something, Kim Hyeokgwon answered with an embarrassed expression.
“He says there’s only one for each of us, but he hopes they’ll be useful.”
“I’m not sure if we should accept this.”
“He says if you don’t accept them, there might not be a cow for you to take back. Hup. He’s calling that a threat.”
“That is definitely a threat. Since it’s an important cow, we’d better accept quickly and tell him not to touch it.”
Thud.
Taesu was the first to take hold of the undergarments and personally thanked Hanto.
“Thank you. We’ll use them well.”
“Very, very, thank you.”
Hanto answered in halting, broken English.
A thin smile formed on his face, which had been full of tears.
It would still be difficult for him to laugh brightly.
Even so, he seemed happy to have gifted a set of undergarments to those who had helped him.
Taesu and the other three felt good receiving them as well.
A gesture like this was not too burdensome to accept.
Soon Taesu and the other three climbed into the truck.
Vroom.
The truck slowly set off toward the dispatch site.
“Let’s get plenty of sleep before we arrive.”
“We should. Who knows what the situation will be when we get there?”
“One thing’s certain: it’s an area with no communication. No one has contacted us.”
“Maybe they couldn’t contact us. First, we need to sleep.”
They each said a word, expressing their excitement at setting out for the dispatch site.
They were thrilled at the thought of giving someone a new life.
They did not think of sorrow.
If sorrow was assumed from the start, there would be no reason to depart.
They were on their way to seek out the sick like this in order to embrace and protect life.
It was only natural to carry a heart full of hope.
Three weeks later.
Two vehicles entered the NGO medical camp.
Vrooom.
The vehicles made a wide circuit around the medical camp and arrived in the yard of the headquarters building.
From the stopped vehicles, Taesu got out first, followed by Jeong Minsu, Kim Hyeokgwon, Yun Juseong, and the Korean medical staff one after another.
Everyone’s skin was tanned a deep brown, and they looked somewhat tired.
Jeong Minsu threw both hands up and expressed his joy.
“We’re home.”
“Strictly speaking, this isn’t home.”
“In front of home, then.”
“That I’ll accept.”
Since their lodgings were at headquarters, Taesu allowed that much.
Yun Juseong called out to the two of them.
“Dr. Choi, Dr. Jeong, aren’t you going to unload the luggage?”
“Coming!”
Just as they were about to unload the baggage from the truck bed,
Clap, clap, clap.
The sound of applause came from somewhere.
And the applause, which had begun softly, gradually grew louder.
Taesu and everyone on the dispatch team looked around with puzzled expressions.
“Where is that sound coming from?”
“Is there something to celebrate today?”
While they were standing there bewildered,
Doctors and nurses began coming out of the building entrance one by one, forming a long line.
As the number of medical staff increased, the applause grew louder.
Clap, clap, clap!
“Everyone, you worked hard.”
“Good work.”
“The reports we heard were good.”
“You’re all healthy, right?”
All kinds of greetings were added to the applause.
Only then did Taesu and the dispatch team look at one another in confusion.
“Did they come out to welcome us?”
“No way. They probably had a meeting.”
“The mood doesn’t really seem like that.”
“There are a lot of familiar faces.”
Medical staff from each department were mixed together without order.
Among them were quite a few familiar faces, including Dr. Johnson, Dr. Quentin, and Dr. Gallion.
Everyone was offering encouragement with applause and cheers.
Then the center of the crowd split left and right.
Through that gap, James appeared.
He approached with Dr. Isakson and Dr. Ozma guarding him reliably.
Step.
The moment James came close,
the dispatch team lined up behind Taesu and Yun Juseong at the center.
Even so, they still wore dumbfounded expressions.
The atmosphere felt somehow formal, so they were simply reading the room and acting accordingly.