The expressions on the officers of both sides turned grave.
For them, events were flowing into the worst-case scenario.
The Indian officer was the first to speak of how unreasonable it was.
“This area is a strategic military point. An NGO cannot unilaterally block it off.”
“Of course. We have neither the right nor the authority to stop a war.”
“Hmph. Then why are you saying you will intervene?”
“Because we had a terrible experience in Malnoi.”
Tae-su answered briefly and firmly.
At those words, the officers on both sides flinched.
They could not pretend they did not know the outcome of the Battle of Malnoi.
But the advantages this region offered were far too great for them to accept so readily.
Then the Pakistani officer opened his mouth.
“Doctor Choi, in your remarks, you mentioned the safety of the villagers.”
“That’s right.”
“Are you aware that advance notice had already been given?”
“I am.”
When Tae-su answered, the Pakistani officer seemed to think he had found a point to attack and immediately pressed him.
“Even so, raising a flag here appears to be the NGO’s high-handedness.”
“If that is what you think, then allow me to ask one thing as well.”
“Go ahead.”
“Was yesterday the expiration date of the notice period?”
Tae-su asked, pinpointing the matter.
At that moment, the Pakistani officer’s momentum shriveled.
“That… No, it was not.”
“And yet you are saying we interfered without permission?”
“Ahem. Hm.”
The Pakistani officer cleared his throat, reluctant to admit it.
Tae-su did not like the sight.
I’m sorry. We were wrong.
If they had offered such an apology first, he would not have set the atmosphere this far on edge.
However, the officers on both sides had not said a single word of apology.
To them, that seemed to be a matter of pride.
After the Pakistani officer fell silent,
the Indian officer, who had been listening to the exchange, stepped forward again.
Befitting his position as chief of staff, he spoke coolly.
“I understand that is why this meeting was arranged. In the end, the NGO’s position is that it will be enough as long as the villagers’ safety is secured.”
“Precisely.”
“Then it is a simple matter if we relocate the people.”
“You mean they should leave as though none of this ever happened?”
Tae-su slowly brought up the main point.
The officers on both sides seemed to have noticed as well.
The Pakistani officer, who had been keeping silent, opened his mouth again.
“Are you referring to compensation?”
“You make it sound as though you consider that unreasonable.”
“That is not it. I am concerned that rumors may spread that the NGO is pursuing private gain.”
The Pakistani officer, perhaps having some wit, subtly dragged in their public image.
Tae-su did not budge as he said,
“We decline such a misunderstanding.”
“But is that not what you are saying now?”
“Not at all. The matter of compensation is not something you should discuss with me, but with the representative of the village here.”
Tae-su naturally passed the baton of the conversation to President Gu Seungheon.
Of course, he sent him a signal with his eyes.
‘I’ve opened the way.’
Now it was President Gu Seungheon’s turn to step forward.
He seemed to have already guessed as much.
Even his gaze had changed.
With his expression filled with force, he said,
“Yesterday was the most grief-stricken day I have had in all the long time I have stayed here.”
“Ahem.”
“The man who died was the head of a household, and even at this moment, his bereaved family is beating their chests in anguish.”
The more he spoke, the stiffer President Gu Seungheon’s expression became.
Perhaps because nothing good would come of hearing more, the officers on both sides changed the subject.
“As we do bear a moral responsibility, please tell us what you have in mind, and we will reconsider it as much as possible.”
“We fully recognize that this was an unwanted accident. Is there something you want?”
They urged President Gu Seungheon in turn.
But if one chewed over their words, they were shifting the cause onto each other.
Not once had there been an apology.
Their shameless faces were full of the sense that it was no great matter.
They also implied that if it had not been for the NGO, even this meeting would not have existed.
Having sensed that instinctively, Tae-su’s gaze turned to President Gu Seungheon for a moment.
As expected, he seemed to have felt it too.
President Gu Seungheon’s eyes were turning bloodshot.
Tremble, tremble.
His fists, lowered at his sides, were shaking violently.
Tae-su could feel his desire to rip apart the mouths of those shameless men.
‘This is really dangerous.’
Tae-su drew tension into his body.
That was how likely he judged it was that President Gu Seungheon might act unexpectedly.
Squad Leader Sam was the same.
Until now, he had been watching and guarding against the officers on both sides.
But now, President Gu Seungheon seemed more dangerous than they did.
‘Should I at least grab his hand?’
He was thinking that far.
Fortunately, the situation flowed differently from the two men’s anxiety.
President Gu Seungheon endured desperately and opened his mouth.
“Our demands are…”
In a sunken voice, he stated what he wanted.
From then on, the negotiations began in earnest.
As expected, the officers on both sides did not comply obediently.
“Such a long period is impossible…”
“The monetary compensation is far too excessive…”
For the time being, they opposed everything outright.
President Gu Seungheon absolutely did not back down.
“Both sides were the first to mention compensation…”
“That was from a moral standpoint…”
“The wounds of the villagers…”
Their positions were clearly divided.
Accordingly, sharp words went back and forth, and the scope of compensation continued to run into difficulties.
Tae-su remained firmly in his seat.
He did not interrupt with even a single word.
Squad Leader Sam was the same.
That was the way to preserve President Gu Seungheon’s dignity.
But his backbone was no ordinary thing either. Not once did he send a look asking for help to the two men seated on either side of him.
He was facing the officers of both sides alone.
Tae-su honestly thought President Gu Seungheon looked remarkable.
‘It can’t be easy.’
It was not something one could do with ordinary guts.
At the same time, he could read the man’s state of mind.
Right now, behind President Gu Seungheon there was nothing but a precipice a thousand gil deep.
That was how cornered he was.
That desperation gave off a force that would bite any opponent threatening him, whether lion or tiger.
Even so, it was difficult for a civilian to deal with soldiers.
It was because of the means called force.
Both sides also indirectly expressed that the negotiations had merely been arranged as a courtesy.
Their words were close to threats.
Each time, President Gu Seungheon put Tae-su forward.
“Doctor Choi and the NGO promised to protect us to the end.”
Those words worked subtly well on the officers of both sides.
With Tae-su right in front of them, they could not accuse him of hiding behind the NGO.
Even so, they did not yield easily either.
In the sharp atmosphere, the push and pull continued.
A considerable amount of time had passed since the negotiations began.
Even so, they had not yet reached an agreement.
They had compromised to some extent, but in the end, the period of postponing the war was holding them back.
President Gu Seungheon, too, absolutely would not yield on the period needed to harvest the tea leaves.
And so that final hurdle held them in place.
“…”
“…”
Everyone kept their mouths shut.
It was because the same words had gone back and forth for dozens of minutes.
The number of times they drank water to soothe their burning insides increased.
Tae-su judged that it was about time for him to step forward.
“The water cups are running dry. Please excuse me for a moment.”
He deliberately said it as he stood, so they would not become needlessly tense.
After a short while, Tae-su returned to the table with a kettle in his hand.
Its contents were Toritina tea.
He had prepared it earlier, but had left it to cool.
Tae-su calmly approached and filled the water cups with tea.
Pour.
“Please regain some composure over a cup of tea.”
He added a word as a bonus.
However, there was no way Tae-su would do something meaningless.
His intention was simple.
Just as he intended, the officers on both sides, who had unconsciously taken a sip of the tea, flinched.
“It has cooled, yet the fragrance is still alive.”
“The taste is clean and pleasant.”
They were truly surprised.
Tae-su smiled meaningfully to himself.
‘As expected.’
In any organization, those in high positions cared about what was called “refinement.”
They often drank expensive tea to show off and pretended to enjoy it.
That was why he had deliberately brought out Toritina.
Naturally, he also added further explanation.
“I hear it has gained quite a reputation lately in Britain as a high-grade tea on the rise.”
“I see.”
“I heard it from the head of external cooperation at the PKO as well.”
Tae-su let slip proper information.
At those words, a faint greed flashed through the eyes of the officers on both sides.
It was the perfect gift to curry favor with the higher-ups.
It was not excessive, so it would be hard to call it a bribe, and since it was a precious tea, it was perfect for making them think of the giver every time they drank it.
They quickly hid their greed, but it was already too late.
Tae-su had noticed, of course, and so had President Gu Seungheon.
When Tae-su gave him a look at the right timing, President Gu Seungheon said,
“That is the Toritina tea we cultivate.”
“So this is the tea causing all the trouble.”
When the Indian officer reacted, President Gu Seungheon made a refreshing proposal.
“If you would permit it, I will gift you this year’s finest grade.”
The officers on both sides seemed to consider it briefly.
That time was short.
Their conclusion, unexpectedly, was refusal.
“That is unfortunate.”
“We do not wish to become laughingstocks.”
It was a firm expression of intent, almost cold.
President Gu Seungheon flinched.
It seemed he had hoped inwardly that the temptation would work.
Even at that moment, Tae-su’s expression hardly changed.
It would have been more laughable if the temptation of a single cup of tea had worked.
This was bait.
The real thing began now.
Having already returned to his seat, Tae-su lightly grasped his own water cup.
“It’s a shame that such good tea will be the last of its kind.”
“Doctor Choi, even if you put it that way, that is out of the question.”
“I’m not asking you to preserve it. I’m only saying we should harvest this year’s crop, but you are being too cold.”
“The interests of the nation are more important.”
The officers on both sides held to the same position.
To those stiff men, Tae-su casually asked,
“I’ve heard that soldiers are the property of the nation. Is that the correct expression?”
“They are, of course, the nation’s precious property.”
“Then are the soldiers on both sides all in good health?”
Tae-su openly tossed out the bait.
This was the “land of doctors,” where the NGO flag stood.
Moreover, the person they were facing was Doctor Choi Tae-su.
The minds of the officers on both sides spun rapidly.
As for wounded soldiers, they were overflowing in the stationed bases.
The aftermath of the large war that had broken out last year still remained. And as repair work continued, new casualties were also being created.
From their long lives away from home, they were also complaining of various symptoms.
In truth, there was no way the military doctors dispatched to the battalions were especially skilled.
Compared to them, Doctor Choi Tae-su?
He was a proven doctor.
‘If the soldiers receive treatment, combat power and morale will rise…’
They were busy making all sorts of calculations.
On the other hand, Tae-su?
He leisurely drank the tea in his water cup.
“It really is good. Don’t you think so, Doctor Sam?”
“Yes. As you said, Doctor Choi, the more I drink it, the more I feel a different charm.”
“But these are aged tea leaves.”
As Tae-su spoke, he gave a slight glance.
Receiving that gaze, President Gu Seungheon quickly played along.
“Freshly pan-fired tea tastes even better. I said I would let you taste that, but… it seems that may be difficult.”
“Indeed. We may have to withdraw within the week.”
When Tae-su casually broached the subject, Squad Leader Sam went one step further.
“Everything piled up over there is medical supplies, but it seems we’ll have to take them back with us.”
“We’ll have to use them when we’re dispatched to another area.”
“Doctor Choi, I heard you gave emergency treatment to PKO soldiers not long ago as well.”
“For us, if someone is a patient, what does their occupation matter?”
Tae-su and Squad Leader Sam played off each other in conversation.