Before anyone knew it, the village had shaken off its heavy mood and was brimming with energy.
“Check the condition of the baskets first!”
“If the harvest starts early, we can expect a better yield!”
“Then we should build another sorting table in advance…”
“Clean the firebox and scrub the cauldrons first. The tea has to be roasted before it becomes a product!”
A rising murmur filled the air.
Korean, English, even Hindi.
All sorts of languages could be heard from here and there.
With the know-how they had built up over the years, they quickly found the tasks that needed doing.
Namgung Hyeoncheol was among them as well.
Perhaps because it was his first time, he trailed closely beside Mosangdu.
Just like that, the village filled with vitality in an instant.
The sudden change was almost bustling enough to seem chaotic.
On the other hand, there were still people who had nothing to do.
The medical team and the soldiers.
Their faces were full of astonishment.
“Can people really change that much?”
“If I’d only heard it as a rumor, I never would have believed it.”
“This doesn’t feel like change. It feels like a revolution.”
When Kim Hyeokgwon used a word with a different nuance, Taesu quietly corrected him.
“I think innovation would be more accurate.”
“If I say it roughly, just understand it roughly. Anyway, isn’t the fact that it moved up by nearly a week incredibly hopeful news?”
“If the harvest period gets longer, their profits should increase as well.”
“It feels like they received an unexpected gift at the very end.”
Kim Hyeokgwon could not freely rejoice over the good news.
The same was true for everyone present.
Taesu felt the same way.
Then, in the midst of it, Taesu’s thoughts shifted.
“I don’t think it’s only the mountain’s final gift.”
“What do you mean?”
“Over there.”
Swoosh.
Taesu raised his hand and pointed somewhere.
At the end of his finger stood Bashu’s bereaved family.
Not only Bashu’s wife, but even his children were mixed in with the others, busily moving about.
It was hard to believe they were the same people who had been shedding grief-stricken tears only moments ago.
Several people approached and said something to them.
Each time, Bashu’s wife shook her head firmly from side to side. Then she made herself move even busier, acting with almost reckless determination.
That she would work hard once the tea leaf harvest began.
That she would quickly return to her place.
The resolve he had heard from President Gu Seungheon naturally came to mind.
At the same time—
Swoosh.
Everyone’s gazes moved in unison toward the stone mound.
It was visible even from here, clear enough to take in at a glance.
At that moment, Bread Kim spoke in a bewildered voice.
“I really don’t believe in this kind of thing, but…”
“Bread. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Hm?”
“What’s the point of saying more?”
Taesu spoke calmly.
Then Kim Hyeokgwon added,
“That’s right. Isn’t it all a matter of how you think about it?”
“That’s what makes people’s perspectives interesting. You see things the way you want to see them.”
“And feel things the way you want to feel them.”
Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwon’s conversation flowed quietly between them.
Then Jeong Minsu added a word in a wistful tone.
“If you pray until your heart wears down, maybe the heavens don’t turn away.”
No one said whose wish it was.
It might have been President Gu Seungheon’s and the Koreans’ wish.
Or it might have been Bashu’s hope.
Either was fine.
What mattered most was this moment.
Right now, when everyone had set aside their sorrow and worries for a while and was moving about with energy, was what mattered most.
Just as Taesu and the others were smiling gently—
Vroom.
A faint engine sound reached their ears.
Everyone’s gazes reflexively turned toward the parked vehicles.
The two trucks that had been there until yesterday had been reduced to one.
The one that had disappeared was the flashy truck.
Only then did Taesu notice, and he asked in surprise,
“When did Raku leave?”
“I didn’t hear a car.”
“We might have been sleeping that deeply.”
They each added a word.
As the engine sound grew louder and louder, Squad Leader Sam looked for the medical team.
“It seems they’re coming up.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the eyes of the medical team turned flat.
“They sure are quick at times like this.”
“I wonder if they at least fed them breakfast before sending them.”
“Given the time, probably not. Do they not even have meal money?”
They grumbled one after another.
Taesu walked forward first and said to everyone,
“Still, it’s a relief that Sam and the squad members sorted the medical supplies yesterday.”
“Is that the problem? The problem is the bastards who showed up however they pleased yesterday and are doing it again today.”
Jeong Minsu pouted as much as possible.
Even so, Taesu spoke with an unwavering expression.
“In any case, they’re our patients.”
“That’s true.”
“So let’s complain later.”
Taesu calmly soothed Jeong Minsu.
At that moment, Squad Leader Sam listened closely to the engine sound and said,
“I don’t think there’s much time until they arrive.”
“I can see them over there.”
“They’re starting to show on that side too.”
Point. Point.
Corporal Ryan and Lance Corporal Gustas pointed to both sides as they spoke.
Following their fingertips, Taesu confirmed it with his own eyes.
“They’re sending them by truck.”
“They’re milking us for all we’re worth from the start.”
“A promise is a promise. Then let’s move as we discussed yesterday.”
Taesu briefly dismissed them from the spot.
Then he moved first.
Jeong Minsu, Squad Leader Sam, and Private Antony followed close behind.
Tap tap tap.
As they hurried along, Jeong Minsu grumbled in English.
“They won’t even give us time to eat?”
“That’s right. Physical strength is combat strength, after all.”
“As always, I don’t like them from the moment they appear.”
Squad Leader Sam and Private Antony each chimed in as well.
Taesu was not much different.
One needed to eat something to have strength, but time was tight.
“Let’s each chew on a biscuit.”
“Those tasteless ones from the American rations?”
“Ugh. We eat those at every training exercise.”
“Shit. I thought I wouldn’t have to eat those here!”
Grumbling voices sounded out, but no one stopped walking.
The target of their complaints was not the soldiers, either.
They were cursing the person responsible for sending them out so early.
The grumbling was merely an option.
Their two legs ran without rest and arrived at the house on the far right.
As soon as they entered, Taesu took out spare gowns first and handed them to Squad Leader Sam and Private Antony.
“Doctor Sam, Doctor Antony.”
Wink.
Taesu added a light wink.
Squad Leader Sam and Private Antony immediately put on the gowns they had received.
Rustle.
In that instant, the atmosphere around the two men changed.
Clothes make the man, indeed.
Taesu voiced that impression aloud.
“You look like specialists with ten years of experience.”
“In reality, we’re rookies who don’t even deserve to be interns.”
“Your presence alone gets you halfway there, so don’t worry. And don’t forget that both of you are doctors.”
Taesu warned them once more.
The situation was completely different from yesterday.
Since they had to speak directly with the soldiers, even a small slip of the tongue could expose their identities.
On that point, Squad Leader Sam and Private Antony showed confidence.
“When we carry out special operations, we sometimes disguise ourselves as people in various occupations.”
“I’ve worked at companies and even been a schoolteacher. This is my first time as a doctor, so I’m looking forward to it.”
At those words, Taesu blinked.
“I still can’t get a feel for what exactly you people do.”
“Figure that out later. The Indian guys are right in front of us. Take your meal first.”
Swish.
Jeong Minsu approached nimbly and handed out biscuits.
There were not many of them.
It was truly only enough to trick their hunger.
The revived mood seemed to sink again.
But they were not people who lived to eat.
They knew when one had to eat in order to live, so they crammed the dry biscuits into their mouths and chewed.
Right after the biscuits went down their throats—
Screech.
The sound of brakes reached them.
They had clearly come after seeing the white flag hung in front of the entrance.
Jeong Minsu gave a bitter smile.
“They’re pretty quick on the uptake.”
“Go inside and check the treatment setup again.”
“Yes, sir.”
Swish.
Jeong Minsu slipped nimbly into the inner room of the empty house.
Private Antony went with him.
At the same time,
Taesu and Squad Leader Sam looked around the yard.
With two wide wooden platforms prepared, there seemed to be enough space to sit.
Anything else could be improved as needed.
Just as they finished that inspection—
An Indian Army officer entered through the open gate.
He slowly looked around the interior as he approached, then stood before Taesu and asked in English,
“Doctor Choi?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m the logistics officer. Starting today, I’ll be in charge of transporting the injured soldiers. It’s a pleasure.”
The long scar on his face twitched each time he spoke.
There was nothing threatening about his appearance; rather, he gave off a courteous impression.
Taesu did not act prickly either and answered calmly.
“It’s nice to meet you as well. This is Doctor Sam.”
“I’m Doctor Sam.”
Squad Leader Sam finished his introduction briefly.
Then Taesu spoke again.
“But aren’t the soldiers coming in?”
“They’ll be coming in now. Before that, what should I do with this?”
Swoosh.
The logistics officer pulled a thick envelope from inside his clothes and showed it to him.
It must have contained something related to the compensation mentioned in yesterday’s negotiations.
It seemed he had come in first because of this.
Taesu did not so much as extend his hand, nor did he even look at it as he said,
“Go farther into the village and look for ‘Mister Gu.’ Give it to him.”
“Well… I’ll do that.”
The logistics officer gave an awkward smile, as though sensing he would have to keep moving himself.
Taesu had no reason to do it for him.
Still, he offered one word of advice.
“It would be cleaner if you checked the contents together and received a confirmation receipt as well.”
“Thank you for the advice. Then I’ll bring the soldiers in.”
“One moment. How many are there?”
When Taesu asked, the logistics officer answered at once.
“The number for the morning treatment is twenty in total. For the afternoon treatment, we plan to adjust it according to what you tell us then, Doctor Choi.”
“Understood. Then please send them in.”
“Thank you for your consideration. Then.”
Step. Step.
The logistics officer walked out through the gate with a measured gait of his own.
In the brief moment they were left alone, Taesu lightly rolled his neck.
Crack.
“Twenty, huh. I didn’t realize the Indian Army was this humane.”
“It’s truly beyond what I expected as well.”
Just then—
Step. Step.
Footsteps sounded from outside the gate.
Taesu, as well as Squad Leader Sam, gradually hardened their relaxed expressions.
Whether there were many or few patients was merely a numbers game.
Taesu’s motto had always been to do his best even if there was only one patient.
Right after he steeled his heart like that—
Thud.
The Indian soldiers began crossing through the gate.
But there were extremely few soldiers walking in alone.
Some leaned on each other in pairs, while others had three men supporting the soldier in the middle. Not only that, their faces were badly contorted.
“Ughhh.”
“Uuugh.”
Step. Step.
Groans spilled out with every step they took.
They were soldiers in name only.
In reality, they were patients whose wounded areas had been hidden beneath military uniforms.
There might be differences in the severity of their symptoms, but not a single soldier who looked perfectly fine came into view.