Taesu and Jeong Minsu sat down on the wooden platform.
They still had to see patients, and every fiber of them wanted to return to their quarters and rest.
But they had no strength to move.
“I really can’t do this anymore.”
Flop.
With a groan, Taesu lay down on the platform.
Jeong Minsu did the same, then soon asked Taesu,
“But isn’t today the first day?”
“Yeah.”
“What about tomorrow?”
A mountain of worry showed on Jeong Minsu’s face.
Taesu gave him a slightly hopeful piece of news.
“If there’s one fortunate thing, it’s that today really was the worst of it.”
“Tomorrow will be better?”
“Better than today.”
“Isn’t that just torturing me with hope?”
Jeong Minsu asked with a sullen face.
Taesu looked up at the sky filled with stars and replied,
“Even the patients who were waiting outside today are in better condition than the ones we operated on.”
“Then that actually is hopeful news.”
“Yeah. It is.”
Taesu’s answer did not sound relieved, so Jeong Minsu asked,
“What’s wrong?”
“I wanted to treat all twenty of them, but in the end, I couldn’t.”
“We just came out of the operating room. We went in this morning and only just got out.”
At Jeong Minsu’s words, Taesu gave a bitter smile.
“That’s true.”
“Then what are you regretting?”
“I’m worried I’ll become the kind of guy who only talks big.”
At that, Jeong Minsu immediately raised his fist.
“If anyone says crap like that, bring them to me. I’ll punch them right in the solar plexus.”
“Heh.”
“I’m not joking. If those Indian Army bastards have any conscience, they won’t be able to say that.”
“I wonder how much conscience they have.”
Taesu smiled bitterly.
Just then, someone coming in over the gate answered those words.
“Why are you looking for a conscience over there? It seems to be missing on this side too.”
At the familiar voice, Taesu and Jeong Minsu immediately turned their heads.
“Hyeokgwon.”
“You gentlemen sure have it nice.”
Thud.
Kim Hyeokgwon sat down beside them and spoke sarcastically.
Even so, the two of them showed no intention of getting up.
Still lying there, Taesu asked,
“How was it on your side?”
“We haven’t been done long either.”
“Is that so?”
“I skimmed through the charts, and they looked about the same as ours.”
At that, Jeong Minsu turned his body and asked,
“How did you know? Did you go next door?”
“We have a next door too, so let’s call it the ward.”
“You went to our ward?”
When Jeong Minsu corrected himself and asked, Kim Hyeokgwon slowly lay down as well and answered,
“Ahh, agh. I’m on my way back from there. Mr. Kim is in our ward.”
“How are our patients?”
“Only the first patient you operated on had ascites build up, so I connected a drainage tube. The others had no major problems.”
At that answer, Taesu and Jeong Minsu sighed in relief at the same time.
“That’s a relief.”
“It had been weighing on me. I can rest a little longer now.”
Kim Hyeokgwon asked the two of them,
“It’s not like you people have a grudge against surgery. Does eleven operations in a row even make sense?”
“You said you only just finished too.”
“……I did.”
Kim Hyeokgwon, who had been openly scolding them, grew sulky.
From that expression, it was clear both sides had been much the same.
Taesu found it a little absurd.
“What are we supposed to do if even the patients are similar?”
“They really are ridiculous bastards.”
“By the way, have you eaten anything?”
When Taesu asked, Kim Hyeokgwon shot him a look.
“Do you think we had time to eat anything?”
“Then let’s eat something. We need to eat and rest so we can move again tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? I’m already horrified.”
“Horrifying or not, time keeps passing. Let’s get up. Hup.”
Taesu gave a shout and pushed himself to his feet.
Kim Hyeokgwon and Jeong Minsu did the same.
Just as Taesu had said, time was still passing even now.
They had to use the limited time they had until tomorrow morning as efficiently as possible.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu did not head straight to their quarters.
They intended to check once more on the patients they had operated on.
Kim Hyeokgwon had just looked in on them, but for the two who had performed the operations themselves, it was not something they could simply let pass.
There were many patients, so both the main room and the opposite room had become wards.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu each headed to a room.
Taesu turned toward the main room.
Creak.
When he opened the door and entered, the beam of a flashlight greeted him first.
“Ugh.”
“Dr. Choi?”
“Yes. Sam. It’s me.”
Once Taesu identified himself, the flashlight beam rose to the ceiling.
The reflected light softly illuminated the inside of the main room.
The patients were lying in a row, and IVs hung one after another along the wall.
As Taesu approached, Squad Leader Sam spoke first.
“I told you to rest.”
“I just want to take one look around before I go. You can’t stop me from this.”
When Taesu cut him off first, Squad Leader Sam smiled.
“You truly are incredible.”
“Dr. Sam, you do your best at your own work too, don’t you?”
“You leave me with nothing to say.”
“Because it’s only natural. Then I’ll take a look.”
Swish.
Taesu passed Squad Leader Sam and went closer to the patients.
Perhaps because the main room was a little larger, patients one through seven were lying there.
He examined the first patient, who was lying farthest inside.
As Kim Hyeokgwon had treated him, a catheter was attached to his abdomen.
A tray had been placed at its end so the amount of ascites draining out could be checked.
As expected, Kim Hyeokgwon’s sense was top-notch.
After first checking with his eyes like that, he put on his stethoscope.
“Let’s see.”
Tap. Tap.
Taesu listened to the sounds in the abdomen with the stethoscope.
Gurgle, gurgle.
He could hear the intestines moving.
It was a sound far closer to normal than before.
Then he checked the vitals, but the response was not very good.
Because the patient had been ill for so long, his recovery seemed slow.
“Medication to add……”
“Just say the word.”
Squad Leader Sam volunteered to assist from behind.
Taesu was not in any condition to refuse such kindness, so he expressed his thanks.
“Thank you. Then first……”
When Taesu told him the types and doses of medication needed, Squad Leader Sam prepared them immediately.
Starting with the first patient, he examined every patient that way.
Fortunately, no major problems were found.
A short while later.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu crossed the gate of their quarters side by side.
Bread Kim was sitting on the wide wooden floor between the main room and the opposite room.
It was the first time they had met since parting in the morning.
Their voices rose in gladness.
“Bread!”
“You worked hard!”
As Taesu and Jeong Minsu approached, Bread Kim lifted a hand with a tired face.
“Hey. Are you both all right?”
“All right? If I lie down here, I’ll fall asleep on the spot.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve heard Dr. Choi groan like that.”
When Bread Kim sounded surprised, Jeong Minsu answered,
“We almost became emergency patients ourselves. I heard it was the same for you, Bread.”
“It was all the same.”
“Those bastards. They say soldiers are their assets, but they just ran them into the ground.”
“Sit down first. If you keep getting angry standing up, your blood pressure will rise and you’ll collapse.”
Tap, tap.
Bread Kim patted the wooden floor and urged them.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu immediately sat down and looked around.
“Where is Hyeokgwon?”
“In the kitchen.”
“Is he stoking the fire? We should help. Ngh!”
Taesu and even Jeong Minsu tried to stand again.
At that moment, Bread Kim reached out and held them back.
“Wait.”
“Ugh.”
Thud.
Unable to hold out, they sank back down, and Bread Kim smiled broadly.
“You don’t even have strength in your legs. What are you trying to step forward for?”
“We’re all equally tired. And we have to eat something.”
Taesu was saying with a strained face when it happened.
Creak.
The kitchen door opened, and three people came out, each carrying a tray.
“Let’s set out the table.”
“The meal is ready.”
At those words, Taesu and Jeong Minsu looked over and were startled.
Behind Kim Hyeokgwon, they saw Mo Sangdu and Namgung Hyeoncheol.
“No, how did you two……”
“You can be surprised later. Please set out the table first.”
“Understood.”
Taesu answered in a daze and got up.
But he was one beat too late.
Jeong Minsu and Bread Kim were already carrying the table over.
Thud.
“The table’s out.”
“Everyone moves fast when it’s time to eat. Here!”
Mo Sangdu was the first to set down a tray steaming with heat.
As Namgung Hyeoncheol and Kim Hyeokgwon set theirs down one after another, the table was soon filled.
The menu was a large samgyetang and kkakdugi.
Taesu, Jeong Minsu, and Bread Kim’s eyes went wide.
“Wow.”
“To think we’d see samgyetang here.”
“Look how rich this broth is.”
As everyone marveled, Kim Hyeokgwon took a seat and said,
“I was pretty shocked too when I got ambushed while stoking the fire.”
“I imagine you were. But how did you two come at this late hour?”
Taesu asked carefully.
He knew well that they had been busy preparing for the harvest since morning.
Mo Sangdu, sitting on the wooden floor, smiled good-naturedly and spoke affably.
“How could we sleep comfortably after hearing you hadn’t even eaten?”
“You must have been tired.”
“The harvest is right in front of us. What’s there to be tired about? Everyone’s so excited it’s causing an uproar.”
Mo Sangdu’s way of speaking was as gentle as his mild impression.
Jeong Minsu also asked what he was curious about.
“It’s good if everyone has energy. But where did the samgyetang come from?”
“It doesn’t have ginseng in it, so it isn’t really samgyetang. It’s more of a nutritious boiled chicken.”
“Really? The aroma is exactly like samgyetang.”
“There’s a spice around here that’s similar. The ladies prepared it so everyone could gain strength.”
When Mo Sangdu answered, Jeong Minsu asked just in case.
“This isn’t only here, is it?”
“We ate too.”
“No. You never know…… You’re Namgung Hyeoncheol, right? I’m sorry this is the first thing I ask after meeting you, but did you eat this?”
Jeong Minsu threw an unexpected first question at Namgung Hyeoncheol.
Namgung Hyeoncheol smiled and answered,
“Yes. Sangdu and I finished off a whole chicken together.”
“I feel quite embarrassed after asking that.”
“Not at all. I thought it would be good to show my face at least once, so I waited together with Sangdu.”
“I see. I’m Jeong Minsu. Ha, haha.”
Jeong Minsu introduced himself and laughed awkwardly.
It was because exchanging greetings while seated at a dining table was terribly awkward.
Perhaps Jeong Minsu was the last one, because Bread Kim and Kim Hyeokgwon were only watching.
Then Mo Sangdu slipped in and praised Namgung Hyeoncheol.
“Brother Hyeoncheol knows a lot, and he’s good with his hands too.”
“Why are you talking me up like that?”
“The boss and the foreman both kept saying you had excellent sense too.”
“They were just looking kindly on me. Sangdu, you’re embarrassing me.”
Namgung Hyeoncheol stopped Mo Sangdu with an awkward expression.
Listening to their conversation, it seemed the two had become quite close in just a day.
It was good news for Taesu and the medical team as well.
As if burdened by the attention focused on him, Namgung Hyeoncheol quickly spoke again.
“Then you should eat, so we’ll be going first.”
“Just leave the dishes after you eat and sleep. I’ll come in the morning and clean them up. Then rest well, everyone.”
Mo Sangdu quickly followed up with his farewell.
Taesu and the medical team responded as well.
“Thank you for preparing this.”
“We’ll enjoy it.”
“Please tell them we’re grateful.”
“Don’t worry about the dishes. Hurry back and rest. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
They exchanged light waves and farewells.
Then Mo Sangdu and Namgung Hyeoncheol headed for the gate.
As they did, Namgung Hyeoncheol glanced back this way while crossing the gate.
When their eyes met, they bowed their heads to each other once more.