He tried deliberately tapping his foot against the ground, but it was the same.
No way.
On the off chance, he slowly rotated his ankle.
He grimaced, expecting pain to rush in, but that remained only in his imagination.
“Huh?”
Swish. Swish.
His ankle turned.
It felt unnatural, but it was definitely moving.
Taesu’s gaze turned to Namgung Hyeoncheol.
“This… is possible with acupuncture?”
“Ah. I must’ve been a little off. Grandpa’s going to scold me.”
“You learned this from your grandfather?”
“Why are you grilling me like that? Just get up.”
Click, click.
Namgung Hyeoncheol chided him as he put the used needles away in a small case.
Taesu got to his feet for the time being.
It had only been about five minutes.
As if the pain he had suffered before had been a lie, he was able to stand on both legs.
There was a little discomfort, but he could walk on his own.
“This makes no sense.”
“Then you shouldn’t have been able to get up.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Orthopedically speaking, this was the sort of thing that should’ve taken days of compresses and anti-inflammatories to recover from.”
“Then do that.”
Sensing a certain lingering edge in his tone, Taesu asked,
“Do you do cupping or moxibustion too?”
“I guess you really have been to a Korean medicine clinic before.”
“Who in Korea has never been to one at least once?”
“How would I know that?”
At Namgung Hyeoncheol’s reply, Taesu realized his mistake.
They were from different countries.
So he quickly corrected himself.
“I mean, I’ve been at least once.”
“My great-grandfather would be pleased.”
“Do we have to go that far back? Wait, your great-grandfather?”
Taesu’s mind began working quickly.
He didn’t know Namgung Hyeoncheol’s exact age, but he looked about Taesu’s age or a little older.
And if his great-grandfather had been a Goryeoin who settled in Kazakhstan?
Flutter.
The complicated thoughts in his head gradually simplified.
Soon, Taesu asked carefully,
“By any chance, was your great-grandfather connected to Shanghai?”
“I wouldn’t know. He passed away before I was born.”
“Surely you’ve heard something from your grandfather?”
“Not really. All I remember is being nagged about acupuncture all the time.”
Namgung Hyeoncheol answered with a sullen face.
Taesu focused on his eyes.
They were so clear they seemed innocent.
There was no other thought hidden in them.
It wasn’t an exact standard of judgment, but at least his eyes were like that.
Taesu reproached himself as well.
‘Why does everything have to lead there?’
It felt like he had gone too far.
Reining in his meddling, Taesu asked Namgung Hyeoncheol,
“Then how much can you do with acupuncture?”
“What do you mean, how much?”
“I’m asking whether you treat other things besides sprains.”
“Why?”
When Namgung Hyeoncheol tilted his head, Taesu answered at once.
“How many patients do you think are waiting? We have to treat them.”
“I have to harvest tea leaves.”
“I’ll settle that even if I have to meet the owner and negotiate directly.”
Taesu spoke firmly, but Namgung Hyeoncheol answered crookedly.
“The tea has to be packaged too.”
“Don’t deliberately change the subject.”
“Well, honestly.”
Namgung Hyeoncheol looked dumbfounded, but something about him was lukewarm.
Taesu sensed the reason and said,
“No one here is going to ask to see your license.”
“……”
“Hyukkwon was originally an interpreter. Now he even participates in surgery when things are urgent.”
“S-so?”
Namgung Hyeoncheol’s voice trembled slightly.
Noticing his agitation, Taesu pressed harder.
“If you’re going to keep hovering around every day like that, you might as well come with us.”
“I wasn’t hovering…”
“You asked if there was anything you could help with. I’m asking you to help now.”
“Ahem.”
“No, let’s go. I’ll just take you.”
Grab.
Taesu unhesitatingly seized Namgung Hyeoncheol by the wrist and led him away.
“Huh? Uh, uh?”
Namgung Hyeoncheol was flustered by Taesu’s headlong action.
But he did not shake off that arm.
Taesu’s eyes shone low as he dragged him along.
‘He is a doctor.’
Whether it was Korean medicine or Western medicine didn’t matter.
Because he had experienced it himself, he could be certain.
Namgung Hyeoncheol was undoubtedly a fairly skilled Korean medicine doctor.
Even if he wasn’t, he should at least be able to treat patients with sprains and swollen muscles.
At a time when every helping hand was desperately needed, that alone was more than welcome.
Soon, Taesu entered the temporary hospital.
Indian soldiers were seated on the platforms, and Jeong Minsu was tending to their wounds.
Squad Leader Sam and Private Antony were nowhere to be seen.
Since they had stayed up every night looking after the inpatients, Taesu had recommended they rest until the afternoon.
Thanks to that, Jeong Minsu alone was busy.
When he saw Taesu entering through the gate, he started with a complaint.
“What kind of send-off takes that long? Did you go all the way to the unit and back?”
“I brought back precious manpower, so don’t be like that.”
Taesu answered with a shameless grin and continued dragging Namgung Hyeoncheol in from outside.
Step.
As he crossed the gate, Jeong Minsu looked at him curiously.
“Hyeoncheol?”
“He was hiding his skills really well.”
“You were a doctor?”
“A Korean medicine doctor.”
When Taesu corrected him, Jeong Minsu’s eyes widened.
“It feels like someone incredible has appeared.”
“His skill… anyway, it’s good.”
“Why does that answer sound so lukewarm?”
“Because it hurts like hell, but the effect is amazing.”
Twirl.
Taesu said, rotating his ankle to show him.
Jeong Minsu, who was quick to catch on in that regard, understood immediately.
“You sprained your ankle?”
“I can walk.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is… Hyeoncheol, in this moment, I welcome you here tremendously and passionately.”
Jeong Minsu immediately greeted Namgung Hyeoncheol with a bright face.
Namgung Hyeoncheol found that even more curious.
“I don’t think I showed you anything, Dr. Jeong.”
“Our Taesu may look dull, stubborn, and bad-tempered, but he never lies when it comes to medicine.”
“It’s difficult to trust someone’s skill rather than their personality.”
Namgung Hyeoncheol lightly lifted one corner of his mouth.
Feeling something odd in the exchange, Taesu narrowed his eyes and looked between the two of them.
“Why does it suddenly feel like the arrows are coming at me?”
“I know, right? Since it’s come to this, I should help Dr. Jeong a bit.”
As Namgung Hyeoncheol moved with easy charm, Jeong Minsu offered the seat beside him.
Tap, tap.
“Here. You can come over here.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. For the sake of overthrowing Taesu… Ahem. For the sake of treating the patients, let’s join forces.”
Jeong Minsu welcomed Namgung Hyeoncheol with words full of mischief.
But he wasn’t truly joking.
It seemed he wanted to watch from the side how Korean medical treatment was carried out.
Most of all, he was happy that a breathing space had opened up in the treatment work, which had been getting harder and harder.
Taesu noticed, of course, and Namgung Hyeoncheol seemed to sense it to some extent as well.
Among them, Taesu glanced sideways at Jeong Minsu.
“That guy uses every chance he gets to pick a fight with me.”
It was nothing more than a muttered grumble.
If he could make them smile for even a moment through himself, that was enough.
That thought lasted only briefly.
Taesu also immediately moved to lend a hand with the treatment.
Namgung Hyeoncheol’s acupuncture was better than expected.
He knew how to take pulses, and he showed particular promise in internal treatments.
“There are surprisingly many patients with indigestion.”
Tap. Tap.
Namgung Hyeoncheol spoke as he personally placed needles in the abdomen of a patient whose upper body was exposed.
It was not just one person; several were lying in the same posture.
The fear of a war that might begin at any time seemed to have manifested as similar symptoms.
But beside him, Jeong Minsu had stopped in the middle of wrapping a bandage and was watching.
“The spot you just needled seems pretty far from the stomach.”
“There isn’t just one acupoint for digestion.”
“It’s in a different position from that patient, too.”
“The position differs slightly for each person.”
“Why is tha—”
Just as Jeong Minsu was about to ask further,
Bang.
The door to the inner room opened, and Taesu fired off a remark.
“Dr. Jeong, isn’t that not what you should be focusing on right now?”
“I am doing it… When did you see me stop?”
“I can hear you, so stop muttering. Send in the patient who scraped his arm while reinforcing the trench.”
“Yes, yes. I understand perfectly.”
Jeong Minsu answered, deliberately pouting.
That did not mean the atmosphere was only lighthearted. With no emergency patients, the tension had merely eased a little.
Then, at that moment,
A loud voice came from outside the wall.
“Dr. Choi! Dr. Jeong!”
It was the voice of Go Jiyong, the site foreman.
Whoosh!
Taesu and Jeong Minsu’s gazes immediately turned toward the gate.
Just then, Site Foreman Go Jiyong entered. But he was not alone; he came in holding Bong Yunju’s hand.
The white cloth wrapped around Bong Yunju’s hand was stained red in patches.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu’s brows sharply furrowed.
Of the two, Taesu asked first,
“How did you get hurt?”
“She cut her finger while preparing dinner. It seems a bit deep.”
“Damn it! Dr. Jeong, stop the bleeding first!”
Thud.
Taesu did not stop at giving an order and immediately stepped down from the main wooden veranda.
He shoved his feet roughly into his shoes and hurried forward.
At the same time, Jeong Minsu reached for the medical supply box and grabbed what he needed.
“Saline, gauze, hemostatic powder…”
Clack. Clack.
He took them out one by one and gathered them in his arms.
A nimble shadow flashed past Jeong Minsu like lightning.
It was Namgung Hyeoncheol.
He approached one beat faster than Jeong Minsu and spoke with a face full of concern.
“Please show me the wound. Quickly.”
“No, why is Hyeoncheol here?”
Site Foreman Go Jiyong’s face was full of confusion.
Even so, Namgung Hyeoncheol’s gaze remained fixed only on Bong Yunju.
“Madam, there’s this much blood… Please hurry and unwrap the cloth.”
“O-okay.”
Rustle.
Bong Yunju looked around at Taesu and Jeong Minsu as she unwrapped the cloth.
That was how fierce Namgung Hyeoncheol’s expression was.
At that moment, Taesu and Jeong Minsu stood around them at the same time.
Cutting a finger was not, in truth, something that could be called a major incident.
But because Bong Yunju was the one who cared for and helped everyone from behind the scenes, they had rushed over in one breath.
Together with Kim Yeongseon, she held the important responsibility of managing the village’s household affairs.
No matter how small, her injury was a serious matter.
But at this moment, Taesu focused on the fact that Namgung Hyeoncheol had stepped forward.
Jeong Minsu was just about to approach with the saline.
Grab.
Taesu lightly held his shoulder.
Jeong Minsu immediately turned his head and glared, his eyes bulging as if he did not want to raise his voice.
‘Why?’
‘Wait.’
Squeeze.
Taesu applied pressure with the hand holding his shoulder, signaling him to calm down.
At that moment, Jeong Minsu seemed to sense something as well and slowly relaxed the tension in his shoulder.
Then Taesu and Jeong Minsu watched Namgung Hyeoncheol.
Meanwhile, Namgung Hyeoncheol visually checked Bong Yunju’s wound.
Her index finger had been cut diagonally, rather deeply.
Frowning, Namgung Hyeoncheol quickly took out a short hand-acupuncture needle and began inserting needles.
Scolding came as a bonus.
Tap, tap.
“You’re not even a monkey, so why are you falling out of trees?”
“They suddenly asked about tomorrow’s shipment volume, so I…”
“Then you should have stopped cutting. What is this? How could you hurt yourself like this?”
“I’m sorry.”
Bong Yunju flinched at Namgung Hyeoncheol’s barrage of scolding.
Then Namgung Hyeoncheol stopped his hand and said,
“I’ve stopped the bleeding for now, but it seems it’ll need stitches… You two heard that, right?”
Namgung Hyeoncheol asked, conscious of Taesu and Jeong Minsu behind him.