This was no time for that.
Tap-tap-tap!
Taesu rushed over and leaped onto the wooden veranda in a single bound.
His shoes?
This was hardly the time to worry about shoes.
“Manager!”
“Doctor Choi?”
“Excuse me!”
Bang!
Taesu apologized even as he flung open the door.
The room was a complete mess, as though a thief had broken in.
Factory Manager Na Duyeong was staring at him in shock, while Bong Yunju was searching for something.
Taesu waved frantically at the two of them and shouted.
“Come out, now. We don’t have time for you to look for anything!”
“Wait!”
“Wait for what?”
Taesu shouted back angrily.
Then Bong Yunju’s high-pitched cry rang out.
“I found it!”
Whoosh!
What she held out was a military morphine syringe.
Two emotions crossed Taesu’s mind.
He wondered why it was here, while at the same time berating himself for not bringing it along beforehand.
That was when Factory Manager Na Duyeong jabbed the military morphine syringe into his own wounded side.
“Ugh…”
He shuddered faintly, apparently not finding the sensation of the morphine being injected particularly pleasant.
“What on earth…”
“I heard you gave him one before, Doctor.”
As Bong Yunju spoke, Taesu remembered the military morphine syringe he had handed to Factory Manager Na Duyeong after the surgery.
He had told him to use it if the pain became unbearable.
The fact that Na Duyeong still had it was even more astonishing.
“You didn’t use it that day?”
“He has a bit of a strong constitution.”
“There’s enduring pain, and then there’s just being insane…”
Taesu had plenty more to say, but he could not continue.
Boom!
The barrage of mortar shells was still going on.
The radio was in an uproar as well.
—This is Sam. Indian Army trucks have arrived at the village entrance!
—Ryan here. The Pakistani Army trucks have stopped, and the soldiers are getting off!
—This is Mr. Kim. Don’t gather in one place—spread out… Sergeant Go, start the truck and move it to one side. What are we going to do if they hit that too! …Oh, damn it!
—This is Doctor Jung. Send all the children this way. I’ll take responsibility for protecting them!
The radio chatter did not stop.
Even amid all the chaos, the basic rules were being followed.
They had all been trained in the military.
That hellish period was now proving its worth.
A heavy shadow approached Taesu’s side with firm steps.
“Well now. I suppose you learned more than just rappelling.”
“Manager.”
As Taesu had called out, it was Factory Manager Na Duyeong.
The morphine had suppressed his pain, and his body was now held perfectly straight. His eyes were colder than ice—almost ferocious.
They were the eyes of a man who had returned to active service, no longer a reservist.
He was the first to ask a question.
“What’s the situation?”
“Are you all right?”
“Hoo-hoo. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this filthy sensation of my blood boiling so fiercely it seems to rush backward.”
He laughed, but to Taesu, that laughter carried a chill.
That was when—
Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat!
Rifle fire rang out.
The radio immediately revealed its source.
—This is Goosepia. Both sides have encountered each other at the six o’clock position from the warehouse. We’re engaging!
—This is Antoni. We’ve made contact with the command center and reported the current situation.
—This is Mr. Kim. Antoni, what did they say?
—They’re declaring an emergency and launching attack helicopters immediately, but they say it’ll take time!
As soon as the report ended, Taesu pressed the radio and shouted.
“This is Doctor Choi. What are we supposed to do in the meantime?”
—This is Bread. Everyone, don’t panic. Move quickly to a safe location. Hurry!
Crack.
Taesu gripped the radio tightly and spoke bitterly.
“Who doesn’t know that? We don’t even know where to go or how to get there!”
“I know. Let’s move.”
“Manager?”
“I may not look it, but I was discharged as a sergeant. I even signed up for four years of extended service for no good reason, went all the way into a combat zone, and came back.”
Factory Manager Na Duyeong was not merely talking.
Thud.
He stepped out of the room first.
Bong Yunju’s hand was clasped in his.
“Yunju. You remember what I said when I proposed, right?”
“You said I was the person more precious to you than your own life.”
“I’ll let you experience that vow today. Stay behind me.”
“Honey.”
Their exchanged gazes were full of affection.
At that moment, Taesu suddenly appeared between them and cleared his throat.
“Ahem. What’s burning right now isn’t your passion. It’s the village.”
“Your timing is something else… Normally, this is where lovers are supposed to have a love scene.”
“That’s in movies. This is real life.”
“How can someone so emotionally dry even be a doctor?”
Factory Manager Na Duyeong scolded him.
That did not mean he was free of tension.
Apparently, the more tense he became, the more he talked.
Bong Yunju clung tightly to Factory Manager Na Duyeong.
Surprisingly, she did not seem confused.
Even in this situation, she showed absolute trust in Na Duyeong.
Taesu found the two of them remarkable, but escaping came first.
This was a village Na Duyeong had built himself.
That was why Taesu asked him to take the role of leader.
“Let’s focus on escaping first.”
“We can argue about your dry emotions later. For now, let’s head behind the house.”
Tap.
Factory Manager Na Duyeong moved toward the back of the veranda together with Bong Yunju.
The morphine was astonishing.
It was difficult to tell that Na Duyeong was even injured.
Taesu followed, wondering why he was leading them backward.
Soon, he learned the reason.
Unlike the other houses, this one had a small side gate in the rear wall.
Taesu was startled. He had never looked this far before.
“There’s a back door?”
“Going out this way shortens the distance to the tea fields.”
“The tea fields are an inferno right now.”
Taesu informed him of the situation outside, but Na Duyeong’s expression did not change.
“It’s still the closest route. And there are two houses this way. We should pick them up as we go.”
“I agree.”
“We’re here. I’ll open it.”
Click.
Na Duyeong lifted the wooden bar and flung open the back door.
At the same time, Taesu and Na Duyeong stuck their heads out and checked both sides together.
“Right side clear.”
“Left side clear… You received proper training.”
“I nearly died, after all.”
“That’s why you’re alive now. We’ll move along the wall. Yunju, let’s go.”
Rustle.
Na Duyeong took Bong Yunju’s hand and moved forward.
Taesu followed them outside and quickly surveyed the surroundings.
They were near the northeastern area, centered around the tea-leaf storage warehouse.
Just as Na Duyeong had said, two houses had been built there with some distance between them.
Taesu was still determining their position when—
Rat-tat-tat! Boom!
Rifle fire was followed by the sound of a grenade exploding.
It was extremely close.
The three of them were startled by the explosion as they moved along the wall.
Whoosh!
Na Duyeong shielded Bong Yunju and spat out a chilly curse.
“These bastards are shooting wherever they damn well please.”
“We’ll probably have to enter both houses at the same time.”
“Let’s do as Doctor Choi says. But if they’re empty, don’t wait. Go straight to the tea-leaf storage warehouse.”
Na Duyeong even mentioned their route afterward.
He was trying to prevent confusion.
Taesu immediately nodded.
“Good.”
“Then let’s split up. See you alive.”
“My life is tough. You two worry about staying healthy first. I’m going.”
Taesu gave them a slight nod as a signal and immediately moved.
Rustle.
Keeping his posture low, he headed for the house farther away.
He had no one with him to restrict his movements.
Naturally, Taesu, moving alone, could go farther than the two of them.
One feature of the village was that all the walls were built up to shoulder height.
The villagers lived together amicably, but apparently the walls were meant to protect everyone’s personal space.
Even in this situation, those walls had clear advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage was that they restricted visibility, allowing people to move while keeping their heads down.
The disadvantage was that they made it impossible to know what was happening inside, and difficult to escape quickly.
Taesu was experiencing both sides firsthand.
Reports continued to come over the radio about everyone’s respective situations.
—This is Bread. We’ve secured Ritesh. We’re moving to a safe location after administering morphine, but we don’t know where to go.
—This is Doctor Jung. To everyone: I’ve got the trucks waiting near the village’s left entrance. Come there!
—This is Antoni. These bastards are firing warning shots. Avoid contact with the soldiers as much as possible!
—This is Mr. Kim. It’s not like we’re trying to see this through to the bitter end, but who the hell is on the right side of the village right now?
At Kim Hyeokwon’s call, Taesu immediately pressed the radio.
“This is Doctor Choi. I’m here.”
—What about the manager?
“He’s flying around after injecting himself with military morphine. I’m under the wall of Heman’s house.”
—Secure him quickly and move safely this way. And Goosepia—
Kim Hyeokwon’s transmission continued.
Taesu listened closely while keeping watch in both directions.
Private Antoni’s report had gotten under his skin.
Warning shots?
“Even a total psychopath would be better than you bastards.”
He took Kim Hyeokwon’s words to mean that they really intended to see this through to the end.
If it came to that—
Taesu made his decision with cold eyes.
He was prepared to stain his hands with more blood today.
Even now, he hoped it would not come to that.
But that was merely Taesu’s wish.
If the situation truly reached that point, he had no intention of raising both hands and letting them shoot him.
Those thoughts had passed through his mind while he briefly surveyed the area.
Only a few seconds had passed.
After confirming that no one was around, Taesu immediately straightened up.
This was no time to leisurely search for the front gate.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the shoulder-high wall and vaulted over it.
Thump!
The moment Taesu landed in the yard—
“Doctor Choi?”
Whoosh.
Taesu raised his head at the voice and saw Heman staring at him from the kitchen with trembling eyes.
His young son was clutched in his arms.
It was impossible to tell whether Heman or his son was trembling.
Everyone was so terrified that they had hidden themselves away.
Taesu lowered his stance, approached them, and asked,
“Heman, where are your wife and daughter?”
“Behind me.”
“Behind you?”
Glancing over, Taesu looked inside the kitchen.
It was built in the traditional Korean style, with a hearth.
In the corner where firewood was stacked, Heman’s wife and young daughter were crouched together, shivering violently.
Having lived through war for so long, they were completely consumed by fear.
The sight made Taesu’s chest ache.
‘What crime have these people committed?’
He wanted to seek out the commanders on both sides and shake them by the collars.
But first, he had to take care of these people.
Taesu looked at Heman again and spoke quickly.
“We’ll explain everything later. We have to escape first.”
“Where are we supposed to go in a situation like this…?”
Rat-tat-tat.
When rifle fire rang out, Heman, who had been speaking, flinched and hugged his son tightly.
“Whimper!”
“%$#@%$.”
The boy clung desperately to Heman’s chest with both hands.
The mother and daughter huddled in the corner of the kitchen were no different.
Taesu felt his blood boil at every sight of them.
Even so, they could not remain here. Who knew what might happen to them?
Taesu grabbed Heman by the shoulders first.
Smack.
“Heman, Heman!”
“Whimper… Yes, Doctor Choi.”
“We can’t keep your family in this godforsaken place, can we?”
As Taesu calmly soothed him, Heman nodded violently.