Taesu quickly asked Battalion Commander Valentino.
“Are there any injured?”
“No one seriously injured.”
“So that means there are minor injuries.”
No sooner had Taesu pinpointed it than Jeong Minsu and Kim Hyeokgwon immediately stepped in to help.
“That’s something we can’t allow, either.”
“You have to give us a chance to repay you, or we won’t feel at ease.”
When they spoke in unison, Battalion Commander Valentino playfully raised both hands.
“I surrender. Please don’t press me too hard.”
“Aren’t you surrendering too easily?”
“It’s a survival skill I learned from our previous encounter. Haha.”
Battalion Commander Valentino even laughed cheerfully.
It was clearly his way of easing the tension.
The sharp, ferocious spirit he had shown when facing the enemy seemed like a lie. That was how generous and kind a commander he was to his allies.
They said that if you’d fallen, you might as well rest while you were down.
The villagers and PKO soldiers gathered together and decided to take a brief moment to regroup.
That did not mean they were settling in completely.
It was merely to catch their breath for a moment.
In the meantime, the frightened and exhausted people steadied themselves with sips of water.
And the wounded soldiers received simple first aid from the medical team.
The medical team themselves were empty-handed.
Because they had escaped in such haste, they had not been able to bring anything properly.
However, there were medics, and emergency medical supplies existed. They were exceedingly meager supplies, but for Taesu and the medical team, they were enough.
Naturally, the next thing to do was to visit each wounded soldier one by one, treat them, and express their gratitude.
“Thank you for coming running to us.”
“Please don’t say that. It is an honor to be part of the moment we repay our debt.”
“You got hurt looking for that honor.”
“This is a wound of honor. A wolf does not fear wounds.”
The familiar soldier’s eyes were vividly alive.
Taesu smiled gently and administered first aid with the utmost care.
And it wasn’t only Taesu.
Kim Hyeokgwon was the same.
“Did you get hurt like this just so we’d feel sorry?”
“It does not hurt. I am glad I could see Mister Kim one more time.”
“Listen to you… No, wait. I shouldn’t be like this. Hurry up and turn your body a little.”
Grumble, grumble.
Kim Hyeokgwon said he was grateful, but he still said everything he wanted to say.
Meanwhile, Jeong Minsu was having a slightly special reunion.
“If you get hurt like this, how am I supposed to deal with the guilt? Your name is… uh, Private Black?”
“Sir. I am the same Black that Doctor Jeong saved back then.”
“Wow. Wooow! Is your body all right now? After the surgery at the NGO, you were transferred to the PKO military hospital, so I didn’t hear anything after that.”
Jeong Minsu reacted intensely, but Private Black’s joy at seeing him was even more intense.
“I was discharged a while ago. Because you saved me back then, I was able to be deployed on this operation.”
“My goodness. Who would’ve thought I’d meet someone this good to see. No, wait… Who would’ve thought I’d have something this sorry to feel about?”
“A wound like this does not hurt at all. I am simply proud to be here right now.”
“Save the bragging for when you’re back at the unit. Looks like I have to treat you again. Good grief.”
A strange emotion was embedded in Jeong Minsu’s voice.
It seemed to stir new feelings in him.
They said life went round and round.
It was such a profound, mysterious moment of reunion that it made one think such deep thoughts.
On one side, Brad Kim was also administering first aid and forming new connections.
As time passed, the emergency treatment of the wounded soldiers was quickly completed.
To report on that, Brad Kim and Battalion Commander Valentino met.
Since it was their first time facing each other, they exchanged formal greetings first.
“Thank you for the PKO’s assistance. I am…”
“You must have been terribly frightened. I am…”
“The wounded soldiers…”
“Once again, we are in your debt…”
After their greetings, the conversation naturally led to the matter of treatment.
In the meantime, Jeong Minsu and Kim Hyeokgwon tended to the injured villagers.
Meanwhile, Taesu was a little distance away from the others.
Crouched in a quiet patch of grass, Taesu was making two cairns.
One was already complete, and the other was also beginning to take shape.
Clack. Clack.
Taesu carefully chose even the most ordinary stones and piled them with sincerity.
Soon, two cairns were completed.
They were located away from the mountain path, and the cairns themselves were not large.
They would be difficult to find unless one stopped and looked closely.
Those cairns were the graves of the deceased Platoon Leader Ishuka and the soldier.
Taesu looked at them with distant eyes and said,
“I’m sorry they’re only empty graves. And I’m sorry again that this is all I can do for you right now.”
“……”
Of course, the cairns could not answer.
Even so, Taesu continued speaking calmly, as if someone were listening.
“Just as you wished, we got out safely like this… Yeah. I’m alive like this.”
“……”
“You bastards.”
Taesu suddenly muttered bluntly with a bitter expression.
Then he added in a murmur,
“There must have been a way for us to live together.”
“……”
“I don’t think I’ll ever come back. So accept my farewell.”
Rustle.
Taesu slowly offered two bows.
It was a greeting for those who had kept their loyalty even at the cost of their own lives, and it was filled with solemn respect.
After finishing that farewell,
Thud, thud.
Taesu placed one hand on each cairn and muttered one more thing.
“Thank you.”
They were words he truly wanted to say.
Only at the very last moment was he able to bring them out.
After saying even that final sentence,
Rustle.
Taesu slowly rose from his place and turned around.
Then he moved toward where everyone had gathered.
With each step he took farther away, Taesu’s expression darkened.
It was because his final meeting with Platoon Leader Ishuka was vividly drawn in his mind.
I should have said at least one warm word to him.
It would be a lie to say he had no regrets.
I should have held his hand one more time.
There was no way he could be free of remorse.
Layer upon layer of guilt weighed heavily on his heart.
It was then.
Rustle.
Corporal Ryan quietly appeared from behind a tree. As if he had been watching all of Taesu’s actions, he said in a low voice,
“Their deaths will not end meaninglessly like this.”
“Ryan.”
“Red Fox is also aware of the current situation here. As soon as we return, we will file a detailed report and make certain that responsibility is demanded from both militaries.”
Corporal Ryan’s voice was solemn.
Surely it was not only him.
Squad Leader Sam and all the squad members were just as outraged by this incident as Taesu.
Corporal Ryan’s resolute gaze conveyed that on their behalf.
Taesu passed by him and said,
“Let’s go. We’ll have to return quickly if we want to relieve this irritation.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, Ryan.”
When Taesu called him, Corporal Ryan, walking beside him, glanced over.
“Please speak.”
“Thank you for always staying by my side.”
“That is sudden.”
“Maybe it’s because I came back from the brink of death, but all of a sudden I’m grateful for everything.”
Taesu gave a bitter smile.
But he was by no means saying it idly.
Ever since Corporal Ryan had recovered, he had always stayed close by. It simply did not show much because he was a man of few words and a grave personality.
Taesu had wanted, just once, to thank him like this for reliably staying by his side in every moment of crisis.
To that Taesu, Corporal Ryan said quietly,
“You are right. When you come back from the brink of death, you become grateful for everything.”
“What? Ah…”
“While you are in Kashmir, I will absolutely take responsibility for Doctor Choi’s safety.”
“For your sake, Ryan, I suppose I should hurry up and go back, then.”
When Taesu slyly joked, Corporal Ryan also made a rare joke.
“If your departure is scheduled too soon, I may follow you all the way to Korea.”
“I’ll have to adjust my schedule with just the right amount of tact.”
“An excellent choice.”
The two exchanged a quiet conversation as they moved away.
It was a struggle to shake off, even slightly, the sunken mood left by the cairns.
Soon, the two arrived where everyone had gathered.
In the brief time they had been away, considerable change had occurred.
At some point, the military vehicles that had been parked below had come up.
And soldiers were boarding them in order.
Not only them, but the villagers were also back on the old trucks.
Taesu and Corporal Ryan, who had stepped away, had no idea what was going on.
“What is this?”
“I will find out.”
Just as Corporal Ryan was about to move,
Squad Leader Sam approached a beat faster and began with a scolding.
“Where have you been? And Ryan, if you’re going to leave your position, you should say so.”
“That…”
Corporal Ryan was about to speak.
Step.
Taesu stepped forward and answered in his place.
“We were holding a brief funeral, such as it was.”
“What? Ah… Hm. Even so, you should have given us a word.”
“That part was my fault. So please don’t blame Ryan. I was the one who suggested we go quietly.”
Taesu openly protected Corporal Ryan.
Squad Leader Sam was not without tact. He seemed to have roughly grasped how things had gone.
“Understood.”
“By the way, are we preparing to depart?”
“Yes. That was why I was about to ask what you wished to do.”
At Squad Leader Sam’s words, Taesu pointed at himself and asked,
“Me?”
“That is correct. We have determined that, in the current situation, there is no longer any danger.”
“That is true.”
When Taesu accepted his words, Squad Leader Sam continued.
“Because the seriousness of the situation takes priority, I was going to recommend returning.”
“With the battalion’s vehicles?”
“Sir. The battalion commander said that after reorganizing the unit, he would go directly to headquarters to report.”
“You’re suggesting we use that opportunity. It would certainly be safe.”
Since Taesu understood correctly, Squad Leader Sam nodded.
“That is right.”
“But what about them?”
“That… I did not think of that. I apologize.”
Squad Leader Sam even showed his remorse.
Taesu immediately waved his hand to stop him.
“That wasn’t what I meant. I was asking whether we could go together.”
“We could go together, but there is a high chance they will be sent to a refugee camp.”
“That’s something we’ll have to ask them.”
It was not something Taesu could decide on his own.
At that moment, President Gu Seunghyeon happened to approach.
As if he already knew the contents of their conversation, he gave the answer first.
“I heard the general story from Mister Kim.”
“When it comes to that field, he’s certainly ahead of the rest. Have you perhaps coordinated opinions?”
“Yes. Just as Doctor Choi expected, we came to a conclusion among ourselves.”
“What decision did you reach?”
Taesu asked cautiously.
Squad Leader Sam and Corporal Ryan’s expressions were also solemn. Since it concerned their destination, they could not listen lightly.
Under those focused gazes, President Gu Seunghyeon gave an unexpected answer.
“The villagers—no, the people who used to belong to the village—want to return to their hometown.”
“Mm. Is that so?”
“We also aren’t in a position to wash our hands of this, so we intend to accompany them as far as the city below.”
At President Gu Seunghyeon’s words, Taesu thought for a moment.
Then he carefully voiced the thought that came to mind.
“I’m sure they won’t want it, but this incident won’t simply be overlooked, either.”
“You mean compensation. We discussed that as well, but…”
“The fact that you stopped there gives me a sense of what decision they made.”
As if Taesu’s guess was correct, President Gu Seunghyeon nodded.
“They say they don’t want it. They say they want to get away from the sickening sound of gunfire and rest in their hometown.”
“I see.”
“But from our standpoint, we can’t simply tell them to go.”
President Gu Seunghyeon seemed to want to tie things up properly to the very end.
Taesu could fully understand that position.
However, there was something Taesu was curious about.