He had not forgotten for a single moment the day he had crossed the line between life and death.
Once they returned to the NGO camp, that matter would have to be dealt with first.
“I didn’t want to live harshly.”
“The world is making us harsh.”
“I agree.”
“I think we need to become vicious at least once.”
Even the altruistic Bread Kim’s eyes were filled with anger.
The closer that time drew, the colder his gaze shone.
That afternoon.
Raku’s truck, which had set out in the morning, arrived at the PKO guard post.
Whirr.
Raku rolled down the window, showed his pass, and said,
“Thank you for your hard work. I’ve brought Bread Kim and the Helicopter Medical Team.”
“Who did you say you brought?”
The soldier examining the pass asked in surprise.
Just then, Kim Hyeokgwon stuck his head out from the cargo bed and greeted the soldier as if they knew each other.
“Hey, Sergeant Brown.”
“Huh? Mr. Kim!”
“If I’ve shown you my face, isn’t that a free pass?”
“Of course it is. Let them through!”
As Sergeant Brown shouted at the top of his lungs, the gate opened.
Vroom.
Raku’s truck passed through the guard post and entered the camp.
In the meantime, Sergeant Brown hurried back to the sentry box and picked up the phone.
“This is Sergeant Brown at the guard post. Bread Kim and the Helicopter Medical Team have just returned.”
In that way, Sergeant Brown reported the situation.
A top-priority reporting order had been issued.
It was because command was on edge over their delayed return.
Meanwhile, Raku’s truck stopped in the yard in front of the integrated dining hall.
Thud!
Taesu and the medical staff climbed down from the cargo bed all at once and first greeted Raku.
“Thank you for giving us rides like this every time.”
“I’ve got one foot in this matter too, don’t I?”
“That’s true.”
“Please show those insolent bastards what’s what.”
“Of course. Then we’ll bring you some satisfying news later.”
Grip.
The medical team shook hands with Raku one by one, then turned around.
“Let’s go.”
Step. Step.
Taesu and the three others quickened their pace.
They were extremely curious about how the situation had developed in the meantime.
And so, they all entered the medical camp.
The moment they rounded the NGO headquarters building and came out front, they were startled. Doctors and nurses were filling the yard.
It was far too large a crowd to be called a welcoming party.
“Looks like something really is going on today.”
“Anyway, how do we always time it so perfectly at times like this?”
“If we show up now, we’re going to be hated.”
“It feels like we’re becoming troublemakers. But we still have to go.”
Leaving their puzzlement behind, they headed toward the medical staff.
As soon as Taesu and the three others were spotted, urgent shouts rang out.
“There’s the Helicopter Medical Team!”
“Where? They’re here!”
“How can they look so calm?”
“Let’s go!”
Rumble.
The wave of medical staff surged toward the Helicopter Medical Team like a tidal wave.
Meanwhile, the Helicopter Medical Team was greatly flustered by the sight.
“What is this? Did something happen behind us?”
“There’s no one but us.”
“Then us?”
“Oh, it really is!”
Just as Jeong Minsu cried out in surprise,
starting with the front group, people swarmed them in an instant.
Everyone surrounding the Helicopter Medical Team looked them over here and there with worried faces and asked,
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Turn around for me.”
“Where is it? Where are you injured?”
“Aren’t you tired?”
The questions mixed together all at once, loud enough to make their ears ring.
The Korean village had been child’s play.
So many people had gathered that there was no comparison.
But the Helicopter Medical Team themselves had no idea why this was happening.
“We’re, we’re fine.”
“Why are you all doing this? It’s scary.”
“Since when did you all care so much?”
“We’re not hurt. We really aren’t.”
Even Bread Kim, who had been through all sorts of things at the NGO, was filled with bewilderment.
Among them were some familiar faces. But there were far more people whose faces were familiar only because they had exchanged nods in passing.
Normally, all they did was smile as they passed by.
They had never even had a proper conversation.
At such an intense reaction, the Helicopter Medical Team could not gather their wits.
It was then.
“What is all this commotion?”
A sharp, rebuking voice came from behind.
Among the welcoming crowd, several specialists with considerable seniority bristled.
“What bastard dares to— Gasp!”
“What was that?”
“Nothing, Dr. Schmidt... What are you all doing? Hurry up and make way, make way!”
The flustered specialists shouted loudly to everyone.
At the same time, the people surrounding them in layers quickly parted left and right to open a path.
At the end of it stood Dr. Schmidt, his right-hand man Dr. Oliver, and his partner, Nurse Casey.
Of the three, Nurse Casey ran over first.
Tatata!
She came running in a single breath and dove straight at Taesu.
“Dr. Choi!”
“Huh, Casey!”
Flop.
As Nurse Casey threw herself into his arms, Taesu spread both arms and rolled his eyes around.
He was clearly at a loss as to what was going on.
And on top of that, Dr. Oliver and countless medical staff were watching.
Drip.
It seemed as if cold sweat was forming on Taesu’s forehead.
Even so, Nurse Casey not only hugged him tightly, but even began to sob.
“Sniff, sniff, you’re all right, aren’t you? Say you’re all right. There really isn’t anything wrong, is there?”
“I—I’d better be all right.”
The moment he said that,
Whoosh.
Nurse Casey quickly pulled away and urgently asked with a tear-filled face,
“What’s wrong? How are you unwell?”
“No. My body is fine, but the way people are looking at me doesn’t seem fine.”
“Don’t worry about things like that.”
“I am worried, though.”
Even while flustered, Taesu answered every question without fail.
At that moment, Dr. Oliver, who had followed behind, looked at Taesu with cold eyes.
Under that gaze, Taesu alone felt awkward for no reason.
“Dr. Oliver, as you can see, this situation is...”
Dr. Oliver did not address Taesu, but gently pushed Nurse Casey aside and asked,
“Casey, could you move over a little?”
“Sniff. All right.”
Step.
Nurse Casey wiped her tears and obediently stepped aside.
Dr. Oliver filled that spot.
With his eyes wide open, he stared fiercely at Taesu. It was enough for Taesu to vividly understand what people meant by a gaze that looked like it would devour someone.
In a low, sunken voice, he called Taesu.
“Dr. Choi.”
“I really didn’t do anything—”
“This man is safe!”
Grab!
All of a sudden, Dr. Oliver hugged Taesu with all his strength.
Taesu, utterly flustered, only blinked.
“Dr. Oliver?”
“Do you know how worried Casey and I were?”
“No.”
“There’s a limit to how much you can make people worry!”
Squeeze!
Whether he was punishing him or scolding him, Dr. Oliver hugged Taesu even tighter.
Taesu’s confusion continued without end.
‘Isn’t this going to cause some strange misunderstanding?’
It was enough to make him worry about something he had never worried about before.
In the meantime, Dr. Schmidt, who had finished greeting the other medical staff, approached from the side.
Taesu’s expression, frozen stiff in Oliver’s embrace, seemed to amuse him.
A smile mixed into his bitter face, changing it strangely.
As if he could guess from Taesu’s expression, Dr. Schmidt addressed that part first.
“I told you, in the West, a hug is a greeting.”
“Are there greetings this intense?”
“It’s how worried they were about you, Dr. Choi. Oliver and Casey both.”
“Th-then I’m grateful.”
A smile appeared on Taesu’s face, but he still looked awkward.
Unlike that expression, his gratitude for their concern was sincere.
‘Good grief.’
Pat, pat.
Taesu lightly patted Dr. Oliver’s back.
As he did, he thought,
they said you could truly know who was on your side in times of crisis.
Of course, it was true that many medical staff were worried about them.
But these people were slightly different.
The fact that the blunt Dr. Oliver was expressing himself like this was enough to explain it.
After a welcome that would remain in his memory for the rest of his life ended,
with Dr. Schmidt at the front, everyone entered the conference room inside the headquarters building.
As soon as they took their seats, Kim Hyeokgwon asked Dr. Schmidt,
“Why did people who usually don’t even greet us properly welcome us that much?”
“If you had come back right away, it would have been a little less.”
“Then did something happen over the past few days?”
“There were rumors everywhere that you’d been injured and were receiving treatment somewhere.”
Even after Dr. Schmidt’s answer, Kim Hyeokgwon tilted his head.
“If we were injured, we’d come here. Where else would we go?”
“They must have thought you were deliberately avoiding us because you didn’t want us to worry.”
“That still seemed way too intense for that.”
When Kim Hyeokgwon could not easily accept it, Dr. Schmidt explained in more detail.
“That’s because you all belong under the same roof.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s the same principle as being fine with scolding my younger sibling myself, but getting angry if he comes home after being hit by a kid from another house.”
Dr. Schmidt’s analogy was far too accurate.
Not only Kim Hyeokgwon, but everyone understood the intense welcome.
“If that’s the case, we should be grateful.”
“They asked so aggressively that I was flustered.”
“For a moment, I was so taken aback I didn’t know what to say.”
Jeong Minsu and Bread Kim each added a word.
But Taesu was the highlight.
“I can’t tell you how startled I was when a married couple took turns hugging me.”
“Dr. Choi, are you saying you’re dissatisfied?”
Following Nurse Casey, Dr. Oliver also glared at him.
“After making us worry, that’s what you have to say?”
“I’m sorry. I meant that I was reflecting on my actions.”
“That was not what it sounded like at all.”
“No, it is. I just have a crooked personality, so it came across that way.”
Taesu played dumb to the end.
That was the only way to evade the joint attack of the married couple, who were both glaring at him with the same narrowed eyes.
One-on-one would already put him at a disadvantage, but two-on-one meant certain defeat.
At that moment, Dr. Schmidt lightly tapped the conference table.
Tap.
“That’s enough, everyone. Helicopter Medical Team, there really isn’t any problem, correct?”
“Yes, none.”
“Then that’s all that matters. Mm... the surgery should be over by now. We’ll only need to wait a little longer.”
There were not many people Dr. Schmidt would wait for.
Especially in a situation like this, that range could be narrowed down considerably.
Taesu, having noticed, asked cautiously,
“Dr. James?”
“Do you think he’s the only one?”
“There’s someone else?”
“You’ll know if you wait. More importantly, where did you go?”
It seemed Dr. Schmidt had not heard the news.
Since there was no need to hide it, Taesu told him honestly.
“We went to the Korean village.”
“Why there, all of a sudden?”
“After that incident...”
Taesu briefly explained the few days they had felt were a blank.
Only then did Dr. Schmidt, Dr. Oliver, and Nurse Casey give off an air of understanding.
“...That’s how it happened.”
“I see. Since you went anyway, it was good to give everyone a thorough checkup and ease your worries.”
“As you said, we were relieved there were no major illnesses. But what happened with our matter?”
When Taesu asked indirectly, Dr. Schmidt lightly shook his head.
“You’ll know soon, so don’t rush.”
“Does that mean a general direction has been decided?”
“I told you not to rush.”
It was then.
Knock, knock.
When the sound of knocking rang out, Dr. Schmidt lightly jerked his chin.