It seemed to be a question directed at someone approaching.
When Taesu turned around, Dr. Schmidt, his face pitch-black, was coming toward them. As if he were the one the question had been meant for, he answered naturally.
“Yes. If Dr. James says so, then it must be.”
“How bland.”
The conversation they exchanged, and the looks passing between them, were gentle.
That was how close they were.
Taesu knew that as well, so he stepped aside to make room for them to talk.
Swish.
After Taesu moved aside.
Dr. Schmidt stepped forward to fill the gap and said to James,
“We’ve finished unloading all the donated supplies. The cleanup is underway now.”
“How is it?”
“Both the quantity and quality are good. In particular, new drugs developed in France and the Netherlands were included, so I think they’ll be a great help to the relevant patients.”
Swish.
As Dr. Schmidt answered, he handed over a file.
James took it, checked it, and nodded.
“You worked hard.”
“Not at all. And they say departure is in thirty minutes.”
“Then I suppose this isn’t the time for this.”
“You should board.”
“Right. Then I’ll be off. And Dr. Choi.”
When James called him, Taesu quickly answered.
“Yes, Dr. James.”
“I’ll be expecting progress.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Taesu answered clearly.
James also looked at him with strength in his eyes.
It was a moment that reminded them once more of the promise between the two of them.
Soon, James headed for the plane.
His surgical team, standing some distance away, also moved in that direction.
Taesu bowed his head toward them, expressing both the feelings of meeting and of parting.
And a short while later.
Whiiing.
The plane, having finished refueling, headed for the runway.
And from there, without any lingering attachment, the plane soared high into the sky and departed.
It was the moment the great figure of the NGO set off.
Perhaps because of that, everyone stopped working and watched, wishing him luck on his trip.
Taesu and Dr. Schmidt shared that moment as well.
After James and his party had left.
Dr. Schmidt asked Taesu,
“You heard about the dispatch location, right?”
“No.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. So where are we going?”
When Taesu asked, Dr. Schmidt answered with eyes full of mischief.
“Come to my treatment tent this evening.”
“To your treatment tent?”
“I’ll see you then.”
Dr. Schmidt said only what he had to say and walked away.
As he passed, Taesu saw the corners of his mouth twitch faintly.
A small look of bewilderment appeared on Taesu’s face.
“I didn’t know he was that playful.”
It felt even more unbalanced because it was the behavior of someone who didn’t seem like he would be that way.
On the other hand, that was also part of Dr. Schmidt’s charm.
That evening.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu, having finished their preparations for departure, headed to Dr. Schmidt’s treatment tent.
Brad Kim and Kim Hyeokgwon joined the two of them in turn.
Kim Hyeokgwon, who arrived last, immediately asked Taesu,
“So where are we going?”
“I don’t know. I told you, I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
At Taesu’s irritated answer, Kim Hyeokgwon’s expression filled with confusion.
“Dr. Jeong, what’s with him?”
“Probably because everyone keeps asking him the same thing.”
“A person should be more broad-minded.”
At those words, Taesu snapped and replied,
“Do you know how many times I’ve been asked the same question?”
“Then you should have found out.”
“I did. I looked into it, but Good Morning Earth said they didn’t know because they’d left it entirely to Dr. Schmidt.”
Even at Taesu’s sharp reply, Kim Hyeokgwon remained indifferent.
“Then we’ll know once we get there.”
“Ugh.”
“Don’t get heated. You said it’s not good when your blood pressure goes up.”
“Hoo.”
Thud, thud.
Taesu’s footsteps were full of irritation.
Even so, Kim Hyeokgwon showed no particular reaction.
In any case, since everyone in the group had gathered, their steps toward Dr. Schmidt quickened.
That time was brief.
As they neared Dr. Schmidt’s treatment tent, they saw a bustling scene.
There were several NGO transport trucks alone.
On top of that, medical staff were a given, and even volunteers were swarming around in groups.
Taesu’s expression, as well as everyone else’s, changed strangely.
“Where are those people going?”
“From the look of it, it’s on the level of being dispatched to a fairly large city.”
Brad Kim was certain based on his experience.
Since it was Taesu’s first time seeing this, he opened his eyes wide and asked,
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. The number of vehicles, and the scale of the people preparing, are about that level.”
“That’s something.”
“Jealous?”
“Not really.”
Taesu ended his answer blandly.
It was then.
Flutter.
The screen was pulled aside, and Dr. Schmidt appeared.
Perhaps because he was the person in charge of the dispatch, there was no trace of playfulness to be found.
Approaching with a calm face, he got straight to the point.
“They say preparations for departure are complete, so get on wherever you like.”
At Dr. Schmidt’s words, Taesu asked in confusion,
“Wasn’t a transport vehicle assigned separately for us?”
“We’re going together, so there’s no need to make things needlessly troublesome.”
“Together? Are you saying our destination is the same?”
Taesu asked one question after another, his face showing he did not understand.
At that moment, Dr. Oliver came to stand beside Dr. Schmidt with a stiff face. Still casting a thoroughly displeased gaze, he challenged Taesu.
“I don’t think Dr. Choi is in a position to question things like that, is he?”
“……Yes.”
“Knowing that, how should I take you talking back to Dr. Schmidt?”
“……”
Taesu closed his mouth.
From his expression to his voice, everything about him was extremely sharp.
If Taesu said even one wrong word, it might turn into a quarrel.
Since nothing good would come of clashing with him, he chose silence.
Just as the awkwardness in the air grew thicker.
Dr. Schmidt, who had been watching, shot Dr. Oliver a sidelong glance and asked,
“When did I ask you to speak on my behalf?”
“Ahem, I’m sorry.”
“I’ll take it as goodwill up to this point, but anything beyond that would be unpleasant.”
At Dr. Schmidt’s cold voice, Dr. Oliver apologized again.
“I’ll be careful.”
“Is that all?”
“Pardon?”
“Isn’t there one more person you should apologize to besides me?”
Dr. Schmidt’s voice sank low.
He was forcing himself to endure his displeasure.
Dr. Oliver seemed to have enough sense to recognize that much, and immediately apologized to Taesu.
“Dr. Choi, I’m sorry for butting in unnecessarily.”
“It’s all right.”
Taesu responded calmly.
Perhaps judging that to be enough, Dr. Oliver spoke to Dr. Schmidt again.
“I’ll board first.”
“As you like.”
“Then.”
Swish.
Dr. Oliver turned around and walked away.
His final gaze was directed at Taesu.
A prickling stare.
His eyes were sharp.
It seemed he was quite unhappy with this situation in which he had been pushed aside.
As for Taesu?
‘What’s his problem?’
He was not as interested as one might think.
Once he was gone, Dr. Schmidt cleared away the awkward atmosphere.
“Hoo. It’s gotten rather chilly.”
“Yes. Quite a bit.”
Taesu responded in a gentle voice.
He made it clear that he was not bothered.
Only after confirming that did Dr. Schmidt’s expression soften again.
He looked over Taesu and the group and said,
“This medical volunteer mission will be together.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Then we should slowly get on as well.”
Dr. Schmidt turned first.
Just as Taesu was about to turn after him, he realized something.
“So where are we going?”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t know. Let’s get on first. Get in.”
With a bitter smile, Taesu urged the group along.
It was the first time any of them had set off like this, knowing absolutely nothing.
For now, they boarded the vehicle.
Thud!
Even after sitting down, their bewilderment still remained.
“Well, this isn’t exactly a trip, you know.”
“At least on a trip, I’d be going somewhere I wanted to go.”
Brad Kim and Kim Hyeokgwon exchanged words with bitter faces.
Jeong Minsu even added fuel to the fire.
“Taesu. Is it really okay for us to just follow along?”
“Just sleep.”
Flop.
Taesu sank his back deep into the seat and even closed his eyes.
His expression was extremely peaceful.
Soon, Brad Kim and Kim Hyeokgwon also arranged their seats and settled into comfortable positions.
“Let’s recharge properly until the very end.”
“Haam, I slept plenty, but I’m sleepy again.”
After each saying a word, the two of them soon closed their eyes as well.
Only Jeong Minsu remained wide awake.
“So where are we going……”
Just as his mutter, full of unease, flowed out.
Vroom.
The vehicles began moving in a line.
The convoy was quite long.
Taesu opened his eyes just a sliver and quietly exclaimed in admiration.
‘That’s incredible.’
He might not know the destination, but the scale of this NGO dispatch was certainly impressive.
The journey continued for several hours.
Only around dawn did the vehicles finally come to a stop.
Screech.
Taesu got down from the truck and looked around the dark surroundings. It was possible because the headlights of the vehicles pushed back the darkness.
But Taesu’s expression began to change subtly.
The same was true of Jeong Minsu, who came to stand beside him.
“This place is…… No, at this scale, isn’t it a city?”
“Like Brad said before we left, it looks like a city.”
“Are we supposed to be here?”
“I don’t know now either.”
Taesu’s answer was slightly indifferent.
He didn’t particularly welcome Jeong Minsu’s question when it was obvious that he knew nothing.
Kim Hyeokgwon approached the two of them.
“They say it’s a city called Padum.”
“Padum?”
“It’s in the central region of Jammu and Kashmir, with Hemis National Park nearby, apparently.”
During a break midway, he had deliberately switched to another vehicle.
It seemed he had gathered various bits of information from the people riding with him, just as intended.
At that moment, Brad Kim came forward from behind and said,
“It looks like they’re planning to set up here.”
“They say people from nearby small and medium-sized towns like Pipka and Zangla will also be brought here for treatment.”
Brad Kim seemed to have found something out as well.
Then Jeong Minsu, who had been continuously looking around, asked,
“Are we really going to be working here with them too?”
“Minsu.”
“Huh?”
Swish.
When Jeong Minsu looked at him, Taesu said quietly,
“We’re here, aren’t we?”
“T-that’s true, but it’s too sudden.”
“When have we ever moved according to a proper plan?”
At Taesu’s words, Jeong Minsu thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“Never.”
“That settles it, right?”
“Well…… yeah.”
Perhaps because the environment was unfamiliar, Jeong Minsu’s timidness had flared up again.
Taesu did not respond to every little thing and match his pace.
‘He’s just walking slowly, that’s all.’
They say everyone walks at a different speed.
So he decided that Jeong Minsu was simply a little slower than others.
Why?
Because that made Taesu feel better.