Since Taesu had trailblazed the path first, Jeong Minsu, as the second to take up the task, could afford to be relatively at ease.
And conversing with unfamiliar people had become considerably smoother.
When one desperately needed something oneself, it was only natural to cast aside timidity and shame far away.
And so, Taesu and Jeong Minsu swept through the other medical tents as if they were their own home.
They seemed to have completely forgotten that they had claimed to be sick of people.
On the contrary, when Taesu and Jeong Minsu approached, the other doctors grimaced.
It was to the point where one might suspect that the people had changed tactics to make others sick of them.
One step, one step piled up, swelling into dozens of steps.
Even that was not enough.
They moved hundreds of steps more.
Gradually, sweat began to well up in their bodies.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu did not even realize that.
The moment of running for the patients was fulfilling.
The moment of figuring out one diagnosis was joyful.
They felt alive.
There was someone watching Taesu and Jeong Minsu like that.
Inside the hospital building.
Watching through a window without glass was none other than Dr. Schmidt.
His complexion was slightly weary from consecutive surgeries.
Yet a gentle smile was drawn at the corners of his mouth.
As if he were not alone, he opened his mouth in a low voice.
"Is this their true form that you spoke of, Dr. Kim?"
The moment the question ended.
Swish.
Brad Kim slid into view, a sly grin on his face.
"I believe 'original form' would be the more correct expression."
"Remarkable, in any case."
"I think Dr. Schmidt is the more amazing one. I never dreamed, not even in my sleep, that you would cram those two into a single tent."
At Brad Kim's words, Dr. Schmidt looked toward him and said,
"I know Dr. Choe somewhat as well. I'm speaking of that fierce tenacity with which he climbed up through Everest Base Camp alone."
"Ah. I've heard the story as well."
"I still can't forget the feeling I had when I first saw Dr. Choe."
"What was it like?"
"He was like a starving leopard."
At Dr. Schmidt's unexpected description, Brad Kim let out a snort.
"Pfft. A starving leopard?"
"It means he had poured out everything in himself to care for patients to the point where not a single ounce of vitality remained in his entire body."
"Ah, yes. I see."
Brad Kim's expression immediately turned solemn, as he intuitively realized this was not a story told in jest.
Dr. Schmidt paid it no mind and continued.
"Even though he looked like he would collapse at any moment, the wildness in his eyes—no, I should call it venomous grit. That was vividly alive."
"......."
"If left as he was, he might have reached the summit."
He spoke of a memory, but Brad Kim agreed, seeing the parallel in the present.
"Indeed. Even now, when the path is blocked, he creates one and pushes through."
"Isn't that very appearance the reason you wish to work with Dr. Choe, Dr. Kim?"
"That's correct."
"It isn't something you can tell just by looking."
"Yes. It's the heart. The ambition to improve oneself, and the altruism of wanting to be of help to patients must be together."
Brad Kim answered sincerely.
Dr. Schmidt lightly nodded, expressing his agreement.
After the conversation had reached a temporary conclusion,
Brad Kim broached a subject that slightly weighed on his mind.
"It's about Dr. Oliver......."
"He's not someone so lacking in judgment. Wait and see."
"That's....... No. Understood."
Brad Kim swallowed the words that had tried to come out.
It was enough to know that Dr. Schmidt was keeping watch as well.
Instead, he took in the sight of Taesu and Jeong Minsu, still bustling about and running here and there.
"Huh. Fine lads."
They were much younger brothers of his, but in some ways, they were admirable.
That mental fortitude to stop at no obstacle and boldly break through was truly unrelated to age.
Looking back at himself and reflecting through them was not embarrassing in the slightest.
That was why he wanted to be with them.
They weren't the only ones paying attention to Taesu and Jeong Minsu.
"Those doctors, really."
The gazes that had been sharp were softening before their owners themselves knew it.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu, who were the very subjects of this attention, knew nothing.
They weren't even conscious of the focused gazes.
And even now, they were each running about.
"Hah, hah."
"Hahk, hahk."
Exhales filled the air.
They were soaked in sweat down to the tips of their heads, as if they had just finished a marathon surgery.
Those two returned to Medical Tent 3 almost simultaneously. Then they approached the patients they were in charge of and explained what they had found out.
"The patient's diagnosis is......."
"According to what I've found out......."
Even their rough breathing, which seemed ready to topple them over, didn't waver in the slightest when giving their explanations.
After a brief while,
the patients they had each treated were transferred to the appropriate medical departments.
The moment the patients left.
Thud.
The moment Taesu and Jeong Minsu gathered in one spot, they collapsed into folding chairs.
"Huuuaahk."
"Hah, hah."
There was no back-and-forth conversation.
They were busy exhaling in one go the breath they had desperately held back while explaining.
To those two, Nurse Ellen quickly held out plastic cups.
"Here's some water. Drink up quickly."
"Th-thank......."
"Oh, come on. No need for thanks, just drink."
Her urging voice was sharp.
To that degree, her gaze toward the two was filled with pity.
Having watched them from the closest vantage point throughout the day, it was clear she was all the more worried.
In the meantime, Taesu and Jeong Minsu gulped down the water in one go.
"Ooh. Phew. I feel alive. Hah, hah."
"Hone...... kuh. *cough*."
Pat, pat.
Whether because he had choked on it, Jeong Minsu coughed and made a fuss.
Deep wrinkles immediately formed on Taesu's brow. Unable to just watch, he patted Jeong Minsu's back and scolded him.
Thwack, thwack.
"You idiot, hoo, hoo. Why do you need so much looking after?"
"Stop, *cough*. Stop....... It hurts, pat softer."
"There's a limit to turning the tables."
"What, punk?"
Snarl.
The moment a brief gap appeared, the two turned into a posture to devour each other.
But it was only for a moment.
Taesu was the first to relax his expression, checking his wristwatch as he spoke.
"One hour left?"
"Still? Today feels brutally long."
"Tell me about it. But did you get any results?"
Taesu tossed out an incomprehensible remark.
Jeong Minsu somehow understood those words and flashed a 'V' sign.
"Don't even ask. Even excluding overlapping cases, I think it's over 80 cases. Isn't that great?"
"Slacking, I see."
"What, punk? What about you?"
"I think you hit three digits?"
At Taesu's words, Jeong Minsu's gaze shook violently.
"No way. You ran around that much more than me?"
"It's just that the cases were more varied. I probably ran around about the same amount."
"Right? I really ran with everything I had, so of course it should be similar."
"Thanks to that, I think I lost 5 kilograms."
When Taesu subtly touched on a sensitive point, Jeong Minsu's eyes sparkled.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Seen through the eye of the mind."
"Ugh. Let's not talk."
"Brat. We're resting for exactly 5 minutes, then the final spurt."
"Okay. Phew."
Thump.
The moment he answered, Jeong Minsu leaned his body deeply into the chair.
Taesu too calmly regulated his breath and began recharging his stamina for the final stretch.
Nurse Ellen looked at those two in bewilderment.
They had definitely spoken in Korean.
But there was something called atmosphere.
She seemed to read the atmosphere—that they weren't stopping, but stockpiling stamina to run again.
Wondering if this wasn't something to simply watch, Nurse Ellen checked her checklist and told them exactly.
"Excuse me. You two have treated 127 and 113 patients respectively. And you're saying you want to do more?"
The exact figures were being mentioned for the first time.
Rather than being surprised at those words, Taesu and Jeong Minsu furrowed their brows.
Since Nurse Ellen was wedged between them, this time they exchanged words in English.
"Geez. We really must have run around quite a lot."
"Let's organize the cases when today's consultations are over. That way we'll run around a little less tomorrow."
At the sound of their strange negotiation, Nurse Ellen's eyes went wide.
"What do you mean? That's not implying it's a small number, is it?"
"Is it a lot?"
"No, well....... Even if the symptoms vary, normally in the tents, one doctor sees about 70 patients a day."
It was nearly double that figure.
It was no wonder Nurse Ellen was surprised. Even so, Taesu and Jeong Minsu continued their conversation with bitter expressions.
"With no surgeries or emergencies involved, and that's all we managed. We really had too much time stolen from us earlier."
"Exactly. I mean, with this person coming and that person going and making all that fuss."
"It won't be like that tomorrow."
"Then can we hit 150?"
Jeong Minsu showed greed, and Taesu subtly checked him.
"It's not a competition. Even if it's just one person, thoroughly."
"I know that. But greed still gets the better of me."
"I agree. In that sense, let's rest a little more."
Taesu placidly wrapped up the conversation.
Then the two even closed their eyes.
Nurse Ellen, who had been watching, couldn't figure out how to react.
What kind of doctors are these?
That was exactly what she felt.
Had it even been a minute since they closed their eyes?
"Dr. Choe, Dr. Jeong, are you sprawled out sleeping, you doctor bastards?"
A rough scolding as if the world were ending.
And it came in a familiar tone, in Korean.
This voice?
Stir.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu's ears twitched simultaneously.
And they opened their eyes at the same time.
Running toward them from up ahead was indeed Kim Hyeokgwon's rough figure. But the expressions of the two directed at him changed into something strange and blank.
"What's that on his head. A paper crown?"
"And what's in his hand. A paper magic wand?"
Kim Hyeokgwon was the very personification of prickliness.
Yet here he was running toward them, decked out in decorations made of colored paper.
It was unbelievable.
It was a sight they couldn't have imagined even in their dreams.
Perhaps that was why Taesu and Jeong Minsu rubbed their eyes identically.
"My eyes are strange."
"I think my eyes have rotted."
That was how much they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
In that brief moment, Kim Hyeokgwon arrived at a sprint and immediately poured out rough words.
"You gentlemen, are you dawn rabbits? Is this the time to rub your eyes and get up? Shall I pour water right into your mouths?"
"Please calm down. But when did you switch careers to become a wizard?"
"Is this guy joking? A wizard, my ass."
Crumple.
Only then did Kim Hyeokgwon discover the paper magic wand in his hand and roughly crumpled it. Still, the paper crown remained on his head.
He seemed completely unaware of it.
To that extent, his expression was stiff, distracted, and sharp.
Only then did Taesu and Jeong Minsu intuit that he hadn't come to play.
Taesu stiffened his expression first and quickly asked.
"Why. What is it?"
"Hey, first... catch your breath quickly."
The atmosphere of urging was, as expected, no ordinary matter.
Who was Kim Hyeokgwon?
He was someone who had gone through all manner of trials and tribulations with them.
If such a man was urging them like this?
Taesu immediately asked.
"Emergency?"
"Emergency."
Just as expected.
Taesu, who had moved reflexively, froze.
"Damn."
"What now, come on, let's go."
Swish.
Kim Hyeokgwon roughly grabbed his gown and pulled.
But Taesu didn't get pulled along.
He couldn't suddenly empty the tent.
Other things didn't matter.
What weighed on his mind was, as expected, the patients.
They had been enduring the blazing sun, waiting all day long.
Emergency patients were more important, but he couldn't just push those patients aside.
It was a moment when a substitute was desperately needed.
"Where, where!"
Swish, swish!
Taesu's neck whipped around fiercely in every direction as if it would break.