For the first time, Jeong Min-su showed a response.
What was that response? His eyes trembled, and tears came first.
Jeong Min-su’s lips began to stammer open.
“D-dead……. I, I killed someone, k-killed…….”
“Jeong Min-su, get a hold of yourself.”
“I, someone like me……. A mere resident performing surgery…….”
His words came and went.
He had not regained his senses. The turmoil within him was simply spilling out.
Tae-su’s gaze grew even colder.
There was no time to coax and soothe him.
So Tae-su chose shock therapy.
“I’m sorry.”
Tae-su’s hand flew mercilessly into Jeong Min-su’s cheek.
Smack.
“…….”
Jeong Min-su’s head turned the other way.
Yet he showed no reaction at all.
At that moment, Tae-su’s hands seized Jeong Min-su by the collar.
Grab.
“Min-su. Look at me, Jeong Min-su.”
“Uh, I, uh…….”
“You said you wouldn’t run away. You said you wouldn’t run away anymore.”
Tae-su spoke in a low voice.
Perhaps the impact had worked.
The hazy look in Jeong Min-su’s eyes grew slightly clearer. But the clearer his eyes became, the more violently his hands and feet trembled.
A trembling voice escaped Jeong Min-su as he looked at Tae-su.
“I, I’m scared.”
His voice was pitiful.
Perhaps he wanted Tae-su to understand and sympathize with him. But Tae-su had no intention of indulging him.
And Jeong Min-su’s words just now.
To Tae-su, they were exactly the same as the beginning of Caprene’s final words—the words that had become his creed.
In that case?
Squeeze.
Tae-su tightened his grip on the collar and pressed him hard.
“Your hands and feet are trembling, aren’t they? You want to run away from the patient.”
“Y-yes. I really want to stop.”
“Cut the bullshit. Why did you come all the way here if you’re going to crumble this easily?”
“I, doctor……. I hate being a doctor now…….”
Jeong Min-su, his voice filled with sobs, tried to say something negative.
Tae-su cut him off and pressed him even harder.
“What about your mother? Your mother, who has spent her whole life supporting you, selling noodles at the market from dawn?”
“M-my mother?”
“You said you’d become a wonderful doctor and give your mother a life of comfort. You said that was why you were killing yourself to become a doctor. Don’t you remember?”
“Mo……. Mother…….”
Jeong Min-su shook violently.
A deep, intense knot in his heart was being provoked.
That was exactly what Tae-su had been aiming for.
He was sorry to touch Jeong Min-su’s Achilles’ heel, but there was no other choice now.
Perhaps the provocation had worked.
The eyes that had been shaking uncontrollably slowly returned to their proper place.
Seeing that, Tae-su added,
“Yes. Your mother.”
“Mother.”
Streams of tears flowed once more from Jeong Min-su’s wet eyes.
Mother.
Even in a foreign land thousands of miles from home, that name was enough to strike at the heart.
Watching his reaction, Tae-su asked coldly,
“Are you back with us?”
“I……. I’m……. still scared.”
“Overcome it. You have to overcome this to become a real doctor. The doctor you said you wanted to be.”
“…….”
Jeong Min-su fell silent for a moment.
Then Tae-su released the collar he had been gripping.
Rustle.
Because his time was up.
Tae-su added one final thing.
“You can’t bring back the dead. But you can prevent another death.”
“…….”
“If you remain frozen, you can’t prevent another death either. The decision is yours.”
Having finished speaking, Tae-su turned around.
Without looking back even once, he headed straight out of the tent.
His eyes were filled with strength.
*You can overcome this.*
And so Tae-su stepped outside.
The scene spread out before the medical tent was not much different from before. If there was one change, it was that the patients’ groans had clearly diminished.
It was by no means a small change.
It meant that the minimal first aid administered by Squad Leader Sam and the soldiers had worked.
Instead, the patients’ eyes were all turned toward Tae-su.
They were heavy, sunken gazes, as though they had heard that the patient from the surgery had died.
“……”
“……”
No one said a word.
But neither were there any expressions of suspicion or reproach.
“Waaah.”
A faint cry drifted over from far away.
There was no need to check. It was surely the grief of the bereaved family.
The more he heard it, the more firmly Tae-su steeled his heart.
*No more.*
Of course, that was impossible in reality.
He knew that.
Even so, he had to believe there would be no more.
Because he was human.
Because he was a doctor.
It was also an ordeal he had to endure as a doctor.
That moment lasted only briefly.
He was just about to move and tend to the nearest patient when—
“Doctor Choi.”
Squad Leader Sam came rushing over with a pocket notebook.
The instant he arrived, he held out the notebook.
“Please check this.”
“This? Ah.”
After reading the contents, Tae-su let out a short exclamation.
The patients’ symptoms and the first aid administered had been organized.
Tae-su’s surprised gaze turned toward Squad Leader Sam. The moment their eyes met, Squad Leader Sam gave an awkward smile and answered on his own.
“It’s not completely accurate since we can’t communicate properly.”
“No. It’s excellent. Truly.”
“Then I’ll guide you.”
Squad Leader Sam stepped forward of his own accord.
They did not know the patients’ names, so they had identified them by their features instead.
And Squad Leader Sam was not the only one taking the initiative.
Step, step.
Hearing the footsteps, Tae-su turned around and saw another soldier standing there. He was Corporal Guspia, a red-haired Caucasian with a distinctive appearance.
Even while carrying a large first-aid kit, he walked with ease.
“I’ll be your supporter.”
He spoke succinctly.
Tae-su felt a strange sensation.
The PKO soldiers had never been this proactive about caring for patients. It was not because there were too few medical personnel.
Still, Tae-su had a vague idea why they were acting this way.
It was because Tae-su was the one who had operated on Corporal Ryan.
Kim Hyeok-gwon was no exception.
He, too, was proceeding smoothly with the help of another soldier acting as his supporter.
Judging by the situation, they clearly had no intention of listening even if he tried to dissuade them.
Tae-su did not think about it any further.
There was nothing bad about having more hands when there were so many patients to treat.
If anything, he was simply grateful to the soldiers who had volunteered.
From that moment on, Tae-su resumed his first aid.
He worked Squad Leader Sam and Corporal Guspia mercilessly.
“Squad leader, towel.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
“Corporal Guspia, emergency surgery kit.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll prepare it immediately.”
They responded the moment he spoke.
Having learned and practiced basic first aid, their reactions were quick.
That much time was saved.
As a result, the number of patients treated within the same period increased.
But Tae-su’s heavy heart did not grow lighter so easily.
“Smile.”
He forced a smile onto his face.
It was an act meant to reassure the patient.
A smile that came from the heart was difficult.
No matter how many deaths Tae-su had witnessed, he could not bring himself to smile easily.
Still, his heart was honest.
Each time another person was treated, he felt a small measure of joy.
That did not mean the patient’s death was forgotten.
That was an entirely separate matter.
Before long, Tae-su finished administering first aid to another patient.
“That’s done. Next.”
Then Kim Hyeok-gwon’s voice rang out sharply.
“Doctor Choi, over here.”
His expression was urgent.
“I’m coming.”
Tae-su ran in that direction without even looking back.
He arrived in an instant and this time matched his rhythm with Kim Hyeok-gwon.
There was a long wound along the patient’s side. Thanks to how thoroughly Kim Hyeok-gwon had squeezed out the pus, clear blood and fluid were flowing out.
It was an efficient, capable movement worthy of Kim Hyeok-gwon.
The moment he confirmed the wound, Tae-su gave a short order.
“Hyeok-gwon, we’re going straight into suturing.”
“Lidocaine first, right?”
“…….”
Tae-su remained silent.
It seemed he did not want to say more than necessary right now.
Kim Hyeok-gwon noticed, but he still frowned and grumbled under his breath.
“Damn it. Did I kill him?”
“Hyeok-gwon.”
“Here’s the lidocaine.”
Thud.
The hand that held out the prepared medicine was rough.
As the first aid continued, Tae-su quickly grew exhausted.
Although he had Kim Hyeok-gwon and the soldiers helping him, there were limits.
The fundamental problem was that Tae-su was the only doctor directly leading the treatment.
If time continued to pass like this, Tae-su himself might be the first to throw up his hands.
Just as that concern began to take shape—
Flap.
The medical tent’s partition fluttered roughly.
Jeong Min-su walked out with a resolute expression.
Seeing him, Tae-su managed a faint smile despite his bitter feelings.
“You little punk.”
“Hmph.”
Kim Hyeok-gwon snorted first.
Even under that gaze, Tae-su opened his mouth firmly.
“Things will be different from now on.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
Kim Hyeok-gwon’s negative expression did not easily change at those few words.
Then, as though he had thought of something, Tae-su raised his eyebrows and said,
“Hyeok-gwon, over there.”
“Over there? What? You want me to go?”
“You said you couldn’t believe him. Go see for yourself.”
Tae-su urged him calmly.
At that moment, Kim Hyeok-gwon’s gaze sharpened.
“People don’t change that easily.”
“Even if it’s only temporary, he looks like he can be useful right now. Hmm……”
Tae-su looked at Jeong Min-su, deliberately drawing out the end of his sentence.
Jeong Min-su himself failed to notice Tae-su’s gaze.
As though moving straight ahead with his eyes fixed forward, Jeong Min-su approached a patient who had yet to be treated.
“Hey, where, where does it, ah, hurt?”
Since they could not communicate, he even used his hands and feet to gesture.
Until now, he had only moved after the patient first pointed out where they were hurting. It was a passive attitude born of timidity.
But that had changed.
He had approached the patient first and was actively asking questions first.
Now that the beginning was different, the initiative he showed in examination and treatment would surely be different as well.
Anticipating that, Tae-su finally finished drawing out his words at the appropriate moment.
“Isn’t he useful enough for the time being?”
“What do you want me to do about it?”
“Is even that not enough?”
When Tae-su asked, Kim Hyeok-gwon replied coldly,
“What does it matter? He says he wants to be my doctor supporter.”
“You said you would follow my judgment entirely regarding anything related to medicine.”
“I’m going. Damn it, this is why I should’ve become a landlord.”
Grumbling, Kim Hyeok-gwon headed toward Jeong Min-su.
Tae-su heard every word, but he did not pay much attention.
He had decided that Kim Hyeok-gwon was more necessary than the soldiers when it came to Jeong Min-su’s treatment.
And secretly, he was also curious to see what kind of harmony the two would create.
Then Squad Leader Sam called out cautiously.
“Doctor Choi.”
“Oh, right. Let’s keep going too.”
Tae-su quickly pulled himself together and continued the treatment.
He had no intention of treating patients alongside Jeong Min-su.
If they treated the same patient, it would be easier and faster.
But there were too many patients.
Unless it was a surgical patient, working separately was more efficient for the time invested.
Jeong Min-su had changed more than Tae-su had expected.
He was not merely being proactive.
His eyes were filled with a fierce determination.
His orders were just as decisive as the resolve with which he had steeled himself.
“Hyeok-gwon, hold this here.”
“Here?”
“Hold it tight. Tight.”
When Jeong Min-su urged him on fiercely, Kim Hyeok-gwon flared up.