Rustle.
Taesu sat up from where he had been lying and asked in puzzlement.
"Why are you coming alone?"
"Whoo."
It was a sudden sigh.
And it was so deep it seemed ready to bore through the ground.
Something felt strange.
Sensing it, Taesu sat up properly, and Jeong Minsu edged close beside him.
Meanwhile, Kim Hyeokgwon came forward and plopped down.
With an exceedingly heavy look in his eyes, he barely managed to speak.
"I did look into it."
"And?"
"That… hmm. She’s alone."
Taesu, who had been focused on the answer and nodding, flinched.
"Yes. Alone… you mean?"
"She has no family at all."
"Then how did she come here?"
Even Taesu’s voice was cautious as he asked.
Jeong Minsu, listening beside him, was just as careful.
Kim Hyeokgwon looked back and forth between the two of them, then opened his mouth again.
"Apparently her daughter used to attend school here."
"Her daughter… You just said she was alone, so then perhaps…?"
"Hmm. Yes. It seems she died of an illness."
"……."
Taesu and Jeong Minsu fell silent at once.
Kim Hyeokgwon felt just as heavyhearted, but he continued what he had been saying.
"It looks like she came after hearing there was going to be a children’s performance at the school. It wasn’t as if only parents were allowed to come."
"……."
"What’s even more heartbreaking is this. They say the child didn’t open her eyes one morning. She left just as she slept. Sigh. Honestly."
Kim Hyeokgwon muttered bitterly and turned his head away.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu had nothing to say either.
The classroom remained quiet like that.
Then, as Taesu was lost in various thoughts, his eyes suddenly narrowed.
"Wait a moment. You said she left just as she slept?"
"I said so. Do you really have to pick at it like that to feel better?"
"No. That’s not it… The cause of the cardiac tamponade."
Jeong Minsu, who had been concentrating on Taesu’s words, abruptly snapped his fingers sharply.
Snap.
"Tuberculosis."
"It’s not impossible."
"Then this isn’t the time for this. We have to inform them quickly!"
Springing up.
Jeong Minsu roughly pushed himself to his feet.
On the other hand, Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwon acted somewhat more leisurely.
"We need to pack the bag."
"Did we leave anything behind?"
"We should look carefully."
"The ampoules are glass, so if a cap fell, the children could get hurt."
Murmur, murmur.
The two of them carefully looked over the floor.
At the same time—
Jeong Minsu came to a screeching halt like a bolt of lightning.
Screech!
Then he turned around roughly and shouted with an incredulous expression.
"What are you doing? It’s an infectious disease!"
"Does everyone exposed to tuberculosis bacteria get tuberculosis?"
"Huh?"
"And it’s not even certain, so don’t make a fuss first. It could be acute pericarditis, and there are all sorts of possibilities."
Taesu calmly admonished him.
Kim Hyeokgwon, however, snapped in his usual curt tone.
"If tuberculosis were that dangerous, Sahad would’ve already been reduced to ruins. I wonder if you remember there were tuberculosis patients in Sahad too."
"……."
"And does tuberculosis transmit from one person to the next like a relay? How many people have we met today? Honestly, when it comes to making a fuss, you’re doctorate-level."
"Still, this isn’t something we should just sit around about."
Perhaps growing more embarrassed, Jeong Minsu offered a timid protest.
Taesu seemed to agree with that much and lightly sided with him.
"True. On the way back, let’s ask them to run a tuberculosis test."
"Ahem."
"Enough. Let’s go. It’s about time to wrap up the clinic."
Grumble.
Taesu passed Jeong Minsu and left the classroom first.
Kim Hyeokgwon, following after him, glanced sidelong at Jeong Minsu and teased him.
"What are you doing? Not coming?"
"I am coming."
"It’s dangerous tuberculosis. Are you sure you don’t need to run?"
"Hyeokgwon."
"What? Haha."
Kim Hyeokgwon burst into loud laughter, enjoying teasing him.
Jeong Minsu’s face, on the other hand, turned bright red.
Taesu smiled softly at the bickering of his colleagues coming from behind him.
The emergency patient’s story was certainly tragic.
But it was not good to dwell on it too deeply.
That was why Kim Hyeokgwon was laughing loudly as if to show them.
A couple of hours later.
The sun set over Padum, and darkness arrived.
The hospital building, which had been packed with people during the day, had finally grown quiet.
The interior lighting had been minimized in consideration of the patients who had undergone emergency surgery today, so they could rest comfortably.
However, one of the medical tents in front of the building was brightly lit.
It was the emergency room being operated on a temporary basis.
No matter how temporary the hospital was, of course they had the basic setup prepared for patients who might arrive at any time.
Yet unlike an ordinary hospital emergency room, it was exceedingly quiet.
A campfire had also been lit in front of the tent.
The medical staff on duty and the volunteers sat gathered around the campfire, each holding a cup of tea as they chatted.
"Brrr. They said winter in Kashmir was fairly chilly, and they weren’t kidding."
"Haaah. You can even see your breath."
"That’s all fine and good. But of all things, getting duty on the first day?"
"Right? Those people over there probably aren’t even thinking of us."
Slide.
The gazes of the medical staff who had been talking turned in one direction.
It was the hospital building. No, to be precise, the lodging building behind the hospital.
At the same time.
The lodging building was brightly lit.
Those who had finished their day’s work were spending their own time.
Among them, the cafeteria was the most crowded.
Murmur, murmur.
People were eating and chatting.
Into that cafeteria came Taesu, Jeong Minsu, and Kim Hyeokgwon.
Step.
Jeong Minsu was already flaring his nostrils, intoxicated by the smell of food.
"Mmm. Tonight’s dinner is meatball spaghetti and…"
He picked out each dish one by one, as if the mingled smell of food meant nothing.
Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwon stared at him in disbelief.
"That nose of his is definitely a dog’s nose."
"Why do you keep saying things to dogs that are minding their own business?"
"I’m hungry, so let’s just let it slide."
"Fine. Let’s eat… Anyway, when it’s mealtime, he’s incredibly fast. Let’s go."
Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwon shook their heads and moved.
At the end of their path, Jeong Minsu was already standing there, holding a tray preciously, his eyes gleaming.
Soon, it was their turn to receive food.
Step.
"Thank you for your hard work. Please eat a lot."
"Thank you."
They exchanged greetings with the volunteers, received their food, and moved to the side. The same process repeated.
Soon the food was served, and they turned around.
But the cafeteria, which had been noisy, had somehow gone quiet.
"……."
"……."
Everyone’s meals were merely for form’s sake, and they were glancing over this way.
Taesu could see it clearly too.
In the awkward atmosphere, Taesu tried to be easygoing.
"Did everyone suddenly lose their appetite?"
"Seeing you say something that absurd, I guess you noticed."
At Kim Hyeokgwon’s words, Taesu glanced at him and asked.
"It was the emergency after all?"
"That’s exactly the mood."
"For people whose job is saving lives, they’re making quite a fuss…"
Taesu trailed off slightly.
Because he couldn’t simply conclude that their reaction was excessive.
Pericardiocentesis.
It was a procedure to drain fluid accumulated in the membrane surrounding the heart.
Ordinarily, it was a procedure performed by cardiologists or skilled thoracic surgeons.
Yet Taesu, a resident, had done it without any auxiliary medical equipment.
That alone had plenty of potential to become an issue.
On top of that, since Taesu and Jeong Minsu, who had been staggering around during the day, had carried out the emergency treatment, it had become an even bigger topic.
That was what all those furtive glances toward them meant.
Taesu did not particularly enjoy this sort of attention, so he felt uncomfortable.
"Good grief."
"You’ve been showing your face a lot lately."
"That’s what I’m saying. Anyway, we should find seats first."
"Right. Standing here holding food isn’t proper manners."
Rustle, rustle.
Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwon stood side by side, looking around for a place to eat.
Just then, Jeong Minsu passed them and called the two of them.
"Over there, Bread’s there."
"There are seats open too."
"Let’s hurry."
Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwon quickly followed after Jeong Minsu.
As the three of them approached, Bread Kim stopped eating and greeted them with a bright face.
"Well, well, the rising stars are here."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, don’t be like that. You’re shining so brightly, you’re dragging everyone’s eyes along with you."
Bread Kim teased them with a deep smile.
Clack, clack.
Meanwhile, Taesu and Jeong Minsu sat down with bitter expressions.
Jeong Minsu in particular was worse.
He was deliberately pretending not to notice under the pretext of eating, but he seemed to be reaching his limit.
"I don’t know if I’ll be able to swallow food in this atmosphere."
"You can eat."
"I think so too, but I don’t think I’ll be able to eat comfortably."
"The fact that you can eat at all is more amazing."
Taesu replied with an incredulous expression.
Then Kim Hyeokgwon moved his fork and said,
Stab!
"What can we do? We’re doing this to put food on the table, so we need to eat."
"That’s right. Doctor Choi, you take it easy too and have a bite first."
When even Bread Kim urged him, Taesu picked up his spoon with a bitter expression.
The tray was piled high, but his hand would not move.
He was not shameless enough to remain calm under countless watching gazes.
"Let’s not stare too much, shall we?"
Growl.
He was hungry, but had no appetite.
It was enough to drive a person mad.
And beside him?
Munch, munch.
Before he knew it, Jeong Minsu had forgotten everything in the world and was devoting himself to his meal.
At that moment, Taesu envied that simplicity.
He could not keep agonizing forever.
At last, Taesu also slowly began eating.
Still, there was no strength in the hand holding his spoon.
Seeing this from across the table, Bread Kim smiled gently.
It was the expression of someone who had realized that Taesu’s attention needed to be diverted.
So he asked a question not to Taesu, but to Kim Hyeokgwon.
"Hyeokgwon, why were you wearing a magic wand and a crown earlier?"
"Hey now, don’t ruin my appetite. Why ask that now?"
"I didn’t see much of you today."
"I was preparing a children’s play with the kids. Just let it be."
Gobble, gobble!
Kim Hyeokgwon ate vigorously as if to show them, his lips sticking out in a pout.
Bread Kim’s strategy succeeded.
A smile slowly appeared on Taesu’s tense face. Then he casually spoke to Kim Hyeokgwon.
"Why are you so embarrassed?"
"Let’s not say anything useless."
"Yes. Please enjoy your meal."
"Tsk."
Kim Hyeokgwon clicked his tongue bitterly and turned his eyes back to his tray.
At that moment, Bread Kim could not bring himself to say it aloud, so he asked Taesu with a gesture.
‘That’s him being embarrassed?’
‘Very, very much so.’
‘He knows how to be embarrassed?’
‘Very occasionally.’
As the two conversed using their hands and the shapes of their mouths—
Tap.
Kim Hyeokgwon lightly struck the table and asked in a low voice.
"Doctor Choi, don’t you hear something right now?"
"What sound?"
"Listen closely."
"Hm?"
Taesu opened his ears wider, but there was nothing except the murmur of voices.
Then Kim Hyeokgwon spoke in an eerie voice.
"You should hear it faintly. The sound of someone asking whether you signed up for the Jordan River tour."
"Gasp! Not at all. I absolutely d-don’t hear it."
"I think I might be able to let you hear it soon. And Bread, they’re taking applications for a one-plus-one deal too."
Screeech.
The sound of his fork scraping against the tray came chillingly.