Nothing (6)
A new morning has dawned.
Jeong Seol-hwa stood up from her seat with bloodshot eyes and stared at the seat next to her.
Choi Ki-seok did not return.
There was no news about the person who was supposed to arrive last night.
I couldn’t sleep peacefully even for a moment all night because I was worried about him.
After finishing washing her face, she immediately went to the hospital director’s office.
Neymar was sitting at his desk doing paperwork.
“Hospital director. Kiseok has not returned until now. Something must have happened.”
“I was just about to call Miss Jeong.”
“Do you know something?”
Neymar nodded and sat down on the sofa with a gloomy expression, and Jeong Seol-hwa sat across from him.
“Ah… I don’t know where to start.”
“Hospital director. Please just speak frankly. “If it continues like this, I feel like my heart will burst from frustration.”
At Jeong Seol-hwa’s words, Neymar took out a letter and a photo from his gown and placed them on the table.
Her face turned an earthy color as she looked through the letters and photos.
The contents were as follows.
A lunatic group took Choi Ki-seok and Nareka hostage and threatened them to pay 500,000 dollars (500 million won in Korean currency) if they wanted to save them.
Tuk. Tuk. Tuk.
Tears fell from her eyes as she looked at the enclosed photo.
Is this what it would feel like if the sky falls?
In heavy silence, Neymar approached Jeong Seol-hwa and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“I contacted the NSF branch, so let’s wait a little longer. Well… Our principle is not to negotiate with kidnappers, but with Dr. Choi, things might be different.”
“…yes.”
After finishing the conversation, Jeong Seol-hwa washed her face in the bathroom.
As the cold water touched my face, my sadness subsided somewhat.
Her eyes when she looked at the mirror were also different from before.
The two eyes that had been wet with sorrow were now burning hotly.
Shedding tears while worrying about Choi Ki-seok didn’t help anything. We need to observe the situation as calmly as possible and come up with a solution to overcome it.
“If NSF doesn’t support it…”
Assuming the worst, she ran out of the bathroom and went up to the dormitory.
* * *
Four days have passed since Choi Ki-seok and Nareka were kidnapped.
NSF’s African branch executives gathered together for a long time and began discussing this incident.
From the beginning of the discussion, there was a tense conflict due to different opinions.
The executives who said they could not pay the settlement made this claim.
[It is our general principle that we cannot reach an agreement with the kidnapper. If this principle breaks down, future relief efforts will be greatly disrupted. Of course, Dr. Choi cannot deviate from this principle.]
[That is correct. Once they start handing out settlement money, anyone with a gun will kidnap NSF employees and demand money. We can’t leave a bad precedent.]
The side that should pay the settlement made this claim.
[There are no rules without exceptions. And this is a situation that requires an exception. Is the kidnapped person a normal person? Ki Seok Choi is currently the only triple board cardiothoracic surgeon. [There is no way to lose a precious person like this in vain.]
[I also think they should pay the settlement amount. This lunatic group is not just a place to pay lip service. Not long ago, they kidnapped a Red Cross doctor and just killed him. What will our image be like if we turn a blind eye to those kidnapped by NSF? Who on earth would come to this country to serve?]
[I agree. If Dr. Choi dies as a result of this incident, our loss will be enormous.]
The opinions of those in favor and those opposed were as tight as a scale, and neither side was willing to bend first.
Later, loud and small voices were exchanged, and it got to the point where a physical fight broke out.
While NSF was unable to make a decision, religious organizations first set a deadline.
One week from the time the letter was sent.
They sent a message saying that if they did not send the settlement money, the scene of Choi Ki-seok and Nareka being murdered would be broadcast live.
As a result, the NSF branch was turned upside down once again.
* * *
“Haaaaam.”
Choi Ki-seok yawned and got up from the bed. Then he picked his ears and burst into laughter.
It seemed like people were talking a lot about him.
This is because there have been more than once in the past few days that I couldn’t stand the itching in my ears.
‘It’s only a week… I don’t know if it would be faster to go out on my own.’
Ki-seok Choi remembered Aldi’s ultimatum and stretched out coolly.
“Nareka. “Do you want to go for a walk?”
“I don’t feel like going for a walk. That crazy guy is going to kill us within a week. “I can’t sleep and I have no appetite.”
“Things are getting better. You never know? “Are they going to turn their heads and let us go?”
“If that was going to be the case, they would have released it a long time ago.”
“no way. Don’t do that. “Let’s eat first and then get some fresh air together.”
When Choi Ki-seok held out a tray to Nareka while being cute, Nareka emptied the tray cleanly with an expression of approval.
“Shall we go?”
Ki-seok Choi opened the bar with his own hand and came out of the cave, followed by Nareka.
When I came outside, a bright light pierced my eyeballs.
“Are you awake?”
The soldier guarding the cave entrance smiled and greeted me.
“Is it okay to walk around today?”
“yes. The prophets and executives have gone far away. “I will let you know again when I return, so please make yourself at home.”
“thank you.”
Choi Ki-seok placed his hand on the soldier’s shoulder and smiled, and the soldier responded with a smile.
Four days ago, the treatment of Choi Ki-seok and Nareka changed 180 degrees.
First of all, I didn’t have to eat horrible soup and bread.
A cot was provided in the prison, so you could lie down comfortably, and depending on the situation, you could also move around outside.
Why the groundbreaking change occurred.
It was not because of Aldi’s orders, but because of Choi Ki-seok’s medical treatment.
He called the people living here to the prison and carefully inspected them.
The people here who were in the blind spot of medical care were all thirsty for medical care, so they welcomed his treatment with open hands.
Since there were many people who got better after receiving treatment, the soldiers began to treat him well, which led to the current results.
Freedom can now be enjoyed in the absence of important executives.
Choi Ki-seok and Nareka wandered around outside, but no one stopped them.
Rather, they would greet or say something warmly.
“Anyway, Dr. Choi’s treatment was a godsend. “I never dreamed that people would change like this.”
“I guess not all people here are bad. Since he threatens with a gun, most people will have no choice but to follow him. There is no need to turn those people into enemies.”
“My thoughts were short in that part.”
Nareka paused and then changed the topic.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I think it would be a good idea to try to escape as quickly as possible. “Now is the best time because people are trusting in us.”
“How do I escape?”
“Let’s go out at night. All you have to do is subdue the soldier who came to get treatment and then sneak out. “I have a rough idea of the geography here.”
“I am against it.”
At Choi Ki-seok’s words, Nareka’s face was distorted like a sheet of paper.
“Then let’s die here with both hands and feet up? “They’re going to broadcast our deaths live?”
“If you get caught while escaping, there is no turning back. Soldiers drive around here in cars. Even if you are lucky enough to escape, you will be caught quickly.”
“But we still have to take risks.”
“I have a better way. “I can’t explain in detail, but sooner or later they will release us.”
“Dr. Choi. “Are you a fortune teller and not a doctor?”
“Sometimes I do both.”
Choi Ki-seok responded to his words with a joke.
While leisurely walking around the village, I saw girls playing with yarn.
When he was young, he used to play with yarn, so he felt fond of them.
‘Are you playing with sutures?’
Choi Ki-seok chuckled when he realized that the thread the children were playing with was not regular thread but suture.
Perhaps only the needle part was cut off and used as a toy.
But that’s the moment.
Ta-ta-da-da-da-dak.
A soldier with a gun on his shoulder rushed forward and blocked the two men.
“They say the prophet and the executive are returning now. “You have to go back to prison.”
* * *
Doo doo doo doo doo.
A shootout broke out in the center of Eddy Village.
Countless bullets filled the air, and the acrid smell of gunpowder covered the surroundings.
Aldi had taken refuge in a shabby house with some of his subordinates.
The remaining subordinates were engaging in a fierce gunfight against the government’s trap.
“shit. “I never thought it was a trap.”
Aldi bit his lip with a confused expression.
I came here to plunder the village, but what is this?
The government forces poured bullets at them as if they had been waiting. There were already more than 20 subordinates who had been hit by the surprise attack, and the damage was so severe that it was difficult to reverse.
“Prophet. You must leave quickly. “If we continue like this, we may all die.”
“I can’t help it.”
Aldi boarded a jeep with only key executives.
However, the defensive line that prevented escape was breached, and government troops rushed in like a flood.
Taaaaang! Taaaaang!
Two gunshots rang out clearly.
At the same time, Nazir, Aldi’s favorite, collapsed on the spot.
Aldi pulled Nazir towards him and examined his condition.
Two bullets penetrated Nazir’s abdomen and chest, respectively.
“Seo… Prophet. “Run away quickly.”
“I can’t leave you behind.”
Aldi dragged Nazir to the jeep to avoid the government army’s attack.
And he quickly left the scene.
As I looked at Nazir dying, my heart felt as heavy as lead.
Nazir was his only younger brother.
He also made the biggest contribution in growing the organization to its current level.
Losing my younger brother was no different from having both wings cut off.
“Prophet. “Cluck, cluck, cluck.”
Nazir coughed up blood and opened his mouth with difficulty.
“Well, I’m dead anyway. “Why me?”
“Shut up and save your strength. I can buy it. “That thoracic surgeon might be able to save you.”
Aldi tore off his jacket and tightly wrapped the gunshot wound.
The wound was so deep that the clothes quickly became stained with red blood.
After thirty minutes, which was like a year, the jeep entered the village where Aldi’s men were.
“Put Nazir on a stretcher and send him to the tent, and bring that doctor here now!”
“Ah… I understand.”
The soldiers who received Aldi’s instructions went to work like lightning.
How much time has passed?
Aldi stood in his tent, looking down at his dying younger brother, stamping his feet, and just then Choi Ki-seok and Nareka came into the tent.
“Why are you so late?”
“I heard the story and came as quickly as possible.”
“Stop making excuses and get treatment quickly.”
Aldi fired his pistol at the ceiling.
Taaaaang!
As loud drinking broke out, the atmosphere in the tent seemed as if it would explode at any moment.
“My little brother. Save me no matter what. “Otherwise you die.”
Aldi pointed a gun at Choi Ki-seok, but Choi Ki-seok threw the gun away with an angry look on his face.
“There is no need for threats to treat people. “I’m a doctor.”
