Chapter 3
“…I don’t know.”
Yeonwoo looked up at the sky, trying to recall, but she had never seen that person before.
Still, there was one thing she was sure of.
That her life from now on was not going to be smooth.
After greeting the staff, Sajun went up to the hospital rooftop and lit a cigarette, looking down over the city.
The humid air carried the cigarette smoke in a hazy swirl.
As the scorching sun retreated and the evening glow settled over the red earth, the entire world began to blush in crimson.
It looked peaceful—so much so that it was hard to believe thousands had been wounded in battle just a few months ago.
The hospital, built on the outskirts of the city, was treating the victims of the conflict.
Though the civil war was said to be over, skirmishes were still breaking out behind the scenes, and casualties never stopped.
That was precisely why the international medical relief organization continued to support this place.
Still, Sajun hadn’t expected to see Ryu Yeonwoo again in such a dangerous place.
Simply wanting to help where medical aid was desperately needed wasn’t enough to justify the risks here.
Even though it was voluntary, the situation was grave enough that one had to write a will before coming.
Even someone like him, who had completed KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) alternative service, felt the danger.
But Yeonwoo, the precious youngest daughter, was here?
He couldn’t make sense of it.
She clearly wasn’t the timid type.
“Sniff… sob… our princess is okay, right? Princessss!”
“She’s a grown adult now. What are you so worried about? Pathetic.”
Now it made sense why Ryu Igwon had gotten completely wasted at their last alumni gathering before Yeonwoo left Korea.
As scruffy as she looked now, running around in dirt and dust, Sajun still felt a mix of pride and concern.
Why did it have to be his friend’s little sister?
And not just any little sister, either.
“You don’t even have a little sister! Sob, now our princess is all the way in Africa…”
Sajun recalled Igwon’s tear-stained, drunken face for a brief moment.
So the “Africa” he had mentioned back then was this place.
Sajun let out a small laugh and looked up at the distant sky.
As an only son born into a family that longed for children, what he envied most were friends with lots of siblings.
A younger sister, a younger brother—it didn’t matter. He just wanted to live in a noisy, chaotic household where they’d fight and make up.
He had even begged his parents to adopt someone.
“Hoo…”
Exhaling cigarette smoke, Sajun looked up with narrowed eyes.
Dark clouds hung low, threatening to unleash a downpour at any moment.
“Dr. Yeonwoo? She’s so cute, lovely, and smart! She’s bursting with passion, and it energizes all of us… but, um, why do you ask…?”
He remembered the coordinator eyeing him cautiously when he had asked.
Why? Well, because maybe he wanted to try raising a little sister too.
You can never have enough capable hands around.
And besides…
If she’s my friend’s little sister, doesn’t that make her my little sister too?
A sly grin crept across Sajun’s shameless face.
7 a.m.
The rainy season was in full swing in Africa.
Thunder and lightning had raged through the night for about three hours, but now the morning sun was shining brightly as if nothing had happened.
Having finished her morning routine, Yeonwoo stepped out of her tukul—an African-style traditional house—and made her way to the living tukul.
The living tukul, a large hut-like structure, served as a communal space where everyone gathered to eat and hold meetings.
“Yaaawn… Sleep well?”
Se-young, who had gotten there earlier than Yeonwoo, was making coffee and trying to shake off her sleepiness.
“I thought I was going to die last night.”
It seemed Yeonwoo wasn’t the only one who had been kept awake by the thunder and lightning. Se-young’s eyes were dark and sunken.
This secondary hospital on the outskirts of the city housed about 20 aid workers and nearly 200 local staff members.
Yeonwoo and Se-young were on the medical team, working not only in the ER but also supporting refugee camps.
“Yeonwoo, did you hear the news?”
Se-young watched Yeonwoo’s face as she asked.
“What news?”
“About Dr. Beom.”
Se-young had started calling Beom Sajun that after learning he was a professor of surgery from Korea University.
Though she hadn’t gone to the same school, technically they were his juniors.
Yeonwoo, who had been out supporting a refugee camp all week, hadn’t seen him since the day he introduced himself to the staff.
Beom Sajun, just as she suspected, had come to replace Lucy, the surgeon who had returned home last week.
“I’m Beom Sajun. I’m Korean and will be working as a surgeon on the surgery team. I look forward to working with you.”
Even now, the high-pitched dolphin-like squeals that erupted during his brief introduction echoed in her ears.
He was incredibly popular from day one.
If he knew Yeonwoo, there was only one reason why.
Although she hadn’t confirmed it yet, he likely knew her second-oldest brother, Ryu Igwon, who was a neurosurgery fellow at Korea University.
“So why? Did he cause some kind of trouble?”
Cutting off her train of thought, Yeonwoo asked, and Se-young excitedly replied.
“He sure did! While you were out at the camp, he basically took over the hospital.”
“Took over?”
Yeonwoo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“His surgical skills are god-tier. Everyone’s fighting to get into the OR with him.”
“…”
“Handsome, incredibly skilled, strong as an ox… I mean, come on—”
“Isn’t that a bit much?”
Not knowing how long Se-young’s praise would continue, Yeonwoo cut her off.
“You’re just saying that because of your whole ‘princess’ pride, huh? Still, you’ve got to admit when someone’s the real deal. He’s like a celebrity!”
Se-young knew everything about Yeonwoo and didn’t expect her to deny it.
Yeonwoo just didn’t want to admit it.
“So, has our Se-young fallen for him already?”
Se-young had been wishing out loud that after Lucy left, a strong, handsome bachelor would arrive.
“No, I think I still go for your brother Se-gwon’s type.”
“I can’t even with you. Why are you bringing up Ryu Se-gwon all of a sudden? You’ve got strange taste, I swear.”
“Hehe, but it’s true. Se-gwon oppa is full of charm and has such a magnetic personality. That’s why women are all over him.”
“…Are you really going to talk about Sam-gwon all morning?”
Yeonwoo called her third brother Sam-gwon (“Three-gwon”) because he was almost named that before their parents settled on the less old-fashioned “Se-gwon.”
Unlike her older brothers Il-gwon and Igwon, who were 8 and 6 years older respectively, Se-gwon was only a year older than Yeonwoo.
“If Se-gwon oppa meets the right woman, he’d be a great partner. I’m sure of it.”
Se-young wore a dreamy expression that made Yeonwoo’s face twist in disgust.
“Ugh, I’m losing my appetite. I’m leaving.”
“Hey, where do you think you’re going? Drink this coffee! I made it for you. Have it with some bread.”
“Ooh, bread?”
Se-young offered her a coffee made with boiled water in a dented pot and some bread.
Yeonwoo, who loved bread more than anyone, took a big bite of one smeared thick with cream cheese and smiled blissfully.
“This is so good.”
As she beamed like someone who had everything in the world, Se-young shook her head.
“I think I get how your brothers feel. You’re so easy to please with bread.”
“Of course.”
“No stopping you, huh. Do you think we’ll get a lot of patients today?”
Yeonwoo shrugged.
“Probably? In that case, I’d better eat one more piece of bread.”
“Go ahead, eat up.”
Yeonwoo began munching away happily.
Boom—
Even though Sutan was technically a post-conflict region, the embers of conflict still remained.
From early morning, the ground-shaking sound of exploding shells could be heard in the distance.
“You think we’ll be able to hold out?”
Startled by the shelling, Se-young shuddered as she asked.
It was only a three-month project, from August to October, and just one month had passed so far.
“Of course we will.”
Though nothing was certain, Yeonwoo answered firmly.
Se-young nodded beside her, her eyes sparkling.
No matter how hard or painful, there were always more people who needed their help.
Since they had come all this way, they might as well give it everything they had.
