The Doctor's Value
As soon as Lee Cheon-il finished speaking, the members of the work detail shuffled out of the classroom in a swarm.
Not a single one of them paid any mind to Kim Kang-hyun.
There was no apology, nor even a hint of hesitation or awkwardness.
“Damn it…!”
Left alone in the empty classroom, he slammed his fist down onto a vacant desk with all his might.
His fingertips throbbed with numbness.
But the pain was the least of his concerns.
How did it come to this?
What did I do wrong?
Frustration welled up, choking his throat. The more he chewed on the situation, the more his anger swelled, leaving no room for understanding.
“It’s all because of that bastard.”
Lee Cheon-il.
He was the one who ruined everything. If it weren’t for him, people would still be following and respecting me.
He couldn't face the uncomfortable truth. In the end, all he could do was blame others.
“Hoo.”
Kim Kang-hyun let out a slow breath. Though his insides were still burning, his head was gradually cooling down.
He asked himself:
Where did things go wrong?
What was the mistake?
After ruminating for a long time, he muttered under his breath.
“It’s not over yet.”
He couldn't collapse like this. No, there was no reason to collapse.
A shelter ruled by ignorant fools? It was an absurd notion.
Throughout human history, the leader of a group had always been the one who was well-educated and wise. Those who swung swords and fired guns were merely beings who followed the leader’s commands. And in this shelter, he was the only one who could be called a ‘leader.’
‘The people know it, too. They’re just walking on eggshells right now because they’re afraid of those search team bastards.’
Kim Kang-hyun believed that. No, he had to believe it.
The uneducated leading the people? It was nonsense.
A world ruled by force was a logic that only worked in the age of barbarism. Weren't they civilized people living in the modern era? Even if the world had collapsed, a gun could never be more valuable than a pen.
Kim Kang-hyun gritted his teeth. Even if the world had changed, true value remained the same. It wasn't over yet.
‘Let’s try to persuade them. I’ll let them know there’s no need to be afraid of the search team.’
Kim Kang-hyun stepped out of the classroom and crossed the playground. As he approached the shelter entrance, he saw the sentries.
“Ah… you’re out?”
One of them flinched upon spotting Kim Kang-hyun. A man with particularly prominent cheekbones greeted him cautiously. He had been the most friendly person toward Kim Kang-hyun so far.
“Is the shift manageable?”
“It’s just the usual work, sir.”
“You’re rotating every two hours, right? It reminds me of my time in the military. Waking up at dawn was the hardest part.”
As Kim Kang-hyun made small talk, the man with the prominent cheekbones tilted his head.
“Weren’t you a medical officer, sir? I heard that if you graduate from medical school, you serve as a medical officer. Do officers stand guard duty, too?”
“Ah, well, that was during basic training.”
“Aha.”
Kim Kang-hyun cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“Ahem, ahem. Anyway, even if standing guard looks easy, it’s no small feat. Time doesn’t pass, it’s boring, and there’s nothing to do.”
“That’s true.”
The man laughed awkwardly. There was a hint of wariness in that smile, but Kim Kang-hyun didn’t even notice it.
“Even after a night march, they always make you stand guard, right? Do you know why they bother waking people up when they’re exhausted?”
“Well, I don’t know. Because the military is just that kind of place?”
“It’s because it’s such an important mission. Only two people stand guard, but because of that, the entire unit is protected.”
“Aha….”
The man replied, but his eyes were cold. He had roughly caught on to the meaning behind Kim Kang-hyun’s words. That his work was just as important as the search team’s—or perhaps even more so. His intentions were transparent.
The man didn’t give Kim Kang-hyun another turn to speak and drove the nail in.
“But sir. Everyone knows, don’t they?”
“Excuse me?”
“That’s why they share half the spoils, because everyone knows.”
“No, that’s—.”
“I know standing guard all day isn’t easy. But when it comes to fighting zombies, it’s the search team doing the work.”
Just as Kim Kang-hyun was about to say something more, the other sentry standing nearby chimed in.
“Honestly, the instructor is right about everything. Thinking back to when Jang Young-soo turned into a zombie… sigh. I was so scared I couldn’t even go outside.”
“Me too. I’d much rather stand guard duty a hundred times over.”
“Exactly. We were being a bit selfish.”
“But the instructor wouldn’t be disappointed, right?”
“He’s a man with a broad heart. We just need to do better from now on.”
Kim Kang-hyun quietly shut his mouth. His throat felt parched. He was the one who had started the conversation, but the dialogue had already ended in someone else’s mouth.
With a hollow expression, Kim Kang-hyun retreated back into the classroom. And there was one person who had been watching this entire scene.
***
“Senior? What are you doing here?”
“Oh. It’s nothing.”
I shifted my gaze from the classroom. Han Ji-young, who had come up to the rooftop, stood beside me.
“But what did you say to make the work detail people go quiet?”
“Just, you know.”
“You know that people follow you more than the Captain, right?”
“Whether they do or not.”
“You say that, but you’re secretly happy about it, aren’t you?”
“I’m not interested.”
“Aww, come on.”
I really wasn’t. I had absolutely no interest in gaining popularity. Of course, it seemed to be a very important matter to someone else.
“What kind of person is Kim Kang-hyun?”
“I’ve barely had a chance to run into him since I’m always out on dispatches. But seeing him earlier, he’s a total piece of shit. Who does he think he is, representing the work detail? I guess you can always tell a low-life when you see one.”
There was one thing I had felt deeply while operating in Osori. That the survivors who were still alive were incredibly selfish. And that a shelter was just a place where such selfish people gathered. It was a sandcastle that would collapse the moment their interests clashed.
There was so much to do, but it felt like I kept taking long detours. Kim Kang-hyun was just one of them.
“Are there no doctors in Gusan?”
“No. I can think of at least five people I know.”
“Then why is Kim Kang-hyun here? If he’s a doctor, Gusan would have tried to recruit him.”
Han Ji-young shrugged.
“He’s just the youngest one there.”
“Better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon?”
“But he’s probably pissed off because he can’t even manage to be the head of a snake.”
I nodded without any particular reaction. Suddenly, the words Cheonsa had said came to mind. To understand your opponent, try putting yourself in their shoes.
I looked down at the playground once more. Under the darkening sky, the broken swings swayed in the wind. And somewhere in that classroom, Kim Kang-hyun was likely dreaming another dream.
I asked Han Ji-young the most important question.
“So, is Kim Kang-hyun a necessary person?”
“Necessary… honestly, since he’s the only doctor here, I suppose so.”
“Then that’s enough.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
Seeing Han Ji-young trail off, I solidified my resolve. I headed down from the rooftop, crossed the playground, and made my way to the classroom.
I could see Kim Kang-hyun through the gap in the classroom window. When I knocked a couple of times, he jumped in surprise and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
“…Why are you here?”
The awkward air was suffocating, but it didn’t matter. Kim Kang-hyun was probably feeling more suffocated than I was.
“Were you here?”
“I have nothing to say to you. Get out.”
I ignored him and sat down in one of the chairs. The hard, cold texture seemed to represent the relationship between Kim Kang-hyun and me.
“No, I told you to leave, so why are you sitting down? Do you not take my words seriously?”
“I came to apologize to you, sir.”
“Apologize… to me?”
His pupils wavered slightly. When I remained silent, he sat in a chair far across from me. He stared at me blankly, with the nuance of, If you have something to say, let’s hear it.
I thought about whether this man with his arms crossed in front of me was an enemy or not. I was a person accustomed to killing enemies. An enemy meant a being that threatened me. There were two ways to kill an enemy: physically eliminate them, or eliminate only the threat. The former was familiar, but the latter was not. The only weapon I could pull out in this moment was the truth.
“There was an organization called Daeheung. They were hiding around the shelter, targeting us.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Choi Hyun-ho was the leader of Daeheung.”
“Wh-what? Are you talking about that bald guy?”
“We set up an operation to find Daeheung’s base, and we even acted. Because we had to deceive Choi Hyun-ho.”
The existence of the wiretap and the spy. And the events that unfolded at the university, and so on. Kim Kang-hyun, who had been bewildered at first, was gradually becoming immersed in my story.
“So? What happened to Daeheung?”
“They all died. No, I killed them. With my own hands.”
“Th-then Choi Hyun-ho is…?”
“The claim that he went south is not true. It wouldn’t be good for the members to know, so I just made up a story.”
“Ah….”
“This fact is top-secret information known only to four people.”
Kim Kang-hyun, who had been swallowing dry saliva, asked with a somewhat flushed face.
“Why are you telling me such a secret? Are you threatening me? Are you saying that since you killed Choi Hyun-ho, you can kill me just like that?”
“No. It’s because I believe Kim Kang-hyun is also a core member of Osori.”
“Core… member?”
When I thought about it from his perspective, I reached one conclusion. Kim Kang-hyun wanted to be treated according to his abilities. He wanted to show off his presence. Not material things, but emotions. In other words, he wanted recognition.
“I’m a person accustomed to killing, and you’re a person accustomed to saving. And the most important value in the world right now is survival. Staying alive.”
“…….”
“That’s why you’re necessary.”
Just as the cold chair had warmed up with my body heat, could my sincerity warm his heart? As he said, it was an era where a doctor’s touch was precious. Hunters and doctors. In a world occupied by viruses and corpses, I didn’t know which of the two was more valuable. However, one thing was clear: Kim Kang-hyun was someone who could do what I could not. For that reason alone, it was fine to bow my head as much as needed.
“The person who gives orders is not the leader. The person who is absolutely necessary to the people is the leader. In that sense, you are a core member and a leader of this shelter.”
Kim Kang-hyun said nothing. He just kept his head bowed, his two fists clenched on his knees.
“…I think I know why people follow you.”
When he lifted his head again, he had an expression like half-melted ice. And that expression was the conclusion of this conversation, and Kim Kang-hyun’s answer.