The Origin of Species

Coffee with steam coming up the cliff. The air in the house was as cold as the cold winter. Yoon So-hee raised her glass and took a calmly coffee aroma first. Her face, shining under a white fluorescent light, was not as tense as the dust.

I looked at her like that and opened my mouth for a while.

“What was weird? ”

Simple question, but not inside. Yoon So-hee had no choice but to be nervous about how she would answer. 17 hours of memory flew away. In the meantime, if I committed a serious crime, there was no turning back.

“I like the smell of coffee. ”

“Don't change your words. ”

“Sure. Let me ask you this straight away. What happened last night? ”

I don't know what I did yesterday or why I did it. I asked Yoon So-hee.

“What did I do? ”

“Well, it was very different. You're supposed to go to the rooftop garden with your sister at lunch. He wasn't there yesterday, and I asked him if he'd been out. ”

“Out?”

“Are you pretending not to know? ”

“No, keep talking. ”

“Well, his eyes and his speech were completely changed, but they were very different. Something very ferocious · · ·. ”

Suddenly I knew her end was trembling. Leaning back on the couch, I can see her fine ankles and small feet below the table.

“Phew.”

My laugh opened her eyes wide.

“Why are you smiling? ”

“I thought Yoon So-hee was the heart of steel. Apparently not. You're wiggling your toes in your stockings. ”

“Ahhh!! Professor!!"

She blushes red. Well, you can't be nervous when you're home alone in the middle of the night. Pretending to be born was just an act of her.

After 10 minutes of talking to her, there was nothing special about me except the fact that I was out.

“Now go home. It's too late.”

“Can't we go any further? ”

“If you squirm, you're not attractive. Hey, come on in. I told you the house is nearby, so I don't need to take you. Oh, what's your number? ”

“Are you getting my number? ”

“No way. I heard your house is nearby. I sometimes do errands for you. ”

After leaving my number on her cell phone, I said:

“Text me when you get home. Nothing happened.”

“Are you worried about me? ”

“No, if you have a problem, I'm a suspect. ”

“Oh, my God. You're the professor of everything you say. ”

Yoon So-hee smiled and drank coffee. Then he twists his legs to open his mouth.

“Are you going to Africa next month? ”

“Yeah, we should go. ”

Africa went on a nominal visit to health care, but the hidden purpose was to identify patients with Algeria.

“I'm going, too. ”

“Go ahead. Aren't you going home sooner? ”

After talking about it, I finally sent Yoon So-hee home. Anyway, I started looking for traces of her because I realized that I had been out.

As a result, we were able to find out where the destination was. The PA of Congress said I was going to the post office. The problem is I don't know why I went to the post office. Moreover, the CCTV of the nearest post office did not show me.

Until the day I left for Africa, I couldn't figure out why I went to the post office.

...

“Hey, boss, I think we're done for the day...? ”

I looked up to what Yoon So-hee said. Most of my team looked at me eagerly.

My health care team had seen a lot of patients only two days after arriving in Guinea, and it was tiring.

Moreover, this volunteer team may be even more so because there were more people who were borrowed than volunteers. I clapped my hands with a bandage on an old man I didn't know his name from.

“Okay, that's it for today. ”

As soon as the words fell, applause and cheer were poured out.

“Wow!!!! ”

“Freedom!! ”

“Chief!! ”

I turned my back on the joy of my team and found the local head of health. He smiled awkwardly at the realization that our work was over.

Thank you.

“Yes”

I nodded and looked at the sky. The cloudy sun at dusk, and the hamatan blowing behind my back. It was a dry east wind blowing from the Sahara Desert.

A wind full of sand like the sand hits my back like a mother's whirlpool.

The robe turned yellow during the day, and I felt a tingling sensation on it. I didn't know if it was the sweating or the hamatan, but it was clear that my eyes kept turning towards them.

Black Face, White E.

There were elderly people and children in the long line outside the walls of the health center. Their faces were strangely filled with hope. I don't know where that came from.

Team members leaving with their luggage.

They also looked at the long line. The line spreads and fades. But the laughter of the Africans who stood there remained.

A shaker and a bower.

Someone shakes their head at the bother, someone bows at the grief.

The capital of Guinea, Africa. Where the flag of France once waved. They were now independent and developing their country, but it seemed far from being human.

I sent my team to my accommodation and headed to the beach closest to the airport.

The vast open Atlantic Ocean. Beyond that horizon lies the red sunset. And that late sun will soon light up the continent.

I got a little wet and thought about what happened. All of a sudden, the blackouts, the weird notes on the notebook...

I searched for the missing 17 hours of memories, and I realized that I had only met a child named Haenji and that I had gone out.

Thanks to that, I postponed the volunteer service schedule a little, but I ended up here. We'll need to identify a Lugeric patient before we can conduct any illegal clinical trials.

Honestly, when I got on the plane, I was cold sweating. Is it the fear of falling? Or the victims who might die because of me? Honestly, I don't know, but I had to come to Africa for a reason, and I had to fly because I had business in the United States.

Fear of falling was greater than I thought, or I was prepared just in case. I wrote a letter to my brother and wrote a letter to recruit a caregiver to replace me. I also told my father's friend, Colonel Kim Young-chul, that there was nothing to worry about.

Fortunately, the contents of the notebook were only fiction. The other personality in me that I was worried about did not come out again twice. Well, if it was post-regression memory loss, there wouldn't have been a second personality from the start. However, there was still a possibility that it was a dual personality. After regression, memory loss doesn't make sense.

‘Then why am I so sad? ’

The Soviet Union dug deep into my heart. I didn't know why. When I was watching the rushing waves, someone spoke English.

“Doctor, Doctor. ”

A kid in a limp T-shirt. Clothes were pierced everywhere, and the stretched teas made the trousers invisible. Even the soles of the shoes were not intact, so I could guess roughly the condition of the child.

Sweat on the boy's forehead. Maybe they followed me from the health center, knowing who I am. Immediately, the question was filled up.

“Y?? ”

The child grabbed my collar and dragged it. When I didn't make a move, I jumped up and down with unfamiliar English skills.

“Grandpa, therapy, please!! ”

I shook my head and spoke so that the child could understand.

“Tomorrow, it's crowded. ”

The child knelt.

“Grandpa, I can't move. ”

But I'm not the one to be taken for granted. The night here was dangerous. I was not stupid enough to follow a child who didn't even know who it was. And if the patient can't move, someone has to bring him in.

I raised a child.

“Dad, tell your mom to pick you up. ”

Then the child bites his lips.

“Dad, mom... dead. ”

My heart was needlessly pierced by the child's words. But you can't move without knowing it. I shook my head.

“Sorry, I can't, I can't. ”

I didn't want to see his face. I pushed out my holding child's hand and walked towards the lodging. After walking for a while, I turned my head and the child was gone. Lucky for you, I quietly walked to my quarters.

The next day.

There were still many patients. But something was different from yesterday. Maybe it was me, I cared about the surroundings.

“Sir, are you all right? ”

“No, it's fine. Everybody's got a job to do. ”

“Yes, have some of this. ”

I inhaled a potion of fatigue. Something's bitter.

I kept looking out of the health center. My butt was restless. I talked to Nurse Yoon to see if she felt that way.

“Anybody you want to meet? ”

“No.”

The answer was yes, but I realized. You're waiting for someone I won't come.

Time flies by. By the time the sunset was clear from afar, today's schedule had finally ended. The patients who were still waiting for tomorrow also go back smiling. The team members also packed their luggage with a kind expression.

Just me.

I couldn't smile alone.

“Nurse Yoon, put the dressing set, the saline and the gauze in your bag. Oh! Please take care of all the equipment you have. ”

“Yes? What happened? ”

“Don't just ask. Take care of it. I have something to use. ”

He runs to the beach with his bag on his back and stops. I thought it would be dangerous, but I didn't think it was stupid. It was so stupid of me.

All this time I thought I was different. I thought I had realized the reality out of the past. The same was true for medical volunteers.

It's not from a good cause. Just for my greed, it helps the way I want to go. That's why I came to this hot, dirty place. But what am I doing now?

The sandstorm hits your face.

When my parents died, I remembered my relatives who had turned away. I remembered the wolves who coveted the legacy. What if he didn't have his notebook and his friend who helped us? The university would never have dreamed.

Damn it, I keep thinking about her despair. There was a dry guilt and a hidden conscience. Then I decided.

'Let's do something stupid one last time.'

Shouldn't we at least be prepared for the risks? I found the Warden of Health right away.

“I have a place to go with you. ”

He shakes his head. It was the reason for the commute. A man's life depended on it, but his reasoning was reasonable. Nothing is more important to an individual than time off.

“I need your help.”

Twenty dollars in the face. Brightens dark red lips. Is there anything worth money for? I took him to the beach for no reason.

Red and yellow sky. I shouted on that beach yesterday.

“Come, Come!! ”

And then...

I can feel someone grab my collar from behind. It was him.

“Huff, puff. You quick, quick, huff! ”

Maybe the child jumped too. Rough breathing, sweat with puffiness. However, the white teeth stood out in the child's face.

“Your name?”

“Parts”

After hearing the child's name, something more important comes to mind.

“Grandpa, are you sick? ”

“Feet, feet... hot. ”

It didn't feel good. If I couldn't move, I wouldn't be able to do it alone. But I decided to do my best to get here.

The child's house had to walk for about two hours. There were no streetlights on unpaved roads. Perfect darkness. The stars are even brighter thanks to you. The warden grumbled, but the $20 power was strong.

“Here.”

At her words, I looked at the old house in front of my eyes. I doubted that there was no light in the house. Looking at the Warden of Health, he nodded.

Signal that it is not dangerous.

When I opened the door, a foul, familiar smell led me inside. I prevented the Director of Health from following me.

“It's out there. ”

I told him, "I don't know what's going on with the patient, but I thought it best to do it alone." I think the Director of Health will get nervous if he contaminates everything.

Something stinks.

No, there was a much nastier smell of germs in the greenhouse. The problem is that it's so dark, it doesn't look right.

“Fart, no fire? ”

“Wait”

I also heard the groaning of my voice. Fart looks for something in the dark, and soon the fire is lit. A candle.

Fart said.

“About half an hour. ”

“What?”

“Fire.”

When I saw the candles, they were almost burnt out and not much longer left. There were no electronics in the room, packets all around the corner, and his grandfather was lying there.

I thought, 'Is there no electricity here?', but I quickly went to the source of the smell and lit the fire.

“ # $# $# $% # ”

French came out of his mouth, but he couldn't understand it. Above all, feet that don't wash well on dark skin. A yellow pearl was leaking through the hard skin cells.

Probably just walking around in his shabby shoes and not taking care of him after he got hurt. The smell seemed to have spread quite well already, but I knew for sure that I had to wipe my feet.

“Parts, illuminate. I'm going to fix it now. ”

A limited time of 30 minutes.

I was worried because there was no light around me. If the bacteria have invaded the bone... we may have to cut it off. You soothe the palpitations of your chest, and I remove the disinfected utensils from the bag.

A green pod spread on the floor of a filthy room. It was not a good situation to talk about. First sterile distilled water was applied to the gauze, then the area was wiped off.

Nasty leaking pus. Sample collection is complete. We need to know the test results of the germs, but we have enough antibiotics.

You pull the skin with Edison Forceps, then start cutting with Caesar.

“Hah, thank God. It's narrower than I thought. ”

“Can you get better? ”

“I'm not sure. ”

“I'm fine, thank you. ”

You nod at Partt's words and focus on the treatment. The rot is cut out into Caesar and the melted flesh is scraped into Curlette. The stinky smell and faint groaning vibrate the room, but it doesn't stop.

Some scratch, and the blood flows up. It was redder than anyone's blood.

“Thank God. It's a decent spot. If I was a little later, I could have been in trouble. ”

Fart held his grandfather's hand. Meanwhile, I started finishing treatment.

After putting disinfectant in 2 * 2 gauze, the wound was packed. Then wrapped in 4 * 8 gauze and bandaged. Of course, the treatment was not completely completed.

Wounds were continuously checked and treated for at least 3 weeks.

“Fart, it's over. ”

“Wait a minute.”

Fart spoke French with his grandfather. He goes to the pack and starts looking for something. Soon after he was elastic, he gave me something.

A copper ring.

“What?”

“In return.”

“I don't need it. ”

Fart laughed and put it in my pocket. I refused, but I gave up on the fact that Partt was pouting.

“I'll keep coming back until I get back. We need to keep healing that wound. ”

“Yes”

Parts grabbed my hand and dragged me out. The Director of Health looked around without a word.

“Let's go.”

The head of health walked ahead. I followed him, and so did Fart.

“Where are you going? ”

“Airport”

“To take me home? ”

“Yes. And...”

Parts pulls something out of their pockets. It was all old notebooks.

“I have to study. ”

Fart says I shake my head. I didn't want him to walk the dangerous streets alone.

“I'll go alone. You stay here. ”

Then Partt calmly replied.

“No. I have to go. There's only light. ”

Eventually, I had to swallow the saliva.

Bubbly streets everywhere. All you can see is the lights from the airport from far away. On the street I stood, small houses were densely packed.

It's just creepy that there's no light in the houses.

We kept walking. Two becomes three, and three becomes four. It wasn't just the Parts. The children continued to grow. Guinea kids headed to the airport. They were searching for the light like moths, searching for hope.

"Tsk, I did something stupid, but I don't feel bad. '

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The protagonist is the last good thing to do.