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Boom!

Gunfire and explosions echoed everywhere.

There stood a neglected Refugee Detention Center, just 10 kilometers from the battlefield, with absolutely no sanitation. The conditions were so poor that no medical assistance, not even food or clean water, was provided.

The White Tent was collapsing, and the space was so filthy that one could hardly imagine any signs of human life. Horrific screams resonated from every corner within the tent.

Dozens of refugees huddled together in a room reminiscent of a filthy public restroom. They weren’t lying down with their own space; they were literally crammed together like items stuffed into a box.

Their wounds were left loosely bandaged and unattended. Amidst this chaos, a man moved busily around.

“Are you okay, patient?”

“Ahhh, it hurts… I don’t want to die….!”

A young man in a white coat, with androgynous features that could even be mistaken for a woman at first glance, was the only Asian doctor in this place.

He walked around the tent, meticulously checking the condition of every patient.

‘This patient has a fracture due to a fall. Since the fracture can’t be treated, what’s needed now is to improve nutritional intake and disinfect the bedsores.’

The man took out disinfectant, anesthetic, and a sterilized scalpel, then spoke to his assistant.

“Could you help position the patient?”

“R-right here?”

“Yes, the wound is serious, so we need to do it here right away.”

The man examined the bed sore of a refugee paralyzed from the waist down, saying,

“Patient, we’re going to disinfect this bad wound and cut out the infected part. It’ll be done under anesthesia, so you won’t feel a thing, okay?”

“Y-yes.”

He reassured the patient gently before starting the procedure.

‘Is this really okay?’

The assistant’s first impression of the man wasn’t very reassuring. With a slight stature that could easily be mistaken for a middle school student, delicate features, and an almost feminine face, it was only natural to worry whether he might tremble while using a scalpel. But such worries proved unnecessary.

“How could he…?”

The assistants stared at the man in astonishment. Although he wasn’t a medical professional himself, he stood out far above the other doctors sent here. With the skill of a true artisan, he sliced away the dead tissue. The wound post-operation was remarkably cleaner than before.

“All done, patient.”

“T-thank you. I feel much better now.”

He replied smilingly and kindly.

“You need to take care of it from now on. If anything feels uncomfortable, let me know.”

Then he turned to the assistants who were watching blankly.

“Can you help with the next patient’s wound treatment?”

“Ah… y-yes!”

The assistants jumped at his words and followed his orders eagerly.

*

A week later, a shadow approached the refugee center. A man in military uniform walked weakly, seemingly injured.

“Damn… how did I end up here?”

The man’s name was Zahra. He was a civil war soldier who had been shot and had fallen right in the middle of enemy territory during the war.

“I’m hungry… please, someone give me something to eat…”

Contrary to his expectations of being buried under debris, the man wandered aimlessly, fighting for survival. This shabby tent was the destination he reached after wandering uncertainly.

“It looks like a refugee camp…”

A soldier who rebelled against the government and sparked a civil war ended up at a refugee camp. To them, civil war soldiers were akin to the enemies who killed their families. It wouldn’t be surprising if he were killed on sight.

“Heh… so this is the end for me…”

The man knelt down and fell forward.

“What’s this? A half-dead carcass.”

Just before losing consciousness, the man’s eyes closed beholden to a White Something approaching him.

*

“Where is this…?”

“Are you awake?”

Feeling the sunlight filtering through his skin, the soldier opened his eyes. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw a Black-haired Man sitting nearby reading a book.

“…a woman?”

“Who says I’m a woman?”

The man, annoyed, flicked the book against the soldier’s head lightly.

“Who are you?”

Despite being Asian, the man in the white coat spoke fluent Middle Eastern. If not for the coat, he might have been mistaken for a high school volunteer.

“You’re freaking glaring at me after I saved your life? Not very appreciative, are you?”

Wait, is he just a middle schooler pretending to be a doctor? He looks pretty cute, though.

“Did you save me?”

“Well…”

“Why?”

The soldier glared at the man, still guarded. His military uniform was gone, replaced with clean clothes.

“Why did you save me? If you saw my uniform, you should have known I was an enemy.”

“What are you talking about? That’s pointless chatter.”

The man handed a thermos and spoon to the soldier.

“In front of a sick person, who cares if they’re enemy or ally?”

Inside the thermos was warm porridge. The soldier, who hadn’t eaten in days, drooled at the sight of the porridge in front of him.

“You look like you haven’t eaten in days, so hurry up.”

After a moment of hesitation, the soldier picked up the spoon and took a mouthful of porridge.

“!”

The soldier’s eyes widened in shock as he quietly spoke,

“It’s… gross…”

“Eh? What?”

The man’s expression turned flustered as a negative response unexpectedly came out.

“What the heck did you put in this? Do you people eat like this all the time?”

“This… and after giving you my meal, you don’t even say thank you… give it back!”

The soldier, despite his words, heartily devoured the porridge in front of him.

“…complaining while eating, huh… Just rest up, I’ve got to attend to other patients.”

After finishing his meal and surveying the surroundings, the soldier couldn’t believe his eyes.

‘What is this? Is this really a refugee camp?’

It was entirely different from the refugee center he had known. For starters, the place was clean. It looked like a professional medical facility. And the patients weren’t just tidy; they radiated life—a stark contrast to the hopelessly dying people he remembered from other camps.

The liveliest presence in that place was undoubtedly that doctor.

“Isn’t the teacher truly amazing?”

“Totally… he couldn’t even sleep yesterday because he was taking care of patients, and he’s working so hard…”

“Such a small body, cleaning up dirty hospital rooms, improving patients’ hygiene, and doing the cleaning…”

The soldier observed him while listening to the assistants speak with admiration. Not just the assistants, but even the refugees looked up at the doctor as if he were a Saint… or more like a divine being.

“What on earth is he doing here?”

*

That evening, under the blanket of darkness, the man sat outside the tent on a chair, dozing off. He barely opened his eyes as he heard approaching footsteps.

‘Did I doze off? I’m so tired.’

His head felt heavy. He struggled to fix his blurry vision as he thought.

“I could really use an energy drink right now…”

It was leagues apart from his time as a surgeon in Korea. He could pull all-nighters performing surgeries without breaking a sweat, but the life here was far tougher. He couldn’t believe he felt so drained and had a headache from this little strain.

Just then…

“Why are you going this far?”

A soldier with a perplexed expression stood behind him. The man blinked in surprise and replied.

“What? Are you hurt or something?”

“I heard from the people here that you were originally a successful doctor.”

“…so?”

“Why would someone like you come all the way to this war zone in the Middle East to help people?”

Staring blankly at the night sky, the man finally opened his mouth.

“It’s been my dream since I was a child, to live like this.”

“…”

“Actually, it’s more like a promise… with my mom.”

“Sending your child to the battlefield? That’s insanity.”

“My mom died long before I grew up.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Well… it wasn’t a promise to become a doctor, just a request to live by helping others.”

The man smiled happily with a reminiscent expression.

“If anything, it’s about self-satisfaction. I find a sense of fulfillment in this life.”

“If only our leaders were as virtuous as you, there wouldn’t have been a war.”

“Enough with the nonsense. Get some sleep or decide whether to escape to another country.”

“Sure, I won’t forget this kindness. My name is Zahra, what’s yours?”

“My name is…”

*

Fully recovered, Zahra stepped out of the tent, intending to return to his base. He wanted to defect to another country if possible, but he couldn’t abandon his family back home.

“It won’t be easy to sneak back.”

He couldn’t afford to be shot by his own comrades if he messed up, but Zahra’s steps didn’t falter. He had no intention of throwing away the life he had been spared. Then, he noticed a group coming into view.

“Those… are our soldiers’ uniforms!”

He thought it wouldn’t be difficult to return, but suddenly felt an indescribable unease at their movements.

‘That direction leads to the refugee camp…’

As he grew anxious, he turned back towards the direction he’d come, when he suddenly heard a loud gunshot.

“Could it be?!”

Zahra sprinted toward the camp. By the time he arrived, it was already too late.

“Ah… what the heck, they’re dead.”

“Hey, we should’ve kept the doctor alive! We just lost a valuable resource.”

“Looks like a pretty face… such a shame… but wait, is this a guy or a girl?”

Beneath the armed soldiers lay the doctor, cold and lifeless, cradling the patients in his final moments.

“….”

“Hey? Who’s that over there…”

“Zahra? You were here, brother.”

Ignoring the approaching soldiers who smiled at him, Zahra’s focus was solely on one person.

“You… I will never forgive you.”

“What are you talking about? Hurry and arm yourselves. We don’t have time for this…”

Thud!

Zahra charged at the soldiers, stabbing with rage.

“Die here, all of you!”

“What’s wrong with this guy?”

“Kill him!”

Soon, gunfire erupted from the camp.

*

“Where is this…?”

The man woke up abruptly and looked around. All he could see was an empty white space.

“Wait a moment… I died, didn’t I?”

He had passed away protecting the patients from the sudden storm of soldiers.

“I guess everyone who was there… must be dead now…”

He didn’t want to see people die before his eyes again; no, rather he wished to die first, so he wouldn’t witness it.

“I wanted to live a little longer…”

[I’ve been waiting for you.]

“W-who are you?”

Suddenly, a child’s voice echoed in the man’s head.

“Who are you?”

[I am… or to put it simply, a being you call ‘God.’]

“So there really is an afterlife?”

The man struggled to accept the situation, albeit in shock.

“Excuse me, oh God.”

[Do you have questions?]

“What will happen to the refugees there?”

[…You’re so kind… As you might expect, all the humans there have died.]

The man lowered his head quietly upon hearing those words.

“Is that… so.”

[Indeed… you are the right fit.]

“What do you mean?”

[Normally, people ask about what will happen to them, where they’re going; but you think of others first. That’s wonderful.]

“Uh… thanks?”

[For someone like you, a contract has been prepared.]

“A contract…?”

Feeling dubious, the man focused on the voice. At that moment, a piece of paper shone in front of his eyes.

[If you sign this contract, you can be revived.]

“Really?!”

The man waved the paper as he checked the contract.

[However, the world you will return to will have some problems, so your help will be needed.]

“Help? Like taking care of patients or something?”

[There will be cases of that and others, but what do you think? Are you interested in signing the contract?]

After examining the contract for a while, the man closed the paper.

“It’s too much… but it doesn’t seem like there are any strange clauses, so why not give it a shot?”

[Then, I look forward to working with you, my child.]

“Wait a moment, why is my body…?”

As he finished speaking, the man’s body was enveloped in light.

 

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