Chapter 76: Those Who Step Forward

Kudangtangtang!

Kim Gap-yong, kicked by Bulgwang-dong Gasoline, rolled down the hospital corridor.

“You’re not going to pay back my money? Huh?”

“It’s only been a month and a half since I borrowed it, why are you—!”

“The interest has already doubled the principal.”

“What? This is just too much!”

“That’s how loan shark interest works, what did you expect. If it’s so disgusting and dirty, you shouldn’t have used loan sharks in the first place.”

Bulgwang-dong Gasoline flicked his earwax.

“Pay me back, quick. Unless you want to see something really filthy. You know what they call me, right? I’m Bulgwang-dong Gasoline.”

Bulgwang-dong Gasoline poked Kim Gap-yong in the chest with his finger.

“Don’t you think something very interesting would happen if I stormed into your workplace?”

“What are you going to do—!”

“I’ll leave the details to your imagination. Whatever you’re picturing, it’ll probably be worse. I guarantee it. Starting today, you’re getting fired from your job. Kukukuk.”

Bulgwang-dong Gasoline snickered, peering into the hospital room.

Kim Gap-yong quickly rushed over and blocked the doorway with his body.

“Stop thinking about doing anything stupid. If I get fired, it’ll be harder for you to get your money back.”

“Why wouldn’t I get my money? Why do you think I took out insurance?”

Bulgwang-dong Gasoline grinned wickedly.

“If I storm your workplace and get your severance pay, plus your insurance payout, I’ll get my money back in one go.”

“What are you even saying—!”

“It’s only natural that people are born and die. Wouldn’t it be better if your death helped your family?”

Bulgwang-dong Gasoline shoved his hands in his pockets.

“You’d better listen while I’m still talking nicely. This is your last warning.”

“I-I’ll report you to the police!”

“Go ahead. But do you have any evidence? Kukukuk, you’re using your brains the wrong way. Instead of scheming, use that time to pay me back. Okay?”

Bulgwang-dong Gasoline cracked his neck from side to side.

“After your job, it’ll be the hospital. Didn’t you say your hospital bills are overdue? If I really go wild, your daughter will be kicked out onto the street. Will you be okay with that? Kukukuk.”

“No, don’t!”

“What was your workplace again?”

“No! I said, no!”

Bulgwang-dong Gasoline snapped his fingers with a loud smack.

“Ah, right. Taeseong Chemical! Okay, got it. Wait and see.”

Bulgwang-dong Gasoline swaggered away.

Kim Gap-yong leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.

“What is he going to do, exactly?!”

Kim Gap-yong clenched his teeth.

He couldn’t hide the expression of someone driven to the edge of a cliff.

“Honey.”

Someone placed a hand on Kim Gap-yong’s shoulder.

It was his wife.

“It’s about the hospital bills, isn’t it?”

“I’ll find a way to deal with it. Don’t worry. You just focus on Yerim.”

Kim Gap-yong squeezed his wife’s hand.

“You’ve suffered so much because you married a useless husband. Taking care of a sick child is hard enough, and yet you’re also sewing doll eyes, gluing paper bags, peeling garlic, whenever you have a spare moment.”

“Honey.”

“President Shim said this. Taeseong Construction is giving employee loans for those buying apartments. I’m putting my last hope on that.”

“It’s tough to get a loan. The competition will be fierce. It’ll be difficult.”

“I know. But there’s nothing to lose. Who knows? Maybe if I keep working hard, even a mouse hole will see sunshine one day. I may not know much else, but I’m confident when it comes to doing my best.”

“Your nose is bleeding!”

Kim Gap-yong plugged his nose with the handkerchief his wife gave him.

“I should get going. I just stopped by because it’s my lunch break.”

“Are you working the night shift again? Yerim will be waking up soon, at least let her see you before you go.”

“Tell Yerim that I probably won’t be able to visit this weekend either because I have to work.”

Kim Gap-yong gave a big, cheerful smile.

“Tell her I love her, that I got her drawing, that she’s the best daughter in the world, pass it on like that.”

Kim Gap-yong hurried out of the hospital.

With each heavy step, a sigh escaped him.

Above Kim Gap-yong’s head, the [4 hours] Underworld Countdown flickered.

He was headed, not to the Taeseong Construction site, but to the Taeseong Chemical factory.

---

‘Ah!’

I was abruptly pulled out of the blue, shimmering vision.

It was because Kim Gap-yong, who had been shaking my hand, let go.

“Sir, it was nice to meet you. I can’t be away from the factory line for long, so I’ll be heading back now.”

Kim Gap-yong gave a polite bow and turned away.

‘Is it really ending here? No! Grim Reaper, show me a bit more!’

I was dying to know what happened next.

I hadn’t seen the most important part.

‘What happens at Taeseong Chemical in four hours, what happens to Chief Kim, how did things turn out this way, I haven’t seen any of it yet!’

Maybe if I ran into Chief Kim again, I’d be able to continue the vision?

Desperate, I reached out toward Kim Gap-yong.

President Shim caught my staggering body.

“Sir, are you alright? Your breathing suddenly got rough, and your complexion doesn’t look good.”

“Chief Kim!”

“I think it’s the chemical fumes…”

“Wait! Chief Kim!”

“Yes?”

Chief Kim turned back, about to return to the workshop.

“I have something to say! Please, just a moment—!”

“Ah, sir! If you move like that, you’ll fall!”

President Shim quickly grabbed me as I wobbled.

‘Grim Reaper, I want to see what happens next! At least show me that much!’

At that moment.

The blue vision shimmered before my eyes again.

I felt myself being sucked back into the scene.

---

Kwaang!

An enormous explosion boomed nearby.

Looking out the window, I saw the Taeseong Chemical factory engulfed in flames.

President Shim, who had been arguing with the Woo-gwang acquisition team across the table, sprang to his feet.

“Damn it all!”

President Shim dashed out of the conference room like an arrow.

“Call the fire department first! Get everyone out safely! Hurry! Move!”

The Woo-gwang acquisition team, who’d been nitpicking every little thing, were so shocked they chased after him.

“What’s going on?!”

“Which factory exploded, and why?”

President Shim shouted.

“We’re going to find out right now!”

President Shim saw flames roaring over the No. 6 Factory.

People carried out burn victims, supporting them.

On the open ground, more injured were lying and groaning.

There had to be at least fifty.

“Move the wounded to the parking lot! Get all the raw material trucks outside, too!”

Someone, face blackened with soot, ran up to report.

“Chief Kim from No. 4 Factory and the No. 1 team are in danger!”

“What about the people from No. 4 Factory now?!”

The fire was in No. 6 Factory, not No. 4.

“As soon as they heard the explosion, Chief Kim from No. 4 Factory and the No. 1 team ran over and rescued several people! Now they say they have to rescue the rest who are still inside—”

Kwaang!

A huge explosion thundered at that moment.

Taeseong Chemical’s No. 6 Factory was utterly consumed by flames and thick black smoke.

---

The blue-tinged vision faded before my eyes.

Cold sweat beaded down my face.

‘Damn. How many people died or were injured?’

I’d half expected it when the Grim Reaper showed orange arrows and the Underworld Countdown above everyone’s heads.

‘Twenty-three people died in this accident, and 166 were sent to the hospital, they said.’

The scene of flames shooting skyward, smoke spreading in every direction, was burned into my memory.

The wails and pained screams of the people rang in my ears—it was chaos, an inferno.

‘But compared to the Taeseong Group report, there seemed to be fewer casualties. That must be because, with the Taeseong Chemical acquisition heating up, factory operations were scaled back, and most staff sent to Taeseong Construction.’

My reason was ice-cold, but my heart burned hot.

So many precious lives lost in vain.

Innocent people suffering.

I closed my eyes.

‘No wonder the Blue House got furious and summoned the group chairman for this accident.’

My heart grew heavy, and my mind tangled with thoughts.

“Sir?”

Kim Gap-yong and President Shim peered at me with worried faces.

“Goodness, you’ve turned pale as a sheet.”

“And you’re sweating! Are you sure you’re okay?”

I shook my head.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Sir, should we just go back home now?”

“President Shim, maybe we should stop by the hospital just in case?”

I waved my hands.

“Really, I’m alright. It’s just…”

How could I possibly explain?

Then I heard whispers from people watching nearby.

“What’s going on? Chief Kim’s supposed to get back to the workshop—why isn’t he coming?”

“I heard some kid came to see him. Maybe that’s Chief Kim’s child?”

“No, that’s his daughter. She’s in Taeseong Hospital right now, isn’t she? That’s just some stranger.”

“Is that so? Still, that’s a really good-looking, rich kid.”

Our eyes met.

‘Ah…!’

Above their heads, the [10 days] countdown was still sparkling.

The same was true for over ten people—it shone above them like stars.

‘These are the ones who ran into the burning factory with Chief Kim to save their colleagues.’

They had honest faces.

They gave up holidays and worked hard.

Their eyes, full of curiosity and deep fatigue, looked at me.

When our eyes met, some of them simply grinned and gave me a small wave.

I checked the name tags stitched in overlock on their chests.

‘Choi Beom-seok, Lee Cheol-yong, Park Jin-seop, Song Won-gil, Oh Dae-man, Kang Woo-jin, Ko Seong-hak, Kim Kyung-ho, Jung Il-gun, Park Man-su, Choi Young-jun, Ko Dae-young, Yoon Hyun-oh, Lee Kyu-hyuk.’

President Shim was right.

They were the pride of Taeseong.

I repeated their names silently to myself.

“I’m sure it’s all the chairman’s fault! That damn rice cake soup!”

President Shim clicked his tongue.

“I knew it! He just had to make everyone eat rice cake soup! I was so worried I even brought digestive medicine!”

President Shim, who’d been crouching to check on me, suddenly stood up.

“This won’t do. You must have a terrible case of indigestion. We need to get you to Taeseong Hospital immediately!”

“Wait! I have something to say to Chief Kim!”

I desperately clung to Chief Kim’s work jacket.

Chief Kim looked startled, eyes wide, unsure what to do.

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t have to worry about the hospital bills!”

He’d risked his whole life to save the Taeseong Chemical family.

“Taeseong is one family!”

I like men of loyalty.

“I’m going to support the hospital bills for the Taeseong family!”

Chief Kim tilted his head.

“Excuse me?”

Chief Kim just kept making dumbfounded noises, as if he didn’t understand a word.

I turned to President Shim.

“Like you said earlier. Chief Kim’s daughter is sick, and she’s relying on the company’s health insurance. But the surgery schedule is up in the air, so they’re struggling.”

I’d made up my mind to help Kim Gap-yong.

‘To be honest, I brought up the idea of donating to Taeseong Hospital from the start with Kim Gap-yong in mind. For three reasons.’

First, he had enough motive, so I wanted to persuade him not to start the Taeseong Chemical fire.

Second, since I’d declared it in front of all the affiliate executives, I thought I’d highlight Taeseong Chemical for extra attention.

Third, since Uncle Cheol-gu’s old paper shone gold, I thought, why not treat this as insurance?

‘But right now, none of that really matters.’

I just wanted to help him.

My heart had moved.

That’s all.

“I want to help you, Chief Kim. Can’t I do that?”

“Why not? It’s your New Year’s money anyway. You should use it as you wish.”

President Shim smiled softly.

He patted the still-bewildered Kim Gap-yong on the shoulder.

“Looks like your luck’s really good this year. Young Master Jeong-hyuk already announced today, in front of the chairman and all the affiliate executives, that he’d help Taeseong family patients.”

“Huh?”

“You’ll see it on the banner at Taeseong Hospital later. All the Taeseong affiliate executives have come together to support family members in need.”

“T-this is…”

“That’s what the donations are for—he’s saying he’ll help you.”

Only then did Chief Kim’s jaw start to drop wider and wider.

“C-could it be…!”