Chapter 18

Chapter 018: A Three-Legged Race With Lives on the Line (1)

When the angel first arrived in cat form, Chairman Choi strongly opposed keeping him.

His biggest concern was Chairman Wang.

Chairman Wang suffered from asthma, so Chairman Choi worried that cat hair would worsen his health.

However, after one week, the situation was the complete opposite of what everyone had expected.

Chairman Wang had been bedridden for nearly ten years due to old age.

He only came down to the living room once or twice a month.

Yet when the angel approached him, Chairman Wang rose from his bed as though none of that had ever happened.

He even began petting the cat.

Chairman Wang had suffered from dementia caused by brain lesions and had been unable to speak properly.

When he suddenly began talking again, Chairman Choi dropped to his knees and cried.

Hee-soo was just as shocked.

Chairman Wang had adored Hee-soo since childhood.

Because of that, Hee-soo had always loved him deeply.

He visited him every day, greeted him warmly, spoke to him, and even personally washed his face.

One of Hee-soo's greatest worries when leaving to study abroad had been that he wouldn't be able to see his grandfather.

When news spread that Chairman Wang had regained his strength, all of Chairman Choi's siblings gathered at the house.

They weren't a particularly close family.

In a chaebol household where enormous amounts of money were involved, disputes over inheritance and power were unavoidable.

One major reason Chairman Choi's succession had gone relatively smoothly was, of course, his ability.

However, another important reason was his devotion to his father.

Chairman Choi had been the only child who personally cared for Chairman Wang with complete dedication.

That behavior moved the board members and helped him rise to his current position.

His siblings had eventually been forced to accept the situation.

This was also one of the reasons Chairman Choi had taught Hee-soo so strongly about the importance of filial duty.

Now Chairman Wang's recovery had brought the entire family together.

As laughter returned to the household, many old conflicts that had built up over the years gradually sank beneath the surface.

It wasn't only the family members who wiped away tears.

The long-serving household retainers who had taken care of both Chairman Wang and Chairman Choi were equally moved.

The siblings thanked them for their years of service and asked them to continue caring for the family.

Chairman Wang now came down to the living room for one or two hours every day.

He would pet the angel and talk with his family.

Whenever Hee-soo had a day off, he waited for his grandfather to come downstairs.

With a lively voice, Chairman Wang asked him,

"How is that firefighting work?"

"Is it enjoyable?"

"Yes, Grandfather."

"The more lives I save with my own hands, the more rewarding it feels."

"Good."

"Good."

"Never forget that feeling."

"That is the greatest capital a businessman can possess."

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, Grandfather."

"I'll remember."

"Always be careful with your body."

"Don't ever make this old man cry because of you."

"I'm always careful."

"Good."

"Good."

"You can never be too careful."

"That's how you avoid getting hurt."

"These days, my greatest concern is your health."

Hee-soo's heart hurt.

Because of his circumstances, he couldn't even reassure his grandfather now that the old man had finally recovered.

He couldn't tell him the truth.

Unable to answer, Hee-soo lowered his head.

His grandfather stood up and approached him.

Then he patted Hee-soo's shoulder.

"It's fine."

"This old man's worries are small."

"But the worries of the people are great."

"Isn't the greater cause more important?"

"Yes, Grandfather."

"I'll remember."

"Good."

"That's all this old man needs."

The first time Chairman Wang had stood up after the angel arrived, everyone had been so shocked they couldn't close their mouths.

It had happened on the very first day.

Since Chairman Wang loved the angel so much, Chairman Choi and the rest of the family soon grew fond of him too.

After returning to his seat, Chairman Wang gently scratched the angel's head.

Then he asked,

"Seung-wook."

"How is your wife doing?"

"She's doing well."

"She's working harder than anyone in America."

"Make sure you visit her sometimes."

"A married couple shouldn't go too long without seeing each other."

"Yes."

"I'm planning to go to America next month."

"Is it still difficult for my daughter-in-law to come back to Seoul?"

"The American branch only recently became stable."

"I think it'll take some more time before everything is firmly established."

"Goodness."

"That daughter-in-law of mine is truly incredible."

"How did she revive an American branch that was practically collapsing?"

Hee-soo's mother, Yoon Hye-ri, was currently serving as the head of Suseong Electronics' American branch.

When financial problems had nearly forced the company to abandon its plan to establish a foundry in the United States, she personally flew there and took control.

Under her leadership, Suseong Electronics successfully established the largest foundry company in America.

She had practically rebuilt Suseong Electronics' American business from the ground up.

However, even now, the entire organization remained dependent on Director Yoon working herself to exhaustion.

Because of that, she still couldn't return to Korea.

Hee-soo had also studied in the United States.

Even so, he only met his mother about once a month.

And even then, Hee-soo had to travel nearly 1,400 kilometers from Massachusetts to Illinois just to see her for one day.

He couldn't even spend the entire day with her.

If he left in the morning and arrived in the afternoon, they might have lunch together, and then he would already have to return in the evening.

She worked without proper days off, so finding quiet time with her son wasn't easy.

Part of the reason Hee-soo had joined Suseong Electronics was to eventually move to America, help Director Yoon, and ultimately take over the American branch from her.

Chairman Wang shook his head with a regretful expression.

"Our Hee-soo needs to grow up quickly and take over Hye-ri's work."

Hee-soo had nothing to say.

Still, one fortunate thing was that nobody in the family currently opposed his firefighting work.

He had expected Chairman Wang to oppose it.

Instead, his grandfather was surprisingly supportive.

All of this felt like a miracle created by the angel.

Morning rush hour.

A fifteen-story building was pouring out thick black smoke.

People trying to escape the building and firefighters trying to enter it became tangled together in complete chaos.

Black smoke continued pouring endlessly from the underground parking entrance.

Captain Gu shouted furiously.

"WHY ISN'T THE SMOKE EXTRACTION TRUCK HERE YET?!"

"It has to come from Uijeongbu."

"At minimum, it'll take another fifteen minutes."

"It's stuck in morning traffic..."

"Fifteen minutes?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"You want us to collect corpses after everyone's dead?"

"Don't you know we received a rescue call from down there?"

"That was already five minutes ago!"

"We still can't enter."

"The fire chief ordered us not to go inside until the smoke extraction truck arrives!"

Dobong Rescue Team had arrived first and was waiting for permission to enter.

However, the chief of Dobong Fire Station refused to approve entry.

His order was to wait for the smoke extraction truck.

There was a good reason.

Entering a burning underground parking lot filled with thick black smoke without smoke extraction equipment could easily trap the rescue team.

And once they were trapped, death would be almost unavoidable.

However, Yoon-hee couldn't understand the situation.

She confronted the head of the fire station's public relations department.

"There's someone down there asking to be rescued."

"Why aren't they going inside?"

"Because entering now would be suicide."

"Do you understand what's happening inside?"

"The temperature is between four hundred and five hundred degrees."

"You can't see anything."

"Even if you turn on a flashlight, you can't see your own palm in front of your face."

"We cannot enter without a smoke extraction truck."

"But there are people down there!"

"You know they're there!"

"And you're still not going inside?"

The public relations chief answered firmly.

"Are firefighters not human beings too?"

Yoon-hee immediately fell silent.

The rescue team waiting to enter was equally frustrated.

If they knew exactly where the victims were, they could design an optimal route.

But right now, they would have to search almost entirely by touch.

While everyone waited in front of the entrance, Hee-soo spoke.

"If you're not going inside, then move."

"I'll go in alone."

A lifeline was already tied around Hee-soo's waist.

Captain Gu shouted at him.

"HEY, YOU CRAZY BASTARD!"

"CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT IT'S LIKE IN THERE?"

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR THEM TELL US TO WAIT FOR THE SMOKE EXTRACTION TRUCK?"

"IF YOU'RE AFRAID TO DIE, THEN GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

"I'LL GO IN ALONE!"

"IF I'M BY MYSELF, I CAN STILL BRING FOUR PEOPLE OUT!"

"AT LEAST I'LL SAVE THOSE FOUR!"

Hee-soo's voice was forceful.

His eyes were intense and filled with contempt.

At the same time, there was desperate determination inside them.

Eight people had called for rescue from inside.

The deputy captain carefully asked,

"But there are eight people down there..."

"If you're not going inside, then don't interfere."

"Whether I save four or all eight is my problem."

His tone was dry.

Captain Gu became even angrier.

"What kind of psychopath talks like that?"

"What are you, Superman?"

"How are you going to rescue four people by yourself?"

"There are two children and two elderly people inside."

"Are you planning to bring out only the young ones?"

Hee-soo refused to back down.

His voice was calm but firm.

"Isn't it more psychopathic to let all eight of them die?"

"I'm going inside."

"I refuse to become the same kind of person as you, standing here with folded arms without even trying."

"You can't see!"

"You don't even know where they are!"

"If you go in there, you could die with them!"

Captain Gu shouted furiously.

However, Hee-soo's eyes left him speechless.

Hee-soo had already made up his mind.

The victims had called the 119 emergency center.

The only information they had was that the group was somewhere on underground level three.

The call had been disconnected before an exact location could be obtained.

Based only on that information, the rescue team would have to search the entire underground level.

But Hee-soo knew exactly where they were.

He had already studied the building's blueprints.

He had matched the victims' signals with the design drawings and identified their location.

He had even planned the route.

The problem was oxygen.

He could carry only two additional oxygen tanks.

If he gave one oxygen supply to every two people, he might be able to bring four people out within fifteen minutes.

It was a reckless plan.

He needed to reach the victims within fifteen minutes.

Then he needed to bring four people back out within another fifteen minutes.

Otherwise, even Hee-soo's own life would be in danger.

In reality, bringing panicking victims through thick smoke within fifteen minutes would be extremely difficult.

If he went alone, there was a very real chance that he would die on the way.

Suffocating to death is horrible...

Just imagining himself collapsing from smoke inhalation made chills run through his body.

Even though he could revive, the process of dying was still unbearably painful.

No matter how many times he experienced death, he could never become used to it.

For a moment, weakness entered his mind.

He still had around four days of lifespan remaining.

He could simply obey Captain Gu this time.

But Hee-soo wasn't cold or calculating enough to knowingly watch living people die.

Don't think about dying first.

Think about surviving.

I can live.

And I can save all of them.