Chapter 022: Limit (1)
Assemblywoman Kim Ga-eul shook her head while looking at the online news.
"He really is achieving incredible results."
Aide Yoo agreed.
"Exactly."
"He's practically a hero."
"A third-generation chaebol heir doing things like this..."
"We should probably be careful during the national audit."
"One overly aggressive question could destroy all the positive public opinion we've built so far."
"We should be careful."
Ga-eul nodded.
"I simply want to ask why a third-generation chaebol heir is doing this."
"Especially when he's already practically been chosen as Suseong's successor."
"Are you planning to question only the Minister of the Interior and Safety about the potentially illegal parts?"
"That's probably best."
"I think so too."
"If you question Director Choi directly about that, it could create a backlash."
The day of the national audit approached.
Inside Dobong Rescue Team's office, everyone was worried.
Deputy Captain Park Eun-hyuk approached Captain Gu.
"Captain."
"Hee-soo's going to be all right, isn't he?"
"What could possibly happen to him?"
"He's a third-generation chaebol heir from Suseong."
"He'll probably eat some first-term proportional representative assemblywoman alive."
"Still, yesterday she questioned the Minister of the Interior and Safety pretty aggressively about how Hee-soo was hired."
"What?"
"You actually watch government questioning sessions and national audits?"
"Of course not."
"I'm only watching because of Hee-soo."
"Did you watch it?"
"I watched because of that bastard too."
"But it didn't look like there was any major problem."
"That's what it looked like."
"But why exactly did they call Hee-soo?"
"We'll find out."
Witness waiting room, National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee national audit.
Hee-soo had arrived wearing his firefighter uniform.
Images of him entering the National Assembly in uniform immediately spread through the media and shook online communities in real time.
After entering the waiting room, Hee-soo kept checking the time.
I need to finish this quickly and get back.
He hated wasting time here.
Seeing him, Chief Jang smiled and patted his shoulder.
"What?"
"Nervous?"
At the sudden question, Hee-soo quickly hid his impatience.
"Nervous?"
"No."
"I was just thinking about how I should answer."
"The main purpose of their questions is why I'm doing this, right?"
"Just tell them the truth."
"It's not like you're doing this with some hidden goal."
"They'll probably follow the submitted questions anyway."
"So don't worry too much."
They had already received a list of expected questions.
Most focused on why Suseong's successor was working as a firefighter.
There were also questions about Suseong Safety, which Hee-soo was currently preparing.
Chief Jang added,
"Everything you're preparing is extremely socially beneficial."
"It's the kind of thing ordinary chaebol families don't do."
"So don't hesitate when explaining it."
"I'm not worried about that."
"I'm thinking about how to make it sound more dramatic."
"And there are other problems on our side that need to be solved."
"What problems?"
"Is there something wrong with Suseong Safety?"
"Not Suseong."
"Firefighting."
Chief Jang's eyes widened.
"Did you just call the fire service 'our side'?"
Hee-soo sighed.
"Humans can't really help it."
"You identify yourself with the groups you belong to."
"It's instinct."
"Suseong is ours."
"The fire service is ours too."
"Do the others think of you the same way?"
"I don't know."
"I can't control what other people think."
"However they think about me is their own business."
"Then why bother?"
Hee-soo smiled.
"It's selfish."
"In the end, helping myself overlaps with helping everyone."
"Isn't that the reason humans began living together in communities?"
"In principle, yes."
"Thank you."
"Talking to you helped organize my thoughts."
"Really?"
"That's good."
"You've always been different since you were young."
"That's only because adults like you looked after me kindly."
The wait wasn't long.
Soon, Hee-soo entered the national audit chamber.
The moment he entered, almost every eye inside turned toward him.
The committee chair called Assemblywoman Kim Ga-eul first.
"Assemblywoman Kim Ga-eul of the National Republican Party, please begin your questioning."
Ga-eul immediately addressed Hee-soo.
"Mr. Choi Hee-soo."
"You're currently a probationary firefighter with Dobong Fire Station's Rescue Team 3, correct?"
"Yes."
"And at the same time, you're the director of Suseong Electronics' Strategic Planning Division?"
"Yes."
"Regarding holding both positions..."
Ga-eul interrupted him.
"We've already completed the legal review of that issue and confirmed there's no problem."
"You don't need to explain it."
"However, I believe there's a problem with you doing Suseong Electronics work while inside the fire station."
"I only handle Suseong-related work during spare time."
"I do it only when it doesn't interfere with rescue operations or administrative duties."
"So I don't believe it's a major problem."
"Does Suseong not have much work?"
"As far as I know, you're expected to become Suseong's next successor."
"Can Suseong really function properly if you work like that?"
"Is that a necessary question for the Public Administration and Security Committee?"
"It's extremely necessary."
Even the People's Party, which was generally friendly toward Suseong, didn't intervene to protect Hee-soo.
In truth, they were curious too.
Nobody stopped Ga-eul.
Understanding the situation, Hee-soo began answering.
"I devote eight hours to firefighting duties."
"I devote another eight hours to my work at Suseong Electronics' Strategic Planning Division."
"During the remaining eight hours, I travel, rest, and take care of myself."
The chamber immediately became noisy.
The live YouTube comment feed exploded so quickly that it became difficult to read.
[He works sixteen hours a day?]
[Is he seriously saying eight hours for himself is enough while working two jobs?]
[Haah. What the hell am I doing with my life if even Choi Hee-soo of Suseong works this hard?]
[I thought I was hardworking.]
Even Ga-eul looked slightly surprised by the unexpected answer.
She continued questioning him.
"Even if you slept all eight of those remaining hours, wouldn't firefighting work, especially rescue work, still be dangerous?"
"It's physically and mentally exhausting."
"I consistently exercise for at least two hours a day."
"During work hours, I also train physically whenever there's time."
"I also use my own methods of rest and meditation to maintain calmness and concentration."
"Fine."
"I understand that you work sixteen hours a day."
"But you could've spent those hours working for Suseong Electronics or Suseong Group."
"Why do you insist on working with a rescue team too?"
"Now you've finally reached the question I expected."
"There are two reasons."
"Two?"
"Given Suseong's current situation, what field do we need to break into in order for the group to survive in the future?"
"This is my answer to that question."
"Can you tell us what that answer is?"
"Or is it unrelated to this committee?"
"No."
"It's actually closely related."
"I intend to turn safety into a business."
"Safety?"
"Yes."
"Through firefighting, I'm developing equipment and software related to firefighter safety."
"I intend to commercialize those products."
"Right now, firefighters are doing their jobs by grinding down their own bodies without being guaranteed proper safety."
Ga-eul immediately asked,
"Are you saying you're lobbying the fire service in advance for that business?"
One corner of Hee-soo's mouth rose.
"How large do you think the fire service budget is?"
"Do you really think I'd personally work at a fire station just to get a piece of that?"
Hee-soo returned the question as though the idea were ridiculous.
Ga-eul was taken aback by his sharp response.
"What?"
"What do you mean by 'that budget'?"
"Do you know the total budget of the National Fire Agency?"
"Of course."
"Roughly three hundred billion won was allocated this year."
"Do you seriously believe Suseong, and someone openly considered Suseong's successor, would work at a fire station just to lobby for money like that?"
"What?"
"Money like that?"
It was obvious that Hee-soo's words had struck a nerve.
He didn't care.
He continued in an even stronger tone.
"Even if you gave me the entire three hundred billion won budget, it's still small compared to Suseong's sales."
"The total budget of the agency responsible for the safety of our entire population is less than 0.1 percent of our company's annual revenue."
"At my level, I don't start businesses because I'm chasing money like that."
Ga-eul's face turned red.
Her questioning time ended there.
The committee chair moved on.
"Assemblywoman Kim Ga-eul's questioning time has ended."
"Assemblyman Joo Jin-cheol of the People's Party, please begin."
Another assemblyman took over.
"Then what exactly are you targeting with this safety business?"
"Ultimately, I intend to commercialize disaster-response solutions."
"So the focus will be both safety and defense."
"Our target won't be limited to South Korea."
"We'll target the entire world."
"Especially the United States."
"If we break into the American market, it practically means we've broken into the global market."
"Hahaha."
"That's an enormous vision."
"What level of revenue are you aiming for?"
"Our first goal is to become a unicorn company within three years."
The chamber erupted in murmurs.
"A unicorn means at least a trillion won in valuation, right?"
"He's going to do that in three years?"
"As expected from Suseong's crown prince."
"No wonder he doesn't care about the National Fire Agency's budget."
"Why would Suseong need to lobby the fire service?"
Ignoring the murmurs, Assemblyman Joo continued.
"How long does it usually take for a company to become a unicorn?"
"On average, around 6.6 years."
"Oh."
"And you intend to build that level of corporate value within three?"
"Yes."
"Understood."
"You said there were two reasons."
"I'm curious about the second."
Hee-soo paused briefly before answering.
"To save myself."
"What?"
Everyone who had been looking at documents immediately raised their heads.
Even the live broadcast camera seemed to freeze on Hee-soo.
The only thing still moving rapidly was the comment feed.
[Wow. He's saying he became a firefighter to save himself.]
[Why? Why would a chaebol like Choi Hee-soo need firefighting to save himself?]
[Is it some kind of poetic expression?]
The assemblyman looked just as confused as the viewers.
"Did you say you're working as a firefighter to save yourself?"
"You personally, Director Choi?"
"Yes."
"Every time I save someone whose life is in immediate danger, I also save myself."
"That's why I cannot leave this rescue team."
Silence filled the chamber.
Hee-soo continued.
"I apologize for forcing the creation of a position through the Minister of the Interior and Safety and the National Fire Agency."
"But I'm not wasting tax money."
"I'm not reducing firefighting capacity."
"I'm doing the work of one full firefighter."
"I'm doing everything I can as a member of the fire service so that the organization can improve."
"So if I've committed a small wrong in the process, I hope you'll forgive me generously."
