Chapter 004: Force Majeure (1)
Hee-soo understood what the angel meant.
Every living creature possessed an instinct to survive.
If that instinct disappeared, it would become impossible to continue living, not only as a human being but as any kind of living creature.
Eventually, he would use up every coin and head toward complete extinction.
The angel continued speaking.
The death you're looking at right now is actually one of the most peaceful deaths possible. You know, you can still choose to go to His side.
No. I don't want to make that choice yet.
The angel seemed to have expected that answer.
He smiled and nodded.
Very well. Do your best.
Unfortunately, Hee-soo's determination never to die again proved extremely difficult to maintain.
After that, he died several more times while trying to save people.
Every single death left behind unbearably painful memories.
Each time he died, he could feel his mind becoming more damaged.
And now, he had returned to this place yet again, carrying every bit of that pain.
To make matters worse, his latest experience had combined with the painful memories of his previous deaths.
Together, those memories tormented him in increasingly strange and horrifying ways.
The angel clicked his tongue.
You're getting rather good at using those coins, aren't you?
Hahaha.
To think you were so shocked by the system at first. It's almost as if you're deliberately getting yourself killed.
WHO THE HELL IS DELIBERATELY GETTING HIMSELF KILLED?!
Hee-soo was furious.
However, he quickly remembered exactly whom he was speaking to.
He hurriedly calmed himself and continued in a composed voice.
Fine. I understand. So please, just bring me back to life first. I need to make a plan immediately.
Very well.
You have two coins remaining. Remember, once you use up all your coins, you'll simply cease to exist. You won't even be able to go to His side.
Think carefully about what you're doing.
Hee-soo couldn't help smiling sarcastically.
Once you're dead, nothing matters anyway. Besides, being at His side doesn't sound particularly appealing.
Hahaha. You might regret saying that.
I'll deal with that regret when the time comes. Right now, the present is what matters.
As soon as Hee-soo woke up, he checked his phone.
His level was 1.
The total number of people he had saved was zero.
Remaining coins: 2.
Remaining lifespan: 0 days, 23 hours, 23 minutes, and 32 seconds.
When every number on his remaining lifespan counter reached zero, he would die.
How many times have I died already?
At this rate, my mind is going to break before anything else.
After promising himself that he would never die again, Hee-soo had decided to become a firefighter.
He had believed that becoming a firefighter would help him avoid death.
However, as though mocking his decision, death had easily swallowed him once again.
The sensation of being cooked alive inside that unbearable heat had been absolutely horrifying.
Even worse, he couldn't forget the screams of the child who had been dying in his arms.
I need better firefighting gear. Much better gear.
And a better fireproof blanket, too.
Although he had returned to the beginning, he could still feel the burning sensation on his skin.
It sent shivers down his spine.
And there was another sensation he couldn't forget.
The feeling of that child desperately pressing against his chest while they were burning alive.
The child's screams, begging to be saved.
And the terrible moment when those screams suddenly stopped.
Those memories remained even more painful than the sensation of his own flesh burning.
The child's eyes, filled with resentment as they looked at him, had left a deep wound in his heart.
Damn it.
He checked his phone and then looked at his watch.
It should still be working hours in America.
He immediately made a phone call.
Doctor, this is Dr. Choi.
I'm calling because I need to ask you a favor. Do you remember the heat-resistant sheets NASA was testing some time ago?
Yes, those. Can you get some for me? I need them for something.
Yes, please. I'd appreciate it if you could arrange everything as quickly as possible. I'll send someone to collect them.
Also, I'd like to discuss a technical partnership so that our company can manufacture those sheets ourselves.
Yes, of course. We'll compensate you generously.
You know we've never disappointed you when it comes to money. Hahaha. Yes, I'm counting on you.
The moment he ended the call, he immediately dialed another number.
Chief Jang.
What's going on at this hour?
I need to ask you a favor.
Is it urgent?
Yes, somewhat.
Go ahead.
There's something I've asked Dr. Roland to prepare for me. I need someone to collect it.
From where?
Someone needs to fly to MIT.
Understood.
Thank you. I'm counting on you.
Hee-soo was standing in the parking lot of Dobong Fire Station.
He put his phone back into his pocket and let out a deep sigh.
The nights and mornings were still chilly.
Winter had only just ended, and spring was approaching.
Although the temperature was now above freezing, the dampness in the air penetrated his clothes and made it feel much colder.
After finishing his calls, Hee-soo shook his head.
Still, at least I'm not going to die tomorrow.
Besides, I rescued two more people this time, so I gained another two days all at once.
I really should have gone to Gangnam...
After rescuing the child from the third floor, he had replaced his oxygen tank.
He then immediately entered the seventh floor and rescued another person.
It was another scene that had left the reporters completely shocked.
So far, he had rescued thirty-two people in total.
Of those, seventeen had been rescued after he became a firefighter.
His current level was 7.
He needed to save two more people to reach the next level.
Once I level up again, my coins should be restored.
While he was reviewing the information in his mind, someone approached him from behind.
It was the deputy captain of the rescue team.
What are you doing?
Hee-soo wasn't particularly happy to hear someone suddenly addressing him so casually while he was deep in thought.
He answered with a slightly annoyed expression.
Is there something you need me to do?
The deputy captain hesitated as though he had something important to say.
Hee-soo pretended not to notice.
However, he could already guess what the man wanted to discuss.
How annoying...
Finally, the deputy captain made up his mind and spoke.
No, it's not that. Look, Firefighter Choi. I understand that you genuinely want to save people. But the way you're doing things could put the entire team in danger.
Hee-soo answered coldly.
I'd prefer it if you treated me separately from the rest of the team. To be honest, you're getting in my way too.
The deputy captain was completely caught off guard by those unexpectedly harsh words.
W-wait, that's... How can you say that? We're supposed to be a team.
I don't believe I've conducted rescue operations as part of this team since I arrived here. I've mostly operated alone. And the reason I started operating independently was that nobody listened to my opinions.
The deputy captain had been holding back his frustration over Hee-soo's independent actions for quite some time.
Hee-soo had joined the team only fifteen days earlier.
Yet during those fifteen days, he had repeatedly acted on his own.
The deputy captain had finally decided that he needed to address the problem.
There was only one reason he had tolerated Hee-soo's behavior for so long.
Hee-soo always showed extraordinary dedication when rescuing people.
Furthermore, he repeatedly entered places that nobody else would have considered searching.
And every single time, he returned with someone he had rescued.
An awkward silence settled between them.
After a moment, Hee-soo spoke again.
I think it would be better if we stopped having these unpleasant conversations. Like you said, the team won't be put in danger as long as it doesn't worry about me.
And I won't have to put myself in danger because of the team either.
Hee-soo unconsciously shook his head.
Losing his life was a horrifying experience that he never wanted to repeat.
It was something he could never get used to.
You people couldn't even save me in that situation.
Of course, he knew they hadn't simply abandoned him.
After he entered the third floor, they had made considerable efforts to create an escape route.
Without those efforts, escaping from the building would probably have been even more difficult.
Furthermore, entering a floor that had already reached the fully developed stage of a fire was practically suicide.
When he thought about it rationally, Hee-soo could understand their position.
However, when he remembered that he had been the one trapped inside, he couldn't accept it emotionally.
The resentment he felt toward them was something they could never understand.
As a result, he couldn't help treating them coldly.
He found his own situation absolutely pathetic.
How much longer am I going to have to keep doing this?
Hee-soo had been born with exceptional athletic ability.
During university, he had even served as the captain of his American football team.
He had received recruitment offers from the NFL.
However, he had rejected them without hesitation.
Why would I do something like that just to earn a little pocket change and become popular?
Someone else can become the first Korean to enter the NFL.
When he turned twenty-one, he deliberately chose to complete his military service as an officer in the special forces.
He had originally wanted to join the 707 Special Mission Group.
However, that unit preferred personnel who intended to pursue long-term military careers.
As a result, he had been assigned to the Special Warfare Command.
The fact that Hee-soo, the future owner of Suseong Group, was serving as an officer in the Special Warfare Command had attracted enormous public attention.
Furthermore, he hadn't taken a comfortable desk job.
He had served in an actual operational unit.
The story had even become the headline of the evening news.
Everything he had done was part of his preparation for becoming the future owner of Suseong Group.
He wanted to eliminate any potential obstacles that might stand in his way.
Yet all those preparations had been completely disrupted by his current circumstances.
The only fortunate thing was that his military experience was proving useful in his work as a firefighter.
Even so, his situation felt increasingly ridiculous.
Well, if I want to survive, I have no choice but to keep doing this.
My life is already shorter than a fly's...
No, wait. A fly can live for seven days at the shortest and up to a month at the longest.
I've only got three days left.
I'm actually worse off than a fly.
There was only one reason Hee-soo had decided to become a firefighter.
It was a profession that could continuously provide opportunities to rescue people and extend his lifespan.
During his second life, he had experienced a serious problem.
He simply couldn't find anyone who was about to die.
He had visited his older brother's hospital, but there had been nothing he could personally do there.
He had even stopped a patient who had been discharged from the hospital because they were suffering from an incurable disease.
He arranged for that patient to receive treatment.
However, determining whether the patient had truly escaped their destined death required far too much time.
In contrast, Hee-soo could only afford to wait for a day at most.
Eventually, he died before he could even find out whether paying for that patient's treatment would extend his lifespan.
Even in his current life, he still didn't know whether that person would contribute an additional day to his remaining lifespan.
The patient was still receiving treatment at the hospital.
There was no way to determine the result yet.
Ultimately, Hee-soo had discovered that he needed to rescue people who were in immediate danger of dying.
Only then would his lifespan increase instantly.
And in South Korea, there was only one place capable of consistently providing the opportunities he needed.
The fire department.
Originally, he had decided to join Gangnam Fire Station, which handled the highest number of rescue dispatches in the country.
He had immediately begun making arrangements.
However, even with his influence, he had been told that he would have to wait fifteen days.
That fifteen-day delay had forced him to experience death two more times.
Even after waiting, he still hadn't been able to join Gangnam Fire Station immediately.
Fortunately, Dobong Fire Station had eventually agreed to accept him.
He had no choice but to begin his rescue activities there.
Before joining the fire department, he had seriously considered two options.
Emergency medical services or rescue operations.
He resolved that question before his first day at Dobong Fire Station.
He spent time accompanying the station's emergency medical team on its calls.
Even though the team received emergency calls throughout the day, they rarely encountered anyone whose rescue would extend Hee-soo's lifespan.
Furthermore, during fire emergencies, their primary responsibility was transporting victims who had already been rescued to the hospital.
That didn't immediately extend Hee-soo's lifespan either.
In the end, he had used every bit of influence available to him as a chaebol heir.
And after all that effort, he had managed to join the rescue team, an arrangement that still wasn't efficient enough for his needs.
His circumstances were already frustrating beyond belief.
Therefore, the rescue team members who kept interfering with him were nothing more than an additional annoyance.
Meanwhile, the deputy captain returned to the office.
His expression clearly showed his disbelief and frustration.
Good grief. That spoiled rich kid really thinks he's something special.
The rescue team captain immediately became interested.
What did he say?
He basically told me to stop getting in his way and let him conduct rescue operations on his own.
