1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 109



Only Krnovel

Episode 109

The porter truck, which had been running through the pouring rain, stopped right in front of the checkpoint.

I didn’t notice it when I saw it from a distance, but there were quite a few men in the luggage compartment.

They started to get out as if they had been waiting for the porter truck to stop.

A group of men wearing blue raincoats and holding weapons such as scythes or bludgeons in their hands.

I think he brought it here just to show off, but it looked so sloppy.

The old man, seeing that sight, clicked his tongue and muttered something about how crazy it was.

CLANG!

At that moment, a middle-aged man who was riding in the passenger seat got out of the truck and opened an umbrella.

Judging from the fact that he was the only one wearing an old Saemaul hat, he clearly seemed to be the village chief.

Ahem!

The village chief, with a small cough and adjusting his hat, looked at the high school student and said.

“Is this the guy?”

“yes yes.”

“But why are you inside?”

“Grandpa told me to come in… … .”

When the word grandfather was mentioned, the village chief frowned and turned his head away.

Then he glared at the old man in front of the guard post and soon began to scold him in a harsh voice.

“Hey, Mr. Hwang! Didn’t I tell you not to let outsiders in? Is it that hard to understand what I meant when I said to leave them outside for a while?”

“It’s raining like this, and you want me to leave someone out there? I searched their body, so don’t be scared.”

But the old man just picked his ears and waved his hands as if it was noisy.

The village chief’s face burned like a red volcano at the sight of him chasing a bug.

It was clear that there were more people on that side, but the atmosphere and weight of the older person seemed to be one level higher.

“That damn old man… … .”

Eventually, the village chief, who had nothing more to say, started swearing so that everyone could hear.

It had only been five minutes since we met, but my first impression was truly unpleasant.

The village chief, who had been raising his voice to the old man for a while, turned his gaze towards me this time.

“Ahem! Since it’s come to this, let’s get to know each other. I’m Jo Deok-gu, the village chief.”

“My name is Jang Dae-su and I am from Seoul. I was heading south with my group.”

“You were on your way to escape.”

I shook hands with the village chief, Jo Deok-gu, who immediately extended his hand and exchanged brief introductions.

He must have had a drink before coming because his breath smelled strongly of makgeolli.

He immediately asked me in an informal tone, wondering if it was because he was drunk or if he was just like that.

“So, you want to pass through here?”

“Yes, I will pass as quietly as possible.”

“Um, that might be a bit difficult.”

“Why?”

“In principle, you can’t use the road if you’re not a resident of the village. You’re an outsider, right? In fact, you can’t even get in.”

Village chief Jo Deok-gu shook his head as if to say something while mentioning the village’s principles.

But his two eyes were clearly scanning me from under my feet to the top of my head.

“Well, that’s the principle, but it’s not like there’s no way. For example, if you help the village develop, it’s possible.”

As expected, the village’s rule was a lie for show, and the real purpose and intention were different.

I had somewhat expected that there would be local strife, but it was more blatant than I expected.

“Since when have we had such a principle?”

At that moment, an old man who had been quietly listening next to me threw the cigarette he was smoking.

Then, village chief Jo Deok-gu, who had been smiling slyly, got angry as if a seizure button had been pressed.

“Oh, really? You’re the village chief?”

“I am a villager. Just like you.”

From the very first time they met until now, the two of them have been engaged in a war of nerves, counting the days.

Why are people on the same team fighting?

In an atmosphere that didn’t seem like it would end easily, I spoke to the village chief as if I was mediating.

“I guess I should show some sincerity.”

“This one at least makes sense!”

When I scratched the itchy spot, the village chief smiled happily as if nothing had happened.

On the contrary, the old man frowned and clicked his tongue slightly, as if he was not pleased with the situation.

“Are you going to keep the bus parked? Now that we know what we both want, let’s start cleaning up the area.”

“Hmm, that’s right. It’s not like there aren’t any infected people nearby. It’s fine to come in, but I’d like you to turn off the engine as much as possible.”

“All right.”

I was worried about leaving the bus outside for so long, but I’m glad the conversation went well.

I skillfully took charge of the situation and shook hands with the village chief, Jo Deok-gu, again to sort out the situation.

The bus, which had been blocked for so long and unable to proceed, entered the village smoothly.

* * *

Because it was so late, negotiations were naturally decided to be held the next morning.

We parked the bus near the village stop and spent the night in the car.

The next morning came, and the rain that had been falling all night had stopped.

After a quick meal, my companions and I began to have a serious conversation.

“Aren’t they just thieves?”

“It’s not like we’re collecting any tolls.”

When I told them about what happened last night, they reacted with bewilderment.

They didn’t even build the road, but they have to pay village development fund to pass through?

It was really no different from the actions of looters trying to steal supplies, even though they didn’t even have a knife.

“This is the best.”

Ironically, of all the detours, this was the only one with no other route.

If you want to go to Dangjin, you have no choice but to negotiate or clash with others while crying.

“Since it has come to this, let’s try to negotiate in a way that gives as little as possible.”

However, fighting is the worst option, and negotiating is the best option.

It’s not like I didn’t have anything, so I thought I’d just give them a little bit of what they wanted and call it a day.

I tried to organize the supplies I had in advance in order to save as much time as possible.

dripping.

But at that moment, someone approached the bus and knocked cautiously on the front door.

I turned my head out the window and saw the high school student I saw last night standing there awkwardly.

“No, hello.”

It was dark at night so I didn’t notice, but he was a really bright and innocent-looking high school student.

As I opened the door, the high school student held out a steaming basket.

“Please try this… … .”

The basket was full of freshly boiled, yellow-tinged potatoes.

The group, who had been eating only preserved food for a while, gulped as soon as they saw the potatoes.

“Are you giving it to me?”

“Yes! It’s this year’s harvest, so it’ll be delicious.”

When we received the basket of potatoes, the high school student laughed and scratched his head.

We couldn’t leave the guests standing like this, so we had them come inside the bus.

“It was a little chilly last night, wasn’t it? Grandma said this wasn’t how you treated guests… … .”

“It’s okay. I’m used to it.”

The name of the high school student, who had just turned 17, was Lee Yu-jin, as innocent as her face.

Lee Yu-jin had a gloomy expression on her face, perhaps feeling bad about having us sleep outside.

“Wow, the potatoes are sweet.”

“Salt! Hyunsoo, bring me some salt.”

“Oh, don’t eat two!”

But whether or not, the group was too busy eating hot potatoes to notice.

Take a break and eat.

Sometimes I feel embarrassed at times like this.

When I let out a quiet sigh, Lee Yujin smiled faintly and sat down carefully.

“I’m really sorry about what happened last night. The village chief isn’t normally like that, but when he drinks alcohol, he becomes like that.”

Drinking alcohol changes you – this is a common behavioral pattern seen among alcoholics.

I was curious about what happened last night, so I sat down with Lee Yu-jin and talked to her.

“It looks like we’re not on good terms.”

“Grandfather and the village chief?”

“Yes, those two.”

Then Lee Yu-jin shook her head as if it wasn’t something that happened just a day or two ago.

“In the past, you were so good at fighting that you could call each other brother and sister. But after that incident, you started fighting so often.”

“Is that it?”

“Actually, all those guns are my grandfather’s. But there are other guns besides that one.”

“Surely not… … .”

“Yes, I think the village chief insisted that those guns be kept as communal property of the village.”

If you just touch it, stories about the village will start flowing out like water.

I continued the conversation by chiming in with Lee Jin, who likes to talk.

“Grandpa would have been against it.”

“I would have normally agreed. But there was one time when the youth group discriminated against the village elders, and I was quite shocked at that time.”

“Are you talking about discrimination?”

“Yes, I guess you have less strength and stamina than others. It seems like they gave you less food than others because they thought you weren’t helpful to the village.”

At that moment, the group that had been quietly peeling potatoes became indignant and started spewing out secretions.

“와, 완전 개새끼네요.”

“No, you just left it there?”

I never dreamed that I would actually see the ghost story I had only heard of through rumors.

Lee Yu-jin continued speaking with her head bowed, perhaps embarrassed by the village’s behavior.

“After that incident, my grandfather hid the rest of the guns in the mountains. And he always kept the best one with him.”

People have a natural tendency to pair up and form groups when gathered together.

In this town, surprisingly, the powerful residents were banding together to ostracize the elderly.

The old man, who knew not to know, took the gun as his only counterweight and hid the rest so they would not be found.

“You are wise.”

“I think so too.”

What would have happened to the elderly in this town if there were no guns?

This village, which was thought to be peaceful, was hiding a complex truth that others did not know about.

Lee Yu-jin, who had been speaking with a gloomy face for a while, suddenly looked around and spoke.

“So, sir… … .”

Knock knock!

But at that moment, someone suddenly appeared and knocked loudly on the front door of the bus.

I looked out the window and saw the men wearing raincoats I had seen yesterday waiting outside the bus.

“What’s going on?”

“The village chief is looking for you. If you are ready, I will guide you to the village hall.”

I was so busy chatting with Lee Yu-jin that I didn’t even realize it was time for our appointment.

I nodded, got up from my seat, and picked up the coat and hat I had left behind.

“Ms. Jin-kyung, will you go with me?”

“Why me again?”

“You never know.”

If it’s a gunfight, then it’s okay, but in close combat with bare hands, no one can keep up with Kim Jin-kyung.

Since they were the most reliable companions and had the best power, it would be enough for just the two of them to travel together.

“I feel like I’m losing more and more as time goes on.”

“It’s my imagination.”

At this, Kim Jin-kyung, who had been peeling potatoes diligently, grumbled and got up from her seat.

“Don’t let your guard down just in case. I’ll finish the negotiations as quickly as possible.”

“Don’t worry, brother.”

Kim Jin-kyung and I, leaving the rest of the group to watch over the situation, got off the bus with Lee Yu-jin.

And then I finally started walking into the village, following the man who was giving me directions.

The village scenery, which was difficult to see because it was dark at night, slowly came into view.

“… … It’s better than I thought.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I was worried that the village chief was a strange person, but the village was running more normally than I expected.

No, at this point, it looked more like a well-organized shelter than just a normal one.

“Who is that?”

“They are gentlemen from Seoul.”

“You came from far away.”

Residents walking peacefully through the streets and elderly people squatting in front of walls.

We were momentarily speechless at the peaceful scenery that made it hard to believe that the world had been destroyed.

The island of Budeokri, which I arrived at by chance, felt like the Galapagos Islands in a ruined world.

“This way.”

After walking for a while, we finally arrived at the Budeok-ri community center in the center of the village.

There were already many people gathered near the hall, waiting to meet us.

Everyone seemed curious, as if it was their first time as an outsider.

Jin-kyung Kim and I tried hard to avoid those gazes and slowly entered the building.

“Oh! You’re finally here!”

Inside the village hall, various residents, including the village head, were gathered together.

The village chief, who was very drunk as if he had been drinking since morning, laughed heartily and offered me a seat.

I pretended to sit down and quickly started scanning the people gathered around me.

First, the village chief and the youth group that follows him.

An old man sitting alone on one side.

And some residents were seen just taking up space with listless faces.

Although they clearly belong to the same village, they are building walls against each other as if they are misaligned intersections.

We, the strangers, were like a stone thrown into a still lake.