1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 112



Only Krnovel

Episode 112

It rained all night.

It was spring rain and then heavy rain.

Thanks to that, the pooled blood and the bullet casings that fell on the ground were all washed away by the rain.

But everyone knows.

No matter how heavy the rain is, it cannot erase the tragedy that occurred last night.

As dawn came, shock and fear were thick as dark clouds in Budeok-ri.

The cause was, of course, a group of strangers who had come to the village, namely me and my companions.

‘Please step aside for a moment.’

We were currently settling down on the outskirts of town at the old man’s earnest request.

The group looked out the window and grumbled, not liking this situation.

“It seems like we are the ones being perpetrated.”

“That’s right. Who attacked first… … .”

It was clear that the ones who led the attack were the village chief, Cho Deok-gu, and the youth group under him.

We were just trying to stop it and we had casualties in the process.

But maybe it’s because it’s a rural village that’s been isolated for a long time, not a city.

Residents were more concerned about how many people died than who the perpetrator was.

This was especially true when the deceased was a family member or neighbor.

But it wasn’t enough to kill him.

The hand gesture was too much.

It was a mistake to bring in foreigners in the first place.

It’s funny how people look at us with fear when they tell us stories like this.

Suddenly we went from being victims to being terrifying strangers who massacred civilians.

It’s fortunate that the old man and Lee Yu-jin testified. If they hadn’t, what would have happened?

The group, who had thought the countryside was peaceful, shook their heads with tired expressions.

When you leave the city and arrive at your first travel destination, you feel and learn so much.

dripping.

While I was venting my frustrations like that, someone came up to the bus and knocked on the door.

Looking out the window, I saw an old man and student Lee Yu-jin standing in front of the bus, pulling a cart.

Was the situation finally resolved? We opened the bus door with anxious faces.

“Hello, sir.”

Lee Yu-jin, who noticed the awkward atmosphere, was the first to bow and greet me.

And then he placed the bundles that were piled up on the cart in front of the bus, one by one.

“It’s what was promised.”

“There are a lot of sheep.”

“We, we are so sorry… … .”

Lee Yu-jin, who was with us at the time, had tears in her eyes and a face full of guilt.

At the same time, the old man who had been pulling the cart also took off his hat and bowed his head.

It seems that he came to apologize on behalf of the residents, as if they were all shameless.

Thanks to that, the group that had been very tense finally relaxed their expressions and nodded.

“Can I come in for a moment?”

“Yes, please come in.”

I had something to wrap up, I couldn’t just leave it outside in the rain forever.

We put our full bundles in the trunk and let the two people into the bus.

As soon as the old man sat down, he bowed his head again and apologized sincerely.

“First of all, I’d like to apologize for what happened last time. I shouldn’t have said those words to the person who came to save me.”

“it’s okay.”

“The people are really shameful. They are all ignorant of the ways of the world and are out of their minds.”

The old man, who had been apologizing for a long time, let out a deep sigh as if he was worried about what would happen in the future.

But that was only for a moment, as he soon handed me the black leather case he had been carrying on his back.

“What is this?”

“Let’s call it compensation.”

Inside the leather case was a shotgun whose body was entirely made of wood.

It was a slightly older double-barreled product, but it was shiny and well-maintained.

I was sad that the shotgun Kim Jin-kyung used was lost last time, but this turned out to be a good thing.

I accepted the gift without hesitation and took a medicine bag out from under the bus seat.

“This is what we promised last time.”

“Can I really accept this?”

“A promise is a promise.”

The medicine bag contained the promised antibiotics along with a variety of other necessary medicines.

The old man, who desperately needed antibiotics, grabbed his medicine bag with a moved expression.

“Can I leave right away?”

“Okay! I’ll open it right away.”

I’ve taken what I had to take and given what I had to give, now all that’s left is to get out of this boring town.

The old man gathered his things and got up, saying that he would open the door right away.

But then something occurred to him and he spoke to me before getting off the bus.

“You said you were going to Dangjin?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Nothing else, I just heard a rumor. About two weeks ago, I think? A refugee passed by here.”

Two weeks ago from now, we were still before we left Seoul for Dangjin.

The old man who was guarding the outpost at that time scratched his beard as if reminiscing about that time.

“They were refugees trying to exchange food, and they said they were headed to Dangjin like you. They said there was still a military base there.”

“Are you talking about a military base?”

“Yeah, that’s what he said. I don’t know if it’s true, but his eyes were full of blind faith.”

Currently, most military units are stationed in Gyeongsang Province or Jeju Island, the only safe zone.

But then, out of nowhere, a military unit was stationed in Dangjin, a long way away from there.

I frowned in puzzlement, not remembering hearing this fact separately.

“Anyway, I hope this helps.”

“Thank you.”

The old man who told us about the rumor guided us to the back gate of the village.

After a while, the tightly closed barricade was removed and the road finally came into view.

The bus began to leave the village at a rapid pace with a loud engine noise.

“Goodbye, mister!”

Lee Yu-jin, who had her hands clasped together in the shape of a trumpet, shouted at us and waved both hands vigorously.

But as the bus accelerated, even that sight slowly disappeared beyond the hazy mist.

The village is getting further away.

All I remember is the scent of grass soaked in rainwater and the faint sweetness of saccharin.

* * *

When people have bad luck, they usually think that they have done something to ward off bad luck.

Because then, it feels like this hardship will be the last and things from now on will go smoothly.

This was the same for me and my group, who had seen everything from Budeok-ri to the bad ones.

It’s great for night driving and shift changes, just please don’t cut off the road.

We, who usually did not believe in God, prayed earnestly, even pouring soju on the bus tires.

Perhaps thanks to that, no major incidents or accidents have occurred since leaving Bugok-ri.

The current time is early morning.

I took over the wheel in place of Private Lee Hyeon-su, who had passed out after driving for eight hours straight.

Of course, next to him, Kim Jin-kyung, who was on duty today, was yawning deeply while looking at the map.

“Would you like some gum?”

“Ugh, that’s okay. My jaw hurts from chewing so much.”

No matter how much I ate and slept on the bus, the accumulated fatigue was inevitable.

It seemed like the same thing happened to other people in the group, as a quiet snoring could be heard from the back of the bus.

I asked Kim Jin-kyung while chewing a piece of gum that I couldn’t even remember how many times I had chewed it.

“How many kilometers left?”

“If you go straight like this, it’s about 30km.”

“There’s not much time left.”

Instead of going through nearby Pyeongtaek, we took a long detour through Cheonan and Yesan.

Although the distance was longer, we were able to save time thanks to good road conditions.

The remaining distance was now 30km, and at this speed, I thought I would probably arrive by morning.

I slowly started to think that this would be my last time driving, so I straightened my posture and tried to shake off the drowsiness.

Beep!

“… … ?”

But at that moment, a familiar bell started ringing from somewhere under the seat.

The ringing sound was none other than the sound of the satellite phone that was in my bag.

I let Kim Jin-kyung drive for a moment and then took out the satellite phone from my bag.

As soon as I confirmed that the sender was Secretary Kim Tae-jin, I immediately pressed the receive button.

[Hello. How far have you come?]

“It’s half a day’s drive.”

[That’s great. I’m contacting you because the schedule has changed earlier than expected. Are you ready?]

“Yes, we can leave right away.”

[The departure date is exactly one week later. If you go to Daesan Port, Chief Officer Kim Chan-woo will be waiting for you.]

“How do we verify each other’s identity?”

[If you show us the antibody sample you have, they will first look into it and come back. We also have a verification process, so please understand.]

Since they are not stupid, they will try to check for the presence of antibody samples first.

Of course, I had no reason not to show it, so I nodded my head in agreement.

While listening to the schedule for a while, Secretary Kim Tae-jin suddenly let out a sigh.

[And there’s one thing I forgot to tell you. First of all, please listen to me without getting angry.]

“What is it?”

[In fact, there are several quarantine zones that the government has instructed us to secure in advance. Most of them are military bases stationed there, and Daesan Port, where we will be making contact, is one of those quarantine zones.]

With passenger planes having difficulty taking off, the only safe way to travel to and from the Korean Peninsula is by sea.

It was natural to secure a port in advance, as it was relatively easier to defend than an airport.

But the fact that Secretary Kim Tae-jin said this meant that there was a hitch in the plan.

[But the problem is that refugees have been flocking in since a month ago. According to a report that came in yesterday, a tent village estimated to be home to tens of thousands of people is currently forming in front of Daesan Port.]

“What if I tell you that now?”

[Originally, there was no cause for concern. However, as rumors began to spread recently, the scale of the refugee influx increased exponentially.]

Just as scary as a swarm of infected people is a tent city filled with unspecified refugees.

Not only are they vulnerable to infection, but the security within the tent village is also very unstable.

Even though there were buses, it took a lot of determination to get through them.

But there’s nothing we can do about what’s already happened.

I sighed and asked for a solution.

“Is it difficult to dispatch a helicopter?”

[I’m sorry, Mr. Daesu. It was best for us to send our staff.]

“Please cooperate with the military unit.”

[… … Okay, we will make the request. I will contact you again.]

If a helicopter is difficult, at least send a military unit so that there is at least some hope.

Secretary Kim Tae-jin couldn’t even refuse this, so he hung up the phone, promising cooperation.

ha.

My head hurts.

I never thought, I never thought, that the rumor the old man told me was true.

I was feeling optimistic that we would soon arrive, but then I felt my energy drain away.

But regardless of how things turned out, now was the time to come up with immediate measures.

“Mr. Daesu.”

While I was thinking about it for a while, Jin-kyung Kim, who was driving instead, called out to me.

I looked over to see if there was any problem with the car, and she quietly pointed down the road.

“Can you see it?”

“… … Yes, I can see it.”

Something began to appear here and there on the road that had clearly been empty until just a moment ago.

That something was none other than a long line of refugees moving in groups.

“Give me the steering wheel.”

“I’ll wake people up.”

As I took the wheel again, Kim Jin-kyung quickly ran back and woke up the group.

Meanwhile, the bus slowly and slowly moved along, closely behind the refugees who filled the road.

“Wh, what’s going on?”

“Huh? Why are there so many people?”

The group woke up and looked out the window, startled by the sudden change in atmosphere.

On the road, refugees of all ages and genders were walking aimlessly, carrying bags on their backs.

Their faces were dirty and they looked tired, as if they were talking about the hardships they had endured.

The problem is that one or two refugees walking along the road started to look back at this place.

The aftermath spread in an instant, and soon people’s attention was focused on the bus.

Thump thump!

At that moment, a woman approached the bus and knocked desperately on the window, shouting something.

Judging from the fact that she was pointing at the baby she was holding in her arms, it was obvious that she was asking for help.

But the problem is that it doesn’t end there.

Children, the elderly, the injured, and refugees in desperate need of help all rushed onto the buses.

The surrounding area was quickly filled with people, and the bus that had been moving slowly was also gradually slowing down.

“Brother, Brother, what should I do?”

“Everyone, get away from the windows!”

Bang! Bam!

So I honked my horn repeatedly, gritting my teeth, and tried to force my way through the crowd.

As the bus picked up speed again, startled refugees scrambled to the side.

Boom boom! Boom!

But some people instead blocked the bus and kept knocking on the windows.

One middle-aged man even tried to climb onto the bus and board the roof.

The situation has reached a critical point.

If we continue like this, the bus will overturn.

Squeak!

My expression hardened and I slammed on the brakes to stop the bus.

At the same time, without hesitation, I took my hands off the steering wheel and opened the closed bus door.

“The door is open!”

“Kids! Let’s get the kids started!”

“Get out of the way!”

As the bus doors opened, the refugees who had been in chaos began to rush in, shouting, “That’s right!”

They had no idea who owned the bus or who was on board.

Boom!

“… … !!”

But at that moment, a single gunshot fired into the air stopped all movement.

People’s gaze naturally turned to the driver getting off the bus, that is, me.

I was aiming my SX3 shotgun, fully loaded with live ammunition, at the refugees.