1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 30



Only Krnovel

Episode 30

The place Captain Kang guided me to was neither a detention cell nor the main gate, but a clean and tidy office.

Judging from the sign that said “Interview Room,” it seemed like they really wanted to talk honestly.

I wiped my dirty face with the towel a soldier gave me and sat down on the sofa.

In front of me was a cup of warm coffee mix with steam rising from it.

It looks bland because you added too much water.

However, seeing the sincerity, I was about to drink it, but then I felt a weight in my right hand that I had forgotten about.

Realizing belatedly that it was a grenade, I asked Captain Kang who was approaching me.

“Aren’t you going to take this?”

“You should have at least one safety device. Then you can talk to me with peace of mind.”

He is a funny person.

I chuckled at the ridiculous remark and put down the grenade I was holding.

The soldier who had been fidgeting let out a sigh of relief and slowly moved away.

“Originally, Private First Class Oh Chan-il and Private First Class Lee Hyeon-su were scheduled to interview me here.”

“This is different from what I knew.”

“That’s right. It was a planned schedule. If it weren’t for Sergeant Park, everything would have gone smoothly, safely, and according to procedure.”

It’s probably not a lie.

Captain Kang, who I had confirmed throughout the journey, was at least absolutely trusted by his fellow soldiers.

This was possible because we followed the proper procedures without being swayed by private interests.

But that doesn’t mean that everything that happened on campus disappeared.

“What will happen to Sergeant Park in the future?”

“I plan to take all the steps I can. He has already been disciplined many times, so it won’t end with a simple punishment. I might even have to take off my clothes.”

“So you already knew that?”

“I won’t make excuses. They are incompetent trash and have a bad reputation. But Mr. Dae-su, that’s just how the military is. It’s not about who did something wrong, it’s about when they did something wrong.”

Captain Kang adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses he was wearing with his index finger and took a sip of his strong coffee.

“There are factions within the shelter. They are nominally under my command, but not everyone is cooperating. Sergeant Park and the others below him are of the same type.”

“You seem to find it funny.”

“It’s embarrassing, but that’s true. If it weren’t for the kids in the company, it probably would have been eaten up long ago. But I think this will nip it in the bud.”

I thought he was acting a bit exaggeratedly, but it seems he was waiting for an opportunity to strike Sergeant Park.

Captain Kang, who had finished his coffee, offered me a cigarette and politely lit it for me.

“What will happen to Private Lee Hyeon-su and Private Oh Chan-il?”

“You know that in principle, it is a return to the unit, right?”

“I know that.”

“It won’t be so bad. There’s no place as safe as this place around here.”

“I don’t know if the two of you will agree.”

“Oh! Don’t worry about that. I’ll just put your name on it. You’ll probably be staying with Mr. Daesu as an external dispatch.”

To be honest, it’s an extraordinary treatment just to cover up this incident from the commanding officer’s perspective.

But now that he’s even offering this kind of convenience, I’m starting to get suspicious.

Too friendly.

This meant there was another ulterior motive.

“… … Is there anything you want?”

“I like it because the story moves quickly.”

At this, Captain Kang took off the military cap he was wearing, as if he was trying to honestly reveal his inner feelings.

“I’m talking about those guys who were on the scene. They weren’t the type of guys who could be easily subdued. They all trained hard and had a lot of experience.”

“I was lucky.”

“Why are you doing this, Daesu? Those friends and I have eyes for things. If I was just lucky, I wouldn’t have accepted it so easily.”

There is silence for a moment.

As the cigarette he was smoking began to dwindle to the front of the filter, Captain Kang asked with a serious face.

“What did you do before?”

He entered the campus where the military base was located alone, took people out, and even dealt with soldiers.

What is the identity?

A frustrating situation was created where everyone noticed, but I, the person involved, remained silent.

Captain Kang, who of course had no intention of hearing the answer from the beginning, finally brought up the main topic.

“We give preference to capable people. Especially strong members like Dae-su and his colleagues who can protect the group.”

“Would you like to join?”

“No! I know you won’t do it. There’s only one thing I want, and that is for us to help each other out a little.”

Help, help.

It’s such a broad word that I can’t even get a good idea of ​​what it should contain.

But on the other hand, it could also be a good packaging material depending on what you put inside it.

“I heard you’re going to Incheon Airport.”

“I guess that’s what Yebin said.”

“Yes. It’s really far away. Most of the land routes are blocked, so it’ll be difficult to get there by car.”

“I expected that level of difficulty.”

“What about a helicopter then?”

“……yes?”

“There is a helipad at the top of Gwanaksan Mountain that can be used for takeoff and landing. It is located so high up that infected people are unaware of it.”

The fatal flaw of helicopters is that they create a lot of noise while moving.

Of course, there will be problems with takeoff and landing, and even if you are lucky enough to land, safety cannot be guaranteed.

But if there is a safe landing pad at base camp, then it’s a different story.

“We can take off right away if we get a few useful parts. As soon as the maintenance is done, we’ll transport you wherever you want. In return, I’d like you to help us out a little.”

The Incheon travel schedule that used to take at least two weeks to a month is now shortened to just three to four days.

As time goes by, the survival rate of my sister who is currently stranded at the airport will also increase.

“… … .”

I made eye contact with Captain Kang.

When you look into the eyes, it looks like a snake crawling, or conversely, like a shepherd dog trying to lead sheep.

It’s a perfect gray, I don’t know whether to call it ambition or pity.

He was truly a difficult person to define.

widely!

I shook the ash from the end of my cigarette as if I was cutting off the neck of a writhing snake.

“You must keep your promises.”

“Of course.”

At first, I changed my negative thoughts and received a final confirmation from Captain Kang.

Without saying who would go first, we stood up from our seats and lightly held each other’s hands.

It was a heartwarming sight, hard to believe that they had been aiming grenades just a moment ago.

But we knew.

This is, after all, a transactional relationship based on necessity and for necessity.

“I’ll contact you later. For today, please go in and get some rest.”

Captain Kang, his face brightening, began to pack up the necessities in the office.

And among them was a grenade that I had been trying to leave quietly on the desk.

“This is a gift.”

If you pull the pin out, you can always go back, but if you touch the detonator, you can never go back.

The unexploded grenade represented a line that neither side wanted to cross.

“Let’s make sure we never have to use it again.”

“I agree.”

I carefully took the grenade that Captain Kang had given me and tried to leave the interview room.

“Let go! Let go, you little shits!”

But at that moment, the main building’s hallway became noisy and a familiar scream could be heard.

None other than Sergeant Park was being dragged somewhere by soldiers.

It looks like he held out until the end and was eventually found guilty of all charges, and will be taken to Unit 902.

“Commander! Loyalty!”

“What are you doing, why don’t you take me quickly!”

But it just so happened that it was just as I was opening the door, and our eyes met at the perfect time.

“You, you!

At that moment, Sergeant Park, his face grimacing like a demon, uses all his strength to push away the arm.

The soldiers tried to grab him in a hurry, but he was running too fast.

Right.

That’s right.

The panicked soldiers, Sergeant Park running towards them, the whole scene slowed down as if in slow motion.

The bastard tried to grab me by the collar as if he wanted to get revenge on me for the last time.

Kwajik!

But as if I had been waiting, I grabbed his arm and yanked him straight in the face.

“… … !”

With a “Crunch!” sound, pieces of teeth that looked like front teeth floated into the air.

Sergeant Park, knocked down with a single blow, soon collapsed on the floor.

There is a moment of silence.

I made an excuse, wiping the blood from my forehead.

“I came and bumped into you.”

“Oh, yes… … .”

“Then I will go now.”

Although the ending feels a little late, I wanted to end it cleanly like this.

I walked out of the main building, shaking my hands like I had thrown away trash.

I looked at the sky and saw that the dark clouds had disappeared for the first time in a long while.

The sunset that appeared in the meantime dyes the colorless city orange.

Phew.

Under the afternoon sun that swayed like a curtain, I quietly crossed the quiet campus.

* * *

We decided to leave the incident of Private First Class Oh Chan-il and Private First Class Lee Hyeon-su’s absence from duty, as well as the disturbance we caused inside the campus, undisclosed.

Accordingly, the group that had fled to Mt. Gwanak returned to campus and were issued with a unit pass that allowed them to come and go at any time.

Of course, there was a lot of backlash internally, but when Sergeant Park’s outrageous abuse of authority became known, we ended up receiving sympathy instead.

After the commotion passed, night fell again on the university campus as if nothing had happened.

We strongly refused the accommodations offered by Captain Kang and returned to the faculty apartment.

In the living room, Private Oh Chan-il, Private Lee Hyeon-su, Kim Jin-kyung, Coco, and even Ye-bin, who they had been searching for so desperately, were all gathered in one place.

“It feels good to wash after a long time.”

“Warm water is the best, after all.”

Everyone was completely washed up, and there was no sign of them being covered in sweat and powder.

But as if to prove their past hardships, their faces were all covered in bruises and scratches.

Of course, everyone burst into tears as soon as they saw me, and their eyes got swollen shut.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

I naturally sat down at the head of the table and looked around at each of the group’s faces as I spoke.

Starting from Chungju, Icheon, Yangpyeong, Cheonho, Seogyo, Mokdong, and here to Korea University.

It’s been a really tough journey that I don’t know how to explain, but I’ve finally gotten here.

I can confidently say that if it weren’t for the people gathered here, I wouldn’t have met Yebin.

But before expressing my gratitude, there was one thing I had to apologize to my companions for.

“I was a little reckless this time.”

“yes?”

“It was a situation where one of us could have died. We had to be more careful and plan our actions.”

“older brother…….”

“I’m sorry.”

The group, who had not expected him to bow his head, were very embarrassed and did not know what to do.

Then, Kim Jin-kyung, who is the second oldest, answered on behalf of the two people.

“I used to really hate it when people say it’s okay because I did my best. But today, I’m the one saying it. It’s okay, Daesu.”

“That’s right! We’ve received so much, how can we blame you, hyung? Please raise your head.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry too!”

When Kim Jin-kyung answered with a smile, the two people, as if they had been waiting for it, started making a fuss and trying to dissuade her.

“thank you.”

I also felt that going any further would be deceiving, so I decided to apologize neatly and end it.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere became more friendly, so it was time for them to get to know each other.

“First, let’s introduce ourselves. Yebin?”

“Hello! My name is Kang Ye-bin, and I am currently a freshman in the Department of Business Administration at Korea University! I look forward to working with you in the future!”

When I asked him to just briefly introduce himself, he bent down like a folder and gave a gangster-style greeting.

The group burst into laughter at the sight and lightly clapped their hands to welcome Yebin.

“How old is our Yebin?”

“I’m 20 years old, sis!”

“You’re so innocent.”

“Yebin! Please call me oppa too!”

“I’m the same age as you, kid.”

“I’m one year older! It’s true!”

Her face is delicate and pretty, she is polite, and even her actions are lively.

Yebin quickly blends in with the group, and the small room becomes noisy.

While we were laughing and chatting like that for a while, Private Oh Chan-il approached us cautiously and asked.

“Brother, are you going to stay here from now on?”

“I was going to talk to you anyway.”

As I sat up straight, the group began to concentrate as if nothing had happened.

“I made a deal with Captain Kang. We’ll stay here for a while and help out with the work.”

“What’s going on?”

“It seems we are a bit short on manpower. Don’t worry, we will refuse any excessive requests.”

“Then what do you get in return?”

“Captain Kang said he has a transport helicopter. The landing pad is on the Gwanaksan side, so they can take off and land freely.”

“Surely not… … .”

“It’s not like I’m handing it over to you, but I was promised that I’ll be free to use it.”

Currently, the only thing that can travel freely in South Korea is a flying helicopter.

The group, who knew this better than anyone else, looked at each other with surprised faces.

“If they have any thoughts, they will try to figure out the situation around them. If the South is safe, we will send you first.”

“Are you going to Incheon, hyung?”

“Yes, I have to find my sister. I don’t know when that will be, but I will definitely go with you.”

Not right now, but someday the group will need to evacuate to a safe area.

The three people bowed their heads one by one with solemn faces at the words that sounded like a farewell.

“The atmosphere is a bit gloomy.”

I smiled awkwardly at this and took out the item I had brought in a little while ago from my bag.

It was none other than a box of cigarettes that I had given to Seongcheol and a bottle of soju that he had asked for.

“I plan to go pick up the supplies I left behind early tomorrow morning. Let’s just have two drinks each.”

“This is crazy.”

“Wow, bro. I really love you.”

It was a time when I was tired and in a good mood, and I was thinking of having a drink.

As soon as the group saw the green bottle of soju, they got very excited and quickly brought paper cups.

Although all they could eat was two glasses of soju per person and some snacks, the group clinked their glasses more happily than anyone else.

“Coco, come here too.”

Hehe!

I hugged Coco, who was happily chewing on the dog gum, and made her put both paws forward.

And I personally put on the cute Kokka shoes that I brought from the veterinary building.

The bright red dog shoes that matched the red scarf were absolutely adorable.

“Please take care of me in the future as well.”

Boom!

Coco, feeling happy, ran around the living room and waggled her tail.

The group applauded the sight and the deepening night ended.