1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 32



Only Krnovel

Episode 32

This is a material that was hidden in the bushes in this wide Hangang Park, and it is not even visible from the outside.

It was virtually impossible to find unless you had a professionally trained hunting dog like Coco.

But the fact that they stole it at least meant that they were watching us from around here.

“If you get caught, you’re dead, really.”

“My Gong Hwa Chun… … .”

The group that had been waiting for this day were naturally angry and at the same time, burning with murderous intent.

He was determined to catch and round up all the criminals, no matter who they were or how many there were.

We grabbed our weapons and followed Coco, who had caught the scent of the culprit.

But contrary to expectations, the traces were heading towards the Han River, not the area near the station.

“Really here?”

Hehe!

The destination was a large cafe less than 500 meters away from the landing point.

What’s unique is that it’s a floating structure that looks like a restaurant I’ve seen before.

My companions and I cautiously approached the cafe and began looking around.

“Isn’t it closed?”

“I think a ghost might appear.”

The sign was dimly lit and dangling, and every last bit of glass that was left was broken.

In particular, the for rent sign on the door showed that this place had long since closed.

This is not a place fit for human habitation.

We, who had trusted Coco so much, began to have doubts for the first time.

Growl!

“Uh, sorry.”

But Coco walked forward quietly, as if telling me to keep quiet and follow her.

Click!

I entered the cafe.

The power went out, so it was dark inside, and cold air was rising from the floor and walls.

We had no choice but to take out our flashlights and slowly start looking around the inside of the cafe.

“It’s quite spacious.”

“Shh, don’t let your guard down… … .”

Contrary to its appearance, the three-story floating cafe was quite spacious.

In addition, the field of vision was limited, making it ideal for setting up traps and booby traps.

Even if the environment seems like it will be deserted, you should never let your guard down.

My companions and I, who had each other’s backs, diligently searched the interior, starting from the first floor.

First floor, no one.

The second floor is completely empty.

As expected, there was no sign of anyone living inside the building, let alone people.

We gave up and slowly climbed the stairs to check out the third and final floor.

“Ugh. What is that smell?”

But as soon as I entered the third floor, a disgusting stench started to hit my nose.

From then on, the group had a gut feeling that something was up, and I also became alert.

A chilly breeze blows.

The back of my head has been tingling since a while ago, as if someone was watching me.

Sensing a strange aura, I turned my flashlight in the direction we had come from.

Jijik!

But at that moment, a shadow rippled in the darkness and something leapt forward.

“… … !”

A small human with a body that seemed to barely reach the chest suddenly swung a blunt weapon.

Phew!

But unlike the sharp timing, the attack was so slow that it made me yawn, and I didn’t even feel the will to kill the enemy.

I lightly dodged the attack, grabbed the staggering opponent, and threw him over.

bang!

“… … !!”

It must have been a pretty powerful counterattack, but he didn’t even make a sound, let alone scream.

It stinks.

When I hastily shined my flashlight, I saw a woman with disheveled hair shivering.

“older brother!”

“What!? Are you infected?”

Hearing the sound, Private First Class Oh Chan-il and Private First Class Lee Hyeon-su hurriedly ran over and aimed their guns.

At that moment, the woman who had been shaking suddenly screamed and started going wild like a crazy woman.

“Let go! Let go! Gyaaaa… … Ugh, ugh!”

We were startled by the sudden scream and tried to cover our mouths.

“Eww, shit!”

But the poison was so strong that Private Lee Hyeon-su, who covered his mouth, almost got his hand bitten off.

I had no choice but to quickly grab both hands and cover my mouth with a towel.

“Are you a human? Are you infected?”

“Are you a student?”

I didn’t know because he looked so messy, but looking at the clothes he was wearing, I could tell he was definitely a high school student.

The student who finally stopped struggling looked at me and my group with trembling eyes.

Her wet eyes were filled with fear towards the adult male.

“I found it!”

At that moment, Jin-kyung Kim, who had been following Coco, gestured toward us as if she had finally found her.

After leaving the scene to the two people, I quickly ran towards her who was waving.

“Coco was right.”

Hehe!

The place Kim Jin-kyung found was a small room hidden at the back of the third floor.

Inside, there were about fifteen children hiding, along with a strong stench.

Of course, behind it were all the supplies and personal belongings we had lost.

“… … .”

Children who looked like they were just starting elementary school were trembling, hugging each other.

If they had seen a strange adult, they would have burst into tears, but no one cried rashly.

Oh my.

Feeling empty, my companions and I let out a deep sigh without anyone saying anything first.

* * *

No matter how much the world changes, humanity does not change so easily.

At least the adults in the group weren’t bad enough to treat children harshly.

“Wow, puppy… … .”

“Can I touch it too?”

Coco, wearing a red scarf and red shoes, was very popular with the children.

Hehe!

This time too, the guy acted all sorts of cute and instantly made the atmosphere cheerful.

Meanwhile, my group and I quickly checked the supplies and personal belongings that the children had stolen.

“I didn’t even eat much.”

The only items missing were a few chocolates, and personal belongings were only taken and not touched.

It seemed like he was trying to save as much as possible, but it was a situation where it was difficult to even get angry.

We hesitated for a moment about what to do, and then ended up opening a few cookies right there and then.

“Okay, snack.”

“Wow!”

The children who had been having fun playing with Coco for a while now followed Private Lee Hyeon-su around like chicks.

I took only the Choco Pies and approached the female student whose hands were tied to the pillar.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

Just a moment ago, they were causing a fuss, but now they are keeping their mouths shut and exercising their right to remain silent.

“Where are you from?”

“… … .”

“My family.”

But as soon as the word family came out, the venomous expression instantly collapsed.

The schoolgirl bit her lips hard and soon began to shed tears as thick as chicken poop.

“Tell me. Then I can help you.”

“… … Don’t make me laugh. Who are you? If you want to act like an adult, go do it in a corner of the house.”

See the crap this guy is talking about?

Kim Jin-kyung approached, angry at the sharp answer.

I hurriedly stopped her and asked for her understanding so that we could be alone for a moment.

“Then are you going to stay here like this? What about the kids? There’s no more food.”

“So what changes when we go somewhere else? Do you know we were here from the beginning?”

Until just recently, she was living a normal life, going to school normally.

But the world changed overnight and turned that ordinary daily life into hell.

The female student, overcome with sorrow, finally burst into tears and started yelling at me.

“Stop acting hypocritical and get out of here! We don’t need the help you’re talking about anymore, so please get out of here! What did we do so wrong! What did we do so wrong… …!”

And then he screamed at every adult he had ever met, not just me.

It was a cry, a pain, a lament for a reality learned too early.

I get the gist of the situation.

I put down the Choco Pie in front of the crying female student and got up from my seat.

Then he gathered the group behind the bathroom and discussed what to do next.

“It looks like he was abandoned by the group.”

“You must have had a rough time outside.”

When government and social infrastructure existed, there were at least systems for the weak.

But now that all the fences had fallen down, it was just a useless burden.

Parental protection is especially necessary, but this is especially true for children who no longer have parents.

We were feeling disillusioned by the reality that was slowly approaching, but at the same time, we were accepting it.

“What should I do?”

It wasn’t a problem I could decide alone.

I asked my companions for their opinions.

“I wish I could take you.”

“Yes, because I was too young… … .”

Of course, Private First Class Oh Chan-il and Private First Class Lee Hyeon-su, who were both kind-hearted, were the ones who wanted to take them.

“I completely disagree.”

Kim Jin-kyung, the most sensible and rational of the group, expressed her opposition.

It seemed that she was still concerned about the uncooperative attitude of the female student.

“Please decide, hyung.”

“I think it would be more comfortable that way.”

In the end, it was split into two people and one person, but everyone nodded as if they would respect the decision.

“All right.”

I quietly left the bathroom and locked eyes with the still crying female student.

Now, perhaps sensing her own fate, her eyes were empty.

“Students, you know that stealing things and attacking people are really bad things.”

At that moment, the pupils that had been filled with fear trembled and filled with tears.

I carefully pushed the Choco Pie I had left behind a little while ago in front of the female student.

“But I did it to protect them. They’re just strangers.”

“ah…….”

“So I’ll give you a chance too.”

In a world where people kill for food, forgiveness is the funniest thing.

But on the other hand, because I am an adult and because I am also a person, it was something I could say.

“Don’t ever do that again.”

The longing for humanity that I had momentarily forgotten began to gradually excite my tired body and mind.

The female student, who had never had an adult say such things to her before, finally cried like other children her age.

“… … I was wrong, sir.”

In an instant, the poisonous appearance disappeared and only the crying child remained.

“Please save us. Please help us.”

Finally, I got the answer I wanted to hear.

So I willingly released him and gave him a Choco Pie with the word “Jeong” written on it.

The Choco Pie was sweet and delicious.

* * *

Because we had to save as much space as possible on the boat, most of the supplies we brought were small in volume.

So, most of the time I ate biscuits or chocolate for meals, and only occasionally did I have a special meal like 3-minute curry or ramen.

But the materials that were preserved in that way were now shining brightly as time passed.

“Forty-five cartons of cigarettes? No, who the hell brought this heavy liquor?”

“It’s lunch time, don’t be a snake.”

“You just open your mouth and lie?”

There are forty-five cartons of cigarettes, and three bottles of liquor that Private Lee Hyeon-su had secretly brought in.

The food we have is enough to last us for a month, but there are also plenty of snacks that we can exchange for food.

It was a moment where I felt proud of myself for having anticipated this situation and diligently taken care of my cigarettes.

“Let’s quickly do some facial expression acting.”

“Method, method… … .”

If you show off that you have secured a lot of supplies, you can quickly become a target of jealousy and ambition.

We arrived at the main gate of the campus, pretended to be gloomy, and entered listlessly.

But contrary to expectations, the focus was not on us, but on the children following behind us.

“Why are you looking at me like this?”

“Everyone’s expressions are a bit like that.”

The soldiers guarding the main gate, the residents passing by, and even the college students who were always tired all looked this way.

But their eyes were filled with annoyance and discomfort rather than joy.

‘Kids again.’

‘Who brought it?’

Their thoughts toward the children were clearly revealed in the shape of their mouths and facial expressions as they whispered among themselves.

The female student who had been brought in after much persuasion bit her lips tightly as if she had known this would happen.

The children also had a sense of humor and could not walk any further, so they huddled together and trembled.

Woof! Woof woof woof!

At that moment, Coco, who was always so cheerful, started barking like crazy at people.

People were shocked and scattered in front of Coco’s extreme anger that came out once in a while.

Looks like you’re really angry.

But I was too bothered by that blatant gaze to just say that it was refreshing.

“Loyalty! You’re back.”

“Ah, Sergeant Jang.”

Just as I was about to return the gun, Sergeant Jang, who was inside the barracks, quickly came running.

He was scratching his head with a troubled expression, as if he had a rough idea of ​​the situation.

“Why are people reacting like this?”

“That… … It’ll take a while to explain. For now, the company commander is looking for you, so please come with me.”

It just so happens that Captain Kang is looking for me.

I sent the group back to their quarters first, and then I started walking down the street with Sergeant Jang alone.

“Now, please tell me.”

“Um, I’m sure you know that there’s a shortage of supplies in the campus shelter.”

“Yes, I know.”

“But the problem is not just the lack of supplies, but the proportion of elderly and children is too high. It’s almost 50%.”

“No way… … .”

“Yes, that’s why they are not well-received. They are suffering like this, while useless mouths are growing. That’s also why they haven’t accepted refugees for a while.”

“I was short-sighted.”

“No. You didn’t know it would be this much of a mess. I was a little surprised when I heard it too.”

I brought it here with the intention of taking responsibility for it, but I’m bewildered by this reaction.

We had to share a cigarette and soothe our bitter mouths.

“I guess you called me for something else. Don’t worry and I hope you have a nice conversation.”

“thank you.”

“Oh! And Mr. Daesu.”

As I was about to finish smoking my cigarette and enter the main building, Sergeant Jang suddenly called me over.

“I understand that my wife is pregnant, too. What’s the kids’ fault? This is just the reality. If you need help, please let me know.”

Some may divide the world into good and evil, but in reality, most people are ordinary people.

Maybe, like this city that has turned gray, our souls are already a mixture of black and white.

The city feels familiar today.

I wonder if I’ve adapted.

Or maybe it was like this from the beginning.