1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 61



Only Krnovel

Episode 61

The refugee sorting work, which started early in the morning, was not completed until late in the evening.

Fortunately, there were no infected people and the quarantine line that had been used to isolate them was quickly dismantled.

After being sorted, the refugees entered the shelter one by one under the guidance of soldiers.

“Oh my, there are so many.”

“You wouldn’t think about it for nothing, would you?”

Of course, the existing residents looked upon the new arrivals with unfavorable eyes.

No matter how much you pay attention, prejudice is an inevitable human instinct.

The two groups will likely continue to be wary of and ostracize each other for some time.

Darkness fell once again on the campus shelter where the situation was more or less settled.

‘I told you in advance.’

We were introduced by Captain Kang and headed to the general gymnasium where refugees were temporarily housed.

Despite the late hour of the night, the refugees were all gathered inside the auditorium, with the lights still on.

They were gathered in twos and threes in front of the stove provided by the main building, warming their hands and feet.

They were all nodding off or falling asleep, perhaps because they had finally relaxed.

We carefully made our way between them and headed to the supply store at the back of the gym.

dripping.

As I had promised, I knocked twice on the door and the tightly closed warehouse door opened.

We took off our hats and soon came face to face with those inside.

“I’m sorry for coming to you so suddenly so late at night.”

“……no.”

Inside the warehouse, a middle-aged man and a young girl were standing, wrapped in a blanket.

The man looked to be in his mid-fifties, while the girl, on the other hand, appeared to be in her late teens at most.

Judging by their uncanny resemblance to each other’s faces, it seems like they are probably father and daughter.

What’s unique is that the atmosphere they both give off is extraordinary.

It was like watching seasoned survivors adapting to the world, just like our group.

They and I looked at each other with sharp eyes, as if exploring each other.

For about 10 seconds, the father looked at me with interest, and the daughter looked at me with wary eyes.

But that didn’t last long, as the man quickly looked away and made room for us.

“Please sit down first.”

“thank you.”

A woman is resting next to an old stove that she doesn’t know where it came from.

I sat down carefully in front of it and looked around the dusty warehouse interior.

It seems that he was given personal space as a leader, but he had no way of living there.

“How about some hot water… … .”

“it’s okay.”

I politely declined, took a cold cola out of my bag, and opened the can.

As soon as a “squeak!” sound is heard, the two people’s expressions begin to change in real time.

He seemed to be desperate to drink it right away, but he seemed to be holding back for the sake of his dignity.

“It’s okay. Enjoy your meal.”

When I quietly held out the can of cola, the two of them quickly took the can and put it to their lips.

Gulp, gulp.

The refreshing, carbonated, sweet taste of cola that comes to mind more than anything else.

The two of them forgot about pride for a moment and focused on slurping the cola down their throats.

“Do you smoke?”

“Oh, no. Smoking is a bit like that.”

Judging from the frown on his face, he seems to have an aversion to smoking.

Instead, I gave them candies and other sweet snacks to fill their hungry mouths.

As the snack entered my mouth, the tense atmosphere gradually relaxed.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories.”

“yes?”

“You are a capable person. How did you come up with the idea of ​​bringing this many people?”

“… …I was lucky.”

“It’s not something that happens just because you’re lucky. I don’t think it’s just a fluke.”

The man remained silent for a moment at the sudden question, trying to read my mind.

But I looked the man in the eye and said, “There’s no need for that.”

“I’ll be honest with you. I came here because I wanted to know how you brought people here from Jongno.”

“Why are you curious about that?”

“We have to go to Jongno too.”

He didn’t really ask why he was going.

Because it’s meaningless.

Then the man scratched his bushy beard and finally began to talk.

“It took about three weeks.”

“yes?”

“It was the route from the Jongno shelter to the pier where the Han River cruise ship was. It took exactly two weeks to find a safe route, and another week to get everyone there. In total, it took three weeks.”

So, are you saying that you created a secret route that can get from Jongno to Hangang Pier?

And that too, going back and forth alone, without anyone’s help or transportation?

I almost burst out laughing for a moment, but I had no choice but to believe the results I was seeing before my eyes.

Their safe arrival means that they actually succeeded.

“Did you travel on foot?”

“Yes, it’s a route that goes back and forth between alleys and buildings. To prevent the infected from coming in, the alleys are blocked off and ladders or boards are placed on the roofs to connect them. It’s a route that takes about a full day.”

I pride myself on having met a lot of unique people in my life, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a crazy person like this in person.

No, should I say obsession? Anyway, it was clear that he was an extraordinary person.

Feeling like I had found the answer, I asked the man urgently.

“Can you share it?”

“that is…….”

“If it is a case, I will do it.”

“No, that’s not the problem.”

At that moment, the man looked troubled.

“The way there and back is so complicated. I have left a record of it, but it will probably be difficult for you to understand.”

The man took a tattered bundle of paper out of his bag and handed it to me.

“Umm… … .”

“Brother, do you understand?”

“No, I don’t get it.”

First, let’s look at the map that connects Jongno to Hangang Pier.

But I couldn’t tell if this was graffiti the kids had done or a path.

Men probably remember hundreds of different routes in their own way.

Isn’t that what they call repetitive learning? After all, no one knows the path better than the person involved.

I let out a sigh of regret and thought about it for a while before a good idea came to mind.

“I’m sorry for the late introduction. I’m Jang Dae-su, and these are my companions.”

“Oh, yes. Nice to meet you. My name is Kang Pil-jae. This is my daughter, Kang Ji-young.”

“As expected, it was the woman,” I said, looking back and forth between Kang Pil-jae and Kang Ji-young.

“Do you plan to settle here in the future?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You will probably be provided with basic shelter. You will also be given rations twice a day.”

“I heard that. But why is that… … .”

“But for everything else, you have to get it yourself. Usually, you do it by bartering or doing the work assigned to you by the main office.”

Even though it may seem like the shelter provides everything, a closer look reveals otherwise.

They literally provide you with just the basics to eat and live, but other than that you really have to work.

I looked around deliberately, around the old stove and the shabby warehouse that seemed ready to go out at any moment.

“It’s really cold this winter, isn’t it?”

Refugees who literally brought nothing with them will have a hard time.

Emphasizing this advantage, I took out three boxes of cigarettes and a bottle of whiskey from my bag.

“It’s a deposit.”

“yes?”

“If you can guide us to Jongno, I’ll give it to you. If you can complete the request, I’ll even give you double the amount.”

Cigarettes and liquor are valuable and can be used as currency anywhere in the shelter.

This should probably be enough to stock up on supplies for winter.

“Umm… … .”

The man frowned quietly as he looked at the pack of cigarettes and liquor in front of him.

You’ll probably be interested, because you’ll know how dire the current situation is just by looking around.

“No!”

But his daughter, Jiyoung Kang, seemed to have a different opinion and immediately intervened, raising her voice.

“Dad, are you crazy?! Why are you going back into that dangerous place?! This time, you could really die!”

“Jiyoung, but… … .”

“Absolutely not! You could just do something else to make a living!”

Then he looks at me with venomous eyes and then grits his teeth and says:

“Isn’t that too much, sir? We had a hard time getting here, and now you want us to go back to that hellish place?”

I’m not just telling you to go.

Honestly, if I were to shout for help right now and give them this much material, probably half of the people here would get up and come running.

“This bitch is talking nonsense… … .”

“stop.”

However, he couldn’t bring himself to say that and quickly stopped Jin-kyung Kim from getting angry.

We are only making suggestions, there is no need to raise your voice and fight.

I packed the pack of cigarettes and the liquor back into my bag, leaving room for the last one.

“If you change your mind, just let me know. You can find me at the faculty apartment.”

Squeak, clank!

As we step out of the warehouse, the refugees who had gathered nearby hurriedly disperse.

It seems like they overheard our conversation unintentionally, but most of them looked at us in similar ways.

Worries about the future, greed, longing, and a feeble desire to seize opportunity.

Maybe it’s instinctive.

That materials will become increasingly scarce and that a world of a completely different dimension from the past will come.

My companions and I, carrying our bags as if we were on a mission, went outside to avoid the refugees.

“Brother, is it okay if I just go?”

“I will probably come back again.”

“yes?”

“I think my daughter has asthma.”

“Wow, when did you see that?”

I saw you raise your voice earlier, and I felt that your daughter Kang Ji-young’s breathing was different from others.

Judging by the harsh hissing sound, it is likely that the person has asthma or a respiratory disease.

There is only one way to get the medicine.

Maybe he will come back to us again.

To parents, children are like that.

* * *

Our daily lives did not change much whether new refugees came or not.

Today, everyone finished the day and fell asleep, and a beautiful moon rose in the sky.

My sister and I each grabbed a can of beer for the first time in a while and went out to the terrace in our room.

“Cheers~.”

“Cheers.”

The night sky terrace, where stars seemed to fall over our heads, was quite charming.

But unlike the nice background, my sister’s expression looked very dark.

“Are you still worried?”

“If you were me, wouldn’t you be worried?”

The reason is that only my companions and I decided to go on this trip to Hyehwa, not my older sister.

I explained the reasons in detail to my sister, who still seemed to be foolish.

“How many times do I have to tell you? It’ll be over as soon as we can make contact anyway. You can come here whenever you want. But it’s a separate matter if you come with us.”

My companions and I have become somewhat accustomed to life outside, but my sister has not.

In a situation where I already had a lot to worry about, I didn’t have the confidence to protect my older sister.

“You heard the news about Yebin too, right, Sister?”

“……huh.”

And the reason I decided against my sister accompanying me was because of Yebin.

A while ago, Yebin, who I thought was doing well, suddenly started showing symptoms of anxiety disorder.

On the outside, he pretended not to care and cheered on our journey to Jongno, but in reality, he was anxious about the fact that my sister and I were leaving.

Yebin, who had just met her family and was about to have another unplanned separation.

Even adults over 20 years old couldn’t help feeling anxious about trauma.

It will need some care for the time being.

It was an inevitable choice for my sister to remain here.

“I feel like it’s because of my greed… … .”

“No, I thought it was worth a try. I can’t stay here forever.”

I don’t know if you’re just a researcher, but I heard that my older sister is one of the few important people in the company and is even one of the most renowned pharmaceutical experts in the country.

If he knew that his sister was alive, there was a high probability that he would try to bring her back.

If, as a bonus, we can go to a safe place together, there is no better outcome than this.

For my sister and for Yebin, this trip to Jongro wasn’t a bad choice.

“If you have something to say, put it in writing. It would be better if you have some way to prove it.”

“Okay, please.”

Since it is a long and dangerous journey, you must prepare step by step and leave.

I finally calmed my wavering heart by sharing a can of beer with my sister.

dripping.

As I was about to go back to my room, Private Lee Hyeon-su came to visit me with sleepy eyes.

Hyunsoo Lee, who had been sleeping until just now, yawned deeply and quietly pointed toward the front door.

“Brother, I’m here.”

“You?”

“Yes, it looks quite urgent.”

I thought it would take about a week, but I didn’t know it would come so quickly.

I emptied the remaining beer into my mouth and slowly got up from my seat.