1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 62



Only Krnovel

Episode 62

“… … I’m really sorry for coming so late at night.”

“no.”

I called Kang Pil-jae, who came late at night, to the rooftop of the faculty apartment instead of the dormitory.

The weather was nice and this was the perfect place for the two to have a quiet conversation.

“Are you burning it?”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

Unlike our last meeting, Kang Pil-jae readily accepted the cigarette I offered him.

I haven’t been able to smoke since I had a daughter, but it seems like I used to be a smoker.

After lighting the fire, I looked out at the scenery outside the rooftop without saying a word.

The campus, with only streetlights on, was so quiet that it was almost tranquil.

“Hey, Mr. Daesu.”

“yes.”

At that moment, Kang Pil-jae, who had been quietly blowing smoke, carefully opened his mouth.

“Is that offer still valid?”

“Yes, it is still valid.”

Kang Pil-jae secretly sighed in relief at the words that it was still valid.

At the same time, he began to speak with a complicated expression while blowing smoke.

“Actually, my daughter is a little sick.”

“Do you have a chronic illness?”

“Yes, I suffered from asthma since I was little. So I suffered a lot during the winter.”

“How much medicine is there?”

“… … Actually, they all fell off a while ago.”

Asthma, a chronic respiratory disease.

Nowadays, with the advancement of medicine, this is a disease that can be easily overcome with just medicine.

But the problem is that this is a world where the very infrastructure of civilization has collapsed.

The reality was that it was difficult to find even common medicine, let alone a proper hospital.

“Have you been to the military hospital?”

“Yes, I went there this afternoon. But they said that all of my daughter’s medications were sold out. There was a small amount of similar medicine left, but I couldn’t get in when I made my reservation. They said they needed contribution points or something… … .”

There is a military-run hospital within the campus shelter.

However, since medical staff and medicines are limited, not everyone can benefit.

Usually, one had to wait for a set reservation number or accumulate individual contribution points.

Of course, Kang Pil-jae, who had just entered the shelter, could not have known about that.

Cold weather, unsanitary spaces, probably making my asthma worse.

Mr. Kang Pil-jae came to find out what he should do as an adult and as a father.

“Take it.”

I knew this would happen, so I carefully held out the black bag I had brought.

Inside the bag were the promised deposit of cigarettes and liquor.

“Look for Mr. Park, the janitor in the research building. He mainly deals with pharmaceuticals.”

Since I often do bartering, I am very familiar with who handles what goods.

I recommended a vendor who had a conscience and had good products.

Then Kang Pil-jae carefully packed his bag and bowed his head.

“thank you…….”

“What is it?”

There is no need to express gratitude since you are being paid fairly for the work you do.

“I will contact you tomorrow.”

I stubbed out my cigarette, telling him I’d get back to him later.

Kang Pil-jae then walked along with a heavy bag as heavy as the weight of responsibility.

Sometimes, to navigate the rough waters of life, you have to take on heavy responsibilities.

That way, you can avoid being swept away by the current and safely reach the other side.

I don’t know what path that man will take in the future, but I hope he stays safe.

Ha, when I exhale, the sky becomes gloomy.

It looks like it’s going to snow again.

* * *

The departure date was set exactly one week later.

Of course, just because you say you’re going doesn’t mean you can go right away; you need to prepare sufficiently.

First of all, you need to decide on a means of transportation and pack the necessary supplies.

In particular, it was imperative to maintain the weapons necessary to deal with the infected and looters.

“hmm.”

Old man Park, who had been examining the Benelli shotgun for a while, took off his magnifying glasses and said.

“This should be enough to fix it.”

“Really?”

This is the Benelli shotgun that has shown great performance from Chungju to Yeongjongdo.

I was worried because the seams were warped in the last battle, but fortunately it looks like it can be repaired.

“Two packs of cigarettes.”

“please.”

In the meantime, Mr. Park, who had set up a workshop in the shelter, skillfully disassembled firearms.

Next to it were a bunch of air guns and crossbows for our use.

Before leaving on the trip, I wanted to check if there were any problems with the function.

‘Is this enough for now?’

Fortunately, there were plenty of bolts for the crossbow and plenty of air gun ammunition.

But there was one problem.

“It looks like you never found it.”

“Yes, it was difficult.”

The problem was that I couldn’t get 12 gauge bullets for the Benelli shotgun.

This isn’t the US, so it’s not like you can easily get a 12 gauge that isn’t military standard.

I tried to inquire through Captain Kang in a hurry, but it seems it is still difficult to find.

“I was just trying to make a regenerative bomb… … .”

“Keep on going, then it explodes.”

Even if you recycle the 12 gauge case and make the bullet somehow, the problem is the gunpowder and detonator.

Because no one knows what will happen if you fearlessly disassemble the rifle bullets and force them in.

There was no way I, a layman, could do something that even Mr. Park wouldn’t do.

Still, I felt regretful, so I decided to take the Benelli shotgun for repair.

“By the way, you said you were going to Jongro, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I know a gun shop around there.”

A gun shop? I thought about it, but I didn’t know of any nearby, so I ruled it out for now.

But my interest suddenly became focused on one place near our intended destination.

“Is this a place run by someone you know?”

“If you know, then you know. It’s a place run by a grumpy old man, but the stuff is pretty good. Well, I don’t know if he’s still alive.”

That’s good information.

If they’re alive, we can trade them, and if they’re dead, we can secure them.

When I handed him the map as if I had been waiting for it, Old Man Park marked the location.

As it happened, the gun shop was located midway along the route we were taking to our destination.

“If he’s still alive, tell him I said hello. He’s a warmhearted old man, more so than he looks.”

“Would you like to go back?”

“Then you’ll just have to clean up the mess, right?”

Old Man Park shrugged his shoulders, pulled the bolt with style, and handed it to me.

Before I knew it, the seams were well mended and the scratches were cleanly erased.

“I’ll come back for the rest in two days. Pay for the repairs when you come.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I grabbed the Benelli shotgun first and walked out of Old Man Park’s workshop.

“older brother!”

Then, Private Lee Hyeon-su, who had been walking from afar, approached me happily.

In Lee Hyun-soo’s arms, Coco, who had been neatly groomed, was wagging her tail.

“You cut it nicely?”

“Yes, I heard that there are grooming tools in the veterinary building. Yebin asked her friend to get her groomed.”

Coco looked like a mess because hair and dust had gotten stuck all over her.

This time, I had him groomed and he came back looking like a completely different dog.

Hehe!

When I patted her head, Coco started wagging her tail excitedly.

“Oh! And what you asked me to do last time.”

Private Lee Hyeon-su, who had put Coco on the floor, handed me the bag he was carrying.

“Oh, it’s heavy.”

“It has two batteries.”

The bag was none other than a radio bag containing an amateur radio and batteries.

“Is it possible to get here?”

“Yes, theoretically it is possible. But you would probably have to go up to high ground to use it.”

We can’t continue to operate without contact, thinking that no news is good news forever.

I specially asked Private Lee Hyeon-su to modify the amateur radio.

We have one installed in our accommodations, so we will be able to contact you in real time.

Preparations are roughly finished.

I warmed my hands with my breath and turned my gaze toward the distant northern sky.

A ray of sunlight broke through the dark clouds that had seemed ominous, illuminating the city.

* * *

“Did you pack your lunch?”

“huh.”

“What about the hot pack?”

“I packed it.”

“Look at my mind. I left my coffee behind.”

“Sister, please… … .”

I sighed as I tried to stop my older sister from continuing to pack something up.

I don’t know why he’s trying to take care of me like this, even though he’s not even five years old.

If other people see it, they will curse at me.

All the old people are worthless.

My older sister also sighed deeply as if she knew that I was being unreasonable and emphasized it once again.

“If it gets dangerous in the middle, just come back. Don’t overdo it, okay?”

“Okay, I got it.”

After checking a few times, I escaped from my sister’s clutches and headed to the main gate of the campus.

It was currently 11:00 AM, and the group was gathered at the main gate, checking their luggage.

“Loyalty!”

“Sergeant Jang.”

“Haha, it’s been a while, Daesu.”

And I said hello to Corporal Jang, whom I hadn’t seen for a while due to being busy with work.

Until yesterday, Corporal Jang, who had been working all night and on external missions, had half his face gone.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you. At least it’s almost over. We were planning to have a company dinner at the main building today, but it’s disappointing that Dae-su left like this.”

“I’ll be back, what?”

“Yes, you must return safely.”

Sergeant Jang, who had wished me good luck, gestured to me as if he had something to show me.

Then he took something out of the outpost barracks and dragged it over here.

“I’m going to tell the captain that I’m sorry I couldn’t help you. You don’t have to return it, so feel free to use it.”

That something was none other than an electric bicycle with an anti-slip chain.

I used it usefully last time, but I never thought it would spurt out again this time.

“Can we use it?”

“We should give you that much convenience. And we have prepared plenty of rifles and ammunition.”

It would be better if I never had to use it, but just in case, I received the K-2 rifle and ammunition in advance.

“thank you.”

After shaking hands with Corporal Jang once again, I approached the group with my electric bike.

Private Lee Hyun-soo, Corporal Oh Chan-il, Kim Jin-kyung, Olivia, and even the hunting dog Coco.

As always, everyone was silently packing their bags and looking at me with stern faces.

“wait a minute!”

At that moment, Kang Pil-jae, carrying a large bag, started running urgently from afar.

I was wondering why it was so late, but it seems it took time because I was carrying all that luggage.

“Ugh, gasp! Sorry I’m late.”

“Thank goodness you came on time.”

I heard that it took more than three days just to persuade his daughter, who was vehemently opposed to it.

Still, I was glad that he arrived safely, so I helped him carry his luggage.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, we can leave now.”

When I heard that preparations were complete, I loaded the luggage I had brought and put Coco in the front seat.

One by one, my companions began to follow me, pulling their electric bicycles.

Creak, creak.

The wheels mesh together.

My companions and I walked across the road to the main campus gate in silence.

The snow-covered road was littered with tire marks and dog and human footprints.

Cheek!

The sentry who discovered us late leisurely radioed somewhere.

Kurururung -!

Then, the tightly closed main gate of the campus opens and a gray city comes into view.

The group swallowed dry saliva at the sight that they could not get used to no matter how many times they looked at it.

“Let’s go.”

I slowly got on my electric bike and, as usual, took the lead.

The rest of the group followed suit and began to run down the road in a single file.

Hehe!

Coco, who had already gotten off the bike, runs away with her red scarf fluttering.

The once colorless gray city was now turning cobalt blue.

‘You said it was near Dongjak Station.’

Ironically, the pier where the Han River cruise ship was located was Dongjak Station, which we had passed by.

Since it was such a familiar path, I was able to lead the group without much difficulty.

‘The problem must go beyond the Han River.’

But this luxury that we have now will disappear the moment we cross the river.

The second stop was none other than the heavily trafficked Banpo Bridge.

It was probably more spectacular than what I saw on Yeongjong Island, but definitely not less spectacular.

I slowly seeped into the gray city, leaving behind the quickly passing scenery.