Chapter 76
One of the heroes of the Dundae Tunnel collapse.
Ko Min-gyu, who successfully rescued all the victims through his excellent command and even earned an exceptional promotion, cheerfully changed clothes.
"Hmm~. Hmm-hmm~."
Today was a good day.
Surprisingly, there hadn't been a single callout.
There had to be days like this.
'Maybe I'll binge-watch Noah hyung's broadcasts today?'
Thinking about how comfortably his subordinates had worked today, he went outside.
Some of his subordinates were leaving work, while others were starting their night shifts.
"Good work!"
"Yeah. You all keep up the good work."
As he waved to his subordinates and was about to leave the fire station, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.
After checking it, Ko Min-gyu hurriedly answered the call.
"Noah hyung?!"
-How have you been?
"I've been well!"
After the Dundae Tunnel accident, Ko Min-gyu rewatched Kang Noah's broadcasts and once again realized just how incredible he was.
'It'd be great if someone like this joined the National Fire Agency. Should I suggest it? Tell him to take the civil service exam? No, what am I thinking? If they recruited him through a special appointment...?'
Unaware that the police had made similar offers several times, he simply greeted the person on the other end warmly and showed his fondness for him.
-Something's going to happen in four days.
"Huh? What do you mean, something's going to happen all of a sudden...?"
-There'll be a gas explosion.
His pleasant mood from getting off work early instantly froze.
A gas explosion.
In the worst case, dozens or more people could be injured or killed.
"What are you talking about...?"
-Construction is scheduled to take place in the food court on the second basement level of Myeongdong Future Department Store.
Construction in the food court.
There were plenty of flammable materials, and depending on the department store's facilities, it could develop into a major fire.
-Gas leaking during the food-court construction will explode. Five people will die, and many others will be seriously injured.
Kang Noah calmly told him about the horrific future.
But rather than despair, Ko Min-gyu thought about how to deal with it.
He had repeatedly said it on his broadcast.
The future could change.
So he had to come up with a solution that could change that terrible future.
'If the fire department conducts a proper inspection and points out the safety issues, the explosion caused by the gas leak won't happen, will it? No. It might be better to stop the construction altogether and conduct a comprehensive inspection first...'
"Got it, hyung. Leave it to me."
-Right. I'm counting on you.
Kang Noah had asked him for help.
Although Kang Noah was much younger than Ko Min-gyu, he had already prevented countless accidents and was practically an object of admiration to him.
Someone like that was asking him for help...
'I'll stop it completely.'
To do that, he would need additional help.
As soon as he ended the call, he searched his phone book.
'I remember getting the department store president's number when I went there for a safety inspection before.'
So he would tell him about this.
If the president knew about it and prepared accordingly, the accident wouldn't happen.
"Yes, sir. This is Ko Min-gyu. The thing is..."
***
I was contacted the day after I returned from Taehyun Entertainment.
It was Ko Min-gyu, a viewer I'd gotten to know during the Dundae Tunnel accident and a high-ranking official at the National Fire Agency.
When he suggested meeting in person, I sent him the address of a café and waited. As soon as I saw him walk in, I knew.
The future had changed.
The gas-explosion fire that was supposed to occur during construction at Future Department Store after closing time.
That had changed.
I could assume it was the result of my intervention.
"Hyung!"
"Oh, welcome. What would you like to drink?"
"Hmm, I'll have an affogato."
"Manager. One affogato and one more latte, please. And an almond cake too.
"Yes!"
The manager smiled as he prepared the drinks and cake.
Ko Min-gyu sat across from me and looked at me seriously.
"Hyung. What do you think will happen?"
"Here."
I turned over the card I held out to him.
It was the Pot of Greed.
"There won't be an accident."
"Phew... That's a relief. If an accident happened there, it'd be a pretty big deal."
"Why?"
"It's Myeongdong. Myeongdong Future Department Store attracts visitors not only from Korea but also from Japan, China, and all sorts of other countries."
But if a fire broke out there, how much would that damage the country's reputation?
That was what he had been worried about.
"That seems like a pointless worry. Anyway, we stopped the accident, so that's all that matters. But why did you meet the president of Future Department Store?"
"Wow... I really can't fool you, hyung."
Ko Min-gyu nodded.
Rather than merely conducting an on-site inspection, he had decided to obtain the department store's cooperation so they could properly monitor the entire situation.
"And, um... I used your name a little while talking to the president. Is that okay?"
"Of course."
Since the Dundae Tunnel incident, my name had become fairly well known even among people who did not use the internet.
Using the weight of my name, Ko Min-gyu had smoothly concluded his negotiations with the president of Future Department Store, and he grinned.
"The president said he'd like to speak with you."
"Me? Why?"
"Who knows? Maybe there's something he wants to ask you?"
"It's not a problem, I suppose."
Once I gave him permission, he immediately picked up his phone.
He spoke quickly, then ended the call.
"He said he'll contact you himself soon."
"Why? Why didn't you just put him on now?"
"I thought so too, but he said he had something to take care of first."
"Really? Well, I suppose that's that."
"Yeah. Phew. Hyung, thank you. We prevented a major accident thanks to you."
"Yeah, you've worked hard. There's nothing I can do for you, but I had some cake prepared, so share it with your staff."
Seeing the huge amount of almond pound cake that the manager, his daughter, and a few extra hands had made, Ko Min-gyu grinned.
"Hyung. Isn't this too much?"
"Don't worry. No one's going to report you over this."
There was no future in which he was reported for giving some cake to his employees.
.
.
.
Several days passed after I met Ko Min-gyu.
Fortunately, there was no accident at Future Department Store.
I was sipping a latte at a café while reading the article when my phone rang.
It wasn't an unknown number... Well, not exactly.
It was the number for the president of Future Department Store that Ko Min-gyu had given me.
"Hello."
-Hello. Is this Mr. Kang Noah's cell phone?
"Yes, it is. You're Mr. Yang Hui-seok, the president of Future Department Store, correct?"
Yang Hui-seok.
He was the president of Future Department Store and a third-generation chaebol heir.
The deep voice coming through the phone carried the confidence characteristic of someone from a chaebol family.
-It's nice to meet you. I'm a fan.
"Oh? Really?"
-Yes. I saw you on the news. Wow. I heard you use that amazing ability to save people. That's truly admirable.
"Haha. Thank you. But I heard you asked to be introduced to me? What would you like to know? If you want, come by and I'll have you turn over a card."
-Haha. I have an embarrassing past from my younger days... Ah, it isn't anything criminal, so please don't misunderstand.
What kind of past could it be?
-Actually, I wanted to consult you about my daughter rather than myself, so I hope you'll understand.
"Your daughter?"
-Yes.
He let out a small sigh and explained the situation.
He had a daughter.
Although she was from a chaebol family, she was an unusually kind and diligent kid.
Recently, that girl had gotten a boyfriend.
-Well, my family may be a chaebol family, but I'm not the heir, and I have no intention of arranging a marriage for my daughter.
But if he was some strange good-for-nothing, shouldn't he stop him as her father?
So he hired someone to investigate him.
But surprisingly, every investigation kept hitting a dead end.
It was as though someone were deliberately obstructing the investigation into his background.
"If he's a piece of trash, can't you just tell her to break up with him?"
Hong Si-yeon, who was sipping coffee across from me, looked flustered at my perfect solution.
No, why?
Wasn't this the best option?
-The thing is... judging from what my daughter has told me and the limited investigation, he doesn't seem like a piece of trash.
But I want to know what lies behind him.
-That's why I'm thinking of sending my daughter and her boyfriend to you. Could you take a look at them? Naturally, I'll make sure you're properly rewarded.
"Yes. Let's do that."
If I saw them both in front of me, I could find out for sure.
After the call ended, Hong Si-yeon said with an intrigued expression,
"I'm curious too."
"Then come tomorrow."
"Ahhh... I don't think I can. I'm too busy... I barely managed to make time today."
She slumped onto the table and playfully sniffled.
I suppose she really had been busy lately.
"I wanna go out..."
"Go ahead."
"I have too much work. It's exhausting..."
"How long will you be busy?"
"Probably for a while...?"
"That sounds tough."
"Hing."
She slightly raised her head from the table.
Then she began lightly scratching the hand holding my cup with her finger.
"Why?"
"Because I want to go to Lotte World again..."
"Let's go when you're done being busy."
"Promise?"
Her face as she smiled bashfully looked tired, but it was brimming with anticipation.
.
.
.
And so, the next day.
When the appointed time arrived, I was eating the gelato the manager had recently started making at the café when the door opened.
An ordinary-looking woman in her mid-twenties.
And an equally ordinary-looking man in his early twenties.
That woman was Yang Hui-seok's daughter, Yang Hye-jeong, and beside her was...
Huh.
I never expected to see that person here.
The two entered the café holding hands, looked around, spotted me in the corner, and approached.
"Um... are you Mr. Kang Noah?"
"Yes. You found the place. It's hot, isn't it? Would you like something cold? The coffee here is good. The gelato is good too."
"Then I'll have vanilla gelato..."
"I'll have an iced Americano."
"Manager~!"
The manager took their order and came out with the ice cream and drinks.
Along with a small cake.
Once something had been set before them, they seemed to relax a little.
"I don't think I need to explain who I am. First, turn over your cards."
The two carefully turned over their cards.
After taking the cards from both of them, I looked at the man.
"You're the grandson of Mr. Sakamoto Ryuichi, aren't you?"
"....!!"
The man's eyes widened.
I smiled as I met his gaze.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Sakamoto Ryusuke. I'm Kang Noah."
He was the man who had once been barely rescued after being gaslighted by a cult.
He was the sole family member and grandson of the Japanese tycoon Sakamoto Ryuichi.
He was Sakamoto Ryusuke.
I'd heard he'd gone abroad to study, but here he was...