CH 416

Kang Jin-Ho dashed forward like an uncaged beast.

His head wasn't making him do this, though. His legs started carrying him forward even before he had the chance to organize his thoughts. With a speed human bodies could never produce, Kang Jin-Ho dashed past, over and through obstacles in his path and reached the building's wall in the proverbial blink of an eye. Without pausing for a breath, Kang Jin-Ho began climbing up the building.

'Dammit!'

When he recognized this situation was dangerous, his senses grew ultra-sharp while the gears in his brain went into overdrive. While climbing up the wall, Kang Jin-Ho yanked out his phone and dialed the number of a man he trusted the most.

By the time the first ringtone blared out of the phone's speaker, Kang Jin-Ho was already reaching the third floor. On the second ringtone, his feet had landed on the fourth.

- Hello, Mister Jin-Ho? How's the tour of the amusement park so far?

“Chief Jo, the ceiling is caving in!”

- Eh?

“The building's ceiling here is about to cave in!”

- W-what are you talking about?!

“I don't have the time to explain. I don't care what you do, but get everyone out of here right away! Hurry!”

- ...!

A brief period of silence ensued. However, Kang Jin-Ho didn't urge Jo Gyu-Min. He knew the Chief Secretary of the Jaegyeong Corporation wouldn't get flustered and too panicked by a situation like this. Jo Gyu-Min's silence was merely a byproduct of him trying to find the optimal solution to this latest crisis.

Kang Jin-Ho didn't question Jo Gyu-Min's silence, and Jo Gyu-Min didn't try to separate what was true and false in Kang Jin-Ho's statement.

Their relationship built on absolute trust naturally led to finding the best response possible under the current circumstances.

- I'll get to it right away. However, I'll need some time first. For now, please guide the children out of the building. Right away!

“I've already assigned that role to Miss Yeon-Ha!”

- Choi Yeon-Ha... I see. I'll call her directly, then. What about you?

“...Some girls are still inside one of the rides.”

- Goddamn it!

Jo Gyu-Min's unfiltered swearing burst out of the phone's speaker, followed by the sounds of someone kicking something. Then, Jo Gyu-Min's shriller voice was next.

- I'll do everything in my power! In the meantime, you must do everything in your power to rescue those kids! No matter what!

“That goes without saying!”

- I'll pray for your success!

The line went dead even before Kang Jin-Ho could respond. That only indicated how urgent Jo Gyu-Min felt right now.

Kang Jin-Ho rushed ahead without a speck of doubt or hesitation. Evacuating people from this building was not something he could do, anyway. A phone call from Jo Gyu-Min riding on Jaegyeong's back would still carry a much greater impact than a lone individual like Kang Jin-Ho.

Since that was the case, what Kang Jin-Ho had to do now became pretty straightforward. Focus on only what he could do and leave the rest to Jo Gyu-Min!

Kang Jin-Ho reached the balcony closest to where the hot-air balloon-shaped rides had stalled in no time, then quickly inspected the scene of the carnage.

“Mm...!”

Although he said the ceiling was caving in, the situation hadn't actually gotten that grave just yet. To be more precise, the rails installed on the ceiling were coming undone. As a matter of fact, the part of the rail holding the girls' ride had already broken free from the ceiling itself. Even a small mishap might cause the railings to completely break off from the ceiling or snap in half like a string of noodles. In either case, the ride would crash to the ground, and...!

“Step aside, please!” The amusement park's safety officers rushed to the balcony where Kang Jin-Ho was and tried to push him aside.

Kang Jin-Ho pointed at the rides. “Can't you turn the power off?”

“First of all, you must step aside or…”

“Listen to me!” Kang Jin-Ho growled like a tiger, forcing the safety officers to stop trying to push him away and instead stumble back. Kang Jin-Ho pointed to one of the rides. “My little sisters are in that thing!”

“...Are they your real siblings?”

“Answer me first! Can you turn the power off or not?”

“That is…” The head of the safety officers present began sweating profusely. “Unfortunately, the electrical grid is controlled by the park's central system. Isolating the balloon rides and turning them off will not be easy. And, if we take the entire system offline, this whole building will lose power and become paralyzed. Which means…”

“I got it,” Kang Jin-Ho curtly replied.

Cutting the power off would cause a problem with the evacuation efforts. And the people still obliviously enjoying their rides would be trapped inside, too. This meant the power had to be left switched on until everyone was safely evacuated from their rides first...!

Kang Jin-Ho raised his voice again. “Those rails will be stressed even further if the rides keep moving!”

“We understand your concern, sir. But you're only hindering our rescue efforts. Rescue personnel and emergency medical technicians are on their way as we speak. I know you're worried, but I recommend that you step outside and wait for positive news, sir! We swear to rescue your family members safe and sound.”

That was probably the only thing they could say to Kang Jin-Ho. The best option they currently had.

Of course, Kang Jin-Ho could understand why these safety officers had to say those lines. That didn't mean he agreed with everything they said.

'It'll be too late by the time the rescue team arrives!'

They would never get here on time.

If the rescue team was here, they would obviously find the safest way to rescue the trapped people. For instance, they could bring a ladder truck through the main road where the parade was. Or they could climb the dome-shaped roof from the outside, then extend the rope inside.

Indeed, plenty of methods to rescue the victims existed. But they all required time to prep. And... As far as Kang Jin-Ho could see, time was one thing they didn't have.

“...I see.” Kang Jin-Ho unhesitantly turned around and walked away.

“Thank you for your understanding, sir,” the safety officer addressed Kang Jin-Ho. But...

'No need to thank me… Since I never said I'll listen to your advice!'

Kang Jin-Ho walked away from the safety officers to a remote corner, then closed his eyes to think.

'Calm down first.'

He must not let his emotions rule his thoughts. This wasn't a fight to the death but a rescue which meant he must remain level-headed. Letting his temper get the better of him would lead to the orphanage girls' demise!

'What should I do?'

Although Kang Jin-Ho reached here in the blink of an eye, maybe waiting below the children's ride could be a better way to rescue them. At least, that seemed the most logical way, but what if the ride fell while he was trying to get closer?

'That won't do!'

Kang Jin-Ho steeled his resolve. Dangling on that rail might seem precarious, but that wouldn't kill the girls. What Kang Jin-Ho should watch out for was someone falling out of that ride… Or the ride itself coming loose and falling to the ground. If he was below the ride, it should be possible to respond to whatever happens next!

'Right. I'm going back down again.'

Kang Jin-Ho bit his lip, then turned around to leave. But then, his phone suddenly began ringing urgently. He confirmed the name on the screen and nearly hit himself for being so stupid.

'You idiot!'

He had momentarily forgotten that the girls had phones on them. Kang Jin-Ho seemed to have perfectly acclimatized to being a modern-day human being in a normal, everyday setting. However, he'd instantly forget which era he was in when a crisis hits him out of the blue like this.

Kang Jin-Ho urgently answered the call.

- Oppa! Oppaaaa!

“Yes, I'm here. Mi-Hye, are you hurt?”

- Oppa! Oppa, this ride, it...! This ride is...!

“Yes, I know! I know. I'm looking at it right now.” Kang Jin-Ho tried his absolute best to sound as calm as possible. He was worried that his urgent voice could make the girls even more anxious. “We'll come get you girls as soon as possible, okay? I'll be right below you to make sure nothing happens to you. So, don't worry too much and wait for us. Okay?”

- O-okay… But… But, oppa...!

“Yes, I'm here, Mi-Hye.”

- Do-Yeon is… Do-Yeon's condition isn't good! Something's wrong with her...!

“What?” Kang Jin-Ho's brows shot up.

- I don't know why, but... Maybe she bumped her head when the ride was rocking earlier… Or, maybe because she's scared… Do-Yeon is having trouble breathing right now, oppa. Oppa… What should I do?

Kang Jin-Ho's expression hardened as he listened to Jo Mi-Hye's tearful voice. “I…”

- N-no, wait, oppa. Listen, we'll wait as you said. We'll be fine here. Don't… force yourself to do something crazy, okay? We can… We will definitely be okay here… I wasn't asking you to rescue us, you know? It's just that, it's just that… I'm so scared and… I just wanted to hear your voice, that's all.

“...!” Kang Jin-Ho grimaced, not knowing what to say to Jo Mi-Hye. Yes, everything will be fine if you patiently wait? Do-Yeon's condition will naturally improve?

- That's why you mustn't…

Drop…

The line suddenly went dead. It seemed the battery in Jo Mi-Hye's phone died. Kang Jin-Ho stared at the screen of his phone before unhesitantly shoving it back into his back pocket. He could've called Jo Mi-Hye back using the other girl's phone, but what was the point of doing that now? Offering words of comfort through a phone call could be done by anybody, after all. Anybody other than Kang Jin-Ho, that was!

Because he had something else to do right now.

Waaaaaaaahhhng!

Sirens began going off throughout the amusement park. Many people rushed outside when they saw the rails coming off the ceiling and realized something terrible was happening, but there were still lots more left behind within the park's perimeters.

The sirens' loud wailing set the park employees on a high alert. They rushed around desperately to evacuate the people still meandering around the park.

One of the employees even rushed toward Kang Jin-Ho. “Sir! You must get to the ground floor!”

When Kang Jin-Ho emerged from his thoughts, he discovered that only he and the employees remained on the fourth floor.

“Of course,” Kang Jin-Ho obediently nodded.

“This way, sir!”

While hurriedly walking toward the emergency exit pointed out by the park employee, Kang Jin-Ho helplessly smirked to himself.

'I've become a full-fledged modern-era man, haven't I?'

He caught himself mulling the 'correct' way forward despite the urgency of the current situation, after all! He was even afraid of the ripples he might cause if countless phone cameras filmed the sight of him performing miraculous feats.

A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled.

...He wanted to live an ordinary life, after all!

Snap, snap, snap...

Kang Jin-Ho quickly undid the buttons of his shirt.

“Sir? What are you... doing?” The park employee blinked his eyes.

Riiip!

Kang Jin-Ho impatiently ripped the shirt, wrapped the fabric around his hands like improvised fingerless gloves, then sucked in several deep breaths.

'It might be a smart way to live, but also immensely tiring…’

Living as a modern-day man, that was. Worrying about lots of things meant one would avoid potential losses. However…

“Who said I wanted to live that way?” Kang Jin-Ho tutted before turning around.

“S-sir...?”

The safety officers sticking close to Kang Jin-Ho just in case blinked his eyes in confusion. However, Kang Jin-Ho easily pushed them aside and broke into a sprint.

“Oh, no! S-stop him!”

“Grab that man!”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but start chuckling while dashing toward the hot-air balloon-shaped rides. Of course, he knew. He knew oh-so well.

The wise thing was to go downstairs and wait. If he wanted to play his cards smartly, Kang Jin-Ho should not expose himself like this for the sake of four orphanage girls who might get rescued safely quite soon.

But, so what? When did he say he wanted to be smart?

He couldn't remain calm when Jo Mi-Hye tried to comfort him, telling him everything was fine and he shouldn't do anything reckless... Even though she and the other girls must be terrified and anxious while trapped in that thing!

“Stop him! Come on, stop him, now!”

Kang Jin-Ho easily leaped over the safety officers throwing themselves in his direction and instantly reached the balcony again. He promptly jumped up and kicked the balcony's railing to leap high into the air.

“W-what the hell?!”

“Holy sh*t...!”

Kang Jin-Ho leaped over the rooftops of various indoor building-like structures before reaching the wall nearest the railing. He instantly climbed up to where the hot-air balloon-shaped rides were on standby, securely grabbed the railing with both hands and rapidly climbed up higher toward the ceiling.

“H-hey, you crazy son of a...! You'll die if you fall from that height!”

The safety officers below cried out in shock and fear, but their voices failed to register in Kang Jin-Ho's hearing.

'Wait for a little while longer. I'll be there as soon as possible!'

The safety officers and park employees could only watch with their eyes bulging out of their sockets as Kang Jin-Ho dangling on the railing rushed forward at the speed of an Olympic sprinter.

***

“Kekekeke…”

Inside the dark shadows... Inside this shadow so deep and dark that no light could reach, a sinister figure sat still and watched, his eyes glowing red.

“How moving. How heart-wrenching!”

Kang Jin-Ho's weakness was far too obvious! He had too many unnecessary things to protect. And those things weren't even his family.

The sinister figure with crimson eyes slowly got up. “So… What should I do to you next?”

What would be more entertaining for him?

“Well, well, well... I'll enjoy the show for a little bit longer, Kang Jin-Ho...!”

The sinister figure's face slowly filled with a crooked, bizarre smile as he sunk even deeper into the darkness.