CH 128

According to analysts of the accident, much of the impact from the crash was absorbed by the over ten meters of dense pine forests, which helped increase the number of survivors.

It was almost as if the pine trees of the mountain sacrificed themselves to save the lives of the survivors. Now, all that was left–

“It’s the trees’ turn.”

Lee-yeon tapped the desk, a crease of determination forming between her eyebrows.

Since it is often used for major accidents, this screening was a task commonly given to all tree doctors participating in the Dome project. Among them, Gamumbi Tree Hospital and Solgae Tree Hospital, selected as the leading hospitals, were in charge of managing the trees of the bereaved families.

Their job was to protect and prepare the leftover parts of the damaged trees for new growth.

She shot a troubled look at Chae-woo who had just returned after making a call.

“Chae-woo, what should I do?”

“About what?”

“I might have to leave you at home for a few days. I think I’ll need to stay around here for a while to work.”

“….”

Lee-yeon’s expression relaxed, but Chae-woo observed her quietly.

“It should only take three days and two nights, but Gimhae isn’t far from here, so I can still visit while I’m gone.”

Lee-yeon’s eyes were full of worry. The screening had been scheduled less than a day after Chae-woo woke up.

But she couldn’t just leave him alone when he needed her to help wake him from his nightmares. Lee-yeon sighed, glancing back and forth between the mangled trees on the monitor and the sleekly handsome image of Chae-woo. Both issues were so serious it might not even be enough if she had two bodies.

“It’s okay. I’ll just sleep in your room with you.”

“What?” She was flabbergasted.

“You don’t want me to come?”

“…!”

He narrowed his brows at Lee-yeon’s hesitancy. His voice was the same as before, his pupils still hollow with memory loss, and yet she still felt a strange and unfamiliar power from him.

“Is your husband not allowed to stay in the same room as you?”

“….”

“Could it be, you’re hiding something under your blanket?” His look was sharp as if he could lift Lee-yeon with the slightest glance. She clenched her fists.

“It’s not that—”

“Director So–!”

Just then, Choo-ja, who had been scrolling through the photos on the monitor, opened her eyes wide and called out.

“It looks like the animal rescue center is coming, too.”

“What are you talking about?” Lee-yeon turned to look at the official notice.

It was exactly as Choo-ja had said.

It seemed that for this screening the employees of the Wildlife Rescue Center who are dispatched to search and rescue injured animals, would be evaluating the tree doctors.

The criteria for this round of screening included such items as behavior, sincerity, accuracy, cooperation, communication, and leadership. Points in each category were tallied and candidates with the highest points were selected.

“Are you going to the mountain, too, Chae-woo?”

“Yeah, I just received the call.”

Lee-yeon stared at him blankly as the corners of his mouth raised in a satisfied grin and he gently waved his cell phone in the air.

She was confused by this unexpected turn of events, yet Chae-woo seemed unfazed.

To put it nicely, his reaction was calm and collected, but in reality, it came off as rude and unaffected.

“You say you received the call. You mean to say, you’re the one who’s going to evaluate me?”

Lee-yeon shot him a peculiar glance to which Chae-woo simply shrugged his shoulders.

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but just between you and me, it wouldn’t be hard for you to earn my favor.”

“What’ that supposed to–”

“Just keep doing what you have been doing. That’s what you do best.”

His meaning was decidedly vague, but Lee-yeon simply nodded her head softly, choosing to focus on treating the trees.

Either way, based on her previous experience with mountain landslides, there probably wouldn’t even be any trees left to salvage. The main problem would be the disposal and recovery of the debris. In terms of that kind of manual labor, the level of completion was dependent on each individual’s own sense of duty and responsibility. Therefore, the final score, rather than just a simple number, was actually a reflection of the candidate’s work ethic.

“In that case, I should just focus on working hard and not worry so much about how other people see me.”

“Well, don’t ruin your health just for work.”

Choo-ja clicked her tongue.

“Think about it this way. Imagine you’re focusing and working hard on your own. On the other hand, someone else sees everyone working hard and passes around coffee. From the perspective of the workers who are hot and tired, which of you would seem to have better behavior, cooperation, and communication skills?”

Lee-yeon scratched her head at Choo-ja’s comment.

“Wouldn’t I stand out too much if I just kept walking around like that?”

“In the middle of a crash site filled with the black and burning debris of a demolished plane? Don’t be so naive!”

“Even so, if I want to be real, I need to stick to the fundamentals rather than trying to play a game of wits.”