Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Hero
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If we slipped out the kitchen back door...
Dong-hyun and I could have survived.
The police had been called, so all we had to do was wait quietly.
But...
The faces of the kids who had smiled so brightly at me over the past three days, thanking me...
And the staff and aunties who were now in this dangerous mess because of me...
Countless worries flashed through my mind.
If I just closed my eyes tight once...
Pretended not to notice...
I could escape safely.
In that moment, Lily's face came to mind.
If something happened to me here...
How heartbroken would she be?
I paused my thoughts for a second.
Then I peered through the small gap in the wall where the meal trays came in, checking the outside.
...Is he alone?
At the cafeteria entrance, one man stood blocking the door with a gun, wearing a creepy smile.
He looks young?
A student?
Does he have some grudge?
Tension made me swallow hard.
The sound of my gulp echoed hugely in my ears.
Without a gun of our own...
It was impossible to take down an armed opponent barehanded.
What do I do... What do I do...
My mind raced with ideas, but none were sharp enough.
Dong-hyun was peeking through the gap on the opposite side, checking the situation too.
Behind the serving counter, the aunties and other staff huddled, trembling in terror.
Faces frozen in fear.
That's when my eyes met Amy's.
I put a finger to my lips, signaling silence.
Amy nodded stiffly, her face grim.
Rushing out to subdue him now would just get a bullet in the head.
The police arriving could make it worse too.
An excited gunman might start firing wildly.
I needed a quick decision.
'Ah, God. Why give me this trial when I'm just trying to do some good?'
I carefully shifted position and whispered to Dong-hyun.
"Hey."
"What?"
"You slip out the back door."
"What!?!?"
Dong-hyun stared at me like I was spouting nonsense.
"What about you?"
"I have to save the staff and kids. You came all the way to America because of me—no need to risk your life here."
"Bullshit! What the hell are you gonna do alone!"
I flashed a grin.
"Ahh... So this is the weight of being the boss."
"Screw that. How am I supposed to leave you behind? If you die, I'm hitting on your wife."
Ow, that stung a bit.
"From what I can see... there's just one guy?"
"So what."
"I'll draw his attention somehow. Think you can take him down?"
"Take him down? He's got a gun! You crazy?"
"No, listen! The good news is there's only one perp. Multiple guys? No chance. But one... we can do it. I'll be the bait. Your physique is better than mine anyway."
"Damn..."
Dong-hyun hesitated.
"So, what's the plan?"
"Simple. That 1-2 seconds I grab his eyes. Right when he turns the gun on me. You jump him from behind—knock him out, whatever, just subdue him."
......
"Uh... Ah! Look, there's a weapon right there."
I nodded toward the kitchen corner.
"What weapon, man?"
Dong-hyun followed my gaze.
There...
Was the cooking shovel handle we'd used earlier for stir-frying meat, just lying there.
Dong-hyun gave me a baffled look.
The serving counters stretched out in front of the cafeteria kitchen.
Dong-hyun and I crouched low, almost prone, and crept along behind the trembling staff.
Me toward the inner cafeteria, him toward the entrance—positioned to hit the perp from behind.
The gunman was yelling something, but in my extreme tension, nothing registered.
Then Dong-hyun raised his hand, making a fist.
[Stop].
My heart pounded in my ears.
I held my breath, waiting for the chance.
The gun barrel pointed at the kids huddled together in fear.
One twitch of that finger, and horror would unfold.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
Dong-hyun and I kept signaling with glances and hands, gauging the next move.
That's when it happened.
The perp burst out laughing and aimed at a student collapsed on the floor, bleeding.
Our eyes met.
No words needed.
Now.
Draw his eyes.
In my line of sight, one corner had a huge aluminum sink.
My target: the narrow gap between the sink and wall.
The only cover to pull his attention and boost my survival odds.
As the perp shouldered the gun and squeezed the trigger...
I bolted.
— Clang!!!!!!!!
At the same time, I grabbed a huge ladle from the counter and slammed it down on the stainless steel serving station with all my strength.
Deafening noise.
"Kyaaak!"
Startled staff screamed and flattened fully behind the counter on the floor.
And I ran.
Toward the sink.
In less than a second.
A flash like a life reel passing by.
And... at the end.
Lily's face.
— Bang! Bang!
Ah?
Hot pain flared in my left shoulder and right leg.
I lost balance, crashing and tumbling across the floor.
And...
As I rolled, in my blurring vision, I saw it.
Behind the perp approaching my shot-down body.
Dong-hyun charging, shovel raised high.
The moment it smashed perfectly into the perp's head.
'Ahh... That kid's a Yorick all his own.'
I grinned.
And...
Intense pain tore through my body.
Unable to endure it, my body chose to shut down consciousness.
My awareness faded into darkness like that.
SWAT officers, fully geared, cautiously entered the school.
Rifle-armed team members moved silently on the team leader's signals.
"Stay sharp, everyone. One slip and the kids are dead."
The leader's low voice crackled over the radio.
Officers swallowed dryly.
This was a ticking bomb with thousands of kids at stake.
Teams surrounding the cafeteria building awaited radio orders.
Breath-holding tension.
Then it happened.
The cafeteria doors burst open. Kids screamed and sobbed, pouring out.
SWAT froze in the unexpected chaos.
"Uh... kids are escaping the cafeteria!"
Immediate radio command: "Enter and assess now!"
Officers rushed inside without hesitation.
And the scene before them.
An Asian man standing dazed, holding a bloody shovel.
In front: a student down, head bleeding.
A gun on the floor.
And people shot, bleeding, collapsed.
Entering officers radioed instantly.
"Entry success! Asian male with weapon, kid down in front! Subduing on site!"
Gun barrels snapped to Dong-hyun in seconds.
Dong-hyun jerked his hands high in shock.
"I... I'm a cafeteria helper! The terrorist's that guy on the floor!"
But the scene screamed violence.
Bloody shovel, downed kid, loose gun, bleeding bodies.
No one could look innocent here.
"Hands on head, down! Or we fire!"
At the firm shout, Dong-hyun slapped hands overhead and prone.
Some officers kept guns trained,
Others cuffed him from behind.
Then, staff peeking from behind the counter yelled desperately.
"No! He's the one who saved us!!!!!"
SWAT froze solid.
Cuffed and pinned face-down, Dong-hyun muttered.
"Damn... I told you..."
Pinned under burly officers, he groaned.
Then Amy rushed out, shouting.
"There! Our boss got shot saving the kids! Help him quick!"
As she spoke, waiting medics stormed in with stretchers.
They swiftly triaged the shot kids and the unconscious Ji-hoon on the floor, rushing them to the hospital.
In the chaos and misunderstanding, the scene slowly stabilized.
As the scene cleared, terrified students left in parents' arms.
The school gate swarmed with reporters instantly.
Flashes popped nonstop, mics thrust at shaken kids.
"What was it like inside?"
"How many shooters?"
"You hurt?"
Kids, still in shock, testified in trembling voices.
"Gunshots suddenly... everyone screaming..."
"He locked the door and fired everywhere... so scary..."
Then, from some kids' accounts, tales of new heroes emerged.
"Then... the two cafeteria uncles..."
"One made a huge noise to distract him... the other uncle from behind... with a shovel...!"
Combining testimonies revealed the shocking truth.
Two Korean men on temp cafeteria duty had subdued the armed terrorist, saving hundreds of students.
The news broke as a special report.
TV screens showed Ji-hoon and Dong-hyun's names, plus info on Ji-hoon's 'Babsang' restaurant.
America cheered.
A near-tragedy averted by two brave foreigners thrilled the nation.
Soon, even bigger news hit.
Police found homemade bombs scattered inside the cafeteria.
The anchor, voice thick with emotion, reported.
"If... if these two Korean heroes hadn't stopped the terrorist... it's unimaginable carnage. On behalf of all Americans, we offer deepest thanks to these two who risked everything to save countless students."
America turned hot spotlight on the sudden Korean heroes.
Their bravery moved a gun-plagued society deeply. Everyone worried for them, prayed they'd wake soon.
Three days post-incident.
Investigation revealed the perp tied to an Islamic terror group, planning to suicide-bomb with the cafeteria kids via planted explosives.
America raged anew at the horror.
And...
The hero who stopped it with his body, Ji-hoon, hadn't woken.
Emergency surgery post-transport dodged fatality, but he slumbered deeply.
Americans, especially Berkeley locals, prayed fervently for his recovery.
Sacrificing for others embodied America's highest heroic ideal.
Naturally, interest in Ji-hoon exploded.
Media raced to Berkeley, digging into who he was.
Neighbors near Babsang, churchgoers, merchants, even Pastor Liam.
All praised his kindness and character.
"Ji-hoon? Oh, that guy. Always greeted with a smile first, jumped in to help with tough stuff. Kept the street spotless... real diligent, good kid."
"Never missed weekly volunteering. Helped struggling neighbors quietly, no complaints. Heart of gold."
"Great at business, but treated fellow merchants like family. Always said thrive together, not compete."
"Brother Ji-hoon lived American values more than Americans. Shared freely, devoted to community..."
Especially touching: the volunteering wasn't for profit—he'd heard kids going hungry, closed his own shop to volunteer, leading to this.
America's admiration swelled.
America honors heroes properly.
Just look at respect for soldiers who sacrificed.
And...
While Ji-hoon slept deeply in his hospital bed...
Unbeknownst to him, he'd become America's newest celebrated hero.