[What's life, anyway? Just live as it comes]
[What's life, anyway? Just live as it comes]
The department store located at Yeongdeungpo Station was engulfed in flames. Along with the explosions that continued to ring out intermittently, the falling debris was threatening enough. Police were controlling traffic and citizens, while firefighters were putting on their gear and preparing to rush in for fire suppression and rescue operations.
"There might still be people left inside. The movie theater side doesn't seem to have caught fire yet, so move the injured that way, got it?"
Fire Lieutenant Ha Jeong-uk said to his juniors. Although his rank was only that of a team leader, there wasn't a single firefighter among them who looked down on him.
As he said, the current fire was in the main building of the department store. The movie theater building located next to it was relatively safe and the flames hadn't reached it, so they could safely enter along the path connected to the main building.
Corpses of people who had been burned or killed were visible everywhere. If there was even a glimmer of hope, they would try to save them, but bodies burned to charcoal showed there was no chance of survival.
They were grateful that they were wearing fire equipment, especially the breathing apparatus. If not, they would have had to smell the disgusting stench of burning human flesh permeating the place.
"Damn it, why aren't the sprinklers working?"
"Looks like the fire pipes are busted."
"They must not have inspected them properly. Shit, still better than the collapsed Sampoong Department Store."
Soon, they split into teams and rushed in. They began to search for survivors, prioritizing places where it was assumed many people would be, while staying tense about explosions that could happen at any moment.
"There's an injured person here!"
"Check the injury and move them! Be careful when moving them if there's a head injury!"
Little by little, little by little. They began to move the survivors who had remained despite the evacuation. Since this department store and the Yeongdeungpo Fire Station were so close that it didn't even take 10 minutes on foot, the response was fast, so there were survivors even amidst the bitter smoke.
"Are you okay? Can you stand?"
"Ugh, ugh...... P-please, save me........"
The injured who could at least stand were supported and quickly rescued from the scene. Those who couldn't move were rescued using stretchers.
"There's someone buried here!"
"P-please, save me! My leg! My leg!"
"It's just buried under debris! Use the crowbar to lift it and get them out!"
There were also places that had collapsed. Flames were flickering and trying to burn them, but their will was stronger than the flames.
Team Leader Ha Jeong-uk found a middle-aged woman lying down. She was bleeding from her arm, perhaps grazed by debris. Considering the size of the wound and the time she had been bleeding, quick treatment was urgent.
"Ma'am, are you conscious? Ma'am!"
"Ah, ah........."
There were no scars on her head, so he shook her body to check for consciousness. A voice came out with a slight groan.
It is important that she is at least conscious. Relieved a little, he moved her onto a stretcher.
"Team Leader-nim! The flames are too strong, I don't think we can go any further!"
"Can't you do something with the pump?"
"The hose isn't long enough! We need to extend it in the middle!"
Team Leader Ha Jeong-uk swallowed dryly. Even if he wanted to save more, the situation wasn't favorable. For now, it was better to pull out once, prepare more, receive support from other places, and then re-enter. By now, other fire stations would have arrived after being dispatched.
"Hye, Hye-mi...... Please find our Hye-mi."
The middle-aged woman from earlier, who was being carried out on a stretcher, muttered. It seemed she had come with her daughter, as she grabbed the firefighter's collar with a pleading voice.
Her body wasn't in good shape, but with strength from who knows where, she held on tightly and muttered, not even knowing who she was talking to.
"Please, find our Hye-mi. Our Hye-mi, Hye-mi-ya....... I beg you, please, our Hye-mi........"
It was a desperate mother's wish. A hope. Seeing that, Team Leader Ha Jeong-uk looked beyond the flames.
"..........She won't be too far away."
"Team Leader-nim?!"
"Don't worry, I'll just take a quick look around! She must be nearby, so I'll find her quickly and come out! You guys go down first, get support, and come back up!"
He grabbed a fire extinguisher placed nearby, pulled the pin, and sprayed it at the flames. For a moment, the flames subsided, and he rushed inside during that gap.
Just one more person.
Just one more person this time.
He is not a superhero like you'd see in a comic book. If you asked if he was a hero, he could say yes, but he doesn't have any superpowers. He isn't a Force User either.
But as an ordinary person, he doesn't hope to save ten or a hundred people. Just this moment. He hopes to save just one more person.
What is the most likely reason a child and mother who came to the department store together would be separated? A lost child? Of course, that happens, but it's rare. If you look for the most ordinary and simple reason........ it's the bathroom.
If the mother was shopping and the child was a bit older, she would have allowed her to go to the bathroom alone. Team Leader Ha Jeong-uk ran to the bathroom on this floor.
The last stall in the bathroom was closed. He knocked on the door and shouted.
"Little one? Are you inside? I'm a firefighter! I'm here to save you, so please open the door!"
After waiting a moment, kkirik, there was the sound of the lock opening. When he opened the door, there was a little girl who looked like she was in the lower grades of elementary school.
"Mommy........."
"Are you Hye-mi? Your mother has already been found and rescued, so don't worry."
He held the child in his arms and gave her the breathing apparatus he was using. Even if she lowered her body, the smoke from the fire that she would inhale was more fatal to Hye-mi, a young girl, than to himself, an adult male.
He smashed the faucet of the sink with the crowbar he was holding. As the faucet shattered, water sprayed out like a fountain.
The flames outside were still not under control. If they just went out, he might be okay in his fire suit, but Hye-mi might get burned. But if he sprayed water, he could reduce that.
And as soon as they left the bathroom, he started running. He ran to cross the flames and pierce through the smoke to escape as quickly as possible.
"..........?"
And in the middle of that, he found a man standing in the middle of the fire, trembling. There were no signs of injury, but he had no reaction other than trembling in place.
Just one more person.
"Sir! Come this way!"
There were no visible injuries, and since he was standing, he should be able to walk or run. He didn't know how he was doing that in this smoke, but the thought that he had to save the person first filled his head.
"Snap out of it! Sir! Sir!"
As he approached to even shake his body, the man finally reacted.
Cloudy red pupils. It was the same color as the flames mixed with smoke.
"Don't....... come!!!"
Kwah-ang!!!
Another explosion occurred.
The area near the Yeongdeungpo Department Store became busy with people flocking to watch the fire and police controlling it. It was overflowing with reporters who had gathered to capture the scoop of a department store fire, as well as people filming it themselves.
"Dad......."
Baek-ri, who had arrived as quickly as possible by taking a taxi instead of the subway or bus, muttered while looking at the burning department store. The fire was huge. He couldn't even imagine how many people would be hurt, let alone die.
His father, Ha Jeong-uk, must be deployed at that scene, rescuing people.
Not long after, firefighters led the injured out of the scene. With soot on their fire suits and faces, they felt a small freedom in the air they were barely breathing.
"Hyeon-seok Ahjussi!"
"Oh? Is that you, Baek-ri?"
"Dad, where is Dad?"
Baek-ri spoke to a firefighter he knew among them. Even looking around, his father was not visible. When the firefighters took off their breathing apparatuses so their faces could be seen, he looked around, but he couldn't find his face.
"Team Leader-nim said he would search a little more and come out. He should be out in a little while.........."
Kwah-ang!!!
As if to make his words meaningless, an explosion occurred. An explosion so intense that even the outer wall of the building was destroyed, allowing one to see inside. At that sight, Baek-ri's complexion turned pale.
His hands were trembling. He couldn't move his feet.
Just like that time when he encountered an Enemy Species in the past. Even though his younger sister was there, even though there was someone he had to protect, he couldn't move properly.
They say that time, fortunately, they overcame the crisis thanks to his younger sister who awakened as a Force User, but the situation was different now. The one dying was not him, but his father.
The feeling of having done nothing as an older brother when his younger sister was in danger remained deep for the rest of his life. The reason he worked part-time thinking about his younger sister's college tuition rather than his own was also for that reason. Because he wanted to atone, at least that way.
Am I going to just sit here and do nothing?
A faint voice seemed to be heard. This time is different. A feeling that something was gradually settling into his body began to be felt, and his body became light.
".........Huh?"
Feeling the change in his body, Baek-ri clenched his fist. He felt strength stronger than usual. Strength that could crush a temporary fence blocking people.
White energy, invisible to the eyes of ordinary people, began to be seen gathering from the surroundings and flowing into his body.
"Force Awakening?"
Many Force Users often awaken in crisis situations. The desperate emotions in a crisis situation trigger the Force Awakening. A close example was Baek-ri's younger sister, who awakened while being chased by an Enemy Species.
For Baek-ri, who had gained power, there was no more time to worry about the back. When he jumped from his spot, he leaped over the people and the fence in one go.
"What?! A Force User?"
"Wow, did you see that just now? That's awesome!"
The police stepped forward in a hurry, but they couldn't catch him. Even a newly awakened Force User is not an opponent that ordinary people can deal with. If there were no limits to the amount of Force, Force Users would not belong to the state, but would have had a great influence on the state themselves.
Baek-ri entered the fire scene. The scorching flames and smoke were not a problem. He didn't know how to handle Force and didn't have a single awakened Trait, but with just his activated body alone, he pushed away hundreds of kilograms of building debris and was not even scorched by the fire.
"Dad! Dad! Where are you, Dad!!!"
Baek-ri went around looking for his father. The floor where the explosion occurred. Since he saw it from the outside, he could roughly tell which floor it was.
And he saw a pile of collapsed building debris. Just in case, he shouted at it.
"Dad? Are you there? Dad?!"
Instead of an answer, the voice of a little girl crying was heard.
"Mommy.........."
It wasn't the person he was looking for, but Baek-ri hesitated for a moment before clearing the building debris. It was a weight that an ordinary person couldn't even push, let alone lift, but for Baek-ri, who had awakened as a Force User, it wasn't a big obstacle.
And after digging for a while, he was able to find one firefighter wearing a fire suit inside. He was hugging the child and bowing his body to protect her as much as possible. Thanks to that, the child was safe without any major injuries.
Because he even gave his breathing apparatus to the child, his soot-covered face was visible. Baek-ri shook him to wake him up to check his consciousness.
"Dad, Dad?! Snap out of it. Dad?!"
"Ugh........"
Perhaps he hit his head a little inside the collapsed building debris, his consciousness was faint. But even in the midst of that, Ha Jeong-uk asked.
"Is, is the child safe.......?"
".........Yes, she's safe. She's safe because Dad protected her."
They are that kind of people.
Baek-ri knew well because he had seen it for a long time. Children resemble their parents, so Baek-ri, who grew up under such parents, knew that heart well.
He, who came to his senses late, was surprised to see his son in front of him. This is a fire scene. It's a place where his son shouldn't be.
"Baek-ri? Why are you here........?"
"For now, let's get out of here quickly. Hurry!"
"The fire equipment is heavy........."
"It's okay!"
Baek-ri carried the child on his back and lifted Ha Jeong-uk with one hand, holding him as if tucking him under his arm. Fire equipment weighing tens of kilograms was not a problem for him.
"You....... did you become a Force User like the youngest?"
He didn't answer and moved quickly. He didn't know when another explosion would happen, so escaping was the priority.
While trying to get out, Baek-ri found the silhouette of a man in front. He was wandering with eyes that didn't know where he was going or what he was looking for.
"E, excuse me! Are you okay there? Hurry and escape that way too!"
".........Ugh"
"Excuse me?"
A step late, Ha Jeong-uk reacted. The scene he saw last before he lost consciousness was.........
"No! Baek-ri!"
It was the scene of that man spewing flames and causing an explosion.
"Don't, come near me!!!"
Kwah-aaaang!!!
An explosion even more intense than before. Baek-ri, who could see Force with the naked eye as he awakened as a Force User, could tell. That ability is an ability as a Force User like himself. But unlike the Gaia Force that looked white, something heterogeneous stood out.
Baek-ri's enhanced reflexes reacted to the explosion happening right in front of his eyes and moved his body. He couldn't avoid it completely, but he was able to save his life. The building collapsed further and it reached a dangerous point now.
If an explosion like the one just now happened a few more times, the department store, which had accumulated shock, would begin to collapse. The main pillars supporting the load of the department store were already rarely safe, and even the ones that were relatively intact were cracked.
"Cough?! What the, ugh......."
Baek-ri felt fear. If he had been hit directly by that, he would have been lucky to just avoid instant death, but dying would have been no different.
A dark burn mark remained on one arm. The pain came late. Burning pain is one of the top-ranked pains a person can feel. Baek-ri screamed and vomited pain.
"Seong-hye, Seong-hye....... Why, why am I, ugh! Aaaaa!!! Aaaaaa!!!"
What is he looking at with cloudy eyes? As if his condition had worsened, he trembled as if having a seizure, and in response to that, flames began to rise from the man's body. Baek-ri hadn't been a Force User for long, but since his younger sister was a Force User, he could know a few simple things.
Force Users have Traits that fit their respective talents. Some show excellent aptitude for telekinesis to move objects without touching them, and some show aptitude to reinforce their bodies to demolish buildings with their bare hands. Such talents that have blossomed are called 'Traits'.
The man's Trait, as it seems, is ignition and explosion, two things. There might be others, but for now, that's all he could judge.
"Must, get out of his sight......."
If you don't have a sensing Trait, the manifestation range of ignition or telekinesis-type Traits is limited to within the field of vision. That's at the maximum, and there are people with even narrower ranges.
He gathered Ha Jeong-uk and the little girl again and moved. The pain of the burn felt on his arm kept making it difficult for him, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.
"Uwaaang...... Mommy, Daddy......!"
The child cried. It was to the point where it was impressive that she hadn't cried until now, she hadn't cried even in this situation, and now her crying finally burst out. And the man reacted to that voice.
"Seong-hye?"
Ttuk, the man's seizure stopped. As if he had finally found what he was looking for, his cloudy gaze turned toward the little girl Baek-ri was carrying on his back.
"Seong-hye, are you there? Seong-hye, it's Daddy, it's Daddy. Daddy is back....... Huh? I came to keep my promise, we said we'd go on a picnic with Mommy, right? Huh? Seong-hye-ya......."
Shedding tears, with cloudy eyes that couldn't even focus, where, no, what was he looking at? Only then did Baek-ri realize that the man was crazy. As a rule, not dealing with a crazy person is the answer.
But the man's interest was poured onto the little girl Baek-ri was carrying on his back. He had no intention of letting them go easily, even if they tried to run away now.
"Seong-hye, where are you going? Seong-hye?! Seong-hye! Daddy is here! Aaaaaa! Uaaaaaaa!!!!"
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwah-ang!!
Explosions occurred simultaneously. They weren't big explosions like before, but they were threatening explosions enough to instantly smash the building debris or pillars piled up here and there.
"Ugh?!"
Whether Baek-ri's physical abilities were excellent, or he was lucky, or there was some other reason, Baek-ri, the child, and Ha Jeong-uk were safe even in those explosions. But because of the flames and collapsed building debris, there was no place left to escape.
"Seong-hye...... come to Daddy......"
With staggering steps, the man gradually approached Baek-ri. No, he was approaching the little girl Baek-ri was carrying on his back.
He couldn't hand over the little girl to a man who wasn't in his right mind. Baek-ri at least prepared to fight.
He stepped back and grabbed a stone of a size he could grab in his hand from the building debris. If he is a Force User who relies on vision, he just had to make those eyes unusable.
It wasn't a long distance, and his physical abilities had improved. The stone Baek-ri threw was embedded directly into the man's face. Udeuk, the sound of bones breaking was heard.
"Aack! Aaaa! Seong-hye! Seong-hye-ya!!!"
Kwah-ang!! Kwang! Kwah-ang!!
He thought he wouldn't be able to use his Force ability recklessly since he couldn't use his eyes, but that was a big expectation for a person whose mind wasn't sound. He began to use his abilities in desperation. He couldn't move recklessly because of the explosions that could go off anytime, anywhere.
And at that moment, light flashed right in front of him.
"Ah........?!"
It was a step too late to react.
Death was rushing in right in front of him. It didn't give him time to run away, nor a gap to hide.
"Kid, I've got a good eye for people. In a world like this, a guy as kind as you is a rare sight."
The explosion bent as if it were refracted. A V-shaped wall seemed to form in front of his eyes with Baek-ri at the center, and the flames split in two.
"B, Brother?!"
"Yeah, Brother is here."
Choi Ak had come.