Chapter 7: Smoke on a Holiday

March 14th

Mu-yun staggered to the bathroom as soon as he woke up.

He paused on his way out after finishing his business, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

Perhaps because it was a holiday morning, his face looked especially puffy.

Pressing his swollen eyelids with his fingers, he staggered out of the bathroom.

He considered going back to the bedroom to sleep more, then turned right instead.

Entering the closet room, he took out workout pants and a t-shirt, then stretched his creaking body.

He figured he could run for a bit, come back, shower, and then have lunch.

It had been the same during his practicum—if he didn’t exercise to maintain his stamina, he would clearly burn out within days.

Even if he couldn’t build it up, he couldn’t afford to let it decrease.

He grabbed his phone and wallet, stuffed them into a small sling bag, and put on his sneakers.

When he opened the door, he heard a crinkling sound.

“What’s that?”

He stuck his head out through the gap in the door.

Mu-yun’s eyes narrowed as much as humanly possible upon identifying the source of the sound.

He reached out and took the bag hanging from the doorknob.

A nonsensical smile spread across his face when he checked inside.

Seeing the sticky note attached to the energy drink, Mu-yun let out a short sigh.

He took the energy drink and went downstairs, pulling out his phone.

He sent a text to the phone number written on the note.

[My house is right in front.

Why hang a plastic bag on someone else’s doorknob instead of just putting it in the fridge?]

A reply came back immediately.

[Do you dislike energy drinks too?]

[It’s not that I dislike them.]

Mu-yun hesitated for a moment, wondering what to write back.

[If you’re apologizing, just greet me properly and get along from now on.]

It was burdensome to receive something every time they met.

[Will you get along with me?]

“Ah, seriously!”

Mu-yun left Chowon Villa, squinting at his phone screen as if the letters themselves were Won Tae-i.

Letting out a long-held breath, he wiggled his fingers.

[Fine.]

He simply typed that and sent it, then chugged the energy drink on an empty stomach.

Carbonation, caffeine, and sugar mixed together—it was perfect.

Before putting his phone back in his bag, Mu-yun moved his fingers with a deeply furrowed brow.

Beneath the name ‘Won Tae-i,’ he saw the phone number he had just texted.

After deleting ‘Won Tae-i,’ he typed ‘Jerk’ instead, then looked around, and saved it.

“This settles it.”

It was a petty revenge, but it was enough to lighten his mood.

He threw the empty can into the recycling bin and slowly started jogging, exiting the back alley of the permanent market.

[Are you stealing payroll?]

[Are you going to come arrest me?]

An absurd conversation, as if slapping a question mark on anything made it a question, went back and forth endlessly.

Mu-yun lifted and shook his windbreaker jacket.

The accumulated humid heat escaped, cooling his body.

After running for nearly an hour, he felt his body temperature had risen too much.

But he was home now, so a shower would take care of it.

[No, I’m not.]

After answering firmly, he stared at the screen and waited.

He thought Tae-i, who had read it immediately, would send some trivial remark, but there was no ‘read’ receipt.

Wondering if he had gone to lunch since it was now noon, Mu-yun tilted his head and pressed the password on his front door lock.

As soon as the beeping stopped, his head jerked toward the outside.

A siren sounded close by.

Patrol cars and fire trucks had different sirens, so you could easily tell where the dispatch was coming from.

He darted into the house and went straight to the balcony.

Though the fire station was hidden behind the market building right in front, he wondered if he might see smoke rising nearby.

Mu-yun leaned out, turning his gaze toward the direction the sound was fading.

Black smoke was billowing into the sky behind the large apartment complex to the east.

The moment he realized a large fire had broken out, a familiar number appeared on his phone.

“Yes.

This is So Mu-yun.”

It was the police box.

***

“Should we pull another hose!”

“Pull it!”

“Blowing flowers to the right!”

“Catch the mid-point fire!”

“Captain Ko!”

“Contact from the fire suppression team!”

The small road between the mountain and the apartments was utter chaos.

[Owner of vehicle 1842, please move your parked vehicle immediately.]

Mu-yun winced as he heard the announcement from the apartment management office.

If the owner of the illegally parked car, which was making an already chaotic fire scene even more chaotic, never showed up, he felt like he would genuinely lose his temper.

“Officer So.”

“Yes.”

“Switch with the front.”

Sergeant Park checked his radio.

“This is Patrol 15.

Moving position.”

[Patrol 20.

Additional patrol support requested at the back gate of Mirae Apartments.

Patrol support requested.]

“Patrol 16, received.

Over.”

When Sergeant Park nodded, Mu-yun quickly ran out.

He got in the car and moved a few meters.

“You cannot go inside.

Evacuate!”

Seeing people staring at the mountain spewing black smoke as if bewitched, Sergeant Park picked up the patrol car’s radio and started broadcasting.

He made the siren blare in short bursts as a warning and broadcast repeatedly, and only then did the people slowly retreat.

Mu-yun parked the car sideways across the back gate of the apartment complex, blocking the road, and quickly got out.

The traffic baton in his hand swung through the air like a lightsaber.

“Is the kindergarten evacuation finished?”

Sergeant Park asked Senior Patrol Officer Kim, who had arrived at the scene earlier.

“That finished a long time ago.”

Mu-yun cleared his throat as he looked at the colorful Russian-style roof decorations.

Perhaps because smoke was drifting over, even from this considerable distance, his throat felt scratchy.

Even this far from the flames, he coughed every time he breathed.

He couldn’t imagine what it would be like right in front.

“First time being called in on a day off, right?”

“Excuse me?

Ah!

Yes.”

Mu-yun answered after a brief moment of blankness.

He was learning firsthand the lesson that even on holidays, an emergency call could come at any time, so he should always be on a five-minute standby.

Given the emergency, he had no particular complaints.

At least for now.

He pressed down his hair, which was scattering in the gradually strengthening wind, and squinted.

He could see dust mixing with leaf debris, swirling up from the ground like a small tornado.

The wind that had felt pleasantly cool when he was exercising now felt ominous itself.

“Will it be okay?”

As if they understood without further explanation, everyone gave bitter smiles.

“Who knows.

Who can predict a wildfire?”

Sergeant Park shrugged and narrowed his eyes.

Mu-yun also turned his head at the sound of urgent footsteps.

Firefighters were running hurriedly toward their location.

Spotting a familiar face from several encounters, he tensed up.

He quickly looked toward the mountain, but it was still far from the smoke.

Mu-yun moved his head side to side, unconsciously searching for Tae-i.

The read receipt next to the last message he had sent still hadn’t disappeared.

So he was surely running around somewhere at this scene.

The firefighters moved busily, their uniforms covered in black soot.

Mu-yun’s eyes widened.

Tae-i, as if he had also seen where Mu-yun was, nodded slightly and then looked forward again.

Perhaps because he was the tallest, Tae-i, who had been at the back, stepped forward and quickly climbed the retaining wall next to the kindergarten fence.

He scaled the roughly two-meter-high wall, which had no hand or footholds, with ease, checked something, then looked down and quickly signaled.

A ladder was set up, and others quickly followed him up.

“Connect!”

Those at the rear moved toward the apartment complex, quickly found the external fire hydrant equipment, connected hoses, and unrolled water lines.

After simultaneous mechanical movements, water sprayed from the end of the hose.

The powerful jet of water shot toward a place not even visible in the distance.

“Ah, shit!”

Mu-yun turned his head at an intense outburst from nearby.

A middle-aged man was running from the back.

“Don’t spray water!”

At the bewildering remark, Sergeant Park let out a hollow laugh.

“Sir, you can’t come this way.”

Senior Patrol Officer Kim spoke in a calm but firm voice.

But the man’s running speed didn’t decrease.

Mu-yun blocked the man, who looked ready to charge into the restricted area at any moment.

‘Coax citizens with the gentlest voice possible.’

Recalling that advice, he spoke calmly.

“What?

Hey!

You there!

Can’t you understand what I’m saying?

I said don’t spray water!

You’re ruining my field!”

The firefighter who had been connecting the fire hydrant to the water line frowned in embarrassment.

“Sir, if you obstruct firefighting activities, you will be punished for violating the Fire Services Act.

Please evacuate, it’s dangerous.”

His voice was thin, indicating he was quite familiar with this type of situation.

“f*ck!

There’s no fire here, what the hell are you talking about!

Go put out the fire!

Stop spraying water everywhere and digging up the dirt!

And why are you trampling over my field!”

The man swung his fists as if ready to attack at any moment, and Sergeant Park stepped forward.

“Sir, we are on duty.

You cannot interfere.”

The man shouted even louder.

“What did I do?!

I’ve never even violated a traffic signal in my entire life!

What am I interfering with?

Huh?

No, why are you spraying water where there’s no fire!!

f*ck!

You’re damaging the forest, aren’t you?

I’m going to mark all of you down and file complaints against every single one of you, you bastards!”

Mu-yun tried not to frown.

It was such nonsensical absurdity that, honestly, he wasn’t even angry.

“Please step back, it’s dangerous.”

Senior Patrol Officer Kim, her voice lower than before, took a step forward and stood beside the man.

Mu-yun also blocked the front and slowly moved one step.

Some people would back down when you did that.

Others wouldn’t.

“Dangerous, my ass!

f*ck, dangerous my ass!”

The man exploded.

“Run!

Run!”

Mu-yun involuntarily turned his head at the shout from the mountainside.

Everyone looked in the same direction.

A violently gusting wind blew.

It was so strong that his body swayed and was pushed backward.

At the same time, a wave of heat rushed in.

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