Walking Daddy

Chapter 140

The leaders all seemed bewildered by my plan.

They all seemed at a loss for words after hearing my sudden decision.

Lee Jeong-Uk quietly crossed his arms.

“So-Yeon’s dad,” he said.

“Yeah?”

Usually, when we were in meetings, we tried to watch our language and addressed each other respectfully. This time, however, he had addressed me as informally as he would normally do outside of meetings. Hearing him speak so informally made me wonder if he was against my idea.

Lee Jeong-Uk sucked on his lower lip and remained silent for a while.

I waited patiently for him to speak up. Eventually, he did so while scratching his forehead.

"So, you're saying we should go hunting for this black creature in God-knows-where in Gangbuk, and then cross over into Gangnam?”

"Exactly.”

“And we’re going to get across via Sogang Bridge?”

"Yup."

“You know that if we fail, there’s no more Survivor Rally Organization, right?”

When I nodded, Lee Jeong-Uk’s expression grew distraught, and he buried his face in his palms. Hwang Ji-Hye grimaced at me.

“The risk is too high.”

“Then what do you think we should do? Should we move north to avoid the Family? Do you think we can relocate with this many survivors?”

“You have a point, but…”

“Or should we watch the survivors deteriorate physically and mentally while we prepare for them to attack us? I can’t imagine how long the survivors will last, since the survivors are getting weaker by the day, and especially since we don’t even know when the Family will attack us.”

Hwang Ji-Hye’s expression grew bitter and her head sagged. It seemed like she couldn’t come up with an acceptable alternative.

I sighed.

“In any case, I did say that that would be the worst-case scenario.”

“Then are you saying that there are alternatives?”

Everyone turned their heads toward me. I addressed Bae Jeong-Man in a quiet voice. “Mr. Bae Jeong-Man.”

"Yes?"

“Are there any pilots among the survivors in Gangnam who could fly a plane?”

Bae Jeong-Man gently rubbed his chin. “A pilot?”

Park Shin-Jeong, who was seated next to him, spoke up. "Huh? Yes, yes there is!”

Bae Jeong-Man tilted his head and looked at Park Shin-Jeong. "Who?"

Park Shin-Jeong tried to reply to him, stuttering in excitement. “Gee, who was it… The man… The man from Airline A whose name starts with Choi…”

Bae Jeong-Man muttered the name ‘Choi’ to himself a few times, then snapped his fingers and said the man’s name out loud, as if he just remembered the man’s face.

"Oh! Mr. Choi Kang-Hyun?”

I clenched my fists when I heard his name, and also because of the fact that we now had a pilot who could maneuver an aircraft. We were picking up more individuals with technical experience as we gathered more survivors into our group.

We now had a chance to make the impossible happen.

In the current situation, the best defense was a solid offense.

I was thinking of meeting the Family’s forces head-on in a war of attrition at Sogang Bridge. But having a pilot changed the whole ball game. We could now head to Gimpo Airport and make use of a plane.

I calmed the excitement in my heart and spoke to Park Shin-Jeong.

“Park Shin-Jeong, please bring Choi Kang-Hyun over right now.”

"Got it.”

Park Shin-Jeong got up from his seat and saluted. [1]

Right after he left, Lee Jeong-Uk, who was next to me, spoke up. “So-Yeon’s dad, do you actually think there’s a solution?”

“It’s not impossible anymore.”

“What’s not impossible anymore?”

“What you spoke to me about a few days back. Going to an island.”

At the word ‘island’, Lee Jeong-Uk’s eyes went wide, and he looked around at the rest of the leaders. They all looked back at me with surprise in their eyes, and they began to bombard me with questions all at once.

“Island? What are you talking about?”

"What do you mean?"

“Are we going to an island?”

“Where is this island?”

I calmed the leaders down and told them about the conversation that I’d had with Lee Jeong-Uk. After filling them in on the backstory, they sighed in relief, their anxious expressions replaced with gentle smiles.

Turning the impossible into something possible seemed like a ray of hope for the leaders.

* * *

After a while, Park Shin-Jeong returned and ushered Choi Kang-Hyun into the meeting room.

Choi Kang-Hyun trembled with fear when he saw me, Kim Hyeong-Jun, and Do Han-Sol. He entered the room and stood right next to Bae Jeong-Man.

“Platoon Leader… Is it…”

"It's alright,” Bae Jeong-Man said. “There’s no need to be nervous.”

Despite his attempt to soothe Choi Kang-Hyun, the pilot still couldn’t help but feel suspicious of everyone else in the meeting room, especially the three of us.

I looked at the newcomer.

“Are you Mr. Choi Kang-Hyun?”

"Yes… I am.”

“I heard that you used to be a captain for Airline A. Is that correct?"

Choi Kang-Hyun looked around, then nodded.

‘Perfect. All we need is a pilot.’

A smile played across my lips as I realized that we now had a chance. I asked him another question.

“If we escort you to Gimpo Airport, will you be able to fly an airplane?”

“An… An airplane? Getting one to fly is a lot harder than it sounds.”

“Could I ask why?”

“How do you expect someone to fly an airplane that hasn’t been inspected in a long time? Besides, I have no clue as to the condition of the runway… Not only that, I also need to know the fuel status of the airplane. On top of everything, since the weather has been rather cold, I’m pretty sure we need to perform some de-icing on the plane.”

“De-icing?”

“De-icing is the process of removing any snow or ice accumulated on the aircraft. With the weather we have right now, I’m pretty sure that most of the aircraft are frozen solid.”

I should’ve known that it wasn’t that easy to hop into an airplane and get it flying. I scratched my head.

“These processes you mentioned… How long do they take on average?” I asked.

“That depends on the type of aircraft and its current condition. Certain types of aircraft require several hours just for de-icing. Since we lack the necessary manpower, it’ll take longer for sure.”

‘A couple of hours?’

I could already foresee that the Family would take notice if we went to Gimpo Airport. Considering their mobility, even if we managed to get to Gimpo Airport, every minute and every second would be chaos.

But a couple of hours? This was basically a suicide mission.

I remained silent. Choi Kang-Hyun hemmed and hawed for a moment, then spoke up again.

“Above all else, even if we manage to take off, we won’t be able to land unless the runway at our destination is clear.”

"Can’t the airplane just land and sweep away any zombies in its path?”

“That’s only possible in movies. A military aircraft might be able to do that, but in a commercial aircraft? That would just kill everyone on board.”

“I’ve seen planes make emergency landings on highways and stuff like that…”

“Well, they only do that when everyone’s lives are at stake. You really are playing with fire.”

He was speaking rather comfortably now, in contrast to his hesitant attitude from earlier on. Perhaps it was because he was now having a conversation about matters regarding his profession.

I smacked my lips and looked at Lee Jeong-Uk. He rubbed his neck but maintained his silence. It seemed like he couldn’t think of what to say to the former pilot.

As we both stayed silent, Hwang Deok-Rok, who had been sitting still, spoke up.

“We can talk about this later. I don't think we can come to an answer right now.”

Hwang Deok-Rok was right. Right now… It was better to organize our thoughts and reconvene to discuss this matter again later on.

I sighed deeply and addressed the leaders. “Let’s ponder over this matter individually and meet again at this time tomorrow. Since the hour is already very late, we’ll wrap up today’s meeting.”

“Alright.” The leaders got up from their seats, offered me slight bows, and went back to their rooms.

I sat at the head of the table, placing my chin in my palms as I let my thoughts take me. I’d assumed that everything would be solved once we found a pilot, but in reality, it wasn’t that simple.

I wondered if I’d taken this matter too lightly, and if I was being too naive about this.

After a moment, Kim Hyeong-Jun sat next to me.

"Ahjussi."

"What is it?"

“Can I have a word with you?”

He looked rather grim. I could tell that he was able to share something that I wasn’t ready to hear. I massaged my neck as I looked at him.

“What is it?”

“About Gimpo Airport.”

“What about Gimpo Airport?”

“I’ll go.”

I knew he was going to say something absurd, but I couldn’t believe I had guessed correctly. Saying that he’d go to Gimpo Airport was no different from voluntarily putting himself in enemy territory.

"Are you insane?"

“I’m very sane right now.”

“Do you think that’s possible? You know well enough what the situation is in Gangnam right now. To go to Gimpo Airport alone…”

“Ahjussi.”

Kim Hyeong-Jun cut me off and looked into my eyes. His expression was dead serious.

“I don’t know about you, ahjussi, but my zombie instincts are awakening.”

“...”

“I’d rather go to Gangnam, check how Gimpo Airport is, and at least eat some weaklings like the Family’s baits or some dong leaders. If not, I’d probably lose my sanity.”

“You’re still okay.”

“Well that doesn’t matter. Didn't you see the faces of the leaders?"

Kim Hyeong-Jun’s expression had turned bitter.

His question left me speechless. It sure wasn’t easy to forget the looks that the leaders had when they stared at Kim Hyeong-Jun. They all seemed tense, as though assessing a potential threat.

No one knew what would happen to Kim Hyeong-Jun’s underlings if he lost his temper. And if Mood-Swinger lost his sanity, it would be the end of the Survivor Rally Organization.

As I took my time to think before giving Kim Hyeong-Jun an answer, I heard footsteps at the entrance of the meeting room.

“I don’t think that’s a bad plan.”

It was Lee Jeong-Uk.

Lee Jeong-Uk had his hands stashed in his pockets. His voice was calm. I furrowed my brow at his answer.

“Do you know how irresponsible of an answer that is?”

“Then what are you thinking of doing? If Hyeong-Jun loses his sanity, are you going to stop him? What about Mood-Swinger?”

“Are you saying that you’re willing to kick Kim Hyeong-Jun out just because he can’t be of help anymore? That kind of sounds like you’ll kick me out if I lose my sanity too. Am I wrong?”

"If necessary, yes.”

I got up from my seat, my blue eyes flashing. Lee Jeong-Uk’s uncompromising answer had touched a nerve.

Lee Jeong-Uk grimaced. “Can you think of any other way out? If Kim Hyeong-Jun loses his sanity and attacks the survivors here, he’ll turn into a black creature. Not only him, but you as well.”

“...”

“You know it’s too risky. And Kim Hyeong-Jun’s volunteering because he doesn’t want that to happen either.”

I couldn’t hide the pain in my voice. “But… How could you out of all the people…”

Kim Hyeong-Jun stood up and spoke up. “It’s okay, ahjussi. Mr. Lee Jeong-Uk is right.”

“Hyeong-Jun.”

“Your family isn’t the only one here, ahjussi. My wife and son are here as well. I don’t want to be in front of my family when I lose my sanity.”

“...”

I looked at him quizzically, and he smiled back at me.

“This isn’t a decision I came up with on the fly. I’ve been thinking about this for a while. And after all, I’m the enforcer of the Survivor Rally Organization. Ahjussi, you focus on defense.”

“Hey…”

“I’ll leave one of my underlings here so that you can hit it in the case a black creature appears. I’ll give it orders to call for me when you hit it.”

“Are you insane? How can the Survivor Rally Organization be the Survivor Rally Organization without you?”

Kim Hyeong-Jun chuckled and slapped my forearm.

“Stop talking as if someone’s died, ahjussi. You’re making it sound like I’m already dead when I have my two eyes fixed on you.”

I bit my lip, feeling a sharp pain in my chest. I couldn't stop Kim Hyeong-Jun, but at the same time, I couldn't let him go.

I had no clue how to release this sudden tightness within me. In the silence that followed, Lee Jeong-Uk, who had been watching me, spoke up.

“So-Yeon’s dad.”

“What…?”

He fixed his gaze on me, and his attitude grew colder. “The irresponsible person right now is you, not me.”

His words left me unable to breathe for a second. ‘Irresponsible? Me? After all that I’ve been through?’

I remained silent. Lee Jeong-Uk looked at my face carefully, then slicked his hair back and sighed.

“You’re trying to have the best of both worlds,” he said, “trying not to let go of anything. That’s called being greedy and irresponsible.”

"But I…”

I trailed off. Lee Jeong-Uk was right.

Having recognized the iron-clad truth in his words, I couldn’t help but feel powerless. I knew that, if I had been a bit better, or a bit smarter, the situation wouldn’t have turned out like this.

I closed my eyes tightly and gently massaged my temples.

I slid back into my seat, sighing. Kim Hyeong-Jun looked at me. He seemed rather emotional.

"You know it's not your fault."

“...”

“This isn’t a choice. It’s inevitable. This was awaiting us the moment we became immortals, the moment we pledged to save people.”

“Hyeong-Jun…”

I had no clue how to deal with the wave of emotions buffeting me. The resentment that made my hands and feet tremble… I couldn’t figure out what was causing me to feel like that. I couldn’t help but think if I was feeling resentful because I was weak, and not just because I was being pushed to make such a difficult decision.

I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. Kim Hyung-Jun smiled gently.

"Geez… The problem with you, ahjussi, is that you like people way too much. Don’t worry, ahjussi. I’ll go do some scouting and come back without losing my sanity. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“You… You’d better come back.”

My face grew flushed. Kim Hyeong-Jun’s smile broadened.

“Do I look like someone who will die easily?”

He took a deep breath.

"But before I go, I’ll have one last look at my son,” he said with a sheepish grin.

“No matter what happens, don’t push yourself. I mean it.”

“Okay, ahjussi. Stop worrying about me and take good care of the people here.”

With that, he smiled and left the meeting room.

I watched him go, then put my hands on my face and let out a deep sigh.

No matter how many deep breaths I took, and no matter how much I sighed, I couldn't push away the tightness in my chest or the jumbled thoughts in my mind.

Lee Jeong-Uk came over and patted me on the shoulder. I looked at him, my eyes full of sadness, and he nodded back.

We could understand each other's feelings without saying anything. His small nod meant more than any words he could have said to me.

1. In Korea, military personnel salute indoors as well. As long as there is someone of a higher rank present, military personnel are required to salute when they greet and excuse themselves. ☜