February 18, 2003, 1:30 PM, Kyungpook National University Hospital in Daegu.
In a spacious VIP hospital room, Seok-won sat leaning against the head of the bed, dressed in a patient gown.
"How are you feeling?"
Normally, that would have been a question asked by the attending physician, but instead, the hospital director himself stood there holding a chart, his hair streaked with gray.
Behind him, professors from various specialities stood in a dense row, like a folding screen, while the attending specialists lingered at the very back, carefully watching the reactions of the director and the professors.
Although an unpleasant sensation remained—as if the acrid smoke and toxic gas he had inhaled at the arson scene were still lodged deep in his lungs—there was no other particular discomfort.
"I'm fine."
At Seok-won's brief reply, the hospital director flipped through the chart and spoke.
"Fortunately, the X-rays and various test results show no burns to the airway. Although temporary respiratory inflammation was detected due to the inhalation of smoke and toxic gases, there appears to be no damage to lung function, contrary to our initial concerns. Your blood carbon dioxide levels are also normal."
Unlike Seok-won, who remained calm, Manager Han Ji-sung—who had been standing beside him with a tense expression the entire time—let out a sigh of relief at the news that there were no abnormalities.
"However, there is a possibility of aftereffects, so it would be best for you to receive oxygen therapy and remain hospitalized for today while we monitor your condition."
Although sitting still in the hospital room felt stifling, considering the major incident that had occurred, he couldn't ignore the need to deal with the aftermath.
"Alright."
Seok-won smacked his lips lightly and nodded.
"If you experience any difficulty breathing or feel any discomfort while you're here, please let me know at any time. I'll come immediately."
"Thank you for your concern."
At Seok-won's calm response, a bright smile spread across the hospital director's face.
"Not at all. You're Chairman Park, after all—we must do our very best to take care of you."
Seeing how hard he was trying to make a good impression, Seok-won couldn't help but wonder whether he would have received this level of treatment if he had been an ordinary patient.
Swallowing the bitterness, Seok-won spoke.
"I'm feeling tired, so I should get some rest."
At that, the hospital director, as if he had wanted to continue the conversation, showed a hint of disappointment.
"Ah, of course you should. Then please get some rest, and I will come see you again later."
After giving a polite nod, the hospital director left the room along with the other medical staff.
As soon as the door closed, Seok-won leaned back, feeling the dryness in his throat.
"Could you get me some cold bottled water?"
"Yes."
Manager Han Ji-sung answered quickly and took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator in one corner of the room.
He was about to pour it into a cup when Seok-won waved his hand.
"Just give it to me."
Manager Han Ji-sung hesitated for a moment, then unscrewed the cap and handed it over.
Taking the bottle, Seok-won brought it to his lips and gulped it down with loud swallows.
"Ahh…"
After drinking a large amount of the cold water, the stuffy sensation that had been clinging deep in his throat seemed to wash away a little.
"Haa… I feel a bit better now."
At that moment, a buzzing vibration sounded, and Manager Han Ji-sung took out his phone.
"Ah, yes. He's right beside me. Please hold on a moment."
While in the middle of the call, he covered the lower part of the phone with his hand and leaned slightly closer.
"It's the Chairman calling. What should we do?"
Seok-won unconsciously made an awkward expression.
Given that he had been involved in such a major incident, it was only natural that his parents would hear about it.
In fact, the television that had been on just moments ago had been continuously broadcasting breaking news about the arson incident in the Daegu subway.
Since it had nearly escalated into a large-scale disaster—and because Seok-won, a globally well-known figure, was involved—it was bound to receive even more widespread coverage.
No doubt, he would be scolded for getting caught up in something so dangerous.
But if he didn't answer the call, it was certain he would be reprimanded even more later and cause them unnecessary worry.
With a sigh, Seok-won held out his hand.
"Give it to me."
Taking the phone from Manager Han Ji-sung, Seok-won brought it to his ear and deliberately spoke in a bright voice.
"It's me."
As expected, the furious voice of his father, Chairman Park Tae-hong, burst out from the other end of the line.
[What on earth were you doing down in Daegu that you ended up riding the subway?!]
"It just… happened that way."
[Does that even make sense?! And when some lunatic started a fire, you should've gotten yourself to safety immediately—what gave you the nerve to try to put it out? What if something had happened to you?!]
As the booming scolding continued, Seok-won slumped his shoulders.
"I'm sorry."
[Don't think you can brush this off. Do you have any idea how many employees are depending on you? And did it never occur to you how worried we'd be?!]
He was clearly furious.
It seemed he had been deeply shaken by the fact that his younger son had nearly suffered something terrible.
'Well, if it were me, I'd be just as worried and angry if my child went through something like that.'
With a sense of guilt, Seok-won spoke in a calm tone.
"I'm sorry for making you worry. But if I hadn't put out the fire and had instead just gotten myself to safety, many other people in the train and the station would have been in danger. I had to do it."
[....]
After a brief silence, Chairman Park Tae-hong let out a low groan.
[Even so… don't forget that you have a family and people who worry about you. From now on, don't act rashly—be more careful.]
Seok-won replied with a faint smile on his lips.
"Yes, I will."
[What's the point if you're only good at answering like that.]
Chairman Park Tae-hong let out a small sigh.
[I'll put your mother on the phone, so wait a moment.]
Soon, the voice of Madam Jo Deok-rye came through from the other end.
[Are you really okay?]
At the concern-filled tone, Seok-won deliberately answered brightly.
"Yes. Just in case, I had various tests done at the hospital, and I was just told that everything is fine."
[That's such a relief. When I heard about the accident, I was so worried something might have happened to you.]
At the slightly trembling voice, Seok-won made a guilty expression.
"I'm not hurt anywhere, so please don't worry too much."
[Yes… hearing your voice like this makes me feel a bit relieved.]
"I was told to stay in the hospital for about a day for observation. I'll rest here tonight and head home tomorrow, then go straight to the house."
[Alright. I'll be waiting.]
After continuing the call for a while longer to reassure his parents, Seok-won handed the phone back to Manager Han Ji-sung, who was standing beside the bed.
Then, noticing the black soot stains on Han Ji-sung's shirt, Seok-won asked,
"You must have inhaled some of the toxic gas too, since you were there with me. Are you alright?"
"I wasn't the one putting out the fire like you were—I was standing behind you. I should have stepped in myself… I'm ashamed."
Manager Han Ji-sung lowered his head deeply.
But Seok-won knew better than anyone that he hadn't backed away out of fear.
He had tried to stop Seok-won from stepping forward, but reluctantly withdrew after being instructed to evacuate the passengers.
And it was none other than Manager Han Ji-sung who calmly guided the evacuation, preventing a chaotic situation where panicked passengers—shaken by the surging flames and smoke filling the train car—might have rushed toward the doors all at once and gotten tangled up, causing further accidents.
If it hadn't been for him, someone might have been seriously injured during the evacuation.
That was why Seok-won smiled faintly and said,
"You did a great job controlling the passengers. If not, the chaos would've gotten worse—we wouldn't have been able to put out the fire, and I might have ended up in danger myself."
At that, Manager Han Ji-sung's expression brightened a little.
"By the way, where are the bodyguards who were with us?"
"They're undergoing separate examinations and are resting in their rooms."
"They're not injured, right?"
"No. There are no external injuries, and the test results are fine. However, since they were very close to the flames while putting out the fire with you, there's a possibility of internal burns or toxic gas inhalation, so the doctors recommended they rest and be monitored further."
Seok-won nodded slightly.
"Make sure they get proper rest and treatment so there are no lasting aftereffects."
"I will."
"Phew…"
Letting out a long breath, Seok-won hesitated for a moment before looking at Manager Han Ji-sung and asking in a low voice,
"How many casualties were there from this incident?"
He acted the very moment the arsonist set the fire, preventing the flames from spreading further.
Thanks to that, the fire did not engulf the entire train car, nor did it spread to Train 1080, which arrived shortly afterwards on the opposite track.
'Even after the fire was reported, the control center had ordered Train 1080 to stop at Jungangno Station instead of letting it pass through, which allowed the fire to spread and increased the number of casualties.'
In an instant, the station had filled with thick black smoke and toxic gas. The train doors were closed, and to make matters worse, the fire shutters came down even though there were still people who had not escaped, trapping many inside a living hell.
On top of that, the power was cut, plunging everything into complete darkness and making the situation even worse.
Fortunately, the fire had been extinguished before it reached that point, but since it had once been an incident in which countless people lost their lives before his regression, the lingering anxiety kept Seok-won on edge.
At that moment, Manager Han Ji-sung spoke with a smile.
"Thanks to your swift action, the fire was put out before it could spread, so there were no casualties."
"Is that really true?"
Seok-won's face brightened as he asked again.
"Yes. Some people suffered minor injuries from falling during the evacuation or from inhaling toxic gas, but I've been told they are all minor and should recover after a few days of treatment."
Hearing that no one had lost their life, Seok-won let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.
"That's truly a relief."
Manager Han Ji-sung looked at him with a gaze full of admiration.
"It's all thanks to you, Chairman. If the response had been even slightly delayed, the fire would have spread beyond control and led to a major disaster."
That was exactly what would have happened originally.
Seok-won gave a bitter smile, then his expression soon turned cold.
"What happened to the arsonist who set the fire?"
Manager Han Ji-sung also replied in a cold, subdued tone.
"As you saw, he was apprehended on the spot and handed over to the police."
Then, glancing cautiously, he continued in a careful voice.
"However, he sustained severe bruising, along with two broken teeth and fractured ribs, so he was transported to the hospital and is currently receiving treatment."
Seok-won scoffed.
"Only that much? I should've beaten him a bit more."
"It's said his injuries will take at least six weeks to heal."
"Exactly. I should've crushed him so he'd never dare do something like that again. What a shame."
Seeing how genuinely regretful he looked, Manager Han Ji-sung—who had never seen Seok-won reveal his emotions like this—wore a bewildered expression.
"Instead, we'll make sure he never breathes outside air again and rots in prison for the rest of his life."
With a cold expression, Seok-won looked at Manager Han Ji-sung and gave his instructions.
"Talk to the group's PR office and have them work the media so he doesn't get released on some ridiculous excuse like diminished responsibility. Also, contact P&J Law Firm and have them find a way to ensure he receives a heavy sentence, no matter what."
At that, Manager Han Ji-sung spoke carefully.
"The prosecution of the arsonist will be handled by the prosecutors."
"I know. But if it's left to the law alone, he'll probably get a slap-on-the-wrist sentence and walk free after just one or two years. I refuse to let that happen."
Ironically, since there had been no casualties, the punishment for the arsonist was bound to be lighter.
If he were released like this, there was no guarantee he wouldn't commit the same crime again, so Seok-won was determined to completely isolate him from society—even if it meant using questionable, or even illegal, methods.
Faced with such an emotional—almost ruthless—response, Manager Han Ji-sung found himself at a loss for words for a moment.
But considering that not only the other passengers but he himself had nearly lost his life, he could understand Seok-won's intense anger.
"Yes. I'll take care of it."