February 18, 2003, 8:30 AM
After touring the former headquarters research institute of Korea Tungsten—now renamed Blue Ilmarinen after Ilmarinen, the smithing god from Finnish mythology—as well as the factory located in Dalseong County, Seok-won spent the night at a luxury hotel in downtown Daegu.
Dressed once again in a perfectly tailored black suit, Seok-won wore a soft silk scarf around his neck instead of a tie. With both hands tucked into his trouser pockets, he stood by the penthouse window, gazing down at the cityscape spread out beneath him.
At that moment, his executive secretary, Manager Han Ji-sung, quietly approached and spoke.
"President Lee Seon-dong and the Blue Ilmarinen executives say they are coming to the airport to see you off. What should we do?"
Turning his body around, Seok-won replied calmly.
"We were together all day yesterday, so tell them not to bother coming out."
"I will relay that."
As if something had just come to mind, Seok-won suddenly spoke up and asked,
"Oh, and there's nothing scheduled for this morning, right?"
"Other than a meeting with Bluehole Securities executives this afternoon, you have no other appointments."
"Then, since we've come all the way down here, let's check in person whether the replacement of the train interior materials has been properly carried out before heading back."
After acquiring Korea Tungsten, Seok-won went on to acquire the Ssangjeon Mine in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province. Under the pretext of contributing to society, he donated the full amount required to replace the interior materials of all subway cars operating in the Daegu Metro with non-flammable materials and to equip them with fire extinguishers.
The reason he invested such a large sum in this donation was that the interiors of the subway cars had been made of highly flammable materials, which had been one of the major causes behind the Daegu subway fire escalating into a large-scale disaster that resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries.
'If the interior had been made of non-flammable materials, then at least when the initial arson occurred, the fire wouldn't have spread throughout the entire train in an instant, and people would have had time to respond calmly instead of falling into panic.'
However, the interior of the train cars was filled with highly flammable materials—polyurethane foam seats, PVC-lined interior passageways, and interior panels made of FRP, among others.
It wasn't just Daegu; at the time, subway cars across the country, including those in Seoul and Busan, were all the same.
Subway cars had been a blind spot, exempt from various regulations, including fire safety laws, and whether by misfortune or luck, no major fire incidents had ever occurred domestically until then. As a result, no one had any real awareness of the danger.
'The more direct reason is that using flammable interior materials is far cheaper.'
If that weren't the case, there would have been no reason for domestic manufacturers—who used non-flammable materials for all export units—to deliberately use flammable materials only for the domestic market.
'At the very least, if each train car had been equipped with even a single emergency fire extinguisher, the disaster could have been contained early on.'
In the end, the decisive cause that allowed the Daegu subway fire to escalate into a horrific, large-scale disaster—leaving 192 dead or missing and 151 injured—was yet another man-made tragedy born from human greed and a lack of safety awareness.
As he struggled to conceal his bitter expression, Manager Han Ji-sung spoke.
"Then I will contact the Daegu Metropolitan Subway Corporation."
At that, Seok-won lightly waved one arm.
"No. That would only make things unnecessarily complicated, so let's just quietly ride the subway and check for ourselves whether the replacements have been properly carried out."
Then, looking at Manager Han Ji-sung, who wore a flustered expression, he added,
"If we bring a whole entourage along, it could inconvenience the public, so just you and two bodyguards come with me."
"Isn't that too few people?"
Seok-won shrugged.
"This isn't the United States, where people walk around carrying guns. If a bunch of men move around together, it'll only draw more attention and make people think something's off."
It wasn't an unreasonable point, and thinking that nothing would likely happen anyway, Manager Han Ji-sung soon nodded.
"Then I'll make the preparations right away."
After Manager Han Ji-sung withdrew, Seok-won turned his gaze back out the window.
Looking at the peaceful scenery outside, he soon murmured to himself in a low voice, as if making a firm vow.
"I will make sure to prevent this disaster so that this calm, everyday life is never turned into tragedy."
***
9:47 AM, Line 1, Myeongdeok Station
[The train bound for Ansim is now arriving. Please do not force your way in when the platform doors are opening or closing. The train boun....]
With the announcement, the subway train entered the platform and came to a stop.
Seok-won, wearing a cashmere coat and sunglasses to conceal his face, boarded the train along with Manager Han Ji-sung and two bodyguards.
Although it was a weekday after the morning rush hour, the subway was more crowded than expected—perhaps because it was the graduation day at Keimyung University.
Families carrying bouquets could easily be seen here and there throughout the train.
"Since the whole family's already out, let's go eat somewhere nice before heading back."
On one side, the voice of a young woman talking on the phone could also be heard.
"Ah, oppa? Yeah, I'm on the subway right now. I think I'll be a little late."
It was an ordinary scene—nothing loud or chaotic—just people naturally going about their daily lives.
Watching this, Seok-won once again strengthened his resolve to stop the impending disaster no matter what.
Soon, pretending to look around the interior of the train car, he began searching for anyone suspicious.
"The seats and interior materials have all been replaced with new ones, so it looks like the replacement was done properly."
"It seems so."
Using non-flammable materials made the train more resistant to fire, but it had the drawback of making the seats hard—or even entirely metal—resulting in poor seating comfort.
'But that was only when there wasn't enough money.'
Thanks to the generous budget Seok-won had provided, even though non-flammable materials were used, the seats had actually been improved to be softer and more comfortable.
Not only that, but emergency fire extinguishers had been installed on both sides of the front and rear passage doors—four in total per train car.
After confirming this, Seok-won spoke briefly.
"Let's check the other cars as well."
As he moved first, Manager Han Ji-sung and the bodyguards quickly followed behind him.
While carefully observing the passengers, just as they were about to move into the third car, Seok-won suddenly stopped at a sound coming from ahead.
"Hey! Why do you keep flicking that lighter on and off in here?"
Turning his gaze toward the source of the voice, Seok-won spotted a man wearing a jumper.
He was seated with a black backpack placed on the floor, holding a disposable lighter in one hand.
Seeing the man repeatedly flick the lighter on and off, a middle-aged man in a suit sitting across from him frowned and raised his voice.
At the loud outburst echoing through the car, the passengers' attention immediately turned toward them, and the man in the jumper flinched before hurriedly slipping the lighter into his pocket.
Seeing this, Seok-won instantly realized that the man in the jumper was the culprit who would cause the catastrophic disaster, and his eyes flashed sharply.
At that moment, an announcement rang out from the speaker mounted on the ceiling.
[The next station is Jungangno, Jungangno Station. Passengers who wish to get off....]
Manager Han Ji-sung, standing beside him, spoke.
"If you've finished checking, shall we get off here?"
But Seok-won shook his head, keeping a close watch on the man in the jumper.
"Let's go as far as Ayanggyo, then head straight to the airport from there."
"Understood."
Since getting off at Ayanggyo Station would put them close to Daegu Airport, Manager Han Ji-sung agreed without much thought.
Soon after, the train slowed down and came to a stop at Jungangno Station, and the doors opened.
As passengers moved in and out, the inside of the car became momentarily chaotic. At that moment, the man in the jumper pulled out a 1.5-liter water bottle filled with gasoline from the backpack he had placed on the floor.
As he tried to flick his lighter, the passengers who saw it were startled and began shouting.
"W-what…?"
"What is that guy doing right now?!"
"Is that… gasoline?!"
As everyone stared wide-eyed in shock, a few people stepped forward to stop him—but at that moment, the man in the jumper flicked his lighter and set the gasoline-filled bottle ablaze.
Whoooosh!
"Ahhhhhh!"
"F-fire!"
As the flames instantly surged and caught onto the sleeves of his jumper, the man panicked and dropped the gasoline-filled bottle he was holding onto the floor.
Amid the thick black smoke rising, the burning gasoline spilt out and rapidly spread across the floor of the train car.
"Aaagh!"
"R-run away!"
Terrified passengers screamed as they surged toward the doors, colliding and tangling with one another. The cramped interior of the train car quickly began to fill with thick black smoke and toxic fumes.
If left as it was, the flames could spread throughout the entire car in an instant—a critical, life-or-death moment.
Before anyone realized it, Seok-won had grabbed a fire extinguisher from near the door. Charging forward, he shouted,
"Everyone, get back!"
Aiming the hose straight at the rising flames, Seok-won squeezed the handle with all his strength, and a burst of white powder shot out powerfully.
Fwoooosh!
His expensive custom-made suit was instantly stained with powder, but Seok-won didn't care at all.
Skillfully moving the hose from side to side as if sweeping with a broom, he relentlessly sprayed the powder toward the flames.
The intense heat flushed his face red as if it might burn, and the choking smoke made it difficult to even breathe properly, yet he didn't take a single step back.
"Chairman, it's dangerous!"
Manager Han Ji-sung shouted urgently, but Seok-won didn't even respond, focusing solely on putting out the fire.
"We'll help too!"
"A fire in such a confined space of all places…!"
At that, the bodyguards, Eom Hyo-jun and Seo Byeong-cheol, had already grabbed fire extinguishers and moved to either side, joining in to put out the flames.
The fire, which had been raging fiercely as if it would swallow the entire train car in an instant, was gradually suppressed by the extinguishing powder poured out by Seok-won and the bodyguards, quickly losing its force before dying down.
Soon, the flames were completely extinguished, leaving only thick black smoke behind. Seok-won set the now-empty fire extinguisher on the floor and shouted loudly.
"Quickly evacuate everyone outside!"
Manager Han Ji-sung, coughing from the toxic gas filling the train car, spoke.
"Chairman… cough, you need to get out as well!"
But Seok-won firmly shook his head.
"No. There's still something I need to do."
Seok-won pulled the silk scarf from around his neck up over his mouth and nose, then quickly scanned his surroundings.
The inside of the train car was still filled with smoke, but fortunately, thanks to the swift initial response, the passengers—though startled and frightened—had not fallen into full panic.
"S-slowly…"
"Everyone, stay calm and move!"
Supporting one another, the passengers made their way out through the doors in an orderly manner.
As Seok-won swiftly surveyed the scene, a sharp glint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
Among the crowd, he spotted the man in the jumper trying to slip away unnoticed.
Seok-won's eyes narrowed fiercely, and in the next instant, he launched himself forward like a bolt of lightning.
"You bastard. Where do you think you're running off to?!"
Seok-won grabbed the man roughly by the back of the neck just as he stepped out onto the platform and shouted with a face full of fury.
"Do you even realize what you've just done?!"
The man struggled and thrashed about.
"Let go of me!"
Consumed by anger, Seok-won struck the man hard across the face with his palm.
Smack!
With a sharp, resounding impact, the man's head snapped violently to the side from the force of the blow.
But as if that still wasn't enough to vent his rage, Seok-won slapped him several more times before hooking his leg and knocking him to the ground.
"Argh!"
As the man in the jumper lost his balance and tumbled onto the platform floor, Seok-won mercilessly kicked him with his dress shoes.
Thud! Thump!
Curling up his body, the man trembled and pleaded in a voice filled with terror.
"P-please… spare me…"
The moment he heard that, Seok-won's gaze turned even colder.
"Do you have any idea how many people would have lost their families and lived the rest of their lives in agony because of you? And now you're begging for your life just because you got hit a little?!"
Seok-won kicked the man's abdomen even harder.
"Ghk!"
Just as he lifted his foot to stomp on the culprit's head, Manager Han Ji-sung hurriedly grabbed Seok-won and stopped him.
"Please, that's enough!"
Seeing that not only the passengers but even the station staff who had rushed over after receiving reports were unable to approach due to his overwhelming, menacing presence, Seok-won took a rough breath to steady himself.
Then, looking down at the culprit—covered in blood and writhing on the ground like an insect—he spoke in a low voice.
"You can look forward to it. I'll make sure, no matter what it takes, that you never get out of prison for the rest of your life."