Shinsa-dong, Seoul
The Grim Plastic Surgery Hospital
Jace looked at Daniel, confused. "First Responders? You heard about them from the captured Samuel Seo. I don't really get it, but I'll check it out." He turned toward the parking area. "We're here. It really is strange—way too many ambulances for a plastic surgery clinic."
Daniel asked, "Don't plastic surgery clinics use ambulances too?"
Jace shook his head. "Not sure. Whatever it is, it certainly reeks."
Daniel tilted his head. "What do we do now?"
Jace walked toward the parked ambulances. "There's a surefire method: infiltrate the first responders."
Daniel followed him. "Infiltrate the first responders? Will you go through interviews or something?"
Jace answered, "These guys are bought."
Daniel was confused. "Bought?"
Jace explained, "They're private-use emergency personnel. Basically, it's a business using normal civilians." He peered through an ambulance window. "Unlike normal first responders who join by exam, the qualifications for private-use groups aren't much."
Finding nothing interesting, he turned back to Daniel. "It's easy to join since you don't need prior education. They might only check for a driver's license." He sighed. "But we have a problem—they know who we are. We probably won't be able to infiltrate..."
Daniel became serious. "I can solve that."
Jace was surprised. "What?"
Daniel pulled out his phone. "We've got people on standby. I know these guys will be happy to do it."
Someone answered quickly. "Yeah, Daniel Park. I just got here," Jihan Kwak said.
Daniel asked, "You did as I said, right?"
Jihan nodded. "Yeah. I applied to a private-use first responder job posting. They didn't care about education, so they called me for an interview not long after. Though this place is weird."
Daniel asked, "What is?"
Jihan sighed. "I was nervous because you said they were first responders, but it looks like a gang hideout."
Cho Yisu, the Private-Use Emergency Personnel Team Leader, asked, "Hey kid, you here for the interview?"
Jihan immediately changed his tone and answered loud and confident. "Ah yes, that's right!" He ended the call. "Interview time. I'll call you back later."
Daniel nodded. "Alright, I'm counting on you. Don't mess up."
Cho Yisu looked at Jihan's resume. "Your name's Kwak Jihan, and you came from Chungcheong-do?"
Jihan cleared his voice and answered confidently. "Ahem hm! Das rite! Pops told me real men went to Seoul, good sir!"
Cho Yisu looked up at Jihan. "...that doesn't sound like the Chungcheong-do dialect I know."
Jihan answered loud and confident. "This is how we speak in our village, sir!"
Cho Yisu nodded. "Alright then. It says here you don't have a driver's license."
Jihan's confidence broke. "Th-then...!"
Cho Yisu cut him off. "Congrats."
Jihan was surprised. "Huhh?! Is it all right for you to hire me so easily, sir?!"
Cho Yisu answered nonchalantly, "You've got a good build, so you won't really need a driver's license."
Jihan was still shocked. "What in da world is goin' on..."
Cho Yisu shook his hand. "You'll figure out what I mean when you start working."
Jihan immediately asked, "I-I've a curiosity, good sir!"
Cho Yisu raised his eyebrow. "What is it?"
Jihan looked at the batch of first responders before him. "D-do the good men here really go and save people, sir?"
A voice came from the back. "What do you think?"
Jihan turned back, surprised. "Ha?"
A tan, blond man walked in. "Nice to meet you, newbie."
Jihan asked, confused, "And who are you, sir..?"
The blond man was none other than Taejin Cheon, son of the Shaman Shinmyung Cheon. "You see, I'm from the countryside too. Called Cheonliang. But do you know what this place even does?"
---
The Same Night
Youth Construction
Jace surfed through various articles as he explained to the other Allied members. "Private emergency medical services. Every year, there are accidents related to them. That's what happens when you put people without professionalism in charge of lives."
He turned back. "Private services need at least one emergency responder to accompany them, but most don't do that. They pick any employee and make them work, putting patients' lives in danger. There are bad workers who resort to violence, sexual assault, and stealing."
Hearing this, Vasco became agitated. "What bad people. I'm going to scold them."
Jace sighed. "Stop, Vasco."
Seeing that Vasco wasn't stopping, Jay covered his head with a helmet. Vasco immediately lost his vision and panicked. "Jace! I can't see! Call the private emergency medical services!"
Jace ignored him and continued. "The chance that the 1st affiliate's dark spot is the private emergency services? None. The profit probably isn't that big."
Daniel leaned toward the computer beside Jace. "So you're saying the services could be a distraction. Then what should we do?"
Jace browsed as he answered, "We need to find out who the high-class patients are. Regular patients are just regular patients. I can't figure out what high-class patients are. We need Jihan Kwak to access them..."
Daniel smiled. "Wait. I have a solution."
---
The Grim Plastic Surgery Hospital
One of the first responders muttered, "Phew. We worked hard for patients today too~"
Another smiled. "You're right~"
Their conversation continued.
"No, but how do you bargain so well?"
"I learned from the team leader."
Suddenly, someone called out, "Oi newbie! You worked hard—today was your first day after all."
Jihan smiled as he took off his jacket. "No, it was nothing."
"Isn't that a traditional ballad, young man?"
Jihan smiled and approached Cho Yisu, who was working at a computer. "Hey, team leader. I have a question..."
Cho Yisu asked without looking up, "What?"
Jihan smiled nervously. "How do I receive high-class patients?"
Cho Yisu was surprised. "Huh!!!"
Jihan scratched his head. "I heard from my seniors that you get more money if you take high-class patients."
Cho Yisu looked up. "Newbie, that's not something we decide. President Taejin Cheon decides that."
Suddenly, a man in bandages kicked open the door. "Hey you fuckers!! Are you guys really human?! You ripped my mom off?! You messed with the wrong person, you fuckers!! You dare bargain with a patient?! Give back our money, you fuckers!!"
The first responders muttered, annoyed.
"How annoying."
"How did he know to come here?"
"What's going on?"
"Just a complainer."
"Those show up once in a while."
"Newbie, you just watch."
The man in bandages threw one punch, taking down several men. "We'll figure it out?!"
Cho Yisu was shocked as he watched his men fall. "The heck? Our guys... This easily?"
The man in bandages stopped in front of him. "Are you the one in charge?"
Jihan approached from behind. "I'm the one in charge."
Cho Yisu was shocked. "Newbie? What the heck are you doing..."
Jihan extended his hand like a blade and slammed it down on the bandaged man's face, smashing him to the ground. "I should do it. Since it's my job."
The bandaged man's bandage opened, revealing his smashed face. It was actually Jibum Kwak!
Jihan muttered in his mind, "Sorry, Jibeom hyung!"
---
Flashback
Youth Construction
Jibeom stood, arms crossed. "So... you're saying I should go to the private emergency medical center and pretend to be a bad guy, right?"
Daniel nodded as he handed over bandages and a patient's clothes. "That's right. We'd like to go, but our faces are already known. Kwak Jihan should suppress you and win their confidence. Get subdued by Kwak Jihan."
Jibeom laughed. "Haha, that's my brother though. If that happens, he won't hit too hard, will he?"
---
Back to the Present
Cho Yisu looked up at Jihan. "You're pretty good."
President Taejin Cheon walked in. "You said you're Kwak Jihan, right? What did you do in Chungcheong-do?"
Jihan turned back and smiled nervously. "I did farm work."
Taejin stopped near him. "Why did you come work for the private emergency medical center?"
Jihan scratched his cheek. "Because I borrowed quite a bit of money, so..."
Taejin grabbed Jihan's neck and slammed him against the wall. "This is a place to save lives. You think it's a place to make money?"
Jihan clenched his teeth. "I'm in a bit of a rush to get some money..."
Taejin nodded. "Is that so? You pass."
Jihan was surprised. "What?!"
Taejin pulled out Jihan's phone. "Give me your phone."
Jihan was surprised. "Why my phone all of a..."
Taejin grabbed Jihan's jaw and pulled him forward. "You bring some VIP patients."
Jihan smiled. "I was curious about that. Just what exactly is a VIP patient..."
Taejin raised his eyebrow. "Really?"
Taejin covered Jihan's face with a dark cloth and dragged him.
Taejin continued as he stopped in front of an elevator. "First, our group's work is commissioned. The content of the commission is, 'we'll give you money, so lock someone up.'"
Taejin lit a cigarette. "Then we'll use Article 24 of the mental health law and stick a sane person inside a psychiatric ward. It's mainly family members of chaebols who commission this. Because once someone enters the ward, their property is theirs."
Taejin pressed his palm against the scanner. "It isn't shady because everything's legal. That's why we can be this confident too."
After leaving the elevator, Taejin lifted the cloth covering Jihan's face. "Whether you're a chaebol or a politician, once hospitalized here, nobody can escape. This place right here is a prison with an unconditional sentence. Conversation doesn't work here. Neither does force."
---
Youth Construction
Daniel was hearing Jihan and Taejin's conversation because Jihan was on a call with him. Though Taejin had taken Jihan's phone, Jihan had another hidden.