Chapter 174

               

“The Commissioner?”

“Yes.”

“What’s that man doing here…”

Kang-hyuk frowned deeply as the memory resurfaced—how he once lost a patient because of that very man whose face and name he hadn’t even known.

His impression of the Commissioner wasn’t good, and it was the same for Jang-mi and Jaewon.

They all wore similar expressions.

“Ah, I get why he’s here now.”

But Kang-hyuk soon smiled faintly and nodded.

When he pieced together what he had done through Assemblyman Park and the earlier call with Jung-heon, the reason was obvious to anyone but a fool.

Bzzz—

Sure enough, Kang-hyuk’s phone vibrated.

It was Jung-heon.

“He’s no saint either.”

Muttering to himself, Kang-hyuk picked up the call.

He added one more line before speaking.

“You can’t save people if you’re a saint. Only those who come when called can save lives. And they must be willing to take on the jobs no one else wants.”

This line of work wasn’t just hard.

It was dangerous.

Few ever appreciated it.

Even those who did rarely remembered for long.

It was a lonely, isolating path.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Yes, Professor. How did you know?”

“They said the Fire Commissioner came too.”

“Ah… Where should I go?”

“I was just about to call you.”

“Where to?”

“Hmm.”

Kang-hyuk paused briefly, then grinned.

There was a perfect place to summon someone like the Commissioner.

“In front of the ICU.”

“Ah… got it. I’ll head there.”

“You wearing your field uniform?”

By field uniform, he meant the orange rescue suit—designed in that bright color so rescuers could be easily spotted anywhere.

After all, it wasn’t uncommon for a rescuer to end up needing rescue themselves.

“No, I’m in plain clothes. My shift hasn’t officially started yet.”

“Good. Then stand among the reporters.”

“Reporters… sir?”

Jung-heon blinked and looked down at his phone, confused.

‘Did he call the reporters himself, knowing the Commissioner would come? No way. That’s not his style. Didn’t he say he was in surgery earlier?’

This man never thought about anything else during an operation.

He believed that was the only way to save a patient.

“Yeah, a lot of them are here. Just come. I’m calling the Commissioner now.”

“Ah… understood.”

Jung-heon hung up, still uncertain.

Next to him, Kang-ryul, who had overheard most of the conversation, widened his eyes.

“Reporters? They’re here?”

“Yeah. I’ve got no idea what’s going on.”

“Well… should we go? The ICU’s not in the main building, right?”

“The main building? There’s no way they’d let the Severe Trauma Center use that space.”

They were already being pressured daily to discharge patients faster.

There was no way the main building’s ICU would be lent out.

They’d be lucky just to hold onto the one inside the Severe Trauma Center.

“Oh, right. He doesn’t get along with the hospital director, does he?”

“Not just the director—pretty much the entire board.”

“He’s not a bad person though, so why’s that?”

“Well… you’re right, but still.”

It was hard to label him as a bad man.

He was someone who disregarded his own comfort for the sake of saving others.

He’d even funded the air ambulance out of his own pocket this time.

If a man like that was considered bad, there wouldn’t be a good person left in Korea.

‘But still, calling him a good person might be a stretch…’

He was too rough, too reckless.

‘If only he were a bit softer…’

They’d all thought it before.

But the conclusion was always the same.

‘Then he’d have collapsed.’

The reality within the Severe Trauma Center was brutal.

A kind person couldn’t survive there.

The only reason it still stood was because Kang-hyuk’s rough edges shielded everyone inside.

If he hadn’t, Jaewon would’ve been the first to get hurt—then Jang-mi—and the rest would have crumbled from within.

“Senior, um… there’s a huge crowd up ahead.”

Lost in thought, they soon arrived in front of the ICU.

Just as Kang-ryul said, dozens of reporters had gathered there.

They all looked exhausted, as if they’d been camping there for days.

One reporter’s hair was so tangled it looked like a bird’s nest—no, a full fortress.

He probably hadn’t washed it in nearly ten days.

“Ah… they’re here because of Captain Lee Hyun-jong.”

“Looks like it. Wait—could Professor Kang be planning to make the Commissioner apologize in front of them?”

“No way… that’d be evil…”

“Right? That’s too much, right?”

The Commissioner, after all, had wronged both of them.

He was also a man who’d betrayed the pride of being a firefighter.

But he was still the head of the fire service.

Forcing him to stand in front of the cameras seemed… excessive.

“Ah, Commissioner. Come to the ICU, please. Yes, I can’t leave Captain Lee’s side for long.”

Of course, Kang-hyuk wasn’t the type to care about things like that.

So the Commissioner, unaware of what awaited him, arrived at the ICU and found himself facing dozens of reporters rising to their feet.

‘What the…’

It was as shocking as being dragged into the National Assembly.

His mind went blank, nearly to the point of fainting—until the ICU door slid open.

Click—

It wasn’t an expensive automatic door, so it opened with a rather loud noise.

Thanks to that, the Commissioner came to his senses and turned toward the sound.

Step, step.

With a commanding stride, Kang-hyuk emerged, followed by his team—Jaewon, Jang-mi, Gyeongwon, Ji-min, Captain Lee Dong-joo, and Internal Medicine Director Yoon Jae-ho.

They all looked grim, already aware of the situation from Kang-hyuk.

In fact, they glared openly at the Commissioner.

What doctor wouldn’t be furious after losing a patient they could have saved?

The Commissioner, under that fierce gaze, had no choice but to greet them awkwardly.

“Uh… you must be Professor Baek. It’s an honor to meet you.”

With the polished grace of a long-time public official, he offered a restrained smile and extended his hand.

“Yes. First time seeing you in person.”

Kang-hyuk ignored the handshake almost barbarically, giving only a curt nod.

The Commissioner awkwardly laughed and scratched the back of his head.

‘Something’s off.’

Watching the scene, Park Sang-eun of TV Goryeo quietly switched on her camera—and her recorder.

Other reporters might not realize it, but she did.

She knew exactly what that expression on Kang-hyuk’s face meant.

‘He didn’t just call him here for nothing. He’s planning something.’

Most people thought Kang-hyuk was just reckless and rude.

But Park Sang-eun saw him differently—as a strategist who used bold psychological warfare to win over public opinion.

His methods were extreme, often earning him critics, but the truth was undeniable—most citizens viewed him positively.

Sure, saving countless lives helped, but Park Sang-eun believed there was more to it.

‘He knows how to draw attention. People here don’t get moved by one or two lives saved—but when he steps in, it’s different.’

He was frighteningly intelligent, almost unnervingly manipulative.

So, convinced something was about to happen, Park Sang-eun slowly approached.

Just then, as the other reporters looked on in confusion—

“We’re not exactly on greeting terms, are we?”

Kang-hyuk shot the Commissioner a glare as sharp as a blade.

The words stabbed like a knife straight to the heart.

“Uh… that’s… true.”

“Then let’s just do what we came here for.”

“R-right here?”

“Where else?”

“I mean…”

The Commissioner looked around, visibly troubled.

Even if none of the cameras were rolling, these were still reporters.

They could twist any word into a headline.

“This won’t do, really…”

When a full minute passed without a response, Kang-hyuk shook his head and stepped closer.

Then, leaning in, he whispered into the Commissioner’s ear—his expression utterly unchanged.

“If you’d rather I talk, that’s fine. But your career ends today. I’ll say everything—uncut.”

The Commissioner’s face turned pale as chalk.

Who wouldn’t, being threatened in front of the press?

“H-how much… exactly do you want me to say? Even if I do… I’m finished anyway, aren’t I?”

Still, he was a man who’d climbed to the top of the hierarchy.

His voice trembled, but he could still form words—a sign of sheer desperation to protect his career.

“That’s what happens when you pull stunts like this.”

Kang-hyuk smirked faintly at the trembling man and stepped behind him again, whispering.

“Repeat exactly what I say. Don’t think. Just copy it. Got it?”

“Uh…”

“No useless talk. Nod if you understand. If you mess up, I’ll handle it my way—and trust me, the story will change a lot.”

“Y-yes, yes.”

The Commissioner nodded so fast his double chin quivered violently.

He felt as though someone had jammed a cork into his carotid artery.

The thought that his life was now in Kang-hyuk’s hands froze him completely.

‘Why… why did I even agree to this?’

At first, resentment flared toward the Minister of the Interior.

But once he regained some clarity, he realized this was a blessing.

‘No… if I hadn’t come, that man…’

Kang-hyuk wouldn’t have given him this chance.

He would’ve exposed everything—and that fallout wouldn’t stop with him.

The Minister’s career would be collateral damage too.

Not just careers—entire lives could be ruined.

‘I was crazy… all that just to get some recognition from a hospital…’

Why had he done it?

If only he could turn back time.

But even ‘Interstellar’ didn’t allow that.

In reality, there was no going back.

“Repeat after me. ‘Hello. I am the Fire Commissioner. I apologize for the lack of support for the Severe Trauma Center thus far.’”

“Hello. I am the Fire Commissioner. I apologize for the lack of support for the Severe Trauma Center thus far.”

Watching this, Park Sang-eun almost cheered out loud.

‘Knew it!’

She was right all along.

That man speaking was the Fire Commissioner himself.

And at this very moment, the scene was being broadcast live exclusively on TV Goryeo.

Naturally, viewership was soaring by the second.

The Commissioner stood there, deflated and remorseful, saying:

“Due to manpower shortages and administrative complaints, we have been negligent in helicopter dispatch operations. The Fire Agency will do its utmost to improve this. Through cooperation with Hanguk University Hospital’s Severe Trauma Center, we will save over 200 critical patients by year’s end. In addition, we will coordinate with the hospital to construct a helipad on the hospital rooftop. I would like to thank Assemblyman Park Sung-min for arranging this meaningful occasion today.”