Episode 48. Hometown of the Heart (2)
Amare’s main branch is located close to Namseol General Market.
Perhaps for that reason, Lee Seojun was able to contact Kang Dae-oh immediately, even before the news article was published.
Meanwhile, Kang Dae-oh, upon hearing the news of the fire, quickly left his spot.
It was to head straight to Namseol General Market.
As he did so, he continued to maintain the call with Lee Seojun.
“Did you report it to the fire station?”
“The employee who first informed me that the market was on fire reported it!”
“What about the merchants?”
“I saw some people evacuating. But I don’t know if everyone got out safely. It’s absolute chaos here right now…”
“Alright. If the flames seem like they’re going to spread to our store, don’t hesitate and just get out with the employees. Got it?”
“Yes, CEO!”
Kang Dae-oh, gripping the steering wheel, felt a sense of urgency.
This was because Namseol General Market was full of people Kang Dae-oh had known for a long time, including the laundry shop owner.
While driving, Kang Dae-oh received a call from Oh Myungwoon.
“Hey, Dae-oh! The market is…”
“You’re calling because of the fire, right? I know.”
“Did you hear it from someone else first?”
“Seojun told me. I’m on my way there now.”
“I just left too. I’m trying to contact the laundry shop owner, but he’s not answering the phone.”
“…”
In fact, Kang Dae-oh had also called the laundry shop owner before getting into his car.
However, the result was the same as what Oh Myungwoon had said.
He didn’t want to think about it. But what if something bad happened to the laundry shop owner…?
‘No… let’s forget about it. He’ll be fine.’
Kang Dae-oh forced himself to fill his mind with other thoughts instead of anxiety, trying to keep his composure.
As soon as the call ended, Kang Dae-oh stepped on the accelerator forcefully.
Soon after, numerous black smoke plumes began to rise in the direction of Namseol General Market.
When he received the fire-related call from Lee Seojun, he had secretly hoped it wasn’t true.
But seeing the scene with his own eyes, he was speechless.
When Kang Dae-oh arrived at the scene, firefighters were already actively engaged in suppressing the flames.
Nevertheless, perhaps because the scale of the fire was so large, the battle against the flames was prolonging more than expected.
During that time, Kang Dae-oh moved with Lee Seojun to confirm that all the market merchants were safe.
“Owner!”
“Ka-Kang owner?”
A middle-aged man who ran a butcher shop in the market looked at Kang Dae-oh with surprised eyes.
“What brings you here?”
“I heard about the fire, so I rushed over. Are you alright?”
“Me? Well… I’m fine. As soon as I heard about the fire, I quickly got the kids out. But…”
People can escape.
But stores cannot.
They didn’t have legs, nor were they mobile, so they could only silently fall victim to the blaze.
The butcher shop owner, who had lost his livelihood in an instant, stared blankly at Namseol General Market engulfed in flames, as if he were possessed.
“…”
Kang Dae-oh silently massaged his shoulder.
Kang Dae-oh knew well that no matter how much he told him to be strong, it would be words of comfort that wouldn’t reach his heart.
Starting with the butcher shop owner, Kang Dae-oh went around looking for the faces of the merchants he remembered, confirming with his own eyes that they were safe.
Even at this point, the laundry shop owner was nowhere to be seen.
Oh Myungwoon, who arrived late at the scene, came looking for Kang Dae-oh and Lee Seojun.
“Where’s the laundry shop owner?”
“He’s not visible yet.”
“Surely not…”
Oh Myungwoon trailed off. Kang Dae-oh sharply cut him off.
“Don’t say anything unlucky.”
“…Sorry.”
Oh Myungwoon also knew the seriousness of the situation.
Realizing belatedly that he shouldn’t even utter ominous words, he apologized to Kang Dae-oh.
While aimlessly wandering around,
Lee Seojun urgently called out to the two men.
“The laundry shop owner is over there!”
“What?”
“R-really?”
The two men hurriedly moved in the direction Lee Seojun pointed.
There, just like the butcher shop owner, the laundry shop owner was seen gazing at Namseol General Market with empty eyes.
“Owner!”
“Are you alright?”
Kang Dae-oh and Oh Myungwoon stood on either side of the laundry shop owner and checked his condition.
The laundry shop owner, belatedly recognizing the two men, gave a weak nod.
“I’m safe.”
“What about your wife?”
Oh Myungwoon asked the laundry shop owner about his wife’s whereabouts.
Kang Dae-oh answered this question himself.
“Your wife won’t be at the market; she’s on a trip with her friends. I met her at the airport a few days ago when I was dropping off Yera.”
“Oh, really? That’s a relief… No, it’s not a relief.”
With such a big fire in the market, saying ‘that’s a relief’ in this situation was completely inappropriate.
Kang Dae-oh silently looked at the laundry shop owner, whose one slipper had come off.
“Owner. Please wear my shoes.”
“…It’s okay.”
“It’s because I’m not okay with it. Our shoe sizes are similar, right? Come on, quickly.”
“…”
With Oh Myungwoon’s help, Kang Dae-oh put his shoes on the laundry shop owner.
Meanwhile, Lee Seojun brought a slipper from the store and handed it to Kang Dae-oh.
“Here you go, CEO.”
“Thanks.”
“By the way… I heard firefighters on their radio when I briefly stopped by the store earlier, and they said it’s harder to put out the fire than expected. They said the situation might last until tonight.”
Reporters had already arrived and were rapidly transmitting the news that Namseol General Market was on fire.
This meant the scale of the fire was enormous.
“Seojun.”
“Yes, CEO.”
“You know our main branch? There, please provide free drinks for the firefighters and also set up a space where they can rest.”
“Ah, yes! I’ll go prepare it right away!”
If fire suppression becomes a long-term battle, the firefighters’ fatigue will also accumulate.
They need a space where they can rest comfortably.
So, Kang Dae-oh decided to temporarily provide drinks and space to the firefighters, allowing them to use the entire store.
Soon after, one of the firefighters approached Kang Dae-oh.
“Hello. You are CEO Kang Dae-oh, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m the on-site emergency medical captain. I heard from my crew. I came to express my gratitude because Amare took measures to allow our crew to rest comfortably. Thank you very much.”
The emergency medical captain expressed his gratitude to Kang Dae-oh on behalf of the crew.
However, Kang Dae-oh emphasized that it was only natural and that he hadn’t done anything particularly great.
“Compared to all of you, this is all I can do. More importantly, do you know about any casualties yet?”
“Despite the widespread flames, it has been confirmed that there are no fatalities. According to what I’ve gathered, only a few injured individuals with minor abrasions sustained during the evacuation process have been reported. It’s truly a great relief.”
It was as the emergency medical captain said.
For a fire scene of this magnitude to have no fatalities was close to a miracle.
“The merchants informed each other about the fire, so fortunately, there seem to have been no casualties.”
“I see.”
The bond among the market merchants, who cared for and thought of each other. This was the secret to everyone’s safety amidst the massive inferno.
Kang Dae-oh, having once been a part of this market, felt a quiet sense of pride.
However, this pride quickly vanished in the face of the flames still flickering throughout the market.
Kang Dae-oh grasped the emergency medical captain’s rough hand.
“It must be very difficult, but please do your best.”
“Yes. Don’t worry. It seems we can put out all the flames by tonight.”
With that, the emergency medical captain moved back towards the scene with his crew.
Oh Myungwoon, who had also heard the emergency medical captain’s words, let out a sigh of relief.
“As that person said earlier, it’s at least fortunate.”
Kang Dae-oh nodded briefly and silently looked at the laundry shop owner.
The laundry shop owner let out a hearty laugh and said,
“I never thought I’d close my shop like this. Haha.”
“…”
“If I had known this would happen, I should have listened to my wife. Then there wouldn’t have been such a heartbreaking situation.”
Kang Dae-oh took a seat next to where the laundry shop owner was sitting.
“Things will work out, owner. It must be very distressing now, but please stay strong.”
“Thank you. Still, I don’t know how grateful I am that Kang owner and Oh owner rushed here like this.”
The laundry shop owner’s forced smile looked incredibly sad today.
As the emergency medical captain had predicted, the flames were completely extinguished that evening.
With the on-site investigation all concluded, the market merchants gazed at their burned-down shops, unable to utter a single word.
How immense must be the despair of losing one’s livelihood in an instant.
Kang Dae-oh could not even dare to imagine.
Nevertheless, Kang Dae-oh could see a glimmer of hope from the market merchants.
Kang Dae-oh, who revisited the scene, witnessed the laundry shop owner and the butcher shop owner engaging in a close conversation.
“What are you two discussing so earnestly?”
“Huh? What? Kang owner, you’re back again?”
“It was on my mind. I just couldn’t focus on work.”
The butcher shop owner chuckled.
“Kang owner, you’re not planning to come back here, are you?”
“I’m considering that.”
“That’s great. I was just about to convene a merchants’ association meeting with hyungnim from the laundry shop to discuss how to rebuild this place.”
The merchants did not give up on Namseol General Market.
They didn’t seem to have any intention of giving up.
Because this place was their lifelong livelihood and a significant footprint in their lives.
The laundry shop owner strongly patted his chest two or three times and said,
“We can’t just give up everything just because there was one fire! Even if the shops burned down, our hearts and determination haven’t burned down with them. Don’t you agree?”
“Of course, hyungnim!”
The butcher shop owner and the laundry shop owner looked at each other and laughed heartily.
Kang Dae-oh smiled broadly as he listened to their words.
“If the two of you are going to do it, everyone else will definitely follow.”
“Of course they should!”
It’s right to be strong, especially at times like this.
Kang Dae-oh had secretly worried about them and deliberately came to the scene, but,
after seeing their determination to stay strong, he felt like he had worried unnecessarily.
However, he had no intention of merely watching the market’s reconstruction.
Kang Dae-oh, who got into his car, immediately contacted Oh Myungwoon.
“Hello. Myungwoon? It’s me.”
Kang Dae-oh slowly spoke, looking at the laundry shop owner who was leading the merchants with the butcher shop owner to another location.
“I thought we should also do what we can.”
Because for both of them, Namseol General Market was like a hometown of the heart.
And with their hometown of the heart burned down,
they couldn’t just stand by.
