Chemistry - Chapter 94

13. Wildfire(3)

「PM 10:07 – Rescue Team Descending from the Sky」

Son Dong-joo, a professor of forest resources and an ecologist, visited the natural monument conservation area of Hyangro Peak over the weekend, only to be confronted with a situation as unexpected as a lightning strike.

Communication in the evacuation shelter was cut off, and mobile phones were not working at all. So, the only option was to descend to a point where they could use a fire extinguisher to make a report.

“Cough.”

Professor Son looked up at the mountainside he had just rolled down, covering his mouth with a handkerchief. A significant accident was narrowly avoided.

“Professor!”

His student, Jeon Yoon-seok, hurriedly ran toward him, holding a fire extinguisher and aiming it at the surrounding flames.

Sshhh

A white liquid sprayed out. After a while, the sound of the spray stopped.

“Oh, we used it all. Are you okay?”

“Just scratched.”

Professor Son got up with a groan, his mouth covered with a handkerchief.

“What should we do now? We can’t move an inch without a fire extinguisher.”

Professor Son couldn’t give an answer to this question. Now, it seemed that the only option was to sit here and wait for the flames to pass.

“Is the phone still not working?”

Yoon-seok shook his mobile phone towards the sky.

“Not at all. I think the nearby base station burned down. I heard the sound of a helicopter passing by earlier, though.”

Even so, they had probably never seen a place so filled with smoke. Professor Son looked up at the sky with a desperate expression.

Although it was a clear day, the sky was filled not with stars but with sparks.

“Let’s move a little more. The people in the shelter are trusting us. If the wildfire engulfs that place…”

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

“Now, I don’t even know the direction.”

“Follow the slope down. Standing still won’t give us any answers.”

They walked briefly in the predicted direction of the highway. Suddenly startled by flames shooting up, Yoon-seok avoided them and stumbled.

“Yoon-seok!”

“Ugh.”

Yoon-seok grimaced. His wrist, hitting the ground, was sore, and his palm was scraped, blood dripping.

Surrounded by heat, the two of them huddled next to a rock. With their bodies lowered, they could only watch helplessly as the forest in front of them burned.

It was a hellish scene.

There was fire everywhere, and there was no path.

“Professor.”

Yoon-seok, who had been sitting idly, spoke.

“The people left at the shelter must be finished now, right?”

“Don’t say such things.”

“They were all nice people, who loved animals. Especially the veterinary sister…”

At least, if only this place could escape the disaster. Professor Son prayed to the sky.

“If I knew it would be like this, I would have called in the morning. Sorry, Mom.”

Professor Son patted his student’s back with a bitter expression.

-Hey, you two! Can you hear me?

At that moment, the heads of Son Dong-joo and Jeon Yoon-seok turned simultaneously at the strange sound that echoed like a mountain stream.

-Rescue teams are approaching from the direction you’re looking at. Don’t move. Fires are everywhere around you.

The two, who never thought someone would appear in these mountains, looked around hesitantly in the foggy smoke.

Crack!

However, in the midst of the flames, the appearance of rescue team members emerging one by one made them realize that this was not a dream.

“Unbelievable…”

Professor Son felt a sudden relief as the eight members of the rescue team approached in formation. One of them stepped forward.

“I’m Rescue Team Leader Kim Jae-ho. Is anyone having difficulty moving?”

Yoon-seok quickly stood up and helped Professor Son to his feet.

“We’re fine. But how did you come? Did you manage to make a report from the shelter?”

“Shelter?”

The rescue team leader looked at Yoon-seok with a puzzled expression. Professor Son, regaining his composure, spoke.

“Firefighter, sir. There are still five people at the Hyangro Peak shelter. Since the phone is down, we came down forcefully to make a report…”

Unable to understand the explanation from Professor Son, the rescue team leader immediately grabbed a radio.

“Situational room. Situational room. This is Rescue Team 1.”

Click.

-Did you secure the rescuees?

“Rescue is complete. But there are more isolated individuals in the direction of Hyangro Peak. Please confirm the shelter location and provide support.”

-What? That ridge is all surrounded by the danger of combustion. Helicopters can’t enter at a low altitude in the center of the wildfire.

A serious conversation about the rescue ensued.

-What does Jeong-woo say?

“Just a moment. Let me switch.”

While the rescue team leader approached the lone firefighter wearing a ‘Beware of wildfires’ safety helmet, another member handed Professor Son and Yoon-seok portable heat-blocking masks.

“Mr. Jeong-woo. It’s Captain Ma.”

Jeong-woo grasped the radio handed to him by Kim Jae-ho.

Click.

-Jeong-woo, what do you think? Do you remember the topography to Hyangro Peak?

“I remember.”

Jeong-woo turned his gaze to the ridges above the mountain range.

“Are there any rescue teams that can arrive immediately other than us?”

-It’s still in the planning stage for the defensive line. Support Team 1 from the east has just crossed Taebaek Range.

“If… after we avoid the flames and climb up to Hyangro Peak, we break through the thinnest burning point. Can we make it out in time?”

-East? In that area, we can also deploy the extinguishing team. Forestry officials are waiting near the nearby blockade line.

Since Jeong-woo and Miles had been studying the same topography map for a long time, they had developed a level of understanding.

-The problem is whether you can safely move through that chaos.

“I can do it. I’ve become somewhat accustomed to avoiding the flames.”

-If you’re sure, I can push through too. Okay, let’s switch to Jae-ho.

Jeong-woo handed the radio back to Kim Jae-ho.

“Yes, sir.”

-What’s your judgment on-site? Can we trust and enter?

Kim Jae-ho looked at Jeong-woo and answered as if there was no need to think.

“If we’re talking about Firefighter Han Jeong-woo, I want to recruit him as a member of our rescue team. We’re already like one body.”

-Is this crazy? Trying to pull out a command team leader to a rescue team. From now on, call him Deputy Team Leader Han Jeong-woo.

“Who is that? Are you talking about our rescue team leader?”

-Really?

Jeong-woo, tongue-tied by their conversation, said.

“Excuse me, I’m just related to chemistry…”

-We absolutely can’t give him away!

Seeing Jeong Pil-du chuckle at the radio’s exclamation, Jung-woo shook his head.

A little later, the personnel were reorganized as instructed by the command center.

The rescue team of two heading towards the 1st defense line to the south and the two rescued individuals first began their descent, retracing their steps.

Then, a six-member rescue team set out towards the mountain ridge to rescue the shelter occupants, following the instructions of the situation room.

Inside the parking lot, Seoul City’s disaster support fire trucks were lined up.

The makeshift tented ‘Wildfire Incident Command Post’ was bustling with preparations for the upcoming first response meeting.

Click.

-Rescue team of 2, currently arrived at the defense line.

“Okay. Is there an ambulance there? Send them off. You two, come to the headquarters.”

Amidst busy civil servants installing monitors and communication equipment, Miles put down the radio and turned his head to the topographic map on the table.

“Oh, Chief. Forest Service extinguishing team is waiting in the northeast here. Please deploy them forward.”

“Are you really sending rescue personnel into that hellish place?”

When Forest Fire Prevention Division Chief Oh Seon-yong sent a skeptical look, Miles answered calmly.

“We’ve already received a radio that those two have reached a safe area.”

“That’s sheer luck. Crawling into the fire line in this inferno is suicidal. Was there really no other way?”

“Luck?”

Miles’ jaw muscle twitched as he ground his molars.

“Then did I send my own men to commit suicide? Give the movement order. Right now!”

As the muscle-bound guy got visibly angry, Chief Oh flinched at his momentum. He picked up the Forest Service radio with a discreet look.

“Captain Ma, Mayor’s call!”

At the communication officer’s announcement, Miles pointed to the wired telephone on the table.

“Uh, connect it.”

As he answered the call, the voice of the mayor came through.

-The meeting is about to start?

“Yes. Once the military liaison officer and the meteorological bureau official arrive, the organizational communication channels will be set up. The video call is also ready.”

-Understood. The cooperation system at the city level will be completed soon. Also, I just heard some news. You’re currently rescuing Professor Son Dong-joo, who was trapped in the wildfire?

“The two rescuers arrived at the defense line two minutes ago and are being transported by an ambulance.”

-Phew, that’s a relief.

The voice of the mayor on the other end sighed in relief.

-I was worried since he frequently goes to the mountains, but it’s a relief. It’s a major disaster, but with Chief Ma’s prompt response, we can still feel at ease.

Miles scratched his chin as he heard that one of the rescued individuals was an acquaintance of the mayor. From discovery to rescue, it would have been impossible without Han Jeong-woo.

-Professor Son has been researching the flora and fauna of the East Coast for nearly ten years. If you have any questions about the nearby forest resources, ask him.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

-There are people at the evacuation center too, right?

“We’ve also deployed a rescue team there.”

Miles looked at Chief Oh and said to Chief Oh in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

“He’s coordinating operations very cooperatively with other department heads, so don’t worry.”

After finishing the call, Miles’ gaze lingered on the situation board inside the tent.

[Wildfire Incident Site Casualty Status]

[Deceased: 0 Injured: 0]

Miles fervently wished that none of those numbers would increase until the wildfire was completely extinguished.

However, having experienced numerous disaster scenes, he knew that such a wish was close to a miracle.

As the smoke column rose, occasionally accompanied by distant roars, Miles, glancing beyond the mountain ridge, muttered.

“Even you, don’t get hurt. Please.”

“Ugh, I’m dying.”

After ascending the mountain trail for nearly 30 minutes in a place filled with fire, smoke, trees, and ashes, Jeong-woo felt his limbs giving way.

[Hyangro Peak Shelter 100m Point]

Having focused his gaze on the half-burned signpost, Jeong-woo turned his head back along the path he had traversed.

With each rapid growth of the wildfire, the released energy was sending sparks flying hundreds or even thousands of meters away.

The spectacular display of flames, resembling missiles, flying here and there with a speed of 10 meters per second, was producing new ignition points that hadn’t been witnessed an hour ago.

‘This looks serious.’

A phenomenon not detected when observed from above. In this state, Miles’ ignition point map would need to expand much further.

“There it is!”

At the shout of the lead member, Jeong-woo’s gaze turned back to the middle of the ridge.

The shabby shelter came into the rescue team’s view. Since it was already halfway burned, the rescue team hurriedly ran towards it.

“No one here.”

Upon the report from the leading member who had inspected the inside, Jeong-woo scanned the surroundings with eyes assessing the heat.

“Where are they…?”

On the slightly sloping hill on the opposite side of the shelter, where the flame assault was relatively subdued, a figure was vaguely visible.

“They seem to be taking shelter over there.”

Pointing in that direction, Kim Jae-ho turned on the flashlight, illuminating the path ahead.

“Hey there! This is the rescue team!”

The figure, confirming the arrival of the rescue team, emerged from between the rocks.

“Firefighter? Is this for real?”

“You guys came to rescue us?”

“We’re alive…”

Since there were only four people visible, Jeong-woo, still searching for the remaining one, witnessed a sudden suction of heat.

“Something big is coming!”

At this warning, the experienced rescue team members immediately stopped and lowered their posture. However, the people on the opposite side, eager to meet the rescue team as soon as possible, did not stop walking, expressing confusion on their faces.

Kim Jae-ho shouted to the team as people approached the danger zone.

“Protect each one!”

Even with this warning, the chaotic wind, akin to a hurricane due to the massive wildfire below sucking in oxygen, caused tree branches and embers to shoot upward.

Kuoooo!

Burning branches fell like rain.

In the midst of this, Jeong-woo spotted the fifth person staggering on the other side of the steep path.

‘Why is she alone over there? It’s dangerous.’

The four rescue team members were each wrapping around their respective partners, making it impossible to move.

“Pil-du, there’s a person here too!”

Jeong-woo rushed toward the fifth figure.

Jumping over rocks and avoiding a medium-sized burning tree, he managed to approach the person who was crouching to avoid falling embers.

Just before a large burning branch fell, Jeong-woo could cover the person with his outerwear as protection.

“Are you okay?”

The trembling person, under the protection of Jeong-woo’s outerwear in the dark shadows, looked around with cautious eyes.

A slender figure of a woman. Due to maintaining thermal vision and moving, all that could be confirmed was her long hair; her expression couldn’t be seen clearly.

“Fi… firefighter?”

In the shadow cast by the outerwear, a stranger, a man with glowing eyes like a cat in the darkness, appeared. The woman, taken aback, asked.

“Are you here to rescue us?”

Jeong-woo closed his eyes tightly and then looked at her with normal visible light, pointing to the helmet he was wearing.

“Be careful of the wildfire. I came to check because of this campaign.”

“What?”

Realizing that this was a joke, the frozen woman smiled awkardly.

The hurricane storm that had raged for a while finally subsided.

Jeong-woo shouted towards the back.

“Now it’s safe!”

The team members helped each other up. A man who was far away ran towards the woman.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine, Chief.”

The woman grabbed Jeong-woo’s arm and stood up, welcoming the approaching man.

“Why did you go there alone?”

“I thought Professor might come…”

Jeong-woo quickly spoke in response to this conversation.

“If you’re talking about the two who went down first, we received a radio saying they reached a safe place. We met them on our way here.”

“Really? Phew, that’s a relief.”

The woman sighed in relief.

Jeong-woo, looking at the woman’s face illuminated by the light of the wildfire, felt a strange sensation. The eye features seemed like those of someone he had seen somewhere before.

Healthy-looking skin and lively eyes. Memories of someone from the past who, despite a modest build, used to dominate the neighborhood with a strong hand flashed in his mind.

‘Is that even possible?’

Gazing back at him, the woman also tilted her head, smiling when their eyes met.

“Firefighter, what’s your name?”

“Me? Han…”

As he was about to answer, someone approaching from behind shouted towards the woman.

“Eun-sil! I told you not to move alone.”

Jeong-woo fell silent.

“Eun-sil? Go Eun-sil?”

“Are you by any chance, Jeong-woo?”