NOVPUBMay 5th: The 1st Anniversary of the Jamsil Baseball Stadium Disaster
On May 5th, it marked the 1st anniversary of the Jamsil Baseball Stadium disaster.
Over the past year, numerous tragedies had occurred, but the Children’s Day incident continued to be a topic of conversation.
There were several reasons for this.
First, it happened during a sports event that drew the largest crowd in the country.
Second, the broadcast team covered the situation live up until their deaths.
Third, many of the victims were families, including children.
Fourth, the victim list included members of one of South Korea’s four major conglomerate families.
Fifth, it was the first occurrence of an interdimensional event without any prior warning, which led to the disaster.
For these reasons, the public continued to remember this event.
‘If only other incidents could be remembered and talked about this much.’
There were still many forgotten incidents that had yet to be addressed or resolved.
Even if the hidden truths behind these events were uncovered, and documentaries were made, weather forecasts or food review shows would likely receive more attention.
As incidents happened almost daily, the public had become numb, losing interest in past tragedies.
However, Seong Guk-eon did not blame the indifferent public.
It was his role, chosen by the public, to remember the tragedies, uncover the truth, and come up with solutions.
‘The public continues their daily lives without panic because they still trust the government, the association, and society. Therefore, I must do my part.’
After attending the 1st-anniversary memorial service and returning, Seong Guk-eon ran into an unexpected person.
It was the legendary hero, Iron Arm Song Man-seok.
“Elder, it’s been a while.”
“Guk-eon, you’ve come too.”
At 73, Song Man-seok still looked relatively spry for his age, but he appeared much older than last year.
Song Man-seok was a retired player, but since last year, he had been involved in many activities.
There had been an increase in people visiting the Han River to attempt suicide, and he had frequently found himself fighting after discovering interdimensional disturbances during his patrols.
The Han River Cycling Team had extended their patrols in response, but there were limitations to what retired players could do.
Moreover, the number of players who had become victims themselves—either due to family members, friends, or personal losses—had grown, further increasing the burden on the remaining players.
‘Last year, the commentator who passed away was said to be an acquaintance of Song Man-seok.’
Song Man-seok had been a media sensation during his prime as the greatest hero of his time, and in that process, he had befriended the late commentator, who had just begun his career as a commentator.
The commentator had stayed behind during last year's disaster instead of evacuating and had died when the defense line broke down.
When the enemy broke through the door, both the commentator and the caster turned off their microphones and broadcasting devices to prevent their final moments from being broadcast.
As Song Man-seok shared his memories with the late commentator, he asked:
“There’s been a lot of noise about the satellite issue lately, has it been resolved?”
“It’s still being pushed for nationalization. But before that, they’re trying to amend the Player Special Act.”
“The Player Special Act?”
“Yes, but don’t worry. I’m in the National Assembly, so there won’t be any nonsense in the legislative process.”
Instead of feeling reassured, Song Man-seok’s expression turned to one of concern.
To someone of Song Man-seok’s stature, Seong Guk-eon still seemed like a young, inexperienced newcomer, so this was understandable.
After bringing up the satellite issue, Song Man-seok then mentioned his grandson, Song Dae-seok.
“Do you remember the story I told you about my grandson?”
“Is it about Dae-seok, who got into Eungwang High? Of course, I remember.”
“Yes, our grandson is now a junior of yours.”
Song Man-seok smiled with pride, as if proud of his grandson getting into Eungwang High.
Seong Guk-eon knew about Song Dae-seok.
His family was from Hongcheon, and news about players from Hongcheon spread quickly.
Song Dae-seok, who resembled Song Man-seok in his youth, had strong abilities but had become a victim of a tragic accident with a childhood friend, Min Green, leading both of them to become school absentees.
‘I heard Song Man-seok didn’t have a great relationship with him either.’
Public heroes often neglect their families, and Song Man-seok was no exception.
Moreover, the fact that Song Dae-seok and Min Green were involved in such an incident was partially due to Song Man-seok’s influence, so their grandfather-grandson relationship had been strained.
But for some reason, after a long time, Song Dae-seok had asked to meet privately with Song Man-seok and seemed to have something to tell him.
“He mentioned that he found some traces in the satellite data. No matter how much he posted online, nobody noticed, and when he asked the association, they ignored him, so he came to me for help.”
Nobody paid attention to the words of a school absentee.
That’s why, despite their awkward relationship, he had turned to his grandfather for help.
Song Man-seok had tried to use his connections in the association to contact the satellite research team, but he had failed.
The association had fallen apart due to severe internal politics over the past year.
The major incidents in the Korean Peninsula were used for political purposes within the association, and the infighting led to chaos.
As a result, the former head of the Korean branch was ousted, and many executives were replaced.
“Then I’ll look into it. With the satellite nationalization pushing forward, I’ll have more opportunities to talk to the satellite management team.”
With the current association, Song Man-seok’s name no longer carried weight, so Seong Guk-eon decided to step in.
It would be unusual for a high school student to be in contact with the satellite management team, but seeing how Song Man-seok was acting, it seemed that there was something important about the satellite data.
After deciding to pass along the materials Joo Dae-seok had organized and his device code through Jeon Moo-young to the satellite management team, Seong Guk-eon bid farewell to Song Man-seok.
“Take care of yourself.”
Song Man-seok, who had lost many younger, promising individuals last year, was now worried about Seong Guk-eon.
Seong Guk-eon smiled reassuringly and left.
Time passed, and on May 15th, Teacher’s Day arrived.
In the morning, Seong Guk-eon went about his usual schedule, and in the evening, he headed to Eungwang High with Jeon Moo-young.
He was fulfilling his promise to visit his former teacher on Teacher’s Day.
“Congressman, that student...”
“That was our first petitioner. I see they came to Eungwang High.”
Their first petition had been from a primary school student who had almost been wrongfully accused, and the petitioner was Dokgo Mi-ro.
Although much time had passed, they immediately recognized her.
Dokgo Mi-ro was sitting on a bench with a look full of worry, just like the first time they had met her.
The only difference now was that her black hair hung limp, and her once ambitious eyes were now devoid of the energy she had as a child.
“The teachers are likely getting ready to leave for the day. How about we pass along the message quickly?”
Seong Guk-eon spoke as he looked at the carnation that Dokgo Mi-ro was holding.
Dokgo Mi-ro, who had just noticed Seong Guk-eon, widened her eyes in surprise.
“It’s been a while.”
“A while? You remember me?”
“Of course, you were the first petitioner I met after getting elected. I didn’t know you’d be a junior now.”
Seong Guk-eon smiled broadly as he raised his lips.
Dokgo Mi-ro hesitated, her lips twitching as if she wanted to say something.
Seong Guk-eon noticed that she was troubled by her second petition.
“I’m in the business of listening to people’s words. I’ll wait.”
He subtly signaled to Jeon Moo-young, and then, pretending to look around, he erected a barrier.
Even though they were in a public space, he wanted to block any eavesdropping ears.
After some hesitation, Dokgo Mi-ro finally spoke.
“Eungwang High is becoming like Gwangil Elementary. It wasn’t this strange last year...”
She shared the troubling events that had been happening at Eungwang High.
The situation seemed so chaotic that it was hard to believe it was happening at Eungwang High.
‘There’s some tampered data among the materials I requested from Eungwang High. They’re hiding embezzlement, there’s corruption in the personnel process, and there are bribery attempts over student grades...’
While Eungwang High was rotting, it seemed like someone close to Dokgo Mi-ro was once again in danger, just like with the Gwangil Elementary case.
“This time, it’s not Han-i. It’s Cheong-hwon’s older brother, Gong Cheong-hwon, the teacher. He’s in trouble.”
According to Dokgo Mi-ro, Gong Cheong-hwon, a temporary teacher at Eungwang High, had fallen out of favor with Choi Pyeon-deuk, the current real power at the school.
After protecting students several times from Choi Pyeon-deuk, Gong Cheong-hwon had been receiving increasingly unfair treatment.
On Teacher’s Day, Choi Pyeon-deuk, who hadn’t received a single carnation, took out his frustration on Gong Cheong-hwon, making him skip lessons all day and keeping him detained, so no one could present him flowers.
Dokgo Mi-ro, who had sneaked into the teacher’s office to secretly give him a carnation, overheard a conversation and learned of their plan.
At this rate, Gong Cheong-hwon was expected to be fired from Eungwang High by the next semester, and he was likely to be falsely accused of embezzlement and sued by the school.
“I should have recorded it, but I couldn’t turn on the device, as it would give away my location. Also, recording a conversation I wasn’t part of is illegal.”
As she spoke, Dokgo Mi-ro’s eyes flashed sharply.
She seemed more regretful that she couldn’t shatter the heads of the teachers who were slandering Gong Cheong-hwon than about not being able to capture evidence.
In truth, sneaking into the teacher’s office to deliver a carnation wasn’t exactly something to be praised, but Seong Guk-eon wasn’t surprised, remembering that he had done even worse when he was in the 0-class.
Seong Guk-eon reminisced about his school days as he conversed with Dokgo Mi-ro.
As Seong Guk-eon asked questions, listened to her answers, and formulated a plan, the despair in Dokgo Mi-ro’s eyes gradually faded, replaced by hope.
“A good teacher will accept the carnation joyfully, even if the day has passed. How about waiting for tomorrow’s commute or after school to give it?”
“Yeah, I’ll do that. Thank you, senior!”
Dokgo Mi-ro brightened and stood up, heading out for the way home.
Eungwang High looked forlorn, perhaps due to the recent incidents or the withered trees on Cheon Ik Mountain.
But seeing the student walking home so cheerfully, the atmosphere seemed a little better.
Jeon Moo-young, who had witnessed the scene, couldn’t help but smile.
‘No matter how tough the situation is, with the congressman here, things will be okay. He has the power to reassure people and lead the situation in the right direction.’
This wasn’t only the thought of Jeon Moo-young.
Many who understood Seong Guk-eon’s strength shared this sentiment.
Those who understood supported him, and those who didn’t, watched him cautiously.
Among those who watched Seong Guk-eon warily, there were shadowy figures.
Seong Guk-eon didn’t falter or bend in the face of adversity.
Because of this, the shadowy figures decided to erase him from this world entirely.
‘It’s strangely quiet. I need to take the congressman home quickly... huh?’
The area around Eungwang High was deserted, and two children were looking up at a sedan on the road.
When Seong Guk-eon was about to honk the horn to warn them, everything in front of him disappeared.
Boom!
“Mu-young, get down!”
When Seong Guk-eon warned, Jeon Moo-young, instead of asking what it meant, immediately opened the car door and jumped out.
Seong Guk-eon, escaping at the same time as Jeon Moo-young, was swallowed by a spatial rift along with the sedan.
It was the moment when the traces of Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Moo-young vanished from this world.
