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Chapter 383: Jiri Mountain (1)

[Date: October 25, 2020]

-12:50 p.m. [NEW: Lee Tae-Poong] Emergency postponement due to injury. (Report details: 12:45 p.m., 119 helicopter take-off time. Emergency transport to Jinju Gyeongsang Hospital.)

The presence of a 119 helicopter meant that he would be seriously injured.

It was currently 11:15 a.m. Although I didn\'t know exactly when the accident might happen, the time of the helicopter departure was clear.

Considering the distance from the helicopter landing site and estimating the time it would take for the helicopter to arrive from the base, the most critical period was approximately 30 minutes to an hour from now.

Given the circumstances, the highest likelihood of injury was during the descent. After all, it was quite common for beginners with limited hiking experience to get injured on the way down due to leg fatigue.

Finally, I decided to descend only after 12:50 p.m. I thought we might be able to avoid the danger if we only headed down after seeing the schedule disappear.

At that moment, Lee Dae-Ho, who had been walking around with his phone, approached me. "Mr. Jung, is your phone also not getting any signal?"

"Huh? Oh..."

I had been so focused on the planner that I didn\'t realize there was no signal on my phone.

\'The schedule update still comes through even when there is no signal,\' I thought.

"Yeah, I can\'t get any signal either."

Just then, Go Jae-Soo standing ahead of us responded. "This happens sometimes around here. Don\'t worry too much—the signal will come back shortly."

Yesterday, the lodge owner, Oh Tae-Wan, had a phone call with Go Chang-Han. However, Go Jae-Soo explained there were times like today when the signal went out which would make contact impossible.

I turned to Lee Dae-Ho. "Tae-Poong\'s strength has been drained significantly from the hike. Please stay close to him and make sure he doesn\'t get hurt."

"Understood, Mr. Jung."

Lee Dae-Ho also looked exhausted but there was no other choice given the situation. The one relief was that Go Jae-Soo was still full of energy, so I didn\'t have to worry about him.

Go Jae-Soo claimed he had been climbing Jiri Mountain since he was young. Furthermore, his previous unconfident demeanor as seen in Seoul had completely vanished here.

"We\'re almost there. Let\'s keep moving."

We followed Go Jae-Soo and resumed walking toward the lodge.

***

We finally arrived at the Cheonwang Mountain Lodge.

The two-story lodge, built over seventy years ago by Oh Tae-Wan\'s grandfather, was much larger than I had expected.

One wall alone stretched over 30 meters and the massive lodge even had an annex building attached.

However, with little upkeep, weeds had grown knee-high between the gravel in the open area in front of the lodge. The wooden exterior of the lodge had weathered many seasons over the years and faded to a grayish-brown color.

On top of that, the lodge was surrounded by dense trees that stood over 20 meters.

The roof of Cheonwang Mountain Lodge was even covered in wisteria vines, which made it hard to spot unless you looked closely.

Go Jae-Soo turned to face us and spoke. "Um... please understand that Mr. Tae-Wan is a bit gruff and shy around strangers."

He explained that Oh Tae-Wan had retreated to the mountains after his business went bankrupt due to a friend\'s betrayal and his subsequent divorce. Despite his family wealth providing him with everything he needed, the wounds inflicted by others led him to become a recluse.

The only people he still kept in touch with were Go Jae-Soo\'s family, with whom he had shared a bond like brothers since childhood.

Just then, a dog started barking somewhere nearby.

Woof! Woof!

"Ah, that must be Deuk-Gu barking."

"Deuk-Gu?"

At that moment, a white dog\'s head appeared and disappeared through the grass before approaching us.

Seconds later, the grass parted, and a small white dog with dreadlock-like fur covering its eyes jumped out. Resembling a Shih Tzu with matted fur, the dog growled cautiously upon seeing us.

Grrr.

Go Jae-Soo reached out his hand with a flustered look. "Deuk-Gu, it\'s me. Don\'t you remember?"

Grrr.

"Deuk-Gu, it\'s really me!"

Deuk-Gu tilted its head.

Woof?

"Yes, it\'s me, your hyung, Jae-Soo!"

Woof! Woof!

Upon finally recognizing Go Jae-Soo, the dog named Deuk-Gu wagged its tail enthusiastically.

"Where\'s Mr. Tae-Wan?"

Woof!

Deuk-Gu turned its head as if understanding the question.

At that moment, a man with long, and unkempt hair appeared from the lodge\'s annex in the distance. He stood about 180 cm tall and was holding an ax in one hand, looking like something out of a horror movie with his eerie appearance.

However, Go Jae-Soo waved excitedly at him. "Mr. Tae-Wan!"

At the same time, the man slowly raised his free hand. "Why are you so late?"

"Because I didn\'t come alone this time."

I felt a bit more at ease the moment I watched the two greet each other warmly.

That\'s when Oh Tae-Wan took a glance at me.

I introduced myself on behalf of the group. "I\'m Jung Yoon-Ho, the talent agent working with Mr. Go Jae-Soo."

"I heard from hyung-nim."

Lee Tae-Poong and Lee Dae-Ho also greeted him, but Oh Tae-Wan merely nodded and showed no expression. It seemed he truly had cut himself off from the world, as he didn\'t appear to recognize who Lee Tae-Poong was.

After greeting us, Oh Tae-Wan gestured for Go Jae-Soo to come over. "How about ramen for lunch?"

"Perfect timing, I was getting hungry. Ramen\'s the best in the mountains."

"Come on in."

As Oh Tae-Wan started walking toward the lodge, Deuk-Gu eagerly followed him and pushed through the knee-high grass.

When Deuk-Gu stopped at the door and wagged his tail, Oh Tae-Wan rummaged through his pockets and handed him a snack.

Woof!

After giving Deuk-Gu a treat, Oh Tae-Wan silently opened the wooden lodge door and went inside.

Watching Oh Tae-Wan, Go Jae-Soo let out a deep sigh. "Even though he looks rough, Mr. Tae-Wan actually has a soft heart."

At that moment, Lee Tae-Poong returned after snapping photos all around. "Yoon-Ho hyung, it feels like it would be a waste to just practice here."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Wouldn\'t this be perfect as a filming location? How about bringing the director to see it?" Lee Tae-Poong suggested.

The setting of Jiri Mountain was a snow-covered shelter in the mountains isolated from the outside.

Seeing the size and location of Cheonwang Mountain Lodge, a few adjustments could make it an ideal filming spot.

I replied, "Let\'s make sure we have permission to stay here for a few days first."

"Should I try to get permission? I mean, I\'m pretty famous these days, right?"

"Didn\'t you notice? He didn\'t recognize you at all."

Go Jae-Soo nodded in agreement. "There\'s no TV in the lodge. Plus, Mr. Tae-Wan hasn\'t come down the mountain in over a year..."

Lee Tae-Poong looked a bit taken aback.

Here in Cheonwang Mountain Lodge, Lee Tae-Poong was nothing more than a simply handsome young man.

***

When we opened the door to Cheonwang Mountain Lodge and stepped inside, a spacious living room greeted us.

In the center of the room stood a flat metal wood stove with a decades-old chimney pipe attached, where a kettle or pot could be placed. Oh Tae-Wan explained that each room had a similar stove.

Oh Tae-Wan crouched in front of the stove and loaded firewood into it. "I have ramen and rice, but rice is cold."

When Go Jae-Soo glanced at me, I smiled and signaled that it was fine. All I needed was to confirm if we could stay here for a few days anyway.

"Ramen with cold rice is perfect. That\'s all we need."

"Sounds good."

Oh Tae-Wan headed to what appeared to be the kitchen and returned with a large aluminum pot big enough to serve ten people. Then, he poured water from a large container easily enough for a meal and sat down beside the stove. Lighting dried leaves with a lighter, he blew gently until the flames caught onto the firewood.

A few minutes later when the dry wood finally ignited, Oh Tae-Wan looked at me and asked, "Chang-Han hyung-nim asked if Jae-Soo and that pale guy over there could stay here for a few days. Is that correct?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Since it\'s Chang-Han hyung-nim\'s request, I can\'t refuse..."

After a brief frown, Oh Tae-Wan sighed heavily and continued. "I\'ll allow only Jae-Soo and that guy. But they\'ll have to handle the food themselves."

The excited Lee Tae-Poong clenched his fist in joy.

However, I couldn\'t leave just the actors behind. "We\'ll do whatever you ask, so I would be very grateful if Talent Agent Lee Dae-Ho and I could stay here as well."

Oh Tae-Wan shook his head firmly. "No. Only those two. I can\'t stand having too many people around."

With Oh Tae-Wan\'s resolute refusal, Lee Tae-Poong nodded and indicated he was fine with it. Go Jae-Soo also offered to look after Lee Tae-Poong in my stead, but I couldn\'t accept that.

Instead, I asked for a moment to think it over. Since the schedule of Lee Tae-Poong\'s potential injury hadn\'t disappeared yet, I wanted to wait until after that time to leave.

"I\'ll give you my answer after a bit more thought."

Oh Tae-Wan nodded slowly. "Take your time."

Tick, tock.

The current time had just passed 11:20 a.m.

***

It was now 11:35 a.m.

The water in the pot atop the wood stove began to boil and the lid of the aluminum pot rattled. Oh Tae-Wan lifted the lid, added six packets of ramen, and began stirring.

My mouth started watering upon seeing the noodles turn pleasantly firm.

Five minutes later, Oh Tae-Wan handed out wooden bowls and chopsticks. The rough surfaces made me wonder if he had carved them himself.

"Let\'s eat," said Oh Tae-Wan.

Everyone scooped a portion from the pot.

Slurp!

As I took a bite, the perfectly chewy and firm noodles made my eyes widen in delight.

\'Why does this taste so good?\' I wondered.

The discomfort I had felt earlier faded away with each warm sip of broth and bite of noodles. Even without kimchi, the noodles, broth, and cold rice made it delicious.

The current time was 11:50 a.m. and we finished our meal in no time.

My planner had predicted the rescue helicopter would be summoned at 12:45 p.m. Considering the time taken to exit the lodge, we had now entered the timeframe where an accident could occur at any moment.

To be certain that the scheduled event would disappear, I needed to leave the lodge only after 12:50 p.m.

\'There\'s just one more hour to wait,\' I thought.

Then, Oh Tae-Wan asked, "So, what are you going to do?"

I apologized. "I\'m sorry, but I can\'t leave Tae-Poong and Mr. Jae-Soo here alone. We\'ll head back down with them."

Lee Tae-Poong looked disappointed, but there was no other choice. However, I requested to stay for another hour before heading out. "Our legs are really shaky from the climb. Could we rest here for an hour before heading down?"

Oh Tae-Wan nodded. "Fine. But don\'t leave too late. If you descend after sunset, there\'s a risk of accidents."

I could tell that Oh Tae-Wan was trying his best to accommodate us since we came here at Go Chang-Han\'s recommendation.

Thankfully, there was a shuttle bus available at the nearby Beopgye Temple and we planned to take that route down.

At that moment, Deuk-Gu started barking loudly outside the lodge.

Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!

Oh Tae-Wan turned his head and asked, "Is someone else coming?"

I shook my head. "No. My team doesn\'t even know where this place is."

Oh Tae-Wan slowly stood up. "I\'ll go check outside for a moment."

Go Jae-Soo tried to stand as well. "I\'ll go with you."

"No, you stay here."

"But what if it\'s a wild boar or something?"

Oh Tae-Wan gripped his ax tightly. "A wild boar\'s nothing. A bear came around last time and I chased it off by myself."

"That\'s even more of a problem!"

That\'s when a chill ran down my spine. \'Could it really be a bear? No... surely not.\'

I became on high alert as I recalled an article about a Jiri Mountain black bear almost attacking someone recently.

Oh Tae-Wan told us to stay put and grabbed the ax that was leaning beside the door.

Creak.

He opened the wooden door and stepped outside.

Thud.

As the door closed behind him, I turned to the rest. "Stay alert, everyone... and pick up anything that could be used as a weapon just in case."

"Why?"

"Because we\'ll have to fight if a bear comes in."

Although Go Jae-Soo, Lee Tae-Poong, and Lee Dae-Ho couldn\'t help but laugh, I grabbed a piece of firewood from a pile in the corner of the lodge. It was about the thickness of a baseball bat, around 60 cm long, and fit comfortably in my hand.

Upon seeing me so alert, the other three eventually also picked up similar pieces of wood.

Just then, Deuk-Gu\'s barking began to grow louder outside.

Grrr- Woof! Woof! Woof!

I wasn\'t sure what he was barking at, but it was clear that something was wrong.

I quickly instructed Lee Dae-Ho, "I\'ll go out first. Please stay here and guard the others."

"Should I come with you?"

"No, I\'ll go alone."

That\'s when Go Jae-Soo insisted on coming along. "Whether it\'s a bear or a boar, it\'ll be scared and run away if there are more people. Plus, I know this area better."

I couldn\'t ignore the advice of someone who had played in these mountains since he was a child.

"Alright, but I\'ll lead. You follow behind me, Mr. Jae-Soo."

"Understood."

I cautiously opened the door slightly and peeked outside to assess the situation.

At that moment, Deuk-Gu\'s barking echoed around the left corner of the lodge and grew louder with each echo.

Grrr- Woof! Woof! Woof!