Chapter 72 – Swimming Emperor (16)
[Chapter 4 – Verse 7] To Protect the Nation!
If you fell asleep lamenting your wrong choices and bleak reality, then woke up having returned to the past…
Anyone would think:
‘This is an opportunity.’
You wouldn’t question why such a chance was given only to you—
You’d simply believe you could change the past.
“Moon-soo?”
Park Han-hee, sensing something odd in the conversation, called me.
“I’ll explain later.”
“Okay…”
Nam Hae-soo seemed to think my introduction was insufficient.
“A shaman? Did you see the future or something?”
“Do you have any conscience at all? Does that look like a future that would actually happen?”
“Ugh…”
The possibility of Nam Hae-soo marrying Park Han-hee is currently zero.
Amazingly, the man who used to get jealous seeing me date Park Han-hee was already married.
He also had plenty of questionable relationships with female singers and actresses.
‘Impossible.’
There is no way Park Han-hee, who loves me, would ever have his child.
He knows that himself.
The same future will not come again.
“Mr. Hwang Hae-soo? Please leave now. We have to depart tomorrow to match the Olympic schedule.”
“…My apologies.”
Too many eyes were watching—continuing a conversation here would be reckless.
Nam Hae-soo withdrew obediently.
“…Moon-soo.”
As soon as he left, Park Han-hee urged me for an explanation.
“No one knows about my past. I re-issued my ID as an amnesiac. Even I don’t know who I was.”
“I know. I heard that.”
As I became famous, people dug up all my personal information.
They found nothing, not a speck of dust—but the fact that I had no past spawned rumors that I might be an alien.
Even now, those rumors are still floating around.
“The moment I saw that man, some of my memories came back.”
“Oh!”
“My memory is still blurry, so I can’t explain in detail—but what’s clear is that he’s a very evil person.”
“You don’t even need to explain that. I could tell.”
“That’s true.”
Stealing another person’s happiness or life can never be justified.
“Moon-soo. If more memories come back, you have to tell me.”
“I will.”
I felt this before too—
Amnesia is the perfect excuse that ignores all causality.
***
The Korean national team received an enthusiastic send-off at the airport.
“Kang Moon-soo! Kang Moon-soo! Kang Moon-soo…!”
“Long live Korea!”
“Stay strong, Kang Moon-soo!”
“Moon-soo oppa! We love you!”
My popularity was absolutely overwhelming!
Maybe because of the recent scandal, the government and civic groups were paying extra attention?
Despite not winning a single Olympic gold medal yet, people treated me like a national hero.
“The athlete’s popularity is incredible.”
“I’m surprised too.”
“If Han-hee doesn’t put in more effort, someone might steal him away.”
The swimming coach sitting next to me said that loudly.
“Unnie…!”
Park Han-hee, sitting on my other side, reacted instantly.
“Oh my! Feeling insecure?”
“N-no. I trust Moon-soo!”
“That means you’re not confident.”
“Ugh…”
“I never thought I’d see my little sister clinging to a man. What was it you used to say? ‘Men are—’”
“Please! Shut that mouth of yours!”
“If you introduce me to a good guy, I’ll think about it.”
“You can’t handle one even if I do.”
“He just wasn’t my type…!”
“You always got dumped first.”
“No I didn’t!”
“Yes you did!”
The sisters bickered with me caught in between.
“Shh! Quiet.”
“……”
“……”
At my single word, the sisters finally noticed that other passengers, athletes, and coaches around us were staring.
“S-sorry.”
“We’re really sorry.”
After repeatedly bowing their heads and apologizing, they calmed down.
Thanks to that, I should’ve felt more comfortable sitting between them…
But I didn’t.
‘Is this plane… really safe?’
In the romance-fantasy world of I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count Family, I got seasick on ships, but I was never afraid. I could swim—
Even if I fell into the ocean, I knew I could survive.
But now?
If a plane explodes or crashes mid-air, I’ll die without being able to do anything.
“Moon-soo.”
“…What?”
“Is this your first time on a plane? You look a little nervous. Ah! Because of your amnesia, right?”
“No. It’s my second time.”
Trying not to sound dismissive, I immediately corrected Park Han-hee’s careful question.
I rode a plane once for a family trip.
That was the first time I realized just how small I was in the world.
I really did realize it.
I already knew that when you look down from a tall building, everything—including people—looks tiny.
But seeing the ‘tall building I lived in’ shrink smaller than a fingernail?
That was a sky above the sky.
A flyer above the runner.
A galaxy above a solar system.
My self-esteem, which had previously pierced the sky, was crushed like dust and turned me into a humbled human.
“When was the first time?”
“I don’t remember.”
The real reason I was nervous was because this plane belonged to an older era with weaker technology.
Rrrr—
Modern planes don’t have this kind of noise or vibration.
So I couldn’t relax.
“You surprised me a little.”
“By what?”
“The Moon-soo I know is always calm. Even when fans mobbed you, or when gangsters attacked, or when police pointed guns at you…”
“So you’re disappointed?”
“No. I just realized you’re a person like me. You always felt a little distant before.”
Slide—
As she said that, Park Han-hee gently leaned her head on my shoulder.
She hadn’t been skilled enough to be chosen as a national representative, but she was allowed to accompany the team in a special staff position.
“…Feeling better?”
“Uh… no.”
Thump-thump.
My heart strained for an entirely different reason now.
‘I kind of understand Nam Hae-soo.’
In his new life, Nam Hae-soo had married a young rookie celebrity.
It must not have satisfied him.
Why do I say that?
Because I was doing something similar.
Song Sun-young.
Valentine.
Every time I unconsciously compared her to my “ex-girlfriends,” I wanted to slam my head into a wall.
“Cheer up.”
“I will.”
Right about now, Nam Hae-soo must be incredibly confused.
***
“How… How did he know my daughter’s name…!”
Even when the attempt to assassinate Kang Moon-soo—the man who touched the body of his ex-wife, Park Han-hee—backfired, Nam Hae-soo had never been this shaken.
Tremble.
His legs kept shaking uncontrollably, reflecting his anxious mind.
“Chairman. The target departed a little while ago.”
“…Is everything prepared?”
“No issues. No one will be able to obstruct your great vision to safeguard the future of Korea.”
“Good.”
For the future of South Korea.
Having returned to the youth who once ignored the nation’s crisis and only cared about winning Olympic gold medals, Nam Hae-soo had run this far with one thought in mind:
Stop the coming national catastrophe.
“Do not blame yourself.”
“……”
“To fix this corrupt nation, we need a hero like you, Chairman. That is why everyone willingly went to prison.”
“…Yes.”
His secretary completely misunderstood the reason behind Nam Hae-soo’s grim expression.
Nam Hae-soo did not correct him.
‘I wasn’t wrong.’
Having knowledge of his beloved country’s future, he had done many things.
He invested in defense industries to strengthen national security, and disguised the eliminations of future-destroying politicians as suicides…
He had silently fought a lonely battle that no one ever acknowledged.
Of course—
“Only Chairman Hwang Hae-soo can save this doomed nation.”
“That’s right.”
Now, numerous supporters stood by his side.
Their abilities varied, but their love and concern for their country were second to none.
“Chairman, all you have to do is give us orders.”
“Hm…”
“Is there still something bothering you?”
“Kang Moon-soo.”
“Ah! This time, we’ll definitely—”
“No. Don’t kill him. Capture him alive. There is something I must ask.”
“Understood.”
“Make sure he is captured alive. Tell them that no mistakes will be tolerated.”
“Yes, sir.”
Filled with anxiety, Nam Hae-soo waited for the outcome.
***
It was unnaturally quiet.
“…What is this?”
Not long after eating the in-flight meal, a strong drowsiness hit me.
I fell asleep immediately without even putting on the eye mask provided by the airline…
But when I opened my eyes, the inside of the plane was dead silent.
“……”
“……”
Every passenger—including the sisters sitting beside me—was in a deep, unmoving sleep.
No one going to the restroom, no one awake watching movies. Nothing.
‘Is this normal for old-generation aircraft?’
Impossible.
Thinking of calling a flight attendant lasted only a moment.
Slide—
Careful not to wake Park Han-hee, who was sleeping with her head on my shoulder, I stood up quietly.
“……”
“……”
I wasn’t seeing things, nor was I being overly sensitive.
In first class, business class, and economy—every single passenger was unconscious.
This was not normal.
‘Is this some new occult phenomenon?’
I decided to look for flight attendants who were nowhere to be seen.
Step by step…
Looking left and right, ready for a possible ambush, I headed toward the front—where the cockpit, first class, and galley were located.
“What…?”
The flight attendants were huddled in a corner of first class.
And men were pointing guns at them…
Anyone could see this was an emergency.
‘Does the captain know?’
If the captain was part of the same group, this was extremely serious.
There was no guarantee this plane was headed to its scheduled destination.
No—
Would they really commit such a plan if the plane were simply going to land normally?
If it landed, their secret uprising would be over.
Meaning, the destination had already been changed.
“You. Go check.”
“There’s no way he could’ve woken up already… Ah, yes, sir.”
I heard their conversation.
“There might be someone else who didn’t eat the in-flight meal.”
A young girl—she looked like a middle schooler—was hiding behind the flight attendants.
“Uh… Boss. Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“You think the gun is for decoration?”
“Ah! I forgot we had guns.”
“Hurry up and go.”
“Yes!”
“Wait! Leave the gun. If it gets taken from you, we’ll be in trouble.”
“Huh? If I leave the gun, then I…”
“Unbelievable! Do I have to explain everything from one to ten? Hide the taser in your pocket and go.”
“Oh! Right, we had that!”
“…If you see anyone awake, stun them with the taser and bring them here.”
“Yes!”
Leaving the critical task of monitoring passengers to such a clueless underling?
The so-called “boss” insulting him didn’t look all that competent either.
“Go quickly.”
“Don’t be nervous.”
The rest of the group, relieved that the annoying job wasn’t assigned to them, also seemed pathetic.
The reason such useless people were able to overpower the flight attendants must have been the guns—nothing else.
‘He’s coming!’
There was no time. My business-class seat was very close.
If they noticed it was empty, they’d rush over to capture me.
‘And those cameras are a problem too.’
There was no way to avoid the security cameras installed throughout the plane.
Tap.
After quieting my footsteps, I sprinted at full speed all the way to economy class.
From here on, it was a race against time!
I prayed that the clueless guard would thoroughly check the galley, the lavatory, even the second-floor cabin.
“Excuse me.”
“……”
I carried a woman—around the same age as some of the athletes—on my shoulder and brought her back to my business-class seat.
Click!
I fastened her seatbelt perfectly.
‘Wow… she still doesn’t wake up?’
If she didn’t even stir while I carried her, the sedative in the meal must’ve been extremely strong.
“……”
“……”
“……”
The three women sleeping side by side looked perfectly natural—much more natural than when I, a man, was stuck between the two sisters.
‘Next.’
I seated another passenger—one from even farther back than the woman’s original seat—into that empty spot.
Then I repeated the same process two more times!
Finally, I successfully lured the clueless guard all the way to the rear of the plane without being detected.
“Hm… I should head ba—huh?!”
Pressed tightly against the partition, I ambushed the careless man.
Grab!
I clamped my palm over his mouth before he could scream, giving him no chance to pull out the taser hidden in his pocket—
Crack!
With a twist of his head, I snapped his neck.
“…Clean.”
Thud.
I moved the guard’s body into a corner where it wouldn’t be seen.
‘Shall we begin the survival game?’
Bzzz!
Holding the confiscated taser, I moved toward the front of the plane.