Chapter 585: Into the Rain (3)

"Get the next 9999 bus out immediately!"

The driver waiting room, built like a container, let every sound spill right outside.

Peeking through the window, I saw a man in a gray jumper shouting loudly. Unlike the drivers, he wore different clothes and had a name tag reading Kim Ong-Joon Ong-Joon from Osan Best Transportation—clearly a company supervisor.

At Kim Ong-Joon's loud voice, the drivers blinked in surprise.

"Kim Ong-Joon, what are you shouting about?"

"I just got word from Driver Ahn Jun-Moo saying his bus has mechanical issues and he's diverting to the repair shop. That's the 1:40 bus. We need to launch the 1:50 one now!"

Apparently, the 1:40 9999 bus that had just departed was having engine trouble and was heading to a nearby repair center. In other words, the next bus, the one I was about to board, was the one I needed to be on.

'

Phew~ I picked the right one.

'

I let out a breath of relief without realizing it.

At that moment, the experienced driver Chae Moon-Dong, who had shared a coffee with me earlier, frowned and replied to Kim Ong-Joon.

"The 1:50 bus should be Han-Beom's, but he's not here yet."

Kim Ong-Joon exploded in anger. "That guy's always late. Mr. Chae, when that guy shows up, send him straight to my office."

"Han-Beom just got home this morning. He must be dead tired. He'll be here soon, so cut him some slack."

"I don't want to hear it. Just put someone in that seat and send them out unless you want demerits and a pay cut!"

Chae Moon-Dong pleaded. "Deputy Kim, these drivers just finished their shifts and sat down. What if they get into an accident behind the wheel right now? Please, show a little understanding."

Kim Ong-Joon gave an exasperated look. "Seriously, if you're that scared of accidents, maybe don't be a driver!"

Even though Kim Ong-Joon's words were outrageous, the drivers just grimaced. It seemed like they were used to this treatment.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the bed in the back corner of the waiting room.

A man in his mid-thirties with messy hair sat up and responded. "I'll go."

Chae Moon-Dong looked at him with pity. "Myung-Jin, you've only slept two hours..."

"I'm fine, Mr. Chae."

"How can you be fine? You were up all night caring for your sick kid and came straight here..."

At that moment, Kim Ong-Joon cut in. "Hey, Woo Myung-Jin. You can drive right now, yeah?"

Woo Myung-Jin nodded. "Yes, sir."

As Chae Moon-Dong looked like he might try to stop him again, Kim Ong-Joon gave a cold warning. "If I hear one more objection, don't bother showing up tomorrow. Understood?"

Chae Moon-Dong clamped his mouth shut. As a powerless bus driver, he couldn't say anything more.

"...."

Woo Myung-Jin stretched with a cracking sound. "Mr. Kim, I'll head out after a quick wash. Please stop pushing the other sunbae-nims so hard."

Woo Myung-Jin washed up at the sink on one side of the waiting room and jogged in place to wake himself up. Kim Ong-Joon scowled, then turned and stormed out the opposite door of the waiting room.

The drivers sighed as if there was nothing they could do.

'

So that's what was going on.

'

Even if I changed the schedule entry in Everyday, history would only shift slightly-most things still play out as they did before. In other words, what I just witnessed was the real reason behind the catastrophic 25-car pileup from before the regression.

I wanted to tell Woo Myung-Jin not to take the wheel, but in a situation like this, I had no way to stop him-short of using force.

However, using force against someone who has done nothing wrong wasn't right either, and if the driver or company reported me to the police, I could lose my chance to stop the 9999 bus accident forever because the bus would depart without me.

In the end, there was only one option left—to board the bus myself and prevent the accident from the inside.

Creak.

Woo Myung-Jin opened the door and came out of the waiting room.

To break the ice with him, I opened my umbrella beside him.

Fwoop.

Startled by the sound of the umbrella opening, Woo Myung-Jin looked surprised.

I smiled and said, "Oh, I'm taking the 9999 too. Let's go together."

The relieved Woo Myung-Jin nodded, having just been looking for an umbrella. "Oh, sure. Thanks."

At that moment, Chae Moon-Dong came out of the waiting room and spoke to me. "Weren't you waiting for a friend? You're going alone after all?"

"Yes. Looks like I'll have to go by myself."

"I see. Thanks for the coffee earlier."

Then he turned to Woo Myung-Jin.

"Myung-Jin, that guest is headed to Sadang Station. Take him along and be careful, you must be tired."

"

Oh

, come on~ You worry too much. I've been driving for years now."

"I know, but it's pouring today. Be careful out there."

"Yes, sir."

Woo Myung-Jin smiled, sharing my umbrella as we headed toward the 9999 bus.

Hiss!

The bus door opened, and I boarded at exactly 1:45 p.m. There was 1 hour and 15 minutes left until the accident was supposed to occur. From here on, people's lives would depend on what I did.

I took a deep breath and made a vow.

'

Alright. Let's do this.'

Before the bus departed, I sent a Kk Talk message to Lee Soo-Chan.

[Jung Yoon-Ho: Soo-Chan, can you find out anything about Woo Myung-Jin, the 9999 bus driver at Osan Best Transportation? Within 30 minutes would be great, sooner if possible.]

Lee Soo-Chan's errand center was known for quickly gathering accurate intel when given specific information.

I decided to dig into Woo Myung-Jin's background as thoroughly as I could. The more I knew, the higher my chances of stopping the accident.

Ding!

Not even 30 seconds passed before a reply came.

[Lee Soo-Chan: I have a contact who used to work at Osan Best Transportation. I'll find out right away.]

Lee Soo-Chan's Kanghan gang once held sway across Gyeonggi Province, centered around Ansan. At the time, many former gangsters had found new lives in taxi and bus companies. One of them had apparently worked at Osan Best Transportation, and Lee Soo-Chan was reaching out now.

If things went well, I might learn about Woo Myung-Jin faster than expected.

At that moment, the 9999 bus completed its pre-departure check.

"Departing now."

Hiss.

As the front door closed with a clunk, the 9999 bus finally began to move.

Now aboard the wheel of fate, the bus was leaving the depot-with me on it.

***

Because of the heavy rain and the midday timing, hardly any passengers had boarded the 9999 bus.

The few that were aboard were all sitting in the back, so I was the only one near the driver's seat.

Thirty minutes after we left the depot, Woo Myung-Jin began yawning behind the wheel. "

Yaaawn~

"

Woo Myung-Jin started rubbing his eyes and wiping his face, clearly getting drowsy.

I immediately leaned forward from my seat and spoke. "You look really tired. Wouldn't it be better to pull over at the shoulder and rest for a bit?"

Woo Myung-Jin forced a cheerful tone as he replied. "Oh, no, I'm alright. A little tired, yes, but not enough to stop the bus. And I've driven this route thousands of times. No need to worry."

I tried a few more times to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen anymore. He kept saying if he didn't stay on schedule, he would get demerits and a salary cut.

In the end, persuading him with words was impossible.

It was now 2:15 p.m. There were still 45 minutes left until the predicted time of the accident.

After failing to convince him, I considered reporting the drowsy driving to the police. If I did that, the highway patrol would likely follow us, forcing the 9999 bus to stop.

However, that might cost Woo Myung-Jin his job and no one knew how losing his job would alter his future. So I put that plan on hold for now, began filming the driver's seat with my phone, and waited for a message from Lee Soo-Chan.

That's when a call came in for Woo Myung-Jin.

Woo Myung answered via Bluetooth earbud.

"Yes, Mr. Kim."

-Myung-Jin, if you don't hurry, you'll miss the schedule. Pick up the pace!

Splash! Splash!

Rain slammed against the windshield. Woo Myung-Jin was driving at about 60 km/h, but visibility was still low, just as he had said.

"But sir, visibility is poor due to the heavy rain."

But Kim Ong-Joon barked back without hesitation.

-Kid, when I was your age, I drove blind through a typhoon. Stop whining and speed up! Or pay the fine and finish the route anyway!

Kim Ong-Joon added that he was tracking the bus via GPS and kept pushing.

"Ah... this is insane... Fine. I'll do it, okay?"

Eventually, Woo Myung-Jin ended the call. And with no other option, he stepped harder on the gas.

Vroooom.

In an instant, the speedometer needle shot up to 100 km/h. The wipers whipped back and forth like crazy, but with the rain pounding the windshield, visibility was almost nonexistent.

'

He really drove in conditions like this?

'

The incident before the regression was a disaster stacked on top of another—it was no wonder the crash couldn't be avoided.

On my phone, everything from Kim Ong-Joon's unfair orders to the dangerously high-speed drive was being recorded.

By then, it was 2:40 p.m. There were twenty minutes left until the accident.

Then the Kk Talk message I had been waiting for arrived.

[Lee Soo-Chan: Hyung, I just heard from Geum IlI-Soo, a sunbae who used to work in Osan. He said Driver Woo Myung-Jin lost his wife three years ago and now lives with his daughter and mother. He's not working there anymore, but while he was there last year, he was so close to Woo Myung-Jin that they even called each other brothers.]

Apparently, someone who was close enough to call Woo Myung-Jin 'hyung' had been contacted. And as it turned out, Geum Ill-Soo was currently at Woo Myung-Jin's house.

Lee Soo-Chan, knowing I wouldn't ask for something like this without reason, had apparently told Geum Ill-Soo to go to Woo Myung-Jin's house himself.

[Jung Yoon-Ho: The daughter's been sick, right? How's she doing now?]

[Lee Soo-Chan: Thankfully, she's doing better. Ill-Soo hyung bought porridge from a nearby place. Oh, and he said Woo Myung-Jin would do anything for his daughter. He would even fake dying just to make her laugh.]

Lee Soo-Chan relayed trivial details, and they gave me a way to fix this without using force.

[Jung Yoon-Ho: Soo-Chan, could you ask Woo Myung-Jin's daughter to call her dad just once?]

[Lee Soo-Chan: Call him? Why?]

[Jung Yoon-Ho: Just have her ask him to drive safely in the rain. I'm sitting right behind the driver right now, and he's doing 100 in this weather. Ask her to tell him to slow down.]

[Lee Soo-Chan: What? Hyung-nim, why are you on the bus anyway?]

[Jung Yoon-Ho: It's a long story. Just do it. Within 3 minutes, please.]

[Lee Soo-Chan: Got it. I'll ask Ill-Soo hyung.]

It was now 2:50 p.m., and the rain was getting even heavier. Woo Myung-Jin sighed continuously, clearly exhausted.

At 2:52 p.m, nearing Yangjae IC, more and more cars began to appear through the downpour. Our 9999 bus was still moving faster than any of them, since everyone else knew better than to speed in this storm.

At 2:54 p.m, I couldn't wait any longer. I decided I would give Woo Myung-Jin one final warning and then report him to the police. If he realized the police were involved, he would have no choice but to slow down.

Buzz.

Just then, a call came in on Woo Myung-Jin's phone. Nevertheless, Woo Myung-Jin didn't even seem to notice it with his eyes locked on the road ahead and his back soaked in cold sweat.

So I called out loudly. "Sir!"

"Y-yes?"

"You're not answering your phone?"

"Oh... right..."

Woo Myung-Jin came to his senses and answered via Bluetooth.

"Hello?"

-Dad, where are you?

A child's voice rang out clearly through the unsealed Bluetooth earpiece.

"Oh, Daddy's driving right now."

-

Oh

, I see~ Is it raining where you are too?

"Yeah. It's pouring here too. But Jin-Ah, are you feeling better now?"

-Yeah! Uncle Ill-Soo came and bought me porridge. He brought pumpkin porridge, red bean porridge, and abalone porridge!

"Did you say thank you?"

-Yup, I did!

The child's voice was full of energy.

Then suddenly, her tone changed slightly.

-But Dad...

"Hm?"

-Daddy! You can do it~ Jin-Ah believes in you~

An unexpected cheer song burst out from the other end.

At that moment, I saw Woo Myung-Jin's tired face suddenly light up. The fatigue that neither gum nor coffee could shake melted away with his daughter's song.

It was like magic.

"

Hahaha.

Alright, alright. Daddy's going to hang in there."

-And you're driving safely, right? Promise?

"Y-yeah... I promise."

Then it happened. At exactly 2:56 p.m, Woo Myung-Jin began easing off the accelerator.

The speedometer, which had pointed at 100 km/h, gradually dropped from 90 km/h to 80 km/h, then to 70 km/h.

Eventually, it settled at 50 km/h. And at that same moment, the entry on Everyday finally disappeared.

[Everyday V12.2]

[Date: January 21, 2021]

-3:00 p.m.:

(Deleted Schedule Entry: A 25-vehicle pile-up occurred near Yangjae IC on the Gyeongbu Expressway. (Note: Once-in-a-century winter rain.))

'

It worked.

'

The thing that moved the heart of a driver under crushing pressure from his company wasn't authority or power, but it was his daughter's voice.

Unaware of what had just transpired, Woo Myung-Jin began smiling.

"Yeah, Daddy's driving safely. So, Jin-Ah, is there anything you want to eat?"

-Nope. I just want Daddy to come home.

Woo Myung-Jin gripped the steering wheel with both hands and responded.

"Alright, sweetie. Daddy will come home as soon as work is over."

-Okay~ Love you, Daddy~

Click.

As the child's voice faded, Woo Myung-Jin let out a long sigh. Then he looked at me in the rearview mirror and spoke, his voice slightly trembling.

"Excuse me, sir."

"Yes, sir?"

"I'm really sorry. I was a bit on edge earlier. The pressure from the company is intense, and I ended up speeding without realizing it. I hope you understand."

I exhaled in relief and smiled. "It's okay. But... are you short-staffed? The operation seemed overwhelming."

"Yes. No matter how much we explain the field situation, the boss won't hire more drivers. It's tough."

It was clear Osan Best Transportation needed to be reported. Today's incident passed safely, but something like it could happen again.

A little while later, the 9999 bus passed the stretch of road near Yangjae IC where the accident would have happened. And just like magic, the rain clouds began to scatter and the downpour gradually eased, as if fate itself was acknowledging the change.

By the time we reached Sadang Station, the sky had cleared completely as if it had never rained.

Through that sky, a double rainbow slowly emerged. It was as if celebrating the countless lives that had been saved.

"

Phew~~

"

I let out a deep breath and swore to myself I would bring down Osan Best Transportation.

'

You're all done for now!

'