I bent down to pick her up and held her in my arms.
"Miso, do you want Uncle Yoon-Ho to give you a piggyback ride?"
"Yes!"
Miso nodded cheerfully and stretched her arms around my neck.
After holding Miso tightly in my arms, I tried to put on a big smile so she wouldn't be scared.
"Vroom vroom~."
"Yes. Vroom vroom~."
I replied to Miso and cautiously headed down to the first floor. When we arrived at the first floor, the smell of gas became much stronger.
"Uncle. It smells weird in here!"
"I'm sorry, Miso. Uncle Yoon-Ho just farted. Do you mind covering your nose?"
"Ewww, that's gross!"
Miso covered her nose with both hands.
'That's right. Stay just like that.'
I also covered my nose and headed towards the main door. The rusty metal door made me hesitate before opening it as I feared that a spark from it might cause an explosion. However, we couldn't stay here any longer.
I clenched my teeth and held onto Miso tightly in my arms.
Then, I slowly opened the door.
Squeak.
The squeaking sound coming from the door seemed as loud as thunder.
I desperately prayed for no explosion or at least for Miso's safety even if the explosion occurred. The moment the door was fully opened, I got ready to throw myself outside.
Then, I saw a firefighter fully dressed in protective gear and wearing a mask staring at me with heavy breaths.
"Are you the one who called for help?"
"Gasp!"
I felt like my heart was about to drop.
"Aren't you the one who reported the gas leak?"
"Yes! Yes! It was me. I will pay a fine if I have to, but there are still people inside and…"
"Yes. We came to check, just in case, and it turns out the gas level is very high. Please evacuate to that area immediately."
When I turned my head, I could see that an evacuation line had already been set up on one side of the road and evacuation procedures were underway.
'South Korean firefighters are the best!'
Although they sounded cold and indifferent over the phone, they actually responded quite promptly.
'I feel like I'm gonna cry.'
Whistle. Whistle.
The loud sound of a whistle echoed throughout the alleyways.
"Everyone, please move away. Sir, over there, please step back. It's dangerous."
"The gas concentration is high, so don't go beyond this point. Hey! You in the student uniform! I told you not to come closer!"
Eight fire trucks had rushed to the residential area of Cheonho-dong. The narrow alleyways felt as crowded as a night market.
As I followed the evacuation route, I heard the sound of someone taking photos.
Flash! Flash!
"Please look over here! Are you the one who reported the gas leak?"
Upon turning my head, I recognized the familiar face of the person taking the photos.
'Wait. Isn't this Reporter Jang Moon-Ki?'
In my past life, Jang Moon-Ki was the editor-in-chief of Weekly Stars where Reporter Gu Min-Ji used to work. Reporter Jang Moon-Ki would become the infamous editor-in-chief of Weekly Stars around five years later, notorious for distorted and fabricated articles.
It looked like he had rushed over from a nearby girl group filming, and I was quite bothered to see him.
"Over here, please. Yes~ this is perfect."
Flash! Flash!
'Why is he taking the photos so eagerly when he's only going to put it on a gossip column?'
Miso squinted and looked uncomfortable with the repeated camera flashes.
"Ouch~Uncle Yoon-Ho, my eyes hurt."
When I heard Miso's complaint, I blurted out out of annoyance.
"Excuse me, sir. Can you stop with the flash? What do you think you're doing, flashing lights directly into a child's face?"
"Oops, I'm sorry. Then how about we skip the photos and do a quick interview instead? I'll give you a free gift card in return."
Jang Moon-Ki smiled and pulled out a paper envelope. Whether I accepted the gift card or not, the article was bound to be published anyway. I was concerned about being photographed as I had secretly left the filming set previously, but it couldn't be helped—there was no point arguing with an entertainment reporter who didn't respect the right to one's privacy.
'I might as well just ask him for more gift cards so I can buy a bunch of stickers for Miso.'
"Isn't the standard for an interview two gift cards?"
Jang Moon-Ki gave an awkward smile.
"Hahaha. Our company's budget has been a bit tight lately, so…"
"Ah, then forget about the interview."
"H-hey, come on! Be patient. I'm not done speaking. Even though our company's budget has been a bit tight lately, I'll still give you two gift cards. Here they are!"
He handed over two gift cards and acted as if he was doing me a huge favor. They weren't even 100,000 won gift cards, but only 50,000 won.
"Alright, I'll give you five minutes for the interview because I have a place to go. Please make sure to censor my face."
"Don't you worry, I promise! I'm a man of my words," Jang Moon-Ki said as he tapped his chest.
'Hah, my ass.'
Reporter Jang Moon-Ki's nickname was 'Chameleon' as he often changed his stance and went back on his words. Knowing that he was someone who published false articles without a hint of remorse, I decided to answer his interview questions as cautiously as possible.
***
"Let's end the interview here."
"Wow, have you done interviews before? Your answers are perfect. Are you by any chance from the same industry as I am?"
Jang Moon-Ki looked at me curiously after the interview ended.
"No, I'm not."
"Then are you from the broadcasting field or something similar?"
Without giving any more time to Jang Moon-Ki, who tried to continue the interview, I carried Miso on my back.
"Miso, hold on tight. Okay?"
"Okay, Uncle Yoon-Ho!"
I held a Christmas tree and an electric scooter in my arms and ran towards the van through the snow-covered streets of Cheonho-dong.
Feeling Miso's warm breath on my neck, I suddenly became emotional, and tears filled my eyes.
"Huh? Uncle, are you crying? Why are you crying?"
"N-no, I'm not crying, Miso. It's just that some snow got into my eyes. It's just the melted snow, not tears."
"Oh, I see."
Miso reached out her right hand and wiped the tears off my cheeks.
Dab, dab.
"Hehe, all done."
Seeing the tears disappear from my eyes, Miso smiled proudly. I smiled back at Miso's innocent face.
I went against fate to save Miso, but I wasn't the least afraid of the consequences of my actions. Even if my actions ended up changing Miso and Yoo-Jin's destinies, I felt confident that things would be different this time, unlike the past. After all, I had a planner with the details of future events.
"Alright~. Let's get going, princess. Vroom, vroom~!"
"Hahaha! Uncle Yoon-Ho~. Vroom, vroom! Hahaha!"
Miso's bright laughter gave warmth and comfort to my overwhelmed heart.