Chapter 128: A Miracle for Everyone (4)

[ Special Mobile Unit 808 ]
[ ─Episode 7─ ]
​
Episode 7 begins with the two main characters facing each other.
​
The look in both their eyes is unusual.

The usual playfulness is gone, replaced by a confrontational glare.
​
Kim Yuhan was the first to break the silence.
​
“Someone had to die.”
​
“We could have saved him.”

“You killed him.”
​
“Really?”
​
Kim Yuhan shrugged lightly.
​
“Then let’s say I killed him.”

“That’s right.”

“I abandoned him.”

“To avoid a situation where we all die.”
​
Episode 7.

Their emotions had reached a breaking point.
​
The two had slowly begun to synchronize, but that meant they also had to deal with more formidable criminals.

The result was the current situation.
​
A death had occurred within Team 808.
​
Kim Yuhan spoke without averting his gaze.
​
“The reason Kangcheol seonbae is alive right now is because I decisively dragged you out of that building.”
​
“If we had tried a little longer, we could have saved him.”
​
“No.”

“We didn’t have enough time.”

“Were you going to say that to a time bomb?”

“Ask it to explode a little later?”
​
Lee Kangcheol had mobilized based on clues he thought were promising, but the small building itself was a massive trap.

An entrance to hell, designed to corner Team 808 and then blow them up.
​
Lee Kangcheol tried to save his colleague tied up with the time bomb, but Kim Yuhan forcibly dragged him out.
​
This was why the two were currently confronting each other at headquarters.
​
“We don’t have time to just grieve.”

“They’re still on the move.”

“Let’s proceed with the next action.”
​
“…You killed our colleague.”
​
“Get a grip.”

“Did you think you could catch criminals without any cost?”

“Anyone can die at any moment.”

“This time, it just happened to be him.”
​
As Kim Yuhan continued to speak, Lee Kangcheol’s eyes hardened intensely.

Like a bomb about to explode.
​
“Let me ask you one thing.”
​
Lee Kangcheol opened his mouth.
​
“You, if I had been the one tied up, would you have abandoned me?”
​
“Isn’t that obvious?”
​
There wasn’t a hint of delay in Kim Yuhan’s answer.
​
“Special Mobile Unit 808 is a group that must apprehend its target within 24 hours.”

“Weren’t you the one who emphasized prioritizing principles in any situation?”
​
“You….”

“You can’t catch a big fish without bait.”
​
“You’re comparing a colleague’s sacrifice to mere bait?”
​
“Those who survived might discuss sacrifice and whatnot, but wasn’t he ultimately used as bait?”

“Ah, if we waste time like this, he won’t even serve as proper bait.”
​
Kim Yuhan smirked slightly.
​
“It would be more accurate to call it a dog’s death.”
​
Smack─!
​
That was when Lee Kangcheol punched Kim Yuhan.
​
The force was no joke.

Blood was already starting to pool in Kim Yuhan’s mouth.

But he smiled.
​
“…You fool.”
​
Kim Yuhan spat out blood and stared at Lee Kangcheol.
​
“Is this also part of your principles?”

“To swing your fists when you have nothing left to say?”

“That’s quite something.”
​
“You’re not in your right mind.”
​
“You’re the one who’s not in your right mind─!”
​
Kim Yuhan suddenly roared and grabbed Lee Kangcheol by the collar.

He slammed him against the wall simultaneously.
​
“Do you think you were assigned to Team 808 because you’re truly competent?”

“Did the higher-ups assign you here with some expectation?”
​
“What?”
​
“You were demoted!”

“Because you harp on about principles but hesitate when it really matters!”

“Because you’re a inflexible bstard!”

“Isn’t that why you were kicked out to here?!”
​
With those words, Kim Yuhan threw his ID badge at his feet.

It signified his departure from Team 808, and at the same time, it was an act of severing their relationship.
​
“….”
​
Lee Kangcheol quietly straightened his clothes.

He seemed to have much to say but swallowed it back with a few breaths.
​
“…Is that all you have to say?”
​
“Go on chasing your principles for the rest of your life.”

“Live like a leashed dog forever.”

“That suits you.”
​
“I’ll do that.”

“Now get out of my sight.”

“We don’t need someone like you who considers colleagues’ lives as bait.”
​
The two began to walk in different directions.
​
Lee Kangcheol towards the inside of the headquarters, Kim Yuhan towards the outside.
​
Meanwhile.
​
At this time, viewers watching tvS on their PCs could participate in real-time chat if they were registered members.
​
The atmosphere, which they had hoped would lead to reconciliation, had instead become uncontrollably tense.

Naturally, the chat window updated faster.
​
[ Ha, so they’re really breaking up over this ]

• [ Lee Kangcheol is so frustrating, sht ]
• [ Kim Yuhan is the psychopath; ]
• [ Don’t fight, they just have different perspectives ]
• [ No, just catch the criminal first ]
• [ Ungrateful bstard Kim Yuhan ]
  
• [ It’s true Lee Kangcheol is inflexible ]
  ​
  

The chat window blazed with the sharp conflict between Lee Kangcheol and Kim Yuhan, and the official homepage wasn’t much different.
​
However, there was another place where the most unrestrained opinions were exchanged.

Naturally, it was the state of the online communities.
​
[ Special Mobile Unit 808 Gallery ]
​
[ Title: Kim Yuhan is right ]
[ So they should all just die there? ]
​
[ Title: Lee Kangcheol is a saint ]
[ Realizing his colleague saw him as mere bait, it’s amazing he’s keeping his sanity. Quitting as partners is a given. ]
​
[ Title: But is Kim Yuhan OOC? ]
[ Is it the actor’s limit? He seems a bit awkward today? ]
​
[ Title: This is why I said not to use rookies ]
[ They said he’s a strong rookie award candidate, blah blah blah hahaha Isn’t getting that angry today a sudden outburst? Kim Yuhan isn’t the type of character to shout and get angry like that, is he? ]
​
As viewers fiercely defended their favorite lead character, the conflict among them intensified, and the number of people who felt a sense of unease about Kim Yuhan’s actions clearly increased.
​
Was it the limit of his acting skills?

Or the limit of the script?
​
Either way, the atmosphere was one of general displeasure.
​
Meanwhile, the scene changed rapidly.
​
Kim Yuhan visits the operations briefing room one last time.
​
A whiteboard plastered with materials and maps, and post-it notes stuck on horizontal lines like clotheslines.
​
He began to sketch once more.
​
“From this incident, I’ve figured out that they’re in the warehouse district.”

“But they’re just the tail.”

“What’s important is the main base.”

“To find that out….”
​
Scratch─
​
His hand moved as unhesitatingly as ever.
​
Once again, he clearly drew out the intended plan.
​
“…We need bait again.”

“Bait to give them a false victory and reveal their main base.”
​
He had realized the enemies were hiding in the warehouse district, but that was merely the tail of a lizard.

He needed bait to prevent the enemy from simply cutting off its tail and escaping.
​
If the bait was devoured by the tail, the remaining main force would then eliminate the head and body.

It was a simple plan.
​
Around this time, the chat window became subtly different.
​

• [ Wasn’t he trying to get revenge alone? ]
  
• [ Those guys killed Kim Yuhan’s parents ]
  
• [ But for that, his expression lacks malice? ]
  
• [ What is it? What exactly is he trying to do? ]
  ​
  

Meanwhile, Kim Yuhan’s hand continued to move.
​
Scratch, scratch, scratch─
​
“In the end, we need bait this time too.”
​
Kim Yuhan eventually put down his pen.
​
“No, if seonbae is right, is it a sacrifice?”
​
He pondered deeply.
​
“Sacrifice…. Sacrifice….”
​
Kim Yuhan repeatedly mumbled the word.
​
His tone was as if he didn’t understand the meaning, yet it also sounded like he wanted to understand.
​
Afterward, he casually tossed his own ID photo onto the warehouse district on the map.

He didn’t toss Lee Kangcheol’s.
​
“Well, I hope it turns out that way.”
​
A way to prevent any more deaths from Team 808, find the criminals’ main base, and cleanly eliminate them, and also a move that wouldn’t drag Lee Kangcheol into danger.
​
…It was to offer himself as bait after leaving Team 808.

Kim Yuhan let out a small laugh.
​
Immediately after, the chat window sped up almost threefold.
​

• [ ???? No no no wait a minute ]
  
• [ Ah, so this was Kim Yuhan’s plan? ]
  
• [ Ah sht, don’t die, really, why are you doing this ]
• [ Don’t do it;;;;; Where are you going alone;;; ]
  ​

The communities were the same.
​
[ Title: Sht, he got angry on purpose? ]
[ I thought his emotions were excessive, but he deliberately pushed Lee Kangcheol away to not drag him in, fck; Chills; ]
​
[ Title: This is truly insane hahaha ]
[ Ah, it twists like this? Please ]
​
[ Title: Let’s not do this ]
[ Lee Kangcheol, the stickler for rules, finally warmed up to Kim Yuhan, but Kim Yuhan, who used to see people around him as tools, is sacrificing himself for Lee Kangcheol, sht no sht ]
​
[ Title: Only 10 minutes left TTTT ]
[ I’ll go crazy if it ends like this ]
​
It didn’t even take a few minutes to resolve the viewers’ unease and simultaneously quell the controversies about Kim Yuhan being OOC and Lee Suan’s acting skills.
​
Real-time viewership ratings continued to rise.
​
All the viewers, with sweaty palms, focused on the remaining 10 minutes.
​
Scene change.
​
Several hours have passed within the story.
​
Lee Kangcheol stood stock-still in the hallway.

He had accidentally discovered that the light in Kim Yuhan’s data room was on.
​
The chat window was filled with unheeded shouts.
​

• [ Open it quickly! What are you doing! ]
• [ Yuhan went to die for you!!! ]
• [ Open it! Open it! Open it! Open it! Open it! ]
• [ Check the operation details quickly!!! ]
• [ What happened to Kim Yuhan, I’m going crazy ]
  ​

Lee Kangcheol placed his hand on the doorknob.
​
Click─
​
He turned it.

He just needed to push it to enter.
​
However.
​
“Lee Kangcheol!”
​
A voice suddenly called him.

It was Seo Yeon-ju.
​
“….”
​
“They’ve appeared.”

“Currently fleeing towards Pohang!”

“Their base must be there!”

“If we leave now, we can catch them!”
​
Lee Kangcheol’s eyes widened, and at the same time, he hesitated slightly.
​
Should he open the door?

Or should he deploy immediately?

“….”
​
But he soon shook his head.

“Yes.”

“I will deploy immediately.”
​
His retreating figure heading towards the parking lot was the end.
​
[ Special Mobile Unit 808 ]
[ ─To be continued tomorrow─ ]
​
Episode 7 finished airing.

Only the advertising banners were moving.
​
Of course, the viewers were completely flipped out.
​

• [ Kraaaaaaaah!!!! ]
• [ Seo Yeon-ju, you crazy btch!!!! ]
  
• [ Hey sht, check that before you go ]
• [ Lee Kangcheol, you son of a btch!!!!!!!!!!! ]
  
• [ jreodbeoyaaebeoraeyaideoya ]
  
• [ How can you cut it off here ]
  ​
  

Wonsunging, who managed the community, Kim Sunah from StarCatch, Yang Ha-rin watching on TV, Sikarin who was live-commentating on her VTuber broadcast, Sua’s Japanese tutor….
​
Though their locations were different, the sentiment they expressed was similar.
​
“Crazy! How can I wait until tomorrow!”

“No, it ends here?”

“This is how it ends?”

“Aaaaargh! Why is it ending!”

​
Yes, it was enough to drive one mad.
​

---

The next day, the internet was even more fired up.
​
[ Title: Foreshadowing of Kim Yuhan’s death already existed ]
[ If you look at his sketchbook, Kim Yuhan never included himself in any landscape he drew. It was already planned foreshadowing. ]

• ─Ah, is this for real?
  
• ─Seems plausible?
  
• ─No, please don’t die
  ​
  

[ Title: Lee Suan, this guy is really insane ]
[ I thought the actor’s acting was shtty, but the fact that even that was Kim Yuhan’s plan is truly;;; ]

• ─Watching it again, the subtle emotional line is amazing
• ─The wistful eyes in the final goodbye, sht
  

​
[ Title: Upvote if she’s the btch of the century ]
( Picture of Seo Yeon-ju winking )
[ Fcking btch, couldn’t you have called 1 second later!!! ]
─For real

• ─Seo Yeon-ju, you fcking btch!!!!
• ─Can’t forgive her even if she’s pretty
• ─Ah, he really should have seen the data room

​
[ Title: Episode 8 plot is obvious ]
( Pic of Sikarin aiming a pistol at her monitor )
[ Clicking any post is dangerous. Cutie. ]

• ─*sshole, this isn’t the mood for jokes
• ─Read the room
• ─Wonsunging: Banned for 90 days
  ​

All sorts of media were ablaze, and predictions for the plot of Episode 8 were rampant.

There were many worries that Lee Suan might die.
​
[ Title: Kim Yuhan won’t die ]
[ He’s going to kill his parents’ enemy with his own hands, then become the worst criminal and reunite. It’s all an act. ]

• ─This isn’t it
• ─He muttered about sacrificing himself, what are you talking about….
  ​

[ Title: But it is suspicious ]
[ Kim Yuhan is fundamentally a genius character, but he leaves the data room without even organizing it? I don’t get it. ]

• ─He secretly developed a desire for salvation.
• ─Kim Yuhan’s mindset is also different from the beginning.
• ─He’s just conflicted himself.
  ​

At this time, the media was the same.
​
[ ‘Special Mobile Unit 808’ Reaching its Climax, Can it Break the Devil’s 구간 30% Barrier? Everyone’s Watching! ]
​
[ ‘Special Mobile Unit 808’ … Viewership Ratings Only Possible in the 90s. A Huge Trend Already Spreading Among the Public. ]
​
[ Intensifying Internet Debates, Cursing Parents Because of a Drama? The Rising Issue of Etiquette Compliance. Stop Over-Immersing. ]
​
Celebrities also lit up SNS.
​
[ Outstagram ]
​
@daeho_dochi
[ Photo of a living room TV ]
▶ How could you cut it off here…. ㅠ My hedgehog’s eyes were sparkling too, looks like he really enjoyed it. Do you understand my heart….
​
#SpecialMobileUnit808 #HurryNextEpisode
​

***

@yangharin_thebeauty
[ Short 10-second parrot video ]
“Next episode! Next episode! Next episode!”
▶ Did I shout that much…?
​
#SpecialMobileUnit808 #KimYuhanDontDie
​

***

@i_am_seojeong
[ Seo Yeon-ju still cut ]
▶ Ugh, so frustrating even in the drama.
​
#YoureNotMyRival#SpecialMobileUnit808.
​

***

While everyone’s reactions were clamorous, at least one future was clear.

Everyone would gather in front of their TVs or monitors when it aired.

As if hypnotized.
​
***
​
10 minutes until Episode 8 airs.
​
Sua arrived at the hospital’s large parking lot with Kim Yi-seo and Seo Yeon-ju.

To keep the promise she had made with Sun-il earlier.
​
─Sorry for the sudden request.

─By any chance, when the climax episode airs, could you come to the hospital with me? It’s okay to refuse if it’s too much.
​
Moreover, Sua didn’t come empty-handed.
​
This was because she had later been privately informed of the detailed circumstances by Sun-il.

Knowing the situation, she couldn’t come empty-handed.
​
‘…Will she like it?’
​
What Sua brought was a blue rose.

Its flower language was ‘miracle’.

She wasn’t sure if a young child would like it, though.
​
‘I hope her condition isn’t too serious.’
​
Afterward, Sua frequently checked her phone.
​
It wasn’t that she had suddenly become addicted to online communities.
​
It was because Sua had sent a message that was almost a gamble.

However, she was anxious because there was still no reply.
​
Sun-il was waiting in the parking lot.
​
As soon as he saw Mystic’s members, he spoke.
​
“…You came.”

“Of course.”

“First, take this.”

“This is?”

He slowly accepted the bouquet.
​
Did the vibrant bouquet evoke some kind of sentiment?

His expression darkened even further.
​
Come to think of it, he looked more haggard than before.

Kim Yi-seo tried to say something, but Sun-il was faster.

“Thank you, everyone.”

“It was an unreasonable request.”
​
Sua nodded at Sun-il’s words.
​
“That’s right.”

“My sister’s hospital room also has a very large TV.”

“Episode 8 will air in a few minutes.”

“She’s been waiting for this day all along….”

“I don’t know if we can watch it together.”
​
During Sun-il’s story, something caught Sua’s ear.

“…Why? Is your sister’s condition very bad?”
​
Sun-il nodded weakly.
​
Just then.
​
Vrooom─!
​
Vehicles suddenly entered.
​
Mystic’s van was parked in a fairly spacious area, but the suddenly appearing vehicles quickly filled the vicinity.
​
Afterward, the doors opened, and the faces of the people getting out were very familiar.

Because they were all from the Special Mobile Unit 808 production team.
​
Sun-il blinked.

“Writer Lee Geum-sook, PD Choi Heewon…?”
​
But he couldn’t call out any more names after that.
​
It wasn’t because he didn’t recognize the people who appeared.
​
It was because there were too many of them.

Supporting actors, including Park Do-hee and Hwang Myungpil, as well as staff members, showed up.
​
“….”
​
However, Kim Sun-il was speechless not because of their appearance.

It was largely due to their attire.
​
They weren’t in casual clothes.

They were dressed in costumes fitting the world of Special Mobile Unit 808.

Like on a day when they were filming the drama.
​
It took only a moment for the work to begin.

“We can set it up in this empty space here, right?”

“Move it carefully, carefully!”
​
“Sua-ssi and Yeonju-ssi, come over here! Let’s get your makeup done quickly.”
​
They moved with perfect order.
​
But what was completed wasn’t a set for filming.
​
It was a screening theater for just one person.

A huge screen, a few lights, and one luxurious chair.
​
“We prepared so hastily after receiving Sua-ssi’s call.”
​
PD Choi Heewon, who stepped forward, said.
​
Despite his large build, his expression was gentle as expected.
​
“So, Sun-il ssi, is the guest of honor not here yet?”
​
Kim Sun-il still didn’t understand anything.
​
What call Sua had made, what was happening, what guest of honor was being mentioned out of the blue.
​
But it was strange.
​
Kim Sun-il felt a fluttering sensation in his chest.
​
No, perhaps he was touched.

They weren’t strangers.

The drama they had worked on together connected them.
​
Even if they weren’t blood-related, they often referred to each other as family.
​
“What…. What on earth is going on….”
​
Kim Sun-il muttered, but there was no answer.
​
“Let’s start taking out the equipment.”
​
However, PD Choi Heewon only said that.
​
Immediately after, all the staff members began to take equipment out of the vehicles.

But no matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t filming equipment.

Not even a camera, let alone a tripod, came out.
​
Moreover, they weren’t professional items at all.
​
Chocolates, dolls, candy, pretty clothes, and so on.

All sorts of things a little girl might like appeared.

It was clear that a lot of care had gone into them.
​
Kim Sun-il’s body began to tremble.
​
In front of everyone, unable to even maintain his composure.

“Let’s begin!”
​
PD Choi Heewon suddenly shouted.
​
Kim Sun-il thought to himself.

Begin what?
​
Meanwhile, a staff member approached the lavish chair.

A nameplate with the owner’s name was placed on the seat.
​
It was simultaneous with the screen lighting up brightly.
​
[ Special Mobile Unit 808 ]
[ ─Episode 8─ ]
​
“Special Mobile Unit 808! Special Screening!”
​
It announced that this was a seat for only one person.
​
『 Kim Yujin 』
​
Along with the name written on the nameplate, Sun-il’s younger sister’s name.