Taeho headed for the parking lot of the Samcheok Grand Hotel at five in the morning. There were a great many places he had to go today as well.
“Habibi, habibi!”
When he turned around, Amira was running after him with a small bag in her hand.
“Amira? Why did you come out instead of sleeping a little longer? I didn’t wake you on purpose…”
“You should have just woken me. You said you were going far today.”
He had meant to be considerate, but Amira seemed hurt instead.
Taeho felt sorry toward his wife.
They were newlyweds, yet almost every day he left before dawn and barely returned late at night.
Even when he came home, he had to wash up, close his eyes for a moment, and then leave again, to the point that he could barely remember the last time they had sat face-to-face and talked.
She was alone in a faraway foreign country with no family and no friends, and even her husband could not stay by her side. He felt too ashamed to face her.
“I’m sorry, Amira. Once this is over, let’s spend some time together at a more relaxed pace.”
When Taeho stroked Amira’s hair, she quickly grew embarrassed and drew in her neck.
“Habibi, honestly… Here, I wanted you to have this.”
Amira held out the small bag she had brought.
“What is it?”
“Arabic coffee with saffron, and dates. It’ll help your fatigue go away quickly.”
“Okay. Thank you. It’s chilly, so hurry back inside.”
Even though Taeho gestured for her to go in, Amira said she would see him off and did not leave. Taeho kissed her on the forehead and got into the car.
“Drive carefully!”
Watching Amira grow distant in the rearview mirror, Taeho set out on the dawn road.
The first place he arrived was the Jungang Sewage Treatment Plant in Seomyeon, Busan.
A fierce wind was blowing in Busan.
Wearing protective clothing, Taeho stood beside the sewage inlet. Six employees from Busan City’s environmental department were sweating as they installed equipment.
“Please be careful! It’s slippery down there!”
Sure enough, before he had even finished speaking, one employee lost his footing.
“Whoa!”
Taeho swiftly pulled him up by the arm.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, yes. Thank you. Uh… huh?”
The employee stared at Taeho in surprise.
“Aren’t you Director Kang Taeho?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I didn’t think you’d come in person. I’ve only seen you on TV…”
“The field is what matters most.”
Thirty minutes later, Busan’s first monitoring network began operating. Real-time data appeared on the monitor.
-Busan Seomyeon / RNA concentration: 0.02 copies/mL / Within normal range
“Perfect.”
Taeho gave a thumbs-up.
The employees beamed.
The next place he arrived was the Jisan Sewage Treatment Plant in Suseong-gu, Daegu.
As Taeho got out of the car, he turned up the collar of his thick parka. Snowflakes were beginning to drift down.
“Director, this way.”
Administrative Officer Kim from Daegu City’s health department guided him. He was a young civil servant who looked to be in his mid-twenties.
“All five locations in Daegu have been installed. Data transmission started yesterday.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Not at all. I saw on the news what you did in New York, Director. We wanted to help too.”
Officer Kim’s eyes shone.
“Do you think there really will be an outbreak in Seoul six months from now?”
“I don’t know. But we have to prepare thoroughly, just in case.”
“We trust you, Director.”
Officer Kim bowed his head.
Taeho looked at his young face and patted him on the shoulder.
“Director. Are you leaving already?”
“There are many places I have to visit today.”
“It’s almost lunchtime. Why not have a meal before you go? There’s a good restaurant nearby.”
“No. If I do, I’ll be too late. Thank you anyway.”
The next place Taeho headed was Seoul. He made do with a bowl of ramen for lunch at a highway rest stop.
By the time Taeho arrived at the sewage treatment plant in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, it was past three in the afternoon.
As soon as he got out of the car, the stench that assaulted his nose greeted him first. Environmental department employees in protective suits were working in front of the massive sewage inlet.
“Director Kang!”
Section Chief Lee Sanghun, the person in charge on-site, came running over.
“We were told you would be coming today. But I didn’t expect you to come all the way here in person.”
“I have to see it myself to know. How is the installation going?”
Section Chief Lee pointed to the silver equipment installed beside the inlet. It was an automatic sampling machine the size of a refrigerator.
“It automatically collects sewage samples every two hours and measures the RNA concentration. The data is transmitted in real time to the KDCA server.”
“What about accuracy?”
“Over 95%. Seoul and Gyeonggi-do are generally going smoothly, but I heard installation is being delayed around Uijeongbu. It’s a place that’s always short on operating expenses due to local government budget issues.”
Taeho immediately took out his phone.
“Please connect me to the Commissioner of the KDCA. This is Kang Taeho.”
Five minutes later, the problem was resolved. Taeho had personally pressured the budget execution through the Presidential Office TF.
“Installation will begin at the Uijeongbu sewage treatment plant by tomorrow.”
Section Chief Lee let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s a good thing you’re here, Director.”
“I can’t do anything alone.”
Taeho looked at the employees wearing protective suits.
“This is possible because all of you are here. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Having someone famous come in person and encourage us like this really gives us strength.”
Smiles spread across the employees’ faces.
After sunset, the place Taeho arrived at was the construction site for the new wing of Gilcheon Medical Center.
Gilcheon Medical Center was a large general hospital ranked among Seoul’s Big Three.
The moment he got out in the parking lot, a loud din struck his ears. The sound of grinders, electric drills, and the site supervisor’s whistle mixed together.
“Director Kang!”
Site Manager Park Cheolsu ran out from the site office. In his mid-fifties, his work clothes covered in dirt and his faded safety helmet spoke of his long career.
“Welcome. Here is your safety helmet.”
Taeho put on the yellow safety helmet and retied the laces of his safety shoes. Manager Park took the lead with a clipboard in hand.
“I was told you were coming. You want to look around everything yourself?”
“Yes. I know it’s troublesome, but I’d appreciate it.”
“Not at all. Please come this way. This is the new five-story wing. Fifty negative-pressure rooms will go in here.”
As they climbed the steel stairs, Manager Park continued his explanation.
“The first floor will have ten general isolation rooms, the second to fourth floors will each have ten severe-case negative-pressure rooms, and the fifth floor will have ten rooms serving as both intensive care units and negative-pressure rooms.”
When they reached the third floor, the construction site spread out before them.
The reinforced concrete frame was complete, but inside, only the skeleton remained. About twenty workers were each working in their assigned places. Some were attaching gypsum board to the walls, while others were installing piping in the ceiling.
“They’re welding, so please be careful.”
Blue sparks flew from a corner. A welder was securing a steel frame. White smoke rose along with a burning smell.
Looking over the blueprints, Taeho asked,
“What is the progress rate?”
“Currently 65%. The frame and exterior wall finishing are complete, and we’re now working on the interior partitions and the mechanical room piping.”
Manager Park pointed to the ceiling. Silver ducts were tangled in a complex network.
“Those are the pipes for the negative-pressure system. Each hospital room needs an independent exhaust system, so the piping is extremely complicated.”
“When is completion scheduled?”
“Our target is the end of February. The weather during winter is an issue, but fortunately, most of the work is indoors, so it won’t cause a major problem.”
As Manager Park flipped through the clipboard, his expression turned troubled.
“However, one problem has come up.”
“What is it?”
“The key components for the negative-pressure system. The HEPA filter units and negative-pressure controllers are products from Dräger in Germany, and delivery has been delayed by two weeks.”
Taeho furrowed his brow.
“If it’s two weeks, doesn’t that push back the entire schedule?”
“That’s right. If installation of the negative-pressure system is delayed, the test run will be delayed too. In the worst case, it could be pushed back to mid-March next year.”
“What’s the reason?”
Manager Park sighed.
“I hear Europe is in chaos right now too, preparing for the pandemic. Hospitals in the UK, France, and Germany all placed orders at the same time, so Dräger headquarters can’t keep up with production. It seems our order got pushed back in the queue.”
Taeho thought for a moment, then took out his phone.
“Commissioner Park, this is Kang Taeho. Would it be possible to consult directly with the person in charge at the German Federal Ministry of Health? It’s about an urgent shipment of negative-pressure equipment. Fifty sets of HEPA filter units and fifty negative-pressure controllers from Dräger have been delayed by two weeks.”
-Ah. I heard Germany is busy with its own preparations right now as well.
“I know. But we have a six-month deadline. Please make a request through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the context of Korea-Germany health cooperation. If necessary, I’ll go to the German embassy myself.”
-Understood. Please give me thirty minutes.
After hanging up, Taeho looked at Manager Park.
“Let’s wait a little.”
“Yes. But is it that easy to move things through diplomatic channels?”
“I don’t know. We’ll have to try and see.”
Ten minutes passed.
During that time, Taeho looked around the construction site. He meticulously checked the state of the hospital room partitions, the quality of the pipe welds, and the electrical wiring.
Around the time twenty minutes had passed, his phone rang.
It was Commissioner Park Seonyeong.
-Director Kang, it’s done.
“Really?”
-The Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the German Federal Ministry of Health through the Korean embassy in Germany. They said they highly value the results Korea showed in New York and will prioritize our request.
“What about the delivery schedule?”
-It has been moved up to December 30. It’s three days later than the original date, but it’s far better than a two-week delay.
“That’s enough. Thank you, Commissioner.”
Taeho hung up and spoke to Manager Park.
“It will arrive on December 30.”
“Pardon? Really?”
Manager Park’s eyes widened.
“How, in just twenty minutes… These things usually take weeks.”
“It’s urgent. And handling things like this is why I came all the way here.”
Taeho spoke calmly. But Manager Park’s expression said he could hardly believe it.
“Director. You’re truly incredible. I’ve been in the field for thirty years, but I’ve never seen something resolved this quickly.”
“There’s no time.”
Manager Park felt the weight of those words. He nodded and opened his clipboard again.
“Then I’ll revise the schedule based on an arrival date of December 30. If we begin installing the negative-pressure system in the first week of January and complete the test run, completion by the end of February will be possible.”
“I’ll leave it to you, then.”
Taeho looked around the construction site again.
The twenty or so workers were still sweating as they worked. They were putting up walls, connecting pipes, and cutting rebar.
None of them probably knew exactly what they were making. They were simply working according to the blueprints, according to instructions.
But Taeho knew.
He knew that those hospital rooms would save hundreds of lives a few months from now.
“Then, keep up the good work. I’ll be going now.”
“Please take care on your way.”
Taeho nodded and turned around.
“Sunbae!”
A familiar voice rang out.
When he turned, his junior Oh Jiwon was standing there.
Gilcheon Medical Center was the family hospital where Oh Jiwon’s grandfather served as chairman.
Oh Jiwon also worked here.
“You came all the way here and were going to leave without even seeing me?” Oh Jiwon smiled, as if hurt.