Lee Wooshin, now without any hesitation, immediately returned without wavering, following the verified footprints. That action, not only bold but even absurd, made Yoo Dawit’s eyes widen. His face showed he wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly.
“Team Leader, do you mean…”
“Member Yoo Dawit is an expert in this field, so even if I don’t explain, you must know. Right now, there’s no way to disarm the mine. And the rescue team from Saint Petersburg will take more than eight hours to arrive, even by plane. I don’t have the luxury of waiting leisurely, and I’m more capable than you all.”
“……!”
“Therefore, we have to resolve this well, right?”
“No, I’m the one who stepped on it, so I’ll take responsibility. Leave this place to me and quickly go find Member Han Seoryeong…!”
“Yes, that was my initial intention.”
The low tone he muttered seemed to suppress the urge to run immediately. However, contrary to his boiling emotions, Lee Wooshin instead stepped in the opposite direction. He pulled Yoo Dawit’s body closer, then slowly began to push Yoo Dawit’s foot away.
“Chi… Chief!”
“Be quiet for a moment. Actually, I briefly considered cutting off your leg from the knee down and pressing that foot down until the rescue team arrived. But you wouldn’t want that, would you?”
“……!”
“That’s indeed a method often used by South African mercenaries.”
His terrifying words made Yoo Dawit only swallow hard. His face turned ashen, and he couldn’t push Lee Wooshin carelessly—he could only stiffen with a petrified expression. As a former Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team member, this was the first time he had directly stepped on a mine. But in his head, which had repeatedly touched, detected, and disarmed hundreds of explosives, the calculations ran quickly. What percentage of people survived after stepping on a mine? Even if they survived, that life was paid for with the loss of limbs or burns that seared all the way to the throat. At that moment, Ki Taemin, still in a prone position, exclaimed.
“In movies, they like to reinsert the safety pin and then lift their foot…!”
“Can’t do that.”
“Huh?”
“Once a mine is active, it’s impossible to reinsert the safety pin.”
Lee Wooshin shook his head firmly. Reinserting the pin after the mine was neatly removed could only be done before the mine was stepped on. Once stepped on, the hole where the pin goes in would shift, and it would no longer be possible to accurately close the detonator hole. Yoo Dawit added.
“Since it’s already stepped on, removing the booster is also impossible.”
“And the cover can’t be opened either.”
The two quickly eliminated all possibilities. Mines, essentially, are the simplest explosives: step on them, then they explode. But this type of mine would explode the moment the foot was lifted —clearly the installer’s intention. To bind the soldiers’ feet so they couldn’t move, isolate their minds, and ultimately make them despair. It was impossible that the Team Leader didn’t know about that. But Lee Wooshin’s attitude was so calm as if he was just stepping on a small stone with his boot. Usually, their Team Leader would lean back on the sofa with his chin propped up, and say, “Just handle it yourself, okay~,” instead of offering to sacrifice himself. What was he really thinking to do this…?
Finally, Yoo Dawit’s foot, which had been slowly pushed with equal pressure, was now completely free. He let out the breath he had been holding. But before his trembling knees could regain stability, a quiet order was heard.
“Yoo member, immediately find something that weighs over 10 kg.”
“……!”
He turned stiffly, and Lee Wooshin smirked faintly.
“Why? Were you just going to let me stand here without a word of thanks?”
“No, it’s not that…!”
Panicked, Yoo Dawit glanced around. There were only vast fields and rice paddies.
“Here, you mean? 10 kg?”
“Have no pity for your superior who took your place on the landmine? Don’t you want to save my life?”
“But, Team Leader…!”
Ah… a person’s nature truly doesn’t change. Yoo Dawit exchanged a brief look with Ki Taemin, who was still prone, and recalled the instructors who used to drill the trainees relentlessly. At the same time, he realized Lee Wooshin’s intention. Just like he had pressed down on Dawit’s foot with the same pressure earlier, now he intended to replace the pressure on the mine plate with something else. It was indeed the most realistic solution now. But 10 kg… at least three bricks would have to be stacked. In a field like this, which only contained soil and plants, where could they find something that heavy? Especially in this darkness.
“Correction. Make it 20 kg.”
“……!”
“Maximum time from releasing my foot to placing the replacement object: 0.2 seconds. Even a slight delay will cause an explosion. A difference in weight can also cause an explosion. So, let’s just increase it to 20 kg.”
Lee Wooshin’s command became even more difficult. But in a place like this, let alone 10 kg, finding 20 kg was impossible…! Yoo Dawit took a small flashlight from his military uniform pocket and began to shine it around, while Ki Taemin scanned the field with his scope, but the result was nil. Only Lee Wooshin, even though he was stepping on a landmine, looked as if it was none of his business, continuing to stare at the tower sinking into the darkness. With his hands crossed behind his head and his eyes slowly closing, he suddenly opened them wide when he heard the sound of an owl in the distance. Then, with a serious face, he pointed his chin in a certain direction.
“That. Bring it here.”
“……!”
“How can you aspire to do great things if you don’t even notice the bottom of an oil lamp this dark?”
Two pairs of tense eyes turned in the direction Lee Wooshin pointed.
“That, can you take responsibility for moving it, Yoo Dawit?”
What he lightly pointed to was an overturned truck. A cold silence instantly enveloped them. Mouths gaped open, and then a sound, whether a sigh or a groan, escaped from the team members simultaneously.
“Team Leader…, do you mean we have to right that, drive it, and then crush your own foot?”
“As long as the truck slid down just now and didn’t explode, it means the path is safe. Just follow that trajectory and back up slowly.”
“Team Leader…!”
“Which is better, my foot being stepped on or your bones breaking?”
“……!”
“You have to repay the favor, Yoo. Don’t talk so much, just do it. We don’t have time.”
Lee Wooshin urged coldly. From the beginning, since he stepped forward to switch places with Yoo Dawit, this was what he had planned. Such an extreme method was not something the team members could readily accept, especially if the outcome was uncertain. So, rather than wasting time arguing, he chose to bear the risk himself and instill a sense of guilt in Yoo Dawit. From the start, it wasn’t about sacrifice, but just a strategy.
Sometimes, when he realized how much he had changed into a human who was only good at calculating everything to the bone and manipulating others in this way, an inexplicable emptiness and disgust would always come crashing down. But his life had indeed been filled with such things. Han Seoryeong, who was like a nail hammered into his life, was the only exception….
“If the timing is off, your foot will be crushed, Team Leader…!”
“Just do it anyway.”
He continued to stare into the distance.
“I’ll pull my foot away, so please send me quickly.”
“…….”
“Crushed or not, I have to pull my foot away first so I can leave.”
After taking a deep breath, he turned in this direction. His eyes were bloodshot as if they would burst, his patience exhausted. Ki Taemin immediately contacted headquarters and completed the evacuation request. Then he shone his small light on the ground, carefully memorizing all the footprints, and carried Jin Hoje into the trailer. After that, Ki Taemin and Yoo Dawit gritted their teeth as hard as they could, as if their teeth would crack, and together they returned the overturned truck to its original position. Broken glass fell and scattered, the truck’s roof was severely dented, making it difficult to get inside. Yoo Dawit struggled to get into the driver’s seat and start the engine, but the truck only vibrated and didn’t start. With sweaty, clammy palms, Yoo patted the rough dashboard. Finally, the engine started with a rough sound, and the exhaust pipe spewed gray smoke.
“Don’t let the speed drop below 60 km/h, no matter what.”
Lee Wooshin also prepared himself, adjusting his body position.
“If you can’t stop exactly at the point of the landmine, it will explode.”
“Haa... yes…”
“Don’t worry. Just step on my foot properly.”
Yoo Dawit took a long breath and shifted gears. He began to reverse slowly, following the traces of the crash that were still clearly visible.
As soon as he turned on the headlights, Lee Wooshin, who was standing a few meters ahead, immediately furrowed his brow. His face was filled only with anxiety and extreme tension, not fear. He then pressed the accelerator as hard as he could.
“Damn it…!”
He had been through many incident scenes, but this stupid method was a first for him. If Lee Wooshin dodged faster than the tire, the mine could explode. If he dodged too late, his leg would be crushed. Both were equally the worst possibilities, nothing was certain. The shaking truck slid as if it would directly hit Lee Wooshin.
“Ugh―!”
A groan that sounded like a scream escaped involuntarily. Please… please…! He fought the urge to close his eyes and instead stared wide open. The truck speeding towards Lee Wooshin stopped as if halted by a ghost, right at one point.
“――!”
The vibration of something being stepped on and crushed was felt in the tire for only a moment. Then the face covered in the shadows of the night instantly became bright as day as the red flames ignited. KABOOM―! The earth-shattering explosion instantly swallowed the sound of the owls nearby.