Short, Light, Free

Chapter 184: Dig On, Dig On (Part 2) I

“We’ll see about that. I really gotta go and I’ll lose signal when I go down.”

“I heard that you gave them 200,000 to renovate the house. I don’t know how much you earn a month, but Mom said it’s about 10,000? A project over at my side can cost up to a billion dollars, and the job position you’ll be in will get you 300,000 a year. It will be similar to what you’re earning but you won’t have to go down to the mine so it’s definitely not as dangerous.”

“I’m going to work. I can’t talk more. I’ll give you an answer as soon as possible so wait for my reply.”

I hung up and pressed down on the almost deformed switch button of my Nokia phone.

The screen was already black but I had no intention of letting it go.

300,000 a year. That was all that I could remember from our conversation.

Working as a security guard for the inn was really a waste of time.

Brother needed someone with specialized knowledge and hadn’t I been accumulating related experience for 10 years?

As for the needed certifications, Brother had said that it was not a problem.

So why not?

I stood by the entrance, totally preoccupied with my thoughts.

After work, I returned to the dorm where ten of us shared a room.

I stared at my phone, conflicted.

After a few deep breaths, I finally switched it on.

Immediately, as the screen lit up with the famous hand grabbing hand scene, I wanted very much to turn it off again.

I pressed on, however, and finally forced myself to open the phone call history.

I pondered over my choices as I stared at my brother’s number on the screen.

I could either live on half-heartedly or go earn a whopping 300,000 a year.

There was an obvious answer, but my mind was circling endlessly between them.

I bit down on my teeth and finally made the call.

“Hello?” he greeted.

“Hey, Brother.”

“I knew you’d call. Mining work isn’t fun,” he responded.

“I’m interested in what you offered earlier, but I don’t know if there would be risks. You do know that I don’t have the necessary papers.”

“Upon graduation, I entered the medical field. Minimally invasive surgery is my specialization, and I have made quite a name for myself. It is, however, in the theoretical stage so I’ll need some specialized opinions. I need a powerful voice to assist me.”

“The high-level engineer you were talking about?” I asked.

“I invited many talents but they backed out the moment they knew it was about a human experiment. I understand that what they do is different from us, but if this thing was to succeed, it would be a blessing to humankind.”

“What do you want me to do, then?” I asked.

“Very simple yet very difficult,” he answered. “I’m married, do you know that? Probably not, since I haven’t mentioned it to Mom and Dad. No one in my company knows as well.”

“Why’s that so?”

“Underground love. I have no choice since my wife is the head of the human resource department in this very company. Politics you know... I don’t want to have to deal with malicious comments about power abuse and so on.”

“What has that got to do with a high-level engineer?”

He softened his voice once more, “The human resource department is in charge of recruiting the talents. I’ll prepare the necessary documents for you. Once you become an employee, lay low for a bit and then I’ll get you to prove the safety of my equipment. What follows next is clinical in nature so you don’t have to know.”

“I’ll just have to prove that it’s safe to get 300,000 a year? Why isn’t anyone taking up such a good offer?”

“It is a life-changing amount for people from villages, but if you have the qualifications to work in a big city, the job that you’re doing now can easily fetch you much more. Mechanical engineering might be somewhat different from what you’re doing, but what I’m doing is similar to your stuff.”

“You’ve been telling me that a lot but I still don’t know what your research is about,” I added.

“Coronary heart disease. Do you know it?”

“I’m listening.”

“To put it simply, it is an illness where the connecting veins are clogged. My treatment is called bridge building, whereby a section of vein will be retrieved from the patient’s arm or leg to replace the clogged section. It’s a troublesome and risky surgery, but I’ve thought about a solution.”

“I am not sure if we’re on the same page,” I said.

After a long sigh, he added, “You’re a miner and was taught by a teacher. I don’t blame you for not understanding. How about you quit your job and fly over here? I’ll make the arrangements and we can talk it over in detail.”

“Alright, but what if we get caught forging documents? What will happen?”

“I can guarantee you that nothing will go wrong. Plus, the company does need a specialized expert in this area and they can’t afford to lose their reputation even if you get caught.”

“If that’s the case, it’d be better if you find an authoritative figure,” I commented.

“I have already figured a way to separate my registered residence from you guys. Just don’t mention that we’re related so they won’t be able to track anything from me. Even if you do get caught, just bear with it for three months and I’ll make sure that you’ll be fine. I’ll pay you the 300,000 even if the company doesn’t, and then you can return to your mine. Take it that you’re doing me a favor, alright?” he said.

“This is..”

“I graduated six years ago and had spent all my time and effort on this equipment. I won’t be able to continue if it’s not proved to be safe. I will forever be stuck in this theoretical stage. I believe that the risk is worth it,” he finished with conviction.

I agreed.