Chapter 92
I looked into Do Han-Sol’s face.
‘Why did you eat a human?'
‘The guy… was a traitor.'
'Don't beat around the bush. Tell me exactly what happened.’
I furrowed my brow as I put the question toward Do Han-Sol, who grimaced and mumbled under his breath. After a moment, he sighed.
'The reason I was bitten by a zombie was because of that traitor. When we escaped Shelter Barrier… I was guarding the escape route, making sure that everyone got out. It was the last emergency exit left for us.’
Do Han-Sol calmed his voice before continuing.
'I couldn't hold the zombies back any longer, so I tried to close the emergency exit. That’s when the traitor appeared.’
My full attention was on Do Han-Sol.
He put his right hand on his forehead and gritted his teeth, as if the traumatic memory of that day had come to mind. He began to grow emotional.
'I… I had to make a choice. Either give up on him and close the emergency exit, or draw the zombie’s attention elsewhere.'
'And you choose the latter?'
‘Yeah. I don’t know why I made that decision back then, but at that moment, all I could think about was saving the others. I… For some reason, I was running toward the zombies before I knew what I was doing.’
It was definitely not an easy thing to risk your life to save others, especially in a dangerous and uncertain situation.
Do Han-Sol's decision was praiseworthy, but realistically speaking, it wasn’t the best choice.
Do Han-Sol took a quick breath.
'If we’d dealt with the zombies around me, we all could have made it out alive. But the traitor…’
‘The traitor just ran without assisting you?'
Do Han-Sol nodded, his expression difficult to read.
I rubbed my chin and fell into deep thought.
I now understood why he bore so much hatred toward this traitor.
However, to wake up as a zombie and eat the traitor… That was unacceptable.
Some could question what the issue was, now that we were in a world where there were no laws, rules or morals. However, in the world where I chose to put my faith in, there was still morality.
Even though this traitor’s actions were wrong, in the end, it was still Do Han-Sol's choice to run toward the zombies.
I crossed my arms.
'You said earlier that you killed the traitor because they were holding a knife, but it sounds to me like you just killed the traitor out of hatred for their betrayal.’
'I'm not done talking.'
Do Han-Sol glared at me.
His earlier words surfaced in my mind.
- Don't bark like a dog as if you know everything when in fact you don’t know anything.
It seemed like a lot had happened to him, even after waking up as a zombie with glowing red eyes.
I closed my lips and nodded.
I was being impatient.
I calmly told him to continue, and Do Han-Sol closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
His fists were still tightly clenched as he recalled what had happened to him. Clearly, his anger regarding the incident had yet to abate.
After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes. They were full of hatred.
'That bastard… Sold my people to the dogs.'
My brows knit together when I heard his words.
I expected him to say that the traitor attacked his people, but selling them to the dogs was way beyond my imagination.
I tilted my head in confusion, and Do Han-Sol ground his teeth and continued with his story.
‘That traitor bastard never trusted me in the first place, and maintained a connection with the dogs. However, to become a dog, you have to eat human flesh… This traitor didn’t want to do that.’
‘Wait a minute, let’s get this sorted out before we move on. So you’re saying… The traitor stayed with you even though they had no trust in you and your people?'
Do Han-Sol nodded.
‘The traitor didn’t want to eat human flesh, but was reluctant to rely on me as well. They see-sawed back and forth between both positions.'
‘...’
‘After a while, the number of people who went out to get food started to decrease steadily. Four people disappeared every week. That made me suspicious.'
'Well, you can’t discount the possibility that they could’ve been taken down by the zombies on the streets.’
‘I took care of all the zombies in Gunja-dong and Neung-dong. However, even after doing so, I didn’t feel comfortable, so I drew up my own map and instructed them to take the safest route possible.'
‘...’
‘After doing all this, it still made no sense to me that four people could disappear every week. Not just once or twice, but every time!’
I couldn’t find a counter to his argument.
If Do Han-Sol had drawn up this map himself and plotted a safe route, he would’ve set up escape routes where his people could hide in case of an emergency.
However, if four people continued to disappear each time… It wasn’t wrong to believe that there could be a traitor within.
Do Han-Sol let out a deep breath.
‘You know the saying, give someone enough rope and they’ll hang themselves? The traitor finally dug their own grave. Unanimously, the rest of the people in the shelter decided to publicly execute the traitor bastard.'
'And that’s when the traitor started swinging away with the knife?’
‘Exactly. If I hadn't killed him… Other people would’ve gotten hurt.'
Having heard all that had happened to Do Han-Sol, I felt the urge to throw up. Some individuals were just that despicable.
I finally understood why Do Han-Sol had mocked the guards of Shelter Silence.
Do Han-Sol... He had no faith in anyone except for his own family and friends.
It didn’t matter if they were humans or zombies.
He had closed his heart to anything else that was alive, in order to protect Shelter Barrier.
Now that I had a better understanding of Do Han-Sol's experience and background, I knew I couldn’t treat him roughly.
I gently closed my eyes and thought for a moment. After a little while, I squatted in front of Do Han-Sol.
'I know I might not be in the position to ask you this, but do you have any intention of trusting people again?’
'You want me to trust people?'
Do Han-Sol snorted and looked away. He then frowned and looked at me.
His face… It was not one of anger or hatred. Through his furrowed brow and trembling eyes, I saw a glimpse of unknowable sadness.
After a moment, Do Han-Sol continued to speak. It sounded like he was trying to get something off of his chest.
‘You have to be suspicious of people. Humans… you can’t trust or rely on them.'
'Then what about Choi Soo-Hyun and Hwang Deok-Rok?'
'Those two are exceptions.'
‘And the reason is?'
‘Because those two… They tried to save me until the end.’
'So in the end, you’re saying that they have to make sacrifices for you.'
I smacked my lips, and Do Han-Sol frowned at me. He started to get riled up, and seemed to think that I was being ridiculous.
'Me, forcing them to make sacrifices? That was not my intention at all.’
'Aren’t you saying that you’ll only treat those who tried to save your life as humans?”’
'You can't interpret it that way. I just…’
'Tell me if I’m wrong.'
My tone grew firm, and his lips trembled.
I slicked my hair back and continued.
'I'm not trying to save everyone either.'
'Then what are you trying to do?'
‘I’m fighting for those who don’t give up on their lives, those who don’t feed off others, those who don’t lose hope, and those who don’t force others to make sacrifices for them.’
‘...’
Do Han-Sol bit his lips and remained silent.
After a while, Do Han-Sol let out a long, protracted sigh.
'If… If my misjudgment puts my people’s lives in jeopardy… I…’
‘We will help.’
I looked into his eyes seriously.
Do Han-Sol hesitated for a moment after hearing my answer, then glanced at Kim Hyeong-Jun, who was standing in front of the warehouse door.
Kim Hyeong-Jun, who had his arms crossed, tilted his head at the sudden glance. Do Han-Sol looked closely at Kim Hyeong-Jun then smacked his lips.
‘That person... Is he trustworthy?'
‘We don’t prove such things through words. We demonstrate it through actions.’
‘If I ally with you… What happens afterward?'
'I'll be honest with you.'
I took a deep breath, then sighed.
'We’re going to erase all traces of the Family.'
‘Do you think these members of the Family are the root of all evil?’
‘The root of all evil? That’s not the right expression. Especially since no one knows what other kinds of beings there might be in this world. But if I had to decide what ‘the root of all evil’ meant to me… I’d say it would be any being that tries to pose a threat to my family.’
'Then… If I form an alliance with you, will I have to fight against these members of the Family as well?'
'They won’t leave you alone, even if you don't want to fight.’
‘...’
Do Han-Sol looked at Choi Soo-Hyun and Hwang Deok-Rok as he listened to what I had to say. The two of them were looking at us nervously. Their eyes betrayed their anxiety.
A flood of emotion ran across Do Han-Sol’s face. After a moment of hesitation, he took a deep breath and gave me his answer.
'I… I want to form an alliance with you.'
I saw the determination in his eyes. I looked at him and smiled gently.
'Starting from now, hold my hand and think of only one thing.'
‘What?'
‘That you will fight to protect your family. That you’ll fight for those who are willing to live as human beings.’
Do Han-Sol swallowed and nodded, his eyes bouncing back and forth between Kim Hyeong-Jun and me.
We met eyes and held each other's hands.
* * *
We opened the firmly-closed warehouse door, and Hwang Ji-Hye, who was with the guards, ran toward me and Kim Hyeong-Jun.
“So what happened?”
Hwang Ji-Hye looked back and forth between Kim Hyeong-Jun and me, urging one of us to answer her.
I smiled lightly and opened my notepad.
- We formed an alliance.
"Oh!"
Hwang Ji-Hye finally smiled and let out a sigh of relief. After a moment, she looked around and asked,
“Where’s Do Han-Sol?”
- He’s inside, speaking with Choi Soo-Hyun and Hwang Deok-Rok.
“I need to see him.”
The moment Hwang Ji-Hye tried to walk toward the storage room, I grabbed her arm and shook my head.
- Leave him alone for now. He probably thought that Choi Soo-Hyun and Hwang Deok-Rok were dead. He must be feeling relief at finally being able to speak with them again. I don’t think it’s the right time to confront him with questions.
“...”
Hwang Ji-Hye’s expression was troubled, but she acquiesced to my point of view without reply.
After a moment, Kim Hyeong-Jun asked,
‘How’d you do it, ahjussi?'
'Do what?'
'What do you mean? Form the alliance of course.’
'I just did what I learned from you.'
'But why did I also become allies with him as well?'
This was something beyond my ability to explain.
When I formed an alliance with Do Han-Sol, I experienced the throbbing headache again. It seemed as if it was something we had to go through every time.
However, Kim Hyeong-Jun, who was guarding the storage room entrance, had begun to tug at his hair, as though he too was suffering from a throbbing headache.
When I forged the alliance with Do Han-Sol, Kim Hyeong-Jun had automatically become a member of the alliance as well without having to go through the process himself.
I couldn’t figure out the reason behind this.
Kim Hyeong-Jun smacked his lips.
‘Geez… I don’t like where this is going.'
‘What?'
'The fact that you seem like the leader now.'
‘...’
I rolled my eyes at Kim Hyeong-Jun.
I thought something was truly troubling him when he said he didn’t like where this was going.
Kim Hyung-Jun stashed his hands into his pockets and mumbled under his breath,
‘But I’m the president of the Survivor Rally Organization…’
'Are you salty about that?'
'Not at all ahjussi, not at all.’'
Kim Hyeong-Jun got all grumpy and tried to walk away. I snorted and moved to block his way.
'Hey, you have to at least tell me where you’re going.'
‘I’m going to go see my son. You happy?'
‘Didn’t you say you were going to introduce me to your family the other day? I haven't seen them yet.'
‘I haven’t introduced you to my family?'
'Yeah.'
Kim Hyeong-Jun scratched his sideburns, staring blankly ahead. Then he smacked his lips.
‘Alright, then let’s go together.'
'Yes, dear leader.'
Kim Hyeong-Jun glared at me sullenly.
‘You’re making fun of me aren’t you?'
I shrugged and pretended that I didn’t know what he was talking about. Kim Hyeong-Jun slapped my forearm and started grumbling again.
When he acted like this… He seemed like nothing more than a naive, innocent child.
I couldn’t understand why becoming the leader was such a big deal.
We chatted as we headed toward Shelter Silence's dormitories.
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