Chapter 93
Kim Hyeong-Jun had eight people who were close to him, including his wife, son, and Park Gi-Cheol.
All of them took turns holding my hand and expressing their gratitude.
They all bowed to me, thanking me for protecting Shelter Silence, for taking care of Hyeong-Jun, and thanking me in advance for what I would do in the future. I returned their bows, feeling embarrassed and awkward.
While I was exchanging greetings, Kim Hyeong-Jun was holding his son in his arms, a vibrant smile on his face. Looking at him, I couldn’t help but recall a memory of mine, from the time I was still alive.
It was a memory of a time I was smoking with my office manager.
- Oh, so I heard through the grapevine that you became a father.
- Did you also hear the news?
- Hyeon-Deok, you were quite the guy before you got married, but now you’re done for good!
- Haha…
- Did you say it was a daughter?
- Yes, that’s right, sir.
- You’ve got quite a future ahead of you, don’t you?
My office manager slightly smiled and patted my shoulder. As it was awkward for me to smoke with my office manager, I kept on nodding with my back hunched down.
Not caring if I was comfortable or not, my office manager looked up at the blue sky and continued.
- Have you ever heard of the saying that a person is strong because they have nothing to lose?
- Yes, I have.
- That's why I'm not getting married. That way, I’ll have nothing to lose and nothing to be afraid of. Hahaha!
My expression was confused, but I forced a smile and went along with my office manager. However, my office manager, who was usually ill-mannered, tapped his cigarette on the ashtray and grimaced.
He lost his usual demeanor, and spoke to me in a low voice devoid of confidence.
- But the thing is… When you’re young, the saying is true. You’re stronger if you don’t have anything to lose. But when you turn fifty, it’s no longer true.
- Yes?
- Just looking at the people around me proves it. Even though I feel sorry for the guys who get whipped by their wives… At times, I’m kind of jealous. Maybe the saying that a man matures when he gets married is true.
- …
- That’s how I feel, the older I get. I have nothing to lose, which ironically made me weaker. I feel empty… And no matter what I do, there’s no joy to it.
I studied my office manager’s face carefully.
That face that drove me mad every day… For some reason, it seemed terribly lonely that day.
The officer manager chuckled.
- Congratulations with all my heart on becoming a father.
- Thank you, sir.
* * *
I don't know why I recalled my office manager’s face when I saw Kim Hyeong-Jun.
Perhaps it was because their expressions were so contrasting that I felt sympathy for him, even though I had completely forgotten about him until now.
I didn’t know if my office manager was dead or alive, but he wouldn’t be able to feel what Kim Hyeong-Jun was feeling until the day he died.
I looked blankly ahead and sighed.
‘You’re not strong because you have nothing to lose, you’re strong because you have something to protect…’
The reason people were strong was because they had nothing to lose… Perhaps it came from the spirit and confidence they had while they were young. Everyone in their twenties was full of energy, and it could even boil over into arrogance.
However, everyone was equal in the face of the passage of time, and everyone grew old.
Maybe my office manager… Perhaps he needed a place to go back to every day. Not to a dark, lonely apartment after work, but to a family that welcomed him with open arms.
Perhaps the reason Kim Hyeong-Jun and I continued to endure without dying in this miserable world, the reason why we hadn’t lost our hearts or mindset after witnessing all these terrible moments, was because we had a place to return to.
* * *
After a brief meeting with Kim Hyeong-Jun's inner circle, I left the dormitory to meet Do Han-Sol.
“Lee Hyeon-Deok!”
At that moment, someone called me from behind.
I turned around and saw Kim Hyeong-Jun's wife running toward me. She went through her pockets eagerly and then handed me several things that were wrapped up.
“You said your daughter’s name was So-Yeon, right? Give these to So-Yeon, please.”
I carefully looked at the things Kim Hyeong-Jun’s wife was giving me.
There were eight candy balls and three lollipops.
I wondered why seeing candy, which I’d never cared about before, could make me so happy.
I could already imagine So-Yeon's face, smiling brightly at the candy.
I smiled wholeheartedly and bowed to her, expressing my gratitude. She offered me a bow in return, smiling softly.
Then, she grabbed my hand as though she’d just remembered something.
“Oh I almost forgot, Hyeong-Jun said something about meeting at a prison in an hour? He said some prison…”
I nodded continuously, signaling to her that I knew what she was talking about, and that she did not have to explain any further.
I had already spoken with Kim Hyeong-Jun, and made plans to meet at the zombie prison in Haengdang-dong in an hour’s time.
Kim Hyeong-Jun had insisted on going over right away, but I’d stopped him. I wanted to give him time to spend with his family, just for a little bit.
I offered Kim Hyeong-Jun's wife one final bow, then headed straight to the warehouse where Do Han-Sol was.
When I reached the warehouse, I saw Do Han-Sol conversing with Hwang Ji-Hye.
As I approached the two, Hwang Ji-Hye called out to me as though relieved that I had arrived in the nick of time.
“Perfect timing. We were actually looking for you.”
I tilted my head, and Hwang Ji-Hye pointed at Do Han-Sol.
“Han-Sol has something to say to you…”
Just yesterday, she’d shouted his name in agitation, but now she was saying it with calmness.
I smiled and looked at Do Han-Sol, assuming it was just a regular conversation. But when I saw Do Han-Sol’s serious expression, I quickly put away my smile.
'What's going on?'
'There's another zombie that lives for the sake of humans.'
My eyes widened of their own accord when I heard his statement.
A zombie living for the sake of humans.
Didn’t that mean that there was another zombie with glowing red eyes that was taking care of another shelter?
I wet my dry lips and asked,
‘And where is this zombie?'
‘Do you know Gwangjang-dong?’
‘Gwangjang-dong… Are you talking about the Gwangjang-dong that you enter after crossing Cheonho Bridge?'
‘Yeah, that’s the one.’
I listened to what he had to say and got lost in thought for a moment.
I wondered how Do Han-Sol had come across this information.
As I looked at Do Han-Sol suspiciously, he sighed and said,
'They’re one of the people that escaped with me when Shelter Barrier went down.’
'And they became a zombie too?'
'We were both bitten around the same time… They wanted to escape Gunja-dong even before being bitten. After turning into a zombie, that person said that they would go to Gwangjang-dong.'
‘How likely is it for that person to have established something in Gwangjang-dong? If they left right after they turned into a zombie, they were probably killed by one of the gang members.’
‘No, they’re alive. I met them on my way to find Soo-Hyun and Hwang Deok-Rok.’
‘If you met them on your way… You mean you met them this morning.’
‘Yeah.’
I tilted my head and furrowed my brow.
No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
To the east of Gunja-dong was Neung-dong, and to the east of Neung-dong was Guui-dong.
Assuming that Gunja-dong and Neung-dong were safe since Do Han-Sol had them under control… He couldn’t simply ignore Guui-dong, as Gwangjang-dong was surrounded by Guui 1-dong, 2-dong, and 3-dong.
There was no way for anyone to get to Gwangjang-dong without entering the Family’s territory.
It was highly likely that anyone trying to get to Gwangjang-dong would be noticed by the dong leader of Guui-dong.
Just getting to Gwangjang-dong was a tall order, but returning seemed unimaginable. In addition, there had to be a dong leader in Gwangjang-dong… Clearly, something wasn’t matching up.
As I continued to eye him suspiciously, Do Han-Sol smacked his lips.
‘I know you don’t believe me. But they’re alive, and they’re not part of the Family.’
'How can you be sure of that?'
‘They told me to prepare for an attack by the Family.’
‘That makes it even more suspicious.'
'Huh?’
Do Han-Sol furrowed his brow while looking at me.
I took in a quick breath and sighed.
‘How would this person know this, unless they have connections with the Family?'
‘I was told that the troop deployments in Guui-dong had changed. All the troops were moved to the border with Neung-dong and Hwayang-dong.’
'Hey, I can't even understand why that person went to Gwangjang-dong in the first place. You said that they left the moment they turned into a zombie. How did they get through Guui-dong?’
‘...’
Do Han-Sol seemed lost in thought, perhaps only just realizing that something was indeed amiss. After a while, he said skeptically,
‘If they went around Ttukseom Hangang Park…’
‘When you say Ttukseom Hangang Park, do you mean Jayang-dong? Jayang-dong, south of Hwayang-dong, facing the Han River?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Escaping Gunja-dong, then going to Jayang-dong through Hwayang-dong? That’s even stranger. You think the scouts that the dong leaders of Hwayang-dong and Jayang-dong posted were just standing around twiddling their thumbs?’
As I questioned his theories, Do Han-Sol smacked his lips and looked away. After a moment, he grimaced.
‘Alright, I surrender. You’re right. That’s more than suspicious. However, when I met this person back at Hwayang-dong, they still had a good heart. They really cared and were worried about Shelter Barrier.’
‘You guys met in Hwayang-dong?'
'Yeah.'
‘That’s also suspicious. Why would someone who was going off to live on their own in Gwangjang-dong make their way all the way to Hwayang-dong...’
I trailed off, my eyes going wide. An unbelievable thought had just appeared in my mind.
I tilted my head and asked Do Han-Sol,
'This person had information about the Family and was worried about you?'
'Yes.'
‘This person… Were they close to anyone when they escaped Gunja-dong?'
'No. Does that matter?'
I nodded with certainty after he said they were alone.
'Where is this person now?'
'Why, what is it?'
‘We have to kill this person.'
‘Huh?’
Do Han-Sol’s eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. I scratched my forehead, still slightly puzzled, and continued,
'This person… is a bait.’
* * *
Most of the baits that were members of the Family were low-level associates. They were in charge of reconnaissance, and scouting areas, and served as food for the black creatures.
Of course, the baits didn’t know they were considered as food.
There were no black creatures in Hwayang-dong, but there were plenty of reasons to send scouts.
Kim Hyeong-Jun had eaten the brain of the dong leader of Hwayang-dong.
Even though it had only been twenty-four hours, the Family was already trying to figure out how they had lost contact with the dong leader of Hwayang-dong.
They sent a bait to check out what was going on in Hwayang-dong, and it seemed like this bait had somehow run into Do Han-Sol. The bait had probably lied to get out of the situation.
It was probably easier for the bait as they knew Do Han-Sol. It seemed like this bait had mixed a little bit of truth into his story to throw off any suspicion.
This little nugget of truth… It was probably the attack that the Family was preparing to launch.
They were moving faster than I had expected. In fact, it wasn’t just about the speed at which their plan was being executed. It was the scale of it, and the unpredictability as well.
I thought that it would be enough to pay attention to the dong leaders of Junggok-dong and Myeonmok-dong, but it seemed like the dong leader of Guui-dong was also taking part in this attack.
Which also meant that I couldn’t take Jayang-dong, which was to the south and facing the Han River, out of the picture as well.
If Jayang-dong and Guui-dong also took part in the attack, it didn’t seem like the attack was going to be limited to a single dong.
This sign heralded a bloodbath that was soon to happen in Gwangjin-gu. [1]
Cold sweat trickled down my forehead, despite the cool weather.
If the dong leaders of Guui-dong and Jayang-dong took part, they would surely have their eye on Shelter Seoul Forest, and judging by the fact that they were mobilizing baits, it seemed like the officers had already received their orders from the boss.
We were going to have a full-scale war with the officers of the Family.
And we had no way of figuring out the number and quality of their troops, and whether or not they had mutants.
I swallowed and looked at Do Han-Sol.
'Listen carefully to what I say from now on.'
‘Why… Why are you suddenly being so serious? What’s a bait?'
My expression hardened, and Do Han-Sol sensed the situation and backed off a little.
I knew I didn’t have the time to go through everything, so I decided to talk in an assertive, commanding tone. I knew we had to move faster than the Family.
I looked directly at Do Han-Sol in the eyes.
'Bring all the survivors in Shelter Barrier over here before the sun goes down.'
'What?'
'Bring them here, since we can’t stop the Family there.'
'What do you mean?'
It was almost impossible to defend Gunja-dong.
The Jungnangcheon blocked off the west side of Gunja-dong, making it impossible to secure an escape route that way. And if the gang members attacked from the north, east, and south at once, they was absolutely no chance of surviving their attack.[2]
I opened my mouth wide and screamed in frustration.
'Hurry up! If you want to save them, hurry!'
GRRRRRRR!
Hwang Ji-Hye, who was standing next to me, stared blankly at my face, startled by my sudden roar.
1. A gu is the equivalent of a district in Korea. In the case of Seoul, Korea, each gu comprises multiple dongs, or wards. ☜
2. Jungnangcheon is one of the tributaries of the Han River, which passes through Seongdong-gu, Geumho-dong, and Seongsu-dong. ☜
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