46. The Watchers. (3)

As we entered the building, I saw ammunition boxes, explosive boxes, and anti-tank rocket boxes stacked against one wall.

They were clearly not Korean, with English labels all over them.

The man who had eaten the mushrooms, the old man, and the women who followed me in flinched when they saw the pile of ammunition.

“W-Where did all these bullets and bombs come from? There’s no way a nuclear power plant would have these.”

The old man asked, looking bewildered.

I chuckled and glanced at the Special Forces members.

They’ll handle it, right?

The Special Forces members nodded and guided the people up the stairs.

“These were sent by the President. Leave the safety to us and rest to recover your strength.”

“Oh, the President. I see. Is he doing well? If he sends all this here, how is he doing?”

The old man seemed to have survived by eating insects and worms, and he looked the most energetic among the survivors.

I watched as the Special Forces member and the survivors chatted while climbing the stairs, then turned my gaze back to the ammunition boxes.

…If you’re surprised by just this, we have a problem.

Combining Seo-rae Village and our supermarket building, we have more than 9 tons of weapons and ammunition.

Uncle Hoon, Jun-hyuk, Tae-yeong, and Han-tae.

Those four should be setting up explosives around the building properly.

If something happens, they need to bring down the surrounding buildings to protect the supermarket building.

They’re the kind of people who can handle things on their own.

When they see landmines and C4, they search Google for how to use them and discuss where to place them.

That’s what happens when you give weapons to veterans.

I trust they’re handling things well.

While thinking about this, I saw Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok come down the stairs with two paper cups.

“There you are. Aren’t you tired?”

He handed me a paper cup.

The coffee was strong, with just a bit of water in the cup.

I took a sip and smiled.

“I’m fine. How about the survivors I brought?”

“We’ve placed them in the second-floor staff changing room. It’s quite nice. There are shower facilities and sofas. It’s not a five-star hotel, but it’s a good place to rest. Our Special Forces members are bringing them food now. It’s mostly U.S. MREs and instant noodles, but they won’t go hungry.”

Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok took a sip of coffee and continued.

“They all looked very weak. How did they survive?”

“They caught and ate insects and worms. They probably also ate roots and such.”

The Special Forces Commander shook his head.

“I don’t know when this will end.”

He looked at me and asked:

“What do you think? Will the world ever return to normal?”

I don’t know either.

This is the end of the world.

How will this end?

I shook my head.

“I don’t know. All I know is that surviving today is important.”

“A wise answer.”

Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok smiled.

He looks much more relaxed now.

I tilted my head and asked:

“How is that Director Park? He seemed quite negative earlier.”

Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok nodded and said:

“Ah, yes. It seems he’s had several personal issues. That’s why he seemed so disheartened. But when he started teaching Sergeant Song, he seemed to change completely.”

“Really?”

That’s surprising.

He was glaring at us with dead eyes and threatening us just a few hours ago, but now he’s a professional at work?

Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok took a sip of coffee and said:

“Yes. Once he started working, his true personality came out. He even made jokes.”

“Jokes? Him?”

“Yes. Sergeant Song told me that when he asked if Director Park liked Marvel movies, he said he did, and Director Park replied that a shower in nuclear waste coolant could turn him into the Hulk.”

…I’m curious about my expression right now.

Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok laughed and said:

“Sergeant Song said that when he mentioned it would be radiation, not gamma rays, Director Park started lecturing about radiation. He said there are alpha, beta, and gamma rays, among others, but I don’t know the details. He learned about radiation while being trained for a few hours.”

I chuckled.

“That must have been torture.”

Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok shook his head.

“Not really. Sergeant Song said he found it interesting because he likes trivia.”

He found it interesting?

Good grief.

At that moment, someone walked down the stairs.

It was Sergeant Song.

Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok looked at him and laughed.

“Speak of the devil. You’re not a gentleman, are you?”

Sergeant Song tilted his head.

“What do you mean, sir?”

I laughed and said:

“You were working with Director Park earlier, right?”

Sergeant Song nodded, understanding.

“Ah, yes. Well…”

He scratched his cheek and said:

“Once we started working together, he wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

“Really?”

He looked really bad earlier.

Sergeant Song nodded.

“Yes. He doesn’t talk much about personal stuff, but he teaches well. His notes are almost textbook-level. I don’t think managing a nuclear plant would be too difficult if other plants are similar to this one.”

Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok looked at Sergeant Song in disbelief.

“You’re confident after just a few hours of training. Are you sure?”

Sergeant Song scratched his head.

“Well, the manual is really good, and Director Park is a great teacher.”

“But it’s a nuclear plant. What will you do in an emergency?”

Sergeant Song shrugged.

“I asked him that. He said the worst accidents at a nuclear plant are meltdowns or radiation exposure. In the current situation, there’s nothing we can do about a meltdown, and if we get exposed to radiation, we’ll die anyway. So, I just said, ‘Oh, I see.'”

Well…

That makes sense.

Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok laughed, looking incredulous.

“That’s not ‘Oh, I see.’ You need to learn properly. If something happens, everything will go to hell.”

“Sir, I’m not a genius. I’ll learn, but I can’t be perfect.”

That’s true.

It’s impossible to manage a nuclear plant after just a few days of training.

I nodded and asked:

“It’s best if Director Park stays here. Have you talked to him?”

Sergeant Song rubbed his waist and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. Yes, I tried, but he’s not convinced. He says he’s too emotionally drained. He can’t do it anymore.”

Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok asked:

“He didn’t say what’s bothering him personally?”

“No, sir.”

Sung Kyuhyeok’s face hardened, and he sighed.

“Alright. We have about two days left. Keep talking to him. Spend as much time as possible with him, learning and making sure he doesn’t do anything reckless.”

“Understood, sir.”

Sergeant Song waved and walked into a large room, which seemed to be a study or office.

“I’m going to rest. I need to go with Director Park to check the freshwater facilities tomorrow morning.”

It seems the Special Forces members are staying in that room.

Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok looked at me.

“I’m going to the roof to relieve the guards. You should rest too. I’ve left a sofa free in that room.”

I raised my paper cup.

“I’ll have a cigarette outside and then come in.”

“Alright.”

I watched him walk away and then stepped outside, taking a deep breath.

The night air was quite refreshing.

The smell of rotting body parts from the power plant wafted on the breeze, but I was used to it by now.

“Phew.”

As I sipped my coffee and smoked halfway through a cigarette, a tall and beautiful woman walked out of the main entrance and approached me.

“Can I have one?”

It was Sung Gyeon.

I chuckled and offered her the cigarette and lighter.

As she lit her cigarette, I asked:

“How are you doing?”

“Huh? Oh, the people who survived. They look really bad. They’re all so weak from hunger. You said you’re going to the pharmacy, right? It would be best to bring all kinds of nutritional supplements. Want to come with me?”

I chuckled.

“No, I meant how are you doing?”

Sung Gyeon narrowed her eyes and smiled.

“Why? Are you interested in me? Even though you have three girlfriends?”

Ugh.

She hit the nail on the head.

I laughed and said:

“What about you? Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”

Sung Gyeon frowned and looked at me.

“Why do you think I don’t have a boyfriend?”

I shrugged.

Sung Gyeon rolled her eyes and laughed, placing her hands on her hips.

“Oh, you. Sigh, why do you say things like that?”

I laughed and asked:

“There must be a lot of men interested in someone like you. Do you avoid having a boyfriend on purpose?”

Sung Gyeon sat on a stone wall, holding the cigarette in her mouth.

“I don’t know… Why don’t I have one?”

She tilted her head, thinking for a moment, and then said:

“I don’t know. Maybe I haven’t met the right man yet.”

She flicked the cigarette butt onto the street and stood up.

Then, she glanced at me and said:

“But even if I did, I’d turn down a man with three girlfriends.”

She walked past me.

I watched her go and laughed.

She’s a wild horse.

Not just anyone can tame her.