Ch.148147. Kim Suho’s Guide to Surviving in Seoul (1)

# Turning Back Time: The Situation in Seoul

Let’s rewind time a bit and examine the current situation on the Korean peninsula… specifically, the detailed circumstances in Seoul.

As mentioned before, Seoul had fallen into anarchy with the collapse of the central government and National Assembly, resulting in extreme internal chaos.

Particularly, the failure to contain the apocalypse in its early stages, combined with the massive downpour that struck Seoul at that time, made the city’s downfall virtually inevitable. The executive branch was torn apart, everyone affiliated with the National Assembly was wiped out, and the one who gathered these headless bodies was none other than Seoul’s hero, Kim Su-ho.

“How am I supposed to handle this chaos?”

The problem was that while Kim Su-ho successfully saved the remnants of South Korea and quickly established himself as Seoul’s representative Awakened, what he actually received was merely the working-level officials of South Korea without any legitimate authority that could be considered leadership. In other words, when Kim Su-ho was managing this chaos, the president and members of the National Assembly were missing, and even cabinet ministers were nowhere to be found.

In such a situation, the only choice for Kim Su-ho, who had barely managed to gather the working-level officials, was:

“Realistically, we have no choice but to abandon Gangbuk.”

First, he had to accept the reality of his situation.

It was practically impossible for Kim Su-ho, who had no authority and was merely leading the remnants of South Korea, to control the entire Seoul region. What was important for Kim Su-ho wasn’t reclaiming all of Seoul, but thinking of realistic measures and implementing them immediately. The prerequisite for this was properly recognizing Seoul’s grim situation.

Therefore, acknowledging reality, Kim Su-ho determined that he had no choice but to essentially abandon the Gangbuk region.

“With everything in chaos due to the massive downpour, we can’t abandon the Han River and advance to Gangbuk! So… we have no choice but to use the Han River as a defense line and protect at least Gangnam.”

The truth was that he had absolutely no resources to advance anyway.

The South Korean remnants led by Kim Su-ho were extremely few, and the only Awakened who could fight were Kim Su-ho himself and a small number of people following him, making it nearly impossible to save the entire Seoul region.

So what he could do was use his current forces to establish a defense line using the Han River, which could be considered a natural fortress, and he declared that he would absolutely protect Gangnam by using the Han River as a defense line.

“We need to inform the people in Gangbuk about this!”

“That can be quickly resolved by using the disaster text alert system that’s still operational.”

“Let’s use it right away.”

Of course, he didn’t irresponsibly throw the people in Gangbuk to the undead as meat shields.

Kim Su-ho was able to use the remaining government facilities through the South Korean remnants, and he sent disaster text messages to people in Gangbuk telling them to cross the bridges to Gangnam. Kim Su-ho requisitioned resources from each district and established defense lines at each bridge over the Han River.

“We’ll join you too!”

“Let us beat these damn zombies!”

As it happened, Kim Su-ho had exceptional talent as a field commander, and Awakened began to gather one by one, attracted by Kim Su-ho’s charisma in establishing the Han River defense line.

Most of those who came to Kim Su-ho were working-level officials or middle managers who had been on the front lines, and they were greatly attracted to Kim Su-ho who quickly grasped the reality of the apocalypse and implemented the best possible measures.

“Only Kim Su-ho can save Seoul!”

“Following Kim Su-ho, who saves people, is justice!”

Above all, many were deeply impressed by how he single-handedly organized the South Korean government that had fallen into anarchy after losing its leadership, and how he unhesitatingly used their administrative network to save people.

In other words, to others, Kim Su-ho appeared to be a hero who could survive the apocalypse and had a vision for the future.

“The Han River is an excellent natural defense line. There are almost no means to bypass it. If we can just protect the bridges, we don’t need to worry about most of the zombies in Gangbuk.”

Moreover, he was well aware of the value of the Han River as a natural defense line and was skilled at formulating strategies using it.

Above all, since Seoul itself was designed as a war city with combat against North Korea in mind, it didn’t take long for Kim Su-ho to establish defense lines using that design.

Once the defense lines were properly established, Gangnam, which Kim Su-ho was protecting, essentially became a safe zone in Seoul, and huge crowds of people began to flock to the bridges, wanting to seek refuge in this safe zone.

Up to this point, Kim Su-ho would have been considered a definite hero of Seoul, saving many people and gaining great fame as Seoul’s leader.

That is, if Kim Su-ho’s policies had ended successfully.

However, as more people gathered, social problems began to emerge, and the side effects of Kim Su-ho’s radical policies soon began to appear.

Perhaps this could be seen as a precursor to the misfortunes Kim Su-ho would experience in the future.

“Are you refugees? You must have had a hard time being chased by zombies. Please stay at the shelter we’ve prepared.”

“When are you going to reclaim our homes? I worked hard to save money for that house! You need to reclaim it quickly! My life is over without it!”

“Well…”

“Why is it taking so long! My house is collapsing! My family!”

First were the complaints from refugees.

Gangnam had become a refuge, and on the surface, it seemed that South Korea hadn’t completely ended but had survived, with Kim Su-ho, who commanded the Han River defense line, appearing to be in charge. So the citizens of Seoul began to confront Kim Su-ho.

Most issues were about property left behind in Gangbuk, family matters, and various other reasons, but they could all be summed up as: “I’m suffering losses, so the government needs to fix this quickly.”

In other words, these people were close to being in denial, unable to accept that the apocalypse had occurred.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for! Fix it quickly! I just want to escape this terrible reality!”

Perhaps this was actually among the better cases.

It was just a case of denial from those unable to accept the reality of the apocalypse, and Kim Su-ho could understand their emotions enough that he couldn’t bring himself to speak harshly to them.

The problem came next.

“You. It seems you’ve been using the government’s internal network at your discretion. Which department do you belong to? Do you have the authority?”

“Position? Authority…? I don’t have any.”

“So, you’re just an ordinary citizen of South Korea.”

The news of a refuge had spread, and surviving high-ranking officials and ministers began to seek refuge in Gangnam.

Of course, if they cooperated with Kim Su-ho, his operations would become much easier, and he could save many more people.

However, what they did was…

“What? What do you mean you can’t follow my orders!”

“You don’t have the right to command us. Rather, isn’t this an act of overstepping the president’s authority! Yes, this is a political scandal!”

Instead, they criticized and opposed Kim Su-ho for arbitrarily using the executive branch’s authority.

From their perspective, South Korea hadn’t ended yet, and their authority and power were still intact, but Kim Su-ho had used them arbitrarily, which seemed to have humiliated them.

In fact, Kim Su-ho had no defense on this matter.

Before the apocalypse, it would have essentially been a case of an ordinary person arbitrarily using state authority, and everyone knew how illegal such an act was.

To put it bluntly, it could be seen as a kind of political scandal where Kim Su-ho, a civilian, arbitrarily used state authority, and the high-ranking officials and ministers weren’t entirely wrong, but…

“I acknowledge that. It’s true that I used your authority at my discretion. But isn’t this a massive disaster called the apocalypse? I sincerely apologize for using the authority at my discretion. Please let this one slide.”

The problem was that this was the apocalypse, which required quick decisions, and considering that if Kim Su-ho hadn’t made those decisions, Gangnam wouldn’t have become a refuge due to the urgency of the situation, Kim Su-ho couldn’t understand the ministers’ opposition.

Yes, it was an overstepping of authority, and he acknowledged that his actions were extralegal.

However, if he hadn’t used it, many people would have died, or these officials wouldn’t have been able to be here.

Still, Kim Su-ho apologized to the South Korean high-ranking officials and ministers for arbitrarily using their authority while trying to persuade them with the logic of saving lives.

“We cannot do that. We only follow the president’s orders.”

“No! If you don’t cooperate, the defense line we’ve built could collapse!”

Whether they were captivated by loyalty to the president or were just stubborn by nature, they blatantly ignored and excluded Kim Su-ho’s reputation as Seoul’s hero.

The surviving high-ranking officials of South Korea, except for a very few who understood the reality of the apocalypse, declared that they would not follow Kim Su-ho’s orders.

This meant that the executive authority that had been functioning smoothly until now would be greatly restricted, which would also affect the upcoming Han River defense battle.

At this point, it would have been reasonable to think that being together was no longer beneficial for either party, and to either ignore their authority and act independently or to part ways with them first, but…

“Isn’t this an emergency situation! Please follow the commander’s orders!”

The unfortunate thing was that Kim Su-ho wasn’t that ruthless.

He couldn’t bring himself to send them back to danger, so Kim Su-ho eventually accepted some of their demands and was able to maintain the banner of South Korea.

In fact, he never dreamed that absorbing the former South Korean government personnel and maintaining the banner of South Korea would become a tremendous mistake for Kim Su-ho personally.

After all, due to this incident, many people in Seoul and survivors in provincial cities came to believe that South Korea had not yet ended.

“I’m a member of the National Assembly.”

“I see. Please evacuate to the shelter quickly.”

“No. I will command this site.”

In other words, someone appeared who tried to command the defense line instead of Kim Su-ho, using their position from the South Korean era.

The problem was that the National Assembly had been virtually wiped out, and who could tell whether this self-proclaimed member of the National Assembly was genuinely elected or just claiming to be one?

If they said they had succeeded to the position of a deceased proportional representative, there was no way to verify that here and now.

From Kim Su-ho’s perspective, it was just a face he had never seen before, claiming to be a member of the National Assembly and trying to steal everything he had built up—like a robber with a knife.

“What?”

“This South Korea hasn’t ended yet, has it? Then it’s the National Assembly’s turn to step up, isn’t it? Don’t you agree?”

Using the claim that South Korea hadn’t ended yet, they said it was the National Assembly’s turn to step up, and Kim Su-ho, dumbfounded by the absurd situation, opened his mouth to address the self-proclaimed member of the National Assembly.

“I refuse.”

“You’ll regret this.”

After all, there was a high possibility that the member of the National Assembly wasn’t a real member as they claimed, and above all, it was a declaration of arbitrarily taking over the Han River defense line that Kim Su-ho himself had built up, using only the pretext of being a member of the National Assembly. Even if Kim Su-ho were a pushover, he wouldn’t accept this.

If the member of the National Assembly had offered an opinion about building a better defense line rather than claiming their position, Kim Su-ho would have listened seriously, but wasn’t this just like a robber with a knife?

‘It should be fine. Who would follow a member of the National Assembly with nothing?’

When Kim Su-ho refused, the member of the National Assembly warned that he would regret it, but Kim Su-ho wasn’t very concerned about the warning.

From Kim Su-ho’s perspective, having already been ignored by the ministers, the warning from the member of the National Assembly fell on deaf ears.

Even if they warned that he would regret it, the loyalty of the working-level officials on the ground at that time was firm, so Kim Su-ho wouldn’t be shaken.

“Why aren’t you carrying out the orders!”

“Well, you’re not the president, are you?”

“B-but, this is urgent! It’s true that it’s an overstepping of authority, but still…!”

The problem came next.

“It doesn’t matter. If it’s not the president’s word, there’s no obligation to follow.”

Since Kim Su-ho maintained the banner of South Korea, government officials who thought South Korea really still existed and mistakenly believed their positions were still valid began to interfere.

This was now an everyday occurrence, so it could be overlooked.

However, what was really problematic…

“Still, we must save people.”

In this situation, declaring to save the refugees wasn’t a problem, but Kim Su-ho himself was also at fault for saving so many people that it exceeded Gangnam’s capacity.

In particular, Kim Su-ho’s failure was in the post-rescue civilian support and mental management.

In essence, he was inadequate in the aftermath handling, and…

“I cannot stay with these people! I’m not a leftist who reduced the country to this state! I cannot stay with these North Korea sympathizers!”

“You damn far-right bastard! What have we done?! Aren’t you the ones who are the source of this nightmare?”

“How dare a North Korea sympathizer intimidate a citizen of South Korea?!”

“Enough with that damn North Korea sympathizer talk! What era do you think we’re in! That talk is laughable! You pro-Japanese!”

As a result, people who couldn’t accept the reality of the apocalypse began to fall into extremism, and they brought up the color theory that was always mentioned in South Korea.

It was a truly frustrating situation, and the fact that they brought up extreme color theory even in this apocalypse meant that Gangnam’s public order was deteriorating as it split into two factions, which couldn’t be prevented.

However, Kim Su-ho was busy establishing and managing the Han River defense line, so it was only natural that he couldn’t focus on other matters, making it difficult to blame Kim Su-ho for doing something wrong.

“Come on, everyone, calm down… No, I’ll prepare separate shelters for you.”

“Yes, I cannot stay with leftists!”

“Do you think I’d live in the same area as far-right bastards!”

Nevertheless, despite being busy enough with focusing on the Han River defense line, Kim Su-ho tried to make time to resolve this conflict, and unintentionally extended the lifespan of the country called South Korea once again.

If a major conflict had erupted and they had clashed, making them realize the harsh reality, something might have changed, but with no changes and just relying on Kim Su-ho’s individual abilities, the goodwill created by Kim Su-ho essentially made this conflict seem trivial from their perspective.

“Mr. Kim Su-ho… is this really the right thing to do?”

“I don’t know either.”

Above all, this was just the beginning, and the despair to come was truly bleak.