episode_0031

10. To Seonyudo Settlement (1)

The day to leave Mokdong settlement finally dawned.

A clear, blue sky without any dust, pure white cotton candy clouds, and warm sunlight that seemed to wish for light to fill our journey.

It was too nice a day to leave.

When I woke up rubbing my eyes, I saw Ara sleeping happily with Yeonseo next to her, while Yeonseo frowned and whined.

It didn’t seem like we had only known each other for a week.

While I was watching the two of them laughing like that, I heard a rustling sound outside the curtains, so I quickly took a shower, dried my hair with a towel, and went out.

As usual, Hyunseok woke up early and prepared breakfast.

” Did you sleep well? Now that breakfast is almost ready, can you wake up Yeonseo and Ara? ”

Hyunseok said this without looking at me, while frying eggs and ham in a frying pan and frying vegetables while stirring the soup in the pot.

Normally, he would have looked at me once and then continued cooking, but today he didn’t and instead focused on cooking. I felt a bit disappointed and approached him instead.

” Are you very busy? ”

” Why all of a sudden…? What’s wrong? ”

Only then did Hyunseok feel something strange and turn his head away, turning down the heat on the induction stove.

If there’s anything wrong with that behavior… it’s that I got too close.

In other words, Hyunseok and I are now looking at each other’s faces so close that we’re almost kissing.

‘You…are…too close!? ‘

Looking at his face so close, my heart started beating faster and my face, which I had just washed with cold water to wake myself up from, was now so hot that it was steaming.

I needed to get away from him quickly, but instead of getting away, I just kept looking at his face.

Unlike his black hair, his unusual purple eyes shined like neatly trimmed amethysts, and although he had a high nose and red lips, he looked like a man, and perhaps because of his eye color, he had a captivating feel along with his pure white skin.

As I continued to look at him like that, he took a step back slightly as if he was embarrassed, but he turned around in the kitchen and was looking at me with both hands on the sink.

” Hey, Charlotte? That’s so close? ”

As I realized the current situation and how attached I was to him, I began to feel ashamed.

At the same time, I felt a presence and turned around to see Yeonseo holding several Polaroid photos with a smug expression through the curtains.

Below, there was Ara, covering her mouth with her hand and exclaiming in admiration.

” Okay… Wait! I can… explain everything! Th… So just now, that was… ”

But the two of them quickly ran to the bedroom beyond the curtains, shouting ‘Gyaaa~’, and my head started to hurt thinking about Yeonseo and Ara teasing me again in the future.

‘Why on earth are you doing this… Why… When you look at Hyunseok…?! Ah… No! There’s no way I would do that..?! ‘

” Are you okay? I’m sorry because of me. ”

” Oh, no! That’s because I came close to tease you. Yeah! So don’t worry about it and keep cooking. I’ll go and explain to you two. ”

” Okay. But I’m almost ready, so tell me to hurry up and get ready. ”

” Yeah. ”

So I quickly headed to the bedroom.

*****

There were already two people there, blooming flowers while looking at the picture they had just taken.

As I entered the bedroom, there was Yeonseo saying, “You’re a bitch who’s trying to find time for just the two of us,” and Ara agreeing with Yeonseo’s words, saying, “As expected, you’re a demon pretending not to know…!”

” So what? I was just concentrating on cooking, so I came closer to tease you…! ”

” Really? The atmosphere was pretty good for that to be true? ”

” That’s right! No matter how much you try to tease me, there’s no reason to get that close~ ”

” What are you talking about…! Seriously! These days, it seems like you two are just making up stories to keep fighting each other? I have a limit to how much I can endure! Do you understand? ”

I was slightly hurt by their words, so I pretended to get angry and glared at them while placing my hands on my hips.

Of course, these two had nothing to fear from that action.

” Huh~ What kind of person gets angry? That’s exactly what happened. In the first place, he acts like that and tries not to realize it, really~ ”

” That’s right. I have to admit what I have to admit~ ”

” Both. Are. That. Enough. For. You? ”

When I couldn’t stand it anymore and got angry, the two of them started whistling and quickly started getting ready.

‘What the hell are you two talking about? Seriously… You must be looking at me like that because you don’t know I’m a man. Ugh.’

So I came to the table with the two of them, ate the breakfast Hyunseok made, took a moment to digest it, and then packed my bags to say hello to Mr. Hancheol and Mr. Dusik.

It was very sad to leave the camper van, but I was told that I could come back and stay anytime, so I left the place I had grown attached to in a short while, promising myself to come back again next time.

*****

As we arrived at the town hall office, Mr. Hancheol welcomed us and began talking.

” Hahaha! Yes, today is finally the day to leave. Fortunately, the weather is nice, so I guess there won’t be any problems going. ”

Mr. Hancheol laughed heartily and said some words of wisdom to us, even though he was sad to see us leave.

” Has Mr. Doosik not arrived yet? ”

After dealing with the monsters believed to be part of a gang during the previous exploration of ‘Paris Park’, Mr. Dosik was assigned the role of the person in charge of managing the place.

In the future, some of the people from the shantytown will move there and it will become a new settlement that operates together with the Mokdong settlement, so someone to lead it was needed.

The person who was right for him was Mr. Dosik.

” Hmm, that’s right. You said you’d come before you guys left. ”

” Well, there’s nothing I can do. I’m sure you’re busy too. ”

Hyun-seok drank the tea that Mr. Han-cheol had given him, and at the same time, he looked at Mr. Han-cheol’s expression and opened his mouth as if he had noticed something.

” By the way, is there anything you would like to ask us or any information you would like to share with us? ”

” Hoo, that guy! I thought he was just a purely kind person, but he’s actually quite sharp. Honestly, I debated whether or not I should tell him this story, but I think I should. ”

At those words, Yeonseo, who had been sitting there blankly, also began to concentrate, and Ara and I looked at each other, tilted our heads, and began to listen closely to what Mr. Hancheol was saying.

” First, here’s some information about Han Jin-oh. The management took him in, but soon after, they attacked him and everyone was either killed or missing.

In particular, Han Jin-oh. Seeing that guy’s body is missing, I think the people involved must have come and taken him away. ”

At those words, Ara jumped up and started shouting loudly with a surprised expression.

” What are you talking about! Why is that guy…!! ”

” Calm down. He’s missing for now, but since he’s out of cards, he might be alive or dead. There’s a high chance that he got rid of him because he thought the information was leaked. ”

” But still…! ”

” Araya. Calm down. ”

” Haa, I got it, sis… ”

When I grabbed Ara’s collar and told her to calm down, she took a moment to catch her breath, sighed, and sat down.

And I looked at the old man and asked him to tell me more details.

According to the old man, there were corpses of the management at the river crossing east of the Mokdong settlement, and the management felt strange because they did not arrive, so they talked to him.

After sending people to check directly, it was reported that all the people in the management department died from ‘different abilities’.

And since Han Jin-oh’s clothes were torn, it was not known whether he was alive or dead.

” But, there’s a detective on our side who was a violent crimes detective, and he said that the way the people in the management department died was strange. It was like they were killed by ‘someone they knew’. ”

” That means you’re talking about someone related to management. ”

Yeonseo answered as soon as the old man finished speaking and continued talking.

” Did you check for footprints or something? It didn’t rain, so at least they might have left some kind of mark. ”

” Haha. Yeonseo, you have a good sense of this. Yeah, according to what the detective said, oddly enough, ‘the footprints aren’t from multiple people, but from one person.’

Isn’t it strange? There are multiple abilities. ”

” What that means is that they pretended to be several people using different abilities, but in the end, one person did it all. ”

Yeonseo began to slowly tap the table while slurping her tea.

” Haa, this is not a good sign. ”

” Huh? Yeonseo, what do you mean? ”

” Listen carefully. You must have seen it in ‘Paris Park’, but there were guys who used different abilities, right? But in this case, one of them used more abilities. In the end… ”

I answered while cutting off Yeonseo’s words. I opened my mouth without realizing it because I thought Yeonseo’s words were quite serious.

” There must have been some progress in that pill or something. We’re just at the starting line, and they’re way ahead. ”

” I see. Haa, I guess I’ll have to be more vigilant from now on. ”

” Don’t worry! You’ve learned a lot while you were with us, so you’ve become more proficient at using your abilities, so you’ll be able to do well on your own. Of course, other people will help you, so don’t worry. ”

” Thank you, Sister Charlotte. Of course! Isn’t it our settlement that we all protect, not just one person? ”

” Yes, my daughter, I thought well. If you need anything, just tell me. Oh! And there’s another favor I have to ask. Listen and decide. ”

With those words, I brightened the mood again and listened to Mr. Hancheol’s words.

The content was a request for help from a certain settlement.

The name of the settlement was ‘Seonyudo’ Settlement, and like the ‘Nodeul’ Settlement, it was a place settled on an island in the Han River.

It is said that because there were few people there who could fight, they often requested people from other settlements like this.

The reason for the request this time is that it has been quite some time since a tower was built at the National Assembly building near Yeouido, and although they had a hard time gathering people and going near the tower, they had no choice but to return due to a ‘winged monster’ that suddenly appeared.

Of course, requests were made to other settlements as well, but it was said that it was impossible because the other places also had difficult circumstances for sending people.

” That’s why I said this since you three have some free time now. ”

” Hmm, I saw that tower on the way here. You haven’t conquered it yet? It’s okay since it’s the direction you’re going anyway. But…”

Hyunseok gives off an air of wanting to help, and Yeonseo starts to get annoyed as she looks at him.

” Hey… Do it… moderately… ”

” Ahem, how could it not work? It’s the direction we’re going anyway, and we have to conquer the tower anyway, so isn’t it okay? ”

” Haa, you idiot! We have somewhere urgent to go, that’s why I’m saying this! So… ”

While Yeonseo was talking, Mr. Cheol opened his mouth as if something had come to mind.

” Come to think of it, in Seonyudo, they mainly make clothes and underwear and exchange them. So if you need it… ”

” Alright! Let’s go! ”

Hyunseok and I, who suddenly saw Yeonseo standing up with her eyes sparkling, started to laugh slightly, saying, “Phew.” Ara also slightly turned her head and covered her mouth to hold back her laughter.

Yeonseo, slightly embarrassed by the reaction, sat down with her head down and her white ears slightly dyed, covering her face with both hands.

” Then what about Charlotte? Is it okay for her to go? ”

I hesitated a bit at Hyunseok’s question, but quickly answered.

I ended up thinking the same thing

” It’s okay. I need things like clothes anyway, so I hope I can get them. And more than anything, if there’s someone who needs help, I want to help them. ”

” Then, I will send you a message in advance since I know you are going. And there were originally two ways to get there, but the smaller road was probably closed for safety reasons, so you will have to go through the ‘Yanghwa Bridge’. ”

” Yes, I understand. Thanks for letting me know. Well, that’s it for now… ”

As I stood up with Hyunseok and Yeonseo, expressing my gratitude, I heard the door opening and saw Mr. Dusik breathing heavily and sweating.

” Hoo, hoo, I’m not late. Are you leaving now? ”

” That’s good. I wanted to say hello to you too. ”

” So? How was your rest? ”

” Yes, here’s the key. I will stay here again next time I come. It was really nice. Thank you. ”

” What, I also liked seeing the place where dust had been collected become so lively. So, are you heading straight to the Blue House now? ”

” No, I heard that the Seonyudo settlement needs help, so I’m going to stop by there first. ”

” Really? Phew, all I can say is take care. Be careful. ”

At those words, I thought it was fortunate that the first person I met upon returning to Earth was Uncle Doosik.

It was because, although he clearly had the pain of losing his own daughter, he was concerned about me, whom he had just met and who looked like his daughter, and I felt sincerity in his actions.

So now I started to feel sad at the thought of breaking up and I went over to him and hugged him.

” Yes, sir, be careful too. ”

Unable to do anything, Mr. Dosik hugged me, patted my head, and told me to be careful again. The two of us laughed and left each other.

” Oh! And Araya. Take this. ”

I gave the brooch I had given to Mr. Hancheol and Mr. Dusik to Ara.

” Is this? A brooch? ”

” Yeah, I’ve stored up my power, so it’ll protect your life when you’re in danger. But don’t do anything too dangerous, okay? ”

” Yes! Of course! Rather, I will save and save so that I can show you a healthy appearance next time we meet! ”

” Yes, Arado, you too, sir, take care. ”

So the three of us said our final goodbyes to them and left the town hall, walking towards the eastern gate of the settlement.

*****

Even on the way out of Mokdong Settlement, I received words of thanks and farewell from the people of the settlement.

A short week if it’s short, and a long week if it’s long. To them, we’ve already become another family.

Although it was bitter and regrettable to part ways with them, we headed towards Seonyudo with excitement for the new relationships we would meet in the future.