episode_0271

Animal Kingdom.

It was a very long-running show I often enjoyed before the country turned into this mess.

The only dialogue was the narration.

Since it was all about showing the ecosystems of great nature, it wasn’t without a sense of boredom.

But for the most part, it was good.

Sometimes, watching the subtle systems or magnificent ecosystems within nature brought a sense of peace.

And on days when cute animals or cool predators appeared, it was incredibly entertaining.

Especially on days with elephants, I’d watch spellbound.

Sometimes, there were people who got excessively absorbed, more than the average.

“Seonghan. Are you watching Animal Kingdom?”

“Sometimes?”

“Hey. Watch it carefully. That’s truly… Ugh. First, have a drink.”

“What about it?”

“Ah~ In there, you know? Huh? All the laws of the world are revealed. You know?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“This brat… I’m serious!”

“Oh man… I get it.”

Back then, I just laughed it off, but after a little more time passed, I somewhat agreed.

The city was a jungle, and I was a herbivore tremblingly nibbling grass, watching out for predators.

No, I was a dung beetle diligently rolling its ball.

It was a pleasant and useful memory, but now it’s utterly useless.

The reason a past memory suddenly came to mind was…

‘…Why are they so startled?’

It was due to the feeling I got watching the fleeing people.

Prey darting this way and that, desperately trying to escape from a predator.

Eyes wide with terror.

Frantic footwork, making their fur fly.

Even their ragged breaths and palpable fear.

I couldn’t see their expressions, but I knew.

I squinted my eyes at their appearance, resembling animals fleeing as if pushed, unable to look back.

“Why are they startled by us and running away?”

Hyung must have felt the same way.

I couldn’t give him a proper answer as he asked with a puzzled expression, watching the people disappear into the distance.

“They must have something to hide from us.”

“…”

“Should we move once they’ve completely disappeared?”

“That would be best.”

We waited for a while until the fleeing people completely vanished from sight.

At the same time, we meticulously scanned our surroundings.

Intersections, alleys, sidewalks, building windows, etc.

We carefully checked every place within our sight.

Fortunately, there was no sign of people.

We saw no immediate threats to us.

“…Let’s go.”

We started moving again.

We had experienced something strange right in front of the house, but for now, we just moved past it.

They hadn’t confronted us, nor had they tried to extort money from us.

And with patients and children present now.

‘There’s no need to stir things up unnecessarily.’

It would be right to be on edge and wary if unidentified individuals loitered around, but we were a bit different.

Our dwelling was hard to find.

And I was here.

If they kept bothering us, it wouldn’t be too late to have a polite conversation then.

Instead, we carefully observed the remaining short distance for any unusual signs.

There seemed to be nothing problematic.

However…

‘…I expected this, but is there nothing we can do?’

The faint tire tracks left on the shallow uphill road we used caught my eye.

There was nothing we could do, as it wasn’t something that could be erased.

The unproductive worry ended quickly.

Anyway, there were no problems, and we safely arrived at the shelter.

Just as I was about to feel the comfort of returning to the shelter after only a day…

“Oppa! Yo-your hand!”

“What?! What?!”

“…”

“How can you laugh?!”

…There was no time for that.

I laughed at Shia and Heize, who were making a fuss, holding onto my bandaged hand and shaking it, only to get scolded.

First, I calmed down the two bouncing around…

After that, I spent some time on manual labor, immediately moving the ammo boxes filling the cargo hold.

Everyone tried to stop me, but I vaguely brushed them off.

As a result of diligent work.

*Pouring down-*

Just as the manual labor finished, the rain began to pour down.

Heavy downpour instantly soaked the ground.

Dark ominous clouds covered the sky, showering even more rain.

The rain fell so heavily in an instant it made visibility difficult.

“…”

“Ugh. It’s getting cold quickly. Seonghan, let’s go inside.”

“Yes…”

I followed Hyung, who was rubbing his arms, towards the living room.

I leaned back on the soft sofa, welcomed by my waiting family.

As soon as I did, Shia and Heize clung to me.

“Is your hand okay? How did this happen?”

“Did someone hit you?”

“Hey. Do you think I’d just go around getting beaten up?”

“Then why is it like this?”

“Things happened. It’s not a major injury, so it’ll heal quickly.”

“…”

“Really.”

Looking at the two, who gazed at me with worried eyes despite my assurances that I was fine…

‘…Are they cute?’

I chuckled softly, feeling like a puppy whimpering with its ears drooping.

When the two fidgeted but remained silent.

“Young man.”

“Yes, Grandmother.”

“Did everyone arrive safely?”

It was Grandmother asking about the three who left, but everyone seemed curious.

So, I told them in detail about what happened at the Konkuk Shelter.

Except for the zombie attack.

“Hahaha~ That’s wonderful news~”

“To think such a thing happened during the meeting. It’s a shame I couldn’t see it.”

I spilled everything about Sergeant Kang and Sohee’s public displays of affection.

“There might be good news soon.”

Everyone listened intently to Dong-woo’s words.

“What are you talking about?”

“Hehehe. Grandfather, you see…”

Dong-woo didn’t say much.

He just said that the two disappeared during a drinking session and “couldn’t be seen until the next day!”

The women blushed but were intrigued, and the men just nodded.

“Incheol hyung drank alcohol straight from the bottle, saying he was going to get a girlfriend too, you know?”

“Haha~ Fate brings everyone together eventually…”

“Oh, come on, Grandfather. That was back in your day.”

At Dong-woo’s chiding, Grandfather just smiled silently.

“That’s still a bit too early for you.”

“Huh?!”

“You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“Wow… Grandfather, I’m your only grandson, and you’re saying such harsh words…”

“Hahaha!”

Dong-woo pouted his lips at Grandfather’s words, telling him to drink more milk.

“They’ve already gotten close to people and will get along fine on their own, so don’t worry.”

“…Alright.”

Grandmother soothed her disappointment at Hyung’s gentle words.

Incheol was amiable, but the other two were quiet by nature, but now I understood.

They say you don’t know the value of something until it’s gone, and it seems that’s true.

The absence of the three felt significant.

It was a time when everyone became quieter due to a strange emptiness.

“Oh, my memory. Byeongsu. You said you had something to tell me, right?”

“Ah. Right. I have something to tell you.”

At Grandfather’s call, Byeongsu, who was sticking close to Bomi, stepped forward.

“The day before yesterday, when you left for Konkuk, around 11 PM? Something was caught on the CCTV.”

Come to think of it, I remembered Leader Choi saying he could monitor parts of the outside.

“People came and went near here.”

“…How close did they come?”

“Right in front of our house.”

At Byeongsu’s words, Leader Choi furrowed his brows.

“Did they come inside?”

“No. They seemed to press against the door to look inside, then went back down.”

“Hmm.”

“At first, only two people came and went.”

“What? So, someone else came too?”

“Yes.”

First, two unidentified individuals were seen lurking around.

Both had their faces covered, their hoods up, and were carrying large backpacks.

It was the visit of guests even carrying hand axes, cleavers, and crowbars.

After that, someone appeared driving a car, but they only briefly checked around and left—that was what Byeongsu had seen.

“This is…”

“It seems survivors have started exploring.”

Leader Choi’s expression darkened slightly.

“While it’s a welcome thing that there are living people…”

Grandfather trailed off.

“Literally, the existence of survivors is something to rejoice about, but conversely, it means they pose a threat to us.”

As Leader Choi continued, Hyung also nodded.

“Not everyone will be friendly.”

“…”

Everyone fell silent at Hyung’s negative remark.

“If they’re coming and going from such a remote place, there might be nothing left in the city.”

“Hmm.”

“The more desperate they are, the higher the possibility that they’ll be aggressive.”

“…I think so too.”

Leader Choi’s and Hyung’s words held truth.

No one else disagreed.

“It’s commendable that they’ve held out until now, but if those who were hiding have come out, it means they must have no food left.”

“That’s right. A hungry person sees nothing.”

“That’s why it’s even more dangerous.”

“…We’ll have to be extra careful from now on.”

As Leader Choi finished speaking, Miri’s father cautiously stepped forward.

“…If someone tries to come in here, what do you plan to do?”

“If they are personnel we need, we could consider letting them join. For example, a technician.”

“Ah.”

“We don’t intend to increase our numbers if possible, but we’ll leave the possibility open depending on the situation. We are also just survivors, not a relief organization.”

“I understand.”

Miri’s father, having heard a clear-cut answer, seemed somewhat relieved.

“What do you think, Seonghan?”

“I think the same.”

Leader Choi chuckled softly at my unwavering answer.

“Um, what about people who aren’t hostile to us but just need help?”

“That is…”

Dong-woo’s question was a likely possibility.

And there was an answer as well.

“Send them to the Konkuk Shelter.”

“Aha.”

“But their situation there…”

“They probably won’t refuse.”

Hyung said with a hint of hesitation at my words.

“Because of labor?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, certainly.”

“While Junseong hyung was in the meeting, I observed the outside atmosphere. I noticed they were mostly moving things by hand, so I figured they’d need a lot of people.”

He must have been thinking a lot, having just observed for a long time.

“Jihyeok is right about that. It’s only convenient when there’s electricity, but now everything has to be done by hand. No matter how many people they have, it won’t be enough.”

“If such a situation arises in the future, it would be good to contact them beforehand for consultation.”

Leader Choi chuckled softly, tidying up the atmosphere.

They decided to maintain strong vigilance towards strangers and respond decisively to those who were hostile.

This included aiming guns if necessary.

For now, we weren’t in a hurry.

Honestly, I wondered if there would even be any humans who could get past the fake house and reach here.

Even if they exerted themselves to come, they would have to climb high walls, and even if they finally arrived, we had guns.

And lots of them.

‘Was I worrying for nothing?’

Our location was that unique.

‘…’

Being able to have such a conversation was also thanks to Byeongsu.

Admiring Byeongsu, who didn’t neglect his duties in unseen places, I asked a question.

“Byeongsu.”

“Yes?”

“What kind of car was it that came right up front? And what were the people wearing?”

“Ah. It was a regular Starex. And their clothes were just ordinary?”

Fortunately, they weren’t those guys.

I told Byeongsu the description of those “guard dog” guys and asked him to inform me immediately upon sighting them.

The possibility of them reaching this place was low, but I couldn’t shake off the “what if” thought.

‘…If they come, they’re dead… Huh?’

“What’s wrong?”

Shia tilted her head, seeing me looking down at the floor, but I shook my head.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“What is it? You startled me.”

“Alright then! Let’s conclude our discussion here. Shall we all have lunch?”

At Leader Choi’s words, the tense atmosphere eased, returning to its usual state.

“…”

Come to think of it, everyone here had experienced harsh things.

They had too much accumulated experience to react sensitively to petty thieves lurking around.

It made me wonder if I was worrying for nothing.

We put our trivial worries aside and let our bodies rest, enjoying our meal and relaxation.

Dr. Jang offered to look at my wound, unwrapped the bandage, and carefully treated it.

“It’s a cut, isn’t it? I’m glad it’s not a major injury.”

“Yeah, well.”

“Just be careful not to let water get in.”

Dr. Jang seemed relieved, but yesterday it was worse than this.

Overnight, the wound had healed considerably.

The cut, which had left a slight mark, was growing new flesh and turning into a red mark.

If it were my body, this much would heal quickly.

I re-bandaged it and returned to my room.

“Ah…”

They say if you lie down right after eating, you’ll become a cow [a proverb about being lazy and gaining weight], but I couldn’t help but lie down.

The soft bed felt so good.

As I tucked myself in under the blanket, sleep easily came.

“Hmm…”

I sniffed the faintly lingering sweet scent on the blanket and fell asleep right there.

• • • *Rumble rumble rumble-*

“!”

I kicked off the blanket and got up from the vibration shaking my body.

*Thud-*

*Clatter- clatter clatter clatter-*

The backpack I had set aside fell over, and my water glass vibrated violently, slowly moving across the surface.

As soon as I left the room, family members dressed in comfortable clothes were coming out of their rooms with startled eyes.

As soon as I confirmed everyone was safe, what caught my eye were the items shaking violently.

At the same time, a distinct vibration climbed up from my feet.

It wasn’t strong.

Unlike before, it wasn’t a mistake.

“It’s an earthquake! Everyone, calmly hide under the tables!”

At Hyung’s shout, everyone lowered their bodies and ran to the dining room.

People who quickly hid under the dining table covered their heads and curled up.

“…”

I pressed my body against the wall and quickly looked around.

‘Nothing falling… Nothing breaking…’

*Thud- clink-*

There was just a bit of a mess in the kitchen where there were many dishes and tools, but nothing happened that could cause injury.

One minute? Two minutes?

“…”

“I-Is it over?”

A short time passed, and the shaking stopped.

In a situation that quieted down as if by magic, the family members slowly got up.

“I-It was an earthquake, right?”

“It seems so.”

“Haa… An earthquake in Korea…”

Each of them sighed in relief, complaining softly about the earthquake.

I was also complaining.

If it were Japan, maybe.

But in Korea, earthquakes were a rather unfamiliar phenomenon.

Although there had been chaos and damage from significant earthquakes in the southern regions…

‘I never thought I’d experience one directly.’

It had always been something I only heard about, someone else’s problem, but not anymore.

“Anyone hurt?”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

Leader Choi, in his pajamas with messy hair, also seemed quite surprised.

Still, it was fortunate that no one was hurt.

I approached Hyung, who was helping people.

“Please check inside the building. Check for cracks, breaks, or water leaks, even minor things.”

“Alright.”

“Also, check the basement for any problems.”

I quickly made the request and turned around.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to check outside.”

“Oh? Now?”

I nodded to Hyung, who was slightly flustered.

Outside the window, where there was nothing unusual, it was pitch black.

And it was still raining.

…It seemed I had fallen asleep without realizing it.

The family members began to move, calming their startled hearts, and I also started moving.

I put on some clothes and picked up a large umbrella.

I also took out the high-performance Super Bright for the first time in a while…

“I’ll go with you.”

“It’s cold outside. Stay inside.”

“No. It’s dangerous alone.”

“…Get ready and come out.”

“Okay. I’ll be right there.”

I went outside with Heize, who was insisting.

“It’s raining a lot.”

Heize was right.

The rain had weakened a bit, but it was still pouring.

“We’re just going to look around, so don’t overdo it.”

“Alright.”

‘First, around the walls and…’

It was my first earthquake, so I was surprised, and I didn’t know if this was the right way to act.

Still, I felt I needed to visually confirm if there were any problems before I could sleep soundly.

*Flash-!*

“Wow!”

Heize gasped in admiration at the light that, though awkward, instantly lit up the surroundings.

“Check carefully for any problems.”

“Okay.”

“…”

“Go Go.”

Perhaps because she was an American who’s experienced many disasters.

Heize didn’t seem too surprised.

She and I began to thoroughly inspect the surroundings.

*Pouring rain-*

Hoping there were no problems, we disturbed the night that would have been quiet.