episode_0082

26. The person I met at Seoul Station (1)

Just as we were almost done eating, Hyunseok came out of the shower.

His face visible through the dripping water drops… and his skin flushed red from a warm shower, and his toned body visible through his clingy t-shirt.

As I was watching that scene with bated breath, Yeonseo, unable to bear to watch any longer, was poking my cheek from behind.

” Our dear Mr. Bul-yeosi. Do you know that your drool is running? ”

” But… But… This… Gulp. It’s called force majeure… ”

” Yeah, I guess so. Then this troublemaker will go to sleep~ ”

” Even if I say I’m going to sleep, it’s right in front of me…! ”

” Right, so just swallow your saliva and watch ~ ”

” Use it, really… ”

I glared at Yeonseo, who was lying down on the blanket right in front of me.

At this moment… I was resentful of this tent that didn’t have separate sleeping rooms…

” If only… it weren’t for that…! ”

” What? You mean no? ”

“Eek… Ah… It’s nothing… ”

” Hmm, really? ”

” I… really… ”

Come to think of it… there’s no way Hyunseok didn’t hear this conversation.

When I realized that and looked at his face, he was looking at me with a knowing expression.

” Even though I knew everything…! ”

” Well? What are you talking about? ”

” Oh my… Really… So mean…! ”

As he spoke so bluntly, he gently touched my cheek, kissed me briefly, and patted my head.

” Can you look at it like this? ”

” This… This is just this once…! ”

Embarrassed, I got up from my seat and went to lie down next to Yeonseo. It seemed that Yeonseo was surfing the web on her device with her chin resting on her ear.

” What, are you so embarrassed about? You should have just pushed more from there. ”

” That… That later… Just the two of us… ”

” Yeah, because I’m a troublemaker. ”

” What are you looking at? ”

Yeonseo silently enlarged the screen so that I could see it too.

” Is this… a recruitment notice from the Blue House…? ”

” Yeah, Dohee from Nodeul Island said she’d tell me, but just in case. ”

When he said that, he pointed to one part.

” Look, here. This part. If you look here, there’s a restriction that you must have conquered at least 5 towers. ”

” Really… Hmm… Then I…. ”

” I have to break up with Hyunseok because I’m restricted. ”

” I don’t like that! ”

In response to the words “let’s break up,” he got up from his seat and screamed loudly.

When I screamed loudly, Hyunseok asked what was wrong, and I just said it was nothing and lay back down in the blanket.

” Phew… This kid, really! We’re not really breaking up, so why are you reacting like that? So cute~ ”

” Ugh… So… So when is the recruitment period? ”

” Exactly… Namsan Tower is almost finished. Isn’t that fortunate? ”

” Really… you should have said that first…! ”

” Well, since Dohee said she would talk to her, you might be given some special treatment, so it’s a problem you can just go and ask about. ”

” I see… Haaam~ ”

When I yawned, Yeonseo yawned as if she was infected, and we laughed and turned off the device and lay down.

Hyunseok also finished eating and cleaned up a bit before lying down and starting to sleep.

I was looking forward to who I would meet at Seoul Station tomorrow, but at the same time, the War Memorial of Korea settlement I had passed by was on my mind.

If I had time… I would have been there to help people and listen to their stories, but…

We had no more time left.

Soon, when the counter at the top of Namsan Tower is completed, a crisis so great that these worries will become meaningless will come.

*****

Although we didn’t hear any birds chirping, the sun rose again today as usual and illuminated our eyes.

I slowly got up from my seat, washed up, ate a few energy bars, and then entered Seoul Station.

Before going in, Hyunseok asked me if I wanted to use an artifact to change my appearance.

Thinking about the possible situation, I agreed to his words and followed him with the silver hair I had shown him before.

” Stop! Who are you over there?! ”

The people standing at the entrance pointed sharp iron bars at us and asked us.

” We are from Garam Settlement. Look here. ”

Hyunseok showed them his settlement and ID card through the device and asked them.

” I was on my way to the Blue House, but I heard that people were gathering at Seoul Station, so I decided to stop by. ”

” Sure enough… Huh! I checked, so go in. But, if you cause trouble, you’ll be kicked out immediately! ”

” Haha, yes. Don’t worry. Then, take care. ”

It seems that the rumor that there were a lot of people gathered as we passed through the gate and entered Seoul Station was not a lie.

It was a pretty crowded place. The basement seemed to have collapsed or been blocked off from the inside, but it was a four-story building, so it seemed like it could accommodate a lot of people.

” Oh… That’s great? If we just do a little more maintenance and decoration, it’ll be pretty… ”

Yeonseo was quite impressed and started taking pictures with her Polaroid.

” Sure, it was a big building to begin with, so I can see why so many people are here. But it’s strange. ”

” What? ”

When Hyunseok said something was strange, Yeonseo asked while taking a picture.

Honestly, I was curious too. What on earth is so strange?

” So… According to what Yeonwoo said, they originally planned to make this place a settlement, but it was impossible because of the tower and the demons.

Only recently have the towers around here been somewhat cleaned up. So… ”

” So, Hyunseok, you’re saying that the building can’t be perfectly preserved? ”

When he heard a familiar voice behind Hyunseok, he turned his gaze there.

There, Mr. Dusik, who should have been at the Paris Park around the Mokdong settlement, was approaching us.

” Mister?! ”

” Oh, Charlotte? It’s been a while. I didn’t recognize you because you changed. It’s been a while, Yeonseo. ”

” Yes, it’s been a while. But why are you here? ”

” Haha! You’re asking me right away! I was also on my way to participate in the Namsan Tower conquest. ”

” What?! It’s too dangerous to come alone! ”

When I asked him with a slight anger, the old man scratched his head and laughed.

” Haha… Thanks for worrying about me. But I didn’t come alone. My friend told me that he was leading people here, so I came with him.

Hey, do you see that guy over there praying with the people? He’s my friend, ‘Oh Hyuk-jin.’

My daughter… I even helped collect Ryang’s body. ”

The old man had a sad expression on his face for a moment as he thought of his daughter who had left him first, but soon smiled and said.

” By the way, why did you come here? Shouldn’t you have gone straight to Cheong-oe-daero by now? ”

” Oh, actually… that’s right. ”

I told the old man what had happened so far.

The incident where Han Jin-oh, who had attacked the Mokdong settlement, transformed into a demon and used the harpies around the tower to attack the Seonyudo settlement.

I was planning to take a quick break at Nodeul Island, but something big happened at Garam Settlement, so I had to move quickly.

And then there was the recent split in the Garam settlement.

The old man listened to the story, then his expression became more serious and he stroked his beard as he spoke.

” Hehe… I never thought something like that would happen after I entrusted you with that pill… Well… I heard about Namsan Tower a while ago too. ”

” I see. So… ”

While I was talking to the old man, a man approached me and called my name.

As the saying goes, he had white hair that had strayed between his black hair, but I thought he looked quite neat with his hair slicked back neatly.

The clothes she was wearing were a bit tattered and looked like they had been sewn together, but they were the clothes of a bride serving God.

” Hey, dude! Why are you scaring the young people passing by again! ”

” Hehe! No. I came because I was happy to see you guys I know. ”

” Haha, that’s right. I was at Mokdong Settlement with you for a while. ”

” Ah~ Those guys! Ahem, let me introduce myself. My name is Oh Hyuk-jin, a friend of this bandit-like guy since childhood.

Well, as you can see, originally… I was a religious person and still am… Haha… ”

We also introduced ourselves to Mr. Oh Hyuk-jin, a close friend of the old man, and said hello to him.

He said that instead of standing here, he would go to the area where he lived and took the lead.

As I walked up the escalator, which was no longer moving, I heard a lot of noise as if a lot of people were opening stores.

Located on the third floor, it was a store decorated with a cross and an elegant yet sacred feel, perhaps to give people a sense of trust.

” Haha… I haven’t been here long so I’m still lacking, but I’ll be in pretty good shape soon. ”

” You’re already amazing at making things like this. ”

Hyunseok was looking around a bit more while hitting the janggu, and Yeonseo was silently taking pictures of the surroundings.

Mr. Dosik just watched indifferently.

” Sir? ”

” Oh, I’m sorry. I just thought it was a little old. That guy too… actually lost his family… ”

” Oh… I see. ”

” Yeah, he was a friend who liked helping people from the beginning… but did you know that after the Ryan incident, there were infected people in our country? ”

” Yes, at that time… So, that infected person got out and… caused a lot of damage… No way…?! ”

The old man nodded and looked at his friend, and there was sadness in his eyes.

The sadness of losing a precious family member that he had experienced. If he knew that his close friend from childhood had also experienced that… how sad would that be?

” Phew, that guy lost his wife and daughter back then. The funny thing is… My sister-in-law and her child… were trying to help that infected woman, and that’s how they ended up like that. ”

” That’s… such a… sad story. ”

” Yeah, and that guy… hasn’t shown any tears since then. As if he’s… not going to shed any more tears… ”

Any man who has ever experienced the pain of losing a loved one knows how sad it is.

That’s why tears are no longer shedding from his eyes, as if he is shedding them on behalf of his friend.

Tears that had been forming slowly were flowing down.

That expression… was sad enough to make even me feel what that feeling was like.