Chapter 23
“You said I’m the first person Baek Rak has brought here, right?”
“Yeah, you’re the first.”
So that means there was no one else all this time? Now he could understand a bit what they meant by acquired awakeners being a minority.
“But what does the power room do? Han Seong Hyeon was also busy going there earlier.”
When they arrived at the barrier rooftop, the other people who had been at their designated positions also began to gradually change shifts. Yu Sol climbed up to the highest watchtower among them, then stopped abruptly and stared intently at Seo Won.
“You really don’t know anything.”
“Well… this is my first time at such a large shelter.”
“Our shelter is pretty big.”
Yu Sol puffed out her chest, proud of her shelter. She explained things skillfully, but in aspects like this she still seemed young, so he swallowed his laughter inwardly.
“The power room is where they make electricity. Electricity is used during the day too, but it’s most needed at night.”
As soon as they reached the very top, eerie howling sounds could be heard from somewhere. The sky was pitch black with only a slight red tinge visible. From now on was the true night.
When complete darkness descended and the world turned pitch black, light appeared from somewhere, gently illuminating the surroundings.
Seo Won looked around and discovered that the lights attached to the outer walls had turned on. Although the light was weaker than expected, it was enough to see down to below the barrier. The massive lights that would be used at baseball stadiums remained quiet, probably only used in emergencies.
“We keep the surroundings minimally lit with lighting, and hunters watch far into the distance. You said this is your first shelter, right? You’ll see something terrifying soon, so steel your heart.”
“Something terrifying?”
Even before Yu Sol’s answer came back, the screams of creatures echoed through the air. It wasn’t that far away.
Seo Won stared at the ruins outside the barrier. Thanks to the vision he gained from his first awakening, he could clearly see the collapsed buildings even in the darkness. And between them, creatures wriggling and crawling out.
Before he knew it, red eyes were forming waves in all directions.
“……There was nothing just a moment ago, when did it become like this.”
Yu Sol tilted her head after hearing Seo Won’s muttering.
“What, don’t tell me this is your first time seeing creatures?”
“……No, that’s not it.”
Seo Won, who came to his senses belatedly, shook his head.
“They were hiding at night. This is my first time seeing them like this.”
“Ah, that’s right. If it’s not a shelter, it would be hard to see creatures at night.”
Because you’d say goodbye to the world the moment you saw them. Though daytime wasn’t safe either, night was completely their world.
“There are some that disappear and appear like smoke, and some that hide underground and come up. The higher the grade, the more freely they seem to come and go.”
“Creatures have grades too?”
“……You don’t know this either? Where exactly did you live?”
Yu Sol frowned as if she couldn’t understand. She could understand that living styles were different since he had lived in a different district, but not knowing about creatures didn’t make sense.
But Seo Won came up with a plausible reason.
“If I had seen creatures often, I probably wouldn’t have made it here alive.”
Yu Sol was uncertain.
“But you should have inherited basic knowledge, right?”
“……Well.”
He couldn’t think of a particularly plausible answer, so he trailed off. Then Yu Sol was startled and unnaturally turned her head. When he glanced at her, she seemed troubled. What was this about?
“……No, well. That could…… be possible.”
It seemed like Yu Sol was creating some sad story about him in her head… Did he need to correct it? Since appropriate silence seemed to be helpful instead, Seo Won kept his mouth shut.
“Ahem, anyway, we watch for any strange signs here and wait until morning.”
“I see.”
When Yu Sol settled into her position, Poong also lay down in front of her. Then he kept looking back and forth between him and Yu Sol. He didn’t seem like he would cause harm, but he appeared to be wary since this was the first time seeing this person.
Seo Won pointed at Poong and asked.
“Is he your bodyguard?”
“What bodyguard. He’s a watcher, a watcher.”
Contrary to her words, Yu Sol was stroking Poong’s head vigorously with a smile on her lips. Since he listened to Baek Rak’s words as top priority, he was family that she couldn’t help but love even if he was annoying.
“Are there no other dogs?”
“Of course there are. Poong’s wife and children are there too. Five were born recently and they’re so cute! They look exactly like Poong but their eyes haven’t opened yet!”
“Ugh, they must be adorable.”
Imagining the little ones huddled together suckling their mother’s milk made his chest tickle. Yu Sol seemed to be thinking the same thing as she was fidgeting.
“I’ll show you tomorrow morning. They’re really too pretty!”
“You promised? If Poong doesn’t like it, you have to stop him.”
“Of course!”
Watching Yu Sol pat her chest confidently, telling him to just trust her, Seo Won laughed briefly. Poong just kept watching Seo Won, who had called his name, and the excited Yu Sol.
Then suddenly a question came to mind.
“But you’re a healing-type hunter, right. What other types are there?”
If Baek Rak and Han Seong Hyeon were physical enhancement types and Yu Sol was a healing type, he thought there might be other types too.
“Um…… There are physical enhancement and elemental types, and rarely some unique abilities.”
“Unique abilities?”
“Things like using shadows physically or using telekinesis. There are various types, so I don’t know them all either.”
“That’s fascinating.”
“Oh, right. Come to think of it, there’s someone famous for telekinesis. He’s the leader of Seoul Station Shelter and his name is Jang Tae Geon. Not only his ability, but he’s incredibly strong according to rumors.”
“Really?”
“Of course! But Baek Rak is stronger!”
At the statement filled with personal bias, Seo Won just nodded. Fine, let’s say Baek Rak is stronger.
“Haru and Nora are also physical enhancement types. Baek Rak acknowledges those two as well. Haru practically worships him like a god, you know?”
“Uh-huh, I see.”
“And isn’t he perfectly handsome too?”
That was something he felt every time he saw him, so there was no need to emphasize it anew. The face with long, sleek eyes, neat eyebrows, a prominent nose bridge, and sharp jawline harmoniously combined was so handsome that it would be rare to see even in the world he used to live in. Rather than heavy, it had a sharp and sexy feeling.
He didn’t know about the superiority of abilities, but surely if they competed with faces, wouldn’t he be able to overwhelm this person called Jang Tae Geon? Of course, this was also just a hypothesis.
“He’s a bit prickly, but he still takes good care of you.”
“He does seem to care about you a lot.”
“Right? He’s really great once you get close to him.”
Even if he wanted to respond to Yu Sol listing Baek Rak’s good points, it was meaningless for him. Setting everything else aside, since the person himself didn’t want to get along well with him, wasn’t the premise itself messed up? He was the one who even pointed out to Han Seong Hyeon to take it easy.
Seo Won quietly stared at Yu Sol, who was looking up at him with sparkling eyes.
‘I probably won’t get to see the side of Baek Rak that you know.’
According to Yu Sol, it seemed like she was trying to help with her unrequited love for Baek Rak, but it was something neither Baek Rak nor he wanted. Baek Rak, who was receiving a more serious misunderstanding than him, was pitiable.
It was while he was spending time appropriately changing the subject and listening to various stories from Yu Sol.
Seo Won felt something strange and looked around. The light air had become heavy, and the energy that had been enveloping his whole body was gradually becoming thinner.
It wasn’t just him who felt this, as Yu Sol, who had been chattering away, also shut her mouth tight. Then she jumped up from her seat and stuck her head out over the barrier.
“Yu Sol?”
“Something’s strange.”
Seo Won also got up and stared in the direction Yu Sol was looking. Then he could see the creatures that had been prowling around with glowing eyes in the distance gradually approaching.
Yu Sol quickly took out her radio.
“Captain! Creatures are approaching.”
[I know. Sol, you evacuate the people first.]
“Okay, got it.”
[Is Yoon Seo Won also there with you by any chance?]
“He’s here. Why?”
[You two stay together continuously and absolutely don’t go to dangerous places. Got it?]
At Han Seong Hyeon’s instruction, Seo Won and Yu Sol looked at each other questioningly. Why was he telling them to stay together?
[Move quickly, quickly!]
“Uh, okay!”
The radio communication with Han Seong Hyeon was cut off before they could even ask the reason. Anyway, they had to act quickly for now. Yu Sol pressed the red button on the pillar. Then emergency siren sounds echoed throughout the entire Yeongdeungpo Station Shelter.
“Turn on all the lights and everyone get inside the barrier and prepare for battle!”
When Yu Sol shouted to the people who were keeping watch together on the barrier, everyone began to move in unison.
“Seo Jeong Min! Go down and bring all non-combat personnel to the front of the bunker.”
“Got it!”
Seo Won, who had been watching the urgent situation unfold, turned his gaze outside again. The creatures had gotten closer than before. The more they did, the heavier the air became and the more intense the unpleasant smell grew.
“Yoon Seo Won!”
“……Huh?”
“What are you doing? We need to go down too!”
Following Yu Sol, who was gesturing urgently, Seo Won also left the watchtower. There was no one left on the barrier as all the people had gone down, and all the lights were turned on, making the surroundings brighter than daytime.
“Why does the barrier seem to be…… crumbling?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
