Chapter 34
Feeling somewhat anxious, I checked the bullets in the shotgun again. Right on cue, the pitch-black forest began to shake its entire body. The sharp wind violently rattled the campfire, and my ears suffered from the commotion that made them ache. Flap, flap. The night wind was particularly noisy today. Seeing clouds gathering in the sky, I threw fresh firewood into the dying campfire. Whether prepared by people during the day or not, dry firewood was piled up in layers like small graves near each campfire.
After confirming the fire was rising again, I looked around at where the men had gathered. Like someone checking if there was anything wrong with the campfires, a shadow was moving around with small steps, throwing something into the fires. Each time, there was a clicking sound, and sparkling embers were embroidered into the dim air.
However, the man who quickly checked all the campfires didn’t come to where I was. I didn’t expect him to come, but I couldn’t help cursing under my breath.
The cold floor and the dreary forest made me shrivel up. I kept fidgeting with the shotgun and straightened up whenever there was a rustling sound from the forest. It would have been better if there were animals in the forest or at least the sound of insects. The world had nothing left but trees, people, and monsters.
In a documentary I saw before, they said if bees or insects disappeared, the ecosystem would collapse and everything would break down. But the world was already broken, and the forest that grew and died as it pleased didn’t seem to care about the existence of insects.
I lowered my head. The words of a friend I met in a dream vaguely came to mind and tickled my thoughts.
‘Dying would be much easier.’
That was true. If I died, I wouldn’t have these worries, or future concerns and anxieties. But I was a coward and afraid of dying. And I wanted to live longer.
“…I hope he comes back before I die or go crazy.”
Sincerely, I prayed for Jang Jae-gyeong to appear, dangling his gun and knife. My plea turned into prayer, and prayer began to rise to expectation. It changed so quickly that at this rate, resentment would follow. I bit my lip hard and clenched and unclenched my fist. As I felt the gun stock, I touched some debris at the end. It dissolved in the sweat on my hand and stuck to it stickily. I rubbed my fingertips and held them up to the fire to check. My body froze when I saw my blackened hand. It was blood.
Han Jong-wook had initially said there weren’t enough guns and he had nothing to give me. I thought it was out of spite, but it might have been true. I wasn’t sure how many shotguns were available in this village, but from the situation, it didn’t seem like there were many.
In such a situation, a suddenly given shotgun. I thought it was strange to be given a gun that wouldn’t be easily handed over…
Having seen the blood, it wasn’t difficult to guess the gun’s origin. All the men on night watch had one gun each, but hadn’t one shotgun recently lost its owner?
As I shuddered at the sight of the blood that had dried up again after meeting my body heat, a rustling sound echoed from the forest. Not right next to me, but from quite far away. I hoped it was just the wind like before, but now there was not even a hint of wind, and my hair had settled down calmly, not obstructing my vision.
My fingers began to curl. I wanted to believe that the wind couldn’t reach here because of the dense forest. But the crumbling sound gradually approached this direction. I held the shotgun and prayed. Don’t come, don’t come this way.
Perhaps my prayer worked, as the loud noise suddenly stopped. My heart, which had been pounding, slowly calmed down, and a deep breath flowed out. But since those creatures were unlikely to turn away after spotting a human, I stayed close to the campfire and looked around. The men seemed to be chatting near the campfire, occasionally moving here and there, but no other commotion was heard.
Where could it be? Surely it wasn’t the same creature as before, hiding and watching for an opportunity. Just in case, I kept my finger on the trigger and moved my eyes diligently. However, since nothing was revealing itself, my neck, which had stiffened with tension, gradually relaxed. I realized I was clinging to the campfire so closely that my face was flushed and my clothes were starting to smell of burning, but I simply couldn’t move away. My fingertips were still trembling.
Then, from behind me, there was a crackling sound of a branch breaking. My spine stiffened like a rock, and I felt dizzy from tension. I tried to fire the shotgun, urging my trembling hands, but before I could fully turn around, my waist was grabbed. It was an incredible strength that almost took my breath away. My body was pushed to the ground. I closed my eyes the moment I felt hot breath on the nape of my neck.
Am I finally going to die? Like that man before, without even being able to scream properly. But even as time passed, the creature didn’t bite me. Rather, it buried its face in my nape, but the skin that touched me wasn’t firm and cold like the monsters I’d seen. There were no hideous contours, and I couldn’t feel hard, chilling teeth either.
My hand, which had firmly gripped the shotgun with the determination to fire at least one shot even if I died, naturally loosened in confusion. I raised my hand and felt the nape of my neck. Instead of a round head, soft hair wrapped around my hand. I was about to stroke it absently, but the hair slipped through my fingers as if the other person had raised their head.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
I heard a familiar voice. But it sounded a bit awkward and strange, as it had been so long since I’d heard it. I tried hard to suppress the feeling that I might burst into tears. A large, warm hand grasped my trembling one.
“…Doyun-ssi?”
“Yes.”
“Doyun-ssi.”
“Yes.”
I asked several times, unable to distinguish if this was a dream or reality. He, who was on top of me, didn’t get annoyed and answered clearly each time. As I slowly raised my head, a handsome face was revealed. It really was Kim Doyun. He smiled at me. I wanted to smile back, but I couldn’t. Because Kim Doyun’s face, shining palely in the cold moonlight, was a bit different from my memory. It was certainly the same gentle smile as before, but he seemed like a completely different person. Kim Doyun gripped my hand tightly as it was about to slip away.
“Ugh.”
My joints hurt from his grip, so tight it made my hand turn red. But even as he saw me in pain, Kim Doyun didn’t let go. Instead, he pressed his body close and held my face with his other hand.
From the corner of my eye, I saw he had a fierce expression I’d never seen before. His raised eyes began to examine me up and down meticulously. That gaze was so sharp it felt as if every place it touched stung and hurt. I struggled, trying to get away from Kim Doyun. All feelings of joy had fled, and all that remained was the desire to escape.
“L-let go of this!”
But Kim Doyun acted as if he couldn’t hear me. Far from letting go, he buried his face in my nape and exhaled roughly. The hot breath on my neck felt eerie, like an ice pick.
“Hic…”
I even felt as if the person covering me wasn’t Kim Doyun but a monster.
Goosebumps flowed from my neck, through my chest, and pooled at my fingertips. My head, my hands were standing on end, angrily shouting. Shoot! Shoot him! You’re mistaken. Didn’t you see the monster then? Its appearance changed. It could be one of those creatures.
I diligently countered these thoughts. It was because I didn’t want to believe this Kim Doyun was a monster. What about the campfire? We’re in front of a campfire, what about that? Then the anxiety threw a blunt answer. Can you be sure they’re all weak to light? Don’t you think there might be some that aren’t affected?
I listened to that conversation. Is that really true? Once doubt began, it couldn’t be stopped. I put my finger on the trigger. But the thread-like remaining reason held my muscle. What if it’s really Kim Doyun?
“Haah.”
While I hesitated, a deep sigh poured onto my nape. His lowered hand grabbed my belly and caressed it. Even though his hand had only come down slightly, I tensed my stomach in extreme nervousness. The hand slowly climbed up my chest, caressed my neck, and went back down to my belly. The firmly attached hand moving subtly felt like it was trying to tear my skin, making cold sweat run down. Finally, I was about to aim the shotgun and put strength in my finger when.
“…Are you alright?”
It was a gentle and familiar tone. Perhaps because of his way of speaking, the fear flowed away like water beyond my throat and disappeared, and my body relaxed. Afraid that even those words might be an illusion, I opened my eyes wide and looked at him. I could see his face flickering in the campfire light.
Was the unfamiliarity from earlier an illusion caused by the moonlight? The fierce appearance was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a gentle face. Even the hand that had gripped me painfully had become careful.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“……”
“Seongho-ssi?”
The face looking down at me with worry didn’t seem false. Nevertheless, I was looking at him suspiciously, and Kim Doyun lowered his head with an awkward smile.
“I’m sorry for startling you. I was worried you might be hurt or in trouble, so when I saw you, I was concerned and wanted to check…”
What kind of check was that…? While I was feeling dubious, Kim Doyun gently overlapped his hand. His touch wasn’t rough like before, but careful. And his firm, warm hand made me throw away even the remaining doubt.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
