Chapter 33
“Then, if I were from Seoul Station, what reason would I have to come all the way here?”
“Like secretly stealing information?”
“……Information?”
“Nora.”
At that moment, Baek Rak stepped forward, blocking Seo Won’s path.
“Baek Rak?”
“It’s not what you’re thinking.”
Baek Rak twisted his head to glance at Seo Won, then rolled his eyes to stare at the big man, Nora.
Under that cold gaze, Nora thought about whether Baek Rak had ever taken care of a new person before. But no matter how much he thought about it, there hadn’t been any. Baek Rak never trusted newcomers unless they were existing shelter members.
That’s probably why he had attached Poong to Yu Sol, who only lived within the shelter. If a hunter was one thing, but if an ordinary person tried to kidnap Yu Sol, they could be bitten to death by Poong.
That’s how much Baek Rak was a man more sensitive to safety than anyone else. If he trusted someone, then he couldn’t help but trust them too. He didn’t know where this guy came from, but at least he wouldn’t be a bad guy or a spy.
Nora nodded and lowered his guard.
“If you say so.”
“Nora, you’re unnecessarily sensitive. Baek Rak must have verified everything and brought him. He’s a bit strange, but he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”
Haru, who had initially looked wary, followed Baek Rak in defending Yoon Seo Won. That meant he trusted Baek Rak who brought him rather than believing in Yoon Seo Won himself.
“Sorry about that. You said Yoon Seo Won, right? I’m Nora, this is Park Haru. We’re both physical enhancement type hunters.”
Seo Won stared at Baek Rak as if amazed, then slightly pulled his head back. Then he spoke awkwardly to Nora’s belated greeting.
“Oh, yeah. Hello.”
“Hey, this is all because you’re weird. You say you came from another region, and you look strange but don’t know anything. It’s fair that you’d be suspected. Tsk.”
Seeing Haru, who showed no signs of wariness despite his harsh words, Baek Rak finally stepped aside.
“Yeah… it’s all my fault.”
“Good that you know.”
Was this how Hong Gil-dong felt? Seo Won couldn’t even voice his grievances and let out a long sigh.
Once the atmosphere relaxed, Baek Rak discussed shelter restoration with Nora, while Seo Won was caught by Haru and subjected to a barrage of questions. Most were curiosities about other regions, so Seo Won answered by appropriately mixing them with the lifestyle here or subtly changed the subject.
In the process, he was also able to learn about Nora and Haru’s abilities.
Haru used a bow to attack from long range, while Nora wore gauntlets and mainly engaged in close combat. Seo Won was fascinated by the fact that even among the same physical enhancement types, they weren’t all the same.
After finishing their conversation while gaining useful information, Nora and Haru disappeared, saying they were going to look around the shelter.
Seo Won looked up at the sky while observing the surroundings that were beginning to brighten. A whitish red light was rising, driving away the darkness. It was a signal that morning was coming soon.
Only then did he realize that the fierce night had ended.
Seo Won sighed in relief and took in the sight of the shelter beginning to bustle.
People confirming each other’s life and death, picking up debris and preparing for what’s next. Together with them, Yeongdeungpo Station Shelter began to move.
***
All damage to the shelter had been tallied. Han Seong Hyeon gathered all hunters except Yu Sol, who hadn’t woken up yet.
He spread the shelter map widely on the table and pointed to the department store building.
“First, the damage on this side is less than expected. There weren’t many guys who came inside because we lured them toward the barrier, and we blocked everything above the first-floor escalator so none went up.”
“Do you know how hard it was to keep them from going inside?”
“You did well, you worked so hard.”
Han Seong Hyeon didn’t spare praise for Haru’s grumbling. But soon his face hardened as he tapped the barrier.
“But the barrier damage is severe. Debris keeps falling, so there’s also accident risk. Repairing it will be quite troublesome.”
“It seems like we need to make a path up to the rooftop.”
“We have to. Nora, you make that. First quickly install safety nets, then make a simple elevator to clean up both top and bottom simultaneously.”
“Got it.”
“Let’s collect things that can be recycled and use them again. Useless things can be filled in when making stairs. There’s nothing to throw away, so sort them well.”
“What about lighting?”
“We’ll have to make new ones. Since we have to move at night too, let’s divide what we have between exterior and interior installation. It’ll be darker than before, but it should be fine as long as we can distinguish objects. I’ll take a look too, but since we’re doing it anyway, Nora, you manage it completely.”
Nora nodded.
Just when it seemed things were being organized systematically, Han Seong Hyeon suddenly closed his mouth and hesitated. Then he let out a long breath and said:
“……Actually, there’s one more big problem.”
“Huh? What?”
“The water supply problem.”
“Water? Why water?”
“……Most of the water containers we had stored spilled because of the creatures.”
“What? Really?”
When Haru jumped up, Seo Won, who had been standing quietly at the end of the table, was also startled.
“We can probably last about a day…… Anyway, since we’re short, we need to go to Yeouido to get water.”
“Don’t tell me you’re saying to take the truck?”
“The truck… we have to use it.”
“Wow… this is crazy.”
Seeing Park Haru scratching his head in distress, Seo Won looked at Baek Rak. He was also frowning deeply as if troubled.
“The vibration and noise blocking cubes we installed before are still usable, so be careful going and coming back.”
“We have to do that again……”
“Other people will have a hard time moving while restoring the shelter. You know that. At least it’s fortunate it’s not far.”
Haru understood Han Seong Hyeon but couldn’t hide his complicated feelings.
Yeongdeungpo Station Shelter had been regularly fetching water from the Han River. Normally, they had reserves so daily life would be possible even if they skipped a few days, but now most of the water was lost.
“Of all things, the water containers…… Ugh, really.”
“It’s urgent, there’s no choice.”
“……That’s true. Then, assuming me and Baek Rak escort the truck. Who’s driving? Everyone’s busy.”
Usually when bringing water, ordinary people took care of driving while Haru or Nora alternately provided escort.
Since they used vehicles equipped with cubes that blocked vibration and noise, ordinary people could sufficiently participate in this operation. The fact that they used motorcycles or cars that could hide from creatures also played a part.
But trucks were different. They had the advantage of being able to bring a considerable amount of water at once, but because they were so large, the possibility of being caught by creatures was very high. Large trucks, not regular trucks, had to be considered as having a 100% chance of being chased by creatures.
Haru sighed and repeatedly rubbed his face.
Fighting while protecting a truck wasn’t easy. It wasn’t like last night where they could fight and then run away, and there was nowhere to hide. It was only possible because it was daytime when creatures were weakened; they wouldn’t dare try it at night.
It would be nice if Han Seong Hyeon or Nora came along, but for safety reasons, they needed to quickly restore the barrier. So while he was seriously thinking about who to take…
Han Seong Hyeon pointed somewhere. Following him, three pairs of eyes turned to one place.
Seo Won blinked and took a step back under the pouring gazes. An ominous feeling approached. They were looking at him while searching for a truck driver? This was not a good sign.
“Yoon Seo Won, can you drive?”
Of course…… I knew this would happen.
Seo Won rolled his eyes and looked over the four people in turn.
Haru’s reaction was ‘Oh right, he was there too.’ Han Seong Hyeon was brightening his eyes as if it was natural he could do it. Where does that confidence even come from…… Seo Won swallowed dry saliva while looking at the remaining two people.
Nora was just waiting for his answer, while Baek Rak was frowning with displeasure.
Honestly, receiving someone’s expectations was burdensome. But avoiding it when he could do it felt like something he couldn’t do. It was obvious they were short-handed.
Besides, Baek Rak’s reaction was also bothering him.
“I… know how.”
“That’s a relief.”
At Han Seong Hyeon’s relief, Seo Won smiled awkwardly.
“Then, Yoon Seo Won will drive and Baek Rak and Haru will escort to bring water.”
“Since we’re talking about it, let’s leave right away.”
Haru immediately started walking as if he had never been troubled. It seemed like he wanted to quickly finish the job that had to be done anyway.
“Huh? What about the meeting?”
When Seo Won asked in confusion at Haru’s hasty action, Han Seong Hyeon just shrugged. The problem was that Baek Rak was already moving too. While he stared blankly at the two people heading outside the office, Han Seong Hyeon said:
“It’s an urgent mission, so we’re leaving right away.”
“No, but still……”
“The remaining meeting can be done with just me and Nora. That’s how it usually is, so don’t worry and have a safe trip.”
“Hey! Why aren’t you coming? Hurry up!”
Haru was already gesturing from outside the office. Seo Won started walking as if pushed by Han Seong Hyeon, who was waving goodbye.
What’s with everything progressing so quickly?
Without time to think or worry, he was about to drive a truck leaving the shelter.
‘This is… okay, right?’
Unfortunately, unlike Seo Won’s head being full of question marks, the mission had already begun.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
