Chapter 34
Seo Won, who had entered the garage, reflexively caught the flying keys. Looking to the side, he saw Baek Rak slowly walking over.
“What kind of truck is it?”
“That one.”
When he turned his gaze in the direction Baek Rak was pointing, there was a massive truck. It wasn’t a small truck, but a tanker designed to transport liquid materials.
“…Why is this thing so huge?”
The car had been modified – the driver’s seat window had security bars installed, and shock-absorbing bumpers were wrapped around the exterior. Judging by the scratches and patched-up parts here and there, it looked like it had been through quite a rough journey.
“To bring back a lot at once.”
“How much water does it hold?”
“About 40 tons.”
“How long would that last?”
“Roughly… a week?”
It seemed like a transport mission that wouldn’t end in just one trip. Seo Won dragged his hand down his face and barely managed to steel his resolve.
“But is it okay to drive this? What about that vibration and noise blocking cube from earlier?”
“Literally an auxiliary item that blocks vibration and noise. Can only be used on transportation.”
“So it doesn’t work on people? But there’s actually something like that? Amazing.”
As he examined the truck and moved toward the driver’s seat, Baek Rak chuckled lightly and said,
“Everything must be amazing to you.”
“Well…”
He was right. This was his first time in a world with creatures and hunters, so naturally he wouldn’t know about all the little things.
Seo Won opened the driver’s seat door and got inside. Looking at the gear knob, fortunately it wasn’t too different from what he knew. The problem was that he had never driven such a large truck before…
‘It’s a short distance, so it should be fine, right?’
Starting the engine, Seo Won took a deep breath and slowly drove the vehicle. In his previous world, he had to consider various things when driving in the city, but here there were no traffic laws or organized roads, so he just needed to go there and come back safely.
He pulled the truck out of the garage and parked it in front for a moment. Aside from everything else, he was a bit nervous about the unfamiliar ride quality. But more than that, he was amazed that this huge vehicle moved without making any sound.
‘I really can’t feel any noise or vibration at all.’
If he had felt even a little, going outside the shelter might have been burdensome. Apart from Baek Rak and Haru following as escorts, he would become a target for swarming creatures.
As he was loosening up his body by rolling his shoulders, Haru, who had been running from a distance, jumped up and hung onto the side mirror.
“How is it? Think you can handle it?”
“Driving itself is possible. But how far is it?”
“Hmm… The distance is short, but we can’t run so it takes longer than expected. Still, it’s better than being caught by creatures.”
“Go slowly?”
“Yeah, go slowly and stop when you see our signal. Then duck down and stay still. When we give the departure signal, move again.”
When Seo Won nodded, Haru patted the door saying “good luck,” then immediately jumped up onto the truck’s roof. Baek Rak, who had been outside, also opened the passenger door and sat beside him.
When Seo Won stared at Baek Rak intently, he gestured forward with his chin, telling him to start.
‘Aren’t these guys even worried?’
He thought they were being too carefree without knowing his driving skills. He couldn’t tell if they were being reckless or if they trusted him.
Taking comfort in the fact that Baek Rak was coming along, Seo Won began driving the truck.
Following Baek Rak’s guidance, they arrived at the barrier entrance, which had been neatly cleared in advance as if they had received instructions.
“Open the door!”
At Haru’s shout from atop the truck, the barrier’s large door began to slowly open.
“Whoa…”
But the situation outside the shelter revealed beyond the pitch-black door was worse than expected.
Seo Won stretched his head out to examine the outside more closely.
The barbed wire that had been attached to the barrier’s exterior was scattered on the ground, and the flat ground had become so uneven that it was deeply dug up or turned into hills. The lights and objects that had been installed on the barrier’s roof were also destroyed and scattered everywhere, making him feel once again how fierce last night had been.
The door that had been slowly opening stopped after creating enough space for the truck to pass through. Seo Won took one last deep breath and slowly started moving.
“Follow the barrier and go right.”
At Baek Rak’s instruction, he turned the truck to the right.
Afterward, he focused on driving while avoiding obstacles, but his right cheek felt tingly. When he glanced sideways, Baek Rak was leaning his arm on the window frame and staring at him intently.
“What?”
His gaze was directed at his face and both arms. Wondering what he was looking at so intently, Seo Won examined his own arms and found them covered with scratches and wounds.
“You really worked hard rolling around by yourself.”
At Baek Rak’s words, Seo Won couldn’t hide his embarrassment and rubbed his face.
“Sol’s injuries are worse than mine.”
Compared to Yu Sol, who had flesh torn from her waist and bled profusely, these weren’t particularly serious wounds. He had already received treatment and they didn’t hurt, so he had forgotten about them. They just looked dramatic on the surface.
“I felt this when I first saw you too.”
“What?”
“Are you always this reckless?”
The truck lurched as it got caught on low terrain. Seo Won changed direction and said,
“Reckless?”
“I’ll give you that you were surprised when you first saw creatures. But you hadn’t known Yu Sol for long either. It wasn’t even a situation where you could survive, so why did you act like that?”
Was he talking about luring the creatures? This time too, it would have definitely been dangerous if Baek Rak hadn’t saved him. But…
“I just did the best I could.”
“By risking your life?”
“…”
He hadn’t lured the creatures to die in Yu Sol’s place. He just couldn’t turn away.
He had a higher chance of survival, and… setting everything else aside, Yu Sol was a child who needed protection. Even if she was a hunter, that’s how she looked to him, so he couldn’t help it.
“Anyway, by doing that, we lasted a little longer. Everyone survived.”
“If I hadn’t come, you would have died.”
“I would have died, and Sol would have died too.”
“You…”
Baek Rak started to say something but let his words trail off. Then he closed his mouth. As the silence dragged on, feeling uncomfortable, he glanced at the guy. Baek Rak was holding his forehead and glaring straight ahead.
He seemed angry, but also complicated. What on earth was he thinking to act like that?
The scolding about being reckless seemed like he was worried about him, right? Baek Rak’s gaze as he had looked over his wounds kept coming to mind. If he had no intention of getting close, it was unfair to show such concern.
His words and actions were all mixed up, so he didn’t know which tune to follow.
Seo Won tried to hide his frustration and focused on the road again.
As they left the barrier and gradually moved away from the shelter, he could feel the air getting heavier. The unpleasant smell also thickened, and his body felt duller. When they reached the point where the protective aura ended, he could clearly tell the difference.
“Drive a little slower.”
They had finally completely left the safe zone. At Baek Rak’s words, Seo Won reduced his speed to 20 km/h. However, even that was too fast, so he eventually had to crawl along at 10 km/h.
As they drove on roads pitted by creatures, he suddenly worried about the path ahead.
“Will the road ahead be okay?”
At Seo Won’s question, Baek Rak answered disinterestedly.
“If there’s a problem, Haru will say something.”
But contrary to his tone, his eyes were sharply surveying the surroundings. Seo Won looked back and forth between Baek Rak and the ruins, then quietly sighed inwardly and focused on driving.
Moving stealthily like a turtle, they could see the destroyed road and Seoul Bridge ahead. Then they heard tapping sounds from the ceiling.
“The road ahead seems pretty badly damaged. We’ll go ahead and clear it, so just keep coming slowly like this.”
“Yeah, got it.”
“Baek Rak, let’s go.”
At Haru’s call, when Baek Rak opened the car door to get out, Seo Won hastily grabbed him.
“You’re both going?”
“Why?”
Baek Rak, who had halfway gotten out, turned around. Seo Won stared at Baek Rak, unable to hide his bewilderment.
“You want me to stay here alone?”
Where had the boldness from when he lured creatures gone? Seo Won was anxious about being left alone. Baek Rak looked at Haru’s figure already running far away, then said to Seo Won,
“We need to clear the front quickly.”
“What if creatures appear?”
“…”
Baek Rak looked at Seo Won silently.
Then he suddenly realized something.
Since coming to this world, except for the very beginning, he had never been alone.
All this time, Yoon Seo Won had either been with him, or together with Yu Sol or Poong. The anxiety he felt was primal. The difference between having someone to rely on nearby and not having anyone was obvious.
But right now, Seo Won was within his range. Even if he wasn’t right beside him, he was close enough to save him if something happened. Only Yoon Seo Won himself didn’t know this.
After thinking for a moment, Baek Rak said,
“Even if I’m out there, I have enough time to come save you, so don’t worry about useless things. And on the way here to the shelter with me, when did we ever run into creatures?”
Seo Won recalled the journey coming to Yeongdeungpo Station shelter with Baek Rak. Except for when they fought the turncoat due to his mistake, they hadn’t encountered those things even once.
Remembering this fact, his anxious heart calmed down a little.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
