Chapter 55
“I saw it too. It was enormous, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. But it wasn’t just one—several kept falling without rest, causing chaos. I was lucky not to get hit and was running away when…… suddenly I heard a strange crying sound from behind.”
“……A strange crying sound?”
“Whether it was a roar or a scream, it didn’t sound like something a person would make anyway. So I looked back, and these strange monsters were doing things to people…… just……”
Choi Gi Beom, who had spoken up to that point, trembled as he hugged his shoulders tightly. But Seo Won didn’t have the capacity to comfort him. His face turned pale as he grabbed the man’s shoulder and asked.
“Monsters…… appeared?”
“Yes, yes. With black and red eyes……. I saw them here too. That’s why I was so shocked……”
The moment he heard that answer, his mind went blank for an instant.
If what he said was true, then the place where he lived was already……
There was a considerable difference between simply guessing and actually hearing about what had happened. Because hearing the truth made it impossible to even harbor hope.
His breath caught and his head spun. He staggered unconsciously when Baek Rak approached and embraced his shoulder.
“…….”
“…….”
When he looked up at the guy, solid eyes sparkling blue were silently looking at him. They were clear pupils that neither wavered nor became turbidly clouded.
Continuing to look into those eyes, somehow, it felt like he could breathe. His mind, which had gone blank, seemed to return to normal, and he felt strength entering his body.
It was a very strange experience.
Fortunately, his head started working again. Thinking about it, even if Creatures had appeared, he couldn’t definitively conclude that his friends and hyung were dead. They might be hiding somewhere and still alive. If this place was the future…… though it would be meaningless, it was something he couldn’t know for now.
Sensing that he had calmed down, Baek Rak lightly patted the shoulder he was holding.
‘I need to get it together……. I can’t be like this outside the shelter.’
When he shook his head several times to gather himself, Baek Rak seated him on the floor. Then, as if sensing something, he listened carefully to the bunker entrance in the ceiling.
After concentrating for a while as if trying to determine the Turncoats’ location, he soon stood up and slowly lifted the cover.
Seo Won also got up and approached Baek Rak. Looking outside, the creatures weren’t visible. Though the thick rotten smell was unpleasant, there was nothing to be seen or heard.
When he glanced at Baek Rak, he also nodded.
“Ki-beom-ssi, come here. We need to go out now.”
“Go out……?”
“Yes. There’s a shelter nearby. There are people there, food, and you won’t have to hide like this.”
“Really?”
“Yes, so.”
He was about to say they should leave quickly when Baek Rak grabbed his wrist.
“Wait.”
At Baek Rak’s gesture to stay quiet, Seo Won hesitated and nodded. Then he sent hand signals to the man. Though it was sudden, he could now respond familiarly. When Baek Rak acted like this, it meant the situation wasn’t good.
Sure enough. The cries of Creatures could be heard from afar, and darkness was approaching.
Should they escape quickly since the shelter was close? It seemed like they could arrive if Baek Rak leaped just a few times……. While he was thinking this, Baek Rak quietly looked at Choi Gi Beom and then closed the bunker door.
Startled, Seo Won asked Baek Rak.
“What, why? Wouldn’t it be fine if we left right away?”
“Creatures are already roaming outside.”
A sigh filled with regret leaked out.
In a situation where Baek Rak had no choice but to draw his sword, taking both him and Choi Gi Beom would be dangerous. If it was one person it might be different, but carrying two people would be the same as giving up defense.
“……Of all times.”
They had no choice but to wait here for the darkness to pass.
Listening carefully, he could hear Creature cries nearby. Strong vibrations followed. It seemed the surface had been engulfed in darkness in that brief moment.
Seo Won rubbed his face lengthily and looked at the man sitting blankly. He was still looking at him with a bewildered expression.
Since he knew nothing, that was natural.
Seo Won slowly approached Choi Gi Beom and carefully sat in front of him while saying.
“It’s dangerous right now, so we can’t go outside.”
“……Why?”
“When it becomes night or gets dark, the Creatures run rampant.”
“Creatures……. You mean those monsters?”
“Yes. They’re the ones that came from the meteorites……”
Seo Won paused his words and leaned comfortably against the wall. It seemed the conversation would be long.
“Since it’s come to this, I’ll explain the basics to you. These are things you need to know to survive here.”
“Yes, yes.”
Seo Won briefly organized the information he had obtained from Baek Rak, Yu Sol, and the shelter and taught it to Choi Gi Beom.
Stories about ability users called ‘Hunters’ that didn’t exist in their world, Creature habits, the forms of day and night, and even that formal speech was used sarcastically. While continuing the conversation like this, he didn’t forget to stay alert of their surroundings.
After finishing the simple explanation, Choi Gi Beom seemed confused but appeared to be accepting the current situation.
“It’s not easy…….”
“Right, well.”
He had dropped formalities with Choi Gi Beom. It was necessary for the future, and since they were the same age, it wasn’t difficult.
“How did you come here? Where did you wake up?”
“I……was in the Gangnam area. I was crushed by a falling meteorite, but when I opened my eyes, I was here. I don’t know the exact location. I think it was probably the same spot.”
“Really? Weren’t there other people around there? People…… like us, I mean.”
Seo Won shook his head. There was no one there at the time. Even when he was being chased by Creatures, no people appeared. But thinking carefully, there might be people who woke up not in that spot but in other places.
Just like how he thought only he had crossed over to this place, but then met Choi Gi Beom like this.
“If there are any, they’re probably somewhere else. I was in the Gangnam area, and you were in the Yeongdeungpo area.”
“Then, shouldn’t we look for those people too?”
“……Huh?”
Seo Won flinched at Choi Gi Beom’s words.
“They’re probably scared and alone like me. Or…… they might have been captured by strange people.”
“……That’s.”
“Let’s go look for them. Find those people and we……”
Thud!
It was before Choi Gi Beom could finish his words.
A loud crash erupted, loud enough to shake the entire bunker. Seo Won was startled and looked around. Then he caught sight of Baek Rak, who had stuck one sword into the ground while coldly glaring at Choi Gi Beom.
‘What the. Don’t tell me…… he deliberately made noise just now?’
He wanted to scold him, asking if he was crazy and what he was doing. But with the vibrations getting closer, he couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth.
Now was the time when they shouldn’t even make breathing sounds.
Thud thud thud thud, thump, thump, thump!
The sound of creatures with sensitive hearing running here and roaming around could be heard. It wasn’t one, but the footsteps of dozens of creatures continuing endlessly from the ceiling.
Seo Won swallowed dry saliva while staring at Baek Rak. But the guy was glaring at Choi Gi Beom as if he might slice him at any moment. It seemed the words about going to look for people had gotten on his nerves.
‘Even so, that’s too much. How can he call Creatures instead of telling him to shut up?’
Honestly, Choi Gi Beom’s opinion was something they couldn’t easily accommodate. It meant they would have to search all of Seoul like hunting lice to find people whose whereabouts were unknown.
When they weren’t even certain if there really were people who had crossed over like them, they couldn’t take such a risk.
No matter how reckless he was, he knew how to distinguish between what could and couldn’t be done. If they had actually discovered people, they would have naturally helped them. However, chasing phantoms could be called foolish beyond recklessness.
Didn’t he have reasons to quickly awaken as a Hunter anyway?
He knew what feelings the words came from, but he naturally intended to refuse. Even if Baek Rak hadn’t done this, he would have persuaded Choi Gi Beom……
‘Instead of calling me reckless, shouldn’t he look at himself first? Ugh, really.’
Seo Won raised both hands to show Choi Gi Beom, who was covering his mouth to avoid making noise with his eyes wide open, telling him to calm down. Even so, his rolling eyes were soaked with anxiety.
Seo Won carefully stood up and walked to Baek Rak’s front. When he slowly sat down, he faced the cold gaze glaring at Choi Gi Beom head-on. The blade was so sharp it was spine-chilling.
When he quietly looked at him from the front, Baek Rak stared at him. The guy asked with his eyes.
‘Don’t tell me you’re seriously considering that nonsense?’
Seo Won shook his head.
‘No. I know what’s priority, so calm down. Put away your sword too.’
When he glanced at the sharply honed sword, Baek Rak finally sheathed it. Whether his meaning was properly conveyed, his gaze also softened a bit. Still, the atmosphere remained cold.
‘If you’re going to look for people, tell him to go alone.’
‘He’s someone who doesn’t know anything. Just let it slide.’
Absurdly, they were having a conversation with glances, expressions, and head gestures. Because he knew well what Baek Rak would say. Baek Rak was no different.
‘Is there any guarantee he won’t act like this even when we get to the shelter?’
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
