Chapter 10
Kim Doyun was older than I thought. No, he looked very young. So young that just by looking at his face, I would have guessed he was around 24. With his good skin and smooth complexion, I thought he’d be at most a couple of years older than me.
But considering his position, his appearance made him seem too young. Wait, is it even possible to be an executive director at 32? Was he parachuted in? Or perhaps an elite with a good education from abroad? As I tried to figure out how someone so young could reach such a position, I ended up pulling my hair. I don’t know why I’m speculating about someone else’s life like this.
“Damn, I’m hungry.”
Pulling my hair made my hunger worse. I massaged my legs vigorously, trying to forget both my hunger and distracting thoughts. My legs need to heal for me to survive. If my legs are in good condition, I could run away by myself even if I’m left alone, without being paralyzed by fear.
I massaged my legs and tried moving them slightly. My worries about what would happen if it took more than a week to heal gradually disappeared as I moved them. Perhaps they were healing faster than expected, as I could move more easily than yesterday. This improved my mood a bit.
With my improved mood, I thought I should find something I could do despite my injured leg. My leg was injured, but my hands were fine, and I wasn’t completely unable to walk. There must be something I needed to do here. So I considered what we needed most right now.
First, a windbreak and water. Though it’s midsummer, the forest’s night breeze was quite cold, and after just one night, my body was shivering. Prolonged exposure would obviously lead to a severe cold. We needed something to shield ourselves from the wind and those creatures. And most importantly, water. How many days can a person survive without water? I definitely knew this, but couldn’t remember. Feeling dull, I tapped my head with my palm.
“If I could eat something, my mind would work better.”
Hunger seemed to be slowing down my thoughts. With nothing to eat, it would be great to at least drink some water. Kim Doyun must also be parched. My mouth was dry with just a gulp of saliva going down, so someone who’s moving around must feel it even more. But he would pretend to be fine in front of me, and also…
I dusted off my clothes and stood up. Thinking about Kim Doyun made me determined to find water. But how could I get water here?
I rubbed my hands together, pondering. If it rained, I could collect water using leaves. That thought suddenly reminded me of something. Last night, when I was feeling my way around, there was a damp spot.
I carefully examined the leaves hanging around. To think I’d consider collecting water from leaves—it’s something I couldn’t have imagined before. But it’s better to gratefully drink this than to struggle without water. I just hope it won’t upset my stomach.
The water on the leaves was flowing slightly along elongated vines. When I reached out and rubbed them, my fingertips became moist. I was glad but also curious. How was water flowing without rain?
For a moment, I thought of meteor showers, but the ones I’d seen so far left no traces. Even the water droplets that fell on my face quickly disappeared from my fingertips. Well, the remaining bruise could be considered a trace, I suppose.
I tore off some leaves and thin vines around me. After much consideration, I tore the tips of leaves slightly and inserted other leaves between them, making them hang down. Doing this by hand meant some connections weren’t properly aligned, or I tore them too much, making them ragged. But by overlapping several large leaves, I managed to create something resembling a water container. I placed it under the vine where water was flowing.
Finding something I could do really did improve my mood. I looked around. Although the only materials were leaves and vines, I thought I could somehow make a windbreak too. I broke off lush branches and tied them to hanging vine tendrils. When there weren’t enough vines, I tore some from the edges of the tree and connected them.
While doing this work, I could examine the tree more thoroughly. The tree was not only massive in its main trunk, but looked even larger because the side branches of surrounding trees were intertwined with its branches. They embraced each other like arms, with new grass and vines growing over them. Even the platform-like branch was created by branches intertwining with each other.
It was hard to believe all this had formed in just half a day. But the evidence was clearly visible. Soil breaking through, asphalt being crushed, even buildings crumbling like sand castles and scattered beneath the roots like nutrients for the tree.
There must be people who escaped and survived like us, but where had they all gone? I believed they were rescued by rescue teams, but looking at the sediment, fearful conclusions began to emerge—corpses that had become compost for trees and monsters that snatch people.
Would humans, would the world ever be normal again?
Suddenly, a chill ran through me and my fingertips trembled. I rubbed my shoulders and limbs, hunching my body. I didn’t even want to imagine a world without anyone. But my mind stealthily pulled out fears and, flicking its bright red tongue, began laying out only unpleasant things. Even though I told myself to stop, to think only positive thoughts, my mind wouldn’t listen.
As I was about to rub my face to gather my thoughts, I discovered numbers drawn on my palm. Faintly remaining numbers, a phone number. I remembered that there were other people besides us. The doctor, Ms. Yoon So-young, the child’s mother, and the little one. Recalling how they had seen us off from the safety of the hospital, waiting for rescue teams, briefly calmed my mind. But the fear in my head once again threw doubt with a sinister smile.
Do you think those monsters would leave the hospital alone?
Goosebumps engulfed my entire body. My dry, rough throat couldn’t withstand the chills and let out a slight cough. I gritted my teeth, swallowing the cough and pressing down on my aching throat and heart. I wouldn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. Even as I thought this, my body continued to tremble. It seemed that even my will had been infected by the fear in my mind. Just as I was about to curse at my body that wouldn’t calm down, something warm grasped my forehead.
“Are you alright?”
A low voice spoke from behind. It was Kim Doyun. My shoulders, stiff with anxiety, began to melt like they had encountered warm water. I was about to complain about him coming up without making any sound, pretending I was fine, but I closed my mouth at his next words.
“You don’t seem to have a fever…”
He held my forehead, deeply concerned. Perhaps because we were so close, Kim Doyun’s breath poured onto my nape. His firm chest and warm body temperature also clung to my back. Normally, I would have been horrified to be so close to another man, but I was starved for human warmth.
“…I’m fine. Just a bit cold.”
Due to the tiny bit of pride I had left, instead of saying I was scared or thanking him for his concern, I said something else. Hearing my words, Kim Doyun put more strength into the hand covering my forehead. But it wasn’t burdensome; rather, it felt good because it was warm.
“What should we do? It would be nice if we could light a fire.”
Kim Doyun embraced my shoulders and began gently patting them. It was an embarrassing position, but my tense heart gradually melted away. I didn’t want to lose either the touch on my forehead or the body heat against my back.
* * *
Red and luscious objects rolled into my view. The yellow, rough peels emitted a sweet smell, making them look delicious. I held the fruits like sacred treasures, not knowing what to do. As I stared endlessly at the four round fruits, Kim Doyun, who had been fixing the windbreak, approached.
“Aren’t you going to eat them?”
“What?”
I jumped when Kim Doyun spoke to me. I put down the fruits and cleared my throat.
“What exactly are these…?”
“Apples and pears, right?”
I know that. But Kim Doyun, as if teaching a six or seven-year-old child, picked up an apple and a pear to show me, then placed them in my hands. Looking down at the glossy fruits while swallowing my saliva, I hastily raised my head. Kim Doyun gestured for me to eat.
“…Where did you get these from?”
What Kim Doyun brought were plump and substantial, like fruits in their peak season. The flesh also looked firm—how did he get these? Could there be a collapsed shopping district nearby? Then Kim Doyun kindly explained what he had seen.
“Not far from here, there’s a colony of fruit trees. I picked these from there.”
A colony of fruit trees! I had been considering tearing off leaves to gnaw on because I was so hungry. But fruit—there couldn’t be happier news. Plus, couldn’t we quench our thirst with these? Though the things I had made turned out to be useless, eating fruit was better than drinking water I couldn’t even filter.
I held the fruit and smiled widely, but I couldn’t smile for long. The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Apples and pears bearing fruit already? It’s early July—that shouldn’t be possible. Additionally, this forest had only formed a day ago. To my bewilderment, Kim Doyun added:
“Besides apples and pears, there were other fruits too. Bananas, kiwis, pomegranates, figs… I couldn’t see the interior properly, but it seems like most common fruits are there.”
I was happy to have food, but hearing about fruits that ignored the seasons made me feel disoriented. A forest without animals or insects, and fruit trees forming groups regardless of season. Thinking about it, if the forest could form in a day, I suppose fruits could grow too.
But the more these things were revealed, the more bizarre it all seemed. Is this really Seoul? The doubt that first arose when we set out continued to stir in my mind. But Kim Doyun, who had seen these things, said nothing. He thought deeply about something, then gestured to me.
“How is your leg?”
“Pardon?”
“Is your leg too painful to move…?”
I shook my leg. It was still numb, but not so bad that I couldn’t move it.
“It seems almost healed… I think it’ll be fine as long as I don’t overdo it.”
“Then let’s go pick some together tomorrow. I think it would be good to gather some that will last.”
This might be the first time being asked for help has made me so happy. I nodded vigorously. But Kim Doyun seemed to be still pondering something, despite my nod. He furrowed his brow slightly, lost in thought, then spoke to me.
“However, there’s something you need to be careful about.”
Kim Doyun blinked. His long eyelashes cast shadows that moved with his eyes. Ah, his eyelashes are really long.
“Tomorrow, make sure to follow only behind me. You must not enter the colony.”
Kim Doyun’s warning was strange, but his tone was so firm that I found myself nodding without realizing it.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
