Chapter 45
After returning home with Kim Doyun, I reignited the dying embers in the fire pit. Though the smoke stung my eyes, my hands worked deftly to light the fire and add new firewood, drawing from accumulated experience. The fire caught more easily inside the house than when I was with the older woman, likely due to the environmental differences.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted a shotgun lying around. Walking over, I picked it up. The dull, cold sensation wrapped around my palm.
The older woman had advised me to keep the shotgun handy. Of course, I planned to carry it regardless of her advice, knowing full well the importance of a weapon… But why did I have such a bitter taste in my mouth?
“Doyun-ssi.”
“Yes.”
“What should we do with this?”
Kim Doyun’s eyes followed my hands. Looking at the shotgun I was gripping tightly, he replied with a serious expression.
“Are they asking for it back?”
“Uh, no… They haven’t said anything like that yet.”
“Is that so? Then we’ll keep it.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing me laugh, Kim Doyun tilted his head momentarily before smiling back. It seemed like he was just following my lead. With just one sentence from him, I felt my uneasiness flying away.
A person shouldn’t be this simple. I worried about how easily I was softening at Kim Doyun’s response.
While I was checking the shotgun and adjusting the shoulder strap, visitors arrived again. It was Son Byung-chul and Han Jong-wook. They stood at the door and motioned with their chins for us to come outside. Son Byung-chul appeared to be in a good mood, but Han Jong-wook seemed upset the moment he saw me—or more precisely, after seeing the shotgun I was carrying.
“Let’s hurry up and go.”
“Mister. Let’s reconsider this.”
Han Jong-wook grumbled. Son Byung-chul noticed his face swollen with discontent but seemed to ignore his words. Just as Han Jong-wook was about to voice more complaints to Son Byung-chul, who wasn’t listening to him, Son Byung-chul’s voice flowed out low.
“Jong-wook.”
Was it my imagination? Han Jong-wook’s body seemed to stiffen. Son Byung-chul slowly fingered his shoulder strap.
“Stop it. We’re in a hurry.”
Han Jong-wook, now pale, stepped away from Son Byung-chul. As if nothing had happened, Son Byung-chul put on a friendly smile again and motioned with his chin.
Kim Doyun, after examining me, stood in front of me. Almost as if he were blocking Son Byung-chul’s gaze. While feeling touched by Kim Doyun’s gesture, I kept stealing glances at Son Byung-chul and Han Jong-wook.
It seemed likely that Son Byung-chul was the most influential person in this village. From that morning when Kim Doyun visited, to now with Han Jong-wook’s behavior.
“Come on, let’s hurry up. That per… person must be tired of waiting.”
Wasn’t he about to say “that bastard” just now? But Son Byung-chul’s face was too nonchalant, making me wonder if I had misheard. He seemed quite displeased whenever mentioning “that person”—they must really be on bad terms.
What kind of person was at odds with Son Byung-chul? Suppressing my worries, I followed Kim Doyun and Son Byung-chul who walked ahead. From behind, Han Jong-wook’s muttered curses crept up and pricked my ears. Just then, Kim Doyun briefly grabbed my wrist and let go. Though he said nothing, it felt like he was telling me not to worry, which put me at ease.
“You’ll probably have to wait a bit even after we arrive, since you won’t be able to meet right away.”
Son Byung-chul then stood quietly, seemingly lost in thought. His contemplative face was looking at Kim Doyun. And at me standing behind him too. His gaze, which had been following both of us, stopped at the shotgun I was carrying. Son Byung-chul nodded.
“But I’ll make sure you meet as quickly as possible. Don’t worry about wasting your time.”
Then he called out to Han Jong-wook, whose face was still crumpled. He hit the grumbling Han Jong-wook on the head once, then whispered something in his ear. Han Jong-wook’s crumpled face gradually smoothed out as he listened to the whisper. Han Jong-wook rolled his eyes around, then whispered something back to Son Byung-chul before leaving.
“I sent Jong-wook ahead because he has some errands to run.”
“…I see.”
While I thought it might be village business, I couldn’t help feeling cautious. I briefly grabbed Kim Doyun’s wrist who was walking ahead of me, just as he had done earlier. Kim Doyun didn’t turn to look at me, but his fingers found and held the tips of mine. I meant to signal caution—did he understand? Seeing his slight nod, I could only hope he did.
We stopped at the center of the village. Fragments of buildings were scattered unattractively here and there, but it didn’t feel ominous. Perhaps because the rain had stopped, white smoke rose from various spots in the otherwise quiet village. Each person huddled around a fire, poking it. Some people, unable to withstand the chilly weather, crouched with tattered cloth wrapped around them. Men with guns patrolled the perimeter in ones and twos, maintaining vigilance. But even they looked terrified.
Thanks to Son Byung-chul leading us, there were no outright stares, but occasionally people would glance in our direction. Their sunken eyes were filled with fear. Soon, the most intact-looking house appeared before us. It showed no signs of makeshift repairs and even had most of its windows intact. Son Byung-chul cleared his throat and knocked on the door. A gruff male voice seemed to come from inside, but then—
Screeeech!
A sharp metallic sound echoed from afar.
“Damn it!”
Son Byung-chul grabbed his shotgun. Simultaneously, there was a click, click sound of metal from the door we were standing in front of. It was unmistakably the sound of a lock turning. I was bewildered by such a quick response.
Wasn’t there someone he respected? That person, he said? I stared blankly at the firmly locked door in confusion. Son Byung-chul spat out curses, spat on the ground, and ran off without saying a word to us.
I needed to find a way to escape with Kim Doyun too. While chewing my lips anxiously and looking for an escape route, Kim Doyun covered my hand that was gripping the shotgun. After briefly covering my hand, his hand dug deeper and took the shotgun away. I was surprised and tried to take it back, but Kim Doyun wouldn’t return it. He looked around and checked the loaded bullets.
“I’ll try to lure it away. Seongho-ssi, please take shelter in a building.”
“But, b-but why you, Doyun-ssi?”
“I’ll be fine, hurry.”
Kim Doyun gently pushed my back. Then he smiled with his eyes curved. Kim Doyun pushed my back again and ran off. I didn’t have time to stop him or even speak. I wanted to tell him to forget about being bait and escape together. I tried to chase after him, but he was too quick for me to follow.
Small screams of fleeing people echoed from everywhere. I bit my lip, hesitated for a moment, then sprinted toward the buildings. We had promised to check on “that person” and leave the village, so why did things turn out like this?
Bang!
A gunshot sound echoed from somewhere, leaving a long trail.
Kim Doyun will be okay, he’ll be okay. Not wanting to think negatively, I repeated this to myself while running.
* * *
The standing buildings had flickering lights through the doors and cracks, but they looked utterly desolate. My eyes caught shadowy figures in the illuminated windows. The eyes hiding behind windows, watching outside, watching me, were eerie. I bit my lip as I passed by the buildings. Contrary to my expectation of finding shelter quickly, I couldn’t find a building to enter. Even when I knocked on the doors of intact buildings, they showed no response. When I knocked on the door of the third building, someone inside said:
“What if a monster comes when I open the door? There’s no space for you, so stop bothering us and get lost!”
After hearing that, I gave up on knocking. I tried to find a building with a roof to at least make a fire, like the older woman had done. But in all the places I found, the floors were soaked, making the firewood useless.
If only my assigned quarters weren’t so far on the outskirts, I would have run straight there. As I was wondering what to do, I spotted a house. It was the house where only women lived, the one where the older woman had knocked on the window. I hesitated, wondering if it was okay to visit, especially since it was a women’s residence.
Screech!
The monster’s cry sounded closer than I expected. The sound the monster made wasn’t so much a cry as a laugh-like noise. A chill ran down my spine. Before my mind could process, my legs moved swiftly. I knocked on the door I approached, but there was no response from inside.
What should I do? As I pondered, I remembered the older woman’s actions. One knock on the window, a brief pause, then two more knocks. With urgent hands, I mimicked her actions. After a moment, the previously silent door made a clicking sound as it unlocked.
Creak—
“Mom?”
A voice that had dropped to a hushed whisper crawled out through the slightly opened door.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
