Chapter 47
Behind the two people, I could see a child fidgeting with their fingers. Perhaps due to fear, their already pale face appeared even more bluish.
“And…”
Just as I grabbed the doorknob, the student spoke. She spoke with such force that her jaw muscles became prominent. With wide eyes, she said:
“If you go outside and tell anyone you came into this house, I won’t let you off easily. Keep your mouth shut. If you spread rumors, I’ll find you and kill you.”
It didn’t sound like an empty threat. I nodded a couple of times and went outside. The village was quiet, without a single person passing by. The door behind me locked instantly. No more sounds came from the house.
What should I do now? With no other options, my best course of action was to head toward my house on the outskirts, even if it meant sticking close to buildings. I had neither shotgun nor fire. For a moment, I thought I’d done something incredibly stupid. I was in a tight spot, yet I left immediately when told to. But this was their house, and I only had the child’s permission to be there.
“Can’t be helped. I’ll just have to be careful.”
With a bitter taste in my mouth, I decided to move cautiously, hugging the walls. Along the way, I thought I might find some firewood to help me get by.
“What’s someone who claims to be careful doing outside?”
A familiar voice caught me at my feet. I didn’t need to turn toward the voice—it was coming from right beside me. I looked up at Jang Jae-gyeong. My face must have shown obvious delight, because one of his eyes narrowed. As he cleared his throat and stepped back, his arm caught me.
“Where are you going?”
“Uh… shouldn’t I run away? With a monster on the loose…”
“Ah, right.”
I had stepped back out of embarrassment, but I didn’t tell him that directly. It was true that a monster was roaming around, and this wasn’t the time for conversation. Nevertheless, Jang Jae-gyeong didn’t release my arm; instead, he pulled me along.
“Then let’s go over there.”
“Where?”
“You’ll see when you follow me.”
Following Jang Jae-gyeong’s pull, I moved my feet anxiously. Whenever the wind blew, leaves rustled against each other. Beyond the foliage, the forest remained pitch black, and it felt like a monster could pop out at any moment. It was so eerie. But perhaps because I was with someone, even though I was scared, my heart wasn’t pounding uncontrollably.
The place Jang Jae-gyeong led me to was in front of a half-collapsed building. Due to the building ahead and tree branches, I could only see the collapsed part, not the detailed exterior. But as we got closer, an unexpected sight greeted me.
To put it simply… most of the first floor had collapsed, but a few building foundations remained to support the second floor. The second floor was no better off, but one room remained intact. And in a corner of the first floor, there was a small pile of firewood. Despite three sides being open, the presence of firewood was quite reassuring. Plus, with Jang Jae-gyeong here, I expected he could fend off the monster to some extent.
As I glanced at Jang Jae-gyeong with relief, he scratched his cheek and spoke.
“Don’t be too relieved.”
“Uh, what?”
“I mean you… I can see how relieved you look when you glance at me.”
Was it that obvious? Embarrassed, I touched my face. Jang Jae-gyeong chuckled and pulled my hand, not toward the firewood, but toward the second floor.
“But, there’s no way up!”
“Step on that collapsed part over there.”
And as if demonstrating, he climbed up swiftly with his long legs. But the cracked and broken wall didn’t look easy to step on. Even before that, the position of the second floor seemed unstable. What if it collapses when I climb up? As I looked up worriedly, Jang Jae-gyeong, standing at the threshold of the second floor, gestured to me and asked:
“Scared? If you don’t think you can climb up, I can lift you.”
“…No! I’m fine.”
I quickly refused, anxious about past events possibly repeating themselves. Jang Jae-gyeong seemed curious about my swift rejection. But since it wasn’t easy to explain, I awkwardly answered that I could climb up on my own. I barely managed to crawl up and approached Jang Jae-gyeong’s side.
“Is this really okay? Won’t it collapse?”
“It’ll collapse someday. But it should be fine for now.”
“Really?”
Jang Jae-gyeong didn’t answer but just grinned. I was uneasy without a definite answer, but having nowhere else to go, I followed him into the room. Inside the approximately 2-pyeong room, there was a dusty bed, scattered dolls, vines creeping through the window, and various objects strewn like garbage. The TV monitor had many cracks in the LCD and was tilted halfway back. It seemed to have received a strong impact. Did the room’s owner bump into it while fleeing?
While I was engrossed in surveying the room, Jang Jae-gyeong entered casually, as if it were his own house, and kicked a board next to the bed with his toe. Inside were several cans and what looked like water bottles.
“Is this Jae-gyeong-ssi’s house?”
“No.”
Jang Jae-gyeong picked up a water bottle that had rolled out when the board fell and tossed it to me.
“I just temporarily left a few things here. People avoid this place for fear of it collapsing.”
“I see… But it’s surprising that people didn’t take the bed.”
“There’s no way to bring it down.”
That makes sense. If you’re worried about a house collapsing, trying to remove items could be disastrous if you get crushed. Jang Jae-gyeong sat on the bed nonchalantly and opened a new water bottle.
“Hey, you. Why did you go into that house? Even while being called an idiot?”
“Ah… I was just trying to escape… Wait, you heard that?”
“Just a little?”
It didn’t seem like just a little. I looked at him suspiciously, but Jang Jae-gyeong just shrugged without explaining. Instead, he mentioned that he came looking for me because he thought I might be getting beaten up somewhere in the village.
Beaten up… I wanted to specifically refute that, but couldn’t find the words, so I just rubbed near my mouth. Besides, since he said he was worried about me and came looking for me, I felt grateful. While I was hesitating on what to say, a gunshot sound—bang!—came from somewhere.
I hurriedly approached the window and looked outside. But due to the thick trees around the village and the vines covering the window, I couldn’t see properly. Still, I rolled my eyes continuously to look in all directions, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kim Doyun.
“Don’t worry, if you just run well, you won’t die. And that guy, he won’t be easily defeated.”
I turned my head to look at Jang Jae-gyeong. He was half-sprawled, drinking water. His indifferent expression suggested he wasn’t concerned about either the gunshot or the monster’s cry. I was curious. It’s clear they know each other… But since he said he couldn’t tell me, asking would be futile.
Left with no choice, I just rolled my eyes toward the outside. From this window, I could see the house I had escaped from, where the child was. While I was staring intently, Jang Jae-gyeong came closer and checked what I was looking at.
“It’s pitiful.”
“Huh? Yes?”
“The kids in that house.”
Not understanding his meaning, I racked my brain. Jang Jae-gyeong looked at that house again and clicked his tongue briefly.
“They can’t even come out because of the pervert pig bastard in the village. Well, even if it wasn’t for the pig, there are so many crazy people that it’s better to be holed up inside.”
“Pig bastard?”
“The disgusting guy living in the central house.”
As soon as he mentioned the central house, I could guess who he was talking about. Isn’t that the person they call “that person” in the village? I naturally questioned the vastly different evaluations within the village. And in front of me was someone who could solve most of my questions.
“You’re talking about ‘that person,’ right?”
“Hmm? You know?”
“Not well, but… Son Byung-chul, that person was talking about ‘that person.’ Other villagers too. But the evaluations are quite different. Some curse, some respect… Why is it so different?”
“Hmm.”
Jang Jae-gyeong scratched his cheek and explained slowly.
“It’s probably because the current ‘that person’ is different from the previous one? ‘That person’ refers to two different people.”
Two people? After hearing Jang Jae-gyeong’s explanation, Son Byung-chul’s behavior made sense. When Son Byung-chul first explained about the gathering, he showed great respect when mentioning “that person.” But other times, he mostly wore a disgusted expression or spat out curses. I had thought Son Byung-chul might have had friction like Han Jong-wook, but it seems they were entirely different people. No wonder his attitude changed so drastically.
As I was nodding, Jang Jae-gyeong took out a knife and cleared away some vines. The house, barely visible through the corner of the vines, became a little more visible.
“But… it seems like there are still many people who respect him. According to you…”
“Pervert pig.”
“Yes… If he’s that kind of person…”
My stumbling attempt to soften the words must have been amusing, as Jang Jae-gyeong burst out laughing.
“He’s just reaping the benefits of what the other ‘that person’ built up. Besides, that pig has some special talent.”
“Special talent? Like something you have…”
“Would you mind not comparing me to that human?”
Jang Jae-gyeong frowned. Seeing his displeased face, I hurriedly apologized, but his expression didn’t ease. I felt a bit wronged. I just thought Jang Jae-gyeong’s abilities were excellent, so that’s what came to mind. To control others, one would need that kind of power, or so I thought.
“I’m kidding.”
Just as the accumulated dissatisfaction and embarrassment reached the tip of my head, Jang Jae-gyeong changed his expression and smiled brightly. As he tousled my furrowed hair, Jang Jae-gyeong wore a mischievous expression.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
