Chapter 49
“Why did you give him that?”
“Didn’t we agree to be careful with outsiders?”
“Calling him an outsider seems a bit much, doesn’t it? He’s stood night watch twice and has been staying in the village for a while.”
“Still… when we’re not even sure…”
I thought everyone knew I had received the shotgun. They must be men who couldn’t participate in the night watch. Perhaps information hadn’t been shared between them. Since their voices were quite loud, I could hear most of their conversation. Son Byung-chul was saying nonsensical things about how he had no choice given the circumstances, how they were short-handed, and how they needed to trust people. Had dealing with the monster driven him insane? As I was silently cursing him with my expression, Jang Jae-gyeong moved close and whispered in my ear.
“They gave you a shotgun?”
Ah, I just realized there was someone else here who didn’t know the situation. When I was on night watch, Jang Jae-gyeong had gone outside saying he needed to find something. I nodded, wondering how to explain it to him. Jang Jae-gyeong stared at Son Byung-chul for a long time with a subtle expression.
“That’s strange. He’s not someone who would give that out carelessly.”
“…Is that so?”
I was already questioning why he’d suddenly handed over such an important shotgun. He hadn’t given me extra ammunition, so perhaps it was a small gesture of goodwill, but wasn’t a gun something not easily obtained? It wasn’t an item to be casually tossed to a stranger.
But… come to think of it, where did these people get guns from? In our country, of all places, it couldn’t have been easy to suddenly acquire weapons. But my questions didn’t last long because Jang Jae-gyeong answered as soon as I wondered.
“I brought five, and they already had seven? They probably use ten for hunting monsters and keep two for emergencies.”
“You seem to know well… But where did you get yours from, Jae-gyeong?”
“It’s nothing special. I just found a collapsed gun shop while searching around.”
“…That’s not nothing. Those aren’t easy to find.”
He was truly lucky. Even a local wouldn’t know where things were in this chaotic state. Especially considering how Kim Doyun and I had wandered through the forest.
“Then where did the other seven guns they had before come from?”
“Who knows? Maybe thanks to that person they keep praising? He might have found a gun shop like I did.”
“I see.”
I carefully eyed the pistol at Jang Jae-gyeong’s waist. So that’s where he got it… No wonder the villagers were cautious around Jang Jae-gyeong yet didn’t dare treat him carelessly. He knew where food was, where gun shops were. If he’d been physically weaker, he might have been pushed around, but unfortunately for them, Jang Jae-gyeong was also capable. There probably wasn’t a less appealing target in this village.
As I thought about various things, I remembered a question that had occurred to me when the woman visited. No matter how much this person had helped the villagers survive and earned their respect, the pig pretending to be him clearly wasn’t someone worthy of respect. No matter how smooth-talking he was, wasn’t it dangerous to be at odds with someone holding a gun?
“But this person… I mean, no matter how silver-tongued the pig is and even if he’s acting as a proxy, why does everyone believe him when he’s not the original person? Honestly, I’d think they’d be more cautious around the people with guns.”
“There’s actually a reason for that.”
“What reason?”
Jang Jae-gyeong ruffled my hair as he spoke.
“I’ve never met him myself so I can’t be sure, but from what I’ve heard, he was quite an impressive person. Good at finding supplies, capturing monsters with traps and dragging them far away, that sort of thing.”
“…Was he strong too?”
“Probably?”
I quietly looked at Jang Jae-gyeong. He was casually dropping these details, but as I listened, something seemed odd. This person… wasn’t he similar to Jang Jae-gyeong? Someone who could drive monsters away from the village and bring supplies… Yet Jang Jae-gyeong was in a position where he was criticized or kept in check by the villagers. I wondered what made the difference, then remembered Han Jong-wook. At first, Han Jong-wook had followed Jang Jae-gyeong, but ended up like that because he wasn’t accepted. Was it because of Jang Jae-gyeong’s personality?
“But you tolerate this?”
“Well, they’re all expecting something else too.”
“What expectation?”
“Apparently when this person left, he said he’d find people and bring them back. Until then, he appointed someone to take over his duties, and that’s the pig.”
“Ah… So they’re sucking up to the pig in anticipation of when the original person returns with more people? But didn’t you say you didn’t know why he left?”
Jang Jae-gyeong froze for a moment at my words, then smiled faintly.
“Oh, did I say that? I don’t remember.”
“It hasn’t even been a day.”
“Is that so?”
What’s this about? As I frowned suspiciously, Jang Jae-gyeong apologized for forgetting and gently patted my head. I looked at him and sighed. When I dropped my suspicion, Jang Jae-gyeong continued his explanation.
“Anyway, the pig is good at manipulating people with supplies… Son Byung-chul isn’t that type. The pig has done quite a bit of groundwork, so even some of Son Byung-chul’s people seem to have been won over.”
“That’s not good for Son Byung-chul.”
“Right. Son Byung-chul is in a position where he can’t touch the pig. If he eliminated him because they didn’t get along, when the original person returns with others… And it’s also hard to force him to cooperate. Most villagers would side with the original person.”
While Jang Jae-gyeong and I were whispering, Son Byung-chul’s group seemed to have finished their conversation. The men still had discontented faces, but they appeared to have been persuaded by Son Byung-chul and were following him obediently.
“Anyway, as long as you haven’t lost it, that’s fine. More importantly, since the monster has fled, how about we go see him now?”
“Him? But Doyun isn’t here…”
“Ah, your partner?”
“I said it’s not like that.”
Even as I denied it, my ears perked up at Son Byung-chul’s reaction. Did he know where Kim Doyun was? Worried that something might have happened, anxiety bubbled up inside me, but Son Byung-chul spoke calmly.
“If you’re talking about your partner, he’s probably already meeting with him.”
But his unexpected comment made me freeze. Kim Doyun was already meeting with him? Dumbfounded, I stared at Son Byung-chul’s mouth for a long time, wondering if I’d misheard.
“After the monster disappeared earlier, didn’t the door to his house open? According to these guys, your partner happened to be coming that way, so he got permission and went in first.”
As I craned my neck to look toward the house, I heard a deflating sound beside me. Jang Jae-gyeong was looking at the ground, snickering.
“What a pointless thing to do…”
What did he mean by “pointless”? At first I thought he was talking to me. But judging by his face, it didn’t seem like he was referring to me. Could he be talking about Kim Doyun?
“Jae-gyeong?”
“Hmm? What?”
But Jang Jae-gyeong wiped his face as if he knew nothing. After his large hand covered his mouth, both his smirk and expression disappeared, returning to indifference. I didn’t think I’d misheard. When I asked about what he’d muttered, Jang Jae-gyeong just shrugged his shoulders without giving a proper answer.
“I was just saying nothing.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“……”
It felt awkward to press further when he claimed he hadn’t said anything significant. But the men who had been listening to our conversation suddenly flared up in anger. They seemed to have misunderstood Jang Jae-gyeong’s words. They were furiously protesting, saying things like how dare he call meeting him pointless, and that he had no manners. Son Byung-chul stepped back and watched them vent their anger.
“Anyway, your partner is already meeting him, so what will you do?”
After the men’s anger had somewhat subsided, Son Byung-chul approached me. Though he was giving me a choice, I strangely felt like he was urging me on. I would have to meet him eventually… but why did I feel so uneasy?
“Are you going? I’d rather you didn’t.”
Jang Jae-gyeong whispered in my ear. In this uncertain situation, his comment made me waver even more. After a brief deliberation, I nodded.
“I should go.”
“You’ll get no help from that guy anyway.”
“I’m curious… and seeing the village atmosphere, it seems better to go.”
Besides, since Kim Doyun was already meeting him, I felt I should too.
“Let’s go.”
Son Byung-chul had waited until our conversation ended, then urged me to follow as soon as I finished speaking. I followed behind him.
When we finally reached his house, the securely locked door opened very carefully. The men waiting inside looked me up and down, then stepped aside as if telling me to enter.
“You can’t come in.”
“Hmm?”
But when Jang Jae-gyeong tried to follow me in, the men blocked him. Though Jang Jae-gyeong was acting casually, he was tall with a decent build. His eyes were sharp, and when he wasn’t smiling, there were few who looked as fierce. The atmosphere grew tense again as Jang Jae-gyeong folded his arms while looking down at the men. A vicious confrontation erupted between the people trying to drive Jang Jae-gyeong away and Jang Jae-gyeong who wouldn’t back down. Son Byung-chul stepped between them as if there was no other choice.
“No, no. You have too many weapons, and you haven’t earned trust in this village.”
“This guy hasn’t earned trust either.”
“But he’s someone who hasn’t been in the village long, so he might be granted an audience.”
Jang Jae-gyeong’s eyes narrowed. But Son Byung-chul was no pushover either. He stood calmly smiling in front of Jang Jae-gyeong. I could see the men guarding the door holding shotguns or inconspicuously relaxing their shoulders. They seemed quite pleased that Son Byung-chul had stepped in.
Now a power struggle began between Jang Jae-gyeong and Son Byung-chul. Both stood their ground without yielding an inch, and the atmosphere rapidly deteriorated. After anxiously watching the two men, I gently pulled on Jang Jae-gyeong’s arm.
“What?”
“Um, Jae-gyeong. It’s okay. Will you wait outside? I’ll meet him quickly and come back out. They said Doyun is inside anyway.”
“Hmm.”
Jang Jae-gyeong frowned with one eye. He seemed displeased, but there was no other option. A silent staring contest ensued briefly. But in the end, it was Jang Jae-gyeong who gave in.
“Fine.”
Jang Jae-gyeong repeatedly urged me to call him if anything happened. The men gave incredulous looks, while Son Byung-chul seemed amazed. He stepped aside to let the men close the door only after more than five repetitions of his instructions. Thud. The door closed forcefully.
Compared to the humid outside, the air inside the building was somewhat dry. There was a slight burnt smell along with the scent of an old house. It was probably due to the candles lit throughout the house. As if they had brought in everything available in the village, candles illuminated every corner, leaving no dark spots.
“You’re quite popular with the men, aren’t you?”
“…Am I?”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen that fellow protect someone like that.”
Son Byung-chul looked very curious about the reason. But since I didn’t know myself, I couldn’t answer. Seeing me standing silently, he must have thought I didn’t want to answer, so he didn’t press further.
With nothing to do, I looked around the interior of the house. This was the most intact interior of any house I’d seen so far. The furniture was in good condition, and there were no collapsed or cracked areas visible. If it weren’t for the candles set up everywhere, it would create the illusion of returning to the past.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
