Chapter 57
I felt somewhat moved looking at the building in front of me. It was the tallest structure I’d seen since entering the forest. There had been intact buildings in the village too, but that area seemed to have been a residential neighborhood, and all the apartment buildings were either completely crushed or had their tops missing—as if something had struck them down.
The building approaching our view also had its top part blown away. Still, up to the third floor it was in relatively good condition—the paint and exterior looked clean, as if it had been built not too long ago. Nevertheless, due to the impact it had received, some parts had fallen off and cracks had spread across the walls here and there.
But my excited steps came to an abrupt halt when I saw a faint light glowing on every floor of the building.
“There are people inside.”
I hurriedly stopped the two men who were walking with long strides. Jang Jae-gyeong looked like he didn’t see the problem, while Kim Doyun had an expression asking why I stopped. Come on, these guys…
“What if they’re dangerous people?”
I admonished the two of them. How could they have forgotten what happened in the village already? I was about to complain further when my eyes fell on Jang Jae-gyeong’s waist. Come to think of it, just a moment ago, trying to hide my embarrassment, I’d changed the subject by mentioning something similar, and Jang Jae-gyeong had said I’d be fine as long as I stayed with him. That’s right… What’s there to worry about when I have people with guns and knives? It was the village with shotguns that was unusual—in this country, guns are rare items.
Still, being cautious couldn’t hurt, so I pulled both of them by the arm and hid under a tree with a view of the building.
“Our Seongho has become cautious after getting burned once.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being careful.”
Jang Jae-gyeong spoke teasingly, while Kim Doyun nodded at me. At times like this, their personalities were clearly different. Yet sometimes they seemed similar, which was strange. Anyway… I jabbed Jang Jae-gyeong in the waist once and then looked up at the building. But due to its height, there wasn’t much to see. Through broken windows, I could make out a bit of the ceiling inside, and following the flickering lights on the third floor, I could see three or four shadows of people. The first and second floors had lights but no signs of people. It seemed they had only lit fires to keep monsters out.
While I was busy looking at the building here and there, Jang Jae-gyeong nodded and said:
“It’ll probably be fine. The people who stayed in this building were a family.”
“A family?”
“I only saw them briefly when passing by… Two kids and a couple, I think. If nothing went wrong, they should still be there.”
“I’m surprised they weren’t caught by the villagers. It doesn’t seem that far…”
“They were lucky. Some people from the village were eaten by monsters around here before.”
People got eaten and he calls it lucky? And if monsters have been here before, isn’t it dangerous? I looked at Jang Jae-gyeong in horror. Kim Doyun gently patted my back as I jumped in surprise. The soft, soothing touch felt good, but it made my nerves focus on my back and my hands and feet curl up for no reason. Jang Jae-gyeong, watching this with distaste, added:
“There are no monsters here now, so don’t be so alarmed. Some do settle in territories, but… usually they move around looking for food.”
I nodded as I learned something new. Come to think of it, I had encountered a monster that was lurking in a fruit grove before. If it hadn’t been for Kim Doyun’s warning, I might have become a meal while trying to pick fruit. I rubbed my arms as goosebumps rose. Their appearances were subtly different, and their hunting methods varied too… It was somewhat terrifying that monsters had such differences in details. The fact that they seemed to use their brains was also disturbing—where on earth did these creatures come from?
“I see… But what’s the connection between people getting eaten and them not coming here?”
I didn’t think those villagers would be scared just because people died. Weren’t they the kind who would throw others as bait to survive? But the answer came not from Jang Jae-gyeong but from Kim Doyun.
“They were probably scared. Those people can’t confirm whether monsters are present or not.”
“But it wouldn’t matter if they came during the day…”
Kim Doyun smiled slightly.
“Here, apart from the building, the trees are very dense.”
I looked around at where we were standing again. Moonlight was filtering through in a few places, but the foliage was so thick that it would likely be very dark even during the day. Moreover, there were many places where small branches grew out from the tree trunks, making it seem possible for monsters to hide even during daytime. Now I understood why the villagers didn’t dare come here.
“So the people in that building are a family, right?”
“Yes, and the children especially seemed quite nice.”
Just as I was starting to feel reassured, I heard men laughing. Due to the height of the building, it wasn’t too loud, but with the forest being so quiet, it was still audible.
Men? Didn’t he say there were just a couple and two children? I quickly looked at Jang Jae-gyeong. He was also looking up at the building and clicking his tongue.
“Seems like some jerks have drifted in.”
“The original people…”
I started to speak but then firmly closed my mouth. Optimistically, one could think the family was socializing with newcomers… But after what we’d experienced in the village, it was hard to see it only in a positive light.
I sighed deeply and looked at the two men. Kim Doyun was still looking at me with a smiling face, and Jang Jae-gyeong was gradually moving closer to my side to get away from Kim Doyun. When our shoulders touched, Kim Doyun grabbed my arm and pulled me slightly toward himself. Then Jang Jae-gyeong would twitch his eyebrows and move a bit closer to me. What is this strange standoff…
“Ahem, anyway… we’re not sure if the family is still there or not?”
“Want me to go check?”
“No! It’s dangerous. What if they’re bad people?”
Jang Jae-gyeong was always bold, probably because he had a gun and knife. But even with a gun, I couldn’t just say “go ahead” and send him off to do something potentially dangerous. I had hoped we could sleep comfortably in the building, but I’d have to throw that expectation away.
“Do you think monsters will come?”
“Hmm, I think I hear sounds from a distance.”
In response to my question, Jang Jae-gyeong quietly listened for a moment, then nodded. What was his standard for “distant”? It was hard to gauge, but if he could hear sounds, it seemed better to avoid the area quickly. To be honest, I still couldn’t quite grasp Jang Jae-gyeong’s claims about hearing monster sounds or having a sense for them. Still, he didn’t seem like the type to lie, so I asked… In the current situation, it’s probably better than not believing.
As I looked around, I spotted a tall tree not far away. I urged the two of them to go there. Kim Doyun followed silently, but Jang Jae-gyeong grumbled about why we were going through trouble when we could just barge into the building. I glared at him and shook my head.
“Is this place okay?”
“It’s a bit risky, but better than other places. It’s hard to move further now. Let’s settle here.”
I asked both of them, and got a satisfactory answer from Kim Doyun. Jang Jae-gyeong was still fiddling with his waist, clicking his tongue, seemingly unable to give up on the building. I might just call him Mr. Grumpy.
The tree I had spotted wasn’t as big as the first one we’d climbed, but its branches were intertwined with a neighboring tree, so it seemed like we could manage to sleep there somehow. That is, if I didn’t thrash around due to bad sleeping habits. …What were my sleeping habits like again?
I tried hard to recall my sleeping habits, which I had never really thought about until now. I think I had kicked my friends while sleeping once… It happened because we were all crammed into a tiny room, and I was uncomfortable. The problem is, I don’t remember kicking anyone. I only found out about it when my friend complained that I was killing him—I wonder how it would be now. If I thrashed around like back then, I’d fall straight down, and that would be the end of me. Falling from that height? I might not know about other injuries, but a broken spine or neck was certain.
As I was looking up at the tree with an anxious mind, Kim Doyun approached and asked:
“Do you have some concerns?”
“Ah, it’s just that my sleeping habits are a bit… worrying.”
“Sleeping habits?”
Kim Doyun tilted his head slightly. Every time I look at him, I feel this unbearable tingling, and trying to tell someone like that about my bad sleeping habits is somehow so difficult… I bit my lip slightly, then exhaled heavily with effort. Still, I had to tell him—what else could I do? It’s better than breaking my neck while trying to hide my embarrassment.
“I’m afraid I might fall.”
“You’ll be fine. There haven’t been any problems so far.”
“That’s true…”
The reason I hadn’t had any worries or problems with my sleeping habits until now was because Kim Doyun had discovered perfectly large trees that fit us like glue. They were big enough that one person tossing and turning wouldn’t cause any issues. Kim Doyun, who couldn’t possibly know about my concerns, just blinked at me. Ah… he’s so handsome. No, damn it, is this the time for such thoughts? While I was feeling ridiculous about my own thoughts, Jang Jae-gyeong’s voice knocked on my dazed mind.
“Seongho.”
“Yes?”
“We need to climb up quickly. It’s coming.”
While I was hesitating, it seemed a monster was heading our way. I hurriedly clung to the tree, then curved my back, checking the arms encircling me, and opened my eyes wide. Kim Doyun was practically embracing me while pulling on some vines.
“Do-Doyun-ssi?”
“If you’re worried about falling, I’ll help you.”
“H-how…”
Perhaps because I was surprised, fortunately my face didn’t heat up. But my pounding heart wouldn’t calm down, making it difficult to speak properly. Kim Doyun, thinking I was just shocked, whispered a small apology. I appreciate him thinking that way, but… it feels strangely bitter somehow.
“Ahem, h-how?”
“You can sleep next to me.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
