Chapter 72
The bright red bonfire blazed and flickered. The monster’s howls, which I had taken lightly for a while, sounded unusually intense today. I wondered whether the howls felt especially chilling today because the monsters were targeting the building or because the two men were missing… After comforting the children who had finally fallen asleep, I got up from my spot. As I watched them for a moment, sleeping while embracing each other, a loud noise hammered at my consciousness.
Clank clank
Now the monsters weren’t just howling, but pounding on the shutter. Keeekeek, a howl followed by a bang. Kihihiheek, another howl followed by another bang. I thought that just sitting here listening to these sounds would be enough to drive anyone crazy. I roughly ran my hands through my hair and rubbed my cold hands. Just because of Jang Jae-gyeong and Kim Doyun’s absence, fear instantly surged up to my throat and undulated.
I wanted to hold the children tight and fall asleep warmly. If I could ignore the monsters’ commotion and fall asleep, maybe the anxious feelings would subside a little. I pulled myself together despite my wavering heart and went down to the second floor to check the fire. Thinking there must be a reason why the men kept fires burning, I had lit fires on every floor. I was especially thorough with the first floor.
When I thought about it, creatures that could knock over even small trees should have no trouble breaking the shutters. I didn’t know if it was thanks to the many fires I had lit, but the monsters were only pounding on the shutters without actually breaking them. Sometimes they would shake it violently, making my heart tremble…
I threw branches into the fire on the first floor. Even though I had only lit fires in two places, with the windows closed, the smoke filled the room hazily, making my head hurt. After just checking the fires, I hurriedly went up to the second floor, stuck my head out the window, and exhaled. The cold night wind pounded against my face.
“Whew…”
Thanks to the cool air, my throbbing headache gradually subsided. The dark clouds from the meteor shower had diminished somewhat since the daytime, but they still occupied most of the sky, making the night especially dark today. So dark I couldn’t distinguish where the forest ended and the ground began.
But despite that, I could clearly see the monsters. Their bluish eyes gleamed like lanterns, wandering around the ground. One of them raised its head, sniffed the air, then spotted me and frantically scratched at the wall.
Screeeech!
I stepped back after hearing that spine-chilling sound. Even though I knew the creatures couldn’t climb high, my pounding heart wouldn’t calm down. I sat down on the floor, catching my breath, and rubbed my arms.
Even in my frightened state, a hollow laugh escaped me. Just the absence of Jang Jae-gyeong and Kim Doyun was enough to make me like this. I roughly rubbed my face with both hands, and thoughts of them made my heart complicated.
Kim Doyun, who had disappeared with the men, and Jang Jae-gyeong, who had gone out saying he would throw the man far away.
I could understand Jang Jae-gyeong. He might have gone far to throw the man where the children couldn’t see. But Kim Doyun… why had he taken the men with him?
My mind kept trying to understand in a positive way, but the subtle remaining anxiety pricked at my thoughts. My anxious fingers scratched at the floor. Though my fingernails were becoming ragged, I simply couldn’t stop my fingers.
“You’ll hurt your fingers.”
After a long while of scratching the floor with my face buried in my arms, a large hand grabbed mine. The movement without any prior sign almost made my heart drop, but the familiar body heat quickly calmed me down. It was Kim Doyun. Joy and relief rushed in, followed immediately by resentment.
“Why… did you come back so late?”
“I’m sorry. I was looking around a bit…”
“…Where?”
I barely raised my head and looked at Kim Doyun. He sat in front of me, smiling. Perhaps thinking my gloomy expression was due to worry, his voice explaining carefully was even more gentle than usual.
“Here and there… I also checked the convenience store. We’ll have to stay here until the children are better, and it would be terrible if we got buried underground during an earthquake.”
I quietly listened to what he was saying. It sounded plausible, but the words I wanted to hear never came from Kim Doyun’s mouth. Was what I had seen really just my imagination? But… I chewed on my lips while looking at Kim Doyun, then dusted myself off and stood up.
“Let’s eat something first, then talk.”
However, I didn’t bring up the question about the men. Kim Doyun’s smiling face looked more tired than usual and seemed quite hungry. He also seemed a bit low on energy. Rather than interrogating people in that state, it would be better to feed them first and then have a conversation. Besides, I was also hungry after feeding the children…
Kim Doyun quietly followed behind me as I went up to the third floor. Following the light from the bonfire, our shadows danced chaotically. Glancing at the shadows, I opened a few cans and placed them in front of Kim Doyun. Spam, corn, and instant rice cooked until it was soft with water added. Compared to what we had been eating, it was a feast. But Kim Doyun just smiled lightly and picked up his spoon, not seeming particularly delighted.
While I was wondering how to approach him, seeing his reaction, I opened the conversation.
“Come to think of it, you don’t seem interested in food.”
“…Does it seem that way?”
“When we first found the fruit, and I’ve never seen you eat a full meal until now.”
I had been thinking he might be picky about food, when suddenly I realized I had never seen Jang Jae-gyeong eat his fill either. Considering how physically active they were, and judging by their height and build, they should be eating two or three times more than this. I thought maybe they were holding back because of the situation, but they had been the same even with the convenience store in front of them. Kim Doyun smiled slightly at my words.
“I wonder. In my opinion, I think I’m actually more interested.”
“Really? Then why do you eat so little? You could eat more.”
Kim Doyun put down his spoon and quietly looked down at the food. The food, with just one spoonful missing, was the most abundant among what we had eaten so far, but maybe because it was placed in front of Kim Doyun… it looked extremely pitiful. No, it seemed more like it was because of Kim Doyun’s expressionless face.
“…Maybe it’s because I’ve eaten something too delicious before.”
“Something delicious?”
Kim Doyun smiled with his eyes crinkled. I watched, mesmerized, as a smile bloomed across his previously expressionless face, and my own spoon-feeding paused. In the briefly quiet house, only the sound of the fire consuming the firewood echoed.
Something delicious. It was an ordinary phrase, but why did it sound eerily disturbing? I unconsciously gripped my spoon tighter. Kim Doyun took a light breath and then cast his gaze into the distance. He seemed to be recalling some pleasant moment.
“Seongho… have you ever starved to your limit?”
After a moment of silence, Kim Doyun opened his mouth. I was still observing his eyes tracing memories and missed the timing to answer, but Kim Doyun didn’t mind and continued his question.
“Have you ever been so hungry that your body and head ached?”
“…No, I haven’t.”
There were times when I went hungry briefly because my part-time job pay was late, but I had never been hungry to the point where my body ached. Hearing my answer, Kim Doyun resumed eating with a faintly smiling face.
“I experienced it just once. But… the food I ate afterward was so delicious that I can’t forget it. Nothing I eat is satisfying, and it’s even worse when hunger slowly rises.”
I forgot to eat, puzzled. From his well-dressed appearance when we first met, to his business card… he looked like a wealthy person from every angle. How did such an affluent person end up starving to that extent? Did he get stranded somewhere during a trip? After pondering deeply, I quickly spoke up.
“…That doesn’t mean you should starve yourself, right? It’s bad for your health.”
I was worried that Kim Doyun might try starving himself just to eat afterward. Hearing my concern, Kim Doyun laughed heartily and shook his head.
“I wouldn’t do such a thing. This is… a bit different.”
Different? After thinking about it from various angles, I somewhat understood. If it was delicious food eaten when the world was still normal, well, that could be the case. I nodded to myself and then looked up. Kim Doyun was staring at me intently. As our eyes met, he smiled briefly and then, moving his hand again, muttered softly.
“…I’m hungry.”
“Oh, is it not enough? Should I give you more of mine?”
“Haha. No, I’m fine.”
Kim Doyun gently declined the food I offered and added his own food to my portion, saying it would be better for me to eat more. Flustered, I held out my bowl to give him more rice. But he shook his head and lightly gripped my wrist, only releasing it after a long moment.
“…I wish we could eat quickly.”
The spoon plunged deeply into the mushy rice.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
