Chapter 15
“This wound.”
“Ah.”
Only then did I look down at my thigh.
Blood was seeping through the roughly wrapped cloth.
“You lured them with blood?”
“Yes. They use bait when hunting animals too. So I thought about it, and it worked.”
As I spoke with a smug smile, Baek Yi-heon’s smooth brow furrowed even deeper.
“Don’t do this again.”
“Then what should I do next time? In a situation without any weapons.”
“…..”
Baek Yi-heon pursed his lips and fell silent.
So please hurry and grow to become the world’s strongest, protagonist.
Thinking this, I shook off Baek Yi-heon’s loosened grip on my wrist.
He had been holding on so tightly that I could feel the tingling sensation of blood flow returning as soon as I was released.
After diligently collecting the magic stones dropped where the monster died, we got into the green SUV.
When I started the engine, its loud noise echoed through the ruins.
Only then did I realize how quiet this city had become.
There were no cars, people, or anything on the roads where buildings had collapsed.
It used to be a neighborhood always bustling with people and children running around, as it was a residential area with apartment complexes.
I looked at the scenery of the neighborhood through the windshield for a moment.
I have no good memories of this neighborhood.
“I heard that kid’s real father is that Yoo Hyun-min—!”
“What the f***. If it were me, I’d be too ashamed to show my face in the neighborhood.”
There were times when I was dragged into a secluded alley and beaten by the children who bullied me, and as I got older, I almost fell victim to even worse crimes.
‘Good riddance.’
I looked at the ruined neighborhood, coldly suppressing the feelings that were trying to stir.
It’s for the best. I always prayed for a world like this to be destroyed anyway.
I pressed down on the accelerator with my left foot.
Vrooooom—.
Puffing out gray smoke, we drove away from the destroyed neighborhood.
✦✦✦
03. Two Crossroads
April 7th.
A dim night with the moon out.
The first place I drove to was a campsite near Bukhansan National Park.
It would have been too risky to cross the mountains relying only on this SUV when we didn’t know what dangers might befall us.
‘The monsters must have swept through once with the Gate Break, so there should be some camping cars and food left.’
My prediction was right.
There were two abandoned camping cars with the keys still in the ignition.
We chose the larger 4-person caravan between the two.
“Wow! This car is just like a house!”
Lee Sehun exclaimed in admiration as he entered.
I also looked around, my eyes sparkling at the makeshift bed with a mattress laid out.
After sleeping on the cold floor of the shelter with just a cardigan spread out, this place looked almost like a 5-star hotel.
It seemed a family had come camping for the weekend and met with misfortune, as the drawers were filled with bedding, pots and other kitchenware, and food items like ramen.
There was even beer in the mini-fridge!
“This is crazy…”
Unlike me, who was purely delighted, Baek Yi-heon had a complicated expression.
He must be thinking of the family that would have enjoyed a cozy camping trip if things were normal.
As the feeling of finding a safe place sank in, hunger hit me belatedly.
The camping car had plenty of both oil and electricity.
We hurriedly opened all the instant noodles, ready-made rice, and various canned foods from the camping car’s kitchen and ate ravenously.
“If you eat suddenly after starving, you might get sick, so start with easily digestible foods slowly…”
But no one was listening to Baek Yi-heon’s words anymore.
He smiled wryly as if there was nothing he could do, and quietly opened a can and held it out in front of me.
✦✦✦
Just before my stomach was about to burst, I reluctantly put down the bag of snacks at Baek Yi-heon’s firm restraining hand.
There was also a shower room at the camping site.
Now that I was full, I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t even washed my face once in a week.
‘No wonder he didn’t fall for my seduction when I looked like this.’
I grabbed the shampoo and soap from the camping car and entered the shower room.
With only a morally upright protagonist and a child around, I undressed without worry and turned on the water.
The water was very cold as there was no hot water, but I didn’t mind at all.
Shhaaa—.
The stream of water from the shower head drenched my head thoroughly.
“Haahh. I feel alive…”
I let out a satisfied moan as the cold water stream hit my body, which had been tense for the whole week.
After enjoying the water for a moment, I soon lathered up with plenty of shampoo and washed my hair.
After scrubbing my body clean with soap, I couldn’t feel more refreshed.
I went ahead and washed the clothes I was wearing with soap, then changed into clothes I had taken from the camping car’s luggage.
The size didn’t fit, so the shoulders and sleeves were loose and kept falling.
‘Whoever you are, I’ll wear them well.’
When I came out of the shower, Sehun was already sound asleep in the bunk bed.
It must have been an exhausting day for the child too.
Baek Yi-heon, who had gone to the shower before me and washed quickly, was sitting in front of a campfire lit at the camping site.
He raised his head as he was quietly staring at the burning fire.
His black eyes that met mine seemed to widen slightly in surprise, then—
He quickly turned his head away again.
‘Why does that man always turn his head when he sees me?’
I’ve been called the child of a murderer and a psychopath, but I’ve never been called ugly.
Is there something on my face? Or do I resemble someone he dislikes?
While grumbling inwardly, I pretended not to notice and sat down next to him.
‘I need to get as close as possible to the protagonist.’
He’s my only survival cheat key until we get to the shelter.
The campsite in the mountains, where all humans had disappeared, was very quiet.
For a while, only the crackling sound of the campfire echoed.
As I was idly wiggling my feet and staring blankly at the campfire, I suddenly opened my mouth.
“Being like this, everything that happened today feels like a dream.”
What on earth had happened in just one day?
I chuckled.
“…..”
Baek Yi-heon gave no response.
He’s as taciturn as a soldier, really.
As I rolled my eyes and tilted my head back, I saw stars that looked like they might pour down from the night sky.
“Wow. Look at that!”
“Yes.”
“It’s really beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
He answered while staring intently at me.
“…..”
I met his serious gaze without avoiding it.
For a moment, only our gazes crossed in the quiet campsite where stars were falling.
I suddenly said,
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Revenge.”
“…”
Earlier, I only thought about running away.
Now that I think about it, if we had left that monster behind, I’m sure I would have regretted it later.
After staring at me for a moment, he slowly opened his mouth.
“Earlier, you called me cra—”
“Oh, the moon is so bright. Isn’t it?”
At that, Baek Yi-heon let out a small chuckle.
Wow. He looks even more handsome when he smiles.
I glanced at his handsome profile as he turned his gaze back to the campfire and casually brought up,
“Since things have come to this. Shall we speak informally?”
“That would be difficult for me.”
“Why? Because I’m younger?”
Is he some kind of old-fashioned person who only lets me speak informally? No, the male lead wasn’t that kind of character.
“…It’s been too long since I’ve done it.”
Hmm…
I narrowed my eyes and glared at the protagonist who was fixing his gaze on the campfire.
Was this the kind of person who fell for the original heroine at first sight, speaking informally and all that?
‘Anyway, I’m just an extra, and we’ll part ways soon.’
“Okay.”
Unable to let go of my lingering feelings, I added softly.
“Then how about just me speaking informally?”
“That’s a bit…”
“Alright.”
✦✦✦
Hwacheon Prison is located in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.
It’s about a three-hour drive from Seoul without stopping, but now the world is different from before.
Kwaaaaaah—
I sat in the driver’s seat of the camping car, which was faintly covered by the ‘Boundary Barrier’, with a rather unimpressed expression.
In front of the car, Baek Yi-heon was facing off against a catfish monster with eight legs.
✦
Thank you for reading! ♡
