Chapter 26
Shin Hae-jun swiftly cut off the scattered thoughts swirling in his mind. That’s as far as it goes.
That night—it wasn’t because of the usual feelings he harbored for Ahyeon. Shin Hae-jun was sure of that. The taste of Ahyeon’s blood, poured into his mouth, still lingered vividly in his memory.
It was undoubtedly because of Ahyeon’s blood. He almost got infected, but he drank her blood. He lost his rationality, but the result that followed was non-infection.
So Shin Hae-jun concluded that Minahyeon was the “immune” one he had only heard about before.
Understanding that his burning body was also a result of an antibody response made sense. The first thing antibodies do in response to an infection is to raise body temperature to eliminate the pathogens.
That was the reason why Shin Hae-jun didn’t report Ahyeon immediately.
Under normal circumstances, he would have reported it promptly. It seemed like there was an antibody in her blood.
However, Shin Hae-jun couldn’t do that. He couldn’t act as usual, as if he was caught in some trap that hindered his actions.
Few people believed in the gossip circulating at the time, spreading even among civilians, about the military leadership being involved in some sort of conspiracy when the infection broke out. It seemed ludicrous, but Shin Hae-jun couldn’t easily dismiss the rumors, now that Min Ahyeon was involved.
The rumor was about the existence of the immune. That there were people who remained unaffected even when bitten by the infected.
But such people had never been found. And as four years passed, the story of the immune had been forgotten. Everyone was more concerned with immediate survival than chasing an elusive rumor.
Shin Hae-jun knew how valuable this information was. He could have provided a brief report. But he did not. He could vividly imagine what would happen to Min Ahyeon if he did.
She would not only have her blood drawn and be used as a research specimen, but others might also lose control like he had and come after her.
Shin Hae-jun absolutely did not want to witness that.
For some reason, he was determined to prevent that at all costs.
That’s why he postponed reporting about Ahyeon. He wanted to hear more from her and see if there was a situation where he wouldn’t get excited even after drinking her blood.
Letting out a sigh, he turned a cold gaze towards Min Ahyeon.
“You’d better explain properly, Lieutenant.”
“…”
“How did this happen, when did you realize, and why.”
Once again, Ahyeon perfectly guessed Shin Hae-jun’s words.
How did you become immune?
When did you know you were immune?
Why…
Min Ahyeon chewed on her lower lip, clenching and unclenching her fists.
How did this happen? How would I know? Why is this the way it is, how could I possibly know?
There wasn’t much she could answer properly. To be at a loss for words in front of her former superior, made Min Ahyeon feel a strange guilt and a sense of defeat.
But it wasn’t as if she had a way to answer either. Letting out a soft sigh, Min Ahyeon calmly collected her thoughts. Surprisingly, Shin Hae-jun waited patiently for her.
After some time, Min Ahyeon slowly opened her mouth.
“It’s about the research facility you mentioned. The one where my brother might be.”
Apart from her brother, she had never brought up this topic to anyone else. Not even Yongcheol. It made her anxious and afraid. She wasn’t sure if Shin Hae-jun would even believe her. But the fear of having this secret exposed was worse. So Min Ahyeon steeled herself and continued in a measured tone.
“Do you know why I immediately understood that when you mentioned it?”
Her clenched fists started trembling as she began recounting a past she didn’t want to remember.
Glancing at her hands, the prominent veins on her pale skin, Shin Hae-jun still listened to Min Ahyeon’s voice with an impassive expression.
“I’m from there.”
🕂
“You must have roughly guessed that I was an experimental subject.”
Min Ahyeon’s soft confession began with the name she had been given.
“Experiment number B-98. That was the name I had.”
Shin Hae-jun did not respond, so Min Ahyeon continued.
“My brother was S-01. I’m sure you can sense the difference just from hearing those.”
Min Ahyeon paused briefly, looking for a reaction from Shin Hae-jun, but he listened without revealing if he knew the structure of the research facility.
“In any case, my brother and I have been in that research facility since as far back as our earliest memories.”
Shin Hae-jun’s face showed no reaction, as if he were deep in thought. Ahyon glanced in that direction and tapped her finger on the Jeep window. Memories of the research facility flooded back, bringing a familiar sense of anxiety. The anxiety that enveloped her suddenly disappeared.
“It wasn’t just my brother and I there.”
The vague anxiety of potentially being dragged back into that horrific hell had been tormenting Min Ahyeon for the past fifteen years. Even though she didn’t speak hastily, her breath caught and she felt short of breath. Ahyeon exerted herself to keep her fear from showing to Shin Hae-jun.
“There were countless other children, and the research facility wasn’t the only place. Many poor children like us were taken away without knowing anything and subjected to experiments.”
Up to this point, the information was within reach of the general public. Although it was content that Shin Hae-jun, closely connected to military officers, would undoubtedly know, he didn’t press or interrogate Ahyeon.
“I see.”
He simply responded briefly. Min Ahyeon was amazed at his patience, like a military dog’s.
Seeing Shin Hae-jun patiently waiting for her to continue, Min Ahyeon couldn’t stop now that she had started. She revealed a secret about herself and her brother that no one else knew.
“In the research facility, there were experimental wings where subjects like us stayed, and there was a project research wing accessible only to a handful of researchers. I didn’t know what was there and didn’t want to know, so I pretended not to know. Until the building collapsed and the infected creatures inside broke out, that is.”
Min Ahyeon squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again, recalling the memory of the infected spreading like wildfire.
She would never forget the scene of the infected instantly turning the experimental wing into a battlefield.
The infected tore apart the older sister who was sleeping next to her, and a six-year-old girl who had been trembling under the bed was dragged away with her legs caught.
“I tried to fight off the infected as I ran out of the room to find my brother. I found him, but I couldn’t save him.”
Ahyeon’s brother was held captive by the infection. They were so close that it would have been impossible for young Ahyeon to reach them. She couldn’t save her sister, and her brother’s hand was torn by the infection.
No, no.
Her anguished scream echoed in her ears again like tinnitus. The ground felt unsteady beneath her, as if the world was collapsing, and a cold sweat beaded on her skin despite the chilly air.
What do I do? How can I save him? Is my brother going to turn into one of those monsters? Really?
Just as Min Ahyeon was about to lose consciousness, panicking, something astonishing happened.
The infected that had been tearing at her brother’s flesh reverted to a human appearance.
“Well, that’s the story. My brother became the only test subject with antibodies because of that.”
Min Ahyeon’s tale had ended.
She was trying to maintain her usual expression, but a bitterness that couldn’t be hidden could be sensed in the corner of her gaze. Shin Hae-jun stared intently at Min Ahyeon, as if just to redirect his attention.
“That doesn’t sound like a story that ends with just ‘well, that’s how it was.'”
Shin Hae-jun’s voice was still low and authoritative.
As if demanding a more convincing explanation. Min Ahyeon’s eyes, which had been fixed on the outside, turned to him. Sensing her annoyance at what more he could want, Shin Hae-jun cleared his throat.
“If the infected has returned to being human, then what your brother has is not just an antibody, right?”
🕂
Thank you for reading! ♡
