Chapter 53
“Very much like you, General.”
Min Ahyeon chuckled as she pulled her hand free. Shin Hae-jun stared at his cold hand for a moment before clenching it into a fist. The chill in the air made his fingers tingle. Although Shin Hae-jun’s demeanor was somewhat different from usual, unfortunately, Min Ahyeon didn’t seem to notice. She just looked at him with a blank face, her pretty lips slightly parted.
“Anyway, could you please explain in detail? What do you mean by a revolutionary faction?”
Was she pretending not to know, or did she genuinely not know?
It was the latter. Min Ahyeon was not one who could claim to be perceptive, even if it was just pretending. She was so oblivious that even when he masturbated while she slept beside him, she didn’t notice.
With a smirk, Shin Hae-jun tucked his clenched fist into his pocket to hide it and responded to her question.
“Just as I said.”
Shin Hae-jun shrugged.
“The current mayor of Gangneung…..”
“It’s Yang Jun-tae.”
“Yes, him. You know he’s out of his mind.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Despite Shin Hae-jun’s sarcastic remark, Min Ahyeon agreed nonchalantly. It wasn’t news to her, so she shrugged her shoulders as if mimicking Shin Hae-jun’s actions.
“Even in this situation, he’s indulging himself and blabbering away. He’s really savoring the taste of power, isn’t he? Yet those who have been given that power are struggling. What’s the point of being a mayor if you’re not serving the citizens?”
She added the last part almost as a murmur. Shin Hae-jun narrowed his eyes at her words.
In truth, who was starving and who was well-fed mattered little to Shin Hae-jun. Humans were all the same to him. In this ruined world, wasn’t it only natural for each to struggle desperately for their own survival? Whether that struggle was toward power or survival was the only difference. He could have said that, but after spending a few days with Min Ahyeon and learning his own lessons, Shin Hae-jun nodded vaguely as if agreeing with Ahyeon’s words. Then, he quickly changed the subject.
“Of course, that’s not the only problem.”
Shin Hae-jun recalled what the men he had “taken care of”—beaten up—had said.
“Do you remember when the outbreak first happened? When the infected appeared, didn’t the mayor personally come out of the shelter and go to nearby military units to bring back weapons and handle the infected?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard as well.”
“Exactly.”
Shin Hae-jun took a sip of the warm mulled wine—though it could hardly be called that, being just red wine heated with cinnamon stick pieces—before coldly remarking.
“It’s a lie.”
“Pardon?”
Ahyeon’s eyes widened in disbelief. No, even for a politician known for their propensity to lie…to tell such a blatant falsehood? She blinked a few times.
“Is that true?”
“Yeah. Apparently, he was just caught trying to flee.”
Though she asked again in slight disbelief, Shin Hae-jun’s cold expression and casual tone conveyed this was the truth.
“Flee……”
Stunned and almost whimpering, Min Ahyeon murmured.
“The one who should protect the citizens… trying to run away? Ha, and he’s been taking taxpayers’ money to gorge himself.”
Ha! Min Ahyeon exhaled sharply, clenching her fists in frustration.
“If that position was obtained through votes, he should repay that debt, not just look out for himself…..”
No, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
As far as she knew, that bastard Yang Jun-tae secured the mayorship by winning over half the votes. And he just abandoned all those citizens to save himself? Ha! My body trembled with anger. Even though her hometown was Seoul and the politician she voted for was the Seoul mayor.
“Why did a scumbag like Yang Jun-tae even become mayor in the first place!”
“Lieutenant Min.”
Turning to Min Ahyeon with a serious expression, Shin Hae-jun asked,
“By chance, are you interested in politics?”
Ahyeon tilted her head with a ‘what nonsense’ expression.
“No? Why would I be?”
Then she replied nonchalantly.
“It’s just that my nature tends to be critical.”
“It does seem that way.”
“…It sounds like an insult though.”
“You’re the only one feeling offended.”
Shin Hae-jun chuckled and continued.
“Anyway, about Yang Jun-tae. From what I’ve heard, after the leader who initially captured him died, he suddenly changed his story and claimed he led the people himself.”
“No, but…”
Min Ahyeon, lost in thought, interrupted.
“But couldn’t the others who were there contradict his claim?”
At that, Shin Hae-jun’s eyes dimmed slightly, expressing a cynical adult’s look when hearing a naive child’s ignorant remark.
“They’re all by the mayor’s side now, occupying their own positions.”
“Ah…”
Recalling the hierarchical structure of the shelter, Ahyeon let out a frustrated sigh and raked her fingers through her hair.
“Ha… Unbelievable.”
It’s a ludicrous and absurd story. Yet, precisely because of its absurdity, it felt more realistic.
Instead of nervously sweeping her hair, she calmly lowered her gaze. The more she sorted out her thoughts, the more disillusioned she felt about the world.
“Truly… The more I experience people, the more I realize how frightening they can be. Every time I hear stories like this, I feel it anew. Yeah…I guess I don’t understand much.”
How much experience does one need to understand the limits of fear? At her self-deprecating remark about humans being the most frightening, Shin Hae-jun tilted his head slightly.
“Humans are the most frightening?”
His tone was as if asking if there was anything Ahyeon didn’t find frightening. Now, his tone was distinguishable. When Min Ahyeon responded with a sigh, feeling a bit relieved, Shin Hae-jun raised the corners of his lips into a faint smile. But his eyes didn’t smile as he affirmed.
“That’s right. I think so too.”
The most frightening, the most…
Watching him repeat his words as if pondering if there was anyone he remembered, this time Min Ahyeon asked in a casual tone.
“From my perspective, it’s rather you, General, who seems to have no fear.”
It was the exact same jesting remark others had made to him before. Yet unexpectedly, Shin Hae-jun fell briefly silent this time. A joke that he would have simply brushed off from anyone else—the very joke he expected to be brushed off—carried immense weight coming from Ahyeon’s mouth and voice.
‘In Ahyeon’s eyes, that’s how I appear…’
As someone with nothing to fear…
His throat felt parched, as if he had chain-smoked cigarettes. He knew it was a joke, knew he should treat it as such. But it was difficult.
‘But I’m not.’
Shin Hae-jun considered himself more of a coward and hypocrite than anyone. Contradictory to the point of having no solid foundation, he accepted the destruction of his already unformed sense of self as normal, swaying aimlessly. A coward who evaded responsibility for his mistakes and choices by deeming them unavoidable.
Even knowing all this about himself, at this moment, Shin Hae-jun still averted his gaze from his own ugly truth.
“I’m human too.”
With such words.
Yet Ahyeon, completely oblivious to Shin Hae-jun’s pathetic inner struggle, simply returned the casual banter.
“Which is why you’re also frightening.”
At her casual remark implying he was frightening, Shin Hae-jun consciously raised the corner of his mouth in a slight smirk before setting down his mulled wine glass and changing the subject.
“Anyway, it seems like we should make contact with them. It’s a perfect scenario for the revolutionary forces to rise while we rescue the people trapped here.”
His reasoning sounded quite logical and valid. Shin Hae-jun himself saw no issue with it, yet Ahyeon’s expression was subtle.
“Well, what’s with that expression?”
Asking why she was looking at him like that, Min Ahyeon observed Shin Hae-jun’s face for a moment before chuckling.
“Oh, no reason. It’s just amusing to see someone who initially got angry about why we should do this now being the first to suggest it.”
“Ah ah.”
Shin Hae-jun nonchalantly took out a cigarette and replied with a hint of sarcasm.
“No special reason. It’d just be good if Gangwon came under Seoul’s control.”
Click. The lit cigarette tip glowed red as thin white smoke dangerously wafted upwards. After a pause, he added.
“Wouldn’t it?”
🕂
Thank you for reading! ♡
