Chapter 68
Tatatak! Tatatak!
The helicopter’s rotors spun wildly. Normally, it would have emitted noise enough to agitate the infected, but having already cleared out a significant number of them and being stationed in Gangneung, where the defenses were formidable, such activity was permitted.
Several corpses tightly wrapped in suits with cooling devices are loaded onto the helicopter. Just standing nearby, one can feel the chill. Those white things, so pale they can no longer be called human, pass by Shin Hae-jun one by one.
Ah, Shin Hae-jun. Remember those infected with brains gnawed to pieces? Their rate of decay is exceptionally rapid. Have you seen those whose ankles were shattered while walking around? They’re rotten to the core. No one keeps severed ankles lying around, right? So, what’s the first thing you do if you find something odd? You preserve it. If there are no suits nearby, just pour ice on it! That way, some parts might be preserved. Got it?
He wanted to follow his advice, but in this recent incident, where they couldn’t get ice—Gangneung Shelter barely had any resources—they had to put the infected bodies directly into the freezer. At least that way, we tried to prevent them from rotting. Well, the idea was somewhat correct. Except for the fact that two more power outages at the power plant resulted in two freezers being left off.
‘But at least Choi Daero’s body is intact.’
Shin Hae-jun muttered, taking a deep drag of his cigarette.
Choi Daero. Choi Daero. A human who was behaving normally suddenly mutated into infected… No, what should I call it, hosts? Damn it. Day by day, all sorts of ridiculous things keep popping up. Ending his thoughts in annoyance, Shin Hae-jun took an even deeper drag of his cigarette.
He lifted his head. Perhaps due to the streetlights not being brightly lit due to the generator’s capacity, the night sky was obscenely clear. The famous sight of Gangwon, the blue Milky Way, sparkled beautifully, disgustingly beautiful. He used to dream of space travel and building a house on Mars. Those days seemed so distant now. The outbreak of the infection feels like it happened just yesterday.
“General! We’ve loaded them all!”
“We secured nine specimens in total, but it seems only about 3 may yield meaningful research results.”
Shin Hae-jun gave a light nod at the soldiers’ words and looked around, not seeing Min Ahyeon, who should have been there originally. He raised an eyebrow.
“And Lieutenant Min?”
One of the soldiers answered.
“She said she had something to discuss with the previous researcher, and went out separately. Shall I call her over?”
“Call her over? She’s not under your command anymore.”
“Ah…”
“Seems you’re mistaken thinking I called her Lieutenant Min out of habit. She’s a defector who’s going to the army correctional facility. Her diamond’s long gone.”
“Ye-yes! Understood!”
With a cool expression, Shin Hae-jun turned his gaze to a specific spot not far away, where Ahyeon was standing.
Ahyeon was conversing with the researcher who had come along this time, but due to the distance and the tremendous noise from the rotor, Shin Hae-jun could not make out what they were discussing.
However, he could roughly guess what kind of conversation was taking place.
They’re probably talking about the ‘research institute.’ Or, more precisely, Ahyeon is asking about the ‘research facility,’ and the researcher, being affiliated with the military, likely had no idea what she was talking about regarding this ‘research facility’ she seeks. In other words, no matter what Ahyeon said to him, it would be a waste of time.
Ah, suddenly, Yang Jun-tae came to mind before Shin Hae-jun’s eyes. That bastard who flailed about, desperately trying to live while spouting strange words. When his head burst open and life left him. What did Ahyeon say to him then?
“Were you planning to betray me?”
“Why are you hiding? Why? What are you concealing?”
Shin Hae-jun took out a new cigarette, put it in his mouth, and looked up at the distant sky again. Why am I hiding? What am I concealing?
He spread his hand wide and raised five fingers up high.
One, I’m hiding that I’m from the same research institute as you. He folds a finger down.
Two, the research institute is a group of crazy mad scientists operating under military support. He folds another finger.
Three, this damn infected crisis is a horrific result caused by the research institute. Another finger folded.
Four, the military had already anticipated such a situation, and I, too, belatedly learned everything. Another finger folded.
Five, nevertheless, I like you.
As Shin Hae-jun flicked his finger, he chuckled and folded the last finger, clenching his fist.
However, there were also parts that Shin Hae-jun couldn’t lie about to Ahyeon—parts he himself didn’t know, so he couldn’t tell the truth.
‘The location of the research institute.’
To be precise, he did not know where that research institute was located, the one where Ahyeon’s younger brother Min Woo-joo would be held captive.
Shin Hae-jun, who had been gazing up at the sky, slowly blinked his eyes, looked back at Ahyeon, then turned his eyes skyward again. The night sky was breathtakingly beautiful, densely packed with stars like scattered stardust. But Shin Hae-jun knew that most of those beautiful stars were already dead. Due to the time it takes for their light to reach us, we have yet to notice their demise.
Even if the small planetary outpost called Earth is on the brink of destruction, the starlight in the night sky would remain unchanged. And the light observed from afar when viewing the Earth would also remain, for light travels across billions of light-years of time.
Of course, the Earth may no longer exist by the time that light arrives.
Perhaps my heart is similar. If the time comes for my heart, in other words this heart that cherishes Ahyeon, reach her…
‘Will I still be alive?’
Shin Hae-jun chuckled as he dropped his cigarette and stubbed it out with his foot. Puff, that last trail of smoke tasted quite bitter.
“Life really sucks, damn it.”
The rotor whirled. Shin Hae-jun boarded the helicopter, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes. Ah, I wish I could sleep with Ahyeon one more time. He murmured, fumbling at the corners of his mouth.
🕂
It didn’t take long to get to Seoul. Upon landing at the Seoul military branch, the helicopter hastily began unloading the corpses. I lingered nearby, hoping to catch a glimpse of Choi Daero.
“What are you doing staring at the corpses?”
Then, Shin Hae-jun spoke up from behind me. As always, he was neatly groomed, with not a hint of when he had changed clothes. His face bore no wounds, his expression showed no fatigue—he gave the appearance of an ordinary person who hadn’t experienced any combat at all, which somehow made me feel nauseous.
“I wanted to bid a final farewell.”
“As if he would know.”
“It’s for my own peace of mind.”
“Well… Alright. Peace of mind, I guess.”
Shin Hae-jun made a face like he didn’t understand, but he didn’t add any further comments, like telling me to stop or saying that it was pointless. So I was able to find Choi Daero’s frozen body suit safely and once again drew a cross in front of him and said a prayer. Go to a better place. Somewhere other than this terrible world.
After finishing the prayer and turning away, Shin Hae-jun was still standing there. He approached me step by step, using his long legs.
“D.I, huh? Is that guy at home?”
“Oh.”
When I widened my eyes, Shin Hae-jun’s thick eyebrows furrowed slightly.
“Why? Did I say something wrong?”
“I’ve never seen anyone call him D.I before.”
At the simple joke, Shin Hae-jun burst into laughter. It was his usual hearty laugh. The subtle dimples didn’t match his fierce appearance at all, making me want to poke them just to see.
Nevertheless, Shin Hae-jun, who was laughing like that, soon composed his expression and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“He’s there. I’ll go see him soon.”
“…But isn’t the request over? You don’t need to come, just give me the information. I’ll take that and leave.”
When I coldly responded, Shin Hae-jun put his arm around my shoulders and leaned his face in close.
“Lieutenant Min. Why are you being like this? We were close, weren’t we? You can’t suddenly act so cold and distant like this.”
“That’s how it’s always been. Please don’t get too close.”
“That’s too much.”
Shin Hae-jun pouted slightly, then tapped my shoulder again.
“Wait for me. I’ll bring something interesting.”
“What?”
“Lieutenant Min will like it. Look forward to it.”
I wasn’t sure what he was talking about… But I figured I would find out as I waited. For now, there was something more important right in front of me.
“…What’s going on?”
I was shocked as I looked at Yongcheol, Jiwoo, and Mingyu, who were crying.
🕂
Thank you for reading! ♡
