Chapter 74
The expressions of Yunho and Seungmin were strange, tilting their heads as if they couldn’t understand the question. Going beyond the slight devotion I had seen in them before, it was as if… there was a glint of madness in their eyes.
‘I’ve seen that kind of look many times before.’
Too many times, to the point where it’s sickening. Instinctively, my hair stood on end.
“Nuna.”
Yunho called out to me.
“Could it be related to the people from the research facility?”
“…What?”
For a moment, my mind went blank.
“The research facility?”
It wasn’t unusual to refer to a place with researchers as a ‘research facility,’ but from the way they were talking, it seemed like they meant that research facility. The back of my neck grew hot.
“Which research facility are you talking about?”
“……”
Yunho glanced at Seungmin, and Seungmin looked back at Yunho, their gazes meeting.
“Nuna. You know about the research facility, don’t you?”
Seungmin tilted his head, his eyes closing slowly before opening again. Along with the deep-seated faith that had been apparent in his gaze, there was also hostility. I grimaced, placing my hand on the gun at my waist.
“Forget that I was in the military?”
“Ah.”
“In the military, everything is known secretly.”
Of course, that was a blatant lie. If the military had known the true nature of the research facility, I wouldn’t have had to struggle so hard. But they seemed to believe my words. Their aggressive demeanor softened slightly.
“So answer me. How do you know if it’s the research facility or some nonsense?”
With a more pressing tone, I pushed them further. Having allayed some of their suspicions, they scratched their heads and replied.
“They told us about the research facility.”
“They said the people there are utterly wicked, repulsive, and devils who can’t even fall into hell.”
What nonsense is this?
I thought the real devils were the infected creatures lying just nearby. But then I realized the research facility people were the ones who created those infected creatures, so they could indeed be the real devils.
“Yeah, they could be devils.”
As I muttered in agreement, Yunho and Seungmin’s eyes widened. Then they started grinning slyly.
“You understand us, as expected, Nuna.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
They grabbed my arm and pulled me.
“Come in, Nuna.”
“They will like you, Nuna.”
Did I bring extra ammo magazines? Calculating the precarious amount of ammunition left, I followed them inside for now.
🕂
Vroom, the engine roared as the Jeep drove down the unpaved road. Oh Habin was at the wheel, while Shin Hae-jun sat in the passenger seat. Shin Hae-jun was lost in thought, already on his third cigarette.
‘She went to get the car.’
Wasn’t that car wrecked because of me? Wasn’t that how we ended up going to that dangerous place? If anything happened to Ahyeon, wouldn’t it be my fault? Pondering such thoughts, Shin Hae-jun frowned and threw his cigarette out the window.
“Nothing’s going as planned.”
Muttering to himself, Shin Hae-jun threw the cigarette out, and Oh Habin, who had been listening, spoke up softly.
“Is it because of the Commander?”
The “Commander” he referred to was Shin Gi-tae, who currently held the highest position in the military. Only then did Shin Hae-jun recall his stepfather. Ah, he had met him today. He had just gone on and on about useless things before leaving.
“It’s not like our divine Commander Shin is doing anything different now than he usually does, so there’s no point in getting mad about it.”
Shin Hae-jun tried to erase the image of Gi-tae intruding into his mind and continued speaking.
“I’m just annoyed that we’re wasting time on this when we’re already short-handed for the upcoming operation.”
“The operation against the mutated infected.”
“Yeah. We know all the areas where they appear, so we just need to go and collect samples. But we’ve wasted time because of Lieutenant Min.”
Oh Habin fell silent for a moment, staring ahead.
“Is Lieutenant Min’s presence really necessary for this operation?”
Continuing in an indifferent tone.
“If not, couldn’t we just send in support troops?”
“Oh Habin.”
“Yes.”
Shin Hae-jun sat up stiffly, propping his chin with his hand as he looked at Oh Habin.
“I didn’t take you for such a cold-hearted bastard. Don’t you have any loyalty to your former superior?”
“Ye-yes? No, that’s not what I meant!”
Oh Habin stammered, shaking his head.
“It’s just that we can’t predict what might happen where we’re going, and I thought Lieutenant Min could handle it herself. I don’t want her to die either!”
Shin Hae-jun let out a low chuckle at Habin’s words, then lit another cigarette.
“Well, if it’s the Lieutenant, she can probably handle it.”
“Yes, that’s what I thought…”
“But that’s only when dealing with the infected. The Lieutenant has no talent for dealing with humans. Want one?”
Upon hearing that Ahyeon lacked talent in dealing with people, Oh Habin couldn’t bring himself to refute it. It was exactly what he had felt about Ahyeon. So instead, Oh Habin chose to accept the offered cigarette.
Shin Hae-jun pushed a cigarette into his own lips, lit it, and then passed another one to Oh Habin’s lips.
“About the Gwanak District incident.”
Puffing out smoke, he continued.
“We received a report that the Savior appeared.”
Screech!
The car abruptly came to a halt. Shin Hae-jun, thrown forward, grabbed the handle and adjusted his posture, frowning deeply.
“Are you trying to get me killed with that sudden stop?”
“Ah, no. I’m sorry. It’s not that, I was so startled…”
Habin stuttered before shaking his head vigorously and asking again.
“The Savior you mentioned? That crazy cult group? The lunatics who act like they’re almighty while tormenting innocent citizens?”
“Yeah, you know them well.”
“For whatever reason, they gather the infected and basically feed people to them, those crazy bastards?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Shin Hae-jun, now with his seatbelt tightly fastened, spoke.
“Apparently they’ve occupied a university. Most people have fallen under their influence too.”
“Ah…damn it.”
Oh Habin’s face twisted with exasperation. It was understandable—the religious group collectively known as the ‘Savior’ originated in Busan but had expanded to Seoul, becoming another group of raiders terrorizing people.
“And in the midst of this, Lieutenant Min went to that university. What do you think happened?”
Oh Habin operated the gears.
“Let’s go, quickly.”
Vroom! The car accelerated again, rushing down the road. Shin Hae-jun glanced at the passing scenery and muttered.
“I hope Lieutenant Min at least noticed and escaped if she could.”
Oh Habin let out a chuckle and retorted.
“She absolutely would not do that.”
“That’s what I think too.”
Ahyeon fleeing? Especially from a cult? That’s unimaginable.
“She despises cults to death.”
“But she didn’t seem that devoutly religious.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. She even says grace before meals.”
“Wow. Hallelujah.”
Shin Hae-jun laughed at Habin’s joke, then lit the last remaining cigarette and leaned his head back against the headrest.
“Anyway…”
He pressed his thumb firmly against his forehead.
“He’s probably tearing them apart over there, so let’s hurry.”
“Yes.”
Vroooom! The exhaust roared louder as the car rapidly accelerated forward.
🕂
“……Ah.”
A cramped room. And right in the center, a wooden chair. Sitting on this dilapidated chair, I stared blankly at the ceiling.
“Haahh…”
A sigh escaped involuntarily. It wasn’t because the walls were covered in bizarre patterns. Nor was it because of the bitter smell, as if something was being burned. Not even due to the light bulb emitting a strange glow that hurt the eyes.
It was simply because of,
“Sister. Do you have nothing to confess?”
A voice from beyond the wall with a small hole, demanding confession. No, can I even call them a priest? The one I met before at least wore a priest’s robe, so I could regard them as a priest, but this one? what are they, a KKK member? They were covered from head to toe in pristine white cloth.
“According to the believers, you have something to confess, Sister. And after the confession, you will refuge in our faith.”
The man spoke in a friendly voice, but the intent behind it was utterly terrifying. Refuge1Refuge [歸依]: A term used in Buddhism and in repentance, meaning to turn back to Buddha and the Dharma and to seek salvation sincerely..
“Confession, an act of contrition. Yeah, sure.”
So I replied in a slightly weary voice.
“What should I confess… Ah.”
Then, grinning, I leaned forward.
“How about that I’m aiming a gun at your head from behind this wall right now?”
Bang!
Without hesitation, the gunshot rang out.
🕂
Thank you for reading! ♡
