Chapter 89
Click!
Tension filled the air. Out of the six chambers, only one held a bullet. There was a 1/6 chance her head would either be blown off or remain intact. If she drew the short straw and hit the chambered round, the bullet would immediately race down the barrel and burst her skull. Beyond the exploding brain matter, the spark of life would fade. The twisted head of the loser who crossed the irreversible river of death would be graced only by the winner’s crooked smile.
Pulling the trigger meant making an irreversible choice.
But.
“……!”
Without hesitation, Ahyeon pulled the trigger. There was not a shred of wavering in her action. She pulled the trigger as nonchalantly as if she had multiple lives, and survived with a loud bang!
“Well, what do you know.”
Lowering the gun from her head, Ahyeon let out a mocking laugh and spun the revolver around her trigger finger.
“Looks like I lived?”
With a sly grin that would sound obnoxious to anyone—somehow reminding of Shin Hae-jun’s influence—Ahyeon handed the gun back to the woman.
“Think you can do it?”
The woman’s face crumpled in an instant. Her facial piercings twisted grotesquely as the flesh distorted. She took a step forward.
“Give it.”
Reaching out, she snatched the revolver from Ahyeon. Right as she spun the cylinder and pressed the barrel to her temple.
“Aaack! Wait! Wait a minute! Boss! Don’t!”
Yong-tae rushed in and grabbed the revolver the woman was gripping. She struggled to break free a few times, but Yong-tae’s physical obstruction prevented her from easily pulling the trigger. Taking advantage of her hesitation, Choi Yong-tae quickly spoke to Ahyeon.
“Sorry. We lost.”
“We lost?”
“Uh, no. I was wrong.”
The woman seemed unwilling to concede, pulling the gun with force, but Yong-tae refused to budge. He widened his eyes imploringly.
“Boss. Please come to your senses. If you die like this, you’ll really be a dead loss. Is that what Je-ha Hyung-nim would want?”
“…..”
The woman bit her lower lip hard, glancing between the revolver and Ahyeon. Eventually, catching Yong-tae’s resolute expression, she seemed to have no choice but to release the tension from her body and step back. The corners of Ahyeon’s mouth curled up.
“Well then.”
Ahyeon nodded with a slight wrinkle of her nose.
“Since I won, I can demand an explanation, right?”
Putting her hands on her hips, she paced in a circle around the woman and Yong-tae. They remained silent, but it wasn’t that they chose not to speak—they seemed unable to. Confused about what they could or should say in this situation. So Ahyeon tried to ease their wariness.
“I came here because I heard from Park Ahjussi.”
“Pardon?”
Yong-tae’s eyes widened, seeming a bit less guarded.
“What did the old man tell Mercenary Min about this warehouse?”
“He said I might need it.”
Yong-tae could then understand why Ahyeon was here and how she found the warehouse. He also felt a tinge of guilt for trying to kill her, as she was a mercenary Yong-tae respected, after all.
“The old man must have been trying to bring you to our side. We didn’t know about it, but well, he probably had his own thoughts.”
Yong-tae said this while looking at the woman, who simply stared intently at Min Ahyeon instead of responding.
“Ah, why? I really didn’t know. If I had, I would’ve said so from the start.”
“So you weren’t close with the old man?”
“Well…”
Ahyeon furrowed his brow slightly. Were they close or not? Reflecting on Park Ahjussi’s long-standing relationship, it took her a moment to reconsider.
“Min Ahyeon, you’re like a daughter to me. Here, eat some more of this, alright?”
“Why am I cursing you when you’re my daughter? Because you’re my daughter, that’s why! Huahaha!”
Suddenly recalling Park Ahjussi’s words, Ahyeon felt a lump in her throat. She lightly cleared her throat and turned away.
“We were close. Just let me know where his grave is later. I’ll pay my respects.”
“Ah, yes!”
Yong-tae nodded shakily with somewhat unfocused eyes, as if desperately holding back tears. Tears from that large frame seemed mismatched, one could say, but Ahyeon didn’t. After all, news of someone’s death—especially of someone close—never became familiar, no matter how often heard.
Regardless, after offering a silent prayer for Park Ahjussi, Ahyeon turned her attention back to the woman, who seemed to have been waiting to speak.
“You.”
“Yeah?”
“Will you join us?”
“Join what?”
“Us.”
“No, I mean what. You have to tell me what it is before I can say I’ll do it or not. Can’t you speak properly? Try writing or something.”
Knowing the woman’s vocal condition, Ahyeon suggested writing. The woman then gestured to Yong-tae, who quickly handed her a laptop.
[Ah.]
A voice synthesized by AI flowed out. Ohh, Ahyeon’s eyes widened as she looked at the laptop.
“That program still works?”
“It doesn’t require an internet connection, so of course. Don’t you mercenaries use tablets too, for storing photos and such?”
“That’s true.”
“Yes. This is simply used for speaking as well.”
In a world where the internet was disconnected but electricity still available, derived from sources like nuclear, solar, wind, and water power, only humans seem to be disappearing while man-made conveniences are vanishing.
Ahyeon focused on the typing sounds made by the woman, anticipating the AI-converted voice that would follow.
[You figured out our plan as soon as you saw the weapons, didn’t you? Why pretend you don’t know, you lucky bastard.]
“…Hey. Just shut up. The more you talk, the more annoyed I get.”
Ahyeon grumbled while glancing at the woman.
“What, are you trying to start a coup d’état or something?”
The woman looked at Yong-tae, who nodded back at her. The typing sound filled the room.
[We’re going to take down the Seoul government.]
[To be precise, we’re going to take down the military.]
Faced with the enormous plan conveyed through the mechanical voice, Ahyeon didn’t respond but simply looked up at the ceiling. The creaking wooden ceiling made her think that her life was just as twisted. Her chest felt tight.
[You know a lot about the military, don’t you? So join us.]
It was then that Ahyeon lowered her gaze and looked at the woman.
“So you want me to be a spy?”
[You’re already acting as a spy, aren’t you? Using the military to find your brother, isn’t that you? Or are you just a mercenary?]
Click. Ahyeon drew the gun from her waist and pointed it at the woman.
“If you mention my brother one more time, I’ll kill you.”
“Ah, ah! Hey! Both of you, stop fighting!”
Yong-tae hurriedly tried to calm Ahyeon down, while the woman rolled her eyes and resumed typing on the keyboard.
[Aren’t you curious how Savior can deal with the infected?]
She continues speaking.
[You’re going to the Pohang research facility this time, right?]
[There’s something we want there. If you bring it to us, I’ll tell you about Savior.]
Lowering her gun, Ahyeon crossed her arms and nodded her head slightly.
“Hmm.”
It’s true that she’s curious about Savior.
But that’s only to report to the military and get information about Woo-joo, not for any other purpose. So Ahyeon asked in a calm voice.
“Can I report this to my superiors?”
[Are you crazy?]
“No, why not?”
[Because we’re trying to take down the military, you idiot. If you tell the military, how do you think this will go? The only reason you’re still alive is your skills and connection to that high-ranking officer.]
“Just keep cursing me out.”
Ahyeon clicked her tongue and turned her back to them. Then she headed towards the door.
[Hey, where are you going?]
“Where do you think I’m going?”
Ahyeon casually responded to their question.
“I’m going to see my sister.”
I guess I should try making a deal too.
Ahyeon smiled faintly.
🕂
“Haah……”
In the midst of the wrecked room, Shin Hae-jun was kneeling on the floor, forehead pressed to the ground as he let out a groan.
No matter what happened—even battling the infected—his usually impeccable uniform was in disarray, his face and hands streaked with blood. Bang! He punched the floor again, splattering more blood.
But he couldn’t feel the pain. His mind was consumed by just one person.
“…Je-ha.”
Shin Hae-jun squeezed his eyes shut and cried out the name.
“Baek Je-ha.”
🕂
Thank you for reading! ♡
