By Zephyria 
The sound of people buzzing reached even here. Amidst the people in protective suits moving in an orderly fashion, armed soldiers were noticeable everywhere. The researchers, urgently deployed, scanned the corpses, connected their limbs using metal cable ties, and moved them into isolation capsules.
As the corpse entered the capsule, it was completely sealed, and a warning message appeared on the external window. The soldiers loaded the capsules onto a dedicated truck and departed first. Meanwhile, Ire received first aid and was disinfected.
Next to him, Kim Ha-yoon was bandaging his hand. Not only his palm but also various other places were slightly torn and bleeding. When he discovered faint scars on Kim Ha-yoon’s undressed arm, the events of that day vividly came to mind.
The day Matteo, having a seizure, bit Kim Ha-yoon’s arm just before falling from the rooftop. What was Kim Ha-yoon thinking when he saved Matteo…?
It remains a question.
“Okay, look here.”
The medical staff shone a light into Ire’s eyes. They had arrived not long after the monster collapsed and immediately gave him an injection. It was said to be in preparation for a possible infection. They added that it was impossible to know whether it was a mutation of an infected or something created through an experiment.
“All done.”
As the examination was about to end, soldiers blocked their way. Turning around, Kim Ha-yoon was smoking a cigarette and staring at them.
“48-hour quarantine.”
Incensed by those words, Ire strode towards Kim Ha-yoon.
“Who decided that?”
“Why do you think the people here are wearing protective suits?”
He knew, but he didn’t want to stay here for that reason. When he still insisted on leaving, soldiers wearing gas masks stopped him again. The face inside the gas mask was someone he knew. They had exchanged words a few times during training and were in the same group on the island.
Not wanting to fight them, he turned around and looked at Kim Ha-yoon. He looked extremely tired after the treatment.
“Don’t be stubborn. What if your colleagues get infected because of you?”
“It might be nothing.”
“That’s not for you to decide, it’s for those people to decide.”
“What if I’m infected? Are you going to take me and use me as an experiment subject like the others?”
“Like who? Like Lee Seon-jae?”
At the mention of Matteo’s name, Ire grabbed Kim Ha-yoon by the collar.
“How dare you mention that name so carelessly!”
Kim Ha-yoon smiled bitterly.
“Sorry. I keep forgetting. That I’m a bastard to you.”
Click, gun barrels were pointed at him from all directions. Kim Ha-yoon gestured for them to lower their guns, then looked at Ire intently before gently covering the hand gripping his collar.
“This is to protect not only you but also others. It’s the policy, so please cooperate. Otherwise, we have no choice but to confine you using physical force.”
He was about to retort, telling them to try confining him, but stopped. What if it was a serious virus, as he said? If he went like this and caused others to be infected, that would be the worst-case scenario. He glared at Kim Ha-yoon’s left hand, heavily bandaged, then shook it off and followed the medical staff.
“Please remove all your clothes.”
Damn it. As instructed, he took off all his clothes and lay down on a mobile negative pressure cart. After wrapping his body in a disposable cloth and securing it with a belt, a person holding a syringe approached. When he shook his head at the mention of a sedative, they didn’t insist twice.
Soon after, the cover closed, and he looked up at the sky. Kim Ha-yoon was also taking off his clothes, and numerous small wounds were noticeably visible not only on his upper body but also on his lower body. Knowing that he was injured because he became bait instead of him, the anger in his heart didn’t subside easily.
He was then transported by vehicle and began to retrace the path he had come, lying down. He belatedly understood why the doctor had tried to sedate him. Being confined in a narrow space and lying down while driving on an unpaved road made him feel nauseous.
After arriving at the research center and being moved to the isolation ward, he was completely disinfected and changed into new clothes. He was isolated in an empty rectangular room, which contained only ventilation facilities, a bed, a bathroom, and a small table and chair.
Then, feeling a tingling sensation in his canines, he went to the bathroom, opened his mouth, and looked in the mirror. After leaving it alone for a few days, the ends had become quite pointed. He understood why Kim Ha-yoon’s lips were so torn.
He returned to the bed, and someone entered. Although their face was completely covered, it was not difficult to recognize that it was Kwon So-young.
“Long time no see.”
“……”
“You’ve become more masculine and handsome. Tempting.”
When he didn’t respond, she picked up an empty injection needle. “Will you roll up your sleeve?” When he didn’t even flinch, Kwon So-young sighed.
“I’m going to do a test. Kim Ha-yoon is also in quarantine and had his blood drawn.”
Unlike when she drew his blood before, the injection needle Kwon So-young was holding was very small. Reluctantly, he offered his arm, and the injection needle pierced his skin. “It stings.” Soon after, the empty syringe filled with blood.
Ire didn’t give any answer to her question about how he had been doing. Kwon So-young seemed to give up and got up from her seat.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
As she reached the entrance, Ire barely moved his lips, which felt like they were glued together.
“What about Matteo…?”
Kwon So-young turned around and paused, choosing her words for a moment. “What to do. Kim Ha-yoon told me not to tell you.”
“……”
“He’s got a vengeful side, sorry.”
Then she briskly opened the door and left. Ire muttered a curse under his breath and looked at the arm with the needle mark. Then, overcome with fatigue, he lay down on the bed on his side. Only the sound of the ventilator remained in the quiet room.
“Are you a stalker? Why don’t you install one in the bathroom too?”
Kwon So-young sneered at Kim Ha-yoon, who couldn’t take his eyes off the CCTV screen. Kim Ha-yoon had undergone surgery for a penetrating wound in his left hand, and fortunately, it had missed the nerves. The test results came out in half a day, but Ire had been confined to his room for two days.
“How long are you going to keep him locked up? I’m afraid he’ll destroy our research center.”
Kwon So-young firmly believed that the earthquake that had occurred a year and a half ago was caused by Ire. She claimed that the epicenter of the earthquake being the National Intelligence Service supported that. Kim Ha-yoon also thought there was some validity to that. However, it was highly likely that he was not aware of it himself. If so, what was the trigger?
“Should we keep him locked up there for life?”
At Kim Ha-yoon’s words, Kwon So-young pondered. As an experiment subject, she was all for it. They could somehow subdue him using drugs before he used his powers. However, the way Kim Ha-yoon looked at Ire was not that. Realizing that made her feel even more chilled about what would come next.
“I don’t know. I’m going to go meet a new friend for now.”
Kwon So-young had a great interest in the newly discovered monster. She was curious about who, why, and how it was created, something that couldn’t be found in the existing data. Kim Ha-yoon was focused solely on one thing, monster or whatever. Now, he was completely fixated on the screen, resting his chin on his hand.
Ire was sitting on the bed all day, staring at the wall. His appearance overlapped with that of his mother when he was young, making him feel strange. Was he waiting for someone to come through the small window in the door? Why did he want that person to be him?
Damn it. What useless thoughts…
He pressed his throbbing temples and slowly got up from his seat. He went outside, took the elevator to the upper floor, and the guards standing watch stepped aside. After swiping his card and entering, his mother was lying there.
Even though it was cleaned every day, the unique stench couldn’t be helped. The caregiver excused herself, and Kim Ha-yoon approached her bedside.
“Can you hear me? The bloodline of Yona, whom you wanted to meet so much, is right here. In the same building as you.”
As expected, there was no reaction. His mother used to say as a habit. Yona is a special resource and will show us something we have never seen before. That’s why she had high expectations for the child Yona was pregnant with.
“A special child was born, just like you said.”
He learned emotions he had never felt in his life through Ire. He learned about a world he had never experienced through him. It was sweet at times, and sometimes bitterly painful. At first, he thought it was just curiosity, but now he thought it might not be.
But he realized it too late.
“What should I do?”
Unfortunately, he couldn’t hear the answer to that question. Kim Ha-yoon looked at the graphs in the life support device with cold eyes, then went straight to the window and looked outside. Dark clouds covered the sky as if it was going to rain, and the city had turned entirely gray.