By Zephyria 
You’re in no position to say anything to me. You saved your life using Kim Ha-yoon as a shield, didn’t you? What’s the difference between you and me? Seo Young-jun, that bastard, at least he’s still alive. Kim Ha-yoon died because of his idiotic actions!
Park Mu-jin’s face, contorted like an evil spirit, appeared in multiple forms, surrounding me. The voices blaming me felt like they were tearing my ears apart. I covered my ears and screamed for them to stop, then opened my eyes to see a stark white hospital ceiling.
I sat up, covered my face with my hands, and let out a low groan. I tried to console myself by thinking that only someone who deserved to die had died, but it was difficult to completely shake off the guilt. Perhaps it was because I was a weak person, just as Kim Ha-yoon had said.
After sitting for a long time, I lay back down, but sleep wouldn’t come easily. Eventually, I left the hospital room. It was early morning, and the hallway was deathly quiet. I decided to go to the rooftop to smoke, but the elevator stopped on the floor just above me. I looked to see who might be getting on and it was Kwon So-young.
Her tired face broke into a slight smile as she saw Ire, and she waved.
“What are you doing at this hour? Running away?”
“To the rooftop.”
“Good. I’m going that way too.”
She walked up beside me, shoved her hands into the pockets of her white gown, and stared blankly at the changing floor numbers. Her face looked particularly weary and exhausted. When we reached the rooftop, the view of the city outside the hospital spread out before me. The city was peaceful today, just as it was every day, and it glittered. I walked towards the edge of the rooftop and pulled out a cigarette from my pocket. Kwon So-young approached and held out her hand.
“Give me one too.”
She took the cigarette, expertly lit it, and rested her arms on the railing. Then, she exhaled a puff of smoke into the air.
“See that?”
Kwon So-young pointed somewhere with the hand holding her cigarette. It was the isolation ward across the way. The isolation ward was attached to the research facility and primarily housed patients exposed to or infected with the virus. I heard that most of the soldiers involved in the accident who were directly exposed to the monsters were transferred there.
“The people in there, Ire saved them. Just remember that.”
Ire could offer no reaction to Kwon So-young’s words. It had been 20 days since Kim Ha-yoon disappeared. In that time, many things had happened in district a. The media criticized Kim Ha-yoon for mobilizing the soldiers excessively, while others praised his death as noble, a sacrifice for the greater good.
Furthermore, Kim Do-cheol’s death was also widely covered. Speculative articles emerged claiming that a faction opposing the government had infiltrated district a and killed him, leading to public outcry against allowing outsiders into the district.
Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, Kwon So-young had tipped me off that several high-ranking officials were keeping a close eye on Ire. She mentioned that video footage from the battle and eyewitness testimonies were surfacing, leading to the spread of bizarre rumors.
When I asked what the rumors were, she said they claimed Ire had deliberately lured the army into the monster-infested area. Some even argued that he intended to monopolize the gold mine after defeating the monsters. Although it was unfair, it wasn’t entirely untrue. After all, I was the one who discovered the place and proposed the deal to Kim Ha-yoon.
“You’re being discharged tomorrow, right?”
“Yes.”
“Where are you going?”
I remained silent at Kwon So-young’s question. In a situation where public sentiment against outsiders was growing, I felt it wouldn’t be good to stay here any longer. Knowing I could influence Matteo and the children, I intended to find Kim Ha-yoon as soon as possible or settle matters by negotiating with the committee.
“Do you still believe Kim Ha-yoon is alive?”
This time, I answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“You know he’s not the kind of person who dies easily.”
Her tone was closer to accusation than expectation. Kwon So-young agreed, saying she knew better than anyone how tenacious he was. She threw away her finished cigarette and turned to leave, but Kwon So-young followed. While waiting for the elevator, she pressed the button for the 6th floor, the one she had been on earlier.
That floor was off-limits to the general public, reserved for important individuals. Matteo had been there before. I wondered who could be so important that she would be moving at this hour. As I pondered this, Kwon So-young said something unexpected.
“Kim Ha-yoon’s mother is on the 6th floor.”
Ire turned to her with a surprised expression. Wasn’t she supposed to have died in the research facility explosion?
“Kim Ha-yoon asked me for a favor. If he died before her, he wanted me to remove his mother’s life support.”
“……”
“So I went there earlier,”
Kwon So-young paused for a moment, then smiled.
“I want to postpone it a little. Is that okay?”
She was asking if I could find Kim Ha-yoon and bring him back. I nodded, and she pressed a different floor button, looking more relieved than before. I returned to my room afterward, but I couldn’t sleep due to the flood of thoughts.
* * *
Ire gazed at the Gold City development site through the car window. Massive machines moved busily, as if unaffected by the recent accident nearby. Hiding my bitter feelings, I drove further towards the lake.
The area around the lake was still under search. Kim Do-cheol hadn’t been seen for some time, and the foul smell had largely dissipated, perhaps due to the rain a few days prior. Instead, a strong chemical odor permeated the air. According to Kwon So-young, something presumed to be an egg had been discovered in the water, and a potent chemical had been sprayed in large quantities.
Most of them were unfertilized or unable to hatch properly, but it was too early to be at ease. Hearing that some had been collected for research, Ire worried they might create something strange again.
I parked the car and started climbing the mountain. Sweat beaded on my forehead. The mountains surrounding the lake were quite large and steep.
All the bodies found at the scene had been recovered. Those who were not intact were identified through DNA testing, handed over to their families, and cremated. Thus, the identities of all the deceased were confirmed, except for Kim Ha-yoon’s. They had searched the monster’s stomach, but his traces had vanished as if deliberately erased.
As I walked, my foot kicked a bomb fragment. I was looking down so intently that my neck felt like it would snap. Straightening up and glancing at the sky, Ire’s face contorted. What was that? A small white cloth was caught on a tall tree.
I took out my binoculars and examined it, but the branches obscured the view. As I hurried towards it, I stopped abruptly. There was a stain, presumably blood, on the tree trunk. It could be animal or human.
I collected a sample in a small container and surveyed the surroundings again. The sky was heavily overcast, making it dim. If a heavy rain came, everything remaining would be washed away. In my haste, I put down my bag and climbed the tree trunk, noticing sporadically broken branches. It seemed like there had been an initial impact higher up, causing them to fall.
Reaching almost to the top, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and snatched the cloth. It was torn in many places, but it was clearly part of a shirt. And on that day, only Kim Ha-yoon had been wearing a white shirt. I cursed him inwardly for being stylish even during battle, but it turned out to be helpful.
Feeling a tightness in my chest, I took a deep breath and looked down. It was a massive tree, offering a clear view of the lake and forest. Anyone, even a healthy person, falling from this height would be miraculously alive.
After securing the cloth, I climbed down and searched for other traces, but found nothing. Ire opened his bag and took out a pair of goggles. Putting them on and pressing a button, faint bluish marks appeared sporadically. They would have been more visible at night, but waiting until then risked getting lost.
The bloodstains appeared and disappeared intermittently. There was no proof they belonged to Kim Ha-yoon, but I walked and walked, chasing them frantically. I stumbled and fell, tearing my skin. Before I knew it, I had crossed over to the foot of the opposite mountain.
I had been here before. It was a place left to decay, with only old, crumbling buildings remaining. When the bloodstains disappeared, Ire sighed in disappointment and looked around. If Kim Ha-yoon had been conscious, he wouldn’t have come all the way here.
Still, I couldn’t give up and searched through the abandoned houses. The places devoid of warmth were infested with rats and insects. Then, I stopped upon spotting a large wild dog. A growl rumbled from its throat, and saliva dripped from its open jaws. I cautiously drew the dagger from my waist. The dog, like me, didn’t dare to approach.
As we faced each other, a whistling sound came from somewhere. The dog suddenly vanished in the opposite direction. Was someone there? In my haste, I rushed towards where the dog had been, but only a dented bucket rolled around.
It was utterly baffling. I whistled again, just as before, but there was no response. I called out, “Hello!” but it was the same. Frustrated, I sighed, rubbed my face, and looked up at the sky. Against the dark sky, raindrops began to fall, one by one.