By Zephyria 
Kwon So-young stared at Kim Ha-yoon with a displeased expression. What a shameless brat. He actually went through with it, with that young one… Yet, Kim Ha-yoon shamelessly jutted his chin out. She pushed her way inside, followed by Kim Seon-oh.
“What brings you here?”
“Just in case, I was doing vehicle tracking, and it stopped moving here. So, I came.”
Ire frowned at Kim Seon-oh’s mention of vehicle tracking. Did they know we were here all along?
“Then why didn’t you come yesterday…?”
As Kim Seon-oh hesitated to answer, Kwon So-young provided the explanation.
“Kim Ha-yoon asked me to. He said he might take a day to rest before coming, so to expect him today.”
“Might take a day to rest,” Kwon So-young said, shaking her head. Her tone was laced with reproach, as if asking, “Is this what you wanted?” Ire looked at Kim Ha-yoon with disbelief. Did he know this would happen beforehand? Could it be that Kim Ha-yoon had hired those guys from yesterday too?
As Ire looked at him suspiciously, Kim Ha-yoon shrugged.
“They weren’t part of my plan. I only knew about the downpour.”
So, it was true that he had intended to stay the night from the start. He had said he was going to Zone D for work… A liar. Kwon So-young finally understood why she had looked at Kim Ha-yoon with that expression earlier. She must be wearing the same look now.
Meanwhile, Kwon So-young grumbled as she checked Kim Ha-yoon’s injuries. She complained that he never had a day without injuries, and that she spent more days treating his wounds than doing research. She questioned the fairness of using a talent like her in such a way.
Beside them, Kim Seon-oh noticed the shattered bed. He had been pretending not to see it, but Kwon So-young seemed to have noticed it too. She looked at Kim Ha-yoon with a disgusted expression before turning to Ire.
“Are you alright, Irene? Are you hurt anywhere?”
It was incredibly embarrassing to be asked such a question when, moments before, she had been looking at the broken bed with contempt. As she only moved her lips, Kim Ha-yoon gestured for the two of them to leave. Once they were gone, he handed Ire a new set of clothes.
“Change into these.”
“It’s fine. I can wear this.”
“Why is your face red?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? But I do.”
He grinned slyly and cupped Ire’s chin, guiding his gaze to the broken bed. When asked who it was that had cried and even peed there yesterday, Ire shoved his shoulder. In response, Kim Ha-yoon put his hand in his mouth and rubbed his canine teeth with his thumb.
“Here. Next time we meet, I’ll change it for you.”
The scratching of his fingertip made Ire involuntarily groan. Despite Ire trying to push him away, he pulled him into an embrace and chuckled, his voice resonating in Ire’s ears. As Ire struggled to break free, his head was held fast. Against his chest, he could feel his heart pounding rapidly. It felt like just yesterday he had thought, Does this man even have a heart?…
“Let go. I can’t breathe.”
“How can I wait until we meet again?”
“……”
“If I miss you, can I come anytime?”
“Please don’t.”
Ire worried about how his colleagues would look at him whenever he came. He had boasted that they were nothing, but that was becoming harder to maintain. Making excuses about work had only worked so many times.
“Stop overthinking. I’ll visit discreetly, so you won’t feel burdened.”
“Does that even make sense?”
“If you really insist, I’ll transform into a mouse. Squeak squeak.”
He then made a funny face, mimicking a mouse with his front teeth. Ire laughed in disbelief, and his gaze turned intense.
“Now you’re smiling at me too?”
When Ire deliberately put on a serious face, he playfully attacked his neck. Ire dodged, tickled, but Kim Ha-yoon persistently clung to him, receiving a kiss. After that, Kim Ha-yoon handed Ire one of the items Kim Seon-oh had left behind.
“A gift.”
Ire looked at his face, then turned on a palm-sized device. A map of Area C appeared on the screen, showing someone’s real-time location. Ire knew without asking that it was Park Woo-jin. His expression hardened, and he pursed his lips. Kim Ha-yoon whispered in his ear,
“Go and get revenge for what was done to you.”
* * *
Gilsu playfully saluted the passing soldiers. In just a few weeks, Area C had seen changes. Medical facilities had been established in a place once overrun by drug addicts. The stated purpose was to help people quit drugs, and it was said that many people had flocked to it.
While Gilsu engaged in his silly antics, Jang-cheon bought a few loaves of bread for his colleagues and paid the owner.
“I guess this is when you say the world changed overnight.”
Gangsan, standing beside him, chimed in.
“Even people’s expressions have changed.”
However, Gilsu was somewhat pessimistic. He believed that even with environmental changes, it wouldn’t be enough to save all these people. Some would naturally be left behind, and others would disappear without a trace.
“Whatever it is, change always comes with sacrifice.”
“Preaching again. Humans are inherently greedy; they want more of what they have when they get something. Just you wait. A riot will break out soon.”
Baek Seol, who had been listening, smacked Gilsu on the head. “You’re practically holding a ritual for it.” Just then, someone far off walked by, their hat pulled down low. The face glimpsed beneath the hat bore a resemblance to the person they were looking for.
Baek Seol gestured, and the three of them chased after the man. Following him into a narrow alley, they found themselves at a dead end. As Baek Seol drew a knife from her waist, the man took off his hat and cursed. The man with short hair had a scar on one cheek that looked like a burn.
“Park Woo-jin?”
Park Woo-jin sneered, as if he had noticed he was being followed long ago.
“Shit. Why are you following me? You idiots!”
Baek Seol scowled and twirled the knife in her hand. You’re the idiot. Soon, you’ll be missing a limb or two. Then, Gilsu raised his hand to stop her. “Enough, I’m enough for scum like him.”
But contrary to his confident demeanor, he was knocked down with a single punch. Jang-cheon stepped in next. Unlike Gilsu, he fought Park Woo-jin to a relative standstill. That is, until Park Woo-jin drew his knife.
The man who had served in the military for a long time was by no means an easy opponent. Even with Gangsan joining in, they couldn’t subdue him easily, and the two were knocked around. Watching this, Baek Seol sighed and charged forward.
Quickly ducking low, she slashed her knife down onto Park Woo-jin’s instep. “Ah!” Park Woo-jin kicked Baek Seol away, and she rolled on the ground before regaining her stance.
“Come on, you son of a bitch.”
While Park Woo-jin’s attention was solely focused on Baek Seol, Jang-cheon attacked from behind. He choked Park Woo-jin from behind. Until Park Woo-jin struggled and then completely collapsed, unconscious.
“I wanted to torture you more. Why did you make him faint?”
Jang-cheon stopped Baek Seol, who was grumbling.
“We need to take him back as intact as possible. You know that.”
Hmph. Baek Seol snorted, and Jang-cheon brought a large sack, into which he transferred Park Woo-jin. As he slung the sack over his shoulder, it was unusually heavy. Park Woo-jin was quite large, filling the truck bed completely.
Afterward, the four of them quickly exited Area C before anyone could see.
Shit…
Park Woo-jin slowly opened his eyes and looked ahead. A short distance away, several large birds were watching them. What are those…? He scowled and tried to move his body, but he was buried in the dirt and couldn’t budge.
Just then, a musty smell wafted from somewhere. He turned his head and saw piles of garbage stacked high in a place far away. This was the border between Zone B-3 and Zone B-4, a place they often passed when heading out on missions to Area C. It was also where he had first met Ire.
Then, the sound of heavy footsteps approached.
“Long time no see.”
Ire, with a cigarette in his mouth, looked down at him. Park Woo-jin burst into laughter, incredulous. Shit! You hybrid bastard! So it was you? You think you can get away with this? As he snarled, Ire sighed and crouched down. He exhaled smoke and then stubbed out his cigarette right in front of his nose.
“I want to kill you right now, but I think that’s too good for you.”
“Not scared, are you?”
“You’re the one who’s scared. You were abandoned by your father too.”
Park Woo-jin’s face contorted savagely. His father had told him to stay in Area C for a while. He said he would call him back as soon as things calmed down. Until then, he was to keep a low profile and act like a ghost. Before leaving, he had even considered killing Kim Ha-yoon. He hadn’t done so purely because of his father. He had trusted him.
“Stupid bastard. You know nothing.”
Ire smiled silently and nodded. Yes, they would see who the fool was. He slowly stood up and brought something from the car, pouring it over Park Woo-jin’s head. Splat. Park Woo-jin’s face, now covered in bright red blood, contorted completely.
“You… You! You damn bastard!”
“Hang in there. Waiting for your father to save you.”
Ire grinned and turned away without a second thought. As Ire walked back to the car, Park Woo-jin yelled at him. He threatened that if he got out, he would tear Ire and his entire family to shreds.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, Ire extended his hand out the window, waved lightly, and then drove off. Once he was completely gone, Park Woo-jin struggled desperately to escape. But his body wouldn’t budge, and instead, unknown birds began to land around him one by one.
Seeing their pitch-black eyes sent a chill down his spine. Ptooey! He spat and yelled at them to get lost, but they didn’t move an inch. Instead, they began to close in.