By Zephyria ‘Speaking of which, the bathroom….’
Yohan, unable to hold it any longer, got up from his seat. Lee Hyun-muk, who had completely ignored him even when he woke up or called his name, immediately reacted and turned around. Yohan spoke politely to the mad hero who was staring at him with vacant eyes.
“I, I’m going to go take care of some business. Is it… okay if I go?”
Lee Hyun-muk just stared blankly, offering no reply. Corruption always came with mental illness, but fortunately for Yohan, Lee Hyun-muk’s mind didn’t seem to have degenerated in an aggressive direction. Yohan looked around, wondering if the other person had understood him.
The place he was staying was inside a small building that seemed to have been used as a commercial space once. However, it was heavily damaged, and there was no sign of a bathroom. Cautiously looking outside, he saw other buildings nearby that looked relatively intact, but he didn’t want to go in due to the eerie atmosphere. Yohan, deciding to relieve himself in a suitable spot near the building, glanced back.
Lee Hyun-muk had been quietly following him. Yohan, lingering and watching, spoke politely once more.
“Um, Mr. Lee Hyun-muk. I need to take care of some business….”
Naturally, a normal conversation with a madman was not established this time either. Yohan bit his lip, fidgeting, and then resigned himself.
‘Well, it’s between two men anyway, so….’
He stood by a tilted utility pole, turned his back, and fumbled to pull down his pants. He tried his best to ignore the fact that the most famous Awakened person in Korea was behind him as he relieved himself. That was when it happened. Lee Hyun-muk, who had been silent until now, opened his mouth.
“A….”
…A?
“The stream flows babbling….”
So bewildered that he stopped mid-stream, Yohan’s face turned bright red as he quickly turned around. Why would he sing that song while Yohan was urinating? Wasn’t this sexual harassment? However, he quickly considered that the other person was a madman, especially a powerful one, and spoke politely.
“P-please don’t sing songs like that.”
“……”
“You won’t, right?”
After gently admonishing him again, Yohan resumed his interrupted business with a sense of unease. Then, the madman sang again.
“The stream flows babbling….”
“Aargh!”
Utterly embarrassed, Yohan gritted his teeth and decided to just finish quickly. Lee Hyun-muk continued singing the next verse.
“The fish swim back and forth…. Limbs sway and sway….”
Yohan finished and tilted his head. It was a very famous children’s song in Korea, so he knew the next lyrics. Wasn’t it supposed to be “Willow branches sway, the orioles chirp chirp”? Perhaps because he was mad, he seemed to be creepily changing the lyrics…. It was then that Yohan thought this.
CRASH!
Concrete fragments nearby stirred, and something sprang out. It was a giant gray frog. No, could it really be called a frog? It was larger than a human, with limbs as thin as rebar, like a rubber balloon, and it let out a shriek with its huge mouth agape. While Yohan froze, unable to move, Lee Hyun-muk stepped forward.
Just as he had with the Eyeball Monster, Lee Hyun-muk punched the grotesque frog. THWACK! The frog’s face caved in instantly, and it burst like a water balloon, falling to the ground. Lee Hyun-muk finished his song expressionlessly.
“The frog croaks.”
Only then, panting heavily, did Yohan think. I should just accept it if Lee Hyun-muk follows me when I need to relieve myself…. My life is more important than shame…. Or at least, I should take care of my business inside a closed building. Yohan, pressed against the wall, tried to calm his pounding heart.
‘Are all the monsters here like this?’
The giant gray frog Lee Hyun-muk had just dealt with was large enough to swallow Yohan whole. Yet, he hadn’t noticed it because of its camouflage. Its limbs resembled rebar, and its skin was like concrete, making it difficult to distinguish when buried in debris. In fact, Yohan, who was nearby, hadn’t noticed its presence at all.
“Thank you for saving me….”
Yohan, finally regaining his composure, expressed his gratitude to Lee Hyun-muk. The madman, without much of a reply, nudged the frog with his foot and then gave an inexplicable, sly smile. Yohan swallowed hard. The power it took to pulverize that giant frog felt intimidating.
‘The sane Lee Hyun-muk said he would protect me as much as possible, even when he’s not sane.’
How much could he really trust the words of a corrupted madman? A flicker of fear arose, but Yohan quickly shook his head.
‘Even if Lee Hyun-muk is corrupted, if I don’t trust him, I have no other path!’
So, I must trust him! And who knows, if I’m lucky, I might even meet another survivor…. But Yohan soon shook his head again. No, it wasn’t right. If even someone like Lee Hyun-muk had gone mad due to Corruption, would others be alright? Even if he encountered someone sane, how long would they stay that way?
Trying to pull himself together from his spiraling thoughts, Yohan quickly went back inside the building. Lee Hyun-muk, who had been playing with the frog, followed Yohan back in. His gaze, fixed on Yohan, seemed gentle for a moment. But what was in his hand….
With a SPLAT!, Yohan let out a silent scream as something fell in front of him. Lee Hyun-muk had torn off one of the giant frog’s legs from earlier and thrown it at him. Tar-like black bodily fluid soaked the ground. Lee Hyun-muk, giggling, crouched in front of Yohan and sang another children’s song.
“Little fox, little fox, what are you doing?”
No way….
“Eating! What side dish? Frog!”
Despite the nonsensical, ridiculous melody, it wasn’t funny at all. Yohan just trembled.
“Ugh….”
“Are you dead or alive? Dead!”
Lee Hyun-muk’s face, which had been grinning with his teeth showing white, suddenly became terrifyingly expressionless. Then, he slowly pushed the leg towards Yohan and stared at him. Yohan squeezed his eyes shut. This, this… he must be telling him to eat the frog now, right?
“I, I can’t eat it even if I die!”
Yohan, still experiencing muscle spasms, looked at the frog leg and whimpered, backing away from the disgusting, horrific chunk of flesh. Then, he quickly rummaged through his bag and pulled out emergency rations.
“Um, I still have some left. Food…! So I don’t think I need to eat the frog.”
Fortunately, Lee Hyun-muk didn’t get angry. He looked a little dejected, like a wild animal whose offer of food had been refused, giving Yohan a sad look, and then simply sat down very close to where Yohan was sitting.
Yohan, trembling, opened his precious emergency rations. He shared half of the well-mixed, cooked meal, which smelled delicious with its gochujang sauce, and offered it to Lee Hyun-muk.
“This will definitely be tastier than that frog.”
Lee Hyun-muk took the food and narrowed his eyes. He buried his face in the bowl, sniffed, and then stopped in that position. Yohan, glancing over, noticed that Lee Hyun-muk was still engrossed in the smell, not eating, even as Yohan quickly finished his meal. Meanwhile, Yohan checked his bag.
‘If we share with Mr. Lee Hyun-muk, eating two meals a day… it might last about a week.’
Moreover, the most crucial issue of drinking water remained. Sighing, he turned his head and saw only an empty bag, licked clean, in front of Lee Hyun-muk. Seeing that, a feeling of pity welled up again.
“Um, Mr. Lee Hyun-muk. I’m going to go look for some food now.”
No matter how sparingly he ate, it wouldn’t last more than a few days, so he needed to find water and food. Of course, his heart, still pounding from the shock of the frog earlier, was racing. But he couldn’t just sit here and starve to death, could he? He needed to eat something to keep his heart beating strongly….
‘Mr. Lee Hyun-muk survived here for three years, so there must be food.’
Of course, the thought that Lee Hyun-muk might have survived by eating that disgusting frog meat crossed his mind, but he pushed it away. It felt like eating that would cause ‘Corruption,’ even before considering its appearance.
“So, you’ll… keep following me, right?”
Even though he knew conversation wasn’t possible, Yohan earnestly pleaded for protection. Then, he mustered his courage and stood up, brushing off his backside. Lee Hyun-muk still didn’t reply much, but fortunately, when Yohan started walking, he followed him obediently. For some reason, Yohan felt like he was walking a stray dog.
What Yohan was aiming for now were the food supplies that might be in the buildings. Fortunately, the Rift he had entered was one that had only recently formed, so there should be quite a bit of unspoiled food.
‘An office would be great. There might even be instant coffee.’
He first attempted to enter the closest building. Or rather, he tried to. If Lee Hyun-muk hadn’t stepped forward and blocked the entrance. Yohan flinched and stepped back, meeting the dim red glow of his eyes head-on.