By Zephyria 
84
Ho-eun could barely breathe, and it was only when he felt like he couldn’t breathe at all that they finally reached the top of the hill.
[Ramjae Town East Shelter]
The wind blew even harder at the top of the hill. The shelter sign, deeply embedded in the ground, creaked and swayed.
At first glance, the shelter looked like a mountain with just a door attached. However, it was deeply dug inside like a mine. It was closed off with only one entrance and one exit, but that made it safe.
Ho-eun knew it well, as there were many in Hanyang, and they practiced evacuating to shelters from time to time.
The area around the shelter was also full of corpses. The ground was crunchy with blood and flesh, and torn clothes were tangled haphazardly. Yet, strangely, there was no stench. It seemed to be because of the wind blowing from all directions.
And… there were cars. They weren’t the latest models, but they were still cars. Cars more expensive than most houses. They had been standing here for a long time, covered in blood, and some were distorted or had shattered windows. It seemed someone had driven to the shelter.
Thankfully, there were no Devouring Ghouls. Unlike the hospital, which was open on all sides, the shelter didn’t let any human shapes or noises leak out when the door was closed, so they probably didn’t know people were here.
While Ho-eun was panting and catching his breath, Seong-im headed towards the shelter. Ho-eun urgently stopped her.
“I’ll, haa, I’ll go, haa, I’ll go.”
It wasn’t because Seong-im couldn’t speak. It wasn’t because he wanted to take the lead either. He just, for some reason, felt like he had to.
Ho-eun stood in front of the shelter entrance with faltering steps. The entrance was an iron door, old and rusty, but it looked heavy and sturdy. It was also covered in sticky blood, but that wasn’t strange. The entire Ramjae Town was covered in blood.
“Hoo…”
Ho-eun took a deep breath, swept back his disheveled hair, and smoothed out his crumpled clothes.
He had to make a good impression on the people inside. The shelter was already full, and they would surely see us as unwelcome guests. He had to explain our situation as politely as possible and ask for permission.
The iron door had a doorknob, round in shape, with a taegeuk pattern engraved on the joint. It seemed to be used both to pull the door open and to alert visitors. Ho-eun picked it up and dropped it.
Thump, thump, thump!
He tried to control his strength, but the sound was loud. Ho-eun, startled, quickly turned around. He was worried that the sound might attract a Devouring Ghoul. Fortunately, all that was around was the swirling wind.
“…”
Ho-eun looked back at the iron door. There was no response from inside. Were they all asleep because it was night? Even if the shelter was safe, shouldn’t they be taking turns standing guard in this emergency situation? Thinking that, he thumped again, thump, thump, thump. He picked up the doorknob and dropped it. Only then did a response come.
Creak, squeak, creeeeak.
At the sound of twisting metal, Ho-eun stepped back, thinking the door was opening. But what opened was a square window on one side of the door.
The window was only about two hand spans wide, could only be opened from the inside, and had four or five thick iron bars evenly spaced on the outside. Even if he tried to squeeze in, he wouldn’t even be able to fit his head through.
The inside was quite bright. It seemed a lamp was lit. And beyond it, a man appeared.
“Who is it?”
The man looked to be about Ho-eun’s age and was wearing a hanbok. And he was also wearing a gat. It was strange. If there were 500 people inside, it would be cramped, wouldn’t it be uncomfortable?
Ho-eun took a step closer to the window. Then, he bowed deeply.
“Hello.”
“…”
At the sudden greeting, the man looked at Ho-eun as if he were strange. After all, it wasn’t the kind of situation or place to exchange such greetings. Ho-eun smiled awkwardly. He had never done this before, so he didn’t know how to start the conversation.
“Um… is there any room inside?”
“What business do you have?”
It was an unexpected question. What business? The Devouring Ghouls had invaded, so what other reason would he have to come to the shelter? To get inside. But Ho-eun calmly continued.
“We’re looking for a place to stay. We were at the hospital, but we ran away because the Devouring Ghouls swarmed in.”
“…”
“It’s not, not a large group. Just a child, a woman, and me, only three of us.”
“…”
The man narrowed his eyes and examined Ho-eun. His eyes were full of caution. Even in the midst of this, Ho-eun had to glance back every now and then. He was worried that a Devouring Ghoul might appear.
“Why do you speak like that? Are you from out of town?”
“From… out of town?”
“Are you a foreigner?”
“Ah, yes. I am.”
“Why would a foreigner want to come in here?”
“…Is there a law that foreigners can’t enter the shelter?”
Ho-eun asked. He wasn’t questioning it. He was just asking if there really was such a law. It was a strange law, but it wasn’t impossible. The shelter must have been built by the townspeople themselves, so if they said only the townspeople could use it, he would have nothing to say.
But the man chuckled. It was a laugh close to mockery.
“We’re full here. Go somewhere else.”
“Yes? But… we can’t go to the west shelter because of the Devouring Ghouls.”
“What can we do if there’s no room? There’s not even a place to sit down, so how can we take in three more people…”
“…”
Ho-eun fidgeted with his hands. So, there really was no room. What should he do? Was there no way? As he was pondering, the inside suddenly became noisy.
“What’s all the commotion in the middle of the night?”
“Someone’s here.”
“Someone’s here? Someone we know?”
“Someone from out of town.”
“Someone from out of town?”
Then the young man disappeared, and another man appeared. He looked to be about forty and was also wearing a gat.
“…”
The man, slightly tilting his gat back, pressed his face close to the window and stared intently at Ho-eun. Ho-eun met his gaze without looking away. He wanted to show him how desperate he was. But.
“Are you a nobleman?”
The man’s first question was as puzzling as the question of why he had come. Ho-eun couldn’t understand, but he obediently nodded.
“Yes, I am.”
“Which family’s son are you?”
“…Do I have to reveal that?”
Ho-eun’s eyebrows furrowed for the first time. He had no shame in his father’s name, but he was reluctant to mention it in a place like this. Then the man frowned and shouted.
“Get lost if you don’t want to reveal it!”
Then he tried to close the window. Ho-eun hurriedly said.
“I am the youngest son of the Gyeongju Choi family.”
“…”
The man froze. He blinked and looked at Ho-eun, then whispered to the others behind the door. Choi’s son, he said. Choi? Which Choi? That Gyeongju Choi. The richest family in the Korean Empire. Ah, that rich family.
It wasn’t pleasant to hear those words to his face. Ho-eun’s lips tightened. How could noblemen be so… But the unpleasant interrogation didn’t end there. The man stuck his face back in the window. He was so close to the window that his nose almost poked out beyond the bars.
“How can I believe that?”
“…Excuse me?”
“The country is in turmoil these days, and I’ve heard rumors that commoners are pretending to be noblemen.”
“…”
“Looking at your face, it doesn’t seem like a complete lie…”
The man blatantly scanned Ho-eun’s face. His fair skin, which probably had never seen a ray of sunlight, his appearance that radiated nobility, his clothes that were a bit dirty but seemed to be made of expensive silk, and his bearing that overflowed with dignity even when he was just standing there. He was clearly from a noble family.
After looking at Ho-eun for a long time, the man began to scrutinize Jeong-woo, whom Ho-eun was holding in his arms, and Seong-im, who was standing behind him. Ho-eun became even more displeased by that gaze. He stood in front of Seong-im to shield her.
“If you have any more questions, I’ll answer them inside. Please let us in. The Devouring Ghouls might come.”
“…”
The man pulled at the corners of his lips and then released them, pondering something. Then he nodded his chin as if doing a favor.
“Only you can come in.”
“…What did you say?”
Ho-eun asked back as if he had misheard.
“Only you can come in.”
“…”
He frowned. He tilted his head. Then he asked as if confirming.
“Are you saying you can only accept one person?”
There wasn’t even room to sit down, so it seemed three was too much. Then… Jeong-woo should go in. No, that’s not right. If I can get in, wouldn’t it be possible for Seong-im and Jeong-woo to get in too? Just as he was thinking that, the man spoke again.
“No. I mean only you, only the nobleman, can be accepted.”
“…”
Ho-eun’s mouth slowly closed. Then he took a steady breath in and out. His shoulders rose and fell in unison. After a long silence, Ho-eun asked in a lower voice.
“Are there… only noblemen in the shelter?”
“That’s right.”
“Why is that?”
“Because we can’t eat and sleep in the same space as commoners.”
“…”
It was a bizarre logic, but Ho-eun couldn’t scold or ridicule it. It was because he had sensed a very large and dark misfortune.