By Zephyria 
80
“What’s your sister’s name?”
At that question, Jeong-woo swallowed hard, cleared his throat, and said more clearly than ever before.
“Park Jeong-i, Seonghwa Girls’ School, fifth grade, class nine.”
“Jeong-i… Where is Jeong-i now?”
At the following question, Jeong-woo’s eyebrows drooped. He stuck out his lower lip and shook his head.
“Don’t know? Hmm…”
Ho-eun made a throaty sound and pondered. If the child named Jeong-i was alive, she would most likely be at the shelter or in this hospital. It was impossible to check the shelter right away, but he might be able to look around the hospital…
“Seong-im, perhaps Jeong-woo’s sister is in this hospital. How about we take a look around?”
Ho-eun asked Seong-im in a small voice.
“……”
Seong-im slightly narrowed her brow. She also rolled the scabbard in her hand. Looking at Ho-eun’s unnecessarily earnest face, though it wasn’t even his business, she suddenly stopped a Crimson Rain Brigade soldier who was passing by. Then, she dragged him in front of Ho-eun.
“……”
Ho-eun blinked. Was she telling him to go with this soldier? Or was she telling him to order this soldier to do it? Unable to understand her intention, he tilted his head, and Seong-im mimicked speaking with her hands. After that, she pointed to Gil-sang far away.
Ho-eun watched her gestures quietly, then exclaimed, “Ah!” He jumped up and, showing Jeong-woo to the soldier, said, “This child’s sister might be in the hospital. Can you tell Officer Oh that Seong-im and I are going to look around the hospital?”
“Ah, yes. I will.”
The soldier nodded and turned around. As he was about to head towards Gil-sang, Ho-eun stopped him again.
“But, um…”
“Yes?”
“The General hasn’t arrived yet, has he?”
“The Commander? Uh… Yes. Not yet.”
“No news either?”
“I understand he’s on his way.”
At that, Ho-eun’s face brightened.
“That’s enough. Thank you.”
Tae-muk was coming. That meant he was alive, and it meant he would arrive here someday. That was enough for Ho-eun.
The soldier bowed politely and ran to Gil-sang. Soon, having reached Gil-sang, he said something, and Gil-sang’s gaze fell on Ho-eun and Seong-im.
He looked back and forth between the hospital surrounded by solid walls and the Devouring Ghouls howling beyond the fence, then nodded. He seemed to have judged that it was safer for Ho-eun to be inside the hospital than outside. At his permission, Ho-eun smiled.
“There’s a lot of chocolate. I’ll save some for your sister, so you can eat all of this, Jeong-woo.”
Ho-eun placed a handful of chocolate in Jeong-woo’s small hands and hugged him tightly. Then, he entered the hospital with Seong-im.
The hospital was a little darker than during the day, but it still felt quite familiar, having been there once before. Ho-eun began to search for ‘Jeong-i,’ wandering among the people sitting on the hospital walls like teeth.
“Hello. Do you happen to know a female student named Park Jeong-i?”
“Excuse me. Have you seen a student named Park Jeong-i? No, not a boy, a girl.”
“Do you happen to know Jeong-i? Yes? No. Not Jeong, Jeong-i. I. Jeong-i. A student at Seonghwa Girls’ School.”
He searched the hallways, the wards, and even the latrines, scouring the entire first floor without much thought. There was still the second floor, and the third floor. But after searching the second floor and reaching the stairs leading to the third floor, Ho-eun became anxious. At the same time, he was exhausted.
“Seong-im, haa, just a mo…ment. Haa, just a moment…”
Holding Jeong-woo in one arm and gripping the stair railing with the other, he paused for a moment. Just traversing the large hospital was a tiring task. Moreover, he was holding Jeong-woo, the floor was slippery with blood and had to be careful, and he had to ask each person about Jeong-i.
For the first time in a long time, Ho-eun was sweating real sweat, not just cold sweat. He leaned slightly against the stair railing. Seong-im, who was next to him, reached out her hand. She seemed to want Jeong-woo.
“It’s okay, haa, it’s okay.”
Ho-eun shook his head. Even though he was so exhausted that he couldn’t even manage a short word without panting, he still said that. But he couldn’t hand over Jeong-woo. It wasn’t so much a matter of masculine pride, but because it felt right.
There might not be any encounters with Devouring Ghouls in this hospital, but who knew? There might be a situation where Seong-im had to use her sword. In preparation for such a time, it was right for him to hold Jeong-woo.
Ho-eun took a few more breaths and began to climb the stairs again. Jeong-woo, with an innocent face, was just munching on chocolate. Ho-eun smiled faintly. Looking at his innocent face strangely gave him strength.
Ho-eun searched the third floor diligently and thoroughly, looking for Jeong-i.
“Hello. Do you happen to know a female student named Jeong-i?”
“Excuse me. Have you seen Jeong-i, Park Jeong-i?”
Thus, when he reached room 301, 302, 303… and finally the last room, 318. Ho-eun could no longer suppress the ominous premonition that had been rising uncontrollably since earlier.
Jeong-i didn’t seem to be in the hospital.
Then where was she?
Was she at the shelter? If so, that would be fortunate, but what if she wasn’t?
What if she was somewhere beyond that fence, teeming with Devouring Ghouls?
What if, like Jeong-woo had been, she was being used as bait for the Devouring Ghouls?
No, before that… Was she even alive?
What if she was under that white cloth in the hospital yard? What if the blood that had stained the white cloth red was Jeong-i’s blood?
Ho-eun squeezed his eyes shut and opened them. Thinking that far made him a little afraid to enter the last hope, room 318. As he hesitated, unable to enter the ward, Seong-im, who was next to him, sighed deeply and entered the ward first. Or, she was about to enter.
But at that moment.
Boom, ku-boom, boom, ku-boom!
The sound of cannons continued. It was a tremendous sound, but neither Ho-eun nor Seong-im were surprised. They had gotten used to it, having heard it all day. To think that a day would come when they would get used to the sound of cannons. He smiled bitterly.
Boom, ku-gu-goom, ku-boom!
The sound of cannons echoed again. At that, Ho-eun flinched and froze.
The sound was a little… strange.
Everyone loaded the shells together according to orders, aimed, and fired. That was always the case, as Ho-eun had observed in the hospital yard. So the sound of the cannons was regular and consistent, but it wasn’t now. The sound of firing and the sound of explosion were erratic.
Ho-eun grabbed Seong-im and pulled her back.
“Something… seems to be happening outside.”
“……”
Seong-im narrowed her eyes. She didn’t seem to understand Ho-eun’s words. At that, Ho-eun led her towards the window, about to move his feet.
Boom!
Another cannon sounded.
Then, fubu-bubung!
An explosion followed. But the explosion didn’t end with ‘eum.’
“Uh…”
The building shook violently. It had shaken slightly with the loud noises before, but now the shaking was completely different.
As if it were about to collapse… No. It was indeed collapsing. Cracks were visibly spreading across the walls. There were large cracks and hairline cracks. They became intertwined and instantly drew black spiderwebs on every wall.
That wasn’t all. The floor they were standing on undulated softly. Ho-eun lost his balance and staggered, and Seong-im grabbed his elbow and pulled him away from the window.
But before they could take a few steps, boom! And then, fubu-bubung! A violent explosion rang out.
At the same time, a tremendous cloud of dust filled the hospital corridor, and Ho-eun and Seong-im were blown against the wall by an invisible force. The two of them stuck to the wall for a very brief moment, then fell to the floor.
“Ugh…”
Ho-eun grimaced, his fair face contorted with the heavy pain that covered his entire body. A sound like birds chirping, pee-ee-ee, rang in his ears. His nostrils and throat, filled with dust, felt parched, and his eyes stung so much that he couldn’t open them.
“Heu…”
Ho-eun shook his head, trying to regain his senses. Soon, the screams of people surged into his ears, which had been filled with tinnitus. The dust that had risen in a haze also settled down a bit.
Ho-eun first checked on Jeong-woo, whom he had been holding in his arms.
“Jeong-woo. Jeong-woo, are you okay?”
Jeong-woo, startled, had shrunk his neck as much as possible and buried his face in Ho-eun’s chest. His ear was scratched by something sharp and was bleeding, but other than that, he didn’t seem to be seriously injured.
Ho-eun sighed in relief and slowly raised his upper body. Then he looked around.
“……”
He could see the sky.
He was clearly inside the building, but he could see the sky. It was more than strange; it was bizarre. The windows inside the hospital were all stained with blood, so it was difficult to see outside, but now the sky was very clear. And saa-ah-ah, a cool autumn breeze swept across his forehead.
Ho-eun, who had been lost in thought, realized after a long time that the wall had disappeared, no, that it had collapsed.