By Zephyria 
Ire, who was preparing to go out, encountered unexpected news on TV. It was about an intruder who had secretly entered from another district, killed someone, and was arrested while fleeing. A similar incident had occurred last week. Outsiders, intruders, and various media outlets fiercely condemned them, and people’s fear and anger grew uncontrollably.
He couldn’t understand it at all. District A’s defense system was excellent. In fact, Jang-cheon had said he waited years to come here. Why had the number of intruders increased so much recently? Where did they come from? Had someone dug an opening beneath the Protection Wall?
While lost in useless thoughts, John arrived and took his hand.
“Hyung, where are you going today?”
Seeing the dejected look on the boy’s face, Ire stroked his fluffy hair. He had returned home after a year and a half, but he seemed disappointed that Ire had been going out every day for a week.
“I’ll be back early today.”
The child asked if he could come along. Angelo insisted on joining them, causing Ire to look troubled. Monica skillfully persuaded them and sent them inside. Just then, Matteo came out of his room. He received an injection once a week, which allowed him to live as he had before.
“Isn’t it time to stop?”
Matteo didn’t approve of Ire going out every day to look for Kim Ha-yoon. It was understandable from his perspective. After all, Kim Ha-yoon was the cause of all these incidents. While he understood, Ire couldn’t just stand by. Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt that the search party had become less proactive, merely going through the motions.
“It doesn’t have to be Kim Ha-yoon.”
Ire tilted his head at Matteo’s words. What did he mean?
“I know someone who will keep their promise.”
He couldn’t understand what Matteo was talking about at all. Someone other than Kim Ha-yoon would keep a promise? Why? Anna, who was in the kitchen, glanced over. Though she said nothing, she, more than anyone, wished for Kim Ha-yoon to return alive.
As it was time, Ire said they would discuss it further upon his return and left the house. Matteo, who had come to see him off to the car, placed a hand on Ire’s shoulder and met his gaze.
“I hope today is the last day you search for that person.”
“……”
“Don’t feel guilty because of you. That person made their choice.”
Ire ultimately didn’t answer, only saying he would be back before getting into the car. As he started the engine and drove away, his mind became a tangle of thoughts. Who was the person Matteo mentioned? Who had they contacted?
Between the sudden shift in media coverage and everything else, he couldn’t shake the feeling that all circumstances were turning against Kim Ha-yoon. He could guess who was planning all this behind the scenes, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it; finding Kim Ha-yoon was the immediate priority.
The car passed through the gate and exited. Looking around, he realized he had already passed the development site. After passing the now-familiar scenery, he arrived at a village at the foot of the mountain, on the other side of the lake. He got out of the car, slung his bag over his shoulder, and began searching the ruined village.
They were dividing it into sections, but it was wider and the terrain more complex than expected, taking a long time. He considered asking the search party to look here, but he couldn’t fully trust them anymore.
After moving for a long time, he realized it was past noon. Feeling hungry, he found a spot in a corner and took out a sandwich. Before eating, he drank some water and leaned his back against a wall for a moment. As he closed his eyes to catch his breath, he heard footsteps approaching.
The moment he opened his eyes, something flew at him. He caught it with one hand; it was a wooden club. The attacker seemed surprised, their eyes widening. Immediately, another attack followed from behind. Ire grabbed his bag, dodged to the side, and stood up abruptly. He brushed off the sandwich that had fallen to the ground, and their eyes fixed on it.
“Hand over everything you have.”
Ire offered the unopened sandwich. “Here. Eat. This and my body are all I have.” At that, their faces contorted. “Stop playing games,” one of the men behind them shouted, kicking off the ground and swinging a machete.
He easily dodged and sent the man flying with a kick. The man collapsed with a groan, hitting the wall. Now, the remaining gang members, determined, attacked him as a group. Dodging and blocking, striking and throwing, he watched them fall and writhe on the ground. After dealing with the last one, Ire pressed his foot lightly on his neck. The man, letting out a groan, could only move his eyes.
“S-save me…”
“I won’t kill you, so answer my questions.”
“……”
“Or should I kill you?”
“Alright! I’ll talk.”
Ire removed his foot and helped the man up. When asked if he had seen a man with a wound on his stomach nearby, the man subtly avoided his gaze. After that, the other fallen men slowly began to get up. They wore dirty clothes, their faces pale as if they hadn’t seen the sun. Skin diseases were visible here and there. And the musty, damp smell common in basements.
“Where did you come from?”
As the question changed, the man, flustered, pointed to the opposite side. “Over there.”
“Where is that?”
“Keep going straight.”
“Can you take me there?”
The man’s face showed hesitation. He exchanged glances with his companions, clearly contemplating what to do. Seeing that they didn’t seem to be thinking of attacking again, they weren’t people seasoned in fighting. Looking closely, the knives they carried were dull, making it difficult to cut someone’s throat.
“Here.”
He returned the stolen knife. The man took it with an embarrassed expression and stepped back a few paces. Just then, the ground beneath them began to shake. A rumbling vibration traveled up, and their faces were filled with bewilderment. Only Ire stood calmly.
As the intensity of the vibration increased, they became restless. Ire looked down at his feet. Why hadn’t he thought of this? When the Goblin Corps existed, they had an underground hideout built in Area C. Jang-cheon had boasted that although it was small, it was quite comfortable for living.
* * *
“His condition has worsened.”
“I told you not to move. Tsk tsk. You look fine, but you’re so stubborn.”
“What if he dies? They’ll notice if we just leave him outside.”
“What else can we do…?”
“We’ll get to eat meat after a long time.”
Kim Ha-yoon let out a hollow laugh, witnessing the horrific conversation they had so casually. At the same time, he understood. Since they had lived in hiding, they wouldn’t have considered burying or burning bodies.
He had heard that during the virus outbreak and the subsequent famine, there were people who, knowingly or unknowingly, ate corpses. Hunger is one of the hardest desires for a human to endure, so it was no wonder. While contemplating various thoughts, the ground beneath him trembled slightly. As the vibration grew stronger, the old man’s face darkened.
“Seop. Go outside and check. Make sure to reinforce the pillars so the entrance doesn’t collapse.”
As the young man beside him disappeared, the old man also rose from his seat.
“I don’t know how far your luck will take you, but I hope you survive.”
He felt that the words about eating were sincere, but so were these words. Closing his eyes, the vibration intensified. Drip, drip, dirt crumbled and fell from above. It looked like it could collapse at any moment.
Amidst this, he felt a fever rising, accompanied by chills, and his mouth became parched. Closing his eyes, that face came to mind again. He wished he could see the face he last saw just one more time. Then, he felt he could die without regret.
He must be completely insane. Bringing an innocent child here, threatening, coaxing, and deceiving them. If he listed his actions, he would be worse than trash. What right did he have to want to see them? Damn it. He must be nearing his end. He was having all sorts of useless thoughts, blaming himself. Uncharacteristically.
He heard footsteps. He didn’t even have the strength to open his eyes, just breathing heavily, when something touched his forehead. Were they checking if he was dead? Laughing in disbelief, something then touched his cheek. Slowly opening his eyes, his mouth fell open involuntarily.
“Huh…?”
Did an angel come to pick him up? The face looking at him contorted. “Are you crazy?” he asked, confirming he wasn’t an angel. Of course, his face was as beautiful as an angel’s. The gaze scanning him was filled with distress. Behind him stood the young man who had been taking care of him. His face was bruised, as if he had taken a hit.
“Is this the person you were looking for?”
Ire didn’t answer the man’s question.
“Did you find me?”
As always, he stubbornly kept his mouth shut, refusing to give the answer he wanted. Even so, it was so endearing that he couldn’t stop smiling. His desire to possess you, which had faded, was rekindled, making his earlier thought of dying without regret seem meaningless.