By Zephyria 
Jang-cheon, Gilsu, and Baek Seol were being transported somewhere, their hands cuffed. The inside of the vehicle was completely sealed off, a space that felt more like transporting animals than people, with no place even to sit properly. They couldn’t even relieve themselves properly, so the stench of urine filled the air, making it even harder to endure in the cramped space.
“Shit. I haven’t eaten anything, so now I can’t even piss…”
Jang-cheon, who was listening, also grumbled.
“They pretend to be enlightened, but look at how they treat us. Is this how you treat hostages?”
Baek Seol, who was listening, scoffed.
“Should we carry the hostages on our backs and treat them with respect?”
On the first day, she had cried her eyes out, feeling sorry for her dead comrades, but now she was filled with venom, exuding a determination to destroy anyone who crossed her path. However, with her hands tied, it would be difficult to put that determination into action.
Then, Baek Seol suddenly sighed.
“That Ire… I don’t think he’s going to make it, do you?”
“Ire?”
When she nodded, Gilsu got angry.
“Don’t even mention him. I knew that bastard was no good from the first time I met him in the sewer. Did you see him yesterday? He had that look like it was none of his business. Matteo doesn’t know where he is, but he’s raised that kid all wrong.”
“That’s why you shouldn’t have brought up the Infected story.”
Gilsu looked wronged at Baek Seol’s accusation.
“Is it my fault? I wasn’t making things up. You heard the leader, too. He said that Matteo was born from an Infected and has outstanding abilities, so if we raise him well, he could become the leader who guides us.”
Jang-cheon, who was listening, muttered to himself.
“What could his outstanding ability be…”
Gilsu sneered.
“Probably making people angry.”
Then Baek Seol retorted.
“Being handsome is also an ability…”
“……”
Gilsu criticized Baek Seol for caring about looks at a time like this. How could she say that after seeing his behavior? Baek Seol felt wronged. It’s not like she said she liked him. She just said he was handsome because he was handsome.
“No matter what, I don’t like him. If he becomes the leader, we’re all doomed.”
“Idiot. We’re already doomed…”
At Baek Seol’s words, the atmosphere instantly turned gloomy. They should have abandoned the first hideout when it was discovered. Going back to retrieve items they hadn’t managed to take with them turned out to be the reason they were tracked down.
Before they could prepare, the government forces swarmed in like a tide, and many people died on the spot, unable to avoid the bullets pouring in from all directions. Fortunately, the leader and deputy leader had escaped first through the maze dug underground.
It would take time, but as long as they were alive, it wouldn’t be difficult to gather the scattered members and reorganize. The only regret was that they wouldn’t be able to join them.
“We’re… going to die, aren’t we?”
“Are you afraid of death?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
As if by agreement, all three fell silent. Who would want to die when they were barely over twenty? But they would never sell out their comrades to survive. The three of them resolved to meet a glorious death instead.
Kim Ha-yoon stood in front of the glass wall, arms crossed, staring intently at the Infected inside. Thump, thump, thump, it repeatedly hit its forehead, then circled around the same spot. It was similar to the stereotyped behavior of an animal that had been caged for a long time.
“You’re here early?”
Kwon So-young appeared, wearing a white coat and glasses, with an assistant. Seeing her here, she was every inch the researcher. She handed the file she received from the assistant to Kim Ha-yoon. Then she turned and walked in the opposite direction.
All that could be seen along the way were thick glass walls and Infected displayed inside like animals. The unique agile movements and violent tendencies were nowhere to be seen, and the slow, sloth-like movements were even more bizarre.
In front of the last glass booth, Kwon So-young lifted her glasses once and then pointed inside with a look. The Infected inside was somehow different. Leaning against the wall and staring at them, it seemed to recognize people.
“Subject 179. Male. Brought from Area C, and it’s been two days since the antibody injection. There are no clear characteristics in the brainwave test yet, but we could visually confirm that cognitive ability has improved. Look.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than she pressed a button, and a banana dropped from above. The Infected’s gaze moved towards it. It slowly walked over, bent down, and waved its arms left and right. It couldn’t grab it directly, but it did try to grab it.
“Is this all you wanted to show me? You called a busy person for this?”
Kwon So-young frowned at Kim Ha-yoon’s sarcastic tone. Kim Ha-yoon must have expected something groundbreaking, but it was impossible to restore a brain that had already been damaged to its original state. Finding a complete form with a single injection, like in the movies, was nothing short of a miracle. Especially for older Infected.
“If you don’t like it, go get something fresher somewhere.”
Then Kim Ha-yoon smiled eerily.
“Why don’t you go in and get bitten? Great achievements are made through sacrifice, right? How about it?”
Judging by his expression, he was serious. No matter how crazy she was about research, she didn’t want to do such a thing, even if it meant getting Infected herself. She snapped at him not to say ridiculous things, and Kim Ha-yoon smiled and turned away without regret. Kwon So-young followed him and subtly probed.
“How’s Ire doing? Still depressed?”
“Why Ire? You called him a kid.”
“Calling a grown adult a kid is a bit much.”
At the subtle tone, Kim Ha-yoon stopped walking and raised his eyebrows. Looking at Kwon So-young’s expression, she hadn’t given up her lingering feelings. Seeing that, Kim Ha-yoon openly sneered.
“What if you turn out like Lee Seon-jae? Aren’t you scared?”
“He wouldn’t bite me, would he? No, if we get too excited during sex, he might bite me?”
Kwon So-young rolled her eyes, wondering what she was imagining, and Kim Ha-yoon suddenly thought that he wanted to gouge out her eyeballs and feed them to the Infected inside, regardless of whether she was an old friend or not. Kwon So-young also seemed to read his thoughts and frowned.
“Why? What.”
“Don’t have useless lingering feelings. He’s a kid.”
“You’re aiming for him too, though.”
Kim Ha-yoon shrugged instead of denying it and turned away. After talking for about ten more minutes, they came outside, and Lieutenant Park, who had been waiting, opened the car door. He sat in the back seat, buried his back in the seat, and looked out the window.
The clothes of the people passing by were getting shorter, and the color of the leaves had also changed to a darker shade. He had first met Ire in a desolate season, and had so much time already passed? He suddenly felt like going to see him. Of course, he and I had different ideas.
“We’ve received a call from the Intelligence Agency. They’re interrogating the hostages you mentioned.”
“How is it going?”
“They’re keeping their mouths shut and holding out. The director of the Intelligence Agency was at a loss as to what to do.”
Increasingly, national security agencies were failing to do their part properly. There had to be a sense of crisis for there to be development or anything else, but they were always full, so there was nothing they could do. It was the same with the military. All they did for combat was suppress rebel forces that were on par with neighborhood thugs.
“If they hold out, there’s nothing we can do. We have to kill them.”
He suddenly wondered. Did Ire recognize them? Why didn’t he tell me that day? That there were suspicious people in the sewer. So he deliberately gave the order to have them stand guard at that warehouse. He wanted to know how he would react.
What if it wasn’t a coincidence that they met in the sewer, but for another purpose? Considering Matteo’s origins, it was hard to deny that it was impossible. He felt ridiculous for both cherishing and suspecting Ire.