Chapter 84

We are not the problem.

Whether it meant ‘they didn’t catch our scent’ or ‘we’re not responsible for this’, the group’s mood eased a bit, knowing they weren’t the source of the issue.

One of the men who had been outside the pavilion with the detective and the firefighter muttered with a frown.

“So, the problem is with someone else, those damn bastards.”

“Hey, hey, why are you starting a fight now?”

“Is this picking a fight…? There are other people besides us here, they must have caused this mess.”

“You can’t just assume it’s a problem caused by people.”

“Just look at the situation…”

His tone was drawn out and slow, but everyone could sense the dissatisfaction in his words. The woman who had claimed to be his friend sighed, massaging the back of her neck.

“Even if it’s true, this isn’t the time to be a jerk, idiot.”

“Yeah, as always, you need to work on your attitude.”

Another friend, a man, nodded seriously with them, and the complaining man eventually ground his teeth and sat down next to them.

His movements were as slow as his speech.

“…Bastards, treating a friend who came back after going through hell like this.”

“You deserve to get smacked around.”

“Our friend Janghwa is right. You look best with your mouth shut.”

“Why don’t you shut your mouth too while you’re at it?”

“? Why should I?”

The three friends, classmates from the same university, started bickering and throwing light punches at each other. The punches grew increasingly stronger, but Detective Hong Kyungjun didn’t bother to intervene.

“……”

He merely observed with a slow, steady gaze. Watching the three college students trade insults and punches, it was a surprisingly normal scene.

Turning his attention away, he addressed Han Doyun, the firefighter.

“So, it was clear that their attention was focused elsewhere?”

“…Ah, yes. Yes.”

Despite the situation, Han Doyun nodded with his habitual smile.

“It felt like their focus was somewhere else. They ran away after a few hits… It was like they were thinking, ‘If you block us, we have another plan!'”

“So, people were indeed their target.”

“…It seems so.”

The firefighter shrugged with a smile and then fell silent. He clearly didn’t want to continue the conversation, but the detective didn’t mind.

‘His injuries must be messing with his head. Best to let him rest.’

Then, he turned to Constable Kim Yeonwoo.

“Yeonwoo-ssi.”

“Yes, Detective.”

“…About Lee Jaehun-ssi, whom you met the other day.”

“Oh, yes. I know.”

In fact, Detective Hong Kyungjun hadn’t told her he had met Lee Jaehun a few days earlier.

Constable Kim Yeonwoo was someone who knew her limits well and handled them appropriately, but she was also naturally concerned for others and couldn’t stop worrying. She was already distressed about having left a sick person alone, so he hadn’t mentioned that Lee Jaehun’s condition hadn’t looked good.

Swallowing that thought again, Hong Kyungjun continued.

“I mentioned before that he seemed to be with the same group we encountered.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It seems… something has gone wrong with them.”

“…What do you mean?”

Detective Hong Kyungjun quietly tapped his thigh with his fingers. Without even realizing it, his mind was ablaze with thoughts of the fire he had seen in a place they had never been.

He blinked once and then spoke.

“I need to go and check.”

There was much he wanted to confirm.

Detective Hong had an exceptionally good memory by nature and lived with quite a bit memorized, whether he wanted to or not. Since arriving in this world, his compulsive tendencies had worsened.

His attentiveness to someone he had only met once indicated that there was a good reason for it.

‘What was his name again… Inho?’

Hong Kyungjun recalled a person he had encountered before.

A man with round glasses and a gentle, diligent appearance, but with something unsettling about him. Although it wasn’t his place to say, given that he had spied on other survivors to gather information, the man had left an impression.

Thinking about people he had only met once might seem excessive, but there were many peculiar individuals in that group. Even Lee Jaehun, whom he had met separately a few days ago, seemed to belong to a similar type.

However, they didn’t seem exactly the same.

“…Where are you planning to go? Not that helping someone is bad, but going alone seems risky…”

“That’s why I plan to take a few more people with me, only those who agree. Yeonwoo-ssi, I’d like you to stay here and protect the others.”

“Hmm…”

“As mentioned, there are two people we need to rescue.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Constable Kim Yeonwoo looked between the motionless woman with the child in her arms and the detective, clearly torn.

Detective Hong Kyungjun continued thinking, leaving her in her contemplation.

‘He was coughing up blood.’

It’s not easy for someone to cough up blood unless they are in a severe condition. He had been vomiting nearly a bottle’s worth of blood, indicating that his state wasn’t good, yet he had maintained a calm demeanor.

Hong Kyungjun felt a vague unease and pity for him. He wasn’t a common type of person and certainly didn’t seem mentally stable. It wasn’t something to say about someone you had only met once, but the closest similar person Hong Kyungjun had encountered was someone he had last seen in prison.

Clearly someone to be wary of, but still…

“We need to confirm something.”

“…What?”

“What kind of people they are.”

Rolling his eyes while holding a club, he continued,

“And… it’s right to help if we can.”

The ultimate act of taking a life should always be under the guidance of the law.

So in this world, he couldn’t just let people die.

* * *

“I’m… I’m sorry, kids.”

Kang Mina spoke in a subdued voice.

“I dragged you along on my own and now we’re lost…”

“N-no…! We got away from those monsters, at least!”

“Yes, yes. It’s fine. We’re grateful you protected us.”

Kang Mina, who had quickly grabbed the two students and fled, didn’t have a lighter as she had mentioned before. Luckily, she had instinctively grabbed a hammer, allowing her to fend off approaching monsters and make it this far.

But the problem was that she didn’t know the way.

“If only Garam unnie had come with us, we might have found the way…”

“Um.”

“Oh, no…! I’m not blaming you, unnie, really. It’s okay!”

Fortunately, there was a fire burning somewhere, providing some light. It wasn’t bright, and it took a while for their eyes to adjust to the darkness, but it was better than the pitch-black where they couldn’t see a thing.

Of course, they had no idea where the fire had started, but in their frantic escape, they couldn’t dwell on it deeply. They were just relieved to have some visibility.

Kang Mina glanced around cautiously, moving hesitantly.

“For now… let’s find a place to hide. If we wait, others will come for us.”

As Lee Jaehun had predicted, Kang Mina had no intention of going far. Being separated from the rest of the group was already stressful, and it made no sense to take the students elsewhere.

As she considered climbing a tree to escape the dog-like monsters, she heard Park Dayoung’s hesitant voice.

“Do you think that man will be okay? I saw him coughing up blood earlier…”

“……”

“…Is that something one can just be okay from?”

“Uh…”

She couldn’t answer.

More accurately, she couldn’t find the words.

‘Of course, he’s not okay.’

Kang Mina knew well enough about Director Lee Jaehun’s condition.

He pretended to be fine, but he couldn’t hide his mistakes. Whenever he limped, Kang Mina couldn’t bear to look and turned away.

And the more she did, the more distant he seemed from the ‘Lee Jaehun’ they used to know.

“…Let’s do what we can.”

“…Okay.”

“That way, it’ll be easier for him too.”

The person they once knew wasn’t this insane.

“We have to make sure no one gets hurt.”

A wave of confusion washed over her.

The Director Lee Jaehun they knew wasn’t this strong. He loved expensive things and often boasted subtly to his subordinates. He shouldn’t be so composed in an environment like this.

Even in urgent situations, he cared about appearances. They thought he would throw a fit about not being able to maintain his dignity and would be the first to run when monsters approached. It was a ridiculous fantasy they had during peaceful times.

After all, Lee Jaehun always acted like a nobleman. He had no obligations, only rights, and nothing should surpass him. She remembered the times he had petty arguments with Deputy Jung Inho, as if challenging his authority.

Yet, Lee Jaehun was indeed like a noble to them, making the current situation almost laughable. The sight of him being the most injured for their sake.

So she suddenly felt anxious.

“…He’ll be alright.”

She remembered a dark night when Jung Inho had returned alone.

“Everything will be fine.”

The way he spoke like a dead man, with an unfamiliar face, was heartbreaking. She felt a sense of dread that had transferred to her from him.

What if someone dies?

“He saved me back then too.”

“……”

“We all survived together. He was injured, but no one died.”

“Unnie…?”

“Really, it’ll be okay, kids.”

What if one of us dies?

If the Lee Jaehun who had fought so hard to stay alive suddenly died without her knowing. If he got caught and couldn’t come back, like that night when he was taken by the monster.

What would I do then?

“No one is going to die.”

“……”

“No one.”

What can I really do?

I am neither brave, nor very strong, nor fast. How can I possibly manage? What can I do?

“…So don’t worry too much.”

“…We’re fine, unnie.”

“Yeah, I’m fine too. Really.”

Saying that, Kang Mina thought to herself,

‘All I can do is hold on.’

So, she’s someone who can only act when pushed to the edge of a cliff. What can a coward like her really do? Why did she come all this way thinking she could do something?

Suppressing the rising nausea, Kang Mina led the two students.

“This tree… looks suitable.”

“…A tree?”

“The dogs are fast… I don’t know if they’re really dogs, but the tree should be safe, right? Or maybe not? Sorry, I’m not sure. I don’t really know… I don’t know, but…”

“……”

“…I’ll help you climb up. Would you sit there?”

Her voice trembled miserably.

It didn’t take long for the two students to nod.

The first to climb was Park Dahoon. With Kang Mina’s hand as a foothold, he quickly scaled the tree and soon reached a sturdy branch. He then extended his hand to his sister, Park Dayoung.

Without hesitation, she took her brother’s hand and, with Kang Mina’s help from below, she also climbed up easily. Although she wasn’t as small as Kwon Yeonhee, she wasn’t very large either, which was fortunate.

There was a brief spat when Park Dahoon accidentally pinched his sister’s skin in the process.

“…You, you little…! If you’re going to help, do it right! Ow, you pinched me!”

“Ah, damn… That’s why I keep telling you to lose some weight, pig!”

“Look who’s talking! I saw you gain 3 kilos, idiot!”

“Shut up, it wasn’t 3 kilos! It wasn’t even 2.5 kilos!”

“Just knowing that makes you a total loser! Yeah, you already lost!”

…Kids these days sure have foul mouths.

Feeling somewhat old for thinking that, Kang Mina stopped her amused smile when she heard a rustling sound nearby and spoke to the siblings.

“Stay there…! Don’t come down, we’ll come down when it’s morning, okay?”

“Ah, yes…! Yes, got it. We will.”

“What about you, unnie?”

“Uh, I’ll be here for a bit…”

As she turned her head,

“……”

“……”

“…Director?”

She saw Lee Jaehun.

“Director…”

Without realizing it, she called out to him.

He seemed unaware of her, staring off to the side, and she could smell the familiar scent of blood. Seeing him standing among the bushes, Kang Mina felt her breath catch in her throat.

He’s alive.

He’s alive.

“…What? That man?”

“Unnie, wait a minute…”

“Director!”

Without thinking, she ran towards him.

‘He was alive.’

He was alive.

He was alive. He wasn’t dead, they were all alive. That’s what it was. There was no way that person was dead. Maybe there were others with him too. Ah, did they come to find us? Is that it?

As she pushed through the bushes, the branches scraped her calves and cheeks. The stinging pain around her cheek was there, but she didn’t mind. It didn’t matter. Just finding someone other than herself was enough.

When she finally leaned against a tree trunk and reached out her hand to him,

“Team Leader Kang.”

“……”

“…Kang Mina.”

From right behind,

A voice was heard.

“……”

A large hand covered her hand, which was resting on the tree.

Unlike the cold surface, the hot palm, filled with blood, squeezed her hand, giving it strength. Another hand grabbed her shoulder, soaking it with blood.

The unfamiliar sensation made Kang Mina stiffen.

“……”

“Kang Mina-ssi, you have to look at me.”

“…Ah…”

When she tilted her head up, she saw that pale face.

A familiar gaze.

“I’m here.”

“……”

It was indeed Director Lee Jaeheon.

“…What?”

Ahead was a cliff.