Chapter 119: Eun-ah
Chapter 119: Eun-ah
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"I was wondering whether there was somewhere you absolutely had to go, or some reason you couldn't leave Guri."
"No..."
"Relatives, friends, or..."
"Mister."
"Yeah?"
"You already know... That I don't have anyone like that..."
A small voice emerged from the shadowed hood of her black raincoat.
The weakness in her voice suddenly broke my heart.
'At an age when she should've been full of life and energy...'
In hindsight, I'd asked an incredibly stupid question.
Had I been too cautious because I thought of her as someone carrying deep wounds?
With her black hood pulled low as she fidgeted with her coffee cup, Eun-ah cut a deeply melancholy figure.
"Yeah, sorry."
A brief silence settled over the living room, which was filled with the aroma of coffee.
Eun-ah was an orphan.
She hadn't lost her family to the zombies.
Her parents had died in an accident when she was young.
Her relatives had coveted the inheritance and insurance payout that should have gone to her.
She had lost both parents young and had no one she could rely on—a painfully unfortunate life.
"Eun-ah."
"Yes..."
"Would you like to come with me?"
Now that we'd escaped the zombies' territory, there was no practical reason for us to keep traveling together.
Yet simply parting ways here felt strangely disappointing.
Eun-ah's ability would be a huge help to me.
With me around, she'd probably be able to grow stronger more safely as well.
'Even after running the numbers again, keeping her with me was clearly the better choice.'
So I made the offer first.
I asked her to come with me.
'This is a rational proposal...'
Before I spoke, I'd believed I was making the offer through cold, rational judgment based on Eun-ah's ability.
I kept telling myself I wasn't trying to take responsibility for someone merely because I pitied her.
But I couldn't fool myself.
Just as I had lost my parents in a car accident, she'd been separated from hers by one.
In a sense, perhaps our paths had already crossed back then.
Fifteen years ago, nineteen-year-old me and five-year-old Eun-ah had been at the same accident scene.
"If I go with you, Mister..."
"Yeah."
Eun-ah's voice pulled me back from the memories into which I had been sinking.
"You won't leave me behind first?"
"Right."
"I might become a terrible burden..."
"Could be."
"Then you won't abandon me and run away?"
My offer came back as a question I'd never anticipated.
Perhaps that was why.
I answered in a way I normally never would have.
"I'll never abandon you. Come with me."
"Okay."
"Good."
"Don't use me for my ability and then sneak away at night."
"Okay."
"And don't die before me either."
"Yeah."
Nothing in this world was absolute.
There were no unconditional promises and no certainties.
The world I'd experienced so far was packed with unpredictable variables.
'If I were still the person I used to be...'
Nothing in the world lasted forever.
People met and eventually parted. I would have said we could travel together for a while and separate if we couldn't get along.
Yet, for some reason, I didn't want to say any of that to Eun-ah now.
"Mister."
"Hmm?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to call you."
When I had been drowning in despair, a friend and an adult had each reached out to me.
For Eun-ah, who probably hadn't even understood despair at that age, the adults around her had tried to steal what little she had left.
'You thought Eun-ah's ability would be fucking useful? Heh...'
That wasn't it.
I merely wanted Eun-ah to know that she had someone she could rely on too.
Even before the zombies appeared, she'd already been fighting desperately to survive in a world filled with malice.
Had I seen my past self reflected in her as she calmly described her circumstances?
'No...'
I had no right to make such a claim.
I only thought I could become a companion who walked beside her.
Yet when she asked, I answered with absolute certainty.
I told her I would never abandon her.
#
A-cup Yu-jin still hadn't returned by the time our midday break ended.
Exhausted from staying awake all night, Eun-ah was dozing uncomfortably in her chair.
"Eun-ah. Eun-ah?"
"Mmph. Yes?"
"I'm thinking it's about time we leave. Are you exhausted?"
"I'm okay..."
We packed our gear and left the apartment.
We'd need to stop and rest early that night.
"How's the bow? Is it still too heavy?"
"It's okay for now..."
"Once the Enchantment is complete, let's practice with it tomorrow."
"Okay..."
Unlike Synthesis or Restoration, Enchantment couldn't be completed instantly.
It had a progress gauge and required a considerable investment of time.
It also prevented her from moving while she was performing it.
'What if I sat her on the duffel bags and had her continue Enchanting while we traveled...?'
Aside from being unable to move, there were no other restrictions, but Eun-ah had usually performed Enchantments just before bed.
Even with your senses alert, staying motionless made your body stiff and could slow your response to danger.
That was why she'd had no choice but to Enchant only under the safest possible conditions.
Now that we were traveling together, I intended to find ways to increase the time she could spend Enchanting.
"Huh?"
We'd just passed through the apartment complex and entered the four-lane road.
A fairly large outlet mall stood to the right, and following the road would take us across a bridge.
The bridge spanned Wangsuk Stream, a tributary of the Han River.
The stream formed the boundary; once we crossed the bridge, we would be in Namyangju.
"There are people gathered on the bridge. Five of them."
I could make out several people on the bridge, which stretched for well over a hundred meters.
Eun-ah took binoculars from her small crossbody bag and studied the bridge.
Every time she produced another new tool, my curiosity about the contents of that bag grew.
"They're members of one of the Guri factions."
"Really? Do you recognize one of them?"
"No... One of their earlobes has been cut off. That's their identifying mark."
These were the Guri faction members I'd only heard about.
They were exactly the sort of bastards I wanted nothing to do with.
We were still far enough from the bridge to search for another route.
Before even taking out the map, I was about to turn away and leave the road.
"Those men... They're looking directly at us."
"Tch... Do they have a detection-type ability user?"
I couldn't understand why there were so many damn detection-type abilities.
Perhaps reconnaissance became essential once people formed a group.
"They're waving for us to come over."
"If we turn around, they'll chase us, right?"
"I think so."
I stopped and briefly discussed the situation with Eun-ah.
According to her, the two survivor groups had divided the territory and monitored every bridge leading out of Guri.
If you traveled along roads used by people, it was difficult to enter or leave without being spotted by them.
"But I had no trouble when I entered from Seoul."
"Guess you got lucky."
Something must have occupied them at the time.
This time, no such luck was with us.
"Then we'll confront them directly, and if things go wrong..."
I wanted to avoid them if at all possible.
Unfortunately, it seemed we would have to face them at least once to leave Guri.
We agreed on responses for several possible scenarios, then approached the bridge.
"Hello. Would you please stop for a moment?"
"I'd prefer to pass through."
"We only ask for a moment of your time."
The bastards had positioned themselves at the midpoint of the bridge.
Despite their polite tone, they blocked our path with openly threatening postures.
All five stood in a line, armed with machetes, axes, and similar weapons.
When I stopped at a safe distance, one man stepped forward to address me.
"I'm Han Tae-su, an Enforcer of the New Humanity Ark. May I have your name?"
"Kim Tae-sik. Get to the point quickly."
At least they didn't attack without warning.
The man serving as their representative appeared to be in his thirties and spoke courteously.
His smiling face reminded me of the cult recruiters I'd encountered in the past.
"Mr. Kim, you're quite remarkable. You returned alive from territory controlled by the zombies."
"And?"
"We're always searching for talented people like you. Would you consider boarding our Ark and overcoming the coming crisis together?"
"I don't like belonging to organizations."
"Please hear me out just once. If you remain unconvinced afterward, we'll peacefully clear the way for you."
Of course, there was no chance they'd simply let us pass.
On top of that, they seemed to know something about my recent actions.
Without waiting for an answer, he launched into a sermon praising this so-called Ark.
"Mr. Kim, you've grown weary from your battles against the apostates. We understand the hardships you've endured. How difficult these days must have been. Here, in this world where divine judgment has begun, are others who share your suffering! A place where you may set down your burden and rest. Comrades who will walk the harsh, thorn-covered path beside you. And the Messiah who stands before us all—the one who built the first Ark..."
The longer Han Tae-su spoke, the more madness filled his eyes.
Once he began, he no longer seemed to care whether I was listening.
He appeared completely out of his mind.
'The fact that his name sounds like mine makes him even more irritating...'
Even though I watched with a flat, unimpressed expression, the bastard grew increasingly animated and continued.
"We of the New Humanity shed our old shells through this Purification Ritual. Naturally, the process involves some hardship and pain... But don't worry! We have many Prospective Believers who soothe the weary bodies and minds of the New Humanity. Whenever you desire comfort, the female believers will spread their legs for you. By exchanging affection, the Prospective Believers also participate in the Purification Ritual."
"Oh. That last part sounds pretty good."
At first, I thought I'd misheard him say they welcomed people with open arms.
It turned out he really had said legs, not arms.
These people were driven by truly insane beliefs.
They described growing stronger by killing zombies as human evolution and operated a public brothel filled with women who lacked combat abilities.
This time, I played along, offering encouraging reactions as though he'd caught my interest.
"Normally, anyone who wishes to board the Ark must begin life as a Prospective Believer. But the First Apostle has spoken! He declared that you, Mr. Kim, are one who achieved salvation through his own strength. You may skip the Prospective and Ordinary Believer stages and begin immediately as an Enforcer, as I did. Your companion may also receive an appropriate position depending on her talents..."
Messiah, Apostles, Believers...
'So it really was a cult.'