Humans Wait
"…"
The question was Oppa's — short, simple, and heavy with everything it didn't say. I'd answered him over the radio without missing a beat, and still his voice kept ringing in my head.
The party had begun.
"Lee Ha-rin, stop spacing out."
"… Yeah."
It was exactly 5:10 p.m. The party was already in full swing, the bunker's residents greeting one another in gowns and suits as if the world outside had nothing whatsoever to do with them. I was in a dress too.
I looked ridiculous.
"Chairman Choi's grandson said he wants you as his party partner. Don't stand there like an idiot and miss your chance. You understand?"
"…"
Just as my mother said, I had stood there like an idiot and missed my chance. Maybe the long stretch of pain and hardship had dulled my instincts. Maybe that was why I'd forgotten, without meaning to, what kind of person my mother really was.
"Lee Ha-rin, what's gotten into you today…"
"… Mom."
The day we'd come in together — the day he'd been dragged out alone — there had been a wound on Oppa's face. I'd known exactly what he was dealing with, and I'd still thrown a fit about wanting to see my parents. I'd hurt him all over again.
"Don't you interrupt me. Answer your mother first."
"…"
I regretted it.
Not as an answer to what Oppa had asked — whether I'd really be all right leaving this place, whether a better life might not be waiting for me here. I wanted to tell him that I regretted, again and again, the moment my own stupid choice had put that wound on him.
I drew a breath, looked at my mother, and spoke.
"Lee Ha-rin."
Lately I found myself wondering. Whether Mom and Dad loved me more than Oppa did.
"Is this how you treat me because you love me?"
"We don't have time for this nonsense."
It was almost funny. My mother and father had both been so warm, once. I remembered them telling me they loved me every single day, all the way through elementary school — no, even into middle school.
I didn't know. I really didn't know. I could never bring myself to complain about my parents to Oppa, but I couldn't understand how our family had ended up like this.
"Fine. But I'm going back to the room for a bit."
"Haa… what's wrong with you? Just go. And the second you're back, you go straight to Chairman Choi's grandson."
"Okay, Mom. See you later."
So. Right now, I would do the one thing I could be sure of.
I let a bitter smile tug at the corner of my mouth, turned, and headed for my assigned quarters. Jeong Su-yeon, the security guard, was standing in front of the door.
"Let's start. Quickly."
"… Are you really sure about this?"
"I'm sorry, unnie. For making you do this."
I'd set that sliver of guilt aside for later. The moment I'd been waiting for had arrived, and I wasn't going to let it slip away.
I changed clothes fast. Just as I had when I'd first entered this place, I put on every piece of cold-weather gear I had, packed everything useful into a backpack, and slung it over my shoulders.
Time was tight. Just changing clothes had already brought us to 5:20. With everyone gathered in the central plaza of the B4 residential zone for the party, this was the perfect window.
"We need to hurry."
"Alright."
Jeong Su-yeon still looked lost, torn between going through with it and backing out, as she followed behind me.
B5, the amenities level. Ordinarily there would have been people in the gym, the infirmary, the cafeteria — but the corridors we crossed were empty.
B6, power generation and central control.
"…"
Without hesitation I sprinted down the corridor the way I'd scouted it, and closed in on the circuit breaker I'd already marked. I lifted the radio.
"Oppa."
Current time: 5:30 p.m. He answered immediately. Just hearing his voice settled the restless feeling in my chest.
"Let's see each other thirty minutes early."
"Operation start."
As I said it, I pulled the raised breaker lever down.
Clack—
What followed was a blackout.
The operation had begun.
I calmly strapped the steel plates beneath my padding. Chest and stomach were fine — the stab-and-ballistic vest had those covered — but I had nothing proper for the arms and legs, so I'd hammered and bent the plates myself. They were heavy. Even worn only on the forearms and thighs, each plate was about 8mm thick. It felt like moving with a few dumbbells strapped on.
Someone looking at this setup might wonder if it would even do anything. Nowhere near enough for a K2 rifle round, sure — but it would stop a homemade hunting shotgun slug.
"Hah…"
My current position was the passage leading down to PH129's second basement. I was still out of sight of the bunker, running through my gear one more time.
"The operation."
"We go as I briefed it. Spread your angles as wide as you can and take cover behind the pillars. Then snipe anyone who steps outside a set radius — shotguns, rubber slugs."
The two of them would hold behind the pillars and pick off any guards coming out of the bunker. I intended to close the distance myself.
"Isn't that a little too reckless, compared to the original plan?"
"I'd rather take the extra risk myself than throw people who came to help — people this isn't even about — into the fire."
It's fine. I'm not going in there to die. I've thought it through.
"Hyung-nim…! I'll close in with you…!"
"You stay the fuck put, you little shit. Don't freeze up — just shoot well. We're not killing anyone, so don't aim for the head."
"Ack…"
I cut the Imaginary KATUSA Warrior Lim Ju-cheol's nonsense off cold, set down my pack, and started tucking the things I'd brought into my coat, one by one. Taser. Handcuffs. Smoke grenades and frag grenades. A stun gun and a knife. And, just in case, I checked the M60 revolver one more time.
Current time: 5:30 p.m.
"Yeah."
Harin's voice came over the radio. Just hearing it settled the restless feeling in my chest. A baseless confidence that I could actually pull this off started creeping up through me.
"I like that."
That was the last of it. I tucked the radio into my coat and got to my feet.
"I'm moving in. I won't be talking from here on, so not a peep out of either of you. Stick to the simulation. It won't be easy, but make damn sure you tell friend from foe."
"Got it."
"Yes, sir."
I took the lead and dropped fast down the passage.
B2. In the dark, the bunker flickered like the only lighthouse in sight.
Inside, it was already chaos. I signaled the two of them, then started closing on the bunker, widening my angle to the left. Fortunately, neither of them looked rattled. They kept their presence hidden, slowly spreading their angles, and slipped into cover behind the pillars.
Creeeak—
The bunker door opening. Footsteps — someone sprinting. One of them crossed the bunker's rear gate and ran. That left nine inside.
A lucky break. So I dropped low, staying out of the bunker's line of sight, and crawled forward.
I wonder if these bastards know. That they should thank their lucky stars I was the first one who thought to hit this place.
Twenty meters.
Inside the bunker, they still hadn't started a proper watch — too busy with the chaos in the shelter. The window was perfect.
Fifteen meters.
From the voices carrying out of the bunker, they weren't even thinking about this side yet.
Ten meters.
I don't have a grudge. That's why I planned this so I wouldn't have to kill them. I still haven't forgotten that they treated me like a person, back then. The snacks they offered were good. I've been putting the high-end winter gear to good use.
Five meters.
So even if they get the shit kicked out of them today for letting their guard down, I'd rather they not hold a grudge.
Two meters.
I eased up from the crawl and carefully drew the two smoke grenades from my coat. I pulled the pins as quietly as I could, held them clenched, and closed the last of the distance.
One meter.
"Hold on."
"What is it, Captain?"
"I thought I heard something."
Fuck. Bastard's got good ears.
I immediately lobbed one smoke grenade into the bunker and dropped the other at my feet. A long hiss, and thick white smoke billowed up.
"Ambush! Get out of the bunker, now!"
Honestly, they should be grateful those weren't grenades. If it had been the cultists infiltrating instead of me, that little stunt just now would have wiped all nine of them.
Anyway. The first man to burst out of the smoke — I turned his jaw around.
"Ghk…"
One down. Then I melted back into the smoke.
The one-two straight to the jaw I'd learned from Corporal Cha was a pretty effective way to put someone out in a single shot. Of course, using it on people holding guns was also, admittedly, insane.
Bang— Baaang—
"They're in the smoke! Do not fire unless you have a positive ID!"
Three smoke grenades left. If I can put down the remaining eight before I burn through them, we win.