Coincidence (2)
"......."
"......."
Kim Jungshik and Lee Seoyul froze in place. They just stared at each other without saying a word. How much time passed like that?
"Uncle Jungshik..."
"Hold on a sec, Seoyul. That Mr. Junyoung. Just wait a moment. I'll be right back."
"Uncle?"
Creak—
Bang!
Kim Jungshik slammed the door shut behind him as he left.
"...What's going on?"
I called out to Lee Seoyul, curiosity getting the better of me. But she turned back with no words. Her face was filled with worry and anxiety, lips sealed tight. As I frowned like that, Jeong Suhyun approached and spoke to me.
"...Hmm, doesn't seem like ordinary business. Right?"
Who didn't know that? I let out a sigh. But there was nothing else I could do. These people weren't talking, and I wasn't enough of a psychopath to hurl an Ice Spear at them and demand answers.
"......."
Lee Seoyul hung her head low. Jeong Suhyun and I sat there quietly. How long did that uncomfortable silence drag on?
Thud!
The door flew open, and Kim Jungshik entered with Lee Yoon. Lee Yoon's eyes widened as he spotted Lee Seoyul.
'No way.'
Surely not? But it was exactly that.
Lee Yoon's face flushed red, and he rushed straight to Lee Seoyul.
"S-Seoyul!"
Sob. Sob.
Lee Seoyul just sobbed as she looked at him. But from that alone, I could guess the situation.
They shed tears with expressions of utter disbelief.
"Dad?"
"Seoyul, how... how in the world..."
"Daddy. Daddy..."
"How did this happen, Seoyul? Huh? How did you end up here?"
"It was... Mr. Junyoung... Mr. Junyoung who..."
"I see. So that's it. That's what happened."
Lee Yoon pulled Lee Seoyul's face into a tight embrace. She clung to his body just as fiercely, refusing to let go.
Family reunion. Lee Yoon and Lee Seoyul. Even though they shared the same surname, I hadn't expected a father-daughter bond.
"You okay? Body holding up?"
"Y-Yeah. What about you, Dad?"
"Dad's fine too. Nothing happened, right? What happened to you? Why do you look so worn out? Were you at the dorms?"
"...I'm not worn out. You look worse, Dad. Yeah, I was at the dorms, but then..."
The father-daughter reunion unfolded amid tears. But it wasn't as dramatic as I'd imagined. No shouting or wailing—just quiet exchanges as tears streamed down their faces.
Still...
'This hurts to watch more.'
The realism made my chest tighten even harder. A family separated for a month. Family. Family. I had one too.
As I started sinking into those thoughts—
"Well, this... what a coincidence."
Kim Jungshik's remark shattered the quiet melodrama. Yeah. I hadn't seen this coming either.
"You and Lee Yoon must be pretty close, Mr. Kim? Since you know his daughter too."
"Yeah, the deputy manager kept bragging about his girl. Brought her to the office a few times."
"Hmm..."
Jeong Suhyun looked uncomfortable too. Made sense— we'd gone out for a massacre, accidentally picked up a girl who turned out to be one of our base members' family, and I'd ended up saving her by sheer fluke.
Sensing our mood, Lee Yoon spoke up quietly.
"...Sorry about this. Didn't expect to reunite with my daughter here."
"..S-Sorry."
And then he bowed deeply to me. An exhausted man in his fifties and a broken young woman in her twenties, apologizing. But that apology turned to gratitude.
"Thank you, Mr. Junyoung. Whatever the reason, thank you for saving my daughter."
"..Thank you."
Lee Yoon and Lee Seoyul kept bowing to me. No one knew what to say.
I opened my mouth.
"No need. Just coincidence. Besides, reuniting with family is good."
Our base's goal was escaping Seoul and family reunions from the start. No reason to begrudge this father-daughter pair for achieving one.
But Lee Yoon saw it differently.
"No. Even if coincidence, you brought her here. I have nothing to say but thanks. Mr. Junyoung. Truly. Thank you."
The deputy manager kept bowing.
"...Ah."
Lee Seoyul stared at me with heated eyes. No idea why. It was pure stacked coincidence—why look at me like I'd schemed this with her dad?
'Not quite.'
From her perspective, it made sense. The guy who saved her was connected to her father. Explaining would be a hassle, though. Time and a talk with her dad would sort it.
I spoke to the clinging pair.
"Anyway."
"Yes?"
"You two should go talk somewhere."
Lee Yoon stiffened.
"N-No! We have work. You saved my daughter—I’ll work my bones to dust!"
"Right. Mr. Junyoung, I'll do my best too."
Red-eyed determination from both. But I shook my head.
"No. Take a day to catch up. You're base members anyway, so Mr. Lee Yoon can brief Ms. Seoyul on rules and people here."
"Ah..."
"Rest up too, Ms. Seoyul—you don't look well. We'll talk tomorrow."
This simplified things. Daughter of base member Lee Yoon? Instant trust boost. Sure, she could theoretically betray her dad, but...
'From what we've seen, low odds.'
And with Jeong Suhyun eyeing her like a hawk from the side, zero chance.
"Alright, you two head out. Boss said so."
Kim Jungshik nudged Lee Yoon.
The pair flinched.
"N-No, still."
"Uncle Jungshik..."
"Hey now, deputy. Happy to see your girl—go chat outside. You too, Seoyul."
But Kim Jungshik was firm.
"Check if she's okay. Take her to Yunjin quick. Skin and bones, she is."
"Ah."
True enough. I hadn't pried into her ordeal, but Liberation Army kidnappings weren't gentle. Plus...
"She inhaled a lot of ash and dust. Outside looks fine, but lungs might be messed up. Recommend some healing from Yunjin first."
She'd suffered. Naked for ages, breathed in smoke from Benefit Mart's blaze. Internals unlikely intact.
"Y-Yeah..."
"Y-Yes. Thanks again, Mr. Junyoung."
"Thank you."
How many thanks today? I waved them off.
"...Talk later when settled. Too much gratitude is poison. Go rest."
"Y-Yes.."
"...Still thankful."
Creak—
Click.
They bowed out to the end.
"......"
I sighed watching them, then sat back at the table. Seoul's vast. Population huge. Odds of a random Southdong rescue being my base member's daughter? Slim.
Still.
"Jeong Suhyun."
"Yes, right here."
Confirm what needs confirming. I nodded at Lee Seoyul's status window handed over by Jeong Suhyun.
"No issues."
Meat ability user. D-rank. Aptitude mid-60s. Lee Seoyul hadn't lied.
Jeong Suhyun narrowed his eyes. "More importantly, how'd you snag a food ability user—a meat one, no less? What happened out there?"
"Right. Seemed to go well, but details?"
Should've started with this—father-daughter drama delayed it. I glanced at Kim Inho staring outside, sighed, and began.
Bluffing with Jeong Suhyun. Frost Blink travel. Southdong New World Apartments, 15th floor airstrike. Handling Liberation Army. Benefit Mart fire. One-way street with barricades, Liberation Army route—and Lee Seoyul in between.
"...That's how it went."
"Whoa."
"Hmm."
Silence fell. Even Kim Inho flinched.
"You actually did it, Junyoung."
Jeong Suhyun broke it. I scowled.
"Did what."
"Thought it before, when you showed off once."
True. I'd rage-frozen a nearby house with an ice shield after fumbling solo on floor 4. Excuses then, refusal.
"No choice."
Skills insufficient—had to handle it that way.
"Efficient method, though."
Jeong Suhyun pivoted quick.
"If Liberation Army's hunkered in bases, nothing better."
True. Why I went ruthless. Though...
"...Results meh. Confirmed one lightning user dead. No clue how many left."
Mana shortage—no total wipe.
But Jeong Suhyun countered.
"Mart collapsed—survivors? Enough to hold base?"
Kim Jungshik agreed. "Yeah. Even if any, you said many dead. Can't maintain normal base. Small group at best."
I shook my head.
"Numbers exceeded Bae Sungkwan's fifty already from what I killed. More than he said. Unmentioned ability users too. And...key point: A-to-F bases. Northdong Station F—gone. Mart A, office B—handled. Three left."
Two I saw. Yuseong University makes three. Bae Sungkwan lied for sure. Plus remnant ties, ability links...
Jeong Suhyun and Kim Jungshik looked uncertain.
"Hmm. True."
"They might've scouted us too."
"Right."
Like our bluff—they could've scattered, anticipating.
Liberation Army remnants definitely lingered. Jeong Suhyun sighed.
"Sigh. Hearing secondhand's frustrating."
Kim Jungshik cleared throat. "Ahem, Bae's info mostly matched, though? No need overthink."
True. Confirmed lightning, comms, stealth users.
"Fine...shelve it. We're heading south anyway. Just note they're in Southdong."
Can't rule out possibilities. But can't freeze from fear.
They nodded.
"Wise."
"Yeah, haven't hit there yet."
"..Ahem, anyway."
"Yes?"
Kim Jungshik changed topic.
"Junyoung, how'd you save Seoyul?"
"Right. Just said 'saved'—no details. And sounded like Liberation Army ability kept her alive?"
Jeong Suhyun curious too. I nodded, spoke.
"Saved her in...what seems a skill-made passage. Liberation Army used it for base travel, trades, human collection."
Unclear exact skill. Perception debuff? Safe zone? Lightning guy attacked despite it—not certain.
"Passage—your name?"
"Yeah. Safe road, zone, passage. Call it what you want."
"Skill, anyway."
"Yes. Not perfect. Aggro'd entry useless. Dodges zombies for sure, but mechanics unknown."
Criteria fuzzy regardless.
"Got it. Her survival pure luck then."
"Yeah. Coincidence stacked on luck."
Indeed. By my account, impossible survival. Hiding in cart? Zombies no idiots. Wedged in road-barricade corner by chance, road skill-maintained, zombies blind to her—miracle luck pile.
"Yuseong University tied to Liberation Army then? Need her story soon."
Jeong Suhyun nailed it. I nodded.
"Yeah...but hold till tomorrow. Harsh today. Family reunion and all. Plus she spilled plenty already..."
Storks, herons. Yuseong guys. Numbers, lifestyles. I relayed to them.
"Hmm. Near certain."
"Right. So, linked important info first today."
"What else?"
They focused.
"Yes. First, church happenings while gone? Nothing major?"
Blacks there, but...what "Ripley" they mentioned? Tied to Liberation Army? They could have abilities.
I turned to Jeong Suhyun.
"Nothing much."
He shook head. Then—
"No. Yesterday, deputy said he spotted something?"
Kim Jungshik cut in. Jeong Suhyun blinked. "Ah, right. Junyoung. Front gate—few people spotted. My watch, I'd have shot 'em. Was deputy's shift."
"People?"
I asked.
"Yeah, nighttime. Deputy caught presences near front-gate cafe."
"...Couldn't tell what?"
"Too far. Coming from non-black direction, he said."
"Not certain."
"Yeah. Didn't approach church—hard ID."
"Got it. No other oddities?"
"No. Watches fine, no big issues. Humans prowling bugs me, though. Sigh. Can't double shifts..."
"Right. Damn annoying."
Kim Jungshik and Jeong Suhyun sighed heavily. But irrelevant now.
"Fine. We're leaving soon anyway."
Time to relocate the base.