Uncomfortable Cohabitation (1)

The New Heaven Rapture Mission Church boasted ten million believers within the country alone. Whether that number was accurate, I couldn't say. After all, I'd never once stepped outside the area where the believers lived, so I had no way to gauge it for myself. But even within the limited radius of my daily life, I could tell they had a number of followers that, if not quite ten million, was certainly comparable.

Gucheon Village. A massive settlement the size of a decent small city. It had elementary, middle, and high schools, even a university. Everything you'd expect to find in a proper city was there. I'd spent my entire life in a place like that. School was the same. The church had built it, the church maintained it, and every teacher and staff member was a believer.

“Hey! You're making Hyun uncomfortable!”

Back in elementary school, when the ban on dating hadn't been strictly enforced yet. Lee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ye-eun could be called my first friend. She was the kid who chased away the ones who only paid attention to my face or bullied me. The kid who, because of her parents, had no choice but to follow the doctrines of this insane religion but didn't truly believe in them. The kid who simply let it remain a part of her life and acted mature beyond her years.

Ye-eun was smart and grown-up for her age.

“It's better than anywhere else. If it were somewhere else, we'd probably be starving.”

Ye-eun's father was alone, and even though he'd devoted everything to the religion, he remained ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an ordinary believer. He drank all day and never acted like a proper father. That was in stark contrast to my parents, who were indifferent to everything except the church but at least provided meals.

If this shitty cult had one saving grace, it was that no one starved to death. Breakfast, dinner—everything was provided. Only now do I know the cult leader did it because he wanted to raise prime athletes into soldiers. Back then, I found it strange but considered myself lucky.

We were among the few real friends around.

The distance between us grew in high school.

“Hyun… I… I like you.”

What kind of face did I make back then? How did I respond? The memory was hazy. At least I remembered Lee Ye-eun's flushed face as she spoke shyly.

“What do you… think of me?”

Yes, it was definitely something she said on the way home from school together. That was the trigger. Whatever I answered, it wasn't what Ye-eun wanted to hear.

“Ah… I see…”

Her halted steps. Ye-eun standing behind me beneath the setting sun.

“So… it was only me?”

That was all. And that was enough. Proof that we couldn't stay together anymore. That we were no longer friends. That we couldn't be.

Well, it wasn't like I felt betrayed like some character in a drama, thinking, I thought we were friends, but you didn't. It was a simple story. Her love ran deeper than her friendship with me, and I learned that, surprisingly, the friendship hadn't meant much to her. That part left a bitter taste.

Without thinking, I said it.

“I enjoyed being with you, but I guess you were just putting up with me.”

Ye-eun didn't deny it. We were childhood friends who knew each other too well for that. We'd known each other since first grade of elementary school all the way to our third year of high school—twelve years.

“I thought you'd accept…”

In the end, it was Ye-eun who felt betrayed. In a church that forbade dating, it was an incredibly brave—no, recklessly brave—thing to do. She confessed knowing full well she'd be punished by the security team if caught. She'd mustered real courage. She must have been confident too. We really had been close.

I don't know what Ye-eun was thinking, but if she was being calculating, maybe she figured that because of our friendship, I might feel obligated to date her. After all, I half-ignored the dating ban and most of the other rules anyway.

“Sorry.”

But I turned her down. The public reason was her safety, but both she and I knew that wasn't the real one. What even was dating? What was love? Weren't parents supposed to teach you that? It was too difficult a concept for someone like me, who threw a fit at the mere idea of his little sister clinging to him.

…Or maybe it was because I worried that if I arbitrarily started dating and left, that stupid, foolish, idiotic girl would get into some kind of trouble.

“Kang Ahyeon… No, never mind.”

There were things Ye-eun said that I couldn't understand. But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I could understand the next part, even if it was unfortunate. I liked Lee Ye-eun as a friend, after all. I respected her wishes. If we couldn't be lovers, it would be hard to stay close. Especially if she'd only been putting up with me all this time.

And so Lee Ye-eun entered university as a shooting athlete, while I didn't go to college at all. We stopped contacting each other, and after the Rapture hit, we forgot about one another. Until now.

“Kang Hyun…?”

“…Lee Ye-eun?”

Our eyes met. Her black pupils, her hair tied up high, her sharp gaze—it was all there. She hadn't changed much. She looked a little dirty, like she hadn't washed in a while, but it was the Lee Ye-eun I knew.

“You… How…?”

I pulled my hand away. The gauntlet and ivory-colored arm guard I'd been gripping trembled faintly. So you're alive. Honestly, I'd assumed she was long dead. But here she was. The words didn't come out, but it seemed Ye-eun was thinking something similar.

Her body suddenly surged forward and wrapped around me. A tight, clinging embrace. Strong, long limbs. Her arms looped around my neck as she pressed close. I could hear her sniffling. Even though I could have easily pried her off or pushed her away, for a moment I couldn't. She was crying, after all. It didn't feel right.

When I carefully reached out and patted her back, Ye-eun only clung tighter, her sobs growing more desperate. It was awkward. I'd rarely seen Lee Ye-eun cry… I never expected her to burst into tears the moment she saw me. Hadn't she sorted out her feelings already? It had been years.

I was about to ask something when a gun barrel suddenly thrust forward, pressing against Ye-eun's head.

“Get off him.”

A cold voice. It wasn't the usual cutesy, nasal tone my sister used with me, but there was no doubt it was her. At that chill, Ye-eun—who had been sniffling through her tears—froze solid.

“Kang Ahyeon—”

“Oppa.”

Still cold. In the darkness, my sister's expression looked thoroughly displeased.

“You should be more careful.”

Yeah, that was right. It wasn't even surprising anymore. My sister always got that stiff look on her face whenever Ye-eun and I were together. It was the same now. Did she dislike Ye-eun?

I withdrew my hand from her back. Ye-eun flinched, then slowly unwound her arms from my neck. Still in her seated position, she awkwardly scooted back. Her eyes were wet with tears, the tracks down her cheeks clearly visible.

“Step back. Over there.”

“…Ahyeon.”

“Don't say my name. Just go over there.”

Click. The sound of a safety being switched. It was a threat in itself. Ye-eun trembled lightly as she retreated. In front of the car's lit headlights stood four people: Ye-eun and three men. Two middle-aged, one around my age. They all looked extremely confused.

My sister glanced at me. I knew exactly what she wanted.

“Should I kill them?”

“…No.”

“Why?”

My sister turned her head with a creak. Her face as she stared at me was utterly expressionless. It was somehow eerie. I'd never seen her make that face before. Was she tense? Or…

“It'd be easier to just kill them. They don't have anything useful, they might not even help, and we'd be lucky if they didn't stab us in the back.”

A sharp intake of breath. My sister's voice was flat, without any inflection.

“Killing them all right here would be convenient. I can do it.”

At those words, the ordinary believers' arms began to shake. They couldn't even rush her. Not when my sister had already drawn the gun-bayonet from her thigh. And I couldn't deny what she'd said either.

But I didn't want to kill them. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wouldn't pretend otherwise. Because Ye-eun was here, the option of killing felt distant. It felt too honest to call it a survival strategy. I wanted to believe in the way she'd hugged me, cried, and refused to let go. I wanted to believe in the twelve years Ye-eun and I had shared.

I was still wrestling with it—the world had gone to shit. It was hard to feel that inside Sion Mountain Fortress, but out here it would be different. There would be people, zombies, maybe even variants trying to kill us everywhere. If Ye-eun hadn't been here, I probably would've leaned toward killing them too.

That was when it happened.

“Hyun… Hyun-ah.”

Clack. The gun moved. My sister's barrel was now aimed at Ye-eun's head. At this distance, she wouldn't miss. Ye-eun swallowed hard, but still spoke in a trembling voice.

“If you… spare us… we'll give you something. We have a lot we can offer.”

The other men, both the middle-aged ones and the one my age, stared at Ye-eun in shock.

“Ye-eun…”

“Shut up.”

My sister's sharp voice. As the other three fell silent, she shot me a glance, her face twisted with irritation. Those normally innocent round eyes were now narrowed to slits.

“What can you give us?”

“…Air rifles, food, supplies… a vehicle repair shop. At the repair shop, we have cars… and all sorts of things… repairs, fixes, and there are good vehicles too…”

She was rambling, biting her lip, but she kept talking. Ye-eun had always been mature. Even as a child, she'd understood her own value and what needed to be done. It seemed that hadn't changed. And strangely, that made me glad.

“Skills, huh.”

My sister didn't have any vehicle maintenance skills yet. She could loot them if she wanted, but that would be wasteful. We had no idea what we'd encounter going forward. After thinking it over, I finally spoke.

“Fine. We'll accept.”

Lee Ye-eun let out a shaky breath, as if relieved, while Kang Ahyeon ground her teeth in clear displeasure.

“Oppa.”

“…What.”

“What are you doing? You believe her?”

Her voice held zero trace of her usual cuteness. My sister seemed to realize it herself and twitched her eyes.

“It's not a bad deal.”

“We can't trust them.”

“I trust her.”

Only then did a hint of warmth creep into my sister's voice.

“Hmm, really?”

It was still icy. But she didn't show any sign of defying me.

“Okay then. I'll trust Oppa too.”

Kang Ahyeon said it as if she didn't trust Lee Ye-eun at all. The gun barrel remained pointed at Ye-eun's head.

“I can't trust a sister who distanced herself from Oppa just because he rejected her confession, claiming they couldn't even be friends anymore.”

I paused for a second. Had I… told her that? I didn't think I had. It wasn't like I kept a diary. She must have been snooping again. How the hell did she…?

I couldn't figure it out.

Kang Ahyeon barely suppressed the urge to pull the trigger as the memory flashed through her mind. There would be a chance someday. She smiled.