Peace in a teacup
Peace in a teacup
I turned off the TV immediately.
It wasn't that I couldn't empathize, but honestly, it wasn't exactly the kind of atmosphere to keep watching here.
I had turned on the TV in the first place to lighten the mood.
I'll just look up the details on my phone later.
"...Ah, if you're tired, shall we head back first?"
"...Uh, sorry."
Min Ah-ji twitched her drooping ears once, then carefully closed the hospital room door and left.
Click.
Once the door closed and perfect silence returned, I pressed my hand to my forehead and let out a deep sigh.
'Haa, what an atmosphere.'
I turned my gaze to the delivery box sitting all alone on the side table next to the bed.
The invoice read [Clothing/Sundries].
The sender was indeed that online shopping mall I had been wrestling with on my phone a few days ago.
'If I recall, they said the NIS agents who wanted to meet me brought it.'
Unfortunately, I had headed to Gangnam before that, so we missed each other.
When I ordered this, I didn't even have pants to wear outside, so I was shivering in just my boxer briefs and a long padded coat.
Even though it was only a few days ago, it felt like a long time ago.
It's understandable, considering in that short time I went to the front of the Blackout Zone, sliced up monsters, performed miracles, and even negotiated with the military.
The density of time is different. The density.
"Let's see......."
I roughly opened the box and checked the clothes that had arrived.
The distinct smell of new clothes.
Leaving behind the scent that felt almost like perfume, I held the hoodie up against myself.
'...Hmm, it fits well enough.'
The size looks about right by eye.
The only problem is whether I'll actually have a chance to wear this in the future.
'...Well, the military provides most supplies anyway.'
I smacked my lips bitterly, folded the hoodie roughly, and tossed it into a corner of the bed.
"I'll just throw it on when I sleep later."
Now that the desperation was gone, the joy of opening a package was also diminished.
I stared blankly at the black screen of the wall-mounted TV, then opened my phone.
'...Oh jeez, why are there a mountain of notifications like this?'
Still, excluding things like game stamina notifications, the important ones were roughly sorted out.
For example.......
'Mom contacted me a lot.'
Even Dad had contacted me.
Since he's usually a blunt person, he almost never contacts me first like this.
...I had already given my parents a heads-up about my situation.
I didn't tell them everything honestly, just enough to gloss over it.
But since I had told them that, it seemed they were very worried because I hadn't been in touch for a day.
I took a short deep breath and pressed the call button.
The call connected before the ringing even went twice.
[Yoo-jin-ah!]
At Mom's urgent voice coming from the other side of the receiver, I reflexively pulled the phone slightly away from my ear.
"Uh, Mom. Why did you call so much?"
[You're the one who didn't pick up! Do you know how worried Mom and Dad were, thinking something happened to you?]
"No, nothing happened. The training was just a bit intense, so I slept like I passed out. This is the military, you know."
It was partially the truth. I did pass out, after all.
The only difference is that the cause wasn't training, but Holy Power overload.
[Military or whatever, I saw the news and Gangnam is in total chaos right now! You aren't being deployed to some dangerous place, are you?]
I leaned my back against the headboard and replied, pretending to be calm.
"Why would I go to a dangerous place? Would they even send me when I'm in this state? I'm waiting in the rear. The food is good, the sleeping arrangements are comfortable, I'm having a real cushy time."
[......Really?]
"Would I lie to you? Is Dad next to you?"
[Yeah, yeah, I'll put him on. Honey!]
There was a clattering sound, and soon, along with a throat-clearing sound, Dad's blunt voice came through.
[...Did you eat?]
"Not yet. Did you eat, Dad?"
[Yeah. I heard the training is tough. Be careful not to get hurt, don't act out, and stay hidden in the back.]
I chuckled and nodded.
"Got it. Oh, right. That bitch...... still no contact?"
[...Yeah.]
Dad's voice became noticeably heavy.
When the topic of Yuri came up, I could feel the air on the other side of the receiver turn cold.
[Your mom is crying every day as it is. We filed a missing person report with the police, but with the situation in Seoul as it is, who knows what will happen.......]
"Don't worry too much. Is she the type to die easily? She's probably holed up in some shelter somewhere, just eating the food they give her. Like a pig."
[......Yeah, I hope so.]
"I'll find her."
It was a phrase that popped out before I knew it.
I realized my mistake too late and hurriedly glossed over it.
"I mean... I'll make inquiries and drag her back by her hair, so don't worry and just stay put."
[......Yoo-jin-ah. Don't push yourself.]
"I won't. I'm hanging up."
I hurriedly hung up. I felt like if I talked any longer, they would catch my voice trembling.
Staring quietly at the call ended screen, I bit my lip hard.
'I've just been rattling off lies.'
Saying I'm having a cushy time, saying I'm in the rear.
But if I didn't make excuses like this, both of them might collapse from heart failure.
I shook my head to shake off the thoughts and opened the internet browser to check the news.
The anchor's words that were cut off on TV earlier, and the voices of the bereaved families screaming.
I need to find out how the situation outside is unfolding.
[Breaking News] Gangnam Blackout Zone perimeter, 2,000 citizens in a standoff with tanks... Why is the Martial Law Command operating tanks against citizens instead of the Blackout Zone?
[Exclusive] Protesters pouring in, physical clashes with military troops... Casualties mounting.
[Summary] Martial Law Command, public sentiment explodes over classified control of the situation inside the Blackout Zone.
Just looking at the article headlines made me dizzy.
The comment section was already a mess.
Hatred towards Mutants, condemnation of the incompetent government, and even the tearful pleas of people who have family in the Blackout Zone.
-What is the military doing? Eating our taxes and not even shelling? And where did you sell off the tanks?
-Fucking hell, why are you using tanks made to fight foreign enemies only against the citizens? Take the tanks or the air force and flatten that Blackout Zone thing or whatever! Why aren't you doing it!
-My daughter is in there, please save her, please.......
-We need to round up and crush all the Mutants. This whole mess is happening because of those demon bastards.
Someone turned the arrow of anger by witch-hunting the Mutants, and someone cursed the incompetent government.
And at the base of all that hatred and anger lay the fear of losing a loved one.
I took in all those reactions.
I might be able to understand their reactions, or I might not.
Even if there are some words I can empathize with, there are others I won't be able to.
In just a week, the world was spiraling into such chaotic extremes.
The fact felt like it was tightening around me step by step, so I squeezed my eyes shut.
'...I'm exhausted.'
I handled too many things right after waking up.
For now... I think I need to sleep a little.
*
It didn't take long until discharge.
It's not like I came here because I was injured in the first place. They said there was nothing wrong with my body.
As soon as I was discharged, I headed to the briefing room that had become familiar over the past week.
Then, all eyes were on me in an instant.
Among them, the first to open his mouth was definitely Kim Ji-hoo.
"You have arrived. Our......."
"Stop."
I cut off Kim Ji-hoo, who was approaching with his hands clasped as soon as I opened the briefing room door, in one fell swoop.
"Don't. I know what you're going to say."
"Yes."
Good. First, the most threatening enemy has been neutralized.
I looked around at the crowd, who were each trying to say a word to me, and spoke.
"Let's not say anything unnecessary because it's embarrassing. Just think about it calculatedly."
"......."
"Isn't it a good thing? At least we... even if the worst happens, we've gained a means."
"You are right."
A faint sense of relief crossed the Elder's feather-covered face.
"Even if I find my grandchild and son, what should I do if they have already turned into monsters... I lost sleep over that worry. But now, at least we can see their faces, can't we?"
That statement was extremely realistic and desperate.
It was the most desperate wish of someone who had lost family, far more relatable than airy talk about gods or saviors.
Min Ah-ji and Yoo In-ha also nodded silently.
At least we had gained a new hope.
It was the moment I let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
The intelligent Orc Mister suddenly asked.
"...Because of that, shouldn't you be further in the rear?"
He continued.
"Of course, it's good for us if someone like you is with us. The probability of survival will increase exponentially. But rationally, wouldn't it be right for you to remain here?"
At first glance, it's a rational question.
But it's not like I haven't thought about that myself.
"The time it takes for me to purify one Mimic Beast is a full day. It might decrease if I keep repeating it, but even so, could I handle that much volume all by myself?"
"...It means pouring water into a bottomless pit."
"Honestly speaking, I don't know how long the National Army can hold out either."
Currently, the National Army is doing its best and moving in a rational direction. This is a fact that must be acknowledged.
However, if something more than this occurs, the National Army will lose control over the situation.
Honestly, even stopping the Mimic Beasts right now looks like it's barely hanging on.
The reason I got angry back then was because the National Army made empty promises, not because I didn't understand.
Also, it doesn't mean much if I stay in the rear anyway.
Because the efficiency is terribly awful.
Before I can even try anything, the National Army will exceed the threshold they can handle.
So, one reason has emerged for why I must enter the Blackout Zone despite all these reasons.
'To understand my abilities a little more.'
Didn't they say before that there's a possibility the light I emit could clear away the darkness of the Blackout Zone, even if just a little?
That means Holy Power and the Blackout Zone are capable of some kind of interaction.
Beyond just staying in the rear, I'll be able to handle my power better if I jump in directly.
Just like how I finally realized a new way to use it only when I felt compassion for the Mimic Beast.
'Perhaps those high-ups know this fact too. Seeing as they want me to maintain my affiliation with the Special Response Team as much as possible, it seems they want me to eventually go beyond the Blackout Zone.'
If I really am the only hope, we must take a gamble.
Because it doesn't look like we have much time left to just sit still and plug a bottomless pit.
Click.
The briefing room door opened and Captain Kim Hyung-chul entered.
But he was not alone. Beside him was an agent wearing a suit, not a military uniform.
With their appearance, the air that had been soft just a moment ago instantly shifted to the tense atmosphere of an operational meeting.
"Everyone is gathered. Han Yoo-jin-ssi, are you feeling okay?"
"Well, I'm at the point where I can roll if you tell me to roll right now."
"That's fortunate. We don't have time, so let's get straight to the point."
Captain Kim continued in a flat voice, as if nothing had happened.
"From now on, I will deliver information regarding the Blackout Zone."
With those words, the agent in the black suit stepped forward.