The Hunter and the Hunted (4)
“Terminal?”
Jang Seo-yeon’s voice rose at the end of the word, and Yang Min-cheol nodded.
“Yeah. Hyung definitely headed there.”
“Hmm.”
Letting out a small groan, Jang Seo-yeon crossed her arms and tilted her head.
“I dunno.”
“Is there a problem?”
“We don’t know for sure if Go Cheon-su actually went there……”
“Ah.”
No one could read Go Cheon-su’s mind completely, but he surely hadn’t planned for the group to scatter like this. Yang Min-cheol knew that much.
“Still, don’t you think hyung stuck to the plan?”
“There are soldiers at the terminal.”
Jang Seo-yeon’s face darkened with worry.
“You know they’re not your average troops. Who knows what dangers they’re packing.”
“That’s……”
“Honestly, without Go Cheon-su, I have no clue how we’d handle running into those soldiers.”
Jang Seo-yeon ruffled her hair irritably.
“If I’d known it’d turn out like this, I should’ve talked it over more. Him vanishing like that just makes everything a pain in the ass.”
“I’m feeling the pinch too.”
Losing Go Cheon-su, their leader, was a blow in every way.
“But we made it this far, right?”
People had inertia. Even if things changed a bit, the direction didn’t.
“We don’t need to scrap the path hyung set just ‘cause he’s not here. It’s still the best option right now.”
“……You.”
Jang Seo-yeon looked mildly surprised.
“You’ve got some steel in your spine, huh? Not panicking as much as I thought over Go Cheon-su being gone.”
“I panicked.”
But he’d already lost friends who’d helped him once, fumbling around in danger back then. He wasn’t about to repeat that mistake.
“I panicked, but hyung’s still alive, and so are we.”
So they were just separated for now—nothing had really changed.
“Let’s stick to the plan and head to the terminal. We’ll meet hyung there.”
“Sigh.”
Jang Seo-yeon let out a breath.
“If Go Cheon-su thinks we’re dead and bailed, we might run into trouble chasing him for nothing.”
“We got nowhere else to go anyway. We’ll figure it out when we get there.”
Yang Min-cheol wrung out the soaked sleeve of his school uniform and asked,
“Oh, where’d you get those clothes, by the way?”
“Clothes?”
Jang Seo-yeon glanced down. She’d already changed into something new.
“Oh, this. There were some shops over that way.”
“Mind showing me?”
“No sweat.”
With that, Jang Seo-yeon turned and yelled at Kim Ha-ryeong.
“Hey! We’re heading out!”
“……”
No response from Kim Ha-ryeong.
“Get ready! Go change your clothes too!”
“……”
“You not going after Go Cheon-su?”
At that, Kim Ha-ryeong shot to her feet. She strode right up to Jang Seo-yeon.
“Wh-what.”
“Let’s go.”
Brushing past the flustered Jang Seo-yeon, Kim Ha-ryeong started walking ahead.
“What the hell.”
“We’re going too, noona.”
Yang Min-cheol tugged Jang Seo-yeon’s arm.
“Can’t fall behind more.”
“Uh? Oh, yeah.”
And so the three set off in pursuit of Go Cheon-su.
“Hyung took a bus from here and left?”
After changing clothes, the group stood in front of a bus stop.
“Yeah. Chased by those wolf-looking things, then whoosh—gone.”
Kim Ha-ryeong explained what she’d seen, her voice trembling.
Yang Min-cheol scanned the area.
“Fur…… yeah, there’s some.”
Wolf-like things, she’d said. Seemed legit.
“Looks like they went that way.”
Fur scattered along a path, like a molting trail.
“Not Hansel and Gretel here—gonna follow that?”
Jang Seo-yeon raised a brow, but Yang Min-cheol replied with conviction.
“No wind blowing. This fur’s sticky enough not to fly away anyway.”
Not heavy, but viscous—stuck to the ground.
“Our destination’s the terminal anyway. Just use it as a guide.”
“Yeah, fair enough.”
Jang Seo-yeon glanced around.
“But we gotta grab weapons first. Lost everything we had.”
“True.”
Thrashing like drowned rats, they’d lost all their gear. No way they had monster-slaying weapons left.
“Swing by a hardware store if we spot one.”
Yang Min-cheol replied, eyes back on the fur trail.
“And let’s follow this.”
“Just as a reference, you said.”
Jang Seo-yeon sighed lightly and turned to Kim Ha-ryeong.
Kim was staring blankly into the bus stop shelter, like searching for Go Cheon-su’s ghost.
“He ain’t there.”
Jang Seo-yeon muttered under her breath.
Where had Go Cheon-su gone after leaving here? None of the three knew yet.
Meanwhile, at the airport intersection leading to Cheongju International Airport.
“This is……”
Go Cheon-su watched the soldiers from afar.
“Kinda unsettling.”
The intersection was jammed with cars. Soldiers were hooking their vehicles to the wrecks, trying to drag them aside.
On the nav map, it was too far to walk.
“Walking’d just get us shot by those soldiers.”
Some were already eyeing his direction.
“Only ‘cause I’m parked still, watching from way back.”
They could attack if they wanted, but he’d hidden the car behind a tree on purpose.
“Same difference, bros.”
As the chat bickered, Go Cheon-su sighed.
Rushed here and now we’re just sitting…… frustrating.
The commander seemed just as annoyed—a shout echoed from afar.
“Hey! Can’t you handle one? Hook the bus and shove those small cars aside! Clears space right away!”
Go Cheon-su eyed him closely. With that many troops, likely a company commander.
Were there this many at Daejeon Station too?
Maybe station forces merged at the Daejeon Complex Terminal, but doubtful. Daejeon Station was key—no way just a platoon guarded it.
Made sense each had their own company deployed separately.
So they’re taking another route.
The KTX-to-Yeongdeungpo plan flopped, but their thinking was unclear.
No clue.
Anyway, he’d chosen this path. Live or die, he had to reach Jeju from here.
Vroom!
Buses and trucks cleared the small cars blocking the road.
“Hurry up!”
Go Cheon-su glanced back. Nothing chasing.
But an inexplicable unease gnawed at him.
Thud.
No.
“What.”
Not his mind—the ground was shaking.
“Hurry!”
The commander bellowed. Soldiers scrambled into vehicles.
“Bros, what’s this?”
Go Cheon-su whipped around.
“What, you got some no-spoilers curse?”
“Huh?”
Even when streams got boring, spoilers were scarce. Viewers had stayed vague about the future for good reason.
“Tell me now!”
Big Head.
Go Cheon-su’s face hardened at the name.
“Big Head?”
One of the trickiest monsters to handle.
“Should’ve said sooner!”
Yanking his eyes from the laughing chat, he gripped the wheel. Follow the soldiers the second they moved.
No Big Head yet—no need to panic. And he had a car.
Thud.
A rumble. He checked the rearview.
“Huh……?”
A massive hand rose from the ground.
“Big…… Head?”
Too big for that.
Honk!
Horn from the soldiers. Mistake or not, worst timing for Go Cheon-su.
Thud! Boom!
The monster crawled up. Now he saw it.
“Big Head?”
No. Head like one, but body enormous.
Roooaaar!
Go Cheon-su sighed at the unfunny name.
“Adult form?”
Thud! Thud!
The Big Body burst from hiding, charging fast.
“Damn it!”
He released the brake and floored it.
“That’s why they left it alone……!”
Made sense—no attack despite the obvious bait. Let it chase and pick off the stragglers.
Vroom!
Soldiers’ vehicles and Go Cheon-su’s car sped through the intersection.
Enter the airport with that on our tail……!
They’d get nabbed before planes took off.
“Ah!”
Then it hit him. Dragging the bait bus here was for feeding during takeoff.
Even Big Heads devoured houses.
“Yeah, perfect bait.”
No idea how they scouted it, but spot-on.
Thud!
Another Big Body ahead.
Then—the lead bus surged forward.
“That’s……”
As Go Cheon-su’s eyes widened, it stopped before the front Big Body and opened its doors.
“Uwaaaah!”
What’d the driver say? Passengers screamed out.
“Shit!”
“Stop! Take us!”
“Car broke down!”
Go Cheon-su hadn’t known people could scream that loud. Despair poured from them as the Big Body approached.
“Aaaah! Aaaaah!”
It scooped one up to its mouth.
Go Cheon-su’s face set. Reminded him of the guy nabbed by Big Head near his house.
His mind blanked a second, but Han Do-choe snapped him back. He gritted his teeth, white-knuckling the wheel.
“Bros, hold on tight.”
Big Body behind too. Soldiers detoured past the feeding one.
Late, and he’d be sandwiched.
Vroooom!
But this wasn’t some ordinary ride. Close enough to catch up.
Vroom!
If only it’d been smooth.
Screech!
A soldier bus dropped back, blocking his path—doors opening.
“Aaaah!”
“D-don’t leave us!”
More people spilled out, just like the first.
“……Fuck.”
People now stood right in front of Go Cheon-su’s car.