Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Faith
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Faith isn't something exclusive to gods.
There are all sorts of faiths.
Faith in the love between lovers, a thriving businessman's unwavering belief in his own luck, a sports coach's stubborn trust in an underperforming player, and so on.
I once witnessed a similar kind of faith in a real estate forum I joined briefly while scouting land in the old days.
From what I dimly recall of a post written by someone whose entire fortune was likely tied up in a single house:
Real estate only goes up~ war or no war, missiles falling, country collapsing, still only up~
Something along those lines.
I mostly agree, but I can't imagine it holding true even in extreme situations like war.
Our community has someone with a similar belief, too.
This guy, m9, who spouts crazy nonsense every other day, didn't start out as a fanatic about tomorrow.
By forum standards, he was just an ordinary user with perfectly normal thinking and standard values.
m9 started changing after he won a spot in "The Hope," the state-of-the-art apartment complex.
Until then, just one average user among many, he suddenly flipped and began trash-talking the lifestyle choices everyone else had made.
But users on our Viva! Apocalypse! Korean board aren't pushovers.
With nothing better to do, we're online all day, so we know exactly how to handle weirdos.
Our chosen method: total non-response.
No need for arguments or engagement—just collective ignoring as social punishment.
Considering the board's main purpose is communication, mass ignoring is like a death sentence.
But this isn't just someone else's story.
I'm in a bit of danger myself...
I ditched even my pride-and-joy John_nenon-style title and carefully picked something that'd draw comments, but no one replied.
The cause: the human hunters.
Their "SKELTON rules!" spam post had tanked my already shaky reputation.
One user friendly to me messaged me about it.
I know.
Everyone hates him, but his posts stand out from the crowd and provide entertainment, so he's a necessary evil we tolerate.
No wonder my image tanks when that weirdo clings to me.
In fact, the board already treats me as a full member of the "Defender buddy family."
But reversal isn't impossible.
My role model is m9 from earlier.
After enduring the social death penalty of mass ignoring, m9 broke his long silence and skyrocketed to star user status.
His momentum was so hot that even those who'd blocked him unblocked to check his posts.
The spark came from his recent post.
No explanation in the post—just three low-res videos attached.
In the first, m9 uses a selfie stick to show his trip from the bunker to Seoul, heavily edited with skips.
His face on screen looked older than mine, and for some reason, he was raising two dogs in the bunker.
Welsh Corgi? French Bulldog? Something like that.
"Alright, this is the road connecting my hideout to Seoul. As you can see, super safe! Soldiers are always watching out, right? Looters? None around. But what's the point of good security if you're rotting away in a bunker?"
Unlike my territory, just starting to bustle with pioneers, m9's bunker area had soldiers and armored vehicles marching in orderly lines along the road, tails literally wagging.
For some reason, the army was heading toward Seoul, not the front lines, but m9 didn't seem to care.
"Now, time to reveal my new apartment! Antis! Keep your eyes peeled! You could die and resurrect a hundred times and never get a place like this!"
Clearly nursing grudges, m9 vented a long, satisfying rant at the camera.
But this guy.
"Especially you, SKELTON, you bastard! What? 'Absolutely no construction'? What? 'Official word from a connected source'? Ha! How can a person be like that? Just curse me out straight. Don't creepily crush people's hopes!"
Why single me out for his tantrum?
Anyway, the video revealed The Hope's current state.
Given the times, the government hadn't built the whole complex—just one pilot building quickly, using resident tests and data to plan the rest.
m9 was one of the test residents moving into the pilot.
But something felt off.
Even for one apartment building, construction takes time, right?
Site leveling alone should take over a year.
How'd they shorten the timeline?
The answer was in m9's video.
I rubbed my eyes in disbelief.
"Whoa..."
I had to—it was leaning.
The apartment was tilted at an angle severe enough to terrify anyone seeing it, like Korea was showing off to Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa.
But m9 seemed blind to it.
"Alright, feast your eyes on my sweet home. No more moldy bunker!"
The interior was somewhat furnished.
Built-ins, wardrobes, bathroom with tub, boiler, flushing toilet, sink, fridge, washer—home essentials.
But it was all for show. The video showed defects everywhere.
Wallpaper peeling off in tatters like cheap paste, cracked bathroom tiles, built-in fridge that wouldn't turn on, no water from the taps.
Most striking: when m9 dropped a pen, it rolled slowly across the living room floor... downward.
The community's reaction was pure question marks.
Classic shoddy construction.
Lottery winners realized the truth and complained, so they pissed on their own feet and posted this mess.
A reporter based in Seoul brought the real info.
The reporter mainly uses Failnet, unlike our Viva! Apocalypse!—it's on unstable wired/wireless nets with crashing servers, but as open internet, it has massive users and superior info volume/reliability.
Je Phong-ho's last photo came from there too.
Lots of rumors, but the reporter has an eye for real vs. fake, making him a top user fast.
Users nodded at the reporter's words—except one, veins bulging in denial.
Despite the savage sarcasm, m9 became a star.
People were curious.
When would m9's apartment collapse?
When would m9 vanish from the board?
After that, his posts averaged over 10 comments each.
Content was similar.
Not what he intended, but seeing ex-blocked must-block m9 racking up replies lit a fire under me.
I realized: if it's fun enough, folks will unblock despite the blocks.
I had decent material.
My long-planned decoy house build.
Plan was simple.
Haul my old container house to the collapsed bunker site, spruce it up a bit.
Pulled out the forklift after ages, moved the container, made it livable-ish, and posted.
Low views—title too vague? Reposted with new one.
Not the title.
Lots viewed but ghosted.
Later, Defender—probably a little bro type—explained.
House quality issue.
Decoy, so half-assed fixes. Fine for me, but others don't know.
Who'd like a junk shack?
My mistake: failed to meet customer standards.
Anyway, why's this guy so clingy?
Anyway, m9 kept winning.
Especially moving day from bunker to The Hope under army "escort"(?): 122 comments, epic.
Even Yankee board users came asking what happened.
Like all worldly gossip, m9's saga burned bright and fast, then faded.
A bigger issue buried the minor m9 drama.
Clue was already in m9's vid.
Armies marching to Seoul.
They were front-line troops.
Eastern front army mutinied en masse, turned units to "march" on Seoul.
Their cause rang true.
"Citizens, the ROK government is lying to you. President and cabinet already evacuated all gear, elites, especially hunters, to Jeju. They abandoned us."
Not one army entered Seoul.
Another from the west.
Theirs had merit too.
"ROK military's duty: protect land and people. Politics—as our stained constitutional history shows—is not for soldiers to touch. Im Nam-su will defend Seoul from all threats to protect ROK citizens, Assembly, Constitution."
Two armies faced off in Seoul.
Capital already split north-south now east-west.
Soldiers in same uniforms glared at checkpoints, built barricades, prepped gear.
Assembly-backed army vs. Corps-backed army negotiated demands, but settlement odds low.
Seoul-based reporter, who'd seen it all firsthand, voiced despair for first time.
That's when I pinged Kim Daram.
No response.
Was she on that transport flying over my turf before?
Or some other issue?
As her replies lagged more, I silently scrolled the board.
One poster caught my eye.
m9.
Checked his recent posts.
Even as everyone sensed doom, he sang faith's hymn.
I knew he'd blocked me, but pity made me message.
Didn't expect reply.
But instant response.
Twist.
m9 hadn't blocked me.
And he knew his choice was wrong.
So maybe that's why.
He messaged casually, like he'd been waiting ages.
One day, two years and one month into the war.
Still no word from Kim Daram.
Civil war erupted in Seoul.
Two armies in same uniforms, same language, guns trained on each other, hurling flames of rage.
A week of infighting engulfed most of Seoul in fire, birthed millions of refugees.
From that hell rose one photo on the board.
Sky ablaze like sunset, actual burning ruins backdrop to a lone-standing apartment.
I knew it.
The Hope.
Symbol of hope.
And one man's faith.
The cutting-edge apartment, home to just one unit, still stands crooked in a Seoul corner, functioning as hope's landmark this very moment.