Chapter 35
Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Cavity (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"SKELTON!"
We ran into the Defender siblings on the way to Pangyo.
They were riding a beat-up scooter, and for some reason, the younger sister was at the handlebars.
Noticing my gaze, she shrugged her shoulders and glanced back.
"I drive better."
The Defender brother, perched awkwardly in the back seat, stared at my face.
"You haven't been eating well lately, have you?"
"Why do you say that?"
"You look thinner than before."
"My appetite's been off."
The Defender sister stared right through me, then asked casually,
"Want me to share some if you're out?"
"I'm good. Just not hungry."
Preserved rations might fill the belly, but after two years, the smell alone makes it come right back up.
Though maybe that's just me being full.
"How much do you have left? I'll share if you're hungry."
"I'm fine. What about you guys?"
"Us? About three months' worth."
Three months flies by.
But no need to worry about them anyway.
These two would kill someone else and take their food before starving to death sitting around.
"Let's get moving. Before the sun sets."
"Sounds good."
DentistKim's home-slash-clinic was nestled in Pangyo's upscale residential area.
The neighboring Bundang New City had been nearly obliterated during the war, and Pangyo's urban zones were bombed beyond recognition, but the suburban luxury homes had barely escaped the devastation.
That intact state was probably why the neighborhood still felt like a pre-war elite enclave.
Before the National Crisis Committee bigwigs left, they'd requisitioned the mansions for themselves, and after they split, the military took over as official residences.
Unlike what m9 thought, the generals preferred mansions over apartments.
Soldiers stood guard at the entrance to the gated community.
Even with prior arrangements and DentistKim giving the military a heads-up, stepping up to fully armed troops wasn't easy.
Fortunately, the military faction's discipline held strong.
"Ah, Dentist Kim mentioned you. His place is over there."
A neat-looking officer pointed to a mansion topped with solar panels in the distance.
"Watch your step. Just one thing, though."
The officer flashed a crisp smile that matched his sharp mask.
"It's gonna hurt a bit."
True to its status as the military brass's digs, the area brimmed with tight security.
Fully geared soldiers dotted the grounds, and anti-drone jamming trucks were parked nearby.
A few civilians were around too, but they looked like contractors tied to the military, not residents.
"This one? Or that one?"
Oddly, two houses sat side by side at the spot the officer indicated.
Both in that exposed-concrete industrial style, they looked like one from afar.
"Aren't they the same house? Same architect, maybe."
The Defender sister said, eyeing both.
"Could be."
The Defender brother chimed in.
"Rich folks get tighter than brothers when they team up."
I checked out the mansions too.
Similar style.
The courtyard type, with high outer walls enclosing the whole building.
The twin mansions looked identical, but their vibes were polar opposites.
The nearer one had peeling paint in spots, and the entrance bore scars of forced entry—shut tight with marks from sharp and blunt tools.
Sandbags and barricades scattered around hinted at the storms it'd weathered.
But the next-door place was a different story.
Same design, yet untouched—everything pristine, even guarded by two soldiers at the front gate.
We headed to the shabby one first.
The Defender brother rang the doorbell.
A shadow stirred on the second floor.
The door cracked open soon after, revealing a middle-aged woman.
She didn't look that old, but a deep gloom shadowed her face.
"Who are you?"
She eyed us warily through the anti-burglary chain.
"Dentist Kim's place?"
The Defender brother flashed his salesman smile and asked smoothly.
The woman muttered something blankly and pointed next door.
"The guy they call Dentist Kim's over there."
"Thanks."
As she moved to shut the door, a boy's sharp voice pierced from inside.
"He's not Dentist Kim! They're not from Dentist Kim's house!"
A cry laced with fury.
The door slammed midway, muffling the boy, followed by the woman scolding him harshly.
We left amid the child's sobs.
Heading to the lookalike mansion, the Defender siblings exchanged glances.
"Smells fishy."
The sister spoke first.
She stared at me intently, then whispered,
"What do you think, SKELTON?"
"...Who knows."
Something's off.
Anyone not an idiot could tell.
But pinning down exactly what? No clue.
Still, my tooth ached, and I wanted it fixed.
The Defender sister slowed to match my pace, then shoved her phone screen in my face out of nowhere.
That damn notepad app.
"Yeah, I'll give you that."
When things get shady, more people is better.
You can throw more weight around, cover each other.
Especially for defenseless stuff like dental work—someone needs to watch your back.
With DentistKim looking more suspect, backup wasn't optional.
Tension high, the Defender brother rang the bell.
Unlike before, the door opened right away.
"Hello there?"
A pale-faced middle-aged man with crow's feet smiled warmly.
Wearing a white doctor's coat.
"All three of you? From Viva! Apocalypse! by any chance?"
"Yeah. I'm SKELTON."
"Ah, SKELTON. Younger than I pictured."
"What do you mean?"
"Haha, nothing. Anyway, I'm the board user with the nickname DentistKim."
We shook hands.
His grip was stronger than he looked, fingers rough with calluses at every joint.
As we shook, his eyes flicked to the Defender siblings.
"And them?"
A hint of wariness.
Fair enough with three of us crashing.
But one being a woman helped in this spot.
He tensed at the Defender brother, but signaled the watching soldiers it was fine after spotting the sister.
Three guys? Probably rifles trained on us.
"Yeah, my cousins. We live together."
"Got it. Welcome all three. Come on in."
DentistKim led us to the living room.
The mansion screamed old-money luxury.
Open layout, killer color scheme, glossy details in every nook you wouldn't see in a commoner's place.
We settled into plush sofas, taking in the pristine interior untouched by war.
A woman—his wife, probably—and their daughter sat staring at us.
The girl too, but the wife's outfit screamed pre-apocalypse high society. Designer clothes, necklace, sparkling accessories, dainty watch on her wrist.
Maintaining that in this world?
Made me think of Kim Daram, out of touch now.
The glamorous woman whispered something in DentistKim's ear.
"Ah, before treatment, mind if we check the goods?"
The Defender brother pulled out what he'd brought.
Pre-war luxury clothes and bags wrapped in plastic and newspaper.
The woman inspected each piece.
"Hmm, this one's a bit worn."
She poked at the bag especially. No expert, but it was the priciest brand at the department store.
Setting it down, she muttered,
"Genuine's genuine, though."
Her eyes turned to me.
"Where'd you get this?"
"Pardon?"
"Korea? Abroad?"
"Uh, well."
How the hell should I know?
I glanced at the Defender brother,
"London."
He jumped in seamlessly.
"Mom brought it from a trip. Barely used. Liked another one she got more."
"I see. And the other one she brought?"
"Got too beat up from use. Didn't think it was worth bringing."
"Ah, gotcha."
From a distance, it was clear she called the shots here.
"Honey, it's good."
She gave the thumbs-up, and DentistKim led us to the basement.
There sat the perfect clinic from the community pics.
"So, who first?"
The Defender sister waved it off.
I raised my hand.
"Have a seat."
DentistKim laid me back like a pre-war dentist, suction in my mouth, bright light in, probing with tools.
"Ah, got a cavity here. No anesthetic—can you tough it out?"
"Yeah."
Defenseless position, but siblings behind me—didn't matter much.
By then, I trusted him anyway.
What puzzled me was how much he trusted us.
Even with a woman along, three prime-age guys barging in, and he welcomes us no fuss? Takes serious guts.
Weeeeeeng—
The nightmare whine from pre-war filled the basement.
"Raise your hand if it hurts. Hey, haven't even started."
Treatment began.
I endured, raising my hand now and then.
Grind grind grind!
"Gah!"
"Hang in there. Tough guy exterior, huh."
Soon, done.
Success.
Big success, even.
Not just cavity gone in the apocalypse, but amalgam filling to boot.
Tongue caressing the solid fill, satisfaction surged.
Next up: Defender sister.
Big cavity in a molar.
"Gonna need a root canal."
Her face fell at "root canal," looking up at me with teary eyes, thrusting her phone.
"..."
Had a feeling.
Casually turned to DentistKim.
"...Anesthetic possible?"
"Needs meds. Extra cost for that. We save it for VVIP generals."
"This work?"
I offered a local anesthetic I'd brought just in case.
"Ooh, got a syringe?"
"Yep."
Tears welled in the Defender sister's eyes.
She tapped her tablet, flashing huge text at me.
"..."
Her social skills were beast-level, as expected.
Even for a numbing shot, she screamed; I had to hold her steady.
Once numb, she cooperated smoothly, and calm returned.
"Gonna step out for a sec."
The Defender brother, who'd watched, left the clinic.
I stared; he shook his head.
No treatment needed.
In the quiet hum of the handpiece, I reminisced about past dental visits, waiting.
"Ack. M-my... m-mouth... won't... o-open..."
The Defender sister, cheeks ballooned, headed out with me.
DentistKim and family saw us to the door.
"Take care. Come back anytime for more treatment. Viva! Apocalypse! folks always welcome!"
Polite to the end.
A bit savvy and calculating, but solid work, and seeing a family with breathing room lifted my spirits.
But when the Defender brother approached with a sly grin, ignored issues fanned out like a debt ledger before me.
"Knew it. That guy's a fake."
He'd slipped out to the neighbor's.
No idea how he coaxed it, but he'd gotten the gloomy woman's tale of tragedy here.
The conclusion matched my vague hunch.
Bottom line: Pre-war DentistKim posting future dreams on the community? Not the guy who treated me.
"...He worked under the real doc. Right after the war, mobs trashed the place. He dragged his family to 'help' his boss, and that kicked off the real DentistKim's nightmare."
The basement gear, living room plaques? Not his.
Wife's designer duds and bags? Not hers.
Daughter's fancy kid clothes? Same.
None of it theirs.
The killer and his family stole not just lives, but their entire existence.
"..."
But his treatment was flawless.
No threats, no harm from that family.
Just courtesy and kindness throughout.
Ideal doctor-patient vibe, even.
"What now?"
The Defender brother itched to kill them.
Sister too.
No big justice boner—just needed an excuse. They wanted my nod.
"..."
After a beat, I sighed and looked at them.
"Let 'em be."
"...Yeah?"
Short exchange, heavy with meaning.
Him chomping his left molar? Silent pact.
No need to kill.
The DentistKim who fixed me and the dead one? Same in a way.
Hell, new guy's maybe an upgrade.
Bet the Defender brother clocked that in those few words.
But.
"Hm?"
Something came loose in my mouth.
Spit it out: the fresh amalgam filling.
As I stared blankly at it in my palm, the Defender brother grinned.
"What now?"
"..."
Conclusion unchanged, but yeah, I'd hesitated.