Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: -6
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Reunion
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Probably no one in this world could identify the emotion surging through me right now.
Not even me, so how could anyone else?
If I had to force a description, it felt like a strange mix of the joy and regret you get from reuniting with a lover.
Yeah, it was truly an odd sensation.
"H-how do you know my name!"
Hyeok Tae-jun was the protagonist of the game. The fact that I recognized him from his face—not just his name—made it clear he wasn't some random namesake.
I'd assumed Hyeok Tae-jun didn't exist in this world.
Honestly, isn't it a stretch to expect a game protagonist who's never even made a cameo to be real?
And yet, here he was, plain as day.
"Answer me, or else!"
Hyeok Tae-jun's demeanor shifted in an instant.
The awkwardness of wielding the knife vanished, replaced by the sharp proficiency honed through endless repetition.
And the reason? Probably that pistol in his hand.
A pistol in Korea—sounds ridiculous, but no matter how I looked at it, that thing was real.
According to the game, Hyeok Tae-jun had been a cop before joining the Bureau.
The Headquarters Chief might dodge bullets based on what I've seen so far, but sadly, I hadn't reached that level.
Perhaps out of consideration for me, the Chief—who'd kept his mouth shut until now—finally spoke up.
"I think there's been a misunderstanding, young man. We were just passing by. Pure coincidence."
The Chief raised his furrowed brows slightly.
"...I don't know how you got your hands on that gun, but if you fire it, every monster in the area will swarm this place."
Those words seemed to convince Hyeok Tae-jun somewhat; his arm began to tremble.
But he steadied himself, tension returning to his arm as the barrel pointed even more directly at me.
"I could let you go, but shouldn't you answer my question first? How the hell do you know my name!"
The woman beside him clung to him, her face twisted in terror.
She looked so frightened it almost made me feel sorry for her.
But now wasn't the time to worry about her.
How do I get out of this?
Blurting out his name in shock had been the problem.
I'd said it unconsciously, so there was no taking it back.
The Chief shot me an urgent glance from the side.
He could handle those two easily, but the noise would be immense, and they'd definitely get hurt in the process.
Ah, screw it!
"I had my doubts, but... it really is you, Hyeok Tae-jun, huh? We were in the same class in middle school!"
I'll go with the old-friend-from-school ploy.
No one remembers every single classmate from their school days.
It's natural to forget at least a few.
"What? Which class?"
Uh-oh?
"...Class 3?"
"Class 3... that would've been our second year."
Seemed like it was going well enough.
"What's your name?"
"Me? Shin Jin-seong."
"...Doesn't ring a bell."
Now's the moment.
Time to land the finishing blow.
"Man... that kinda hurts. We weren't super close or anything, but we hung out pretty often."
The key here was to sell the genuine disappointment.
See? Even that inexperienced cop fell for my masterful lie!
Time to wrap this up.
"When you got hospitalized chasing a pickpocket 'cause you wanted to be a cop, I even visited you."
Twisting a game detail into proof of our "friendship."
"Oh... sorry, really. I've been so busy lately, must've forgotten."
Hyeok Tae-jun lowered his gun and took a step back.
He was still on guard for any surprises, but the tension had eased considerably.
Meeting the game protagonist was a total shock, and part of me wanted to chat for hours with the guy I'd spent thousands of hours with virtually.
But given the circumstances, we didn't have time for a leisurely catch-up.
They'd be on edge around strangers, and I wanted to avoid my lie getting exposed.
I casually elbowed the Chief in the side.
How is this body sixty years old? It felt like solid steel.
Understanding my cue, the Chief prepared to head out.
"Well, great seeing you after all this time..."
I said the most meaningful thing I could in this situation.
"Stay alive."
What else could I say? Good luck on your exams? Land that job?
I just hoped he wouldn't die.
Since he'd survived this long, he could probably keep going.
"Huh? Wait, hold on."
As we turned to leave the building, Hyeok Tae-jun's voice called out.
"Jin-seong? Or Jin-seong-ah, got any spare chocolate?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I wonder what the Chief was thinking right now.
Did he really believe I was Hyeok Tae-jun's middle school classmate?
Based on my experiences so far, the Chief didn't strike me as the sharpest, but he had a certain intuition.
He'd probably already seen through my lie.
Yet he played along without a single question. I owed him for that.
Explaining it later would be tricky, though.
"So, why chocolate?"
From the looks of it, they had plenty of food stocked up.
Was he just craving it?
"Well..."
Hyeok Tae-jun glanced at the woman beside him.
"...because of her."
'Her,' huh.
More detached than I'd expected.
I'd assumed they were lovers, but maybe not.
Up close, their ages didn't quite match a romantic pair.
But she was clinging to him awfully tightly.
Family, maybe?
...Nah, probably not.
As if reading my mind, Hyeok Tae-jun looked my way.
"She's... my benefactor. Saved my life when I was about to die."
He let out a deep yawn.
"Problem is, I don't even know her name—or anything about her."
"What?"
"From the moment we met, she's had no memories. Total blank slate."
His words made my body stiffen.
Wasn't this protagonist living way too much like one?
Well, he was the protagonist, after all.
Surviving the apocalypse with an amnesiac girl? Straight out of a novel.
"She doesn't react much to anything else... but she loves chocolate. Oh, not asking for freebies, obviously. I wanna trade for some other rations."
I could spare chocolate.
The Chief didn't like sweets much, and I couldn't taste anything anyway, so what did it matter?
But that girl seemed awfully suspicious.
Amnesia was fishy enough, and she felt like a walking manga cliché.
Whatever. It was Hyeok Tae-jun's life; none of my business.
Worrying about unrelated strangers in this world was just asking for trouble.
I quietly spoke to the Chief, who was deep in thought.
"Can I give them chocolate?"
"No issue there. More importantly, isn't that girl suspicious?"
"Ah... yeah, I think so too. But it's not our place to get involved."
"Hm? What're you talking about? Isn't that your middle school buddy? You're just gonna leave him with a shady girl?"
Did he seriously not see through my lie?
The Chief was grinning.
Ah, he was just messing with me.
I twisted my face in disbelief.
"I don't know how you knew that guy's name, but fine... if you don't want to stick around."
With his confirmation, I turned back to Hyeok Tae-jun.
"Here, chocolate in exchange for... uh, some canned tuna, say."
Hyeok Tae-jun brightened and handed over the tuna cans.
Seeing the usually stoic game protagonist show all sorts of emotions felt surreal.
The girl snatched the chocolate with glee and burst into giggles.
Then, piercing through her laughter, a scream echoed from outside.
Flesh and bone crunching—it was bad enough that I could picture the gruesome scene.
Whether it was a human facing a monster or the pitiful final cry reaching the heavens, one thing was clear: that scream would draw monsters here.
All the great survivors who'd made it this far instinctively silenced even their breathing.
All except one.
"Tae-jun! Can I eat this chocolate now?"
"Ahh, not right now—!"
Boom!
The wall crumbled, revealing a massive hulking figure.
No one was hurt, but everyone here knew monsters would pour in endlessly from now on.
"Seriously, how have you survived this long!"
Benefactor my ass—bet that girl had nearly gotten him killed more times than she'd saved him.
The Chief and I were already gearing up for combat.
Hyeok Tae-jun drew his pistol and aimed, but I doubted it'd do much.
And the girl... was walking toward the monster?
"Wh-what?"
Yet Hyeok Tae-jun didn't try to stop her.
Had he gotten fed up with her antics and decided to cut her loose?
Even after calling her his benefactor?
The protagonist I knew wasn't like th—
Bang!
Er... guess I had him all wrong.
The girl blew the monster apart with one hand.
Pop! Just like that.
"Ugh! So annoying! I wanna eat my chocolate!"