Chapter 21. Passengers (3)

I stood in the kitchen of car 2, maneuvering the frying pan.

"Can't just feed them snacks forever..."

I poured oil into the heated pan and started stir-frying finely chopped ham and onions. The menu was kimchi fried rice. But since Sua was only seven, it might be too spicy for her, so I washed the kimchi thoroughly to remove as much seasoning as possible before slicing and adding it. I drizzled sesame oil generously and stir-fried with care until the rice grains were perfectly fluffy. Protein was essential too, so I fried up some eggs. Sizzle— As the eggs cooked on the pan, a savory aroma filled car 2.

Once the cooking was done, I divided the fried rice into two plates. And just as I cautiously pushed open the door to the passenger compartment in car 3...

"You're awake?"

The moment I opened the door, my eyes met those of the two little ones sitting in their seats, staring right at me. They must have been woken by the irresistible smell, unable to ignore it despite having slept like logs moments before. Jiwoo rubbed his eyes sleepily, looking up at me slowly, while Sua's mouth hung slightly open. I met their round gazes and smiled warmly.

"Time to eat. Come on over."

"Y-Yes?... Yeah! Get up, Sua."

"Ung..."

At my words, the siblings hopped up from their seats. Their steps were still wobbly from sleep, but lured by the aroma, they toddled after me. But just as Jiwoo was about to step over the threshold from car 3 into car 2...

Thud.

"Huh?"

"Ah..."

I let out a small exclamation at the window floating before my eyes. There had been no restrictions when I brought the siblings into the passenger compartment, but trying to move to another car was a different story.

'At least it guarantees safety.'

No need to worry about passengers sneaking into my sleeping quarters. I tapped the [Y] button in midair.

"Should be fine now."

The invisible wall melted away like mist, and the siblings, who had hesitated at the threshold, stepped safely into car 2. And in that moment, a completely different scene unfolded before their eyes.

"Whoa..."

"Oppa, look over there!"

Exclamations burst from the siblings' mouths in unison. To me, car 2 was a chaotic mess. One wall housed the drone hangar, where combat and scout drones hung neatly from charging ports, emitting a soft blue glow. Next to it towered mountains of shimmering mana stones and items looted from monsters. There was an armory and kitchen on one side, and out of nowhere, an aquarium with the marimo moss ball. The kids' sleepy, half-dazed eyes sparkled with curiosity in an instant. Sua seemed drawn to the marimo and drones, while Jiwoo couldn't tear his gaze from the armory.

"You can explore later. Food first."

I drew their attention to the island counter in the kitchen and seated them at the chairs, placing steaming plates of kimchi fried rice in front of each.

"Th-Thank you for the food!"

Sua clasped her hands first in thanks, then gripped her spoon tightly and shoveled a big scoop into her mouth. Jiwoo hesitated for a second before poking the egg yolk, mixing it with the rice, and wolfing it down. They were starving. Good thing I'd chosen the right menu—they were eating heartily.

"Eat slowly."

I poured water from the fridge into cups and rested my chin on my hand. Clink. Before long, the sound of spoons scraping empty plates echoed through the kitchen. They finished fast. Now it was my turn to watch them carefully. Time to ask some questions, even if they might be tough to answer—

"Thank you for the food..."

"Thank you for the food, hyung—no, noona..."

With full bellies, the tension drained away completely, and their eyelids grew heavy again. I cleared the empty plates to the sink and sat in the chair opposite them.

"Now... noona's gonna ask some questions. Just answer comfortably."

I started softly, trying not to sound intimidating.

"How'd you end up hiding in that dangerous mall bathroom?"

Jiwoo ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dropped his gaze to the table. Gone was the brave face clutching his sister; now he was just an anxious twelve-year-old boy. He fidgeted with his lips before speaking cautiously.

"...The red brick villa just a short walk from that PC bang was our home. Me, Sua, and Mom had been hiding there."

Me, Sua, and Mom. I wanted to ask about Dad but held back, figuring there was a story there, and just listened.

"And then?"

"We ran out of food. There were some snacks, but... before they ran out completely, Mom went out to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠find more and never came back."

Jiwoo's voice trembled faintly.

"When did Mom leave?"

"Three days ago."

"...I see."

I rubbed my chin, keeping my expression neutral, but my mind raced. 'Three days.' In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this world, heading out for food and not returning for three days? Leaving two kids waiting at home for meals. The implications were clear.

"This morning, the snacks and water Mom left ran out too. Sua was crying from hunger... Mom still wasn't back. So I went to look for her, but this huge wolf chased me, and I hid in the bathroom."

Jiwoo fought back tears as he finished. Sua, beside him, sniffled at the mention of Mom and clutched her brother's sleeve tightly.

'What a world.'

I sighed inwardly. The apocalypse's harsh reality seeped in through the siblings, heavier than anything I'd read in the gallery. While I'd been lucky surviving inside the train, outside, people risked their lives for food. I doubted their mom was safe, but I couldn't bring myself to say it outright to their faces.

"I see..."

I stood, grabbed a notepad and marker from the workshop area in car 2, and tore off a sheet, scrawling a large message.

It didn't look too threatening, right? I headed to the drone hangar and addressed the scout drone on standby at its charging port.

"Hey, can you help me out for a sec?"

Whirr— The scout drone floated silently to my eye level. I securely clipped the note into its underside claw.

"Jiwoo, what's your villa called?"

"Haoreum Villa. We lived in room 201."

"Got it."

I turned to the scout drone. "Scout drone, search Haoreum Villa near the PC bang. Stick this note by the door of room 201 and come back."

The drone rocketed upward with the note in tow. If by some miracle their mom survived and returned home, she'd see it and leave a mark on the roof. Otherwise—

'Guess I'm their guardian for now.'

After the meal, as the kids grew drowsy, there was one essential thing I needed to teach them first: how to check their own skills.

"Jiwoo, Sua. Try saying 'Status Window'?"

"Status Window? Like in games?"

Jiwoo blinked wide-eyed. At his age, he'd probably seen the term in games, but Sua just looked blank, not understanding her brother's question.

"Yeah, just like in games. Say it out loud. Some text should appear in front of you."

Jiwoo muttered skeptically into the air.

"St... Status Window."

A translucent holographic panel materialized before Jiwoo's eyes. It must be visible to others too. Jiwoo gasped in awe, poking at the floating text with his finger.

"Whoa, this is so cool... There's a glowing box in front of oppa!"

Sua clapped excitedly, able to see her brother's window too.

"What does it say?"

Jiwoo squinted and read haltingly.

"Uh... Skill... Luck."

He explained it applied positive probabilities to most actions. He seemed a bit disappointed, but I nodded.

'Positive probability on most actions—not bad at all.'

I wasn't sure of the exact scope, but it had versatile uses: higher drop rates for mana stones or rare items from monsters, better loot from chests. With positive buffs on all that and skill level-ups, it could become incredibly powerful long-term.

"Nothing to be disappointed about. Looks like an amazing skill to me."

Jiwoo's face lit up at my praise, though he still sounded a tad wistful.

"I wanted something cool like noona's train..."

"...You might've ended up calling me unnie instead of noona then."

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

I turned to Sua. "Your turn, Sua? Say 'Status Window' like oppa."

"Status Window!"

Her clear voice rang out, and a small holographic window appeared before her. The barely seven-year-old furrowed her brow at the complex text.

"...Too many letters..."

"I'll read it for you."

Jiwoo leaned over and read slowly.

Once Jiwoo finished, Sua ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tilted her head and tugged my clothes.

"Unnie, what's a dungeon?"

Her innocent seven-year-old question left me momentarily speechless. Dungeon.

"Um... A dungeon's like a cave full of bad monsters. You won't ever have to go in one, so no need to be scared."

I gently stroked her head. Even from a pure survivalist's view, stripping away sentiment, these siblings' skills were pretty great. My gut told me I'd be relying on them soon enough.