For Sale: Planet Earth
The truth was, there were more similarities than differences.
Won-goo could create a Safe Zone, and so could Queen — that was precisely what her Gift did.
The biggest difference, however, was that Won-goo's Gift wasn't specialized for Safe Zones in the first place.
A Safe Zone.
In other words, Won-goo's Temporary Shelter was merely one ability among the many branches tied to his Gift.
Queen's Gift, on the other hand, was itself bound to the Safe Zone, which meant that in terms of pure function, hers was arguably superior.
"When it comes to the shelter function itself, Queen's is far better. It's a good Gift. The kind anyone would covet."
At that, everyone nodded along in agreement.
"From what I saw, their cohesion's not bad either. Normally after a big crisis things are supposed to fall apart, but there was none of that."
"Good eye, Pacific. The Mosquitoes — no, from now on we call them the Queen's Gang. That side's only going to grow. Their weakness is combat power, but they'll shore that up too."
"Would they have the time for that, Director Gong? When a beast bleeds, the insects come swarming."
"I don't know whether Queen herself is sharp or whether she's just got someone clever in her ranks, but that won't be happening for a while yet."
"Why would that be the case?"
"We deliberately stalled for time at the shelter."
"……?"
"You didn't notice? We made a point of being exposed. Right now our reputation is the best in the area. We resolved a major incident out at Ganjeol Point — the Arctic Giant, no less — so everyone's watching us wherever we go. And a crew like ours came all this way on a house call, solved the problem, and left. Nobody's going to touch them. The real issue is a repeat of a case like this one. But with the brainwave crew on her side, I'd say she'll handle that too."
"You said her combat strength is weakened right now."
"We just did the cleaning for her, so Queen's side is still the strongest around for the moment. And she'll stop small-time gangs from banding together like they did this time. If she can't even manage that, then the place was doomed from the start anyway."
"Queen's a puzzle piece in your plan too, isn't she, Director?"
Jeon Hye-ji's question. Won-goo had always thought her questions had a way of striking straight at the heart of things.
So he decided to bring up what he'd originally intended to save for later.
But not now. The vacation the crew had been waiting for was about to begin. Heavy talk could wait until after a short break — there was plenty of time for it.
"Yeah. Queen's part of the plan too. There's a lot to say about that, but let's do it after the vacation. Su-won."
"Y-yes, sir. D-Director."
"When we get close enough to reach the Shelter without a pathfinder, tell me."
"W-we could f-find it now, even."
"I know. But that takes too long, doesn't it?"
"W-well, yeah, I s-suppose."
"So just let me know when we're close enough. Then I'll send in the pathfinders and we'll enter the Shelter."
"U-understood."
The pathfinders led the way, and the trailer followed their guidance without a hitch.
Kim Seok-bong and his fellow pathfinders were seriously skilled.
Even though the distance between shelters was considerable, they were able to move without a hint of danger.
For short trips, a single pathfinder would do, but for long hauls, field rules demanded adding a few more to the team.
Each pathfinder had his own specialty, after all.
"Kim Seok-bong!"
As they neared Shelter Sabbath, Won-goo brought the trailer to a stop. Kim Seok-bong came over.
"Something wrong, Director?"
"From here on, you all head back on your own. We've got a stop to make around here."
"But Sabbath's still a ways off. Will you be all right?"
"Don't worry. I know my way around this area."
With that, Won-goo handed him a small pouch.
"Good work."
"Thank you, Director."
"No need to thank me — you're being paid for the job. Pass my thanks along to the others too."
"Yes, sir."
The pathfinders vanished in short order. Meanwhile, the trailer moved toward a sparsely populated spot nearby.
Naturally, Su-won was guiding them.
Won-goo, who liked to be prepared, had established several points in this area.
A place to rest briefly before moving on. A place to hold out for a day or so.
A place where attention could be diverted entirely.
A place where the routes tangled into a maze.
He'd been operating out of Sabbath as his base for quite a while now, so it would have been stranger if he hadn't known such places. And with Su-won around, he could set up as many points as he liked — something Won-goo had made a habit of doing whenever he found spare time.
The trailer stopped, and Won-goo opened the Temporary Shelter.
In an instant, the crew transported into the cosmic space.
Midnight, looking perfectly restored now, appeared again with a smile.
The crew knew by now that Midnight wasn't human — that she was something else wearing a human shape.
Even so, their behavior toward her hadn't changed in the slightest.
"Same rules as before. Enjoy yourselves, all of you. One thing to keep firmly in mind: nothing in here leaves this place. If you take anything out, you won't be allowed to use the Shelter again. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then go have fun."
Just then, Jeon Hye-ji shot her hand up.
"Hye-ji. Something to say?"
"Are we doing a movie screening this time too?"
"We are. Whose turn is it? Whoever's up gets to pick."
Geum Chul-soo and Jeon Hye-ji both raised their hands.
Jo Mu-sa had picked last time, and Su-won couldn't remember what he used to like. Rafael was the same.
That said, Rafael had found the last screening absolutely fascinating, which was why she couldn't quite hide her excitement at the mention of the Temporary Shelter either.
"What about me?" Pacific said.
"Then you're in too. Rock-paper-scissors, three of you. Clean and simple, right? Come on — no pick, you lose. Rock, paper, scissors."
Rock. Rock. Paper.
A clean victory for Jeon Hye-ji.
"Hye-ji wins. What are we watching?"
"Can I pick anything at all?"
"Anything that was available on Korean streaming services."
"Everything?"
"Everything."
The point in time to which the regressed Won-goo had returned was before the apocalypse began.
Knowing exactly when the apocalypse would strike, Won-goo had made every preparation — and a fair number of those preparations had gone into the Temporary Shelter.
Most of the shelter's special facilities normally had to be purchased with Coins, but by exploiting the shelter's property of preserving anything brought inside, Won-goo had stocked it with a great deal.
Among it all, anything related to culture he had gathered with particular care.
Surviving through an interminable stretch of the apocalypse had a way of making everything precious.
He'd found himself weeping at songs from genres he'd once despised — a nostalgia for a civilization that had perished.
I remember that era, yet nothing that era left behind remains. No matter how long a survivor lived, the oldest memories inevitably faded, and every last trace of Earth would vanish without exception.
At least, that was how it had been in the world where Won-goo met his end.
From the universe's point of view, an entity called Gong Won-goo or a planet called Earth was nothing more than a single number.
"I want to watch The Glory."
"Ah… that's the style I hate most…"
Pacific grumbled.
"Then don't watch it. That settles it — we're watching The Glory this time. Screening starts in exactly three hours, so gather here if you want to see it. Understood?"
"Yes!"
Won-goo and Midnight were gazing at each other, eyes soft.
"How long was it this time?"
"A year?"
"I'm sorry. I should have invested more in the time adjustment."
"I'm fine. And there was work to be done this time, wasn't there? I know you used Coins to restore my body."
The Midnight standing before him was, to be precise, an android.
An android indistinguishable from a human being.
The only difference was that Midnight's mind resided elsewhere.
The body was an android.
The mind operating it was Midnight.
They existed in separation like that — and that was why Midnight could never leave this place, remaining forever as its administrator.
"We're gathering Coins faster and faster. Sooner or later, you'll be able to step outside the Shelter too."
"Don't push yourself too hard."
Won-goo gave a small nod.
Midnight burrowed into his arms.
A dreamlike twenty-four hours slipped by.
The crew, ready to return, gathered together.
"Everyone rested up? This isn't the end, by the way. Once we're back at the Shelter, you've got more time off coming."
"Director Gong."
Pacific raised his hand.
"What?"
"When's the next screening? I mean drama."
"Next time we enter a Shelter, probably. No plans yet."
"I'm next after that, right?"
"You'll have to settle it with Chul-soo. 'The style I hate most,' huh? Guess it turned out to be fun after all?"
Pacific nodded quickly at that.
"You had your mouth hanging open the whole time, hyung-nim."
When Jo Mu-sa said it, the crew snickered.
"It was fun, all right."
"Keep enjoying it then. No screenings planned for now. We're heading back."
The crew returned to the trailer almost before he'd finished speaking.
"Now, let's head for the Shelter."
"Director. You'll tell us that story from before on the way, right?"
Jeon Hye-ji asked first, and the rest of the crew turned to Won-goo with sharp, expectant eyes.
"Right. I did say Queen was a puzzle piece we needed."
"That's right. You said Queen was absolutely necessary, didn't you?"
Won-goo answered without missing a beat.
"It's not that we specifically need Queen. It's that we need a Gift like Queen's."
"For what reason, may I ask?"
This time even Mu Beob-sa pressed him.
"If a proper estimate comes through, I'll share it. More importantly — isn't the real question why we're… no, why I'm putting these puzzles together in the first place?"
"……?"
"……?"
"……?"
The sudden weight of the topic left everyone with no choice but to focus.
"You all know about the memories implanted in me. That's why I'm saying this. The Underground Passage. The fact that it's opened carries a lot more meaning than you'd think."
"You said it all connects."
"It does. And as it connects, things unlock, one by one. It'd be hard to list them all right now — it's not even fully organized in my own head yet."
"Then why are we beating around the bush, if I might ask?"
"Because I'm about to tell you something more important than any of that. Have a little patience, old-timers."
"What is it you want to say?"
"It's about the Ear—h business we're all caught up in right now."
"……?"
"Let's just lay out the simple facts we already know. Earth is in the process of being sold. That's why an outfit called the Apocalypse Management Committee is administering this place. Rafael. You already know what I'm about to say, don't you?"
"I do."
"Would it be better if you explained it?"
Rafael shook her head side to side.
"I am. Under contract. Not to disclose. Matters concerning the Oversight Committee."
"'Can't disclose'… So you can't explain, but could you at least confirm yes or no?"
"That is possible."
"Good. Then let's verify whether my memories are accurate while we're at it."
"We'll skip what you already know and talk about what's coming — and what we have to do. Pacific. Do you actually understand what's happening right now?"
"Earth's being sold off, you said."
"Right, it's being sold. Then why are we doing all this? If it's already sold, shouldn't it be over and done with?"
"Please elaborate further."
"Out of nowhere, we all awakened abilities we never asked for — Gifts. We break past our limits with Coin enhancements and fight monsters. And why are we doing any of it? Has nobody here ever once wondered about that?"
Jo Mu-sa raised his hand a little hesitantly.
"Director, you said before that the simple ones survive best…"
"Jo Mu-sa. That's for handling jobs out in the Field. This is a different matter."
"Sorry."
"I'll make it simple. Think of Earth's current situation as a listing about to go live on a real estate site. And what happens once a property is registered?"
"……?"
"……?"
"……?"
Nobody knew, so nobody could react.
"Once the listing goes up completely, a billboard appears above it. 'FOR SALE: PLANET EARTH.'"
Won-goo pointed a finger at the sky as he said it.