Collusion
Inside the trailer, Won-goo sat alone in the driver's seat.
He pulled a cigarette from his pack, clamped it between his lips, and called for Midnight.
It was a function that let him talk to her without activating the Temporary Shelter. But even this chewed through the shelter's usage time, so he rarely bothered with it. Still, on nights like this one—when the whole crew had turned in for rest—it had become something of a ritual between them.
Krrrk!
The android that stayed motionless while the crew was awake stirred to life, and Midnight's voice flowed out of it.
Won-goo told her everything that had happened. There were no secrets between them. It was precisely because there were no secrets that Midnight had appointed herself administrator of his Temporary Shelter—the two of them shared a rough blueprint of what was coming, after all.
"There's a real chance they're an organization trying to stop Neo-Mason. That's what you're thinking, right?"
"Yeah. If they know a secret that big but refuse to show any movement, what else could it be?"
"And if they're a case like me?"
"That would be..."
"Right. If that were it, there are parts that don't add up."
From the outside, it would have looked like a man having a conversation with a clumsy humanoid android. But Won-goo knew exactly whose words were coming out of its mouth.
They chattered for a long while without either of them tiring. Won-goo reported everything in exhaustive detail, like a man delivering a field debrief, and Midnight took it all in as if it were her favorite entertainment.
When the conversation wound down, Won-goo pulled the books he'd prepared from his Subspace Backpack, opened the android's abdomen panel, and tucked them inside.
"Got my hands on two recipe books."
"Wonderful. I'll make things even tastier from now on."
"Picked up a bunch of other books too."
He slid the rest in after them.
"Oh? Comic books?"
"Yeah. You know them?"
"Of course I know this one."
"They don't run in order, though. I'll track down the missing volumes."
"Thank you."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you, always."
Finished with the call, Won-goo stepped outside and put a cigarette in his mouth. He'd reached for his usual brand out of habit, then switched to something stronger instead.
Sapiens's office was packed with some heavy hitters.
Sapiens. Sanghae. Dr. Woo. Gong Won-goo.
And Abal—who, fresh off major surgery, was leaning on crutches.
They had all gathered over the matter of Buri Island.
"I've decided to let that bastard have it his way, so you lot hash out the details among yourselves and get back to me."
"Who are you calling a bastard, you bastard?" Won-goo snapped.
"Then should I call him a son of a bitch? I don't like long-winded insults. As you can see, I'm in recovery. I need to heal up fast so I can go catch Respect too. So sort it out properly and let me know."
With that, Abal turned around without a shred of hesitation and hobbled out.
"Oh, heavenly father... I'm feeling religious all of a sudden. Son of a..."
"You do seem oddly weak when it comes to Abal, Director Gong. About that rumor..."
"Shut your mouth. That was a serious operation this time. How much was it? Thirty gold coins?"
"......"
"Be honest with me. You've taken a real swing at me before, haven't you? That's why you keep trying this crap, isn't it?"
"We can settle your personal feud later. For now, let's deal with Buri Island. You came to see us about managing it, didn't you, Director Gong?"
"That's right."
"I understand. Your crew's numbers aren't exactly large."
"So how much are we supposed to hand over?"
"Sanghae. You want to get cut in?"
"......?"
"Why would I be the one paying out? We're the ones paying you. Don't get it twisted. We're the ones who went out there and risked our necks to clear it. Not you, sitting here on your ass."
Sanghae raised a hand and gave a small nod. Seeing that, Sapiens made his move. Dragging things out any longer would only worsen his terms, he figured.
"Let's say ten percent each. In exchange, I'll handle everything from exchanging the items that come out of Buri Island to running the operation properly."
At the figure of ten percent, Sanghae's face flickered with surprise. Dr. Woo, on the other hand, didn't react in the slightest.
Won-goo didn't so much as glance at Sanghae. He looked straight at Dr. Woo.
"What do you say, Doc? You like the offer?"
"If we were runnin' it on our own, that'd be a bit thin for my taste... but splittin' the work with these businessfolk? I'd say that ain't bad at all."
"Okay. Sanghae, you keep your mouth shut."
Won-goo cut him off with eerie precision just as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Settlements every week. You all divvy up the roles yourselves."
"Well, that's—"
"What? You want me to hand out those too? Someone's got to go into Buri Island and retrieve the goods. Either Sanghae the great negotiator goes, or Sapiens does."
"I'll take that one."
Sapiens raised his hand.
"Then Dr. Woo just needs to make sure the goods get back to the shelter safe and sound, and Sanghae handles the settlements and deposits. That about covers it, doesn't it? Looking at it this way, the whole damn job's simple as hell. Anyway, everyone agree? If you agree, we're signing contracts."
"Director Gong kept his word, I'll give him that."
"You can't roll in this business without at least that much trust. And let's not have any misunderstandings—Sapiens and Sanghae only got involved partly because of Abal. She pitched in big on this one too."
"I know 'tis. It's near-free money flowin' in, so a man ought to be satisfied with this much. I'm not so shameless as to complain."
"Your pharmacy's on a stable footing now, and with Buri Island income on top, you've crunched the numbers and figured it's enough to live on. That must be it."
Dr. Woo didn't answer. He just laughed.
"By the way, why we headin' this way? This is the road to my pharmacy, ya know."
"That's exactly right. We're going to your pharmacy."
"......?"
"Am I not allowed to use your pharmacy, Dr. Woo? What, you planning to gouge me?"
"Now hold on... if the Director's comin', I could pass it along at wholesale. But why? Didn't you stop settin' foot in the market? Figured you'd buy whatever medicine you needed there? We're not at the point of manufacturin' our own yet."
"A certain jackass went and hoovered up all my emergency supplies, so I need to restock. But the market doesn't open for a while yet. Anything else can wait, but medicine's got to stay stocked at all times. That's rule number one in this trade, no?"
"Can't argue with that. Fine, then. I'll sell cheap, so come by and pick it up."
"I'm not buying that much anyway. The market opens soon."
"There's folk sellin' cheaper than the market itself, ya know?"
"What kind of bullshit is—"
But Dr. Woo's face was dead serious.
"Seriously?"
"What would I gain feedin' the Director a line of horseshit? Come see for yourself."
"So it's stock you took over from someone."
"That's right. Truth be told, we're a bit uneasy about it ourselves, so we're offloadin' that inventory dirt cheap to clear it out fast."
"Well, well. Didn't know you had this side to you, Doc. Color me surprised."
"Let me say it again—if I'd known them Cheonmok bastards were mixed up in it, I never would've taken the deal. I mean that with everything I've got."
"Understood."
"And look... we've had our rough patches, you and me, but let's try to get along. We're genuinely tryin' to run an honest business here in this shelter. Give us a hand, would ya? And... if somethin' ever rubs ya the wrong way, just come at me straight about it. But that Il-chul bastard, whatever his name is—whatever you do, don't send that one my way."
A smile crept across Won-goo's lips.
"Il-chul. That guy's something else, isn't he."
"Aigoo... livin' this long and I've never seen a lowlife like that in my life..."
"He's over there. Though he somehow looks even more screwed up than before?"
The moment they stepped into the plaza, Il-chul was impossible to miss. Even wrapped head to toe in bandages, that sharply pointed head of his gave him away.
"Well, I'll be headin' on ahead. See ya at the pharmacy in a bit."
"Got it."
Dr. Woo disappeared, and Won-goo walked slowly toward Il-chul. The full-body bandages were the same as a few days ago—but this time, something was off about his posture.
He was shuffling around bent at the waist, like a man frozen mid-way through a forty-five-degree bow.
"Hey!"
"Who's there?"
"It's me."
"Direeeector!"
Il-chul tilted his head up just enough to confirm it was Won-goo, and the tears started flowing on the spot.
"What now? Who beat you up this time?"
"Director, I've been wronged so badly I can't go on living."
"So I asked. You got jumped again?"
"Yeeees!"
"Are you the neighborhood punching bag or what? Why do you keep getting beaten half to death?"
"Well, you see..."
"Then use your words."
"A newcomer showed up at the shelter."
At the word newcomer, Won-goo blinked.
A newcomer? Wasn't the shelter the kind of place where new faces showed up every day?
"Plenty of people pass through the shelter. Of course there are newcomers."
"No, sir, that's not the kind of newcomer I mean!"
"What the hell are you babbling about? Talk properly."
"Sir, she was a solid ten! First time in my whole life I've seen a woman that beautiful."
"Ha... so, a woman."
"You should've seen her yourself, Director. Her face wasn't just pretty—her bust was just... out of this world!"
Won-goo's eyes were turning frostier by the second.
"And then?"
"I swear I'm innocent. I just went over and said one thing to her. But the guy standing next to her folded in half right there. Must've been her boyfriend. Or husband? Anyway, that's how it happened."
"You're telling me one sentence got you beaten into this state?"
"It's the truth! All I said was, politely, that I found her attractive and would she like to grab a drink. That's it, I swear."
"And that got you into this state?"
"Really! And the whole vibe was off. Felt like a gang, almost? There were a lot of them, and the atmosphere was just..."
"What about the atmosphere?"
"You know. It had that... certain feel to it?"
"Oh, Il-chul... do you have any idea how many people come through this shelter in a single day? And you're telling me..."
"You know I'm the plaza's resident fixture, Director. I lay eyes on dozens of people a day, and those guys felt different. Something about them said they were going to cause trouble. I'm sure of it!"
"With the administrators posted right out in the open, they're going to cause trouble inside the shelter? Wait. When you were getting beaten—were there no administrators around?"
"And that's exactly what makes it so unfair! They lured me to a spot with no administrators nearby before doing this to me. These are not ordinary people!"
At that, Won-goo's expression hardened for a moment.
If Il-chul's account was accurate, it meant they were survivors who'd been around this block plenty of times—which, in this world, said quite a lot.
"Dinosaur."
"Yes, sir! Director!"
"Seen any newcomers lately?"
"Newcomers, sir?"
"Word's all over the plaza. Some jaw-dropping beauty showed up?"
"Ah... I've heard. Yes, I've heard."
"She really that beautiful?"
"She is, sir. One look and you could tell. She stands out immediately."
"Nothing else you know about her? Word is she might cause trouble."
"Hmm? That's not the impression I got at all, sir."
"No?"
"No, sir."
"Blood's apparently already been spilled over her."
"Aw, come on. I actually did business with them. Nothing like that happened."
"You did business with them?"
"Yes. Bought a few items to restock my equipment."
"Spread some intel for me, then. What's her name?"
"We didn't exchange introductions."
"......"
"Well... I did catch wind of something, though. Healing, or... no, wait. Potion! They called her Potion!"
"Hmm... so she's a healer, probably."
"Right. She was wearing armor too—like something straight out of the Middle Ages."
"And even dressed like that, she stands out?"
"That's exactly why she stands out even more, sir. Hardly anyone around here wears gear like that."
"Fair point..."
"Setting that aside, she really is a stunning woman. Oh, right! Director! She asked about dungeons too. You know that dungeon that popped up recently? She asked if I knew anything about it."
"And what did you tell her?"
"That I didn't know. You know me, Director. I don't leak information to outsiders."
"Yeah, right. You couldn't tell her anything because you didn't know a damn thing yourself."
"That's not true! Director, I—"
"Save it. This batch is a pretty big haul, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir."
"You think you can square it all in one payment?"
"I'll need to split it, sir."
"If you're splitting it, you know interest applies."
"Director, when I trade with you I'm already running on margins so thin it's a miracle I keep the lights on."
"Who told you to keep the lights on?"
"......"
"And yet here you are, keeping them on. Fool me once, shame on you. You want me to run a real audit on you? Strip your books bare and compare line by line?"
"......"
"Anyway—dispose of the goods cleanly and don't leave a paper trail. Hand over the receipts properly."
"Yes, Director."
With that, Won-goo stepped outside and put a cigarette between his lips. Then he muttered quietly to himself.
"She asked about the dungeon. Ha... something about this really stinks."