Noise
Everyone had returned with their loot. Won-goo's crew came back a little later than the rest.
It was because they had agreed to sweep up whatever remained behind.
"Seok-bong was right."
There had been a bunker at exactly the point Kim Seok-bong had flagged—one about sixty square meters in size.
"This is why you insisted on keeping what was left?"
Jo Mu-sa drew a deep breath. And it wasn't just him—everyone was carrying a shovel.
"Of course. If you can't even take this much after doing a good deed, you're a sucker."
The bunker was stuffed full of survival-related supplies. Nothing extraordinary.
But the sheer volume was impressive. It was stocked as if someone had been preparing for something even bigger than the apocalypse itself.
Naturally, all of that counted as harvest too.
Keeping the crew alive required a mountain of supplies. The more, the better.
"Everyone, pack it in. Anything special in there?"
"Boss, there are some books down here."
"Handle the books carefully. Those are money."
Books were what had vanished fastest since the apocalypse began, which meant they now traded at a steep premium.
So many books had been lost, yet there were still people who remembered them, and rental shops had sprung up to meet the demand.
Repairing damaged volumes and preserving intact ones with preservation magic before lending them out was the standard procedure. Occasionally, a genuinely valuable book would even be rebound.
"Boss."
"What?"
"There are a lot of books."
"How many?"
"I'd guess around a hundred?"
"Are any of them comics?"
"Yes. And novels too."
"YES!"
The crew let out a short cheer. Jeon Hye-ji just stood there, bewildered, until Geum Chul-soo explained right away.
"Comics and novels fetch the best prices."
"Ah……"
"There's something even pricier than those, though."
"What would that be, Mage?"
"Adult magazines."
At that, everyone nodded.
"No, wait. There's something more expensive than even that."
"More expensive than that?"
"Spellbooks are the most expensive."
"Ah…… Director, that's kind of a different category, isn't it?"
"How is it different? It's a book, isn't it? Hye-ji, remember this. If you ever find a spellbook, or get one as a reward, gold is the best."
"Gold?"
"Right. A golden spellbook lets you use magic even if you're not a mage. Just lay a hand on it and you can learn the spell. So if I'm not part of the magic world and don't have any magic-related ability? Then golden is what I want. Golden is the best."
"Ah…… I'll keep that in mind."
"Everyone listen up, in case you didn't know. Spellbooks—golden is what you want. You'll know it the second you see it. It glows bright. After that comes red."
"Red is the next best after that?"
"No. Never touch a red one. A red spellbook grants very powerful magic, but in exchange it lays down powerful restrictions. Some of those restrictions are strange ones—forcing you to use only a single spell for the rest of your life, or making you unable to count. Some even erase your memories entirely."
"Th-then isn't th-that a c-curse?"
"You could see it that way. So it's best not to touch a red spellbook. But if one turns up anyway, bring it back. A spellbook itself is worth a fortune."
"Even so, if you grab one—"
"Unless it's a golden spellbook, grabbing one doesn't mean you get to learn the magic on the spot."
"Ah……"
"As long as you don't read it, that's the part that matters. As long as you don't read it."
"Right. Don't read any spellbook except a golden one. Discussing how to dispose of them with the crew—that's the rule."
"That is a correct part. This is a part everyone needs to engrave into their memory. There are cases of people reaching for the wrong spellbook and ending up in serious trouble."
"Exactly. There are even mages who end up unable to use their magic properly afterward."
"……"
Instead of answering, Mu Beob-sa shot Won-goo a hard glare.
"Hurry up and pack it. We should get going too."
* * *
Having thoroughly cleaned out the bunker Kim Seok-bong had pointed them to, Won-goo's crew headed back toward the shelter.
The other teams had all returned to the shelter with pathfinders in tow, but Won-goo had no need for that.
Not with Suwon—a walking map of tremendous power—on the team.
Suwon would ride shotgun, Won-goo would drive, and that was the trip home.
Field monsters could have shown up, but they'd finished the job so quickly that nothing new was likely to have spawned in the meantime.
It wasn't even a route that crossed over Cheonchu Mountain, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Di-Director."
"What?"
"F-Fresh, sir. Th-the Trailer."
"What about it? I don't see anything."
"It'll sh-show up sh-soon."
Suwon often got misunderstood because of his manner of speaking, but his memory was extraordinary. His grasp of geography was at Gift level, and his ordinary memory was excellent too.
That was why Suwon had recognized at a glance that it was the trailer Fresh had been towing.
When Won-goo's trailer rolled up, Fresh's people tensed and leveled their weapons.
"It's me, it's me. Where's Fresh?"
Then Fresh pushed through the crowd.
"Director Gong? Director Gong?"
"Yeah. What's the problem? You dropped this off ages ago. What's going on?"
"Goddammit. It's f-fucked!"
"What is?"
"Kang Yu-min bolted."
PUHAHAHA!
The moment he heard it, Won-goo burst out laughing. A huge laugh, deep enough to crease the corners of his eyes.
"I'm not joking."
"I know. I'm laughing because it's NOT a joke. Goddammit. Is this real life?"
"Hah…… I've lost all face."
"No, let's look at the scene first. They might have been ambushed, couldn't they?"
Two corpses, stripped clean.
And wheel tracks.
"There's no other trace. Kang Yu-min took them out and ran."
"You're telling me she pulled this at the Coin Exchange—after you'd posted those scrawny weaklings to guard it?"
"Scrawny my ass! I posted the most skilled guys I had. Not Named-level, but they could more than hold their own. They'd each eaten twenty-plus gold coins too. They were good, I'm telling you."
"Then how did it end up like this?"
"That's a mystery to me too. There's no other trace, and……"
"Then there's only one explanation."
"What?"
"What kind of case is it when a woman dragging two men tied up tight could end up dead? What else could it be?"
With that, Won-goo showed him a gesture—thumb thrust into the ring made between his index and middle fingers.
"Ah…… goddammit……"
Fresh's mouth hung open.
"Kang Yu-min wasn't bad-looking, was she?"
"I heard she was popular. Popular or not, this is a bit much……"
"This is partly your fault too. You failed to properly assess those bastards."
"Yeah. I know. Hah."
"Clean it up. Nothing to be done about it."
"This is why I don't make crews, Director Gong."
"And that's exactly why you SHOULD make one, Fresh."
"……"
"Handle the bodies properly. Give the families a good explanation too."
"Go on ahead, Director Gong."
"Why?"
"I have to go catch her."
"Catch her! Catch WHAT!"
Won-goo roared. Fresh's eyes went wide—he'd thought the man had gone off the deep end.
"This matter is finished as it stands."
"She can't have gotten far."
"Hey. Fresh. Your judgment is broken right now."
"……?"
"Is Kang Yu-min the main event here? No, she isn't. Black Shelter is. Those bastards who went underground—do you know when they'll pop out, or where? We've all scattered. If the ones who bolted surface now, it's US who'll be running for our lives. So what do you do? You get back fast. Chasing? Chasing what?"
"Huh…… you're right, Director Gong."
"It's not just you who's pissed. I'm pissed too. In all my years in this business, I have never once botched the cleanup. And Kang Yu-min just handed me my first case ever."
"This isn't on you, Director Gong. It's my responsibility."
"Either way. Who knows what state Kang Yu-min will show up in later? You know how those types work, don't you? They forget kindness but never forget a grudge. These days I live with the back of my neck prickling."
"Hah…… my lapse was serious."
"Exactly, so think it over, really think it over. Keep playing lone wolf like this and you'll die screaming one day. Get a crew…… get at least a damn errand boy. Like Ah-bal."
Fresh nodded with a grave expression. His reaction was completely different from before.
* * *
Back at the shelter, Won-goo headed straight for Shanghai's Restaurant. The loot had already been divided, but there was other business to attend to.
"How's Oh Gu-sik?"
"Contract's written. Chains on too."
Shanghai said, bringing out steaming bowls of sujebi.
"Chain him up as much as you possibly can. That bastard is one you can never trust to the end."
"I know. But I brought him in because keeping him alive is the profitable move, didn't I? He's got that much skill."
"Oh Gu-sik's finished now. The moment the chains went on, he got an expiration date."
"Then that esper under him? Yeong Chi-soo, was it?"
"Right. You think you could pry them apart?"
"What am I, a psychologist? You'd know better than me, Director Gong."
"I've never handled a case like this either."
"Can't you just do it the way you always do, Director Gong?"
"I don't think that'll work this time. Worst case, what if he goes out into the field like that and stabs us in the back? His ability is no joke. He throws stones with telekinesis—enough force to blow a normal person's head clean off."
"Oh Gu-sik's got a good one there. Where'd he brainwash an esper like that? If Yeom-gui went up against him—"
"Yeom-gui wins."
"Yeom-gui does?"
"Yeom-gui's range is narrow, but within it she's absolute. Not long range—close range. What's he going to do if Yeom-gui rushes in and tears his throat out?"
"Huh, that's actually a fair point?"
"But if they fought as a team? Yeong Chi-soo would be the more useful one, hands down. That's why we watch and see. Oh Gu-sik had exactly one condition: the safety of his own people. Not pampering—just reasonable care."
"That much of a request I can honor. But are you really sending Oh Gu-sik to Buri Island?"
"You said Buri Island's management manpower is stretched thin, didn't you? Sending Oh Gu-sik solves that, doesn't it?"
"Hmm…… feels like we're wasting him on something too small."
"We can use him when something bigger comes up. For now, post the listing. Plenty of brokers are looking for guards, you know."
"What price? Probably at least a hundred coins?"
Shanghai said it while lifting his spoon.
"At least a hundred. Oh Gu-sik has eaten a minimum of forty coins himself."
"Got it. But you need to know this, Director Gong. My cut is half."
TAK!
Won-goo slammed his spoon down in irritation.
"Ah…… come on. Things are tight for me these days too."
"Tight? You just gutted Black Shelter and came back, and you're saying this?"
"A guy of Oh Gu-sik's caliber could walk at any time. And even if we send Oh Gu-sik off, someone still has to hold the chains, right? Then what about those guys' shelter lodging fees, their food costs—did you think about that?"
"Half, on the condition that you keep covering those?"
"That's right."
"Okay, deal. But make it solid."
"Director Gong. I may be greedy with money, but I'm not a man who half-asses the work."
"Fine, got it, so let's not make this long. No good comes of jinxing it."
* * *
After downing a bowl of sujebi at Shanghai's place, Won-goo made his way to Baek Seol.
"Taking in that many isn't easy for us either."
"I know, Baek Seol. But the situation isn't ordinary."
"……"
"I'll provide support generous enough that you won't feel shortchanged, so just don't let them starve."
"I can't promise to keep looking after them forever. We're not an orphanage. It's been like this a few times before, hasn't it?"
"Baek Seol, think carefully. These are kids from Black Shelter. Nobody knows what kind of Gift might bloom in them."
But Baek Seol's reaction was lukewarm. Won-goo's silver tongue worked on her at times and didn't at others.
Right now was one of the times it didn't.
"Anyone who can tell right from wrong, we send out."
"And you'd take in the ones with good Gifts from among them?"
"Of course."
"And when exactly do you mean by 'telling right from wrong'?"
"When they've eaten their fill and found their voices, that's when we judge."
"Then they're still just kids, aren't they?"
"Does that matter in this world? Everyone makes their own way. Anyway, when the time comes I'll contact you, so come collect them or don't."
"Hoo…… well, I suppose it's not an easy decision for you either."
"You're asking the obvious. It's not easy. This decision."
"Right. When the time comes, I'll collect them myself. Or I'll have a plan ready."
"Director."
"What?"
"Not even you can save everyone."
"I know."
"Then why—"
"Baek Seol. Do you take me for some man on a holy mission?"
Won-goo grinned slyly.
"……?"
"No, nothing like that. It's just about giving them the bare minimum of a chance. Anyway—thanks."
With that, Won-goo handed Baek Seol a pouch full of coins.