Escape
Escape
It's been about a week since I ended up in this forest—presumably another world.
Luckily, there were tree fruits and streams scattered around, so I managed to avoid starving to death.
Yesterday, I even succeeded in my first hunt and tore into some meat after several days.
I never knew it could be this moving.
Every day since I got here has been flowing the same way—
I open my eyes to the sound of birds, climb a tree to scout the surroundings, then walk endlessly in the direction I've been heading.
At the same time, I secure food, and when I'm exhausted, I light a fire and settle down.
Nothing changes.
I have no way to know my location, but I can't just stop, so I repeat the cycle.
One day, I thought about this.
In novels, comics, and movies, I've seen cases like this before... What did the protagonist do?
Isn't it rare for the main character to fall into another world with nothing?
I cleared my throat.
"Ahem... Status window!"
Silence.
"Status! Stats!"
As expected, nothing happened.
"No one's around, right?"
Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I looked around.
But thinking back now, it pisses me off.
I don't know why I fell into a place like this, but shouldn't they at least give me some kind of special ability?
This isn't some "starting village"—I got dumped in the middle of a remote forest. What kind of crap is this?
Grumbling at whatever god or entity might be out there, I kept moving forward.
"Ah, I'm getting hungry."
Maybe there's a different kind of fruit?
I look around.
There are a lot of mushrooms.
They say all mushrooms are edible.
But some mushrooms can only be eaten once...
I'll skip the mushrooms for now.
There's no food in sight around me.
"Guess I'll just have to stave off the hunger with what I packed."
I pulled out a few small fruits stashed in my suit pocket and ate them.
"How much longer do I have to walk to get out of here...?"
I think I'm reaching my mental limit.
I never thought I was this weak.
I leaned back against a tree trunk, using it as a backrest.
"Ah, maybe I should just eat that and drop dead."
A colorful mushroom caught my eye.
Wouldn't it be easier to make a simple choice?
"Not a single person passing by in sight, no roads, no end in sight...."
If only there were some sign of people right now, I'd probably feel energized.
My eyes slowly closed.
"...!"
"...?"
"Aaaagh!"
"...!"
"Waaaaagh!!!"
I heard someone scream.
"Where is it?"
"KROOOOOOAAAR!!!"
A sharp beast's roar followed.
That way.
A person!
I grabbed whatever wooden stick I could find and charged blindly toward the sound.
How long has it been since I last saw a person?!
I've never been this happy!
Through the dense tree trunks, the scene slowly came into view.
A wagon, a boy, and an adult male.
Facing them was a creature that looked like a red bear.
What should I do?
I heard that bears run away if you look bigger than them?
"WOOOOOAAAGH!!!!"
I burst out of the bushes screaming.
"Whoa! Whoooaaa!!!"
All eyes focused on me. I quickly climbed onto the wagon, spread my arms, brandished the wooden stick, and showed off my now-enlarged "size."
"RAAAAAGH!!!"
I saw the bear flinch and hesitate.
Seizing the moment, I screamed even louder to threaten the bastard.
Then the boy and the man caught on, flailing their arms beside the wagon and shouting along.
"Hyaaagh!"
"Woo! Wooo!"
Right before my voice gave out, the bear seemed to realize something was wrong and slowly backed off.
"Huff... huff... It worked."
I was startled.
As I climbed down from the wagon to catch my breath, the people I'd helped approached.
"@@$^#*$%%!"
"*&(%%$@%%$~~."
They grabbed my hands and shook them, saying something...
I couldn't understand a single word.
A language I'd never heard on Earth.
I smiled along—it seemed like they were thanking me for the help.
I didn't get it, but I smiled back.
"Haha. No problem. People should help each other. Hahahaha!"
Forget looking like foreigners—if you come to another world, shouldn't being able to communicate be common sense?
This is seriously messed up.
"We almost never saw our families again."
"That was really lucky, Carter-ssi. Just imagining it is terrifying."
Walter turned to look at the strange-looking person in the cargo area.
"By the way, how did that person pop out of the forest? Was the smoke we saw from him?"
The person had a face type never seen before in his life.
Dressed in what looked like formal attire, but filthy and ragged, as if he knew nothing of civilization.
"We can't communicate, and given how he's devouring the bread we gave him, wouldn't you say he's just a highly intelligent ape?"
The Deep Forest was an uncharted region yet to be conquered by humans.
Perhaps it wasn't impossible for there to be one or two such strange animals around.
"Hey, Walter! Don't be rude to the one who saved our lives! Even if you're the forest lord's brat, without him, we'd both be dead!"
Walter wilted under the scolding.
"You can't judge people by their appearance. You should treat everyone equally. Remember when you first came asking for a job."
"You're right. I was being shortsighted."
Still, Walter found it fascinating.
So there were people who looked like that in the world.
What are they jabbering about?
Not long after we drove off the bear, my stomach let out a loud growl, and the man handed me some bread.
"Thank you! Gulp. Water... water, please."
When I mimed drinking, the man realized I couldn't speak his language and quickly gave me something to drink.
"$@#&*^^ Carter."
"#&^$†☆└# Walter."
As I ate the bread, they pointed at themselves and said something.
Are they telling me their names?
"Hmm... So the ajussi is Carter, and this kid is Walter?"
"$%^&*^)~!"
They nodded eagerly, looking pleased—seems I was right.
"Ah, I'm Kim Cheol-min. Cheol-min."
I pointed at myself and said my name.
"Cholmin! @#$%%$!"
Then they pushed me toward the wagon, motioning for me to get on.
And so my journey with them began.
The biggest change was that I didn't have to walk myself.
And that I wasn't alone, and I got to eat proper food.
Warm stew and comfortable soles.
That alone made them my saviors.
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
Jolt.
"@#!$#%%!"
As I relaxed with the wagon's rocking, Walter urgently woke me up.
"What's wrong? Did the bear come back?"
I jumped up—and before me was a completely different landscape from before.
"!##@#$ Miran. Miran #@#."
A small, beautiful village visible below the hill.
"That village is called Miran?"
"#@$ Miran."
"#%^%^"
The place had a warm, autumn-like feel—probably their home.
As we reached the village entrance, people who recognized them started appearing.
A neighborhood kid.
A market vendor.
A kind ajumeoni.
A few made eye contact with me in the cargo and whispered among themselves.
"%$%#!"
"Heehee!"
The wagon stopped.
"@%%^%^^*!"
Carter-ssi gestured at me and called someone else.
"Oh? Wear this?"
"#%^$^%"
The person who brought the clothes guided me somewhere.
It was a bathroom.
"The outside looks medieval, but this part is modern."
"$^#$%%$"
"Yes, thank you. Thank you, thank you!"
I had no idea what they were saying, but they explained how to use it and left.
It wasn't much different from Earth, so I managed fine.
"But I've never used a razor before."
I somehow got through it.
"Damn, I feel alive."
I cleaned myself up for the first time in a week.
That feeling of all the grime disappearing at once.
I never want to experience that again.
Even in the military, it wasn't this bad.
After showering, when I tried to put on the clothes, the medieval vibe hit me hard again.
"What the hell is the level of civilization in this world?"
Just as I was putting on the clothes—
Shoosh.
The door opened.
"... Hello?"
"Eeek! #%#@*!"
Some woman screamed and slammed the door shut again.
What was that?
Anyway, I dressed properly and went outside.
Only then did it really hit me: "I'm in another world."
This isn't the world I knew.
The language, the appearance of people and animals, the food, the architecture—
Everything is different.
"Cholmin!"
Carter-ssi called from behind.
"Thank you, Carter. Thanks. For the clothes and letting me wash up."
But there was a familiar person beside him.
"@#$@ Elin. Elin Carter. $@%$ Thomas Carter."
"Elin Carter? Your daughter? And your full name is Thomas Carter?"
The woman Carter-ssi introduced as his daughter was the one who opened the door when I was changing.
"%*$@%?"
"Yes, we met earlier."
When I held out my hand for a handshake, Elin blushed and didn't know what to do.
"%$@%$* Hahahaha!"
"?"
Carter-ssi laughed heartily and just walked away.
Come to think of it, what do I do now?
Do I have to live as a stranger in this unfamiliar Miran Village?
I can't even speak the language.
I'm fucked.
Full of worry, I stared blankly at the sky when Elin tapped my shoulder.
"Min, %^%^$&."
It was a gesture telling me to follow.
After a short walk, we arrived at some restaurant.
"Min, #%^&$#"
"Here? Sit here?"
She pointed at a chair, so I sat down.
Sitting there clueless, Elin brought out food.
Thick bread, salad, soup, fruit, pieces of meat, and a drink.
Probably the staple meal for people here.
"Me... eat this?"
When I mimed eating, Elin giggled and said something.
But I needed to understand the meaning.
I took it as an instruction to eat and cautiously tore off a piece of bread.
"Hmm, it's good."
It was edible, so I grabbed some other dishes too.
As I ate happily, Elin watched me with a smile.
What.
Did I do something wrong?
Just then, the owner ajumeoni approached and placed a fork and knife on the table.
Ah.
I thought we were eating with our hands.
Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Elin burst into laughter.
The owner ajumeoni looked at me like I was a barbarian.
"Min. #%@$#% Marie Carter. #%@%^^%."
The owner ajumeoni seemed to be Carter-ssi's wife.
My first impression was probably very bad.
I finished the rest of the meal as politely and courteously as possible.
With my belly full, the worries crept back.
What now.
How am I going to make a living?
What about the money I had on Earth?
Do I have to find a job here?
Who's going to hire a foreign worker who can't even speak the language?
"Min! #%^#$."
Just then, Elin came over.
And handed me a broom.
She mimed sweeping dust into a pile while looking me in the eye.
She wants me to clean.
I bent down and swept the floor, then wet a rag and wiped it.
When customers left, I carried used dishes to the kitchen.
I wiped the tables with a cloth.
The sun set, and the shop closed.
Marie-ssi came out of the kitchen and offered a handshake.
She was smiling.
I think I just got hired here.