Choosing Sides
While patrolling to maintain order, Han Jaejeong caught sight of a familiar yet strangely surreal face in his field of vision.
Every time this hour rolls around, he's over here.
Jaejeong thought as he glanced at his wristwatch.
Once lunchtime passed, the president would invariably circle the outer wall.
Always alone, without a single escort.
Of course, with all the proper security personnel being military officers, they had their own duties to attend to.
The president would encourage the workers while walking the outer wall, or head to the mart to chat idly with those handling daily necessities.
Whether it was political maneuvering or not, one thing was clear: such actions definitely had an effect.
From the soldiers standing guard at intervals, to the laborers inspecting and repairing the outer wall, and even those tending vegetable patches in the production zone.
All of them were noticeably influenced by the president's movements.
"He's a real pro."
Kang Youngman murmured loud enough for Jaejeong to hear after watching the president for a while.
"Who?"
"His Excellency. A master politician. At this rate, that tower building will become poison to them."
Hearing Youngman's words, Jaejeong recalled where the president was staying.
The president hadn't entered the tower.
Instead, he'd chosen a home for himself in the newly expanded safe zone.
Not a commercial building, not an apartment, not even a multi-household residence.
The place he'd picked was a container house.
"It's a bit transparent, yeah."
"Does that matter? What's important is that there's someone who doesn't even do that much showboating. Living in the lowest place, right alongside the lowest people. Easy to say, but with the world turned upside down overnight, not just anyone could pull it off. Especially someone who used to live in a presidential palace like the Blue House."
Youngman smiled faintly as he waxed eloquent.
"You seem awfully fond of the president."
"To me, His Excellency is a special figure. It's from a long time ago, but there were events that left me no choice but to judge him this way. Why else would I feel this without reason?"
Youngman laid it out like he was making excuses.
Watching him, Jaejeong decided to chalk it up to fervent supporter status.
As the two walked on, chatting idly, a soldier appeared ahead of them.
The soldier was looking at Youngman.
"His Excellency requests your presence. You should come right away."
"Me?"
"Yes."
Youngman exchanged puzzled glances with Jaejeong.
Then Jaejeong pulled Youngman aside briefly.
"Hey, old man, just in case—if he proposes something, whatever it is, say you'll think about it first."
"A proposal? Got it. I'll be right back."
Jaejeong watched Youngman's retreating back and resumed his patrol.
The president suddenly summoning Youngman at this point meant he needed something.
It could be Youngman himself, or something else.
But Jaejeong didn't think it was time to reveal their group's choice yet.
They needed a bit more time.
Jaejeong's gaze shifted to the tower.
Had he been too hasty with the doctor?
But if he hadn't drawn that line then, they would've treated him like a puppet.
Even if his attitude had been a touch aggressive, Jaejeong had no regrets about what he'd said.
Sure, they'd put him in that position, and their efforts outside had boosted his recognition among the people.
But that didn't mean he could let himself be dragged along forever.
And now, it was time to look ahead.
The president had returned alive, and the two factions were now in opposition.
The bulk of the military had sided with the president, leaving the tower to watch its step with public opinion.
Jaejeong held no personal grudges against the doctor or Congressman Kwon Jeong-woo.
He just wanted an independent power base for himself and his group's safety.
Footsteps?
Snapped from his thoughts by rapidly approaching footsteps, Jaejeong turned.
It was Kim Chan-yeol and Choi Hoon.
"Hyung-nim. You're summoned to the tower."
"By who?"
"The doctor says to bring you right now."
"The doctor?"
"Yes, sir."
Kim Chan-yeol replied in his habitual tone.
Jaejeong looked puzzled for a moment but soon nodded and headed for the tower.
On the way, he fell deep into thought.
Noting Jaejeong's more serious expression than usual, Kim Chan-yeol and Choi Hoon kept their own conversation going without pulling him into chit-chat.
Why was the doctor summoning Jaejeong?
The intent to talk meant an attempt at persuasion, one way or another.
Youngman heading to the president with the soldier, Jaejeong patrolling alone—they might be watching from the tower.
The doctor could be getting anxious.
Kim Chan-yeol, who'd been studying Jaejeong's face, cleared his throat.
"Uh, hyung-nim."
"Yeah?"
Jaejeong turned from his reverie.
"Isn't the atmosphere in the safe zone kinda weird right now?"
"What? Your words sound weirder."
"Ever since the president arrived, it's completely split into two sides, isn't it?"
"You guys are all following the president anyway."
"Not entirely, sir. There are plenty of those mystery soldiers living in the tower, and even among us, the officers' opinions differ a bit. Of course, since His Excellency holds command authority, we're following him naturally."
"Good. That's what following means."
"Is it? But I'm not sure if this atmosphere is right."
"What atmosphere?"
Jaejeong probed for the point of Kim Chan-yeol's words.
"With the president here, we should rally around him and make things work. But instead, it's splitting apart."
"I can answer that."
Choi Hoon, who'd been listening silently, responded to Kim Chan-yeol.
Then he added slowly.
"In principle, you're right. But that Kwon Jeong-woo in the tower is the one who built this safe zone. He expanded it this far too. Ah, sure, the people did all the grunt work. Still, if no one had even thought to build it, the president wouldn't have had a place to return to, and we wouldn't have met hyung-nim. Right?"
"That's true, sir."
"Exactly. So put yourself in the tower's shoes. Kinda sucks, doesn't it? You did all the hard work, then some guy shows up out of nowhere and swallows it whole? I'd hate it too."
"I get that, but I just worry this atmosphere feels dangerous."
As Kim Chan-yeol spoke with concern, Choi Hoon gave his shoulder a light shove.
"I told you, you think too much. What's a soldier? Orders. Just do what you're told. The top brass handles the thinking. When you're up there someday, think then."
"...Understood."
Watching their exchange, Jaejeong smirked at Kim Chan-yeol.
"Choi has it all laid out."
"You think the same, hyung-nim?"
"Who knows."
Jaejeong dodged answering Kim Chan-yeol.
His mind was already made up.
But he couldn't go blabbing about it.
His group's safety came first and foremost.
With Jaejeong solving the murder case and survivors increasingly leaning on his group for their feats and presence.
No one passing Jaejeong pretended not to see him anymore.
He felt it directly.
No one could mess with Jaejeong and his group now.
In this situation, becoming an independent faction was far better, he judged.
Ding!
The elevator carrying Jaejeong, now parted from the two, stopped at the high floor.
Entering the hallway, the doctor's aides opened the door for him.
The waiting doctor rose from his seat with a relatively mild expression.
"Sorry to pull you from your busy schedule. Have a seat here."
The doctor gestured to the chair opposite him.
"It's fine. But why'd you call me?"
Jaejeong asked as he sat.
"That conversation we had by the riverside the other day has been nagging at me."
"Ah, yeah."
A brief silence fell.
Gauging Jaejeong's reaction and getting no real response, the doctor spoke again.
"I wonder if I spoke too rashly without considering your position. So, I wanted to apologize. It's a bit late, but I needed time to accept it myself."
"No need for apologies... Just don't do it again."
Jaejeong replied in a tone wondering why dredge up the past.
The doctor had something else he wanted to say anyway.
He wouldn't have called just to apologize.
"What do you think of the current situation?"
"What situation?"
Jaejeong feigned ignorance.
The doctor, seeming lost in thought, stood and walked to the window.
Gazing down at the safe zone through the full-wall glass, he spoke again.
"Nothing's really happened yet, but the mood is flowing like two factions are at odds. Isn't it?"
He asked with his back turned.
"Well, the president's back alive."
"No. It's got nothing to do with the president returning alive. It's because he's not staying in the tower—he's out there living alone. He's inviting the split himself. You know, don't you? How much sacrifice it took to maintain this safe zone until now."
As expected.
The tower's stance matched what Jaejeong and Choi Hoon had thought.
"But with the president moving around like that, it looks like the tower caused the division. I'm deeply displeased by this. Even with a control tower existing, it's the president who turned his back on it."
The doctor was testing Jaejeong.
"So?"
Jaejeong's mood soured bit by bit.
It felt like the riverside talk all over again.
That probing attitude had sparked it before.
This guy's always trying to seize control of the conversation, Jaejeong thought.
Standing alone by the window with his back turned, making all the key points and demanding responses each time.
Like crafting a flow you couldn't help but agree with.
"Let's assume one thing. Say we really are opposing each other. At first glance, it looks like the military following the president tips the power balance. Right?"
"Maybe."
Jaejeong decided to play along for now.
He wanted to hear what the guy was getting at.
"If we leave it like this, who knows what the president might do using the military. In the worst case, something dangerous could happen to both sides."
"No way it'd go that far..."
"When power-holding groups are trapped in an isolated space together, a hierarchy based on raw power always sorts itself out. Always."
The doctor turned with a face full of conviction.
"Help us. I need your help now."
"Help? What kind?"
"It was the tower that gave you and your people this level of recognition. I created that supervisor position for you, even if you didn't want it. Sure, you didn't ask for it, but if the results are good, shouldn't there be some return at a reasonable line? I'm asking."
"Doesn't sound much like asking."
"...What do you want?"
Jaejeong crossed his arms, then sighed.
"Nothing like that. I just don't want my people dragged into this and forced to pick sides. Fight it out among yourselves. We'll side with the winner. If we can't be allies, neutrality's better for the tower, no?"
"So you're refusing?"
"..."
Jaejeong pondered.
No need to reject outright in this situation.
He'd conveyed not wanting to join either side, so he just needed time.
"I need time to think. Can't decide this alone on the spot, right?"
"Understood. As soon as you've decided..."
The doctor nodded, then suddenly whipped back to the window.
Jaejeong, waiting for the response, did the same.
A faint sound from somewhere, one that demanded they turn their heads.
The distant thrum of helicopter blades.
Infected People