Companion 4
Seo Yeong-ju left the operations room with Nam Jin-ju in tow, her expression hard as she walked down the corridor.
Behind her, the dull thunk, thunk of impacts still echoed faintly. Nam Jin-ju’s hand, clasped in Yeong-ju’s, was cold and clammy with sweat.
“Unni… what are we supposed to do now?”
Nam Jin-ju’s voice trembled.
“That monster… it’s learning. Learning how to attack us…”
Yeong-ju answered only by walking in silence. That silence only made Nam Jin-ju more anxious. When they finally reached the shower stalls, Yeong-ju stopped and gripped Nam Jin-ju’s shoulders firmly.
“Pull yourself together.”
Her voice was low and absolute.
“You think crying and carrying on here is going to make that thing disappear? It won’t.”
“But… but it’s so scary…”
“I know. I’m scared too. But if all we do is worry, we end up doing nothing.”
Yeong-ju pushed Nam Jin-ju into a shower stall.
“Focus on what you can do right now. You’re covered in sweat. You stink. Get in and wash. Wash that fear right off you too. Got it?”
As if under a spell, Nam Jin-ju blankly stripped and stepped into the shower.
Shhhhhh—
The sensor registered her presence and warm water cascaded from the ceiling. Even that warmth, though, could not rinse away the terror sunk deep into her heart.
While she showered, the irregular thud, thud kept circling her ears like a heartbeat. Every time the sound came, Nam Jin-ju’s shoulders jerked in an involuntary spasm.
“Ugh, I hate this.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, desperately trying to shut the noise out.
“Come on, I told you to wash. What are you doing just standing there?”
Yeong-ju’s resigned voice cut through.
When Nam Jin-ju opened her eyes and looked sideways, Yeong-ju had already stripped completely and stepped into the same stall.
A month of steady exercise and proper nutrition had given Yeong-ju’s body firmer, healthier curves than before; water streamed along those lines.
“Come here.”
She took the arm of the dazed Nam Jin-ju who was still just standing under the spray and gently pulled her into the corner of the stall where the water didn’t reach.
“Unni…?”
“Stay still.”
Yeong-ju squeezed a generous amount of fragrant shampoo from the wall dispenser straight onto Nam Jin-ju’s head.
“Don’t worry.”
She moved behind Nam Jin-ju and began washing her hair with firm yet gentle hands. Foam rose as she massaged from crown to nape. The soft stimulation of ten fingers against her scalp gradually loosened the tension locked in Nam Jin-ju’s body.
“It’s not like we have no options, and it’s not like we’re completely out of time either.”
Nam Jin-ju closed her eyes, letting the comfort of those kind hands and the calm voice at her ear wash over her. The dull pounding from outside seemed a little farther away.
“You already know the method, so I don’t need to spell it out, but we don’t have that little time either. We’ve only been living in this Shelter a little over a month. You think I’m not worried about losing this comfort, this safety all over again? Of course I am…”
Yeong-ju paused, then nudged Nam Jin-ju back under the water. Warm streams poured over her head, rinsing the shampoo clean. The sensor automatically adjusted temperature and pressure. Watching the foam wash away, Yeong-ju continued.
“But I told you not long ago, didn’t I? I’m fine, so you just focus on preparing yourself.”
Now she worked soap into a sponge and gently scrubbed Nam Jin-ju’s back and shoulders. Having someone else wash her body was something she hadn’t experienced since early childhood. At first Nam Jin-ju felt a little shy, but the warmth and comfort in those hands left her quietly surrendering to the touch.
When the final rinse of warm water finished the shower, Yeong-ju handed Nam Jin-ju a towel.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve been rolling around with Yeong-chan lately, checking where our hearts stand. So all that’s left is for you to make up your mind. Got it?”
Whether the succession of warm hands and kind words had stirred forgotten childhood memories, Nam Jin-ju murmured without thinking.
“…You feel like a mom, Unni.”
At that, Yeong-ju’s face flushed bright red in sudden fluster.
“Hey! There’s only three years between us! What mom?!”
She barked it out as if to hide her embarrassment, then shoved the freshly washed Nam Jin-ju out of the stall with a “Now let me wash too!”
When Yeong-ju finished her own shower and stepped out, Nam Jin-ju was still waiting in the changing area instead of leaving. She had already changed into clean clothes and was sitting on the bench, swinging her feet. The thudding continued outside, but Nam Jin-ju no longer looked as terrified as before.
“Why haven’t you gone yet? Go rest first.”
Yeong-ju asked while toweling her wet hair. Nam Jin-ju answered with a bright smile.
“I wanted to go with you, Unni! And I have something to say…”
Feeling better after the shower, they changed into fresh clothes and continued talking as they left the showers. Nam Jin-ju’s steps down the corridor were lighter and livelier than before, almost unrecognizable.
“Um… Unni.”
Nam Jin-ju suddenly stopped walking and turned to face Yeong-ju. The anxiety and fear from earlier were gone; something firm and decided now sat on her face.
“I’m… going to Oppa’s room tonight.”
Yeong-ju’s eyes widened for a moment in surprise.
“Hey, I told you earlier. We still have time, so you don’t have to rush—”
The moment Yeong-ju started to speak out of concern, Nam Jin-ju cut her off and looked straight into her eyes.
“Actually… I made up my mind a long time ago.”
She smiled softly.
“I was just worrying about when and how to tell you… what if you got angry or started hating me. And today you solved that for me, didn’t you? Thank you.”
“How do you really feel about it? Are you sure you’re okay? If you’re forcing yourself…”
Yeong-ju asked with genuine worry.
“Looks really do matter, huh? When Yang Jin-ju—who’s the same age as you—talks about this stuff with me, she’s so smart, and tall, and… well, her chest is big? So it just feels reliable somehow…”
Yeong-ju looked Nam Jin-ju over carefully from head to toe.
“…But why do I worry so much about you, who’s the same age as Yang Jin-ju?”
At that, Nam Jin-ju’s bright expression froze. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Yeong-ju.
“…So that means I’m not smart, not tall, and my chest is small, is that it?”
Under the sharp counterattack, Yeong-ju uncharacteristically averted her gaze and muttered,
“…I can’t exactly say no.”
“Unni!”
Nam Jin-ju pouted and lightly smacked Yeong-ju’s arm.
“Ow…”
When Yeong-ju clutched her arm with a pained look, Nam Jin-ju answered with a sunny smile, as if stating the most obvious fact in the world.
“Of course I like him!
Think about it. He saved us from that hell, brought us to this wonderful place, feeds us delicious food, and lets us sleep safely—how could I not like him? He’s the benefactor who saved my life.”
She said that, then suddenly grabbed Yeong-ju’s hand.
“And he even gave me an amazing Unni who feels completely like a mom and works out with me! Lately being with you is my favorite thing, Unni!”
She winked playfully and laughed. At that pure, adorable sight, Yeong-ju finally couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing too.
“Hey! I said I’m not your mom! Keep that up and I’ll actually get mad!”
She said it while laughing together with Nam Jin-ju.
Ever since the second variant appeared and started throwing rocks, the atmosphere in the operations room had grown heavy again. It was deep into the night, long after dinner, yet Yang Jin-ju and I still couldn’t bring ourselves to leave; we just stared blankly at the large screen.
The power reading was dropping—minutely but steadily, unmistakably. It had already broken through the 93% line and fallen into the 92% range. The stones thrown by the two monsters were slowly, clearly eating away at the life force of the Shelter, our only hope.
“Hey, keep staring like that and you’ll burn a hole through the screen. Stop looking.”
Yeong-ju had appeared behind us at some point and spoke bluntly. Yang Jin-ju and I answered with awkward smiles.
“It’s just… we’re worried…”
“Does worrying make the power fill back up? No, it doesn’t.”
She sighed, then grabbed my shoulder and pulled me to my feet.
“Come on out. I’ll watch for a while and then head in myself.”
She dragged me out of the chair and sat down in my place, then jerked her chin at me.
“Go rest. If you collapse from exhaustion, this Shelter’s finished too.”
I hesitated, thrown by her sudden consideration. At the same time I felt grateful that she was thinking of me.
“…Alright. Thanks.”
I turned to Yang Jin-ju as well.
“Jin-ju, you should rest too. We can’t stay up all night like this.”
The moment I said that and held out my hand to her—
“Ah!”
Yeong-ju suddenly exclaimed as if she’d just remembered some important promise.
“Yang Jin-ju, you and I… we still had that conversation to finish, right? Right, Yang Jin-ju?”
She was desperately shooting Yang Jin-ju meaningful looks. Yang Jin-ju first looked blank—“Huh?”—then seemed to grasp the situation and hurriedly answered.
“Oh, oh! That’s right, Unni! We were going to finish that talk! I almost forgot!”
She sat back down with awkward acting.
I let out a hollow laugh at the sight.
Even in this situation… girl talk?
I decided not to insert myself into their secret operation any further. I just shrugged once, left them with “Then you two keep watch,” and walked out of the operations room.
About ten minutes after Seo Yeong-chan left the operations room, the only sound filling the space was the mechanical thunk, thunk of the two monsters throwing stones. The first to break the silence was Yang Jin-ju.
“…Unni.”
Without taking her eyes off the screen, she asked in a very small voice.
“…Is it tonight?”
Yeong-ju answered as casually as if discussing someone else’s business.
“…Probably? She said she was going tonight.”
She said that, then swiveled her chair and looked Yang Jin-ju over from head to toe.
“It’s weird, though. I said the same thing to Nam Jin-ju earlier, but when you said you were going to do it… well, you’re so smart, tall, big chest… so I wasn’t really worried?”
She paused, then turned her gaze back to the screen.
“…But with Nam Jin-ju… I don’t know why I worry so much. If we hadn’t had those talks these past few days, I probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep all night.”
At her words Yang Jin-ju gave an awkward smile. “Huh? A compliment… thank you?” Then she continued mischievously.
“When you say things like that, Unni, you somehow feel like a mom.”
Yeong-ju’s expression instantly hardened into seriousness.
“…Nam Jin-ju said the same thing earlier while we were showering. That I feel like a mom.”
She muttered as if she genuinely couldn’t understand it. Watching her, Yang Jin-ju finally couldn’t hold back and burst into giggles.