The Walls Have Ears (2)
"Will Seeun and Sora agree?"
"If they refuse, we'll have to persuade them... or abandon the idea. But if we cannot overcome this, then for us—no, for all of humanity—there will be no future."
Jeong Hoon and Kim Seyeon whispered back and forth as they made their way back to the former Seo Jeonggu mansion.
He gave the front gate a light push. It opened easily. Just to be safe, he peered inside.
Fortunately, there were no zombies. Well, the interior wasn't brightly lit either. Night had fallen, and the only light was the moon.
Creeeak...!
The moment they opened the front door and stepped in, two figures came bolting out of Minji's room in a fluster.
"Se-Seyeon unnie! Jeong Hoon oppa!"
"Y-you two... th-that...!"
Hmm? Their faces looked desperately urgent. They must have heard the administrator's announcement as well.
Yet he got the distinct feeling they were fretting over something else entirely.
"Se-Seyeon unnie... Mi-Minji is...!"
Thud-thud-thud!
Before Sora could even finish, Seyeon rushed straight past him and into Seo Minji's room.
Hoo. Well. As a mother, just hearing her child's name would make her body move on its own. Rather than any warm feeling, only a bitter, heart-aching sensation he couldn't quite name settled in his chest.
If she had never met him, Kim Seyeon's family reunion might never have—
"O-oppa...?"
Han Sora's voice reached him. He had almost slipped into overly dark thoughts. Thank you, Sora.
"Was everything alright? Any zombie attacks or the like?"
"None at all!"
"O-of course not! M-more importantly... d-did you... handle things well?"
"Mm. We did."
The way they couldn't properly name the subject told him both of them had already guessed that he and Kim Seyeon had returned from some grim cleanup work.
Yeah—after all, the two of them had left the house with grim faces, carrying something rolled up in a blanket.
"Sora. Take this."
"Y-yes?"
Perfect timing, he thought.
He pulled out the Master's Work Gloves he had received that day and held them out to Han Sora. Ugh. Legendary item or not, the visual was a complete disaster. He felt like some guy handing his girlfriend a trashy gift.
In reality, Han Sora's expression turned extremely strange. Park Seeun beside her openly tilted her head.
"W-what is this...?"
"Take it."
He pressed the work gloves into Han Sora's hands. Once the item description appeared, she would understand.
"Why... why work gloves... Aaaah!"
The description must have popped up properly—Han Sora cried out in pure amazement.
Unlike her earlier puzzled look, her eyes flew wide and her mouth dropped open. Park Seeun, who had clearly expected Sora to be disappointed, looked startled by the intensity of the reaction.
"W-why are you like that, unnie? What's so special about those laborer's work gloves?"
"T-take a look yourself, Seeun."
"Let me see... Whoa, what the hell is this. Heck! Insane!"
The instant they read the description, both pairs of eyes sparkled identically.
Yeah. This was exactly the kind of moment where the foreign proverb "Don't judge a book by its cover" fit perfectly.
"This is an item I received from the administrator as a reward for slaying the Minotaur. After obtaining it, I thought it was equipment you needed, Sora."
"O-oppa... but..."
Han Sora's face filled with guilt.
Huh? Why that expression...? He was just handing over one item.
"O-oppa... you really, really worked hard to kill that monster... and this is the reward you got for it... f-for me to just snatch it up feels a bit..."
Even so—for all her lack of social awareness and full freeloader energy—Sora was at least a good kid.
"Sora."
"A-ah! O-oppa..."
He pulled her into his arms and held her tight.
Beside them, Park Seeun let out an uncharacteristically girlish "Kya—kyaah!" He ignored it.
Right now was time for a conversation between lovers.
"Sora does not understand my heart very well, does she?"
"Y-yes?"
"Oppa is actually disappointed that he could not give Sora an even better gift."
"Je-Jeong Hoon oppa..."
Stroke... stroke. While slowly running his fingers through Sora's short hair, he gazed into her dazed eyes and whispered.
"I also passed the Skeleton King's item to Seo Hyejin. You must have been quite upset. So I promise you, Sora. Next time... I shall gift you an item that suits your beautiful appearance."
"A-ah, really... oppa too..."
Even as she whined just a little, Han Sora couldn't wipe the smile from her face, looking utterly overjoyed.
They stared at each other like that for a moment.
Slowly—differently from before—their lips drew closer like lovers—
"A-ahem ahem...!"
Oh crap. There was a third party standing right next to them!
He and Sora snapped back to their senses at once.
They hurriedly put a little distance between them (not too much). They had gotten far too lost in their own world.
With everything piling up lately, they hadn't been able to do that at night, so he had just...
"W-well... I-I know full well that you two are that kind of couple. It's just... um... i-if possible, when it's just the two of you, only then... could you...?"
At Park Seeun's advice, he carefully nodded.
If he dared to think about it, a survivor party that properly respected each other's personal space might not exist anywhere else on this Earth.
Seo Hyejin's guild, Hope's Wings, might come close—but even there, Seo Hyejin herself and the former villa survivors sat in superior positions while the remaining "quasi-guild members" were kept in a clear hierarchy (because that was safer).
A survivor group or party with exchanges as smooth as theirs was almost certainly unique on the planet. Unless it was some gathering of saints.
It had been nearly three weeks since the world roughly went to hell. An environment where barbaric bastards who discarded their humanity in the name of survival thrived—like that yakuza bastard or Kim Suhyeok's gang. Similar ones might be lurking in Seoul as well.
Honestly, even if he stuck his hand into Han Sora's breasts and groped them right here, in any other survivor group the others wouldn't have been able to make a peep. Maintaining "order" so that such things never happened seemed to be what made their party unique.
It might look frustrating in someone else's eyes. But for him... it was the best possible situation.
In the extreme conditions of annihilation, imagine a man who treats you kindly and respects you—a man who easily sweeps away zombies and monsters—standing by your side. Would a woman fall for him or not? Unless she was asexual or homosexual, ninety-nine percent would fall hard.
Even though he had been a virgin who hadn't even kissed a girl until meeting Sora, he could fully guess that much!
Right, you popular bastards who are probably dead by now!? My thinking is correct, isn't it? Huh?
"Ahem. If you two heard the administrator's announcement, I would like to make a proposal..."
"Y-yes."
"Yes, oppa. We heard it."
Good. Time to change the subject as slyly as a snake.
"On the way here, I spoke with Teacher Kim Seyeon. Either we defeat that Area Boss, or we flee to a place beyond the Area Boss's reach. I do not believe fleeing is the answer, so we formed a plan. We shall enter Yeouido, establish a base and grow stronger, then defeat that Area Boss with our own hands."
"Ah..."
As the serious talk emerged, both their expressions shifted. Park Seeun looked anxious. Han Sora wore an unexpectedly calm face.
"Je-Jeong Hoon oppa... what if that Area Boss is already staying in Yeouido... what then?"
Ah. Right. That possibility existed too.
"...We shall have to offer prayers for our friends. We will not be able to go there."
They needed to grow first and only then face the Area Boss—yet face it before that?
It was madness. Equivalent to suicide. The plan itself to confront an Area Boss was reckless enough, but...
If not me, then who?
From within his heart, that conclusion burst forth.
A conclusion mixed from Lawful Good and the twisted desire inside him—the desire to become a damn strong bastard especially in times like these. But who else but someone who had received a unique system like his would take on such a challenge?
That administrator bastard had bragged earlier. That Kim Jaehoon guy or whoever had sacrificed himself and nearly thirty survivors just to barely take down a Field Boss. And what about them? Four people had challenged it, and no one had died while bringing down the Field Boss.
The conclusion was one. For such a massive undertaking, there was no one but him who could do it.
Click!
The sound of a door opening. Kim Seyeon carefully walked out of Seo Minji's room, cradling her sleeping four-year-old daughter in her arms.
"I'm sorry. I was so worried about the child that I..."
"N-no, unnie!"
"I completely understand, Seyeon unnie!"
Kim Seyeon's face naturally drew sympathy. Her eyes were visibly swollen.
How much she must have cried. She probably couldn't hold back the emotions welling up either.
He had vaguely heard it even while talking with these two earlier—through the closed door, the sound of one adult and one child crying.
Han Sora and Park Seeun hurriedly ran to Kim Seyeon's side to comfort her. They brought up cheerful topics—how cute Minji was, what a mature child she was—to lighten the mood.
While the two engaged in everyday conversation, he was the one bringing up serious matters.
"I told the two of them. About that plan."
"Ah... really?"
Hearing that, Kim Seyeon immediately checked Sora and Seeun's expressions. She would only see eyes filled with resolve.
"Sora, Seeun... are you really alright with this? It would be fine to just take what we can from Seoul now and leave..."
"Of course it's fine, unnie! If we can't take that thing down, it'll just become more of a headache, right? Think about it. What if that Area Boss bastard invades another region—say, Gyeonggi-do where we live? That would be way more horrific!"
Seeun answered vigorously with a grin.
"I-I also... if we leave this problem alone and neglect it... I-I feel like it might spread even bigger later. F-for example... if that Area Boss expands its forces... a-and eventually creates a monster group that even all the survivors banding together couldn't beat... l-like that Skeleton King just multiplying skeletons... it would be more dangerous. N-now is the right time. I-I'm not saying we should take it down right away, but..."
Sora expressed her agreement in a truly gamer-like way. Well, nothing she said was wrong.
And the next words that came from Sora's mouth made his chest swell with emotion for a moment.
"M-more than anything... t-to create a world where our Minji can sleep peacefully... a-a world where she can run around laughing brightly with her mom... w-we have to defeat that kind of monster... right? Isn't that right, unnie?"
"So-Sora..."
"Sora unnie... wow...!"
Kim Seyeon was moved. Park Seeun was impressed.
He simply nodded. His lips might have curled up just a little, but he decided it was only his imagination.
But one thing he could be sure of.
This unique party. A party centered on him with three beautiful, talented women...
They could definitely do it. That confidence surged up inside him.
"...Shall we get some sleep soon? Everyone pushed themselves hard today."
While repeating that confidence to himself, he took out his phone.
The phone dangling with a portable charger showed 9:10 p.m.
The night was already deep. Since they had set out by car around midnight on April 20th, they had been moving nonstop for a full twenty-one hours. It was time for fatigue to hit.
"Ah, come to think of it..."
"Haaawn... suddenly mentioning the time is making me sleepy. Did we really push ourselves that hard..."
Sora and Seeun agreed. Kim Seyeon also looked ready to go along with his suggestion.
Yeah. Rest well until tomorrow morning, then as soon as morning comes, eat lightly and set out for Yeouido.
They couldn't count on a car, so they would have to go on foot—but since it was Yeouido, if they took the roads well they could arrive in a day—
"Shall we all sleep together in the living room? The four of us. With Minji."
"Wow, I like that, Seyeon unnie!"
"Huh? Th-that... s-sounds good. Let's do that. U-unnie!"
Huh?
Teacher Kim Seyeon...? The joke seems a bit... too much?
"How about it, Jeong Hoon-ssi?"
"..."
She didn't look like she was joking at all!
He could only stay silent, unable to say yes or no.
In fact, since they had lived together as four before, he didn't particularly feel resistance to sleeping under the same blanket.
No—how could he feel resistance? Sleeping sandwiched between three beauties like this. Wasn't that every man's dream?
But... he still couldn't tell if this was reality or a dream, so he felt a bit dazed. Was what Kim Seyeon just said reality? Or had he been so tired today that he was hearing things?
A little later—after lightly washing with the bottled water each had brought, changing into comfortable clothes, and laying out blankets on the living room floor enough for four to sleep—he could finally accept that this was reality.
"Lying down like this reminds me of when we used to go on trips. After graduating, I went on a trip with friends—"
"O-oh my... really? I-I'm not used to that kind of thing originally..."
"Really? It's super fun! We'd talk all night and later check the time and it'd be like four in the morning and everyone would—"
With a single lamp light placed on the sofa, relying only on that, they lay down on the blankets.
Park Seeun cheerfully settled next to Sora and chattered away. Park Seeun was on the far right, Sora next to her. To Sora's left was Kim Seyeon, lying with her child Minji.
On the far left was him. With Minji in the middle, he was lying side by side with Kim Seyeon. Originally he had planned to sleep on the sofa.
...No. Correction. While he had somehow agreed to everyone sleeping together in the living room, he had no intention of sleeping deeply. He planned to doze sitting on the sofa, and if anything invaded the house, immediately move—without waking the four sleeping people—and deal with it.
Oh my, that won't do. You're the one who moved the most among us. You need to rest well, Jeong Hoon-ssi.
But...
If you're really uneasy, I'll lay down Sacred Ground before sleeping. The duration has gotten longer since my level went up. That should put you at ease, right?
Hmm...
Today, just rest well. They won't come into a mansion in an alley like this. If we were being really noisy maybe... but we're not, right?
That's right, oppa. We're going to sleep as quiet as dead mice. And since our levels went up, if those things approach we can sense them in an instant. Ah, is that a downside?
Y-yeah, oppa. Just rest well.
He hesitated. Whether to tell the three of them or not.
From earlier, he had been hesitating whether to mention that something was grating on his sharp senses.
No—he kept feeling like someone was watching them. So he had checked outside the windows several times just in case... but he didn't have an Archer's vision, and more than anything, under the moonlight it was hard to find any living thing watching them.
Maybe he was just exhausted and getting neurotic. He had said he'd sleep on the sofa to keep watch a bit just in case, but...
When the women came out so earnestly like this, it was hard for him to refuse either.
Then I shall lie down a bit. Just lie down.
Hehe. Okay.
At his stubborn attitude, Kim Seyeon actually smiled as if pleased.
...H-honestly... that conversation just now felt like a stubborn husband and a loving wife having a sweet talk. And right now he was lying side by side with Kim Seyeon with Seo Minji between them. This completely felt like a newlywed couple with their second generation falling asleep... ehehe...!
He had requested the sleeping arrangement. Since there was a young child named Seo Minji, she was the most defenseless, so he had the upright pretext of needing to protect her from beside her—because she was just a child, not a power user like them.
But despite this justification, Han Sora seemed a bit dissatisfied with the sleeping arrangement and quietly whined.
"Tch... s-still... I-I wanted to sleep with oppa. I-if possible... while everyone is sleeping, secretly with oppa..."
"Sora unnieee...? We're wide awake right now, you know?"
"A-no. Seeun! I meant when everyone is asleep. When asleep... doing that."
"If you say it out loud it's completely useless, you know? It's like advertising it to the whole world, unnie."
"U-uugh..."
Hearing the two's banter, a snicker naturally rose in him.
Of course, thanks to Lawful Good, only a slight change in expression came out. Kim Seyeon lying next to him had a face full of smiles.
Her appearance—lying in comfortable clothes and enjoying herself—was certainly nice to look at.
"...Zzz, zzz..."
"Huff... huff..."
Han Sora and Park Seeun's banter didn't last long. At some point it cut off with a soft plop, and soon only breathing sounds could be heard as they fell into deep sleep.
Indeed—the fatigue from wandering around nonstop for twenty-one hours had hit all at once for sure.
Compared to that... he really might be a monster. His eyes still wouldn't close on their own.
No... that was a lie. Honestly speaking, sleep wouldn't come easily.
He was tired. Definitely tired—but like he had drunk espresso coffee right before bed, his eyes wouldn't close easily.
The premonition from earlier that someone was watching, plus the instability inherent in the journey to Yeouido, wouldn't let him fall asleep easily.
Even though he had survived so far thanks to a completely different system, there was no guarantee it would continue that way.
Moreover, the Area Boss—a new enemy he hadn't heard a single word about until yesterday, and one that was surely much stronger than Field Bosses—had been added, and that weighed heavily on his mind.
The anxiety that such unpredictable situations might keep exploding from now on pressed down on his chest from within and disturbed his sleep.
"Can't sleep after all, Jeong Hoon-ssi?"
"...You too?"
As he blinked while staring at the ceiling, someone spoke from beside him. Kim Seyeon was looking at him while lying on her side.
Even in this dark situation with only a single lamp for light, she wore a captivating smile on her lips.
On top of that, since her clothes were comfortable, her cleavage was simply visible. Her collarbone too.
The curve of her face connecting from her nape to her chin and ear, and finally her flowing black hair and slightly curved eyes, her dark red pupils.
...It was a good thing he had pulled the blanket up to his chest. Seriously.
"There really was a lot today."
"Indeed. There truly was."
"Not even a day since leaving XX-gu, and things have been exploding like a storm."
"I cannot help but agree."
He had no idea what words were coming out of his mouth, what he was answering Kim Seyeon with.
Honestly, it felt like his mind was being sucked into those eyes of hers. Ah—what topic are we talking about right now? Am I under a succubus's temptation? Hypnotized? I feel really weird...
"Jeong Hoon-ssi..."
Hmm? Was it an illusion of his eyes? He felt like Kim Seyeon's face had gotten closer.
"Thank you. For saying you need me. For confessing that you want me by your side."
No. It wasn't an illusion.
Just seeing Kim Seyeon's captivating, experienced smile—the smile only a former married woman, now a widow, could wear—up close was enough to know it wasn't an illusion.
"Let's survive together. This difficult world."
"So that you and your daughter may live with peace of mind, I too shall strive."
He let his voice flow out almost instinctively.
So he asked himself inwardly. What the hell did I just spout?
But those eyes... they looked like shining rubies. And... that cleavage... fuck, among his women she really had the best volume for sure.
"I-I'll try hard. To live up to your expectations. To become someone who suits being by your side."
"Thank you."
"And..."
Peck...!
It was far too sudden.
The soft sensation of lips touching flowed across his own. Her tongue lightly tapped his teeth.
As if she wanted to entwine her tongue with his. Carefully.
He did not refuse.
The next morning.
April 21st.
They began their journey toward Yeouido.