Through the Earphone
Kang Jinho left in a hurry, leaving only those words behind like a man being chased by something.
“People from Gusan are coming. Cha Dohyun ordered them to stay here for the time being. He surely sent his closest aides, so don't do anything stupid—just keep your heads down and play it safe.”
Just as Kang Jinho had said, three men from Gusan arrived at the shelter that afternoon.
Perhaps they knew about our security system, as they didn't touch the main gate and simply waited in silence.
“We’re from Gusan.”
“Ah, yes… I was briefed by the previous shift, but I haven't received any further instructions yet…”
“I said we’re from Gusan, didn't I?”
“J-just a moment, please.”
They displayed an arrogant attitude, as if to say, ‘I’m here, so open the gate immediately.’
One of the sentries guarding the gate ran toward the main hall in a hurry, and the men clicked their tongues, clearly displeased even by that sight.
“Tsk! What a complete mess.”
“It’s suffocating, just suffocating, having to stay in a dump like this.”
“Let’s think of it positively. It means the Section Chief trusts us that much.”
“You call this trust? This is no different from being exiled.”
“Hey, still, it’s better to be here than there right now. The main base is currently…”
“Shh. Quiet.”
Oh Junghwan and I were eavesdropping on their conversation from the rooftop via a wiretap. It had been my idea, born from the need to gather as much information on them as possible. Opening the gate late had been part of the same plan.
“We shouldn't make them wait any longer.”
“They’ve stopped talking. Let’s open it now.”
“Agreed.”
Oh Junghwan gave the signal to the sentry. As the high-voltage current was cut and the gate swung open, the men marched in as confidently as generals passing through a triumphal arch. Since they were out of range of the wiretap, I couldn't hear what they were saying, but they looked like they were spewing every insult in the book.
Oh Junghwan watched them with his eyes and spoke to me.
“I’ll go out to greet them. And don't you step in this time. You won't be able to win them over as easily as you did Kang Jinho.”
“I think the same.”
It was better to stay as invisible as possible. For the time being, I planned to blend in with the others and keep a low profile. I could only hope those bastards would leave soon.
‘Cha Dohyun, huh…’
To think he’d consider stationing personnel here—he was certainly not a man to be taken lightly. Then again, there was no method more certain than that. What mattered now was that Cha Dohyun had sensed something suspicious.
‘The scouting teams are out of commission for a while.’
Oh Junghwan had hidden the maps and hospital landscaping blueprints used for the scouting missions in his own quarters. For the time being, we decided to play the part of a typical small-to-medium shelter, living hand-to-mouth.
“Welcome. I am Oh Junghwan, the shelter manager.”
“Ah, yes.”
Oh Junghwan had a wiretap hidden in his clothes as well. I decided to stay on the rooftop and listen to their conversation.
“You must be tired from the long journey. I’ve assigned you private rooms. Would you like to rest?”
“More than that, we’d like to see your current ammunition reserves.”
“…Ammunition?”
In the brief silence that followed, I could tell Oh Junghwan was quite flustered. Why were Kang Jinho and these guys so obsessed with ammunition? Even if it was a consumable, it shouldn't be so scarce that they’d be obsessed with it already…
“Why? Is there a reason it’s inconvenient?”
“No. I’ll show you.”
I heard the sound of a steel door opening. It was the supply warehouse inside the main hall.
“Hmm. This is all?”
“That is correct.”
“It’s far too empty compared to your trade volume.”
“As you are well aware, we were busy clearing out the university recently.”
“We actually passed by the underpass on our way here. Why did you burn the corpses? It looked like they were burned recently.”
Burned the corpses? Could Kang Jinho have handled that for us? Oh Junghwan replied with composure.
“The university is close to this place, isn't it? You know how foul the smell of rotting corpses can be.”
“It’s not an attempt to hide the numbers, is it?”
“Of course not. What would we have to hide?”
“We’ll find that out in due time.”
Burning them was indeed the best way to get rid of the evidence. That was why the men were looking at even that with suspicion.
“A total of 680 rounds. How many did the scouting team take out with them?”
“We haven't sent out any scouting missions today, as we just finished a major operation.”
“So this is all you have here?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll be confiscating 480 rounds.”
“Excuse me?”
For a moment, Oh Junghwan’s voice rose. The men didn't care and began moving the ammo boxes.
“Wait, what are you doing all of a sudden? Even if you are from Gusan, do you have the right to take shelter property as you please?”
“It’s the Section Chief’s order. To confiscate everything except for 200 rounds from Osori Shelter.”
“We obtained these through trade! We paid you for them!”
“If you have a complaint, take it up with the Section Chief. We’re just doing as we’re told.”
“You son of a…!”
Oh Junghwan’s fury pierced my ears through the radio. Knowing Oh Junghwan, who maintained his cool even in most situations, I knew his anger was particularly intense. 480 rounds of ammo? Honestly, that amount wasn't a problem. The reason Oh Junghwan was furious was because of future trades. If they could take it once, couldn't they take it twice? Once trust is broken, trade becomes impossible. Gusan was the ‘gap’ (superior) and the other shelters were the ‘eul’ (inferior). If you don't trade with Gusan, it’s only the ‘eul’ that suffers.
“You’re actually better off than most. Some shelters had over 2,000 rounds confiscated.”
“How can you say that with a straight face…!”
“Oh, right. And send out scouting teams starting tomorrow. Half of the supplies will be sent to Gusan.”
“W-what? Are you playing games with me?!”
Gusan’s abuse of power didn't end there. Not satisfied with confiscating trade goods, now they were going to exploit us? This was crossing the line—by a long shot. The man spoke in a chilling tone.
“Hey, Oh Junghwan.”
“What…?”
“I’m being nice, and now you’re getting mouthy?”
“…….”
“If you don't like it, stage a coup. Otherwise, shut up and do as you’re told. Still haven't figured out your place?”
I heard a thumping sound through the earphone. The man was poking Oh Junghwan’s body.
“Isn't it us who’ve been feeding you pathetic shelter rats all this time? Say it yourself. If you cut ties with us, do you think you could live like this?”
The thumping sound changed to a sharp *SMACK!* At that moment, I almost lost my reason.
“If you have no power, you should know how to crawl. Do you still think you’re a Major Leaguer? Huh?”
With a dull *THUD*, I heard Oh Junghwan’s groan vividly. I couldn't take it anymore and ripped the earphone out.
Three rounds in the revolver. Yes, just three rounds would be enough to shut those bastards’ mouths. I could show them what true terror was, and who was really here. I could make them beg until their hands and feet wore down.
“Cheon-il.”
As I was about to head down from the rooftop, Hwang Gyunam grabbed me. For a second, a murderous gaze turned toward him. He flinched, but he didn't let go of the collar he was gripping tightly.
“…I know roughly what’s going on, but you have to hold it in for now.”
“Ha…!”
“It’s shitty, but that’s our reality. If you step in, things will only get more complicated.”
Hwang Gyunam, who had closed the rooftop door, pulled a cigarette from his pocket. I couldn't bring myself to open the door until he lit it, smoked the whole thing, and crushed it into the floor. Even while imagining killing those bastards dozens of times in my head, I was struggling to hold myself back.
“The position of a shelter manager is like that. You have to see a lot of ugly things, and sometimes you have to be servile. That’s why not just anyone can do it. You have to keep trying tirelessly.”
Hwang Gyunam tried to pull out another cigarette, then irritably crumpled the empty pack. “You know Oh Junghwan has immense pride, right? He was like that even when he was active. Right now, that man is doing everything he can to hold on. If you step in, you’ll be turning all that effort into bubbles.”
It was shitty, but I was persuaded. Because everything he said was true. I looked up at the sky once and let out a long, heavy breath.
“He does have immense pride. Was it the second game of the World Series? I knew it when he threw 17 consecutive fastballs.”
“Ah, I remember that. The opposing batter was a slugger who’d hit 57 home runs that season.”
“That’s right. He stepped into the batter’s box and provoked him by calling his shot.”
“It was a one-run game. Two outs, runner on first—it was a game we’d win as long as he didn't give up a home run.”
“That batter’s weakness is breaking balls that drop, and Oh Junghwan’s forkball was legendary.”
Hwang Gyunam wore a faint smile, as if the memories were coming back to him. “Honestly, if he’d thrown a breaking ball with two strikes, it would’ve been a guaranteed strikeout.”
“Exactly. But he insisted on a fastball showdown until the end.”
“He fouled everything off, and then—*BANG!* A home run. The team lost in a comeback. The media and the comments were brutal back then.”
“Up until about the sixth pitch, I wondered why he was being so stubborn. But after that, I found myself cheering for him without even realizing it. He just looked cool. Even if the result wasn't good.”
No, actually, the result was good. They traded scores tightly and went all the way to the final game of the World Series, and Oh Junghwan paid him back in style in that game.
“World Series Game 7, three-pitch strikeout against the same batter. Wow, that’s a legendary scene that will remain in baseball history.”
“You don't get inducted into the Hall of Fame unanimously for nothing.”
“Right. It’s all past glory, but he was such a great man once.”
He was a man who was nothing without his pride. A great player who dominated an era, called a lone wolf on the mound, was being insulted by mere drifters from Gusan. Understanding the man that was Oh Junghwan, I could see his heart. He was enduring this to protect the people as the representative of this shelter. A sacrifice for others, not himself. He was doing what I dared not do, standing firm.
“I should cheer for him like I did back then.”
I put the earphone back on. Because someone had to recognize his sincerity. Closing my eyes, I could almost see Oh Junghwan from those days, looking so good in his blue uniform.
“Huh?”
…I was sure of it.
But the situation unfolding through the earphone was completely different from what I expected.
“Hey, let’s have a one-on-one fight.”
“What? A fight? Did you eat some bad drugs?”
“Why, are you scared? You said the weak should crawl, right? Let’s fight, and whoever wins, we’ll serve as ‘hyung-nim’ for the rest of our lives. Clean, no hard feelings.”
“Ha, haha…”
“You’d be too embarrassed to even look at me if you lose, wouldn't you? Isn't that right? Say it yourself. You piece of shit.”
An exclamation of admiration burst out of me before I could stop it. The current shelter manager trying to beat the hell out of that bastard looked much cooler than the Oh Junghwan of the past who used to bombard the mound.