The Landlords (2)

We followed Lee Jihye straight into Chungmuro. Taking in the platform with its shattered screen doors, Yoo Sangah spoke up.

"…The atmosphere here is pretty grim."

Climbing up along the Line 3 tracks, we spotted people clustered here and there, sitting around and murmuring among themselves.

I glanced over the messages floating in front of me, then shifted my gaze. Off in the distance, a few middle-aged men who'd spotted us started waving and heading our way.

"Oh, little samurai. You brought in some newbies?"

"Yeah."

Clutching a bottle of soju each and guzzling it down in big gulps as they approached, the men called out to Lee Jihye. I found myself mildly curious what kind of reaction that ajusshi would have if he knew her Sponsor was Admiral Yi Sun-shin.

Sniff sniff sniff…

"Ajusshi, you've been drinking again?"

Lee Jihye sniffed at the middle-aged man who'd come up close, then frowned as she spoke.

"Hahaha! World's gone to hell like this — what else is there to do but drink?"

At Lee Jihye's words, the man with the soft, round build of a neighborhood ahjussi laughed slyly as he answered.

"But your friends here — they came through the Dongdae Tunnel? Impressive…. Must've racked up some coins, huh?"

The sports-cut ajusshi next to the soft-built one hiccupped as he eyed Kim Dokja, Yoo Sangah, and Jung Heewon.

Before long, the sports-cut ajusshi turned his gaze on Yoo Sangah and struck up a conversation.

"Hey there, miss — what's your name? I've got a cheap room. Want me to rent you one?"

"Pardon? …A room?"

Yoo Sangah tilted her head at the man's words.

"Haha, look at me. You folks just got to Chungmuro, right? Then you wouldn't know the system here yet. See, this place…."

"Ajusshis, stop messing with the newbies and get back upstairs."

Lee Jihye cut off the man mid-ramble before he could keep going.

"Hey now, these people need to know too. We're all just trying to survive…."

"If you don't want to die."

The clueless ajusshi, failing to notice the icy glare Lee Jihye was leveling at him, kept right on babbling. Lee Jihye let out a small sigh at the sight of him, then drew her bright blue short sword and pressed the blade to his cheek as she spoke coldly.

At Lee Jihye's reaction, the men's faces went pale as they scrambled backward. A moment later, the sports-cut ajusshi flushed red and started muttering under his breath while glaring at her.

"This… little brat's already learning nothing but bad habits…."

"Hey, Kang. Enough. Let's go."

The men clicked their tongues and stomped off, fuming. Only after they'd disappeared down the Line 4 transfer passage did Lee Jihye sheath her sword.

"I brought you here, so from now on you're on your own. I'm not doing the babysitter thing."

Hearing that, Kim Dokja shot Lee Jihye a look that said she'd never seen such a rude little brat in her life.

"I'm leaving."

"Yoo Joonghyuk's here too, right?"

At the name Yoo Joonghyuk, Lee Jihye — who'd been about to turn away — whipped her head back around.

"…Who the hell are you?"

Lee Jihye eased her short sword partway out of its sheath again, eyeing Kim Dokja with a gaze full of wariness.

"I'm a companion of Yoo Joonghyuk, the one who came back alive."

"…Companion? No way that's true."

Lee Jihye stared at Kim Dokja with a look of deep suspicion.

"Yoo Joonghyuk? That crazy bitch?"

"…What? What did you just say?"

"Park Jinwoo… you goddamn shit-stirring bastard…."

I'd been watching the two of them talk when the memory hit me — that damn regressor trying to crush me to death or smother me under that heavy foot of hers, and the way she'd sneered when I was being chased ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by zombies, no, by those damned Demonic People — and before I knew it, the words "crazy bitch" had slipped out of my mouth.

Lee Jihye stared at me in pure shock. Kim Dokja, for her part, gently covered her eyes with one hand and muttered a quiet curse in my direction.

"You, you bastard — how dare you call Master a crazy bitch?!"

Shing!

Apparently so furious that her master Yoo Joonghyuk had been called a crazy bitch to her face, Lee Jihye fully drew her sword from its sheath and leveled it at me.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. You think if you'd been through what I went through, you'd still take that crazy bitch's side just because she's your master? Barely scrapes out of a subway car after an explosion with my life, and suddenly she's stomping me under that heavy elephant foot of hers, crushing me until I'm about to suffocate or get flattened. And when I'm stuck in a deadly game of tag where getting caught by those zombie-looking Demonic People means I'm dead, she just stands there laughing her ass off and leaves me behind. And I'm not allowed to call a bitch like that a crazy bitch? If you don't like 'crazy bitch,' want me to call her a fucking bitch instead?"

"……Uh, uh? Uh?! I—I'm sorry…?"

At the machine-gun rant I spat out through gritted teeth, Lee Jihye's face filled with pure panic, and she found herself apologizing without even realizing it.

"Haa…. Never mind. What did you even do wrong? Yeah, I'm sorry for calling a crazy bitch a crazy bitch. Come on, let's shake on it and drop the bad blood."

"…Uh, uhh? Huh? This isn't how this is supposed to go……."

Lee Jihye tilted her head with a thoroughly bewildered expression, her eyes full of confusion. I grabbed her right hand, forced a handshake, then put some distance between us.

Lee Jihye — high school girl sucker who gets swept up by the mood (Important☆).

I jotted the note in small letters in a little notebook, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠then slipped it into my pocket.

"Um, Jinwoo-ssi. Was everything you just said true?"

"Hm?"

As I put the notebook away, Yoo Sangah's voice came from behind me. I turned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠around to find the rest of the party — everyone except Kim Dokja — staring at me with a strange mix of deep shock and concern.

"…No comment."

Everything I'd said was true, so even the great Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't be able to deny it. Though once this got out, the first thing she'd say the moment she saw me would be "I'll kill you." Classic Kill-parrot Yoo Joonghyuk.

Once I finished speaking quietly, the others gently patted my shoulder or back and told me I'd been through a lot. Honestly, these people were good people. The problem was they were so good they came off like suckers.

"Haa… Anyway, if you pass that along to Yoo Joonghyuk, she'll know what it means. Where is she right now?"

"…Uh, uh?! Ahem! Master isn't here right now."

Kim Dokja silently cursed Park Jinwoo as a damn shit-stirring bastard under her breath, then addressed the blank-faced Lee Jihye standing there like an idiot. Startled by Kim Dokja suddenly speaking to her, Lee Jihye jumped and filled them in on Yoo Joonghyuk's whereabouts.

"Is that so? That's inconvenient. I've got something I really need to tell her."

At Kim Dokja's words, Lee Jihye's face twisted as she glared at her for a moment.

Lee Jihye glanced around, then called over to a boy who'd been curled up sleeping in a corner.

"Hey, you!"

"Y-Yes!"

At Lee Jihye's voice, the boy who'd been dozing in the corner wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and scrambled to his feet.

"Keep an eye on these people! I'm going to go see Master for a bit."

"W-Who are these people?"

The boy looked at us with bewildered eyes as he spoke.

"Dunno. She says they're Master's friends!"

"Huk…!"

The boy went pale with shock at Lee Jihye's words. A second later, he hurriedly turned toward us and stared with eyes full of pure reverence.

"…You're friends of Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi?"

"Of course! Joonghyuk and I are the closest of friends."

The rest of the party quietly glared at Kim Dokja as she brazenly lied to the boy, who was staring at us with wide, bright, innocent eyes.

Having arrived safely at Chungmuro, the party settled into a decent spot and took a short rest. While the others were resting, Kim Dokja was listening to the boy talk about Chungmuro.

Hwaaaawn….

"……So, one thing led to another, and we… ended up following Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi…. Um, are you listening?"

"Ah, well… yes."

Anyone could tell Kim Dokja wasn't listening at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all, but the boy — a loyal follower of Yoo Joonghyuk — apparently didn't notice any of it.

"To summarize: roughly three days ago, Yoo Joonghyuk showed up here and saved you people, including Lee Jihye, from a pack of monsters. Something like that, right?"

"Uh, is it really that simple a story…."

At Kim Dokja's words, the boy scratched his head with an awkward expression.

"Um, I have a few things I'm curious about. May I ask?"

As Kim Dokja bowed her head and sank into thought for a moment, Lee Hyunsung politely directed his questions to the boy.

"Ah, yes! Of course. Go ahead."

"Um, how are you handling food supplies in this place?"

"Well, calling it a supply system is a bit of a stretch…. A few of us, including me, are depending on Jihye. She does the hunting, and then we ask Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi to cook it…."

At the boy's words, Lee Hyunsung fished out a notebook and started recording everything he said. Kim Dokja quietly eyed Lee Hyunsung as he diligently took notes.

"Then what about drinking water?"

"We trade a little food or coins with the 'Landlord Alliance' on the upper floors and bring some back."

"…The Landlord Alliance?"

Lee Hyunsung tilted his head at the boy's words. Kim Dokja, who'd been quietly listening to the exchange from the side, lit up at the mention of the Landlord Alliance and turned to look at the boy.

"What kind of people are in the Landlord Alliance?"

"Well, how should I put it… True to the name, they're just landlords."

The boy made a troubled face, as if even he found it hard to explain.

Then Lee Gilyoung, who'd been quiet until now, carefully tugged on my pant leg and spoke up.

"Um, hyung."

"Yeah?"

"I need to go to the bathroom."

"Got it. I'll open the door for you."

"Thanks, hyung."

Whether he'd overheard my exchange with Lee Gilyoung or not, the boy next to us spoke up.

"Um, the bathroom is up on B2."

"Hm? Ah, no need for that."

"Pardon?"

Ignoring the boy staring at me with questioning eyes, I put my hand to the wall and generated a door to My Room.

"Here, Gilyoung. Go on in."

"Yes!"

"Ah, um, Jinwoo-ssi — would it be all right if I went too?"

"Of course. Go right ahead, Sangah-ssi."

"W-What is this? A door suddenly appearing in the wall?!"

The moment I generated the door to My Room, Lee Gilyoung and Yoo Sangah opened it and went inside. Watching from the side, the boy cried out with a look of pure shock on his face.

"Ah, right. Do you know where the most people are gathered right now?"

"Pardon? Uh… around now, people are probably crowded on B2, where the bathrooms are."

"That so? Think you could show us the way there?"

"Right now? Well, I was planning to head up anyway. Want to come along?"

"Sounds good. Ah — Heewon-ssi, Hyunsung-ssi, Dokja-ssi, what about you?"

At my question, Jung Heewon, Lee Hyunsung, and Kim Dokja looked at each other, then all nodded together.

"Let's go take a look."