The Exchange (2)

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The Exchange (2) — Incheon Central Library, 1st Floor Lobby

"Talk! Right now!"

Under Kang San's crushing pressure, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Jeong Shinwoo shook his head, his face crumpling toward tears.

"I-I don't know! I don't know either, I swear!"

"You little bastard—!"

"San! Stop! You're way too worked up right now!"

Seong Gaeul barely managed to catch both of his arms with her own, the ones he'd yanked back ready to beat Shinwoo to a pulp on the spot. Dragged along as the still-furious Kang San strained against her grip, she swayed on her feet.

"Haah…."

Watching from a step away, Kim Eunbyeol pressed a hand to her forehead. It took Seo Taesan joining in before they finally managed to pry the two apart, but Kang San clearly had no intention of letting it end there.

"I told you I was counting on you, didn't I! You said you were confident! I gave you a weapon! I gave you food! You said you were fucking confident!"

As his yelling echoed through the lobby, Shinwoo's face went steadily whiter.

Lee Gyeongmin tapped Kim Cheolsu on the shoulder and spoke up.

"So how did Shinwoo-hyung even get here?"

"Hey, dumbass, I just laid eyes on him too—how the hell would I know? If Shinwoo-hyung showed up, doesn't that mean something happened to the people who went to the shelter?"

Only by eavesdropping on the muttered exchange between those two idiots did I piece it together.

So that guy was one of the group that left for the shelter?

Did they all know each other?

Then why did they split apart over the shelter?

"Bada! Did you see Bada or not?"

"…I s-saw her."

"Then fucking bring her back with you! Why'd you run off by yourself!"

"H-how was I s-supposed to—! With m-mad, m-mad m-monsters everywhere and e-everyone dying, you're t-telling me to d-die too, is that iiiit!"

"You worthless piece of traash!"

Bada's name kept coming up again and again. Something nagged at me, so I cast Lack Identification on the raging Kang San.

What Kang San lacked — what he longed for more than anything.

Kang Bada, huh. Mountain and sea — same family name.

So they're family.

A knowing smile brushed across my face.

Older brother or sister? Dead, maybe? Ah — a little sister, more likely?

As long as it wasn't attached to a dick, anything worked. A blood relative who looked that much like him would be A-grade even if she was ugly.

"FUUUUUCK!"

The rage overflowing even after being dumped on Shinwoo slammed into the lobby as a roar.

"Hah— hah— s-sorry… haah…. I'm sorry, everyone."

Gasping for breath, Kang San offered a small apology and started up the stairs.

Thud— thud—

He pounded the wall with his fists the whole way up, apparently working off his fury as he climbed, an absolute wreck.

"Sniff— sniff— sniff—"

Shinwoo's legs had given out and he'd begun blubbering in place, while Seong Gaeul and Seo Taesan watched him with complicated expressions. Only then did Kim Eunbyeol move toward the group — and her head turned toward me. She pointed a finger straight at me, her face openly broadcasting her displeasure.

"Him?"

When she nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, a hollow laugh burst out of me.

Ah. Right. I never actually disciplined that bitch, did I.

At the sight of my laughter, Seong Gaeul flinched and grabbed Eunbyeol's arm.

"U-uh, unnie! Let's talk about it upstairs."

"Hm? It'd be easier if just those two went up. Why bother?"

"N-no! We'll all go up. I need to check on San too, and this sounds like it'll be a long story. Taesan, come on, let's hurry."

"…Fine."

Dragged upstairs by Seong Gaeul, Kim Eunbyeol kept shooting me wary sidelong glances. I smiled warmly back at her and shot a look at Lee Gyeongmin instead.

"Sh-shall we head up too? Cheolsu, let's hurry and go."

"Fuck, all this whispering among themselves… aren't we the same camp? Don't rush me. I was going up anyway."

Once even the idiot duo had vanished, only three people remained in the once-bustling lobby.

Shinwoo, still sobbing his eyes out. Yoon Ayoung. And me.

"T-tear them out, k-kill her… ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠th-those, th-those eyes of hers…"

At the muttered whisper, I glanced over to find Yoon Ayoung trembling all over. The hand clasped in mine was shaking like it had a vibrator strapped to it.

"Ayoung."

"Th-that f-filthy tramp of a— Yesss?"

I stroked the head of Yoon Ayoung, who had instantly reverted to a docile lamb, as if to calm her down.

"We don't say things like that about people who might become our believers."

"I-I'm s-sorryyy…."

"You can't kill a puppy over one mistake, can you? A good owner forgives once or twice."

"B-but the way she l-looked at you, Oppa, was way too d-disrespectful! That o-old, w-withered-up h-hag! She's a-at least ten years older than me!"

If she said that in front of Kim Eunbyeol, there'd be a bloodbath.

That was far, far too critical a level of honesty for such naive, stammering babbling.

"Shh— Oppa will handle everything himself, so just be a little patient, okay?"

"Y-yeesss. I can be patient!"

"Good. Then shall we practice something?"

"P-practice what?"

"…Raising a puppy."

At her innocent question I gave her a grin, then turned my attention to appraising the man sniveling on the floor.

"Snurk— snff—"

Fucking bastard, he's even slurping the snot back up.

Step— step—

The closer I got, the stronger the stench of rotting garbage wafted off him.

Should I leave Ayoung behind and go alone for this one?

At that fleeting thought I glanced at Yoon Ayoung, but she just kept smiling, oblivious to everything. Right. You just stay beside me and look pretty, that's all.

"Sniff— sniff—"

"Mr. Jeong Shinwoo."

"Sniff— …Wh-who are you?"

The blubbering face lifted to take us in. On a face caked with grime, only the trails the tears had carved were clean.

Shinwoo eyed me warily at first — then looked at Yoon Ayoung and flushed red. And at the visible gulp of his Adam's apple, my thoughts nearly sprinted somewhere inappropriate for a moment before I reined them in.

"Use this first."

With every intention of simply throwing it away, I handed over a handkerchief I'd farmed from an apartment back in the day. Watching me pull it out of thin air, Shinwoo's eyes went wide.

"A-are you an Awakener?"

Figures. This bastard already knew. Well, it was about time the Awakeners' existence started coming to light anyway.

Besides, he was a survivor from the shelter — from just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about the only place in this world where people still came and went.

"Yes, I was lucky enough to become one. I don't know the details of your situation, but you clearly haven't managed a proper meal in a while, have you?"

Grrroowl—

Right on cue, Shinwoo's stomach clock went off.

Look at that pathetic state of him.

Right now, if you handed that bastard an ant, he'd have to chew it down.

When I shook the packet of ramen I'd pulled from my inventory, Shinwoo's mouth hung open in a daze.

"Mind if we speak casually? I'd like to make a little trade…."

"As-anything you want to ask! I-I'll tell you everything!"

I dangled the ramen like bait toward Shinwoo, who had folded himself into a bow in an instant. Watching him, a man who couldn't tear his eyes off the ramen for even a second, I thought about where to do this.

The Believer's Room… just imagining this bastard stepping inside it makes my mood curdle. Hmm. Where to, then?

I needed somewhere quiet. Poring over the minimap for a while, I confirmed that the first floor was actually quite spacious. I tapped the management office in the far-left corner and started walking. Yoon Ayoung's footsteps trailed after me, light as if she were off on a picnic, followed by the sound of Shinwoo dragging his feet along the floor.

Click—

With the sound of the door locking, Shinwoo lunged for the ramen I'd tossed him like a dog after a thrown bone. He couldn't tear the packet open in one go — it stretched and stretched, and yellow noodles scattered like sparks. Shinwoo, one hand scooping up the fallen pieces off the floor, frantically gnawed at the biggest chunk.

"Kgh— kgh—"

Watching him pound his chest, choking, Yoon Ayoung whispered to me.

"He's r-really so p-pitiful… and in-inferior!"

"Exactly. Which is why we have to help those poor people survive."

"Oppa, y-you're so, so kind. You're like a p-prince from a s-storybook."

I cleared my throat and turned away from the love brimming in Yoon Ayoung's eyes.

The effects of her fanaticism seemed way too strong.

If I'm a prince, then what does that make Shinwoo over there — an emperor or something?

I did, to be fair, own a pair of eyes fully capable of judging my own looks objectively.

Crunch— crunch—

With the sound of ramen chewing droning on and on, I slammed my will hard into the top of Shinwoo's head. With a clattering crash, his body toppled backward.

"Shinwoo."

"Y-yes, sir!"

His hunger briefly sated, Shinwoo scrambled to prostrate himself. Even then, the way he tucked the leftover ramen into his shirt was honestly a little heartbreaking.

"You want more."

"I-If you'd give it, I would be truly, truly grateful."

Look at that situation-reading ability. Flat on the ground in half a second.

At the very least, he was more useful than Lee Gyeongmin or Kim Cheolsu.

"See the woman next to me?"

"…Y-yes. I see her."

"Our Ayoung here is an Awakener too. She can tell right away whether what you say is a lie."

As if answering my words, Yoon Ayoung planted both hands on her hips and scrunched her face up, doing her best to look intimidating.

Hmm. That's actually having the opposite effect.

When I gave her waist a little squeeze, she snapped back to normal at once, and I opened my mouth again.

"You're going to tell us. Everything that happened here, why you left for the shelter. And everything, everything, related to Kang Bada."

"Y-yes… I-I'm Jeong Shinwoo. A c-college student. I've been f-friends with Kang San and G-Gaeul since way b-before any of this… W-we came to the l-library to study, and then…"

Without a single hesitation, Shinwoo began pouring out everything I hadn't known, one thing flowing into the next.

It started with how, because they'd all been gathered in the rooftop rest area, they'd managed to dodge the zombie wave that hit at the very beginning. Then how Kang San had risked his life to save Seo Taesan at the very last second before the zombies took him. Then how, even in that hell, survivors gradually began gathering in one place, and how Gaeul's cunning had secured the library for the camp.

"Hold on. Tell me that part in detail."

"Y-yes, sir! G-Gaeul noticed that the z-zombies were sensitive to sound, and l-lured them out of the b-building with her s-smartphone."

"Good. Next time, explain things like that on your own without me asking. That was good just now. I'll give you another pack of ramen."

"Th-thank you!"

Little by little, the camp's members put the hell that had descended on them back in order. Zombie corpses that turned up here and there got tossed outside, the blood got wiped away, and the food in the convenience store got inventoried.

"Early on, even if you worked sunrise to sunset, there was just too much to do. But once we got a little breathing room, p-people started getting resentful."

What followed from Shinwoo was fairly predictable.

So the moment they crawled out of panic, other thoughts crept in. Classic.

Worrying about family. Hunger. Uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.

Apparently, though, nobody dared to openly demand anything from Kang San's group, whose contributions had simply been too great. On top of that, it was pure luck that the social network — smartphones, computers, the internet — was still alive.

But as time dragged on, the group nursing their grudges against Kang San's people heard the emergency martial law broadcast and rose up. Declaring that they were heading for the Incheon shelter.

"B-but Kang San actually saw it as an opportunity."

"An opportunity? Why?"

"B-because he got word that Bada, his little sister, was at the s-shelter."

So that was why Seo Taesan had been holding the line out there without a single weapon worth calling a weapon.

"In exchange for me j-joining that group, they agreed to hand over some decent weapons and a fair share of food, and that's how it got s-settled."

"Hold on. If his little sister is that important to him — dying without her — why didn't he just go himself?"

"G-Gaeul and Mr. Taesan quietly o-objected. The distance was too far, a-and they c-couldn't give up a stable camp, they said…."

Hmm. Objectively speaking, that was the right call.

But watching Kang San go berserk today, there's no way something like that was enough to convince him.

Under my long, unblinking stare, Shinwoo's eyes darted away and he hurried to add an explanation.

"U-up until then, we all thought this s-shitstorm— ah, s-sorry."

"It's fine. Talk however you like."

"…We thought this shitstorm would be over soon. Even when Gaeul said something felt off, the shelters were already standing, and the military kept broadcasting over loudspeakers for everyone to come to the shelters. There were f-fun videos on YouTube and DC, too."

So they figured this whole thing was a passing storm. In that frame of mind, it does add up.

The library camp, already past its crisis, hands weapons over to the group splitting off for the shelter. Shinwoo joins Kang San's group and reunites with Kang Bada at a shelter protected by soldiers.

"I did m-meet Bada at the shelter, but… f-from that point on we couldn't reach each other. The internet suddenly died and the phones all went dead."

"And then the shelter collapsed?"

"Yes. Th-there were s-s-so many of the mutants. It was m-morning, and…"

It was clearly a memory he didn't want to relive — his stutter worsened sharply — so I calmed Shinwoo down before speaking again.

"When did you see the Awakener?"

"There was this tiny little kid next to Bada, and th-that kid was the Awakener."

"How did you know the kid was an Awakener?"

"Everyone whispered that the kid was a 'Pre-Infected,' and Bada was the only one who looked after them. Their p-parents both died in the chaos, they said. B-but Bada told me, and only me. That little kid…"

What came next left even me with no choice but to be shocked.

No way. There's a skill like that?

"They say the kid c-can understand what the zombies are saying."