The Price of a Bunker
The meal had ended a while ago. My nephews had struggled to stay awake, their heavy eyelids fluttering like broken shutters, but they eventually moved like roly-poly toys into the house to sleep. With the children down, the drinking session that had dragged on until nearly midnight was finally coming to a close. As my sisters and brothers-in-law moved to clear the messy wooden deck, I told them I’d handle it. I sent everyone inside to rest, leaving only my youngest nephew—the late-born baby of the family—with me in the quiet backyard.
We continued to drink, picking at the leftover snacks, until I finally broke the silence. "So, Shin. Why the long face?"
"...Is it that obvious?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. He looked away, embarrassed, and scratched the back of his head—a nervous habit he’d had since he was a kid. I stared at him persistently, refusing to let him brush it off. Eventually, he sighed, wrestled with his thoughts, and finally opened his mouth.
"Can you make sure Mom, Dad, and my sisters don't find out? And the brothers-in-law, too."
"Obviously. Just tell me."
"...Hoo... well, it's like this."
He started and stopped several times, hesitating, before finally letting it all out. Ever since he was discharged from the military, he’d been dabbling in stocks and Bitcoin. The moment he mentioned them, I gave him a sharp look, and he quickly waved his hands in defense.
"Hyung! You know how I make my living! The Dark Web! I got some solid intel from the Dark Web and played high-leverage short positions on overseas futures. I got lucky with the timing, and my assets just exploded..."
I softened my expression when he said he’d made a huge profit instead of losing money, but then another question arose. Seeing my face, he sighed again.
"That's the problem... I made so much money, right? And I think these guys tracked my exchange funds and noticed me pouring money into special materials for the Yeongok warehouse."
I frowned at the mention of "special materials" when we were supposed to be talking about his profits, but I let it slide for now. "And?"
"I only realized it now, but the guys I met through an acquaintance... I think they’re the ones who were tracking my funds. At first, they said they were big-time investors from Seoul..."
They had started by sharing information, buying him drinks, and buttering him up. He’d made money off the tips they gave him, but when they started making blatant, shady demands and he began to refuse, they showed their true colors. That was the gist of it.
"Were they gangsters?"
"...Yeah. These days, they call themselves 'Regulars'—a group that unites thugs regardless of the region."
Hearing that, I swallowed a sigh. Whether here or there, people are all the same. "So?"
"They keep pushing, saying things won't be fun if I don't comply. I tried to handle it somehow, but these bastards... they even showed up at the raw fish restaurant where we were having a company dinner the other day."
A sudden heat surged up my neck. I gritted my teeth. "Don't tell me those bastards caused a scene?"
"No, I was shocked when I heard, so I went to check, but they were actually acting all friendly and smiling in a creepy way. Like they were saying, 'You know what happens if you keep this up, right?'"
"..."
I tilted my head back, trying to cool the rising rage. I organized my thoughts quickly. My heart screamed to cut off their limbs and display them at their base as a warning, just like they did in the other world. But I had to be careful. Modern streets are crawling with CCTV. Even small shops have eyes everywhere. As I weighed my options, my nephew spoke up timidly.
"So... I was going to tell my brothers-in-law eventually. But I came to you first."
"You did well. And you, you little punk."
"Ouch! That hurts!"
I smacked his back hard enough to make a sound, and he squirmed. "You're a grown man, stop acting like that. I'll take care of it. So, where are those bastards now, and what are they doing?"
He hesitated, then spilled everything. They were gangsters running a game room in Gangneung. I wrote down every detail he gave me in my phone's memo app.
"Got it. I'll handle it, so don't worry. You understand?"
"Yeah. And... I stood up to Dad the other day..."
"What did you do to Father?"
I lowered my voice, making it stern. He clamped his mouth shut and avoided my gaze. He hadn't changed a bit since he was a kid. I didn't get angry; I just waited.
"Well... you know how I said I bought special materials? We have that spare land behind our cold storage in Yeongok, right? I built a bunker there."
"A bunker? Why a bunker?"
I widened my eyes, and as he explained, my brow furrowed. To be precise, a year ago, he’d gotten obsessed with apocalypse fiction. A friend he met on the Dark Web had been bragging, and he thought, *I have money, why not have one myself?* He’d started building it in secret, thinking it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, and then waited for a chance to pretend he’d discussed it with Dad and the brothers-in-law.
I was shocked to hear they’d actually allowed it. "Father and the brothers-in-law? They gave you permission?"
"Well, you remember that big earthquake in Uljin three months ago? The one that was magnitude 6? People were worried about the nuclear power plant, but as soon as the news said it was fine, I bragged about how well I’d built it, and they just went along with it."
Three months and two weeks ago? I frowned, deep in thought. My nephew called out to me, pulling me back to reality.
"Uh? Oh, yeah, I remember."
I brushed it off and let him continue. "Yeah. They saw the fishing boats capsizing and everything, and they looked really serious. They told me to build it on the warehouse site I was looking at... even though I was already building it."
"And? Why did you stand up to Father?"
"Dad asked how much it cost and started scolding me for spending so much. I’d researched the best security and equipment, so I felt wronged and snapped back at him. I was already stressed about a lot of things, and then he kept nagging me about that, so..."
He looked dejected, clearly regretting his outburst. I ruffled his hair roughly. "How much did you sink into it that Father got so angry?"
"Five billion..."
His voice was barely a whisper. I raised my voice in frustration. "What? How much?"
"Five billion, four hundred and sixty million won."
I was speechless. The amount was staggering. As I stood there with my mouth agape, he started babbling excuses. He claimed it was a steal for a 100-pyeong space with two underground levels. He talked about modular systems, concrete finishing, ventilation, solar power, Starlink connections, water tank circulation, and a small smart farm. He was getting louder and more frantic, so I raised a hand to stop him.
He looked like a scolded puppy, eyes wide and anxious. I let out a dry laugh. "Fine. It's more than I thought, but you finished it well, right?"
"Yeah."
"Did you use all your money on that?"
"No. Not much. Like 40 or 50 percent? Don't worry! I can make 10 or 20 times that back easily."
I frowned at the news that he’d spent half his fortune, and he jumped, startled. I smirked. "That's fine. Did you stock it with supplies?"
"Oh, yeah. It’s been a week since I finished, so I’ve been filling it with all sorts of things."
"Good. I'll handle those gangsters, so don't worry."
He stared at me, wide-eyed, then hung his head. I patted his shoulder and told him to go inside. He walked away looking better than before. *How is he still such a kid?* I remembered him as a snot-nosed brat, crying and telling me all his grievances. I smiled at the memory, then turned my gaze to the moon, staring at it with cold, sharp eyes.
Mid-July. It was 1:00 AM, the air cool enough to make the sweltering heat of the day feel like a distant memory. I took a taxi toward Gangneung.
"Yeah, yeah. Where is it? I'll head there after your restaurant closes. You finish at 2:30, right?"
"(That's right~ Come to the shop, haha. It's been a while since we all got together. It's a holiday, so it's perfect.)"
"Right. Got it."
I hung up and looked out the window at the sparse traffic, organizing my thoughts. How should I crush them? To anyone else, it might look like I was rushing in without a plan. Honestly, that was true. But the funny thing was, I didn't think I needed much preparation to squash a few bugs.
In this world, unlike the other world where the monarchy held absolute power, these kinds of lawless thugs had it too easy. The good thing about the modern world is that everyone gets the protection of the law. The bad thing is that *everyone* gets the protection of the law.
*Since this is the modern world, they don't know when to quit. I'll have to break their heads.*
I’d gotten used to this world over the last two weeks, but my instincts were still rooted in the bloody, brutal reality of the other world. *How dare they threaten my brother? And use my family's restaurant as a leverage point?* The more I thought about it, the more my blood boiled. These parasites, feeding on people weaker than themselves—they couldn't even handle a single Orc.
I ground my teeth. It was impulsive, sure. I knew modern problems couldn't always be solved with violence, but I couldn't bring myself to be a gentleman to these vermin.
"Sir, we've arrived. That'll be 37,000 won."
"Here you go."
I paid and stepped out of the taxi, staring at the game room my nephew had mentioned. The windows were blacked out so you couldn't see inside. I remembered that ten years ago, the Gangneung gangs had been wiped out after causing trouble over the Gyeongpo Skyway Hotel shares. I watched for a moment, then started moving.
I walked around the game room, scanning the area with my eyes without making it obvious. *CCTV here, CCTV there.* I narrowed my eyes. I stopped by a convenience store, bought some drinks and snacks to look like a regular customer, and continued my walk.
*Why is the security so tight?* Was this the difference between the other world, where safety meant "if you scream, that's your alarm," and the modern world? I found a motel near the game room and my eyes lit up. I checked into a room on the 5th floor and checked the hallway. Lucky for me, there was no CCTV on the 5th floor. I cheered internally, went into the room, and changed my clothes.
Black hoodie, 3M gloves, black sweatpants, black cap, a mask covering half my face, and ski goggles I’d found at home. I cautiously headed to the roof. The door opened easily, and I stepped out with a grin. The musty smell of the motel faded, replaced by the crisp night air.
I went to the edge of the roof. The game room was four buildings away. I jumped. I stepped onto the railing and leaped to the next roof. I landed silently, using a roll to absorb the impact, and kept moving. When I finally reached the game room's roof, I smiled grimly and tried the door. It was locked. I frowned and pulled a crowbar from my inventory.
"My first job is picking a roof door."
I chuckled, wedged the crowbar next to the handle, and applied force.
The door gave way easily.
I descended cautiously and listened at the nearest door. No sound. I frowned. Were they not here? Then, I noticed light spilling from a crack in a door at the end of the hallway. I crept closer.
"...how's it... now..."
"...the fish restaurant... if we go a few times..."
I pressed my ear to the door, catching fragments of their conversation.
"So? How's that nerd coming along?"
"Haha, Hyung-nim! Who do you think I am? I'm Gang-du! My name literally means 'Head'! If I just apply a little pressure, what can a weakling like that do?"
"Ha. So he's a college-educated guy, huh?"
"Hahaha, of course! If we keep at it, that guy—Su-shin or whatever—will spill all the info he has! Then we use that to bait the reading room and pull a job~ Keke!"
"Hahaha, right. Keep watching him. You know Seon-shik from Yeongdeungpo in Seoul? He's got high expectations. If this succeeds, there might be a spot for us up there."
"Really? Wow~ Are we finally leaving this countryside to get a taste of Seoul?!"
"Hahaha. Yeah. So make sure you keep a tight grip on that mountain kid—"
Listening to them patting themselves on the back, using my nephew's name, and treating him like dirt, the heat surged to my neck. I cracked my neck and kicked the door open.
BANG!
"..."
"..."
The guy who had been laughing mid-sentence turned his head, his smile freezing. He looked me up and down, then frowned.