Cause of the Disaster
Cause of the Disaster
How much longer did I walk?
When I checked the time, roughly an hour had passed.
Ha Hui-ryeong said she'd be here soon, but there wasn't a trace of her.
If she'd gotten close, I should have heard a vehicle by now, but the area was dead silent.
The hell? She said she was on her way.
So when the hell is she getting here?
"Ah."
I was stewing in my own frustration.
Angelica, walking beside me, stopped short.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I think I stepped on something. The sole of my foot stings."
She lifted her foot slightly to show me.
Sure enough, a sharp shard of stone was embedded in her sole.
Barefoot as she was, this kind of thing was unavoidable.
"You want to wear mine for a while?"
"It's fine. The size wouldn't fit, and at this point, borrowing yours would be rather pointless. I don't want to be a bother. I'll keep walking."
She's so damn considerate.
Angelica put on a resolute expression as if telling me not to worry, but her eyebrows were faintly knitted with pain.
Pitiful bravado.
"Then let's rest a bit. We've been walking nonstop. Should catch our breath."
"Hm. Very well. I was just about to suggest the same."
We sat down side by side on a nearby pile of rubble.
Watching her fidget with her injured foot, I felt oddly restless.
Maybe it was because she was a woman who'd shown me kindness without any ulterior motive.
I found myself wanting to look after her more intently, my eyes drifting toward her on their own.
"Hey, this is kind of out of nowhere, but... why don't you just come with me?"
Maybe that's why I ended up throwing out such a sudden, random proposal.
The image of the others catching up and beating Angelica into submission as a group was already painted vividly in my mind.
Of course, if she tried to escape into the air like last time, she could ensure her own safety.
But I knew she wouldn't do that now.
No matter what, she'd try to take care of me, and the moment the others arrived, I'd have to resist desperately.
Because if we didn't go together, it was obvious which side I'd have to prioritize.
"What do you mean? Am I not already following you? No, in this case, walking together would be the more accurate expression."
Angelica tilted her head, unable to grasp the context.
I added,
"No, I mean, why don't you just join our camper van?"
"...So you're asking me to live under the same roof as my old friend?"
When I nodded, Angelica furrowed her brow and sank into deep thought.
I caught a reluctant vibe from her.
Soon, she asked me in a slightly trembling voice.
"Do you dislike me?"
"That's not it. You're this pretty and incredible in bed, so I've got no reason to dislike you. But..."
"I'm not enough, it seems. You alone are more than sufficient for me."
"....."
I was at a loss for words.
If I half-heartedly denied it here, it'd be exposed as a lie in no time.
From the start, she already knew exactly how many women were clinging to my side.
So readily agreeing also felt a bit off.
As I stood there like a mute, awkwardly scratching my cheek, she saw my expression and unexpectedly broke into a faint smile.
"Yes. I suppose so. You spending time with me was only ever my own stubbornness. I knew it, but seeing that reaction... it stings quite a bit."
"...Tch. Sorry. For being this kind of guy."
"Don't be sorry. You've done nothing wrong. If there's any fault, it's mine. All of this is nothing more than my own selfishness."
A bitter smile.
The more I looked at her, the more pitiful she seemed.
"Life truly is unpredictable. I only violated you to deceive my old friend, yet I ended up falling for you instead."
"To be precise, you fell for my dick."
"Hmph, spare me the pointless commentary. Even if it's true, there's such a thing as mood."
Angelica poked my foot with a sulky expression.
It was a heartfelt joke I'd tossed out to lighten the atmosphere, but unfortunately, it didn't seem to be to her taste.
Still, it had lifted the gloomy aura, so my intention had landed.
Angelica let out a short sigh.
"Hoo.... Regardless, fine. If you wish it, I shall follow. Even if it is charity born from begging, I'll be happy as long as you're there."
"Really? You really..."
Mean that? I was about to add.
Suddenly, no voice came out.
My mouth just opened and closed like I was underwater.
That wasn't all.
As if the very concept of sound had been severed, the entire area was plunged into absolute silence.
My bewilderment showed plainly on my face.
Angelica, seeing this, tilted her head quizzically and tried to say something.
".....!"
Just like me, no sound came out.
Her eyes went wide as saucers.
What the hell was this phenomenon?
A surprise attack?
Had someone activated an ability on us?
The moment an ominous premonition flashed through my mind, an eerily familiar melody began drifting into my ears from somewhere.
— ♩~♪~♬~♩.
The sound of a piano.
And an all-too-familiar melody.
It was strange.
The surroundings were utterly silent, yet for some reason, classical music was faintly audible.
Was it Für Elise?
It was so famous that even I knew the piece.
"...."
Angelica and I exchanged looks with puzzled expressions.
Even without words, intent was conveyed through our eyes.
A silent agreement to stay on guard was made.
That was when it happened.
Just as we cautiously stepped down from the rubble, I spotted a large vehicle racing madly in the distance.
An eye-catching vehicle painted pink.
As if I could miss it—it was my camper van.
'Wait, hold on. What the hell is it dragging behind it!?'
But the problem was that something was chasing it.
It was enormous.
And there wasn't just one or two.
Like a swarm of locusts, massive black musical notes were swarming viciously behind the camper van.
And at the center of them was the silhouette of a dark fiend hammering frantically at a piano.
Hovering in the air with the piano, it flailed at the keys like a madman.
Each time it did, black musical notes eerily rose up around it.
Soon, the tiny notes swelled in size and joined the storm.
'That bastard was the reason Gangnam went to shit!?'
My face and Angelica's went deathly pale in an instant.
Angelica's response was incredibly swift.
Without a moment's delay, she grabbed me and activated her ability, shooting high into the air.
She poured on the speed with all her might, intending to flee.
But it wasn't fast enough to outpace a vehicle going at full throttle.
We were caught up in an instant.
'Ha Hui-ryeong? Oh, right! Of course, it could only be you!'
Glancing down, I spotted Ha Hui-ryeong, who had thrown open the camper van's roof hatch, reaching her hand out to me.
I tapped Angelica's body to signal her.
"....!"
Her gaze followed my finger down to Ha Hui-ryeong below.
She frowned as if displeased, but she wasn't foolish enough to let pointless pride get in the way in this situation.
She immediately dropped altitude and landed on top of the camper van.
'Get in here, now!'
Ha Hui-ryeong, her upper body sticking out of the open hatch, gestured at us frantically.
I couldn't hear her voice, but I could read from the shape of her mouth what she was trying to say.
Angelica and I threw ourselves toward her at once.
Whoosh.
Ha Hui-ryeong grabbed me tightly and let out a short, relieved sigh.
Angelica was, by chance, caught by Kim Ha-yoon, who was beside Ha Hui-ryeong.
Though, given their difference in build, it turned into more of a tackle.
'Hey, truce for now. If you want to live, you help us too.'
'I don't like it, but... fine. I accept a temporary alliance.'
Ha Hui-ryeong and Angelica communicated perfectly just by moving their mouths.
Maybe it was because they'd spent time together in the past; they had a way of understanding each other.
'You, cheer me on from my side.'
'What? Wouldn't it be better if I went inside? I feel like I'd just be in the way here...'
'Shut up and stick right next to me and act like a cheerleader!'
Ha Hui-ryeong's expression was menacing.
It seemed she intended to intercept any musical notes that flew this way alongside Angelica.
But why me?
Would cheering her on make her stronger or something?
That question flickered through my mind, but she looked so desperate that I meekly latched onto her side like a leech.
Naturally, it ended up looking like I was hugging her waist.
For an instant, Angelica shot me a sharp glare, but upon spotting a note suddenly hurtling toward us, she frantically activated her psychokinesis.
Following her hand gesture, the note's trajectory was deflected.
The note, which had been flying with fierce momentum, tumbled off to the side of the camper van.
Dust scattered everywhere, and the vehicle jolted from the impact.
It was a chilling sight.
A little later, and we would have been hit by that note and overturned.
Because of that, they stopped their petty squabbling and put on serious expressions.
'You son of a bitch!'
Ha Hui-ryeong abruptly tossed me at Kim Ha-yoon before boldly climbing up onto the roof of the camper van.
Angelica then stood up beside her.
And as if competing, they began shooting down the incoming notes.
Bolts of churning lightning pierced and tore through the black swarm.
An invisible force sent the notes crashing into each other and plummeting.
It was an unintended cooperation, but the two of them matched so exquisitely well it was a sight to behold.
"....."
Kim Ha-yoon, who'd been handed me in the confusion, seemed somewhat flustered, but after watching Angelica and Ha Hui-ryeong seamlessly coordinate, she shook her head as if she couldn't believe it.
'We'll head down.'
Then, abruptly, Kim Ha-yoon whispered to me.
Or rather, she mouthed it.
I nodded and followed behind her into the interior.
The massive sofa in the center.
There, the Numbered Bitches, Im Soo-ah, and Jeong Yeon-ji were huddled together, trembling with anxiety.
'Oh, they brought her too? Did Ha-yoon pick her up?'
There was no way Ha Hui-ryeong had demanded a woman as payment, so Kim Ha-yoon had most likely asked Shin Yoo-hwa for her.
Anyway, I'd look into that later.
I immediately crossed through the center and headed toward the driver's seat.
Naturally, Kang Ha-rin had taken the wheel.
And for some reason, Jeong Ji-min had claimed the passenger seat.
"....!"
The moment Jeong Ji-min spotted me, her face lit up and she threw her arms around me.
She planted quick pecks on both my cheeks, then mumbled something.
Her lips moved so fast I couldn't make out a single word she was saying.
I roughly pushed her aside and casually commandeered the passenger seat.
She seemed to grumble something from behind me, but I lightly ignored her.
'Damn, she's incredible.'
Kang Ha-rin was so focused she hadn't even noticed me arrive.
Her driving skills were still outstanding.
Watching her track the incoming musical notes through the side mirror and deftly spin the wheel to dodge them—even I couldn't help but let my jaw drop.
But that aggressive handling made the vehicle shake like crazy.
It delivered a spectacularly wild ride, as if we were strapped into an amusement park attraction.
We were jolted relentlessly, without warning.
I developed motion sickness I'd never had before, so much so that Ha Hui-ryeong and Angelica, who'd somehow been holding on up top, had already slipped back inside.
Vrrrrrrrm.
How long did we drive like that?
When we finally escaped the ruins and entered an intact urban center, that was when the noise slowly began to fade.
The piano-playing freak didn't pursue us any further.
As if a line had been drawn there, he turned his back without a second thought the moment we crossed into Seocho-gu.
"Haaah...! Haah...!"
Only then did Kang Ha-rin's tension seem to release, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.
I patted her shoulder a couple of times to acknowledge her hard work.
Of course, even then, she didn't notice my presence.
Or maybe she was just pretending not to.
*
After that, we drove a good while longer and parked the camper in a quiet spot with few zombies around.
Which turned out to be the underground parking lot of a nearby shopping complex.
Unlike Gangnam, the surface of Seocho-gu was an earthly paradise of corpses swarming with zombies.
So we could only catch our breath once a fair amount of time had passed and night had fallen.
"Good work, Ha-rin. We'll handle the rest, so go inside and rest."
"...Okay."
Kang Ha-rin gave a short reply, then trudged toward her room with her shoulders drooping—her mental reserves must have been heavily drained.
'I suppose I should drop by her room tonight and give her some comfort.'
Once I'd confirmed she was gone, I turned around and met the eyes of our party members.
Kim Ha-yoon, expressionless as always, was quietly sipping her coffee, while Jeong Ji-min wore a sly smile and watched for everyone's reactions.
"...."
Ha Hui-ryeong and Angelica, now that the situation was somewhat settled, were locked in a fierce staring contest as if they'd made some kind of pact.
They just kept glaring at each other without giving an inch.
"How about you two separate for now?"
"If this bitch lowers her eyes first, I'll do as you say."
"Lower my eyes? Me? Hah, don't be absurd. If it were my lord, perhaps, but why should I be mindful of your gaze?"
"Listen to this mouth on her. I went out of my way to save her and she's got an attitude like she gargled with piss. Where the hell did you learn such rotten manners? 'Cause you're a half-breed? Huh?"
"Your words contain a fallacy. First of all, I did not receive help from you. I received a favor from this camper's owner—my lord. And secondly, I do not lack manners. I simply reserve that treatment for you, so please do not misunderstand."
"Ha, the more I hear the more I can't believe this bitch. You really want to throw down, is that it? And what's with this 'my lord' crap? Don't tell me you're talking about him?"
Ha Hui-ryeong jabbed her finger at me.
Angelica nodded as if it were obvious.
"Who else would there be?"
"Wow. You've completely lost your mind."
Ha Hui-ryeong let out a hollow laugh, completely dumbfounded.
Yeah, I understood that feeling all too well.
Even now, I still couldn't grasp why she was showering me with such boundless goodwill.
Because of one dick?
Tch, but if that were the case, the other women didn't fit the pattern.
Case in point: Ha Hui-ryeong and Kim Ha-yoon, the two I'd been with the most, were still pretty far from what you'd call "conquered."
There was some fondness between us, sure, but if you asked me whether it was love... well, who knows?
"Alright, that's enough. Both of you cut it out and let's sort things out first. Hui-ryeong, so what's the deal with that piano-playing psycho?"
"That guy, we don't know either. He just appeared out of nowhere and attacked us."
The one who answered my question was Kim Ha-yoon, who'd been quiet until then.
She discreetly pressed a canned coffee into my hand.
...What was that supposed to mean?
As I slipped the coffee she'd given me into my pocket with a puzzled look, Ha Hui-ryeong added a few words to Kim Ha-yoon's account.
"What she said. We were going along fine when that lunatic suddenly jumped us. So we circled around for a while, and when it looked like shaking him off was going to be a pain, we just headed straight to where you were."
Ah, so that's why it took so long.
"I see. But this means we can't really do anything in Gangnam, can we? With a bastard like that planted right there, finding your mom seems a bit tricky."
"We'll have to look for clues somewhere else for now. You think my mom just up and died there? I'm, like, ninety-nine percent sure she's alive and well somewhere."
She had a point.
Ha Hui-ryeong's mother was notorious for having a long lifeline, so the odds that she was alive and well somewhere weren't negligible.
Of course, that was only if you looked at it optimistically.
"More importantly, what are you going to do about her disposition? If you just leave her be, I feel like I won't be able to sleep from the anxiety."
"My, there's nothing to worry about. I have absolutely no intention of misbehaving in my lord's residence."
"Hey, everything's fine except the title—change it. My lord? What the hell is 'my lord'? It's cringey as hell."
"Hm? Then husband?"
"...Something else."
"My old friend, you are truly difficult. Then I shall go with darling."
Angelica wore a strangely profound smile and winked at me.
Seeing that, Ha Hui-ryeong shuddered. "Ughh...!" She vigorously rubbed her arms, her expression one of utter disgust.
"You. Get out of the camper. Right now!"
"Fufu, how childish. Do you hold the authority to decide? I grasped long ago that darling's opinion is what matters most here."
"Argh, I said change the title!"
As I watched the two of them bicker again, I shook my head and let out a short sigh.
Around then, Jeong Ji-min tugged at my sleeve and whispered.
"Oppa, what are you going to do? Are you going to accept her?"
"I'll have to. I've taken quite a liking to her."
"Ooh, so what's the ranking going to be?"
That's what you're worried about?
I shot her a look of disbelief, but Jeong Ji-min's eyes sparkled as if this were the most important thing in the world.
"Haah... For now, she'll probably be above you?"
"Ah, why! I joined first! This is tyranny! Respect me! Cherish me!"
"Whatever, whatever. Figure it out among yourselves. I told you I don't care about that stuff."
"Ugh. It might be a hassle for you, oppa, but it's a pretty big deal for us. Please pay a little attention."
The way she grumbled made her look genuinely hurt.
So I said something I didn't really mean.
"Fine. I'll do my best to make sure she's ranked below you. In return, don't be too harsh on her, okay? She's different from the Numbered Bitches."
"F-for real, right? No take-backs on that!?"
As I pushed away her face while she annoyingly clung to me, Ha Hui-ryeong and Angelica's gazes had somehow fixed on me.
Jeong Ji-min must have been talking way too loudly.
"So, what's your answer?"
"I'll take her in for now. But I'll have to use a scroll."
"A scroll? What's that?"
Angelica wore a puzzled expression.
I showed her with actions rather than an explanation.
I pulled a subordination scroll from the drawer and rubbed it against her wrist on the spot.
She looked at me like it was strange, but she didn't outright refuse.
[Scroll usage confirmed. Please wait a moment.]
1...2...
[Activating trait 'Lucky One'. Enhancement probability is adjusted. 0.1% ▷ 10%]
3....4... Ding!
[Enhancement successful! Player 'Kinesis' is now subordinated under 'Lucky One'!]
Notifications popped up in succession.
And then, a chain tattoo surfaced on her wrist.
"What is this? It feels strange. I feel more at ease just looking at you. What on earth did you do to me?"
"I can't give you the long version. Just know that you can't betray me now, and that's enough."
"Is that your ability?"
"A part of it?"
"Haah... I see. It doesn't quite sit right with me, but I understand for now."
Angelica examined the tattoo engraved on her wrist with a complicated expression.
She had every right to feel that way.
Branding her with this was essentially the same as saying, 'I can't trust you.'
Tap, tap.
Kim Ha-yoon tugged at my sleeve and asked.
"So, what now? It seems like the conversation's more or less wrapped up."
"Let's rest for today. Starting tomorrow, we'll scout around here. We're close to Gangnam, so if we're lucky, there might be someone around who knows the situation."
The immediate priority was to rally our strength.
We might have to face that piano thing again, so for the time being, I planned to farm coins here in case of unforeseen circumstances.