Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Interlude Rest, New Seodaemun-gu (1)
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0.
- Tae-yeop.
He had dreamed of the day his father committed suicide.
Shin Tae-yeop bolted upright in bed, gasping for breath.
……Damn it.
He must have been exhausted to have that dream……
The starlight shining through the window was brilliant.
Already morning……? He staggered to the washbasin and splashed water from the bucket over his face.
Was it because of the fierce loneliness?
Suddenly, the room felt cold and desolate.
Well, that was only natural.
Whether before or after the apocalypse, everyone close to Shin Tae-yeop was now…… gone.
Yeah.
Now there was no one.
Now there was nothing.
“Maybe it’s because the boss doesn’t have a woman, so he feels lonely?”
On the way back from the expedition.
Hong Byeong-gyu chuckled heartily.
“A man, you see—even if he’s got piles of money (wagging his pinky)—is a lonely creature without a woman.”
This warmhearted uncle called Shin Tae-yeop “boss.”
“Is that why?”
“Damn right.”
“It’s definitely gotten worse since Raon noona died……”
“Ah…… damn……”
Hong Byeong-gyu hesitated for a moment, then scratched the back of his head vigorously.
“Must be fatigue. I put my foot in my mouth. Sorry about that, boss.”
“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”
“No. You should mind this stuff.”
Hong Byeong-gyu patted Shin Tae-yeop’s shoulder with a bitter smile.
“Boss. Thanks for always smiling and leading us, even when it’s tough.”
Shin Tae-yeop forced a wide grin and bumped his fist against Hong Byeong-gyu’s.
“Leading? We’re just going together.”
The moment their fists met, someone came running and clung to Shin Tae-yeop’s back. It was Cha Seung-hyeon.
“You can’t forget this genius, right?”
Smack.
With weary movements, Shin Tae-yeop closed the door to the now-empty squad barracks.
“……”
And then he shuddered in the sorrow of severance.
But why……?
The reason this sense of loss felt so familiar. He had felt it once before.
In a world he couldn’t remember.
The sensation of losing a connection he couldn’t recall.
The beads around his neck.
Shin Tae-yeop fiddled with them mournfully, lost in thought.
This déjà vu had started relatively recently.
April 5, 2045.
The day this world ended.
Ever since these red beads appeared out of nowhere and hung themselves around his neck. Ever since he could wield flames as naturally as breathing.
- I’ll probably die in this fight.
The lost memories had come crashing back with intense headaches then.
- No, I have to die. For ■■ and ■■■. It’s the only way to save both sides……
Again.
That voice again.
Familiar yet unfamiliar.
- Can you trust my stubbornness one more time and wait?
But hearing it made him miss it so much.
- I’ll come find you, everyone, bringing the dawn of the whole world. It’s a promise.
Shin Tae-yeop hugged his knees.
Carrying this pain…… go fight again…… over and over.
Clinging only to this vague promise.
It was vague, but he had to believe.
If he lost even that, he’d have no reason to live or fight.
1.
It was because of Shin Tae-yeop.
The reason he stopped while leaving the hospital after the doctor with the [Medical] brand said he could be discharged.
“Hey!”
Do Ye-jin waved cheerfully on purpose. Shin Tae-yeop, whom she met again, seemed quite different from before.
“What are you doing here?”
His eyes lacked the strength they once had. Anyway, he looked more listless than before.
“I came to pick up one idiot, but they still haven’t come out. No idea what’s taking so long.”
Ah, so that’s it.
By <Association> rules, she needed a monitor at all times. She couldn’t roam the city without one.
“I’m curious who this idiot is. Want me to wait with you?”
“Politely decline. Two idiots would be a headache.”
“What?”
As Do Ye-jin raised her fist, Shin Tae-yeop spread his hands as if to calm her.
“~Just kidding. Why get mad over a joke?”
“Ah.”
It was something Do Ye-jin often said.
She had said it to Cha Seung-hyeon when assigned to the 1st Hunting Squad.
The two shared awkward smiles.
Smiles that weren’t quite smiles. Shin Tae-yeop said.
“Let’s head to HQ. I’ll give you a ride.”
He pointed to a scooter (or something like it) parked by the roadside.
“Whoa, what’s this?”
“Steam-engine scooter. Hwa-yun noona made it. It goes pretty fast.”
“Ugh…… I should ask her to make me one.”
Shin Tae-yeop snickered teasingly.
“Doubt it. Only possible because my ability is fire.”
As he said that, Shin Tae-yeop put on the scooter helmet. Do Ye-jin hopped on the back and grabbed his shoulders.
“Go! Go! Go!”
“Got it, so stop bouncing around.”
It really did go pretty fast, as advertised.
About bicycle speed on average?
As the scooter crossed the streets of Paradise Sajik-dong.
“Aaah~”
Do Ye-jin closed her eyes and inhaled the air deeply.
It was truly fresh and cool.
Sajik-dong, which she’d visited before—the labyrinth zone—was unbelievably different. There were even pedestrians.
“He~llo~ eve~ry~one~!”
She waved at passersby for fun, and Shin Tae-yeop scolded her.
“Can’t you stay quiet for even a minute?”
“No~pe~!”
She shouted right in his ear on purpose, then burst into giggles.
Her hair fluttered pleasantly in the breeze.
In that utterly everyday moment, Do Ye-jin carefully observed the modern-style streets.
City layout. Buildings. Pedestrians.
Everything looked peaceful and orderly. But……
“Somehow it feels depressing.”
“What’s that out of nowhere.”
“Just a vibe I’m getting.”
Why?
This city of starlight felt steeped in deep melancholy.
“Well…… Paradise is like that everywhere.”
Shin Tae-yeop quietly agreed.
“The <Association> tries to help citizens, but…… it’s not enough. Plenty still suffer under killer workloads.”
No need to agree or understand.
Hunters couldn’t devote themselves to relief. Soulstones were needed for leveling and gear.
“But where are we going? This isn’t the way to HQ.”
“Ansan.”
Ansan was the mountain on the border between Seodaemun-gu and Jongno-gu’s Muak-dong.
“Why there?”
“Change of pace?”
They had casual chats like that until reaching Ansan.
How long had they ridden?
The urban area ended, and forest spread out.
The scent of greenery. Birds and insects chirping in the woods.
“This is really nice……”
Being in that scenery.
The tragedy three days ago felt like something from a distant world.
Was it just a nightmare?
But her chest, aching as if torn, screamed that it was all real.
“Awesome!”
The view from Ansan’s midpoint was breathtaking.
Right in central Seodaemun-gu, Paradise lay visible at a glance.
“Right? My secret spot.”
Hanging his helmet on the scooter handle, Shin Tae-yeop lay down flat on the dirt.
It was so peaceful it made his heart ache.
Broadleaf trees, thriving without sun, rustled quietly, and the smell of earth tickled his nose.
“Peaceful, right? Calms the mind.”
“Yeah!”
“Waking up here after sleeping makes the world’s collapse feel like a dream. Like waking from a nap in the mountains at dusk.”
It really felt that way.
The gloomy fog over the city wasn’t felt here.
“So I always stop by when I survive an expedition.”
“I see.”
Do Ye-jin murmured blankly.
“If only…… we’d all come here together this time.”
Coming here together.
Would mean surviving together. Shin Tae-yeop said.
“At least we survived. That’s something.”
“No, it’s not.”
Do Ye-jin turned sharply, glaring at Shin Tae-yeop sadly.
“It’s not okay. Not at all……”
Do Ye-jin’s fists trembled.
Shin Tae-yeop looked at her in surprise, then stood, brushed off his butt, and gave a wry smile.
“Better get used to it. This’ll keep happening.”
“……I hate it.”
“Me too. But what can we do? That’s the world.”
Shin Tae-yeop pulled a scroll from his coat pocket.
“Good news, bad news, and weird news. Which first?”
“Good first.”
Do Ye-jin wasn’t the type to save the best for last; she devoured it first.
“You’re still assigned to the 1st Hunting Squad. So you can stick with me.”
Definitely good news.
Now, excluding Do Su-jin and Kim Baek-jun, she had no one else to rely on.
“Bad news: Newbies assigned to the 1st Hunting Squad.”
“……Who?”
No way Go Hoon from the 2nd?
“Ryu Hyeon-ji, Park Ji-won, Heo Cheon-gyeom. Your classmates, right?”
“……?!”
“And the new 1st Hunting Squad deploys for a search op in Jongno-gu’s Cheongunhyoja-dong in a week.”
Her budding smile faded.
Joy at reuniting with classmates mixed with fear of losing them.
“Yeah, bad news.”
As Hong Byeong-gyu had said.
A world where bonds snap the moment you form them.
“Weird news?”
“Your Subordination experiment resumes. Starting today.”
2.
“How far does our bad luck go?”
Park Ji-won said playfully.
“Ending up in the same squad as Do Ye-jin again.”
“Ugh, tell me about it.”
Heo Cheon-gyeom replied, and Do Ye-jin bristled.
“What? Be grateful. Sharing a squad with a cute middle-school girl like me.”
“……”
“……”
Park Ji-won and Heo Cheon-gyeom shook their heads in disbelief.
“Well, if you say so.”
“In your imagination, maybe.”
Her reunited classmates looked healthy.
Outwardly, at least. Inwardly…… they’d all lost their squads.
“Ye-jin. How’s…… your body? You okay?”
“Yeah. All good now. See? Moving fine.”
“Don’t push yourself…… And…… I heard. So sorry, Ye-jin.”
Do Ye-jin let out a hi laugh.
“Nah. I’m over it now.”
Time to put on the mask again.
Park Ji-won clasped her hands behind her head and looked up at the sky.
“But the <Association> must be really short-staffed. Putting rookies like us in the 1st Hunting Squad.”
“Idiot! It’s because we’re as good as the previous squad members. Don’t talk nonsense.”
Wonder if Heo Cheon-gyeom would say that after seeing the old squad fight.
They were truly strong.
If asked why they died, it was just the nightmare’s absurdity overpowering them.
“Might happen soon enough.”
That’s when Shin Tae-yeop appeared.
“If we keep surviving without dying, that is.”
“S-Shin Tae-yeop, boss?”
Park Ji-won and Heo Cheon-gyeom treated him like royalty.
The legend of the teen hunter or whatever.
Did all guys this age idolize someone as a hero?
“Boss? Drop the formalities. Heo Cheon-gyeom, we’re the same age.”
“R-Really…… okay?”
“Yeah.”
And Shin Tae-yeop added.
“As long as you don’t suck up too much!”
3.
“Start with the key question?”
Seo Hwa-yun said, twirling her pen.
“When 《Subordination》 succeeded, care to describe the situation?”
“What situation?”
It was a coffee stand.
The sweet aroma of coffee mixed with the fishy smell of water, tickling the nose.
In short, a place impossible to mistake for a Subordination lab.
“Eat up. Coffee, bread—order as much as you want.”
Seo Hwa-yun in her white coat smiled brightly. The emblem on her shoulder: ‘Hammer and Anvil.’ Symbol of the Strategic Technology Team.
“Okay, let’s see. From what Ye-jin said, 《Subordination》 has usage conditions. Meet them to succeed, right?”
“Yeah.”
“All reality is math, right? Don’t know the answer? Check the formula again.”
Seo Hwa-yun occasionally said cool things.
“So, what changed then? External or internal. Just tell me. Sis will write it down.”
What happened?
What had happened?
Nibbling a pastry lightly, Do Ye-jin recalled ‘that day.’
Hong Byeong-gyu and Yoon Geon-woo crushed to death. Cha Seung-hyeon swallowed alive.
Suddenly, something hot surged up her throat and burst. Dry heaves.
“You okay? Sorry, sis was thoughtless. Relax. Stop thinking.”
“No……”
Do Ye-jin grabbed Seo Hwa-yun’s hand as she tried to wipe her face with a napkin.
“That time……? They were all dead…… Uncle Byeong-gyu too. Oppa Geon-woo. Seung-hyeon…… Even Shin Tae-yeop seemed about to die……”
“……”
“It wasn’t desperation or anything.”
Do Ye-jin touched her heart area and forced a brave smile.
“This hurt so much. Hurt too much…… I just wanted to give up everything. And then they were Subordinates.”
Seo Hwa-yun’s face fell mournfully, and she pulled Do Ye-jin’s small shoulders into a hug.
“Sis got ahead of herself and made you relive sad stuff…… Must’ve hurt so much…… Sorry……”