A Father's Concern
The government had constructed a refugee camp at the foot of a nearby mountain. It took only two days to build. All it required was pitching tents, running power lines from a temporary supply truck, connecting extension cords, and dumping in field cots, blankets, and other relief supplies. Just like that—the refugee camp was complete.
Our family, who had been staying at a motel, was quickly relocated to the newly erected camp.
“Lieutenant Colonel Cha, this way, sir.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Thanks to Father being the regional defense force commander, our family was assigned the best tent available. It was conveniently close to the washing station, showers, and the relief supply distribution center, yet a reasonable distance from the latrines. Still, it was just one tent among many in the refugee camp.
“Huh?”
While unpacking, I spotted Doo-hyun walking past with a bundle of electrical cables and steel pipes slung over his shoulder.
“Hyung!”
Doo-hyun recognized me and broke into a bright smile.
“What are you doing here?”
“Came for work.”
“Work?”
“Lost my job, so I’ve got to do something to eat. Hah. I used to have a full-time position, too.”
“Insurance?”
“If I had it, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Fair enough.”
The insurance we were talking about was disaster insurance—coverage for property damage caused by spatial rifts or monster waves. The premiums were exorbitant. In this era, disasters meant monster invasions and military bombardments rather than floods or earthquakes, so the cost was understandable. Very few people could actually afford such expensive policies. How could ordinary citizens pay several million won every month?
What about the government, then? Spatial rifts occurred dozens or even hundreds of times a year. Compensating every single one would bankrupt the state. The government’s role was limited to building livable facilities for people who became refugees overnight—like our family—and distributing relief supplies. At least Korea had a deep pool of talented hunters to keep society functioning. In many developing countries, governments had collapsed entirely, leaving people with no support at all.
“What about you, hyung?”
“Same situation. How could regular folks like us afford the premiums? Still, since Father’s in the military, we should eventually get assigned military housing. Might take a while, though.”
“That’s a relief. I don’t have anything like that. Whew.”
Doo-hyun let out a heavy sigh that seemed to sink into the ground.
“I was renting a studio nearby. The building collapsed from the bombing. Looks like I won’t even get my deposit back.”
“……”
God, I felt like crying for him.
“What about you?”
“Me? I’ll manage somehow.”
“I’m really jealous, hyung. Haah, I wish I could awaken too.”
“Looks like we’ll be staying here for a few days, so let’s say hi whenever we run into each other.”
“Yes, hyung. Take care.”
Doo-hyun bowed politely and headed toward the area where more tents were being erected. The kid was really hustling. He wasn’t the only one. Many of the workers building the refugee camp were residents from our old apartment complex. Having lost their homes and belongings in an instant, they were now doing manual labor just to earn a day’s wage.
‘Might as well lend a hand.’
Since I had nothing better to do, I rolled up my sleeves and headed to the work site.
* * *
“Hup.”
I set down two large water containers filled with drinking water in front of our family’s tent.
“Oh my, that must have been heavy. You worked hard~”
Mother, who had been preparing dinner, gave me a gentle smile.
“Nah, this is nothing. It’s no big deal.”
“You’re so dependable, my son.”
Even though we had lost our home just days ago and become refugees, there was no trace of worry or anxiety on Mother’s face. It was probably because she was an incredibly strong woman. She had once been an athlete and coach—badminton, specifically. During her playing days, she was an Olympic gold medalist, beautiful, with an impressive figure that made her extremely popular. Even now, if you searched for her online, you could see photos from her youth, and she still looked stunning.
But I didn’t respect her strength because she had been an athlete. Mother had practically raised me and my sister alone. Father, an officer in the naval special forces, was frequently deployed overseas. After humanity began facing monster invasions, he was sent on missions several times a month, leaving the household neglected. How many people in the world could endure single-handedly raising children while sending their husband off to war every day, without a single complaint, always greeting their kids with a smile?
Even when Father passed away, Mother had gritted her teeth and overcome her grief. That same strength of hers shone brilliantly even in this bleak situation.
Just as I respected Father, I deeply respected Mother as well.
“I’m going for a walk.”
“Alright.”
I stepped out of the tent and strolled along the mountain slope. Life in the refugee camp was mostly tedious. At least Father and Eun-ha had work and school to keep them occupied. Mother, now a homemaker, and I—a jobless man awaiting military enlistment—spent our days staring blankly into space. For me, however, this idle life was actually helpful. Only about ten days had passed since my regression, so I needed time to think and clear my head.
It had only been ten days since I personally killed the people I once trusted as comrades. Before that, I had spent three years consumed by revenge with bloodshot eyes. Strictly speaking, I wasn’t in my right mind right now. And the me from this era was completely different from the person who had spent ten years as a hunter, experiencing every kind of battle imaginable.
So for a while, I planned to stay in the refugee camp, rest my mind, seek psychological stability, and think about the future.
“Huh? Hyung!”
After walking for about an hour, Doo-hyun called out to me on my way back. He was riding a motorcycle with a delivery box attached, so it seemed he had switched to being a delivery rider. This guy really lived an eventful life. In just a few days, he had gone from apartment security guard to day laborer to delivery rider—three job changes already.
“Delivery rider today?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Doo-hyun grinned.
“What about you?”
“Me? Unemployed.”
“Not planning to register as an Awakener?”
“I’m thinking about it. Not sure what to do yet.”
“Come on, wouldn’t it be better to register?”
“Yeah, probably. I need to sort out my military service anyway.”
“Ah, right. You said you hadn’t done your service.”
“I was preparing to enlist as an officer candidate, but that seems difficult now.”
“Officer candidate?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t planning to stay in the military long……”
“Wait a second.”
Doo-hyun suddenly narrowed his eyes and stared at me.
“Didn’t you say you were thirty-four?”
Crap.
“How can a thirty-four-year-old be an officer candidate?”
“Uh… well…”
“Now that I think about it, something’s off. You’re handsome and all, but you don’t look thirty-four.”
“G-good luck with work.”
“Where are you going? You owe me an explanation!”
“Sorry! See you later!”
“Hey! Hey!”
“Drive safe!”
“You’re not thirty-four, are you?! Now that I think about it, I’m pissed! You shot me with a gun!”
“Huh?”
“Stop right there, you bastard!”
Vroooom!
Doo-hyun turned his delivery motorcycle around and chased after me.
This… I was going to get caught at this rate.
“Yes! Got a call!”
“A call?”
“You! Just you wait!”
Doo-hyun spun his bike around and disappeared somewhere.
“……”
Even with his stomach growling from hunger, he still wanted to grab a delivery order in this situation? In many ways, the guy had incredible survival instincts.
‘Registering as an Awakener, huh. I probably should. No real need to hide my identity.’
While thinking that, I was almost back at our family’s tent when—
Bang! Bang-bang-bang!
Gunshots suddenly rang out.
“……!”
I reflexively drew my pistol and scanned the surroundings. The shots had come from the tent right next to ours.
“O-oppa!”
Eun-ha, who had just returned, stared at me with a terrified expression.
“Take Mother and get somewhere safe.”
“Got it!”
I entrusted Mother to Eun-ha and carefully approached the neighboring tent. Without my plate carrier, it was a bit risky, but since I had already awakened, it wasn’t as burdensome. As long as it wasn’t a headshot, I could probably tank a bullet or two.
Maintaining a ready stance, I swept the tent flap aside and entered.
“Ah.”
I sighed and lowered my gun. Inside sat a familiar middle-aged man with a dazed expression. His wife and what appeared to be his child—a student—lay on the ground with their heads blown apart.
I remembered. That man was the owner of the fried chicken restaurant in our apartment complex’s commercial area.
“Heh-heh! It’s over. It’s all over. Heh-heh! Fuck…….”
He sobbed.
“This goddamn world…… Heh-heh! Monsters, whatever…… If you die, it’s all over, right? Heh-heh! Heuh-heuk! Heh-heh-heh!”
I couldn’t tell if it was laughter or crying. What was clear was that this middle-aged man, tears streaming down his face while grinning like a madman, had completely broken down.
He slowly raised the gun barrel toward his own mouth.
“Haa.”
I let out a deep sigh and stepped out of the tent.
Bang!
A gunshot echoed behind me.
* * *
Suicides weren’t uncommon in the refugee camp. Think about it—what kind of atmosphere would you expect in a place filled with people who had lost their homes, businesses, and families overnight? Refugee camps were generally filled with grief and despair. The newer the camp, the worse it was.
While there were people like our family who tried to endure and overcome the situation, the reality was that there were far more who couldn’t.
‘I need to register as an Awakener and move out first.’
I was fine, but I couldn’t leave Eun-ha and Mother in the refugee camp. We never knew when another suicide or mass shooting might occur.
“It’ll take some time for military housing to become available. There aren’t any vacant units right now……”
Father must have been worried about it too, because he spoke up carefully in the middle of dinner.
“Father.”
“Speak.”
“I’ll take care of getting us a house.”
“You will?”
“I’m going to register as an Awakener. I need to sort out my military service anyway.”
Registering as an Awakener would exempt me from mandatory military service. The country would also provide housing, a car, and a generous allowance. Of course, nothing in this world was free. I’d be dragged into all sorts of troublesome matters. But if we wanted to escape refugee life immediately, registering as an Awakener was the only way.
“Don’t do it.”
“What?”
Wait. What did I just hear?
“If you’re doing it for the house, don’t. Just enlist and serve your time like a normal soldier, then get discharged.”
Father’s words were completely unexpected.