Chapter 22. Alone with Chaeyeon.
Chapter 22. Alone with Chaeyeon.
I laid out our next steps, including the plan to infiltrate the cultists.
"Hmm... that's actually a solid idea. I did my military service, so I know—plenty of bases have golf courses. We could use one for farmland. Obviously the soil isn't fit for crops as-is, but if we can solve that part, it's feasible."
The others were caught off guard by the idea. Using a golf course for farming was something none of them had ever considered.
"As for the infiltration, we were thinking along similar lines. And it sounds like there's an Awakened among them who can detect living things—almost like radar."
He used bats as an analogy. Bats emit ultrasonic waves, and by reading the reflections that bounce back, they sense what's around them. He didn't know the exact mechanics of the ability, but he confirmed it could detect presence like radar, and that it had certain limitations.
"Also, if living things suddenly show up in an area they've already scanned, that's going to raise red flags. You'll want to be somewhere they haven't swept yet. And I'd suggest a mixed-use building—commercial on the ground floor, residential above—with a big storefront downstairs. Just looking at you all, it's obvious nobody's starving. A large store on the first floor gives you a plausible cover story."
"That said, with the water shortage, you obviously couldn't wash clothes, so you should be wearing shabby clothes. And ideally, you'd mix in some women rather than roll in as an all-male group. A bunch of rough-looking men alone is exactly the kind of thing they'd find suspicious."
"That won't be necessary. Chaeyeon and I are going alone. Just the two of us."
He must have misunderstood something, because he glanced over at Jia and cracked a joke.
"Haha, then this young lady here must be feeling pretty disappointed."
"...?"
"When are you planning to head out? You obviously can't use a vehicle. They're probably tracking our movements at all times."
"We'll leave as soon as we finish getting the new arrivals settled and interviewed. The sooner, the better."
* * * * * * * *
I went up to the rooftop for some fresh air. A handful of soldiers were keeping watch over the perimeter, and Choi Jae-hyeok followed me up.
"Sihu, looks like I jumped to a pointless conclusion. I figured those two women were both your lovers."
"The idea that both of them were my lovers was a stretch to begin with. They're companions. That's all."
"Haha, the world's already gone to hell. Whether it's one, two, or however many—who cares?"
He had a point. On Titan, as long as you had the power, nobody batted an eye at how many partners you kept. And if you counted the years, I'd spent more of my life on Titan than on Earth. Maybe I'd grown more accustomed to the ways there than I wanted to admit.
"So you're the type who knows how to joke."
"I'm only human, after all. Or let's just call it social survival skills."
He cracked a dumb joke, and then his eyes sharpened.
"It's all about surviving—whether it's a false faith or not. But even if they're cultists, I can't wrap my head around charging in with zero regard for their own lives."
"What are you getting at?"
"I can understand how they'd lure the mentally cornered into a cult. Cults have always existed, even in the real world. But controlling zombies? I've thought about it, and I can't figure out what method they're using."
'It's not like they're enslaving creatures with some level of intelligence. How they're controlling moving corpses—I'm curious about that too.'
I shook my head at the absurd thought. This isn't Titan, after all.
"Anyway, I'm just saying—be careful, no matter what."
"Are you worried about me right now?"
"This group runs smoothly, and I stay safe, because you're in one piece, Sihu. Heh heh..."
I snorted at the nonsense, then turned and headed back downstairs.
When I got down, the group was getting a meal together. Seo Ji-hoon, Im Ji-hye, and Chaeyeon's parents were there too.
"Oppa! We were just getting ready for everyone to eat together for a change!"
Everyone seemed energized now that things had settled enough for them to actually think about future plans. I spotted alcohol and drinking glasses.
"Tch... seeing booze makes me crave raw fish too... don't you have any fish in that subspace thing of yours?"
"When I got back, it was already two months into all this. Meat's doable, but I've never seen a live fish."
"Then aside from catching one ourselves, seeing a live fish is going to be pretty damn hard... I just wanted a shot of soju and a piece of sashimi..."
"Heh heh heh... if it's you, hyung, couldn't you just split the sea open and catch some for us later?"
I'd never split the sea open to catch fish before, but it did seem entirely possible.
The others explained to Seo Ji-hoon what I'd meant by "two months into this," since he looked lost. Even as he listened, his face said he couldn't quite believe it. Im Ji-hye at least looked like she roughly understood.
We ate together in a warm, easy atmosphere.
"Now that I think about it, why are you going with Chaeyeon-unnie, of all people? I wanted to go too..."
"..."
"Oh my, honestly, I'm a little curious myself~?"
"It was just... a thought. No deep meaning. I figured Chaeyeon would be less burdensome than you, Jia."
"Hoho, they said the two of you stayed holed up in a single room together until the others found you, right? You'd better not cause any 'accidents'!"
The old man beside her looked deeply displeased, clearing his throat with a rapid-fire series of ahems. Are all fathers with daughters like that?
'If I can pull it off this time... Sihu and I could...!'
At that, her face flushed red, and she fidgeted restlessly—clearly picturing something.
"Sihu, now that I think of it, among the survivors we picked up, there were people who could repair vehicles, people who could fix electronics, and some who'd worked in construction. Unfortunately, no doctor."
With the survivor interviews finished, I announced—as I'd already discussed with Chaeyeon—that we'd set out in two days.
And then the day of departure came.
"Sihu, unless it's an absolute emergency, we won't radio you first. Please be careful out there."
"We'll check in once a day as well."
I looked at the others and told them to keep this place safe, and then we set off.
After reaching the location the group had agreed upon, Chaeyeon used her magic to unlock the door to an empty room on the second floor, and we went inside. Just to be safe, we searched every corner of the room thoroughly. The layout consisted of a living room, a master bedroom, and a walk-in closet.
She asked me to help her with her training. She had now reached the 3rd Circle—the level at which one could officially be called a full-fledged mage—and she was nearly at the peak of the 3rd Circle.
'Even considering I gave her elixirs and guided her along the way, she's astonishingly fast...'
And she was just as quick when it came to analyzing and comprehending spell arts.
"Sihu, why is it that you're only considered a full-fledged mage starting from the 3rd Circle?"
"Hmm... once three circles rotate and resonate with each other, you can begin to interfere with the terrain. Before that, you're limited to direct attacks—lighting a fire in your hand, conjuring water. Like how you unlocked the door earlier—now you can make rocks rise from the ground or directly move river water."
'Of course, you're not at the level of freezing a river or parting the sea yet.'
"Also, in movies, they always chant spells out loud, but I can cast without doing that."
"Chaeyeon... that stuff's all bullshit... I mean, if I yelled out my attack, I'd basically be giving the opponent time to brace for it..."
She turned sheepish and scratched her head without a word.
"Well... as you know, if you push just a bit harder, you'll be able to reach the 4th Circle. Hang in there."
"Heehee, okay. Then should we stop here for now and eat?"
With that, she started boiling ramyun. Once it was ready, we sat at the table to eat, and I saw that there was alcohol.
'Alcohol?'
She didn't usually drink. Even when the others had a drink together, she'd stick to water or a soda. I stared at her without a word.
"What...! I get the urge to drink sometimes too, you know...!"
"...? I didn't say anything."
"Anyway, just drink!"
Even after we finished eating, we kept snacking on chips and whatever else, and the drinking stretched on much longer than I'd expected.
"Chaeyeon, it's about time we got some sleep. I'll take the sofa in the living room. You take the bed."
"...No."
"Huh?"
"No... the sofa's uncomfortable. If you're holding back because of me, it's fine. The bed looked big enough anyway..."
No matter how much I insisted it was fine, she kept saying that if she was the reason I was holding back, it bothered her more. So in the end, we both lay down on the same bed.
'No matter what, I'm still a young(?), healthy man... this isn't exactly easy.'
While I was lost in my own useless thoughts, Chaeyeon, lying beside me, turned over and lightly grabbed my sleeve.
"Remember how I said I can't wait anymore? I've waited long enough—from our school days until now... so I thought I'd borrow a little courage from alcohol, since it packs a demon-god-level punch..."
Honestly, I'd have to be a complete idiot not to know how Chaeyeon felt. I'd just been too caught up in surviving this goddamn awful world.
'No, maybe "busy" was just an excuse.'
Even if you're not at my level, anyone who's transcended humanity can live comfortably wherever they go—far from just scraping by.
"Sihu, I really can't wait anymore... I love you..."
Still lying down, she closed her eyes and leaned closer. I closed the distance too, answering with a kiss instead of words. We finished a kiss that was neither short nor long, and then looked at each other.
"Mwah... I'm okay ♡"