The Man, The Sprinting Man (1)
With the development of smartphones, social media, and online communities, events happening anywhere in the world spread with terrifying speed. It isn't just transmitted through text or words; photos and videos are delivered with vivid, visceral clarity—so clearly that anyone can understand them instantly.
A man was brandishing a hand axe in a threatening manner. The way he shrieked, "Agh!" sounded more like a beast than a human. It was a horrific, ominous sight. Then, suddenly, he bolted. The onlookers, who had been watching from a distance without realizing what was coming, fled in terror, screaming. However, not everyone ran. One man launched a flying kick at the axe-wielder, causing him to drop the weapon and collapse. Shouts, screams, and chaos ensued. Amidst the commotion, several bystanders rushed in to pin the man down. Yet, he thrashed his limbs wildly, striking, kicking, and clawing at those trying to restrain him.
In truth, it wasn't a particularly unique video. It wasn't something that necessarily demanded attention; you could see similar incidents in Hongdae at dawn. Though, perhaps without the hand axe. But the fact that this took place in a village in Brazil was what mattered. A village near the Amazon. Not far from where the animal attacks had occurred.
The next video I watched was filmed from a bit further away. The atmosphere here was even more grave. The footage was saturated with fear and confusion. Then, the sound of gunfire. Followed by screams. The sound of something shattering. The video blurred for a moment before zooming in on a man. A man holding a gun. He didn't look right. He fired again. But it didn't feel like he was aiming at anything in particular.
The video wasn't long. The man with the gun was quickly subdued. America. A country accustomed to mass shootings. A place where they are highly proficient at suppression because they have manuals for such responses. The man being pinned down by police had been shot. Yet, he let out a monstrous howl as if he couldn't feel the pain at all. Like a beast. A wounded beast would look exactly like that.
After watching all the videos, I was finally certain that the time had come. The prediction had become reality. The nerve-disruption spores had finally reached humans, bestowing upon them the same aggression they had given the animals. However, there was one thing I hadn't anticipated.
The second video. The man had fired a gun. He hadn't just charged blindly. His movements hadn't been strange, either. He wasn't stiff or jerky. He just looked like a man filled with rage. That was why he looked like any other mass shooter from the past. Not a human infected by spores.
The videos I watched didn't have high view counts yet. People still didn't know about this situation. Those who filmed the videos just thought, Did they do some kind of drugs? They couldn't possibly imagine that unidentified spores from the Amazon were increasing human aggression. If someone were to think that far, they would be the problematic one. Without knowing the underlying facts, inferring that much would be a problem. Certainly. That wouldn't be an inference; it would be a delusion.
Using tools, though. That was concerning. Operating a gun isn't difficult. So, they could fire it. As seen in the video. What I was worried about was that a certain level of intelligence remained. It wasn't just mindless aggression—they could make situational judgments with the intelligence they had left. That was a bit troublesome. No, it would be very troublesome.
I had been thinking of something like zombies. Just zombies that only engaged in blind aggression. Beings that didn't judge anything and just attacked. That level would have been fine. If it were just that, humans could defeat zombies. But after seeing those videos, it didn't seem like it would be that easy. At that rate, they could approach without making a sound, open doors, or avoid obstacles. That would skyrocket the difficulty. It was going to be quite exhausting.
Regardless, the spores had spread worldwide. So, many such humans would appear now. A day? Ten days? A month? I don't know. I'll have to wait and see. Fortunately, I had covered my house with soil. So, I could deal with whatever happened, whenever it happened.
A long wait. If I had told others what I was doing, they would have pointed fingers and called me a lunatic. Will humanity overcome this crisis? Can they just brush it off as a mere happening? Will human intelligence fail to see this level of crisis as a crisis? I'll know by watching. I just need to hide well and hold my breath.
"Here. Take this."
Baek Jin-ho, whom I met for the first time in a while, handed me something. When I took it out, it was a satellite phone.
"Communication?"
"You'll have times when you need to reach out, right?"
"I suppose so."
"So take it. You didn't prepare something like this, did you?"
I had. Of course I had. A satellite phone was essential to communicate with the Doctor in America.
"I don't have anyone to contact anyway, so why bother?"
"You still need to have it. It's a hassle to try and get one later."
"That's true. I should have prepared it even if I didn't use it. I was complacent."
At that, Baek Jin-ho smirked. He even wore a slightly proud expression.
"It takes standard batteries, so stock up on plenty. Don't be struggling when you actually need to use it."
"Got it."
As I tucked the satellite phone away, Baek Jin-ho leaned forward, lowered his voice, and said,
"Hey. Is it starting now?"
He had a faint smile. His eyes were sparkling. It felt like he was asking, 'Did you do it with her yesterday?' He was a guy who wished for the world to end quickly. Seeing him like this, he wasn't in his right mind either.
"Probably."
"Keh. Then there isn't much time left to enjoy these good things, is there?"
"You aren't really changing much anyway, are you?"
"What? Why not? Of course I am. It's not like I prepared everything under the sun."
He shrugged. Then Baek Jin-ho laughed softly and said to me,
"Hey. Do you have anything to do today?"
"Not really. I should head back now. I need to go finish my preparations."
"Really? Then do you want to go somewhere with me?"
Baek Jin-ho asked with a playful expression. But I sensed a slight wariness in his tone. What was it? What was this guy's intention? We seemed like partners who exchanged information and cooperated, but I couldn't fully trust him. I don't know. I don't know if I'm the normal one here. But there's no harm in being cautious. I have nothing to say even if I'm called timid. No, wait. I'd probably retort that I'm just being careful.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see when we get there. It's a good place."
I wanted to refuse. But that didn't seem like a very good choice. Baek Jin-ho's words felt like he was testing me. How about it? Will you join me? That's what it felt like he was asking.
"Just how good is it that you're talking like that?"
I bluffed. I'm someone with zero social skills, but I pretended to be relaxed.
"You'll probably love it to death."
And so, I left his office with Baek Jin-ho. It was the time when the sun was slowly setting. The time when office workers were heading home. I got into his car, which came with a driver, and the car headed somewhere immediately. The congested roads. The great escape of those who wanted to get home as quickly as possible. The car moved toward the city center amidst them. Why go that way at this hour? What's there?
At first, I thought of something like a kidnapping. But that didn't seem right. There were much easier ways to do that. So, next, I thought he was taking me to show me something he had built. Usually, when people build something, they want to show it off to others. That's how they feel the reward of building it. But going this way, that didn't seem right either. Building something in the middle of the city center is a huge loss in terms of cost.
Glancing at the signs, it looked like we were heading toward Jongno. What could it be? There was no suspicious feeling, but...
After a while, the car stopped in front of a traditional Korean house. And only then could I grasp what this guy meant by a "good place."
"You've arrived."
It was a woman dressed elegantly in a hanbok. She wasn't in her 20s. At least 30s. Maybe 40s. But she was a well-maintained woman. Even if someone said she was in her late 20s, many would just go, 'Oh, I see...'
"Please, come this way."
The woman led us into a detached building. This was likely a yojeong. I'd seen it in movies or dramas. So... a place called a geisha house.
When I went inside, a table was already set. Moreover, since they had just placed it, steam was rising from the dishes.
"Sit. Sit."
"Haha. It really is a good place."
"Yeah, man. You know what? This place is over 40 years old. It's a place with history and tradition."
As we sat down, the woman who had brought us looked at Baek Jin-ho.
"Oh. Bring them in. Bring them in. You put in some effort, right?"
"Yes, Director."
With that, the woman bowed gracefully and went outside. Then, two women in hanbok entered and bowed politely.
"Hey. You choose first. The guest comes first."
"You look very used to this."
"I got permission to frequent this place a while ago. So I've been coming here quite often lately."
In truth, I wasn't exactly thrilled, but being too picky was also a bit ridiculous. So, I went along with it smoothly. It wouldn't be bad to experience something like this once.
I raised my hand and chose one of the women. She smiled brightly, bowed again, and approached my side. Like a butterfly. That thought suddenly crossed my mind. A woman who approached with attention to every single movement. I suppose this is when you use the term "skilled hostess." A feeling that was both vulgar and high-class. A look that perfectly suited the term "geisha."
"My name is Suhyang."
With that, Suhyang said her name, sat beside me, and began to attend to me. A meal accompanied by drinks. Well, the start was ordinary. The food was delicious, and the liquor was decent. I don't usually drink, but it's not that I can't. I just don't like it much. But the alcohol content of the drink served with the meal wasn't very high. Above all, the aroma was excellent. To the point where there was no resistance to drinking it. Moreover, having a woman by my side to serve me was a somewhat fascinating feeling. When my glass was empty, she filled it, and when I downed it, she picked up an appetizer and fed it to me. A woman who existed solely to serve. A woman who existed for that purpose. It wasn't a bad feeling at all. I suppose, looking at that, I'm a man after all. Now I know why Baek Jin-ho likes this place. Men can't help but like this. As that guy said earlier, it's hospitality with history and tradition.