The First Crack in the Foundation
I felt incredibly awkward, caught right between Jang Yeeun and Major Lee Junhyeok. I couldn't meet anyone's gaze, so I just focused on reading the air around us, holding my breath. Then, suddenly, the Major—no, my brother—grabbed my wrist.
“What the hell is going on with you? You even lied about your name?”
My heart felt like it had stopped, and a cold sweat broke out along the back of my neck. What was I supposed to say? Should I be honest?
“…I’m sorry. I just… I don’t remember much.”
“Memory? Don’t give me that crap. Tell me the truth.”
But there was no way I could just blurt out, “Actually, your sister is dead, and I’ve possessed her body.” I’d be insane to say that. I’d be lucky if I didn’t get shot on the spot. That was when a thought flashed through my mind. I gently pushed his hand away and slowly revealed my wrist. It was covered in countless scars, looking as if it had been slashed to ribbons. I saw his expression flicker with shock. I kept my head bowed, showing him a blank, emotionless face. My facial muscles barely moved anymore, so it didn't take much effort.
“I… I self-harmed a lot. I even tried to kill myself. And among those times…” I steadied my breathing. It was a relief that I didn’t tremble even when lying. “…there was one time things went really wrong. That’s why… I don’t have many memories. I’m sorry, Brother.”
I kept my voice as calm as possible. It wasn't the truth, nor was it a fact, but Lee Junhyeok’s face contorted.
“…Ha…” He let out a sigh, threw his head back, and covered his eyes with his hand. “…Hey, you… you damn, frustrating sister. From now on, seriously. Please, just don’t hide things. Tell me. Do you understand?”
“Yeah… I’m sorry.”
He looked at my wrist for a moment, muttered something under his breath, and stepped back. “…Ha, fine. That’s enough.”
Jang Yeeun’s expression was slightly stiff, but she didn’t say a word. It was a relief. A huge relief.
A short while later, Major Lee Junhyeok was called away by his subordinates for an emergency. After he left, Jang Yeeun stood in silence for a moment before approaching me.
“…Is that story you just told… true?”
I hesitated for a second, but eventually, I nodded slowly. Jang Yeeun suddenly pulled my hand. She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into her embrace, and began to pat my back gently.
“…You’ve worked hard. You’ve really worked hard. Se… no, Sieun, you’ve really done your best.”
Her touch, patting my back so softly—for a moment, I felt embarrassed and awkward, wanting to push her away, but then I realized how much I loved the warmth she was giving me. So, I just stayed in her arms for a while without saying anything. It was embarrassing, but the feeling of her warmth seeping into me was truly wonderful.
But then, I heard the sound of an argument coming from deeper inside. The rough voices and the murmuring drifted toward us from afar.
“…I’ll go check that out.”
Jang Yeeun reached out as if to stop me, then paused. She gave a small smile. “…Go ahead.”
I forced my stiff facial muscles to move, managing an awkward smile. “…Okay.”
I walked toward the source of the noise. My body was still cold, but perhaps because her warmth lingered, my steps felt a little lighter. Though… the things I had to do from now on wouldn't be so light.
The Gongdeok Station episode. In my novel, this was known as the 'Sweet Potato' episode—a frustrating, stifling situation. The cause was simple. There were about 2,000 survivors here. The survivor community was 'too massive.' Moreover, it was a problem that inevitably occurred when people stayed in a subway station. People couldn't see the sun; no matter how wide the space was, if you were trapped in a specific area, and on top of that, you felt your life was constantly threatened? You slowly go insane. And Gongdeok Station was a place where conflicts and extreme situations erupted in proportion to the size of that community.
As I headed toward the noise, I saw a few middle-aged men protesting to the soldiers with bloodshot eyes. They were venting their aimless rage at the soldiers, having lost the direction in which to pour their anger.
“How much longer are we supposed to stay here!”
“We’re short on food, and we’re short on water! We’re all going to die if we stay here!”
One of the soldiers hung his head, unable to say anything, while another tried to calm the situation, but the middle-aged men only raised their voices higher.
“Our families were living just fine until we came here, and now we’re suffering even more! You said you’d protect us! What is this!”
“Aren’t we all just going to die in the end?! If we hold out here!”
When people lose hope, and when that hope is nowhere to be seen, they eventually start tearing each other apart. The soldiers couldn't lift their heads. They probably knew, too. They didn't know how much longer they could hold out here. And I knew. I knew how this place would end. A conclusion that was anything but hopeful.
And at that moment, I made eye contact with one of the middle-aged men. His eyes were filled with rage and despair. And I sensed it—he was about to explode.
Sudden events always happen in an instant.
“I can’t live like this!!!”
The middle-aged man shouted in a voice filled with fury, and he struck the soldier across the face. The soldiers froze for a split second, and the man didn't stop; he grabbed the soldier's rifle, moving to snatch it away.
“What the hell are you doing!”
Another soldier nearby leveled his rifle. The muzzle was aimed directly at the man’s chest. “Move and I’ll shoot! Stop!”
At that moment, my body moved on its own. This was why I came here. I quickly approached the man, kicked his hand away from the rifle, and shoved his body to the side, knocking him down.
…The increased strength is actually coming in handy.
“What do you think you’re doing!” I said in the coldest voice I could muster. “Soldiers are people too, people! You’re not the only one having a hard time! Do you think the soldiers want to be trapped here? But if we go outside, we all die! If you want to die, die alone!”
Even after saying that, my hands were shaking. Did I even have the right to say this? The man sat on the ground, unable to say a word. The surroundings fell into a sudden silence, and the soldiers slowly lowered their muzzles.
“…I’m sorry. It’s my fault for letting my guard down.”
The soldier who had been holding the gun seemed to have calmed down. Looking down at the man, I saw his shoulders heaving. Was he crying?
“…I just wanted to live. I wanted to live, and… I wanted to save my family…”
In the original work, this man ends up getting shot and killed by a soldier. That incident further amplifies the rage of the survivors at Gongdeok Station, eventually becoming the starting point for the station’s internal collapse.
I lifted my head and looked around. “If you want to live… don’t do this, let’s find a way to survive here together.”
At that moment, the soldier carefully lowered his gun. “Everyone, please calm down. You can’t do this.”
The people around us quietly nodded and backed away. However, their faces were still filled with anxiety and fear. As I caught my breath and looked at the man, he stood up again.
“…Thank you.”
It was just a small incident, but I had created the possibility of a different ending than the original. And I wanted to hold onto that possibility until the end. I forced the man who had been sitting on the floor to stand up, and I gestured to the soldier who had just been slapped.
“Both of you, come here.”
The soldier hesitated for a moment, but then, “Hurry!” They followed me slowly. As expected, people only listen when you push them.
“Apologize.”
At my words, the man hesitated at first. But soon, he met the soldier’s gaze. At that moment, the man’s lips trembled and moved weakly.
“…I must have been crazy.” His voice was cracked. “To a kid who’s the age of my son… I was crazy.” He covered his face with both hands and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’ve lived my life in vain. You guys must have been having a hard time too…”
Then, he approached the soldier and suddenly hugged him. “…I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. If it weren’t for you guys… what would we even do? I was really out of my mind…”
The soldier seemed flustered and frozen at first, but soon he lightly placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “…It’s okay. We… are people too. We’re scared and having a hard time too.”
As the man’s sobbing grew louder, the people watching around them one by one lowered their heads or looked away. Even in the midst of it, the soldier patted the man’s back with a solemn expression.
I stepped back quietly. But a sense of anxiety still lingered in a corner of my heart. Because this was only the beginning. The 'Sweet Potato' episode at Gongdeok Station wasn't over yet.
“…I need to find the engineers.”
In this novel, mosquitoes aren't just a nuisance; they’re vectors for transmission. If water pools and mosquitoes breed there, that place becomes the epicenter of infection. Subway stations are always at risk of water pooling due to groundwater. And here, Gongdeok Station was already developing puddles in various places. It might look fine for now, but I didn't know when it would become a danger.
That was when, “…Sister?”
An unfamiliar voice. And I felt my skirt being pulled softly. I flinched and turned around, and there stood a small, fragile-looking girl. Her hair was messy, and her clothes were a bit dirty, but a bright smile was plastered on her face.
“It’s the Pistol Sister!”
The girl suddenly grabbed my wrist and started pulling me. “…What? Wait, where are you going?”
“It’s a secret! You’ll know when we get there!”