The Representative of Mapo Station
As an older brother, I oppose my younger sister's proposal. The child dragged me into the waiting room of Line 5. A dim emergency light hanging from the ceiling cast a gloomy glow over the entire space. Inside, the 100 people I had brought from Mapo Station were gathered. I watched them for a moment. Children were held in their parents' arms, and the elderly leaned on one another to rest. Fatigue and terror were visible in the eyes of those settled in every corner, but a faint sense of relief permeated the air as well. It was a strange feeling. If it weren't for me—no, if it weren't for the story I had written—these people would have already been dead in the novel.
“Big sister, look! Everyone’s gathered!” The child beside me smiled brightly and shook my hand. Those clear eyes, that face knowing nothing of the world. “…That’s right. Everyone’s here.” “Big sister, thank you.” That single phrase left me dazed, and before I knew it, I was lightly stroking the child’s hair. “…No, I’m the one who’s thankful.” Protecting these people. Failing to protect them. Everything about it was terrifying.
Just then, the man leaning his air rifle against his shoulder approached slowly. “The people from Mapo Station have been assigned this area.” He gave a bitter smile. “Since we were being chased by the infected until just a moment ago, it seems they feel the need to keep us under surveillance.” This was expected. Survivor communities always operate with suspicion. Especially toward newcomers. Even now, I could hear a few murmurs of complaint from behind.
They were whispers, but the word infected struck my ears heavily. Fortunately, I had managed to muddle through the physical examination when I met my brother... It was then that the child beckoned to a woman who appeared to be her parent. The woman approached me slowly, holding a spear fashioned from a kitchen knife. “…Thank you so much.” She looked me straight in the eye and bowed her head, as if I were some hero who had saved her life. “…I just…” I tried to open my mouth to answer, but she cut me off.
“The soldiers came by a little while ago... and said that among the people from Mapo Station... we needed to choose a representative.” “A representative?” “There are nearly 2,000 people here. And since we have a lower priority than the soldiers... they said we needed someone to speak for us.” She gripped the spear in her hand tightly. “But... usually the soldiers handle that, but those soldiers all... passed away, and the ones left are... too low in rank...”
...Ah, Geonho. That guy whose teeth were as white as janchi-guksu. I suppose it would be a bit difficult for him to take on the role of representative. Trailing off, she turned her head. “So...” The woman hesitated for a moment, then looked at me again. “So we decided to pick one person from among those who volunteered to fight the infected in the rear. But... somehow...”
At that moment, I realized what she was about to say. Or rather, I had anticipated it. “Don’t tell me... is that me?” The woman nodded. “Everyone... thought so. That Sehee... was the most reliable.” The man with the air rifle behind her spoke up. “Well, they’re saying it shouldn't be us who were running away in the back, but the person who fought at the front.” He nodded and tapped my shoulder. The man with the air rifle slung over his shoulder tilted his head and said, “I don’t think people would follow me even if I tried...” He scanned me once and grinned. “Wouldn't it be right for the person who did the most to be the representative?”
No, seriously, what is this situation? “Hey, wait a second...” I tried to speak, but the woman standing next to me nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Sehee, you led us. You were the most reliable among us.” At her words, the air rifle man nodded as well. “Since it’s come to this, do us a favor. We’ll help you as much as we can.” He shrugged his shoulders again and stepped back. I looked around. Everyone was watching me. Eyes filled with a belief that I could do something—no, that I could accomplish something. “…Haa.”
The people’s gazes were still fixed on me. I wanted to get out of this situation somehow, but a different thought began to form in my head. No. Actually, being in a position to lead the people would make it easier to respond to the 'Gongdeok Station' sweet potato incidents I was planning. “…Alright. I’ll do it.”
At that moment, people began to clap softly. The air rifle man nodded as if satisfied, and the woman with the spear looked relieved. “But... my name... isn’t Kim Sehee. It’s Lee Sieun.” The surroundings went quiet for a moment. “Eh? We definitely heard you were Kim Sehee...” “…Well, that’s how it happened. But Lee Sieun is my real name.” The people looked a bit puzzled at that, but soon nodded as if it didn’t matter. “What does a name matter? What’s important is that we can trust you.” I smiled faintly at their reaction.
"…That’s what happened just a moment ago, Yeeun." I finished speaking to Jang Yeeun as I sat down. As I did, I subtly showed her the armband I was wearing on my arm. Mapo Station Representative. An armband with white letters embroidered on it. Jang Yeeun looked at the armband and burst into laughter. "...Then would you like to take my place instead?" Jang Yeeun’s eyes sparkled as she shrugged her shoulders, adding, "Oh my, how scary. What would you do if you got shot by a pistol then?"
My face turned bright red in an instant, and I lowered my head in embarrassment. "Th-that... don't tease me about the pistol... I was just excited back then..." Jang Yeeun looked at my blushing face and, failing to hold back her laughter, burst out again. "Alright, alright. Representative. By the way, it suits you well. It does look cool, though?" I tried to cover my face by pulling the blanket up for no reason, but Jang Yeeun’s eyes were still full of laughter. "I told you not to talk about the pistol... seriously..."
At that moment, splash. I heard the sound of water under my feet. ...Groundwater. Subway stations were currently using only essential power due to fuel issues. Only minimal power for lighting and drinking water supply was operational. Since operating groundwater pumps or dehumidifiers was a luxury, it was natural for water to pool. But... there was no time to hesitate! I stood up, saying, "Ugh-sha," and jumped to my feet. "...Where are you going?" "I have work to do. First... I have to go see my brother." The last words slipped out in a small voice. I still couldn't get used to that title. "Ah, is that so? Go talk to your brother nicely. Don't act too awkward." "…I’m not being awkward." But my voice grew smaller, and Jang Yeeun nodded with a small smile.
My brother was reading a report in the middle of the command center. "What is it?" "I think we need to solve the groundwater problem by using the platform as a drainage channel. There are already places where the water is rising quite high." As soon as my brother heard my words, he held his forehead and sighed. "As an older brother, I oppose my younger sister's proposal." "Why?" My brother put down the paper he was holding on the table and let out an irritated voice. "We don't have the manpower to use in this situation! We're barely maintaining security and order with 300 people!"
"Are you just going to watch the water rise then?" He raised his hand with a tired expression. "It’s easy to say. There’s no one to execute it! The soldiers are on combat standby, and those are just the people who have to stand night guard. Are you telling me to give more work to kids who have to prepare for the infected all day long?" ...? What is he talking about right now? "…There are civilians." "What?" "Civilians. They have nothing to do right now. Let’s make them work." "…Are you serious?"
"Why? Soldiers should be the ones blocking the infected, but civilians can do other tasks, right? Isn't it more of a problem that civilians are gathered here doing nothing?" "…Even so, that’s…" Once I got the momentum, I couldn't stop. "And can't civilians take charge of maintaining order too?" At those words, my brother stared at me with wide eyes. "What did you say?" "Like a neighborhood watch. Soldiers aren't enough. We can gather volunteers from among the civilians, train them, and deploy them to maintain order."
"Are you crazy? You want to entrust maintaining order to civilians? Are you going to give them guns too?" I hadn't thought about giving them guns... I just meant they could use the weapons they already possessed, like the neighborhood watch in Mapo Station. "Well, anyway, we can't maintain this state just by relying on soldiers like we are now. You know it too, brother. If we go on like this, Gongdeok Station will collapse soon."
"Keep the crazy talk to a limit, Sieun. That doesn't make sense. What are you going to do if an accident happens among the civilians?" "And we need to create people who can supply resources from the outside." "…What?" "We can't just survive inside Gongdeok Station. Supplies are limited, and as time passes, there will be division among the people here too. So, we need to organize people who can go outside and bring back resources." "Why are you saying such crazy things so confidently?" "I know it’s crazy talk, but it’s better than sitting here and failing."
My brother was silent for a moment, then finally took a deep drag of his cigarette. "…You really don't listen. What on earth did you learn from Father?"