Chapter 89: It Took a Long Time to Get This Far
“Oppa, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Of course.”
Kim Jun calmed Gaya before slowly steadying his balance and rising to his feet.
The fact that the knife hadn’t severed any tendons in his leg was a miracle. Every stab wound across his body threatened to burst open with the slightest touch, but with no fresh bandages left, he simply had to endure it.
“Ugh…”
“A-are you all right? Let me support you.”
“I’m fine.”
Kim Jun waved off In Ah and Gaya’s helping hands and made his way to the driver’s seat. He had already brushed out every shard of broken glass. Now he opened the console box behind the gear shift and rummaged inside.
Clink. Clink.
From the metallic clatter, Kim Jun pulled out boxes of pistol ammunition wrapped in paper. He loaded the pistol he had emptied during yesterday’s frantic battle, then took out the lead pellet case, opened the lid, and loaded both the air pistol and the air gun.
“Whew. Water.”
“Yes! Here.”
After losing so much blood yesterday, Kim Jun kept replenishing his fluids. In this situation, a transfusion was impossible; all he could do was make it back home and collapse into a deep sleep.
He pressed a cold bottle of water against his throbbing arm like an ice pack and slowly stepped outside.
When he emerged through the rear door, the entire area—from the walls to the floor—was scorched pitch black.
“Eek?!”
Gaya and In Ah, following him out, saw the half-burned corpse fragments at their feet and went deathly pale.
Kim Jun, by contrast, calmly stepped over the charred remains and headed toward the café. He soon spotted the iron door to the basement storage in a place still devoid of any human presence and knocked.
Bang. Bang.
“Everyone still alive in there?”
…
Bang. Bang.
After the second knock, Kim Jun waited in silence, then quietly pulled the two top stars aside and sat them on a chair. He lit a cigarette and waited patiently until the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs reached them and the door began to open.
Clack.
Creeeeak.
“Sergeant Uncle?”
Hwang Yeosa, who had come out first, asked cautiously. Kim Jun answered.
“It’s all over.”
“Really over?”
Hwang Yeosa had opened the door with a glad voice, only to freeze at the sight of Kim Jun’s body covered in wounds.
“Oh my goodness, Uncle! Look at those injuries! Are you really all right?”
“Yep~ Still breathing.”
When he waved the hand holding his cigarette, the left arm—sliced by knives and torn by glass—came into full view.
“Good heavens… what are you going to do about that arm?”
“The bleeding’s stopped.”
“We don’t have anything to treat it here… should I at least pour some whiskey on it?”
“No need. Just gather the others.”
At Kim Jun’s words, Hwang Yeosa immediately went down and brought the girls up.
They had stayed awake all night; their eyes were bloodshot, their faces still frozen with the terror of the darkness. Among them, Eunbyeol calmed the rest before approaching Kim Jun.
“Did you take care of all of them?”
“I don’t know exactly how many from the First Faction there were… but I got at least five.”
“Thank… I mean, we are truly grateful.”
When Eunbyeol bowed her head in thanks, Hwang Yeosa poked the other girls in the ribs, prompting them to bow before Kim Jun as well.
While Kim Jun sat smoking with casual ease, Gaya and In Ah behind him were flustered and bowed along with them.
“There are quite a few corpses outside. Think you can clean them up?”
“I’ll manage somehow.”
Eunbyeol rolled up her sleeves. Remembering the hell the First Faction bastards had put them through, she resolved to at least dispose of the bodies.
When she went outside, a few screams rang out at first, but soon the work continued in calm silence.
“Ugh…”
“Are you going to move again?”
“Aren’t we heading home?”
“We are, but the car…”
The windows were all shattered and the body dented everywhere; it seemed questionable whether it could even run. Kim Jun immediately laid out his plan.
“Gaya, go call Hwang Yeosa and Eunbyeol.”
“Huh? Oh, those two? I’ll go.”
Gaya ran off to find them. Once she was gone, Kim Jun turned to In Ah, who had stayed behind.
“Grab that stuff from inside the car.”
“That stuff?”
Kim Jun whispered in her ear. In Ah’s eyes widened in surprise.
“All of it?”
“It’s a barter deal.”
In Ah let out a long sigh and headed toward the auto repair shop where the wrecked camper van sat.
Before long, Eunbyeol and Hwang Yeosa returned with Gaya. Kim Jun began speaking about what came next.
“We’re leaving now, but there are a few things I need to take with me.”
“Just say the word, Uncle! We’ll give you anything!”
At Hwang Yeosa’s eager reply, Kim Jun asked his questions one by one.
“How big is the First Faction?”
“I don’t know the exact numbers, but back in their active days they had over fifty.”
“There’s no way all of them are still alive, and since I took out five, they’ll probably send people to check.”
“Hoo… the real problem is what comes after. After…”
Both Hwang Yeosa and Eunbyeol had handled the immediate threat, but the thought of the retaliation to come sent chills down their spines.
“Any alternatives?”
“I do have one idea…”
Hwang Yeosa shared the plan she had discussed with Eunbyeol.
“I own a karaoke place on the west coast. It’s two stories with plenty of rooms, so I’m thinking of moving everyone there.”
“That won’t be easy right away.”
“Exactly. So… could you help us one more time? I know it’s a difficult request, Sergeant Uncle.”
…
Kim Jun said nothing. His gaze fell on the whiskey box and bottled water at his feet as he pondered.
Even if he agreed to help, one box wasn’t nearly enough payment for everything they needed.
Hwang Yeosa noticed and stood up.
“This isn’t enough, is it? Wait just a moment, Uncle. I’ll bring something else.”
While she hurried off, In Ah returned with the items Kim Jun had asked for.
“What’s all that?”
“Take a look.”
It was the modified fire extinguisher sprayer, a box of bleach, a slingshot, a blackjack, and more.
“For now, at least give them enough weapons to defend themselves for a while.”
“This is a slingshot? And what’s this—nuts and bolts inside a stocking? What about the fire extinguisher?”
“I’ll explain each one.”
Kim Jun ordered In Ah to teach them how to use the bleach sprayer, the blackjack, and the slingshot. In the short time they had, she needed to drill the basics into them so they could memorize the rest on their own.
Meanwhile, Hwang Yeosa returned carrying another whiskey box.
“Take this too, Uncle.”
“What is it?”
“This one’s eighteen years old.”
It was a box of Chivas Regal 18-year whiskey. At market price, two boxes would be quite valuable, but here and now they made for an acceptable barter item.
“And this…”
“Hm?”
A cotton sack normally used for wrapping premium whiskey. Inside were gleaming gold keys, necklaces, and various pieces of jewelry.
“Oh?”
“Uncle, all of it is 24k.”
“…!!”
Even by feel, the weight exceeded two kilograms. At that amount, the value easily crossed into the hundreds of millions.
When Kim Jun stared blankly at the gold received in the middle of an apocalypse, Hwang Yeosa scratched her head.
“I kept physical assets in safes at each location. Looks like we’re using them here. Can you make it work?”
“Hmm. With this much…”
It was a transaction worth hundreds of millions, yet the gold items were awkward to use for immediate exchanges. At best, one might take them to a temple and give them to a dentist to attach to broken teeth or cavities. Still, if the world ever returned to normal, they would be useful, so Kim Jun decided to take them.
“Then let’s do it this way.”
“Yes! Just tell us what you need!”
***
“That one and that one!”
“Ugh~ This is really heavy.”
“Yeah, those parts are pretty heavy by nature.”
Despite their fear, the girls under Hwang Yeosa gathered the auto shop components Kim Jun had requested, one by one. Windshield, side windows, hood, replacement bumper, headlights, dent repair tools, markers—they loaded up everything.
“This should be enough to repair the car once we get home.”
“Please fix it as quickly as you can. We’ll be waiting.”
“Don’t worry. In the meantime, use the weapon instructions I gave Eunbyeol.”
“Aigoo, yes! We’ll hold out until then.”
Kim Jun set one condition with Hwang Yeosa.
With his body in tatters and the vehicle wrecked, it was impossible to transport everyone and their supplies immediately. So he asked for exactly two weeks. In that time he would repair the car, recover his strength, and upon his return they would search the area around her karaoke venue together. Once safety was confirmed, they would move the entire shelter there.
“That neighborhood with the pond—I realized we’ve never been there either.”
The last time he had gone with Rana, they had only stopped by the pharmacy and the harbor for fresh seafood before turning back. Still, staying here in constant fear of First Faction remnants from Sinreung-myeon launching another raid was far worse.
Once all the supplies were loaded and Gaya and In Ah had thoroughly taught Eunbyeol how to use the slingshot—then instructed her to pass it on to the other girls—they prepared to leave.
“Hoo… hoo…”
“Will you really be okay, Uncle?”
“We still have to get home.”
Kim Jun swallowed another painkiller to combat his aching body, helped In Ah and Gaya into the vehicle, and got ready to depart.
“See you in two weeks.”
“Yes. Everyone stay alive. We’ll be waiting.”
Kim Jun received the farewells from Hwang Yeosa and the girls, then turned the key. Fortunately the engine was undamaged; it started easily. He pulled away.
“Huh? Aren’t we going home?”
Gaya was surprised to see him driving in the opposite direction. Kim Jun shook his head.
“We came all this way. Might as well check the police station.”
“Ah!”
The First Faction thugs had raided the station and taken the chief’s pistol, but they probably hadn’t managed to crack the safe. They would have needed a hydraulic press or electric saw, and there was no power for such tools.
Whether any of them knew how to pick a safe was unknown, but it still needed to be confirmed.
“Oh my!”
“Hmm.”
On the way, they passed the three motorcycles belonging to the First Faction gangsters they had attacked yesterday. Kim Jun thought for a moment, then shook his head and continued straight to the station.
“We’re here.”
Kim Jun grabbed his gun, scanned the surroundings, and slowly climbed out of the vehicle.
“Kgh!”
The moment he stepped down, his upper body swayed. Every part of him screamed in pain; it felt like he might die.
Clutching his left arm, Kim Jun staggered inside. The place was a complete wreck. Black, dried blood splattered everywhere.
“They really… tore the place apart.”
He examined the first floor. Blood-soaked computers, drawers that contained nothing but junk. The dying policeman had mentioned a basement cabinet. Kim Jun gestured for the waiting Gaya and In Ah to stay back, then gripped his pistol and the HD device with his unsteady hands and descended the stairs.
The basement had no lights even in broad daylight. Rows of cabinets lined the walls. Kim Jun searched through them, gathering supplies.
“This is a uniform, this is a baton… stab vest… yeah, we’re taking everything.”
He planned to remove the police marks and name tags later, then repair and use them. He also took the glow sticks used by traffic officers and various radios. Every time he opened a cabinet, something made him chuckle.
“These bastards… they ransacked the place.”
Someone had pounded violently on the cabinets and safe, leaving deep scratches. Yet the locks were extraordinarily sturdy; ordinary tools on the market could never break them.
After filling his arms with loot, Kim Jun finally approached the safe. It was a manual combination lock. The moment he matched the numbers he had seen on the cabinet… the door opened.
Rattle. Thud!
As the lock released and light spilled inside, Kim Jun let out a sigh of awe.
“Ha…”
It felt like discovering a gold mine.
A brand-new pistol, multiple electric shock devices beside it, and three tasers. Below them were countless boxes of pistol rounds, taser cartridges, and batteries.
This moved him far more than the gold he had received earlier. He packed the weapons tightly into one of the double bags, then suddenly remembered the policeman from yesterday.
“…He must have gone to heaven. He was the kind of man who tried to save people.”
Kim Jun offered a brief moment of silence, finished gathering everything, and tried to lift the two heavy double bags. The pain made him collapse on the spot.
“Kgh!”
If his body had been healthy, he could have carried them without issue, but he had no strength left.
“Ugh… damn it, seriously…”
When he tried to drag the fallen bags, the wounds on his trembling arms reopened and fresh blood flowed. He clenched his teeth so hard his gums ached. He knew he should have brought the two girls inside to help, but Kim Jun stubbornly tried to do it himself.
By the time he finally reached the first floor, dizziness overwhelmed him.
The moment Gaya saw him, she rushed down in a panic.
“Oppa!”
“Take… these.”
“Yes!”
In Ah arrived moments later. The two girls grunted and strained as they loaded the heavy bags. Meanwhile, Kim Jun, surrounded by the metallic stench of blood inside the station, felt his strength drain completely.
“We’ll support you.”
“Shit… guess you’ll have to.”
He had avoided relying on the girls until now, but he simply couldn’t move anymore.
With his entire left side unresponsive, Gaya and In Ah helped him up. Kim Jun staggered to the car, took a long breath, and lit a cigarette.
“…Let’s go.”
…
Kim Jun started the engine. Worried, Gaya asked, “Um, I have a license. Should I drive?”
“No. It’s not that bad yet.”
The car pulled away. On the return trip they passed the motorcycles again.
…
Kim Jun drew his pistol and fired at the bikes.
Bang. Bang.
Crash! Clatter-clatter-clatter!
The tires burst. The two motorcycles toppled over helplessly.
Farther along, a startled Eunbyeol emerged from the café building. Kim Jun waved, then casually tossed her one of the items he had taken from the station.
“!?”
“It’s an electric shock device. Use it well, sis.”
“Ah… thank…”
Kim Jun waved again, stepped on the accelerator, and continued. Aside from Gaya and In Ah screaming at the sight of the wrecked motorcycles and human corpses, the rest of the journey home was smooth.
The moment they arrived, all the girls panicked. Mari immediately prepared to treat him.
It looked like it would take a considerable amount of time for these injuries to heal.