(Side Story) Zombie.
(Side Story) Zombie.
Myeong-cheol ran up to Kwak In-gu, who was eating, and shouted.
"Boss! Boss!"
"What."
"Something terrible's happened!!"
"What is it."
"They say Ga-in's been dragged off by the Trees!"
""What?!""
The elderly people nearby reacted the same way as Kwak In-gu, their voices rising in unison.
Ga-in and Min-ji were locked inside a room that looked like it was meant for prisoners.
Master Sergeant Kim, standing outside the iron bars, spotted Ga-in. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes as he smiled coldly and spoke.
"You know Yoo Min-seong's been keeping his mouth shut to protect the Field Mice's secrets?"
"....."
"Loyalty like that... he really is a Field Mouse... won't even give up basic info we already know."
"....."
Ga-in stayed silent. Master Sergeant Kim thrust his face closer to the bars.
"That was you, wasn't it?"
"...?"
"The one who killed the man Yoo Min-seong called Boss."
"....."
"You worthless piece of shit... When I saw the body, he'd been killed while he was still human. You know that...?"
Beside Ga-in, Min-ji's pupils wavered.
"At first I thought I'd seen wrong. There were signs a zombie bite was trying to heal..."
Bound and silent, Ga-in leaned against the wall.
Master Sergeant Kim watched her and went on.
"Does Yoo Min-seong even know? Judging by the reaction next to you, seems like he doesn't...?"
Without warning, Master Sergeant Kim slammed his hand against the iron bars.
Clang!
"You little demon... when I think about my fallen comrades because of you, I want to tear you apart right now, but..."
Master Sergeant Kim stared at the unresponsive Ga-in, clicked his tongue, and left the room.
Yoo Min-seong was hanging upside down. A man with an eagle tattoo on his face approached.
"Whoa... hey there. They said I had a job to do... Kyah-ha. The Trees really do hand out incredible perks, huh? Right?!"
Yoo Min-seong recognized the eagle tattoo and flinched.
"You know... Jong-su died because of you, right?"
The eagle-tattooed man slid a large bucket of water beneath the head of the upside-down Yoo Min-seong.
"Just like last time... I'm hoping you won't say a word~ Pretty please."
The eagle-tattooed man lowered the still-inverted Yoo Min-seong toward the bucket as he spoke.
"Keu-heh. Not that I mind if you do talk~ I've got plenty of questions, see..."
The eagle-tattooed man hauled Yoo Min-seong out of the water and spoke in exasperation.
"Hey, hey~ Why make me waste energy by refusing to tell us things we both already know? Hauling you up and down is harder than it looks, you know?!"
"Cough... kuh-huk... haah..."
"See? I press the button, then pull you back up~ It's exhausting, I'm telling you~"
"Keu-heok... haak..."
"Oh! I just had a great idea. If you ever feel like talking, you have to tell me to stop~ Got it?!"
The eagle-tattooed man spoke while watching Yoo Min-seong sink beneath the water.
"Whoopsie! You can't talk when you're underwater, can you?!"
Just as he moved to pull Yoo Min-seong out again, the door opened and Master Sergeant Kim walked in.
The eagle-tattooed man gave a sloppy, joking salute and raised Yoo Min-seong back up.
Master Sergeant Kim ignored the salute and went straight to Yoo Min-seong.
"Haha... you're a pitiful sight."
Master Sergeant Kim knelt on one knee and met Yoo Min-seong's eyes.
"Want me to tell you something interesting?"
"....."
"That boss of yours... the one who went first."
Yoo Min-seong looked at Master Sergeant Kim, who gestured to the eagle-tattooed man.
The man removed the water bucket and lowered Yoo Min-seong to the floor.
"Your head must be spinning. I don't know whether my words will even get through..."
"Talk."
When Yoo Min-seong answered for the first time, the master sergeant smiled.
"Looks like you're willing to listen, huh?"
Yoo Min-seong was still catching his breath, dragging in ragged gasps between words.
"Haah..."
"Didn't you think something was off? That little kid who's practically a killing machine... you know the one, Kwak In-gu? He's the one who raised that kid... anyway, weren't all the people there a bit too unusual?"
"Get to the point."
"You impatient little shit... fine. I know you handed over the case with the vaccine to the Field Mice, too. But the one who killed your boss... it was Ga-in."
"....."
Yoo Min-seong had been suspicious.
Because Ga-in had always seemed uncomfortable around him whenever talk of his boss came up...
"I saw your boss's body. There was a zombie bite on his right arm and a mark where a dagger had been driven between his eyebrows..."
"....."
"And the right arm had healed over. You know this too, don't you? Zombie bites don't heal."
"The vaccine isn't perfect... maybe he got it too late and it couldn't be reversed."
"Oh, really? Do you know what kind of weapon Kwak In-gu uses?"
Yoo Min-seong had never seen Kwak In-gu fight.
"He usually uses blunt weapons, and sometimes a short sword. He normally strikes zombies or people in the temple."
The master sergeant pointed beneath his own jaw.
"If not there, then here. He drives it upward from beneath the chin."
"....."
"There was a hole between his eyebrows. Have you ever punched a hole there on a person?"
"....."
"Maybe if they were asleep. But how do you punch a hole between someone's eyebrows while they're awake? And yet... bodies with holes there turn up from time to time."
Yoo Min-seong's pupils trembled at Master Sergeant Kim's words.
"Can you picture it? A little girl approaches as if she knows nothing, catches you off guard, then drives the blade between your eyebrows the moment you turn. Across the entire Meadow, only one person occasionally leaves bodies with dagger holes there."
Yoo Min-seong remembered the first time he'd seen Ga-in himself—he had thought she was just a young child.
"Keu-ha-ha. I bet it's exactly who you're thinking of—the one who catches most victims off guard and drives a knife between their eyebrows."
"....."
"The monster Kwak In-gu created... the monster of the Meadow. The Kangaroo Rat."
Yoo Min-seong had suspected as much and said nothing. The master sergeant laughed with evident satisfaction.
"I understand that you gave the vaccine case to the Field Mice, and that you value loyalty. But you're an outsider anyway. There's no need to protect them out of misplaced loyalty. Come to us, and I'll even promise to manufacture the vaccine and send you regular supplies."
Yoo Min-seong met the rambling Master Sergeant Kim's eyes and laughed derisively.
"Bunch of idiots, shaking in your boots over one little girl so you tie her up and lock her in a cage."
".....?"
"Not just me—anyone alive in this era who didn't know about the vaccine would've seen a bite mark and killed him before he turned, you morons."
"...Is that so? That's not the answer I was hoping for."
The master sergeant gestured to the eagle-tattooed man.
"Guess I was having fun all by myself. You could've said something sooner... heh-heh..."
Master Sergeant Kim dragged the bucket beneath Yoo Min-seong's head.
Then he laid a hand on the eagle-tattooed man's shoulder and said,
"I've taken up your time... hmm... sorry about that."
Kwak In-gu had gathered everyone in one place and was looking each of them over, one by one.
"Ga-in has been captured by the Trees... I'm going to bring her back."
".....Going alone, isn't that too dangerous?"
"Come now... as if Major Im would actually kill me... More importantly, Myeong-cheol."
"Yes!"
"Just in case something happens, if it comes to that, you'll have to step up."
"...Boss?"
"Major Im isn't likely to kill Ga-in, but his men are another story. Mister Ji, I leave things in your hands."
"Aye... don't get yourself hurt."
At the old man's words, Kwak In-gu nodded and headed quickly for the department store that served as the Trees' stronghold.
Outside the iron bars, a man on guard duty was staring at Ga-in as if he'd come to gawk at animals in a zoo.
"Whoa... this is the rumored Kangaroo Rat? She's way too young, isn't she?"
"They say she killed thirty-five people by herself this time, too."
"That's insane... that little kid...? How is that even possible?"
"Little kid? You ever seen a kid alive out there?"
"....."
"Unless they're inside like us... out there, among the people who're still alive, there are no women and no kids."
"Yeah, that's true..."
"And besides... the soldiers from the other squads, when they see that kid, they're gonna charge in trying to kill her..."
While the two were talking, someone appeared, flanked by two guards.
The men snapped to a salute when they recognized the man in the center.
It was Major Im, the leader of the Trees.
"It's been a while, Ga-in."
Ga-in looked at Major Im and spoke for the first time.
"Don't call me by my name..."
"Fine. Is Kwak In-gu doing well?"
"You'll be seeing him soon."
"Heh-heh... I suppose so... of course, with you here, Kwak In-gu will definitely come..."
Ga-in sat in silence.
Beside her, Min-ji was warily reading the exchange between the two.
"So... I'm sorry, but we decided to kill you before that happens."
"....."
Ga-in remained impassive, but Min-ji beside her was horrified.
"Why are you trying to kill her!!"
"You're asking why we're trying to kill her? Isn't that a pretty selfish question, thinking only of Ga-in's side of things... Ga-in has killed too many people..."
"You people brought it all on yourselves!"
Major Im let out a short laugh at Min-ji's outburst.
"Brought it on ourselves, you say... well, then I suppose Ga-in brought this on herself too."
Major Im signaled to the sergeant first class behind him. The sergeant first class opened the bars without hesitation and stepped inside.
Crack!
A sharp crack rang out. The other soldier froze, unable to process what had happened.
Ga-in sprang up and placed her hand beside Major Im's temple.
Something gleamed from the fallen sergeant first class's temple. It was identical to the large spike in Ga-in's hand.
Hooked to the ring on her finger, the spike was poised to be driven in at any moment.
"Put the gun down."
As the other soldier started lowering his pistol, Ga-in spoke directly into Major Im's ear.
"Guess you didn't think this far ahead, did you?"
"...In-gu raised you well... but the thing is..."
The moment Major Im tried to move, Ga-in put force into driving the spike into his temple.
Major Im twisted his head aside, causing the spike to glance off, then seized Ga-in's arm and slammed her onto the marble floor.
"Keu-heop... haa-uck!!!"
Ga-in struck the floor hard and lost her breath.
"When you take a hostage, you're supposed to grab the weakest person..."
Blood flowed from the gash beside Major Im's eyebrow. A subordinate hurried over with a handkerchief.
Ga-in still could not draw a breath.
Major Im looked around, and the civilian on guard duty bound Ga-in again.
After watching them remove every accessory she carried, Major Im spoke.
"Knock her out."
"Yes, sir!"
They shoved a drug-soaked cloth into Ga-in's mouth. She thrashed for breath, then went limp within moments.
As Major Im left, one side of his face slick with blood, he looked toward the bars holding Min-ji.
"You're right... she brought this on herself..."
"....."