Fun Times with Little Angels — Min-jung Is Deeply Moved [Arriving at Jo Yu-mi's Camp]

"Noona!!!! I think that's Hyung Tae-yang's vehicle!!! Come quick!!!!!"

A large warehouse ringed with barricades and what looked like its own stretch of barbed wire fencing. From what served as a watchtower, a young man in a helmet and makeshift body armor shouted back over his shoulder.

"Really? Hold on, Noona will check."

Thud!!

The young man's name was Na Yun-kwon, an Awakened of the Sharpshooter class — the de facto deputy commander of Jo Yu-mi's survival camp. The person he had just called for, in other words, was Camp Leader Jo Yu-mi herself.

Hearing that Geum Tae-yang's vehicle seemed to have arrived, Yu-mi set down the box she had been carrying.

—Dadadadadadadadadadada!!!!

She took the roughly built steel stairs two at a time.

"Yep. That's Tae-yang's Reinforced Custom Hummer."

Yu-mi confirmed the vehicle Yun-kwon had spotted. From the watchtower they had a clear view of the approach road before it reached the warehouse proper — enough to identify anyone coming in well ahead of time.

"I'll call Tae-yang, Yun-kwon."

Fumble, fumble!

"Yes, Noona! Whoa… that vehicle is seriously insane. Even more incredible in person than it looked in the photos…"

Yu-mi pulled out her phone in a hurry. Yun-kwon, meanwhile, kept his eyes locked on Tae-yang's supercar through his Superior Eyesight trait.

"Hey! Yu-mi, it's me!!!"

"I know. I called because we just spotted your vehicle from the watchtower. Can you flash the lights for me?"

"Of course! A-young, flash the lights."

The moment Jo Yu-mi's name lit up on the phone screen, Geum Tae-yang answered with a grin. Both sides completed their final confirmation.

"Aigoo!!! Hyung, welcome!!! A-young Noona too — come on in!! And of course, Auntie Min-jung, welcome!!"

—Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

Yun-kwon scrambled down from the watchtower and began opening the final gate, shouting his welcome through the windshield of the Reinforced Custom Hummer at Tae-yang's party.

"Oh, right!!! Good to see you, Yun-kwon!! You look even handsomer in person???"

Wave! Wave! Wave!

"Good to see you, Yun-kwon!"

Geum Tae-yang — the apocalypse's reigning alpha male, thoroughly delighted — waved right back as he returned the greeting. Behind him, Kim Min-jung offered a warm, radiant smile of her own.

"Alright, got it. I'll stay with Yun-kwon and Byung-tae, sort the supplies we brought, and come in after. There's some stuff we need to install first anyway."

"Noona, should we start with this one? Looking at the label, it seems like food?"

"Yeah. Food can go straight in."

Tae-yang parked the Reinforced Custom Hummer in the lot near the logistics warehouse, where a screen had been set up for cover. He looked thoroughly excited, but Park A-young already had a full plan for what needed doing the moment they arrived. Thanks to that, the work moved at breakneck speed.

"Alright, A-young. Auntie and I will go see the kids with Yu-mi."

Grin!

Tae-yang looked at A-young and answered with a knowing little smile.

Park A-young secretly can't stand being the center of attention around strangers.

No one understood the true nature of that tsundere better than Geum Tae-yang. Given the situation, getting the work done quickly mattered — but even a brief appearance wouldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have been a problem. A-young was a tsundere, yes, but she was also a shy girl just like Kim Min-jung. The mere thought of walking into the warehouse and having every child's eyes lock onto her was already more than she could bear.

"The kids haven't eaten yet, right, Yu-mi? Should Auntie give them a little snack first?"

"Haha! Nothing fancy, but I already gave them something. They looked hungry. Better they hold out a bit and save room for dinner, though."

Step! Step! Step! Step!

Geum Tae-yang, Kim Min-jung, and Jo Yu-mi headed deeper into the warehouse. Along the way Min-jung chattered nonstop, buzzing with excitement at the thought of meeting the children.

Kim Min-jung was, without question, an intensely shy woman. The decisive difference between her and Park A-young, though, came down to one thing: whether maternal instinct kicked in. Roughly from the moment she had married, Min-jung's maternal love had exploded — and that love had always been what covered for her timid public face. Even now she was pure Mom, steeped in worry for the little ones suffering through the apocalypse.

"Alright, kids~! Uncle Tae-yang and Auntie Min-jung are here~! Come on out!"

—Clunk!!

"Hey… Uncle? I said call me Oppa…"

Yu-mi threw open the warehouse's heavy steel door in the warmest voice imaginable. Tae-yang, for his part, couldn't quite hide his disappointment that all the careful gaslighting he'd invested in was coming undone.

"Really!!???? Hyung Tae-yang and Auntie Min-jung are heeere????"

—Pop!!!

The moment Yu-mi's voice filled the interior, a little boy burst out from behind a stack of cargo and stared toward the door. When it was just the kids, or only one or two guardians around, hiding had become second nature.

"Hahahahaha!!! You little rascal! Ra-yul! You're Ra-yul, right? The kid who lost to me at mobile games!!!"

The little boy's name was Kim Ra-yul. Tae-yang recognized the voice instantly — but the warehouse was dark enough that he couldn't fully make out the face, so he double-checked.

"Waaaaaahhhh!!! Hyung Tae-yang!! It's Hyung Tae-yaaaang!!!!"

—Dadadadadadadadada!!!

Ra-yul, beside himself with joy, came tearing toward Tae-yang and Min-jung with the wildest reaction he could muster.

"Is it??? That really is Oppa Tae-yang's voice???"

"Uncle Tae-yang? Is Uncle Tae-yang here????"

Peek! Peek! Peek! Peek!

Tae-yang's booming voice had rolled through the space once, and after Ra-yul charged out, little heads started popping up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from every corner.

"Woooaaahhh!! It really is Uncle Tae-yang and Auntie Min-jung!!!"

"Uncle Tae-yaaang!!! Auntieeeee!!! I missed youuuu!!!!!"

"Wooow!! Wow!! Auntie Min-jung!! It's Auntie Min-juuung!!!"

—Dododododododododo!!!!

—Dadadadadadadadada!!!

After ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that, the inside of the warehouse erupted into pure chaos. Nine children, Ra-yul included, came charging in with all the boundless energy only little kids could produce.

"Hahaha!! Oof!! You little monster, Ra-yul!!"

—Whump!!

"Hyung Tae-yang, I'm so happy to see you!!!"

"Auntie Min-jung! Auntie, I missed you so much!!!!"

—Slap!!!

"Aww! Our Bomi — did you wait a long time for Auntie?"

"Yeees~~~"

"Me too! Me too, Auntieee!!"

Ra-yul, the boldest of the bunch, launched himself straight into Tae-yang's arms. The rest of the little ones plastered themselves to Tae-yang's and Min-jung's legs. Min-jung carefully scooped up Bomi — the first to reach her — and the moment she did, the other kids went wild demanding their turn.

A warm smile…

Watching from right beside them, Jo Yu-mi's face lit with a soft, fond smile. She had done everything she could for these children — not just to keep them alive, but to give them good memories, to make them happy. She had grown up lonely herself, so she knew better than anyone how much a situation like this could scar a child's development. Living every day on edge was a recipe for emotional fragility. She had tried so hard, and still there had been limits. But just the arrival of Geum Tae-yang and Kim Min-jung had the kids this excited, this alive with new stimulation — and Yu-mi felt a wave of relieved, heartfelt warmth.

"Hehehe…!"

And she wasn't the only one smiling. There was Ye-eun, too.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠age gap wasn't huge, but among the little ones Ye-eun was one of the oldest. Seeing her younger siblings — who spent most of every day watching the outside world with wary eyes — looking this bright made her happier than she could say.

Oh wait!!

Then something she had set aside earlier seemed to hit her, and her eyes went round.

I almost forgot!!

—Dadadadadadadadadadada!!!

Ye-eun spun around and took off at a run.

"Oh my! Where's Ye-eun going?"

"Come here, Ye-eun — Oppa Tae-yang will give you a hug!"

Of course Tae-yang and Min-jung noticed.

"Just a seeecond!! There's something important!! I have something for Auntie and Oppa — and for Unnie A-young too!"

—Dadadadadadadada!!

But Ye-eun just answered in a rush and kept running the way she was headed.

"This!! Me and my little brothers and sisters prepared a present!!"

Thud!!

About ten seconds later Ye-eun came back and held something out to Tae-yang and Min-jung in her little hands.

"A letter? Did Ye-eun write this?"

"No… me and… my friends… and my little siblings all wrote it together, Auntie…"

It was a letter.

"Looks like the kids wrote us a letter, Auntie!"

"Seems that way…"

Curiosity lighting up his eyes, Tae-yang chattered at Min-jung the way he always did when something caught his interest.

"Then Auntie will read what it says, okay?"

"Yes… hehehe…"

Min-jung, by contrast, looked careful and quiet. She was a mother, after all. She had already raised Park A-young. She was someone who carried a vast love for children. Of course the letter would hit her deeper.

"Oh my goodness…!"

The moment she opened it, Kim Min-jung's face filled with pure emotion.

There it was — in crooked, wobbly handwriting, with spelling all over the place — the sincere effort of little hearts trying their hardest to tell Kim Min-jung how they felt. And as a bonus, someone had somehow gotten hold of crayons and drawn Min-jung's smiling face right there on the page.

"Aigoo… thank you so much, kids… giving Auntie a wonderful present like this…"

Unable to tear her eyes from the letter, Min-jung passed her overflowing happiness to the little ones in a voice that was nearly breaking.

Glance…

Tae-yang looked over at her for a moment.

When I was little, on Parents' Day, I used to write letters for Dad, for my mom who left us early, and for Auntie too. Auntie always looked so happy every time she got one of mine.

He had given gifts like this himself, once. He understood.

Thud…

Kim Min-jung sank down onto one knee.

Whump!

Then she pulled every bright-eyed child watching her into the biggest hug she could manage.

"Auntie will protect you… and I'll make you happy…"

What she whispered to them was a promise — that she would always be with them, and always keep them safe.