One Month Ago (2)
Knock knock—!
When the radio room door was rapped, Alex’s voice drifted from inside.
“Yeah, come in.”
After that, Alex simply went back to what he had been doing.
“This is Dr. Alex from Korea branch! The code number is 82, foxtrot, 21, charlie, yankee! Any JL top sider hear this message, answer! We got the big clue of the november! I repeat! We got the big clue of the november! We need your cooperation……!”
Alex gripped the microphone of the massive radio rig tightly and shouted each syllable with crisp, forceful clarity. It was nearly the end of November, yet he still wore an old T-shirt, cargo shorts, and a white lab coat. The luxurious interior of the Big Island research facility was warm enough to make that outfit perfectly comfortable.
“Still clinging to that radio, I see.”
Yubin settled into an empty chair beside Terra. For the past three months, Alex had sent the same message almost every single day without fail. Though it was in English, Yubin had heard it so often he could almost recite it himself. The reason Alex referred to it only as “N” was for Null Kid—Terra.
“Well… with only the people we have here, it really is overwhelming.”
Alex answered after ending the transmission and switching off the mic. Yubin, hearing the words through Terra, spread his arms in a helpless gesture.
“When we first learned Terra was the Null Kid, you spoke as if your team alone could develop the vaccine.”
“We can. The problem is time. Unfortunately I’m not a genius on Jenkins’s level, so I can’t clear every obstacle at top speed. Whenever we hit a snag…”
Alex twirled a finger in the air as he continued.
“We have to keep thinking, form new hypotheses, repeat experiments—only then can we move to the next stage. That’s why we need outstanding support. In terms of raw physical deterrence, too. Jim’s rescue team is excellent, but eight men simply don’t have enough firepower.”
“That’s true, but… you’ve been sending that same radio message every day for three months and still no reply.”
“We can’t know for sure. There’s always the chance they temporarily abandoned the site for some reason. In any case, this equipment records automatically. The moment any JL lab in another country is restored, they’ll hear my message and respond. So the effort is worth it. The system itself is still alive. Plus, look at this.”
Alex picked up one of the satellite phones charging on his desk. It was an emergency line whose number was known only to JL’s highest-ranking staff.
“The fact that this emergency satellite phone still has service means someone, somewhere, is still controlling the satellite. It’s not just Iridium—Inmarsat and Globalstar are operational too. That’s a hopeful sign. Communication networks near the equator should be in far better shape.”
The signal was so weak that even on the island it only connected sporadically before cutting out again, but the fact that it connected at all was what mattered.
“I hope you’re right. Anyway… Alex, we’re heading out tomorrow.”
Yubin nodded and stated their purpose. Alex, rubbing his forehead as he listened, pinched his brows together.
“Already the twenty-third, huh. Right, I remember what you told me before. Same schedule as last time?”
“Eight days. Four before the trade, four after. Once it’s finished we’ll take the helicopter to Chungju. The team going out is the same four, including me. Mingu said he’ll stay on the Tetis until tomorrow and join us early in the morning.”
“Trading location changing again?”
“It has to stay safe.”
Yubin answered as though it were obvious. Any site once used for negotiations could never be used twice. The generals would have dispatched large forces immediately after the deal to sweep the entire area. Some of them might still be stationed there even now. Showing up openly by helicopter in a place like that would turn them into prisoners in seconds.
“In exchange for supplying you with live ammunition… you can definitely keep the promise to collect blood donations, right?”
Culturing large quantities of zombie vaccine required enormous amounts of blood. Its structure was fundamentally different from traditional vaccines cultured from egg protein. And in this zombie world, eggs were—if anything—more precious than human blood.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Yubin answered firmly. He had already settled everything with Captain Mun of Chungju long ago; by now permission would have come down from his superior, General Kim, as well. Alex, who had been absently wiggling a pen between his toes, finally asked.
“Well, that makes the trade understandable, but still… the regions you’re visiting—they’re not part of the zombies’ migration routes, are they? Like the eye of a typhoon?”
“Is there anywhere like that in Seoul right now?”
Yubin gave a small laugh and shook his head.
“Zombies are packed everywhere. Last time, even the ones that had come down from farther north were still wandering around.”
When they had traded with Lieutenant General Shin in October, more than a thousand zombies had roamed Taereung. Yubin guessed they were hordes that had drifted in from Gyeonggi Province. The place they were heading this time would likely be no different.
Simply luring all those massive zombie groups away in different directions and clearing the area around the trading site took a solid two days. Without Jinwoo, the Sheriff, or Mingu, they could never have managed it in a month, let alone two days.
“Packed with zombies…”
Alex repeated the words with his hands clasped, then let out a long sigh.
“Honestly, I don’t understand you people. Why do you keep going back to such dangerous places? This isn’t like parking a helicopter and quickly raiding a warehouse. You have to survive among those zombies for an entire week. Aren’t you scared?”
Even the JL rescue team—made up of former Delta Force elites—never dared to spend a full day isolated outside. The overwhelming danger of the zombie world needed no further explanation.
“I’m terrified.”
Yubin answered with an almost childlike expression.
“So scared that even now, when I close my eyes to sleep, I dream every night of being surrounded by zombies. Those nightmares are worse than the ones about the day I lost this arm.”
Yubin lifted his left hand, the bio-prosthetic attached.
Whirr—!
Each time he moved his fingers, the state-of-the-art JL bionic hand emitted a faint motor sound. At eighty-five thousand dollars it was a high-end piece, and he had grown used to its movements, yet it was not a real hand. Every time he showered, Yubin was forced to stare at the stump where his wrist had been severed—a pain that demanded far more courage than most people realized.
“Yes. I agree it’s scary, even though I haven’t set foot outside once since the outbreak. What I want to know is what keeps driving you back to a place that terrifying. You could stay safe in this comfortable facility with these beautiful friends.”
Alex asked again. Yubin began to speak in a quiet, even tone.
“Because the situation is so terrifying and horrific, we can’t turn our backs on the tens of thousands of survivors in Chungju. To offer them no help and simply tell them to endure the coming winter is the same as telling them to die slowly. The same goes for us. We can’t live here forever. You risked your own life chasing after the Tetis crew when they tried to sail away, Alex.”
“That’s true, but… they’re strangers, aren’t they?”
“One of the people there spent last summer with us. We haven’t known each other long, but we can’t just pretend we don’t know them. If not for that person, we might never have met Terra, and we wouldn’t be sitting here face-to-face talking like this.”
As he answered, Im Su-jeong’s face rose in Yubin’s mind. Terra translated the story into English and nodded with solemn intensity. Yubin continued, slowly folding the fingers of his prosthetic one by one.
“Besides her, we owe debts to so many others. If they hadn’t fired the cannon from that tank, we could never have entered the Taeyang Group’s fortress-like building. Mingu also survived a crisis that would have killed him thanks to those soldiers, and they protected Gyuyeong and Newbie as well.”
“…I owe my life to far more people than that.”
Terra added the sentence after translating Yubin’s words. She was thinking of the kind soldier brothers at the Jamsil shelter who had willingly given up so many Chocopies, fruit juices, and hardtack for her. The many mothers who had pressed shoulder to shoulder with her, overcoming loss and fear together. The children with their angelic smiles. All of them had been moved to Chungju. Ignoring them was simply impossible.
“Yes, yes. Terra, I understand how you feel. That’s why we’re cooperating as much as we can. Most of all, we’re sharing your precious blood.”
After signaling that he had heard enough, Alex turned back to Yubin.
“Listen carefully, leader. The truth is I don’t feel any particular affection or attachment toward you people.”
“Alex! What are you saying?”
Terra’s expression turned stern, as if such talk were unacceptable. But Alex calmed her and continued.
“No, Terra. This is simply a cold fact. Just translate it. Of course we’ve grown closer over the past three months, but we’re still essentially strangers. However—this ‘however’ is extremely important.”
Alex wiggled the fingers of both hands to emphasize the word, then pointed at Yubin.
“Without you, these two beautiful girls—especially Jenny—become anxious. And when Jenny gets anxious, Terra’s stress index rises dramatically. If simply leaving Big Island for a few days causes that much strain, any serious accident would push it beyond what we can handle. That’s why I need you. Healthy, safe versions of you.”
“We’ll be extremely careful.”
Yubin gave a short nod. His own desire to survive was as fierce as anyone’s. He simply wanted to turn this horrific world into something better and safer. He knew all too well that no matter how hard he tried to look away, they could not hide here forever.
“Good. I’ll have everything needed for the trade prepared by tomorrow morning. You’re the leader, so we follow your decision. You’ve done well so far.”
Alex swept back his long, curly brown hair, then gave one final piece of advice.
“I can’t forget the resolute attitude Jenny and Terra showed the day we first met you. Terra was completely exhausted, yet she insisted your sutures came first. Her face was deathly pale, but she wouldn’t listen to a word I said… I don’t want to go through anything that terrifying again. You understand what I’m saying—you’re smart.”
“I do. We won’t conduct any more trades like this for a while. No more long excursions, either. At least until spring, we’ll stay safe. From the beginning I only planned on three trades.”
Yubin stood and gave Alex’s arm a light pat. He wiggled his prosthetic once more.
“I won’t let my guard down. I have this expensive daily reminder right here.”
“Learning a lesson is important. Ah, one more thing.”
Alex, who had risen to see them off, raised his index finger.
“Is there any chance the man in Busan handling military communications might betray you? Maybe telling them the meeting place in advance and leading you into a trap…”
It was concern about the man responsible for radio contact at the Busan room salon Venus. Since they could not visit Busan every time a trade occurred, they had created a stand-in after careful thought and given him a response manual—Second Lieutenant Kang, the officer they had rescued at the military base.
“You won’t be able to find him. And he’s not the type to betray us.”
Yubin shook his head and stepped out of the room. Even when Second Lieutenant Kang had a bullet wound in his leg and no proper treatment, he had worried first about the civilians in the shelter. There was no way he would choose a path that would drive far more people to their deaths.
“But… it really is dangerous.”
Once the door was closed and they stood in the hallway, Terra spoke with an apologetic expression. Yubin nodded readily.
“It is.”
Seoul was so overrun with zombies that the military had abandoned its defense and fled. Lose focus for even a moment and no one could say when a horde might close in and end their lives.
Terra took Yubin’s right hand in both of hers and held it tightly.
“You have to be really careful when you go out, oppa. If anything happens to you guys…”
She would never be able to forgive herself. To these endlessly grateful people she still had not been able to give anything in return. And just imagining how devastated Jenny would be made her chest ache.
“Nothing will happen.”
Yubin lightly tousled Terra’s glossy black bangs, cutting off her worries.
“There’s a guy who walked an entire month from Gangwon Province all the way to Seoul. We’re only going out for about a week. We’ll be careful and come back safely.”