Chapter 28
We followed Lee Jihye and entered Chungmuro . Yoo Sangah saw the shattered screen door of the platform and said, "…It is a chaotic atmosphere . "
As we climbed up from the tracks of railway line 3, we saw some people sitting down .
[You have entered Chungmuro . ]
[The third scenario is currently in progress . ]
[#GIR-8761 channel is active . ]
[#BIR-3642 channel is active . ]
From Chungmuro onward, the size of the scenario grew and the dokkaebi channels increased . That naive Bihyung would have a hard time from now on . Some middle-aged people saw us and waved their hands . "Oh, little samurai . You brought new people?"
"Yes . " 'A samurai . ' I guess Lee Jihye could be called that if the sponsor behind her wasn't known . Sooner or later, they would be punished . Lee Jihye frowned at the middle-aged people . "Are you drunk again?"
"Hahahat! What is there to do other than drink when the world has become like this?"
The middle-aged people seemed relaxed, unlike those who were experiencing a disaster . It was natural since they were wearing the uniform of soldiers . This was definitely different from Gumho Station . It was truly beginning now .
"But did your friends come through the tunnel? How great… Won't they have a lot of coins?"
Then one of the middle-aged men turned to Yoo Sangah . "Young lady over there, what is your name? Would you like to rent a room for cheap?"
"…Room?"
"Haha, you don't know the system here yet? This place―"
Lee Jihye cut off the middle-aged man's words . "Ajusshis . Don't try to trick the newcomers . "
"Uhuh, they must know anyway . This is what everyone is doing to live…"
"If you don't want to be injured, then get lost . "
The middle-aged man paled at Lee Jihye's words . "This… young child has already learned bad things . "
"Hey, Kang-ssi . Stop it . "
The middle-aged people turned away . They disappeared into transit line 4, and Lee Jihye put away her sword .
"I brought you here, so take care from now on . I'm not a babysitter," this child spoke so indifferently .
I looked around . Chungmuro—this was the stage of the third scenario, where completely different rules were in play .
"S-Shit! I'll kill you if you come close…" A man was in the middle of the platform for subway line 3, waving a knife around and threatening people . At his feet was a tile that was 1 pyeong (3 . 306 m2) in size . It emitted a green light that stretched into the air .
Yoo Sangah asked, "…Why is he doing that?"
"I don't know . " I could guess but there was no need to scare her just now . There were many people sitting down with a knife on subway line 3 . Unlike the previous middle-aged men, the faces of the people here were filled with despair . I glanced at them and asked Lee Jihye, "Is Yoo Jonghyuk here?"
Lee Jihye, who was about to leave, turned her head at 'Yoo Jonghyuk . ' There was vigilance in her eyes . "…Who are you?"
Yoo Jonghyuk had already ruined this child . Well, I could understand . It was difficult to find a constellation on the level of Maritime War God, even if he searched through all of South Korea . If I were in Yoo Jonghyuk's position, I wouldn't have found her so soon after coming to Chungmuro .
"I am a companion of Yoo Jonghyuk who came back alive . "
"…Companion? How is that possible?" Lee Jihye stared at me with suspicious eyes .
I shrugged shamelessly . "That guy will understand if you tell him . Where is Yoo Jonghyuk now?"
"…Master isn't here right now . "
"Really? This is difficult . I have something I need to say . "
Lee Jihye's expression distorted as she stared at me with something like feelings of betrayal . Ah, I knew very well what she thought of Yoo Jonghyuk . Moreover, she was already addressing him as 'Master'… It will be difficult to get her this way . Lee Jihye called out to a boy squatting in the corner, "Hey, over there!"
"Eh? Yes, yes!"
"Watch over these people right here! I'm going to find Master . "
The boy looked at us with puzzled eyes . "…Who are they?"
"I don't know . Master's friends?"
At Lee Jihye's words, the eyes of the people on the platform became bigger . They looked at us with amazement and awe .
"…Yoo Jonghyuk-ssi's friends?!" The boy ran up to us and exclaimed . It was a boy who looked roughly around Lee Jihye's age . "Are you really Yoo Jonghyuk-ssi's friends?"
I couldn't lie when I saw the boy's clear eyes . At least, that would be the case if I were an ordinary person .
"He is a good friend . "
Recently, I didn't seem to be an 'ordinary' person . At least, that was the case here .
* * *
While taking care of the unconscious Jung Heewon, I heard about Chungmuro from the boy . Along with Lee Jihye, this boy was one of Yoo Jonghyuk's followers .
"…Thus, we followed Yoo Jonghyuk-ssi . Are you listening to me?"
"Yes . "
Of course, I wasn't listening properly . The story of psychopath Yoo Jonghyuk's heroism wasn't interesting . The short summary was something like this .
"Three days ago, Yoo Jonghyuk appeared and saved some of you, including Lee Jihye, from the monsters . Isn't that the story?"
The boy frowned at his story being summarized so simply . "Uh, the story isn't that simple…"
He was surely spellbound by Yoo Jonghyuk . A presence with overwhelming force had rescued them suddenly . It would be strange if they didn't follow him . Yet the boy didn't know that he had survived not because Yoo Jonghyuk was a good guy but because he had been lucky to be with Lee Jihye .
"Now can I ask you a few things I am curious about?" Lee Hyunsung started asking politely while I was locked in my thoughts .
"Yes . Just ask . "
"How is the food supply here?"
"That… It is a bit embarrassing to say… Some people, including me, are dependent on Jihye . Jihye hunts and asks Yoo Jonghyuk-ssi to cook…"
It was unknown when he made a checklist but Lee Hyunsung took out his notes and started to write something . He really was a soldier .
"Then how is your drinking water?"
"We give food or coins to the 'Landlord Alliance' upstairs in exchange . "
"…Landlord Alliance?" I sat straight up . Now the story was becoming interesting .
The boy hesitantly opened his mouth, "They are the landlords in charge of the Chungmuro area . They occupy the upper floors, and we call them the Landlord Alliance . "
Chungmuro's Landlord Alliance—it was a name that appeared in Ways of Survival .
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