Chapter Text
As expected, Choi Han's instincts were quite sharp.
'Haa. Thank goodness I took precautions.'
Fortunately, Kim Soohyun had counted on that and planned accordingly.
The Chois' group was originally supposed to arrive three days from today. Soohyun anticipated that they would deviate from the plan and arrive a day or two early, so he added an extra day to the plan as a margin of error.
His judgment proved correct when his friend stepped forward with a menacing air.
"Hyung, was blood spilled in my absence?" Han didn't bother with pleasantries.
Since everything was over, the brunet saw no reason to lie. "Just a little bit."
"I see." Choi Han's seemingly amicable response sent chills down the spines of every other survivor.
He knew right away that he had been tricked when Kim Soohyun's cubs suddenly started acting lazy on the way back from the meeting point, ignoring his group and just rolling around like normal cats.
For reference, these young, energetic monsters only stayed still when his hyung petted them or used them as furniture.
'Their attribute was really annoying to deal with.'
Now he could understand Kim Rok Soo's notebook entry better.
The snow leopard–like monsters could move through shadows. If you weren't fast enough, they would appear in front of you in an instant, and the game would end quickly.
However, they did not limit the use of that power to themselves.
In Choi Han's case, carelessness meant being thrown back valuable meters from the return path or getting stuck in difficult places, all in a matter of seconds.
This happened several times until a whole day was wasted this way. The next day, the cycle finally broke when the Grade 1 monsters trotted up to them with an air of accomplishment, their tails swaying smugly behind them.
Naturally, the reason for the cubs' sudden change in behavior had to do with Kim Soohyun completing his objectives.
'Are you guys done? I'm going to work you hard to make up for the time you wasted.'
Which brings us back to the present.
"That's it?" Soohyun said lightly, opening his arms wide. "I was expecting a hug."
Han's expression immediately turned suspicious.
"Not from you." As the brunet huffed, a figure shot into his arms.
"Orabeoni!"
His fingers brushed through the dark hair with ease. "Jiah-yah. It's been a while."
She gripped his clothes tighter in response.
Kim Soohyun patted her back affectionately. "Now, now. Everyone must be tired from traveling such a long distance, so come in and make yourselves comfortable.”
The shelter's daily routine continued as normal.
"Hey, Rok Soo! You came to see me again! Did you miss me that much?"
Rok Soo snorted. "It's time for the tub, old man."
"… that sounds like you're taking me in for torture, you know?"
As one of the physically fit men in the shelter, Kim Rok Soo often helped move the disabled around.
One of his tasks, outside of his duties as a member of the hunting party, was to help with patient care.
The man he was currently carrying, Jang Man Soo, had been particularly difficult to handle at first.
His personality... hmm. The man had not been in a good place back then.
He wasn't aggressive or abusive, but his pessimistic comments could be too much for the other survivors. That's why Rok Soo took care of him.
Regardless of how unmotivated and resigned to fate Jang Man Soo was, it wasn't as if he couldn't comprehend the reason behind it.
That man had suffered a terrible tragedy: he had lost his legs, and also his wife, daughter, and baby. Although Lee Soo Hyuk managed to save his life, his world was already completely lost by then.
Kim Rok Soo couldn't help but think that he would become just like Jang Man Soo if he lost his brother.
"You're quite talkative today, old man." The college-age student observed as he lowered the middle-aged man into the bathtub.
The 'bathtub' was an inflatable pool that they had dug up from the rubble in Seoul.
The area was renovated prior to its installation to ensure that it would be contained within a solid structure that would not wobble or tip over unexpectedly.
Due to Kim Soohyun's strict hygiene standards and his hoarding of personal care products, people stopped catching infections, which allowed their ailments to improve.
Those with amputated limbs had to wait up to eighteen months for their scars to mature properly. Now that external factors were no longer delaying the process, their recoveries were finally progressing.
Of course, Grandma Kim gave her best, but the toll and cooldown period it took healing that kind of major injury was no joke.
Even as her own health improved and her ability strengthened upon use over time, she had her limitations. Not to mention the strain it took on someone her age.
"Can't help it! It's impossible not to be excited now that it's all over, you know?" Jang Man Soo answered with unusual cheerfulness before shaking his head. "I'm not really surprised Park Jin Tae pulled something like this. Even before his facade cracked, I could see through him."
There wasn't much Jang Man Soo could do in his current state, so he took up people watching as a hobby.
Because of this, he had noticed Park Jin Tae's facade earlier than others.
He also took notes on Kim Soohyun's behavior.
The first hid his ugliness behind a nice facade; the second masked his kindness with harsh words and seemingly selfish attitudes.
"Haha. This old man was worried that our Kim Soohyun had gone soft. I should've known better."
Rok Soo wanted to ask where that 'our' came from, but said something else instead.
“Right?”
Jang Man Soo didn't notice and nodded vigorously. "It's a relief to know he's still as bad-tempered as ever!"
Allowing the rebels to stay in the shelter seemed crazy at first, but now that the Chois had returned, Jang Man Soo understood the vision.
Kim Soohyun hadn't kicked them out because their lives would be hell no matter what path they took from then on.
Those they once looked down on now ignored them.
If they left, they would have to survive in precarious conditions. The quality of life in Kim Soohyun's shelter was infinitely superior to that of the outside world and other shelters, so who would be foolish enough to abandon it?
The neighboring shelters probably wouldn't take them in either, considering their ties to Kim Soohyun.
All options led to the same conclusion. From now on, they would have to live remembering how much they needed the man they were trying to overthrow.
It was a very satisfying outcome.
"I was mistaken about you. It seems you actually have some balls, Park Jin Tae."
The marksman startled when Choi Han's cold voice reached him.
He stole a glance at the swordsman and immediately regretted it, flinching when their eyes met.
"I hope you have the same balls to face your punishment." Choi Han smiled, a terrifying sight, as such a pure look didn't belong on the face of such a vicious man. "If not, drag yourself elsewhere if you feel like dying.”
As long as it wasn't in front of Kim Soohyun or the kids.
Park Jin Tae grumbled. "...what? Are you here to get revenge too?"
“No.”
Click. Click.
The swordsman played with the lid of the Zippo in his hand. He found himself doing this whenever he got angry beyond measure nowadays.
“If I hit you, I might end up killing you. Wouldn't that be merciful?”
Han used to be the kind of person who sought immediate solutions without thinking about the consequences, but a couple of years with Soohyun taught him that letting certain situations marinate yielded much more rewarding results.
Beating Park Jin Tae up wouldn't be enough. Even if he beat him up every day, it still wouldn't feel like enough.
Click. Click.
Han knew beforehand that Soohyun was willing to take risks and use himself as collateral. It came as no surprise that he allowed himself to be assaulted by a group of people despite being able to take care of them from the start.
Of course, he was frustrated with Soohyun. Choi Han couldn't help but wonder how he grew up so twisted. But telling him off wouldn't accomplish anything.
Lee Soo Hyuk was better at preventing Kim Soohyun's schemes from hurting him.
Speaking of whom, "On the contrary, I have to keep you alive until Lee Soo Hyuk returns."
The comment made Park Jin Tae shudder.
"That bastard—no, Lee Soo Hyuk..."
Han could tell what was going through the other man's mind. "You thought he wouldn't come back, right?"
As time went by, not only Park Jin Tae but also several other shelter inhabitants thought the actor would not return.
The deadline that brat had set for himself to come back was something that none of those people were aware of.
"Sorry to disappoint you… not. Lee Soo Hyuk is alive, and he's definitely coming back."
If only they knew the exact route to his current location, they could send one of the cubs to him to make the trip easier. Alas.
But that didn't mean they had no news or contact with Lee Soo Hyuk at all. There was Choi Jiwon.
Jiwon could possess inanimate objects, like toys, and had acted as an intermediary between both sides. So the current state of that little punk was no mystery to them.
Click. Click.
The lid closed in a way that felt just right. Choi Han put the Zippo in his pocket, turned away, and left ominous words behind:
"I look forward to the day that punk finds out about your stunt."
The children could handle the beatings, but why give Park Jin Tae time to recover?
It was better for him to be tormented by his own mind every day until Lee Soo Hyuk came back, with endless wondering about what kind of punishment would be inflicted by the latter upon his return.
The reaction of Park Jin Tae to Choi Jiah had not gone unnoticed.
It would have been hard to miss, given how over-the-top it was. The bastard threw up as soon as he saw her.
‘You–! Ugh!’ For some reason, the marksman really seemed to have a hard time in her presence. Kim Soohyun filed that information away for later.
The reason this happened was pretty simple.
Jiah had awakened an ability as well. Her ability made her highly incompatible with Park Jin Tae, who could gauge the strength of others based on the pressure they exerted.
Choi Jiah's ability allowed her to gain the physical strength of those she defeated. All her hard work and resilience had paid off when she obtained this ability.
Naturally, this type of strength made her a key figure in every expedition and hunt.
While slaying monsters was unthinkable for most, restraining them was an entirely foreign concept until she came along.
This was incredibly useful for Kim Rok Soo's data collection and research.
For example, Jiah could shut the jaws of a Grade 1 monster with a lock, causing them to swallow their own attacks. She could also pry open their jaws wide so that others could attack their insides.
"Wow." Rok Soo marveled briefly at his martial arts teacher's power, but his hand was quick to write everything down.
He was grateful to have her back with them.
Obviously, not just because of her skills, but because Choi Jiah was family. Kim Rok Soo didn't want to lose any more family than he already had.
'I didn't think it was possible, but you've gotten even bigger since we last saw each other!'
'Every day is leg day nowadays.'
'Haha.'
From a third-party perspective, the meeting between the two probably felt lacking, but Rok Soo wasn't good at this kind of thing. Jiah understood that, and she had never made him feel weird about it.
She made it easy, simply talking to him as if they had seen each other the other day.
'Seems we weren't crazy after all, huh?'
His fists clenched unconsciously. '… I wish we had been.'
Kim Rok Soo would take being the crazy man in town over their current situation any day.
'Don't be like that!' An elbow nudged him gently. 'Here! Your noona brought you a chocolate bar!'
The object given to him was battered, and it had visibly melted on a few occasions, as it no longer maintained the shape of a bar, but Rok Soo nevertheless accepted it.
'It's not much, but you've worked hard. All that exercise without sugar must have been awful for you.'
Kim Rok Soo was no stranger to adversity, so he likely would have fared well.
'It was.' However, he could act a little spoiled sometimes thanks to the people around him. 'Thanks.'
Rok Soo didn't need a grandiose, emotional reunion. Something simple and seemingly insignificant like this held a lot more meaning than others would understand.
A pair of eyes had been following Kim Soohyun around. This had been happening for a couple of days.
Had it been the children or Choi Han, he would have admonished them by now. Unfortunately, it wasn't them who kept hovering around the actor.
This experience was also unlike the sasaengs and unwanted attention he was accustomed to.
With a sigh, Soohyun addressed the other person. "Is there something the matter, ma'am?"
'Your gaze is burdensome. Please leave.' Somehow, he managed to avoid revealing his true feelings.
The air remained stagnant until a soft voice shattered the silence.
"… I heard you got injured."
"Your concern is very much appreciated." His family would have scoffed if they had heard that. "But everything has already been taken care of."
The middle-aged woman frowned, looking somewhat puzzled. "You... really don't remember me?"
Kim Soohyun shrugged in response.
“Didn’t we pass by many strangers every day before society collapsed? How would I remember one face among thousands?" The lie slipped effortlessly from his lips.
Choi Jiah's group had brought several volunteers. One of them was a woman named Kim Haeun.
'… Haeun?'
'…! Mom?!'
As fate would have it, she was Grandma Kim's youngest daughter.
… she was also one of the nurses who had taken care of Soohyun eleven years ago.
What a headache. 'Hah. South Korea is indeed small.'
A sigh echoed in the room.
"Haa. You haven't changed at all."
His mouth moved automatically. "My beauty and charm are timeless."
Well, it's not like that was a lie. Kim Soohyun did look younger than his age.
"I have no plans of snitching," Kim Haeun suddenly declared. "But, as someone who knows your medical history, I'll definitely keep an eye on you."
"My looks are a world heritage asset, so feel free to watch closely."
"… you're consistent until the end."
Soohyun smirked in response.
Time seems to speed up as you're not paying attention to it.
Before they realized it, spring and summer had come and gone, and fall was upon them.
Less than a year had passed since the world turned upside down.
October, the month when the shelters would fall and the first unranked monster would appear, had arrived.
"… what the hell?"
Conversely, it was also the time when Cale—no, Kim Rok Soo—took possession of the Kim Rok Soo from this world.