DP Episode 4

Deep Pivot Episode 4

The scientific term “gate”. A black hole of unknown origin.

Why it occurs, no one knows.

While some thought it was a sign of the apocalypse, others speculated that it could be a terrorist attack from Russia or China. However, such speculations have now become mere myths.

The Gate appeared indiscriminately, unleashing strange and unseen creatures regardless of nationality, yet Earth has not yet perished.

The safety zones with the latest defense systems were reserved for the wealthy and powerful. Marginalized individuals are frequently overlooked in terms of social support, leading to a persistent sense of uncertainty and insecurity.

The orphanage where Cha Yeon-woo resided belonged to the latter category. Protecting parentless children is society’s responsibility, but reality often diverges from this ideal.

The children in the orphanage were not in good health. Instead of using the sponsorship funds to help the children, the director misappropriated the funds, leaving the children hungry and malnourished.

Twelve years old. On a particularly cold day in winter.

That day was the day when four children born in December, including Yeon-woo, wore paper crowns. The birthday party, held only once a month, was also a day when the director showed a little generosity.

Even if their bodies were not fully grown, it did not mean their mental age was stagnant. Yeon-woo, a young boy about to enter adolescence, initially felt embarrassed when he placed the comical paper crown on his head. However, his feelings of discontent quickly dissipated.

It was because of the Gate that exploded near the orphanage. Every time the Gate opened, it unleashed dozens to hundreds of strange creatures. The complete devastation of the entire nearby area was an inevitable consequence.

Boom! Swish, swish.

From nearby, a chilling sound was heard. The size of the insect, resembling a conglomeration of several buses, seemed to have hundreds of legs. With each movement of its legs, an unpleasant scraping noise echoed.

Yeon-woo crouched behind a toppled wardrobe, sheathing a two-year-old infant in a protective embrace. His gaze settled upon the lifeless figure of the director sprawled upon the ground, as he fought to suppress the welling of his tears.

Beneath the upper half of the director’s body, red intestines oozed out gruesomely. It was a sight too cruel for a twelve-year-old boy to bear.

“…”

Yeon-woo bit his lip to stifle any sound. Making noise meant death. Or perhaps death might be preferable at this moment. If he were alone, Yeon-woo might have easily made that choice. However, because of the baby in his arms, he hesitated to face death, unable to act one way or the other.

Swish.

The sound drew nearer. Now, Yeon-woo couldn’t even breathe properly. The fine hairs on the legs brushed against his arms as they passed by.

“Ung, uwaah….”

That was the moment. A thin cry of impending death echoed from within the blanket. No, no, please…. Don’t cry now. Hastily, Yeon-woo covered the baby’s mouth and tightly wrapped his arms around the small head.

Swish, chalaralaralalak!

The clamor of metal chairs and miscellaneous objects being dragged erupted loudly. It was the noise of a slender body swirling through the narrow space, wreaking havoc and changing direction, stirring up many clutter.

In an instant, the bizarre filled his sight. It was the leathery abdomen of a giant millipede seen in a TV documentary. As his gaze rose, he saw the pincer jaws dripping viscous fluid.

“…”

Tears fell heavily beneath lowered eyelids. Yeon-woo thought it would be better to be chewed from head to toe than to suffer slowly.

Kiiieeeek!

Suddenly, a piercing sound tore through his eardrums. Holding the small baby tightly in his arms, Yeon-woo trembled uncontrollably.

Boom, kwa-kwa-kwa-boom! Boom! Successive explosions and noises assaulted his eardrums. One second, two seconds, three seconds. The silence was very brief. With a squelch and a crack, followed by a sticky and eerie sound, something twisted.

Yeon-woo endured the hellish moment, hunching his body tightly. Extreme terror obliterated all reason and senses. Perhaps they were already dead. Already chewed up completely…

A chilling silence descended.

Yeon-woo, barely lifting his head and opening his eyes wide, took a breath. In the place where just moments ago a horrific hell was unfolding, he saw someone standing with one foot on the severed head of the millipede, which had lost half of its head.

The shadow dropped its head lifelessly for a moment before brushing its hair and standing upright. Tuck, tuck. The sound of hard military boots echoed on the ground. The shadow approached Yeon-woo.

[Ji Seo-joon]]

The name embroidered in white thread on a dark blue background was the first thing he noticed, followed by the face coming into view.

“Kid, are you hurt?”

Yeon-woo was in a state of extreme tension and fear, unable to even catch his breath properly. Naturally, he couldn’t reply.

“You’re pretty.”

“…”

“It’s your birthday today, huh.”

Only then did Yeon-woo realize that the ridiculous paper crown was still on his head. The man must have been referring to the crown, not himself, as pretty.

His whole body trembled as if his teeth were clattering. After seeing his trembling, the man took off his uniform jacket and draped it over Yeon-woo’s shoulders.

“It’s okay now. You can relax.”

The man stood up and spoke into a radio.

“This is Agnes. We have one survivor inside the orphanage. Requesting rescue team response.”

“Two babies, sir.”

Yeon-woo, staring blankly at the muddy boots covered in sticky fluids and dirt, suddenly spoke up. He pointed towards the man who had lowered his head and brought out the baby hidden under the blanket.

“B-baby… There is only one…”

“Agnes. Correction two survivors, sir. One baby”

The man, finishing the transmission, bowed towards Yeon-woo.

His hand extended. Despite being covered in blue blood and sticky fluids, it was a clean and straight hand. As Yeon-woo took that hand, he was lifted upright.

His legs gave out, unable to support him properly. The man firmly held Yeon-woo’s trembling arms, bending down in front of him, examining him closely, and asked,

“How old are you?”

“I-I’m twelve.”

“Brave. Knowing how to protect your sibling.”

Grown up now. The face of the man, smiling and muttering, deeply pierced Yeon-woo’s eyes. Even now, at twenty, Yeon-woo had never seen anyone more beautiful than him.

“So, the millipede is relatively easy to kill, and well-trained guides can make instant kills by precisely targeting the head.”

As Yeon-woo watched the flashing video on the research lab’s front screen, he recalled the winter seven years ago. The wriggling millipede in the video evoked both despair and wonder simultaneously.

Soon, the millipede disappeared, replaced by something else.

“Next, we’ll move on to the slime, which refers to amorphous organic beings. Slimes can be broadly divided into three types, with the basic type, commonly known as green pudding, being at a level that even civilians can kill with their feet, but they have strong reproductive capabilities…”

Yeon-woo, who had never been particularly good at studying, kept missing Kang Hee-min’s special lectures, which were solely for him.

Fortunately, the quick-witted Hee-min waved his hand in front of him.

“Cha Yeon-woo, Guide.”

“Yes.”

“Stay focused. What normally takes two years of hands-on learning, Cha Yeon-woo, you’re finishing in one go.”

He turned the video back to the millipede.

“What was that?”

“The millipede. Well-trained guides can easily kill it by targeting the head…”

“That’s right.”

“Surprisingly attentive, weren’t you?”

Hee-min chuckled and nodded. But the laughter didn’t last long. With a firm expression, he turned back to Yeon-woo and met his gaze squarely as he spoke.

“But Mr. Cha Yeon-woo, you’re not a trained guide. Always remember that. Espers are the most powerful killers and skilled individuals in the world, but ultimately, it’s the guides who protect them.”

We must keep Mr. Ji Seo-joon safe in the future. Right? With the following words, Yeon-woo’s dazed mind cleared up in an instant. Hee-min, continuing the lecture, brought up the slime again as he flipped through the video.

“These small slime puddings reproduce and combine to form Blobs. The characteristic is that they have hearts and brains. As you can see, their form is massive and threatening, but once you destroy the core, they disperse in no time…”

Hee-min’s short-term special lecture continued for a couple more hours. From relatively common creatures familiar to Yeon-woo to rare species that he had never heard of, collectively called “strange species,” there was a wide variety of species.

“Good job, Mr. Cha Yeon-woo. I’ll make time for another session soon. It’s good to have some basic knowledge before going into the field.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time, especially since you must be busy.”

“I always have time to spare. And this is also for Seo-joon. So don’t feel too pressured, just make sure you grasp what you’ve learned.”

Hee-min, with his tablet and various printouts organized, offered something with his characteristic friendly smile.

“This is Seo-joon’s profile. It’s convenient to know some basic information about each other, right?”

Yeon-woo accepted the thin file. As he flipped through it, the first page showed Seo-joon’s photo along with a brief biography.

Name: Ji Seo-joon (29 years old)

Rank: Lieutenant

Position: SAU Operations Staff and Special Forces Commander

Rank and Classification: ■■■■ ■■■

“Um, it looks like there’s a printing error here,” Yeon-woo said, holding out the file to him and indicating the black blank space.

“Oh, that’s intentional. Information about Ji Seo-joon is classified under security laws, so it can’t be printed. It’s not accessible in any form, whether on paper or in data. Of course, as we work together in the field in the future, you’ll naturally come to know about it…”