#049

‘Why did you go to the left zone?’

The words echoed in his mind, making Ha-gyeom uncomfortably scratch his ear. He wasn’t investigating the leaders of Zone 0 or anything; he was just worried about a child’s health. So why was he feeling so paranoid?

If the problem was the exposure of the left zone’s dilapidation, Ha-gyeom was free from that issue. He had already spent time there himself.

‘I don’t mind if you’re curious about me.’

‘….’

‘But don’t concern yourself with other matters. No matter what you find out, you won’t be able to change anything.’

Unable to change anything? It sounded so helpless, even on second thought. It was tiring to constantly consider such assumptions, especially if it was Baek Seung-woo saying it.

Ha-gyeom clenched his teeth in defiance and quickened his pace. Following the familiar path, he descended into a manhole, greeted by the humid air and stench that felt like entering a cave.

Creating a purification wave, he walked several kilometers. Ha-gyeom always thought that while ability users also endured pain, it was nothing compared to what non-ability users faced. The closer he got to his destination, the more the ominous feeling grew. Ha-gyeom’s gaze turned icy.

Pushing open the manhole, he emerged into the pitch-black darkness. Not accustomed to the darkness, he muted his footsteps as he approached Myeong-yi’s house. There were no people in the alley as there had been during his last visit. Only the eerie sound of the wind sweeping the dirt echoed in his ears.

Recalling the way, Ha-gyeom found Myeong-yi’s house, where no light was seeping through. He pushed open the unusually creaky sliding door and stepped inside.

“…”

Myeong-yi, whom he expected to see, was nowhere to be found. His sister was also absent. Instead, Ha-gyeom was greeted by an overturned cot and scattered belongings.

He turned on the lone light bulb, and as the room brightened slightly, the mess became more apparent.

“…!”

His heart started to pound. Two possibilities came to mind. Either someone had ransacked the house, or they had fled in a hurry to avoid someone.

If it was the latter, it was somewhat fortunate, but even then, they could only escape within Zone 0. They would soon be caught, and whether it was the former or the latter, their safety was not guaranteed. The thought that this might be his fault made Ha-gyeom feel cold all over.

Just then, he sensed someone’s presence behind the curtain. He already knew the stench had worsened compared to the last time.

Quickly pulling back the curtain, he looked inside. Suddenly, a massive figure loomed over him.

“Ugh…!”

Pinned under immense weight, Ha-gyeom rolled to the floor. The figure was Myeong-yi’s father.

“Where are my family… Did you take them?!”

The man’s face and neck, visible above his clothes, were red, as if burned. Seeing his festering and melting skin, Ha-gyeom felt a wave of nausea.

“Where are they… my daughter, my son…!”

Ha-gyeom had expected his condition to have worsened but the man was in a severe state. Ha-gyeom recreated the wave he had dispelled after exiting the sewer. It was an instinctive, quick response.

“What do you mean? Who took Myeong-yi?”

As the blue light of the wave spread, madness flashed in the man’s eyes.

“Are you a guide? A guide?!”

The wave reflected in the man’s pale, cloudy eyes. The man, who had been calling out for his children, suddenly changed his stance.

“If you’re a guide, you can purify… right…?”

“What?”

“If you can purify radiation… then you can purify those who’ve been exposed… of course, right?!”

“I can’t. I can’t purify living beings.”

Despite the truth, the man, consumed by desperation, did not listen. He began to rub his entire body against Ha-gyeom’s, blocking him with his frantic movements.

“You can…! Don’t lie…!”

Although he was within the purification system and had created the purification wave, he couldn’t just endure this. Ha-gyeom struggled for a while longer before using all his strength to push the man away. Despite being little more than skin and bones, the man was difficult to shake off. Finally, Ha-gyeom leaned against the wall as the man staggered to his feet.

“Where’s Myeong-yi…?”

He didn’t seem mentally stable. The man, still calling out for Myeong-yi, rushed at Ha-gyeom again.

“Yes! I can do it. I can purify!”

Trying to calm him down, Ha-gyeom grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back. At that moment, he felt the man’s skin peel away like the rind of an overripe fruit. The man didn’t seem to feel any pain.

“I knew it…!”

Although Ha-gyeom understood the man’s desperation, it was impossible to do what he wanted. Sometimes, a well-intentioned lie was necessary to get out of a situation.

“This won’t purify you. Stop this. Just stay in the wave for a bit. Do you see the wave?”

The man looked around and nodded. Standing awkwardly, he slowly examined the wave. Ha-gyeom succeeded in capturing his attention, but what came next was the problem.

“…Why isn’t it working?”

The man realized the problem sooner than expected. After about a minute with no change, he started to grow anxious. Staring down at his peeling hands with a menacing look, he screamed and lunged at Ha-gyeom again.

“Save me…!”

Crash!

Ha-gyeom, pinned against the door, fell to the ground with the man. The glass of the sliding door shattered, causing sharp pain in his back. Although not a deep wound, the man’s desperate rubbing made it unbearable.

“Please, stop…!”

Ha-gyeom kicked the man away with all his might. After barely getting to his feet, he grabbed the man’s neck and pinned him against the wall. The man panted like an excited wild animal.

Finally subdued!

Just then, something sharp brushed past Ha-gyeom’s ear.

“……!”

Had it even been a second? There was no sound. Just the sharp pain slicing through his ear.

In that split second, a bullet pierced the man’s forehead. The back of his head exploded, spraying hot blood and flesh onto the wall behind him. The man’s eyes went blank, his mouth agape.

He had no time to resist before death took him.

Ha-gyeom’s eyelashes trembled as he stared at the man before him. The man, unconscious, immediately collapsed to the floor, Ha-gyeom’s grip meaningless. Blood pooled, soaking the floor.

His vision turned white.

“……”

His heart raced wildly, contrasting with the strange feeling of time standing still. His head throbbed painfully, sapping his strength. Cold sweat dripped, and his breathing became labored. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this close to collapsing.

He had thought he wouldn’t experience it again.

In that moment, Ha-gyeom realized. The wall he had built in his heart over the years had finally crumbled.

“……”

As the memories of his past flooded through the cracks, an unknown pain consumed his entire body.

“Ugh…”

Ha-gyeom sank to the floor. Clutching his torn earlobe, he was overcome by tinnitus. The piercing sound severed his last threads of sanity.

“Haa…, haa…”

Now it was Ha-gyeom, not the dead man, who panted for breath. The trauma, which had stayed dormant even after returning to Zone 0 and revisiting his past, had finally resurfaced.

His body trembled as if all his blood had drained away. It felt like his life was being choked out, even though no one was strangling him. His complexion turned deathly pale, his neck devoid of life.

Watching him were those who knew him well.

A familiar voice sounded behind the trembling Ha-gyeom.

“What about the cleanup…?”

Tae-seong spoke to Baek Sa, who stood beside him holding a silenced pistol. The barrel, still smoking faintly like a winter breath, was hot.

“Take him to my room.”

“And the body?”

“Handle it.”

Baek Sa’s voice was emotionless, but it cut through Ha-gyeom’s tinnitus. Struggling, Ha-gyeom turned to look at Baek Sa. The moonlight silhouetted him, revealing no emotion.

Ha-gyeom couldn’t think of anything else. He gritted his teeth and endured. His stomach churned, threatening to turn inside out. When Tae-seong approached and roughly grabbed his arm, he couldn’t hold back the nausea any longer.

“Ugh…”

Despite emptying his stomach, his labored breathing continued to torment him. His vision flickered, and he felt a chill. His body was burning, yet he felt unbearably cold.

“I told you not to poke around.”

Tae-seong muttered as he hoisted the crumpled Ha-gyeom over his shoulder.

Baek Sa had already disappeared into the darkness.