DP Episode 113

Episode 113

On a sunny afternoon, office workers from nearby buildings came and went sparsely on the café terrace. A steaming Americano was placed on the table, the edge of its takeout cup lid chewed and frayed.

“……”

Squinting against the glaring sunlight, Seo-joon gazed at the street. People clad in thick clothes exhaled visible breaths as they hurried in various directions. Occasionally, a passerby made brief eye contact with Seo-joon before moving on.

Among them, a woman turned her head back to look at Seo-joon again. She whispered something to her companion, her behavior catching Seo-joon’s peripheral vision.

“You’re nothing more than a calamity sent by a god to humanity.”

The voice rang in his ears, clear as if someone had whispered directly to him. Seo-joon unconsciously touched his ear and turned toward the woman. Their eyes met briefly before the woman looked away, slightly flustered.

Absentmindedly, Seo-joon picked up his cup and brought it to his lips. His chilled fingertips trembled faintly. The woman, after whispering for a while with her companion, began walking toward him.

Thud. Thud. The approaching footsteps pounded like a drum against his chest.

“Excuse me.”

Seo-joon looked up at the woman.

“Please disappear.”

Her hesitant lips parted.

“Get out of here as soon as possible. A repulsive existence like you…”

“Just vanish.”

“Um…”

“I’m helping you.”

“Could I, um… have your contact information?”

The metallic taste of blood lingered in Seo-joon’s mouth. He realized he had been clenching his teeth unconsciously. Fixing his gaze on the woman’s lips, he replied.

“…What?”

“Disgusting, vile creature.”

“What did you just say?”

“Oh… I’m sorry. I’ve seen you here a few times before. I actually work at an office nearby.”

Screech. Screech. Her voice scratched against his ears, like the sound of glass scraping on glass. Seo-joon closed his eyes briefly, trying to calm his mind. This was nothing more than a hallucination brought on by sleep deprivation and stress. Stay calm, Ji Seo-joon. Get a grip.

Only after steadying himself did her voice reach him properly.

“So, um… if you don’t have a girlfriend, could we exchange numbers?”

Seo-joon looked at the business card she held out to him. Forcing a polite smile, he finally met her eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh… Okay. Sorry to bother you.”

Looking embarrassed, the woman withdrew her card and walked away. Yet, the inexplicable sensation of being watched clung stubbornly to Seo-joon, crawling over his skin like an invisible presence.

Thud. Thud. Thud. The sound of footsteps hammered at his hearing like a relentless drumbeat.

“You’re nothing more than a calamity sent by a god to humanity.”

The murmurs of distant conversations seemed to draw close to his ears, then drift away, over and over.

The surface of his Americano rippled slightly. Seo-joon set the cup down and clenched his trembling fingers into a fist.

“Good afternoon.”

A man in a suit approached and greeted him. Seo-joon stood instinctively and shook the man’s hand. Only after the man sat across from him did the oppressive sensations that had been tormenting Seo-joon abruptly vanish.

“Sorry I’m late. The traffic was terrible today.”

“It’s fine. I just got here myself.”

“Have you eaten?”

“…Yes, I have.”

The man was the legal representative Seo-joon had scheduled a meeting with a few days prior. After exchanging brief pleasantries, the man pulled out a chair and sat.

“Regarding the matter you requested, I must admit I’m a bit skeptical.”

Opening his briefcase, the man’s expression turned serious as he began speaking.

“Is there a problem?”

“If you make changes to your will at this point, it could lead to legal disputes later on. It’s still quite soon after your recent registration…”

“What kind of disputes?”

Seo-joon furrowed his brows and asked curtly.

“Well, other family members might challenge the inheritance being allocated to the newly registered individual.”

“There are no other family members to challenge it.”

“…Ah.”

Just then, the pager on the table buzzed. As the legal representative collected his drink, their formal discussion began.

Reviewing documents such as property registration certificates and bank balance verifications, Seo-joon marked relevant sections with a highlighter and asked.

“How long will it take for this to take effect?”

“Well, you’ll need witnesses when drafting the will by hand. After that, there’s handwriting verification, and then it needs to go through probate…”

Ding. Both their phones buzzed simultaneously. Assuming it was a routine disaster alert, the legal representative placed his phone face down and turned back to Seo-joon.

Ding. Ding.

Seo-joon’s phone vibrated repeatedly with additional alerts.

[Central Disaster Management Center]

Gate opening detected in Seoul District 3, Shinhui-dong area.
Risk Level: Grade 2.

Due to the potential for additional building collapses, residents of Shinhui-dong are advised to follow evacuation orders and proceed to designated shelters.

Shelters:

• Samwon-dong Senior Welfare Center
• GYM Clan Samwon Branch Basement Shelter
• Samwon A-Daeyoung Apartment Resident Center

◈ Agile SAU ◈

Jin Chung-oh has sent an emergency alert to Kang Chae-won, Gil Tae-hee, Kim Seong-eon, and 14 others.

[Notice has been posted.]

[SAU full deployment.
Location: Seoul District 3, Shinhui-dong map.url
Risk Level: Grade 2
Gate size: Small, but with a very high risk of additional building collapse.
Requesting deployment of an emergency rescue team.]

[Confirmed]
[On my way]
[Shinhui-dong?]
[Got it.]
[Yep]
[Seriously? First thing in the morning?]
10:56 AM
[Confirmed]
[Did you see the breaking news?]
[They said the detection device malfunctioned.]
[Upper management really messed up.]
[Noted]
[Weren’t they redeveloping Shinhui-dong?]
[Okay, I’m on it!]
[That was ages ago.]
10:57 AM

“Ah… is that a deployment order?”

Seo-joon didn’t take his eyes off his phone, making the legal representative awkwardly check his own phone. With a Risk Level 2 alert, it made sense that the SAU would be mobilized.

But Seo-joon’s expression was far from normal.

[That neighborhood.]
[Hey, by the way.]
[It’s super creepy at night…]
[Doesn’t Baby live in Shinhui-dong?]
10:57 AM
[? Baby lives with Lieutenant Ji, right?]
[Shh, Baby’s cohabiting 🤫]
[Lol]
[What are you talking about?]
[Park-geon, have you been living under a rock?]
[No, I mean.]
[That’s the neighborhood Baby lived in before moving.]
10:58 AM

“…I’m sorry, but I have to get up. Deployment orders just came through.”

“Oh, yes, of course! Go ahead!”

Seo-joon, looking dazed, rose from his seat. Messages continued to flood his phone.

[Seriously;]
[ㅠ]
[Suddenly feeling heavy-hearted.]
10:59 AM
[Confirmed.]
[Baby.]
[Baby.]
[Baby.]
[ㅠ]
[Ah…]
11:00 AM

Shortly after Cha Yeon-woo’s confirmation message, the flood of messages tapered off, with a few stragglers appearing before Jin Chung-oh posted a final announcement.

[Baby is excluded from this deployment.]

✽✽✽

The small neighborhood, where aging villas precariously leaned against each other, was reduced to ruins in just a few hours after a minor gate opened.

A gray chitin corpse sprawled across the cracked cement stairs, its segmented body twisted unnaturally. A gate detection device, precariously attached to a tilted streetlight, was coated in dust and flew off with a loud thud when someone bumped into it.

Pushed by the crowd, Chung-oh collided with the streetlight and frowned, his gaze following the device as it tumbled down the stairs. The outdated contraption looked like something that hadn’t been used even a decade ago.

If only that had been replaced on time, people could have evacuated earlier. If even the emergency sirens had worked, the response team could have arrived faster.

Lack of manpower, lack of funding—whatever justification was given, in an era of constant disasters, some things were simply deprioritized until they vanished from public concern.

No matter how much these residents scraped together their limited resources to pay taxes, the essentials went unaddressed.

Ultimately, underdeveloped areas like this were left without even the most basic safety systems. For the rescue team, which prioritizes saving lives above all else, it was an endlessly frustrating reality.

Chung-oh turned on the radio handed to him by a soldier and asked briefly.

“Base camp location.”

—Samwon-dong Senior Welfare Center.

“What the hell… are you kidding me?”

It was over a 20-minute walk away. If a gate opened in Shinhui-dong, the base camp should have been set up there. Speaking irritably into the radio, Chung-oh expressed his frustration.

“How are we supposed to go back and forth?”

—There isn’t a suitable location here yet.

Clicking his tongue, Chung-oh surveyed the chaotic scene with helpless eyes. Shinhui-dong, a neighborhood that seemed frozen in time since the 1980s, had already been far from safe before the gate opened. The chances of finding a spot intact enough for a base camp were slim.

—Rescue Team C, secure the safety of the Dugero Mart building and establish an additional base camp there.

A familiar voice came through the radio. The oddly echoed tone caught Chung-oh’s attention, and he turned his head to see Seo-joon approaching.

“Confirm the order. Rescue Team C, secure the Dugero Mart building.”

Seo-joon’s voice was steady, but his face was deathly pale. Both radios echoed confirmations in turn. Chung-oh glanced at Seo-joon’s trembling hand clutching his radio.

“Lieutenant Ji, have you called Baby yet on your way here?”

His pale fingers quivered visibly. Concern flickered in Chung-oh’s eyes as he examined Seo-joon. The fact that this was the neighborhood where Cha Yeon-woo had lived until recently made the situation all the more distressing. Even so, Seo-joon’s reaction seemed unusually severe.

“…Not yet.”

The trembling words were drowned out by the radio chatter.

—Baby has arrived at the scene.

Chung-oh froze, staring at the radio in disbelief, then lifted his head to meet Seo-joon’s gaze.

—Please provide the base camp location.