Chapter 133
After completing first aid, Hajin moved the corpse aside and untied Jin-su’s bindings and hood. Jin-su, who woke up late, shivered as he darted his eyes around. Hajin calmed him down.
“…What about that man?”
“Dead.”
The corpse Hajin had killed dangled loosely at his fingertips. Jin-su exhaled a breath of relief, then asked, looking at Hajin, who was shirtless and wrapped head to toe in bandages.
“Squad leader… are you okay?”
“Yeah. Let’s head down.”
When Hajin supported Jin-su and led him downstairs, the third and first floors had already been somewhat secured. Sweeper and Hyuk were inside tending to the wounded.
As soon as they saw Hajin, Berda and Pio rushed toward him.
“Are you okay?”
When he had first burst in, covered in blood, it nearly stopped their hearts. They almost fired, mistaking him for a mutant. Watching him rush back upstairs without a word had terrified them even more.
Hajin simply raised a hand, signaling that he was fine, and approached Yohan, whose expression was grave.
“You’re hurt.”
Yohan glanced at Hajin and spoke curtly.
“We don’t know enough about the immunity system yet, so don’t get complacent. Be careful not to get bitten.”
“I’ll be careful. What happened to the enemies?”
“Killed seven. Captured one.”
“But you don’t look happy.”
“The sniper wasn’t among them.”
Among the dead, the sniper was missing.
When Yohan entered the third floor, he found seven enemies pinned against the windows. But the crucial sniper was nowhere to be found.
“The window on the third floor was open.”
“So they escaped?”
“Maybe. Or they might have been waiting somewhere else altogether.”
At Yohan’s feet knelt a bound survivor. In his hand was a confiscated radio.
The radio kept transmitting.
-Jaewon, what’s going on? Jaewon?
Hajin was sure that the voice coming from the radio was the reason behind Yohan’s grim expression.
“These are survivors from the Yeouido Camp.”
The voice from the radio belonged to Shin Noah. It had been a long time since they last heard him—he sounded frantic and urgent.
Yohan was consumed with complicated emotions.
Everything was unfolding exactly as he had feared. He had known, yet still failed to prevent it.
“What now?”
“I’m thinking. First, let’s collect the bodies. Bring Jung-su’s belongings too. We have to return them to Ji-hye.”
Everyone could picture Ji-hye’s face, overwhelmed with sorrow. The thought of her bright smile clouded by grief weighed heavily on their hearts.
Yohan, too, felt his heart ache from another loss. But more than grief, a heavier question gnawed at him.
One that had been swirling endlessly in his mind.
How did they know we were coming?
They had approached stealthily from far away after sunset. If they hadn’t known in advance, they wouldn’t have been able to react so quickly. A theory formed in Yohan’s mind—one he didn’t want to believe.
“How many bodies on the second floor?”
“Three.”
“Let’s go check. I need to confirm something.”
Yohan followed Hajin back to the second floor. As soon as he saw the face of one of the corpses, Yohan’s expression hardened.
Lee Jaewon.
A face he knew.
“Someone you know?”
Hajin asked with a slightly uncomfortable look, but Yohan didn’t answer. He was trapped in the memories the corpse stirred.
‘Your brother was brave and amazing.’
‘I’ll kill them all. I won’t leave a single Seoul Survival Union bastard alive.’
‘Noah! Yohan!’
The Lee Jaewon he remembered had been courageous. Strong too. In the battle against Seoul Survival Union, he fought fiercely and survived until almost the very end.
“Yohan?”
Two of his comrades—former and current—had died fighting to the death. It had been a senseless battle, one that could have been avoided. His chest felt unbearably heavy, like a block of iron pressing down.
“No, I don’t know him.”
Yohan answered tersely and turned away. There was no need to burden himself with more guilt.
When he lightly tapped Hajin on the shoulder, Hajin flinched and groaned.
“Hey, don’t touch the injured—”
“The wound’s deep. Just to be safe, settle somewhere isolated and take care of your injuries. Sweeper, what about Jung-eun?”
“She’s not doing well.”
Yohan followed Sweeper to the station’s infirmary, where the wounded were receiving emergency treatment. Eddie’s injury wasn’t too severe, but Jung-eun’s was serious. She was bound hand and foot, groaning in pain.
The bullet had gone through just below her shoulder.
Although it hadn’t destroyed her internal organs, it had shredded through flesh, muscle, and grazed her bone.
The sight devastated everyone watching. Yohan approached and gently stroked her head.
“You okay?”
“O-oppa…”
The moment she saw him, Jung-eun burst into tears she had been holding back. It was a mixture of sobbing and wailing.
“I… I don’t want this anymore…”
Words she had suppressed finally spilled out. Though she couldn’t finish the sentence, the meaning was clear.
She was tired of people getting hurt, tired of people dying, tired of fighting among fellow humans.
“Rest. You’ll be alright. We’ve done first aid.”
Yohan bit his lip and wore a pained expression.
He always talked about taking responsibility, but he had never truly succeeded. His responsibility wasn’t to drive them into danger—it was to protect them safely. Yet he had only ever thrown them into peril.
His fragile mental strength crumbled, scattering into dust.
Was there an end to this fight?
Was there still hope for humanity?
The unanswered questions echoed endlessly in his mind.
Yohan stayed by her side for a long time, holding her hand, unable to leave.
-You there. The intruders at Yongsan Station.
The radio, which had been repeating the names of fallen comrades, now called out to Yohan’s group. Someone had escaped and reached Shin Noah.
Yohan didn’t press the transmit button. He just listened quietly as Noah called again.
-Intruders. Respond. I know you’re listening.
Noah’s voice was calm. Neither excited nor angry.
Yohan hesitated.
Should he respond to the transmission? And if so, what then?
He didn’t know why this old friend was calling for him. Maybe it was a psychological tactic, trying to bait him into making a mistake.
After some hesitation, Yohan picked up the radio.
“This is Yongsan Station.”
-Copy. Release Seok-gu.
The request was simple and direct. Free the captured survivor. Yohan tilted his head. Surely Noah knew it was a ridiculous demand. So why bother calling just for this?
“That’s not possible.”
-You’ll regret it.
“Instead, once we’re finished with our business, we’ll let him go. If you value your comrade’s life, don’t approach or attack us.”
-If you don’t release him, we’ll launch a full assault. You’ll experience a hell you can’t escape without killing every last one of us. We’ll chase you to the ends of the earth for revenge.
Yohan understood he meant it. But he also knew that even if they released the hostage, the attacks wouldn’t stop.
Still, there was something suspicious about Noah reaching out like this.
“If we release him, will you guarantee you won’t attack us? Will you guarantee our safety?”
There was a moment of silence on the radio. Then Noah’s voice came back, lower than before.
-What’s your objective?
“We’re looking for something. Once we find it, we’ll leave quietly.”
-What proof do I have that you’re just after something? What proof that you’ll actually release Seok-gu?
“None. But I promise. If you don’t attack us, we’ll find what we need, release your comrade, and leave.”
It might be a foolish hope.
They had already killed each other’s comrades. It would likely end in a fight to the death.
Just when Yohan was about to give up, Noah said something unexpected.
-I don’t believe you.
“You probably don’t. I don’t believe you either.”
-Let’s meet in person.
“What?”
-Leader to leader. Let’s open a negotiation table. There are limits to what we can say over the radio.
Yohan tried to guess his intentions but couldn’t figure them out.
‘You want to meet me now? Why?’
“…You want to meet face-to-face?”
-Yeah.
“Why take such a risk?”
-I don’t want to lose any more comrades. Don’t you?
If he didn’t want to lose anyone, he shouldn’t have attacked.
Yohan swallowed the angry words rising to his lips. Noah continued.
-You and I should meet, settle our debts, and clear the air.
Maybe he was gambling on a gut feeling, hoping to avoid more sacrifices.
Yohan recalled how Noah always said he trusted his instincts more than his brain.
“Can I talk with my team first?”
-As much as you want.
Yohan immediately gathered his squad and explained everything — that the leader of Yeouido Camp wanted a one-on-one meeting and that he was considering accepting.
“So you’re really going to meet him?” Hajin asked.
“Yeah.”
Naturally, the resistance was fierce.
“That’s insane. What if it’s a trap?”
“Oppa, are you crazy?”
“You can’t, Captain.”
Not a single person agreed. And Yohan didn’t blame them. If anyone else had suggested this, he would have reacted the same way.
“I’m not used to seeing you make reckless decisions like this, hyung.”
Yohan gave a bitter smile.
“I’m just choosing one path at a crossroads.”
It wasn’t a decision based on solid reasoning. It was like a script, all the accumulated worries and situations pointing toward this one choice.
To meet Noah.
“Are you sure he’ll come alone?”
“I’m not sure. But he will.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean? You’ve lost it, hyung.”
“Maybe.”
Honestly, wasn’t it more strange to be thinking rationally in a situation like this? Yohan gave a self-mocking laugh.
Seeing his determined expression, some covered their faces or sighed heavily. Only Jae-ho remained silent, deep in thought.
“Captain.”
“Speak.”
“If you really must meet, I noticed something earlier. There’s a Subway café in the transfer corridor between Lines 9 and 1 at Noryangjin Station. It’s more than 500 meters from each corner.”
Yohan looked surprised. He knew Jae-ho was observant, but he hadn’t expected him to remember the structure of a station they passed briefly.
“So?”
“Demand the meeting there. And insist that apart from the two leaders, no one else enters the corridor. If anyone else steps in, it’s war.”
“Good. Anything else?”
“And one more thing. Agree that both sides will be armed.”
“That’s obvious. Why mention it?”
“You might need to take him down if things go wrong.”
“You’re assuming I’ll win.”
At that, Jae-ho chuckled. Yohan nodded. If it eased their minds, he didn’t mind.
Yohan quickly contacted Noah again.
“Are you listening? This is Yongsan.”
-Copy.
“Fifteen minutes from now, there’s a long corridor when transferring from Line 9 to Line 1 at Noryangjin Station. Let’s meet at the Subway café in that corridor. Only the two of us enter. Anyone else, and it’s war.”
-Careful.
“So, do you agree?”
-Agreed.
“See you soon.”
Noah accepted without hesitation. After cutting off the radio, Sweeper grumbled.
“Hyung, I really don’t recommend this. Negotiating with the people who just tried to kill us?”
“I agree.”
“Isn’t it better to change your mind? Going alone is too risky.”
“I’m not going alone.”
“Huh?”
“Get everything ready. Contact the mercenaries for backup. Sweeper, explain the situation to the old man.”
At Yohan’s words, everyone’s faces brightened.
“Send the mercenaries through the ground routes to Noryangjin Station. Once I give the signal, we’ll launch an all-out assault. You guys start a gunfight up front, and the mercenaries hit them from behind.”
“What’s the signal?”
“I’ll press the transmit button twice quickly. If negotiations seem to work, I’ll call separately.”
Everyone nodded.
Shin Noah was straightforward and direct. It was his nature. He wasn’t the type to lay traps or plot intricate schemes.
That’s why, despite his power and charisma, he always ended up betrayed by more cunning people. And Yohan knew his weaknesses better than most.
“Acting leader in my absence is Sweeper.”
“Roger.”
Yohan was about to stab his old comrade in the back.
His responsibility was to prevent further sacrifices, and the consequences would be his burden alone.
