Chapter 142
“Would y ou look at this adorable little guy.”
The old man burst into laughter, unable to stop for a while. When he finally caught his breath, he grinned and waved his hand dismissively.
“No.”
“You refuse?”
“That’s right, kid.”
“Why?”
“How many meals have we even shared? ‘Comrade’ is a bit much. Just make me your foster father. I’ll take your orders—let’s settle on that.”
“Foster father… all of a sudden?”
“I messed up as a parent. Every one of my kids ended up dying before me. Doesn’t sound like a bad deal for you, does it? I’ll even clean up after you. Go on, say, ‘Please be my father.’”
Yohan stared blankly at him and shook his head.
“Let’s just pretend this conversation never happened.”
“Ah, you don’t even know how to take a joke. Never heard of an American joke?”
“Did you study abroad?”
“Yeah. In Jeongeup, Jeonbuk, kid.”
The old man laughed to himself and clapped Yohan on the shoulder. The slap was hard enough to make Yohan frown a little. The way he acted reminded Yohan of someone from camp.
“Did you lose a child?”
“No lost kids. Just dead ones, that’s all.”
“You seem to have a lot in common with Sweeper over there.”
“No way.”
“Or maybe you’re like that girl drooling over there.”
This time, Yohan pointed to Seri, who was sleeping in a tangle of limbs among the men.
“A girly boy and a boyish girl, huh? Not interested in raising those.”
“That’s old-fashioned gender discrimination.”
“I’m an old-timer. I’m allowed to be a bit old-fashioned, kid.”
The old man stuck a cigarette in his mouth again. As he went to light it, Yohan pressed the cigarette down gently.
“You’ve smoked enough.”
“Already looking out for your old man’s health?”
Yohan said nothing, and the old man, looking a bit deflated, put the cigarette back in the pack. Stretching with a groan, he scratched his head and asked Yohan,
“You planning to get revenge on Camp Chunhyang? Didn’t you say you lost someone too?”
Yohan shook his head.
“If I were staying here, I’d make sure to eliminate any future threats… but right now, it’s not the time to risk another fight.”
“That so? Unexpected.”
If they were planning to settle down in Bucheon City Hall, he’d do whatever it took to deal with them. But now wasn’t the time. The chances of running into them again were slim, and there was no point risking everything for revenge when time was short.
“That’s not like you.”
“I’m not the type who enjoys unnecessary killing. I just don’t like leaving threats behind. Honestly, you’re the surprising one. It couldn’t have been easy to let your comrade’s death go without revenge.”
“Guess my time’s about up.”
At those words, Yohan just shrugged and stood, dusting off his pants.
“Let’s get ready. We’re moving to our camp.”
“No need to prepare much. Those bastards took everything. All I’ve got left is my body.”
“In that case, let’s go.”
Yohan stood up and headed over to the resting group. In one corner of the camp, the members huddled together, sleeping like a pile of baby rabbits. Yohan and the old man woke up their people and got everyone moving.
“Pack up, kids.”
“…Old man, where are we going?”
“Overseas trip.”
The old man’s answer was short. The mercenaries looked puzzled at the vague reply but started packing without further questions.
Seeing them get ready, Sweeper leaned in to whisper to Yohan.
“The old guy’s coming too?”
“Yeah.”
“Not bad. He’s a cranky old man, but he’s solid. Our fighting power just jumped way up.”
Yohan agreed. This was a camp made up entirely of fighters. The Mercenary Camp especially had Chul-gu—a warrior who could fight almost evenly with Yohan himself.
Having three people who’d led camps did create some concern, but Yohan set those worries aside. Neither Noah nor the old mercenary were politicians—they were warriors. As long as he kept any politicians in check, there wouldn’t be a problem.
Just like at Bucheon City Hall, he didn’t plan to just let things go. As long as he kept the center steady, the camp would be fine.
Once Yohan judged preparations were mostly done, he gave the order to move.
“All right, let’s head out.”
Everyone moved in perfect coordination.
—
Incheon Ferry Terminal.
Yohan and the survivors arrived at the pier—a base linking Sindo and the mainland, and where the search party had docked on the way to Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“Situation room, this is Yohan.”
At the pier, Yohan called for Rina. Unless it was something important, they were supposed to avoid long-range radio calls, so it had been a while since he’d radioed in. After a moment, a familiar voice came through.
-Yohan, are you here?
“Yeah. Has everything been okay?”
-Yes, everything’s fine here.
“That’s good. We’re at the pier by Yeongjong Bridge. Send the boat over.”
-Okay.
Rina’s voice sounded a little happy. Hearing her over the radio brought a smile to Pio and Berda’s faces as well.
Though they hadn’t said anything, the farther they got from Sindo, the more Pio and Berda’s anxiety showed in their faces, worried about Rina. Yohan felt both grateful and sorry to them for having to march hard right after being separated from Rina.
After finishing the call, Yohan spoke to the two of them.
“Once this mission is over, you’ll be assigned as Rina’s personal security team. You’ve done well.”
“Wow, really? Thank you!”
The two of them were almost jumping for joy.
It wasn’t just about looking out for them. Rina was a key member, and unlike when they’d first set out with barely enough hands, now more than half the camp was made up of fighters.
There were no weak points in their strength.
Yohan was well aware of the strength of the Mercenary Corps. On top of that, the companions who had followed Noah radiated no less formidable an aura.
Choi Soo-hyun was a proven marksman and needed no further evaluation, and while Yohan didn’t know the abilities of the others, he trusted Noah’s judgment—if he brought them, their skills were guaranteed.
The fact that the groups were still sticking together was a slight concern, but after living together for a while, they’d grow close quickly enough.
‘There are plenty of friendly people here. It shouldn’t be a problem.’
They didn’t lack supplies like on the mainland, so there would be fewer conflicts caused by scarcity.
‘Noah keeps his companions in check well.’
The way Noah looked after his companions was exactly as Yohan had seen before his regression. There was no need to worry about that side either.
After a short while, a fishing boat began to approach from Sindo. Standing at the prow was Seo-jun. Seo-jun got off the boat and Yohan walked over.
“You came out yourself?”
“Yeah, came to pick you up. Wow, you’ve… really got more people now.”
As Seo-jun spoke, he glanced at the new members. Some were familiar, some he didn’t know.
Then, spotting Gap-soo, Seo-jun frowned.
“Yohan, that person…”
They’d spent a long time together and, despite their differences, had grown attached. But Seo-jun had also played a direct role in having Gap-soo expelled from the camp. Seo-jun might well feel uneasy—Gap-soo’s return could be a seed of discord.
Yohan looked at the old man.
“Oh, him? Don’t worry. He’s been properly trained. Isn’t that right?”
The old man gave Gap-soo a nudge, and Gap-soo stood up straight, his face rigid with discipline, answering clearly,
“Yes. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
It was Seo-jun’s turn to be taken aback. How could someone change this much in just a few months? Gap-soo had never been a bad person, but he was prideful and a bit overbearing. Now he looked like a new recruit who had just enlisted.
Even his usual formal way of speaking had vanished. Yohan saw his reaction and grinned.
“Don’t worry. He’s had a tiger for a drill instructor. Besides, Dr. Park will be glad. He was really sad when Gap-soo left.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing him too.”
“Hm, well, if you decided to bring him, I trust you.”
Seo-jun didn’t object further. He’d been saved by Yohan too many times to question his decisions anymore.
“Let’s go. Everyone’s waiting. We’ll have to make two trips since there are so many people.”
Seo-jun started up the fishing boat and people boarded.
* * *
The survivors seeing Sindo for the first time couldn’t hold back their admiration.
It wasn’t the gray cityscape they were used to, but an island filled with the colors of nature, land, people, and animals.
Grains, vegetables, and fish were drying all over the island, dogs played in the streets, and the crowing of roosters rang out.
It felt like a world completely different from where they had lived until now.
Their awe grew as they saw the people gathering to greet Yohan—faces brighter than one could imagine in an apocalypse.
“Wow…”
Woof woof!
From one side, Heukgu ran over and jumped into Seri’s arms, smothering her face with slobbery licks. Seri struggled to get him off.
“Good work, Yohan.”
It hadn’t been that long, but everyone looked relieved to see the group return safely.
Yohan immediately looked for Rina. Rina bowed politely, Pio and Berda clinging to her sides.
“Everything all right?”
“Yes. Good work, Yohan.”
“Any other news for me?”
Rina shook her head and Yohan nodded. No new prophecies—good news. Whenever she dreamed, it usually meant chaos was coming.
“Hey, Yohan. I don’t see Jung-soo or Jae-ho.”
When Seo-jun noticed the missing members, the search party’s faces darkened. Their eyes all turned to Ji-hye.
“Oppa, where’s Jung-soo?”
Ji-hye looked around, confused, searching for her husband, but couldn’t find him. Her gaze wandered helplessly.
“…”
The search party remained silent. Someone needed to speak, but no one could. Yohan exhaled quietly and called Seri.
“Seri, bring it.”
With a grim face, Seri pulled something wrapped in bloodstained cloth from her pack.
Seri handed it to the anxious Ji-hye, who slowly unwrapped it. Inside was a ring.
Jung-soo’s wedding ring—a matching set with Ji-hye’s, found during the search. Ji-hye stared blankly.
“Oppa…?”
“It’s Jung-soo’s. We recovered the body, but couldn’t bring it back.”
“What? T-the body…?”
Ji-hye blinked, unable to believe it. Her vision went bright yellow, and the world spun. She collapsed, and the people around her rushed to support her.
Everyone looked away, unable to watch.
Staggering, Ji-hye got to her feet and stumbled toward Yohan, grabbing onto his collar.
“…You’re lying.”
“Jung-soo died in battle. I’m sorry.”
“Liar!!”
Tears fell like small beads from her eyes. She clung to his collar and crumpled to the ground, while Dr. Park Jae-beom slowly came to support her.
“Ji-hye, you need to take care of yourself.”
Three people practically dragged her away as she sobbed uncontrollably. What she needed now was rest.
It was a familiar, yet always heartbreaking scene.
Losing comrades was all too common, but the atmosphere was especially heavy. Both the island residents and the search party looked stricken, but the residents’ grief went deeper than mere sympathy for the lost.
Yohan asked Seo-jun,
“Did something happen to Ji-hye?”
“Oh, well…”
Seo-jun hesitated, then let out a deep sigh.
“Actually, Ji-hye… is pregnant.”
“…”
“It’s recent news. In these times, having a child is so dangerous, but everyone was happy—she even gave the baby a name: ‘Hope.’ It was to be the first child born in the new era. Ji-hye had been so eager for you all to come back, so she could tell Jung-soo.”
Ah,
A collective sigh of sorrow escaped from everyone’s lips.
