161 – Then D*ie! # 1

161 – Then D*ie! # 1

Exactly ten hours until the debate with Nam Bada.

I was about to have dinner and sleep in preparation for tomorrow’s debate when Bbangdaeng came waddling over, a bowl of food in her hands, and thrust a spoon towards me.

“Here, open wide! I’ll feed you!”

I glanced down at the bandages wrapped tightly around both my hands.

Injuries courtesy of Seo Gaeul and Yu Yeoreum, who had each yanked an arm in opposite directions.

How inconvenient to not be able to freely use both arms.

Even eating rice was difficult on my own.

“Ah.”

As I opened my mouth, Bbangdaeng shoved the spoon right in.

The taste of bibimbap, seasoned with sesame oil, wild greens, and gochujang, exploded in my mouth.

“It’s good. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten wild greens, not since the Black Rain.”

“A little while ago, when I was walking with Mibbang, I picked a whole bunch of uncontaminated greens! Mibbang’s condition has gotten so much better since we went to the hot springs, she doesn’t even hurt anymore! Amazing, right!”

The greens really were good.

I felt my mind and body, weary from so much, begin to recover.

Just then, Seo Gaeul snatched the spoon away from Bbangdaeng’s hand.

“Now, I’ll feed you.”

“Seo Gaeul! I made this bibimbap! Why are you feeding him?!”

“Because I want to. Open wide!”

*Shove-*!

Seo Gaeul jammed the spoon all the way to my uvula.

Thanks to that, I couldn’t help but cough and choke.

“Ugh!”

“Seo Gaeul, you’re making Hanam-jjin suffer!”

“No, I bet your bibimbap just tastes bad. If Hanam-jjin knew where you picked those greens, he’d throw it all up right away!”

What was that?

Where did she pick the greens from?

I stroked my throat with my palm and looked at Bbangdaeng, who was squirming awkwardly.

“…Where I picked the greens is a secret!”

“Why’s it a secret then?

Smells mighty suspicious, whatever it is.”

“Think I should lay off the bibimbap for a bit.”

“Then how about my kimchi jjigae?”

Seo Gaeul ladled a spoonful of bubbling kimchi stew and popped it right into my mouth.

Seemed she’d stewed it with pork belly, but the taste was peculiar, quite so.

“Did you sneak in ketchup?”

“You always liked ketchup in your soups, didn’t you? Cooked it just the way you like! Good, yeah?”

Now, even if I adored ketchup, I wouldn’t dream of adding it to kimchi jjigae.

That’d be some kind of monster concoction.

And then, a vision of my mother.

She, too, doctored her kimchi jjigae with ketchup.

“Well, now that you’ve had your fill, I’ll tuck you in.”

Yoo Yeoreum settled me into bed.

Then she curled up beside me, her body warmth a bit much, even. No need for a space heater come winter.

Not that the weather hadn’t taken a turn toward autumn’s chill, making Yoo Yeoreum’s warmth fairly soporific.

Only, Bbangdaengi snagged my hand, yanking me up off the mattress.

“Lie down right after eating and you’ll get acid reflux! You’ll be hacking up a lung every day! Gotta stay up at least three hours after eating! Let’s go for a walk!”

A stroll wouldn’t be so bad.

Except Seo Gaeul planted herself in the doorway, blocking our exit.

“No, Hanam-jin needs to strategize with me about tomorrow’s debate. No time for walks.”

Did need to map out a plan for that debate tomorrow.

While I pondered, Yoo Yeoreum tugged me again.

“Jin-ah, if you’re not going to sleep, come see the dog-squirrel with me.”

A squirrel that barks like a dog, now that sounded something.

Then Bbangdaengi chimed in.

“What’s so special about a dog-squirrel! Kkeongkeong is way more impressive! She spins such amazing webs! Hanam-jjiin! Let’s take Kkeongkeong for a walk! She’s been eating and sleeping too much lately, she’s gotten chunky, she needs a walk!”

A wolf spider was impressive, indeed.

Spider or squirrel.

I was lost in thought about which to visit when Seo Gaeul spoke up.

“What’s so special about those strange beasts, anyway? I’ve got Inging, you know? Inging, come here!”

Seo Ga-eul, curled up on the bed, reached out a hand towards Inging.

But Inging, as if annoyed by Seo Ga-eul, flitted away with a *whoosh*.

—*Kyuing*.

“Useless thing, as always! Just like Ha Nam-jin, slick and good for nothing!”

Those were the words I wanted to say.

What a mess.

*Flap, flap—.*

I started to unwind the bandage around my hand.

The fracture was slowly but surely healing.

Which meant I could handle things myself from now on, without the help of those girls.

“Alright, let’s go for a walk.”

“Oh yeah! I won! Ha Nam-jjin! Let’s go for a walk with me!”

Bbang-ddeng raised a hand high in the air.

However, I wasn’t finished.

“And we’ll talk about the debate that’s tomorrow too. And also, look at those dog-squirrels.”

It might not seem like much, but it was a three-in-one combination.

If only I had three bodies.

# # #

—*Keong keong…!*

—*Keong keong…!*

—*Kyuing.*

Spider, dog-squirrel, and Cloud darted about, entangled and separated repeatedly as if playing tag.

Following behind them was Mi-bbang.

“This Mi-bbang wants to hold the little animals too…!”

Of course, the animals scurried away, as if trying not to get caught by Mi-bbang.

Watching them, it was hard to believe that there was something big happening tomorrow; it was that peaceful.

The calm before the storm.

Something like that, I guess.

“Will Nam Ba-da even show up at the debate?”

Seo Gaeul asked me.

I gazed at the countless stars glittering in the night sky, lost in thought for a moment.

“He’ll come.”

The problem is, what will he do when he gets here?

A debate on the nation’s future—

He won’t be an easy opponent, content to follow such a predictable script.

He’ll be laying some kind of trap.

It was then.

Yoo Yeoreum, walking with me in the dark night, her eyes flashed, and she moved her body, *pat*—like a cat spotting its prey.

*Rustle*—!

Yoo Yeoreum darted into the thicket.

Soon, Yoo Yeoreum seized something with her hand.

“Got her. She was hiding near us.”

“L-Let go of me! What strength!”

A woman dangling helplessly, grabbed by the scruff of her neck by the cat, like a rat.

A worn suit, short and skinny figure…somewhere familiar.

“Where have I seen her? Was her name Samgyetang? No, Boshintang?”

“My name is Gye Bok-soon!”

Right, a name like a country mutt.

As far as I know, this woman is one of Nam Bada’s closest associates.

For someone like that to be spying on us from the shadows…

“Perfect! Let’s interrogate her! She’ll know what Nam Bada is plotting!”

Bbangdaengi chuckled darkly, rubbing his hands together.

A rather excellent suggestion.

However, Gye Bok-soon shouted like lightning.

“There’s no need for any interrogation. I can tell you what Bada-ssi is up to without all that.”

“How about pouring water mixed with chili powder up her nose! My mom says that’ll make most people spill everything they know!”

“Hey! Are you even listening to me? I said there’s no need for interrogation! I came to help you!”

“Sticking this thick needle under her fingernails is also a good method!”

“Y-You crazy b*tch! Get that needle away from me!”

Kei Bok-soon, frothing at the mouth, aimed at Bbangdaeng with a needle yanked from the pouch at her hip.

Just then, Seo Gaeul snatched the needle from Bbangdaeng’s hand with a *whoosh* and asked,

“You came to help us? Sounds even *more* suspicious. You better come clean before this rabid raccoon sticks chili powder up your nostrils.”

“Who are you calling a rabid raccoon!”

A confused atmosphere hung in the air.

Kei Bok-soon cleared her throat, a loud *ahem*.

“Anyway, I am Kei Bok-soon. Tomorrow’s debate with Nam Bada will, predictably, be a trap for you. But, I can help you. You must stop Nam Bada.”

I examined Kei Bok-soon with my heightened senses.

She didn’t seem to be plotting any tricks.

“The debate is just a pretense. Forces are moving to arrest you. But, many Awakened have defected from the government, so honestly, they don’t have the manpower to capture Awakened like you.”

I see.

I’d roughly anticipated an incident of this scale.

However, Kei Bok-soon wasn’t finished.

“But Nam Bada recently acquired a fragment of the Red King. There was something like that black pond in the basement of this department store—it existed around our headquarters too.”

A fragment of the Red King.

Just hearing the name felt ominous and unsettling.

“Nam Bada doesn’t seem to know since he’s not Awakened, but I do, being Awakened myself. Using it will cause something dangerous to happen.”

“Cut the crap and get to the point. Summarize it in three lines, so I can understand.”

*Gwaak-*

Yoo Yeoreum, grabbing Kei Bok-soon’s collar, threatened her.

It seemed the long story was getting confusing.

“This is a very powerful sedative.”

Kei Bok-soon pulled a few pills from her pants pocket.

Thanks to her family’s ties to 「Baekdang Pharmaceuticals」, Baek Yeoul, who was knowledgeable about medicine, took the sleeping pills, sniffed them *sniff-sniff*, and nodded.

“These are definitely strong sedatives! One of these would knock out even an Awakened in minutes, I bet. What are you planning to do with them!”

Bbangdaeng growled.

Kei Bok-soon hurriedly added,

“There will be a ten-minute break during tomorrow’s debate. Then I will bring Nam Bada water laced with this, and after drinking it, Nam Bada will fall asleep as if unconscious. Capture Nam Bada then.”

It was a simple operation, in its own way.

But Yoo Yeoreum still seemed to have questions.

“What’s in it for you if we capture Nambada? What’s the real reason you’re proposing this operation to us?”

“Eventually, people will migrate to the moon, right? I want to secure a place there for myself and Nambada. As things stand, there won’t be a spot for us when they leave for the moon. I want to live.”

So, that was the deal.

For a name like Gyeboksun, which sounded like a rural mutt, she seemed to have a cunning mind.

“Someday, if we ever return to Earth, we’ll live as if we’re already dead. That’s possible with my concept. My concept is ‘Manipulation,’ after all. I can manipulate how people around us perceive things, so we can live under different names, as different people.”

“I understand the reasoning, but it’s still difficult to just accept an offer like this outright.”

Seo Gaeul clicked her tongue.

Of course, I felt differently.

“Alright. I accept the proposal.”

It wasn’t a bad deal.

Gyeboksun seemed to have a few more words lingering on her lips, but she abruptly turned her head and disappeared into the darkness.

Watching her receding figure, Bbangdaengyi expressed her anger.

“I don’t like her! But, I can understand her heart. If Hanamjjin were doing something wrong, committing bad deeds, I would want to stop him no matter what. Even if I had to give him sleeping pills.”

From now on, I’ll have to get the others to taste-test any food Bbangdaengyi gives me before I eat it.

Anyway, with that feeling, the night passed, and the day of the debate arrived.

A presidential debate in a world that had fallen to ruin.

Everyone seemed to have high expectations for this unprecedented event, and so did I.