Chapter 25 – Uninvited Guest

As for the vegetable seeds, I planted them together after Seung-pil came out, as my mother said.

When you come out of the hideout, there is a grassy forest right there.
Even ordinary weeds on this deserted island are tall and strong. At this rate, there was no space to plant seeds.

“Corporate Kang Chang-jae? I will do it. Can I dig the ground here?”

Seungpil holds up a shovel and speaks vigorously. Only shoveling is confident.

“No. You don’t have to.”

I manipulated my phone and entered the [Hideout] Menu.
There, you could use coins to change not only the facilities in the hideout, but also the environment around the hideout.

[Ground Flattening]

It costs 20 coins to flatten 1 meter by 1 m2 with pure dirt.
If there were obstacles such as trees, grass, or rocks, coins were added.

As a test, he asked for 23 coins when he decided to settle 1 pyeong on the grass near the entrance. The seat with the big tree was 28 coins.

“Where is the sunny place…”

It would be dangerous to go too far.
I took a seat in the vegetable garden right next to the entrance to the hideout.

[Are you sure you want to flatten that range?]
[Yes No]

When you press the [Yes] Button, the grass planted in the ground pops up! And disappeared, and the land turned into black manure.

“Wow. It’s like a game.”
“I know.”

It was also a strange sight to see.
Next to him, Seunghee also opened her eyes wide, and her mother also looked excited.

“What will come out? It would be nice to have potatoes or pumpkins.”
“Haha! Mother, just trust me! I, Han Seung-pil, the son of Gangwon-do, will grow potatoes nicely!”
“I feel reassured because Seungpil is here.”

Seeing Seungpil bluffing, his mother smiles broadly.
Seung-pil is this child… What are you sneaking up on your mother for?
It’s a random seed in the first place, but how do potatoes come out?

“Seungpil. Do you want to go hunting?”
“Huh? You mean now?”

I think I’ll have to take him to a dark place later and educate him.
Young. Get out

“But how deep do you dig?”
“Big seeds should be buried deep, and small seeds should be buried shallowly.”

When Seung-pil asks, Seung-hee gives advice.

“That sounds plausible. Then how deep should I plant it?”
“I don’t know.”
“…”
“Why?”
“No, just.”

It didn’t help much.

“Even if we plant it too deep, it will be difficult to sprout, so let’s dig a little bit.”
“Yep.”

The land was too small to plant 10 seeds per square meter.
I attached one more vegetable garden right next to it and planted 5 seeds in a W shape.

“What is coming out? Since it’s a fantasy, it would be nice if something like meat or eggs instead of vegetables would appear.”
“I am ice cream!”
“It’s Seunghee… Didn’t that go too far?”
“How is it different from growing meat on a tree?”
“Mom reminds me of water for the seeds.”
“Mother! I will come to you!”
“Because Seungpil is so reassuring.”

There was no serious atmosphere like yesterday.
Me and my mother, as well as Seungpil and Seunghee, all had smiles on their faces.

The conversation topics such as what vegetables will be served and what to eat this morning were also friendly. It felt like we were all on vacation together.

However.
I had to pour cold water on that good mood.

“… Wait for a sec. Shh.”

Everyone shuts up at my signal.

“Seungpil. Weapon.”

As I said earlier, Seungpil took the ax that was standing next to me and threw a bamboo spear at me.

“My mother and Seunghee are inside.”
“Ah Okay.”
“You can’t come out until I say I’m done.”

The two of them entered the hideout without a word in my suddenly serious mood.

-Crush, rustle.
Soon, something rustled from the grassy area where I was aiming the bamboo spear.

“Huh? A person!”

The man who saw me and Seungpil exclaimed with a surprised face.

40’s? 50’s?
He was skinny and short. There are round glasses and mountaineering clothes. He was a very ordinary man from the outside, like a neighborhood uncle you could see everywhere.

“Ah, hello, young bachelors? We are not dangerous people. Please put away your weapons.”

The man came out with both his hands in surrender.
The way he talks is gentle. Teachers, civil servants, professionals, roughly that kind of thing.

“… Huh?”

However, a rope was tied to the man’s left wrist.

Where the rope connects.
A woman joined by a rope came out from inside the bush.

“This child is my daughter. I can’t speak. Because she is autistic.”

Are you about twenty? His youthful face was still haggard. Did I not sleep well in an unfamiliar environment?
The word autism may be true, but the mouth is closed, but the eyes are shaking anxiously.

These people are also family.
I asked without taking up my weapon.

“Mister. Did you come all the way here without a weapon?”
“Uh, yes, was it a bit dangerous?”

The old man smiled subtly and held up the flimsy wooden stick in his right hand.
It may be a staff to reach the ground, but it cannot be a weapon.

“You went around with your sick daughter without a weapon?”
“Yes… I feel like I’m going to starve to death if I stay there… Both of you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.”

Then, the man suddenly lowered his head with a pitiful expression.

“Please, if you have anything to eat, could you share some? I’m fine, so please at least feed my daughter. I will definitely repay this favor.”

He exchanged glances with Seungpil.
How far can you trust this man’s words? There was nothing suspicious about him.

First of all, both of them don’t look that hungry since they’ve been starving since yesterday.

And her daughter’s dress. Short sleeves, shorts, and crooks sandals. There were quite a few grass scratches on his bare legs.
Still, this guy doesn’t seem to care. If you look closely, there are also bruises on the side covered by clothes.

Besides, the rope tied tightly around his wrists like handcuffs. That would be very painful for my daughter. Is it normal to treat your daughter like that?
Because of autism? Because you don’t know where to jump?
It’s not completely nonsensical, but it was suspicious nonetheless.

Okay. Suspicious There’s not a single thing that’s suspicious. Is it weird that I feel that way? Is it because I have a twisted personality with distrust of human beings?

“… Hey. Seungpil.”

Come closer
That’s how I wink at Seungpil.
Seungpil came running with frequent steps.

“Yes.”
‘Did you mention emergency food? Go inside and get two.’
‘Uh? Do I just give it to you?’
‘Take it at once. We’ll talk about it later.’

I don’t know if this guy is a good guy or a bad guy. But either way, there was nothing wrong with selling grace. He won’t starve to death just because he gives us a little.

‘Ah, I see.’
‘My mother and Seunghee told me not to come out.’
‘Yes.’

After the whispering, he sends Seungpil away.
My gaze and the tip of the bamboo spear were still directed at the man.

“Mister. I went to get something to eat, so when you get it, take it home.”
“Ah, thank you! Thank you so much!”

The uncle bowed her head grandiosely as if sincerely thanking her.
Is my personality twisted because I can’t even accept such a thank you as it is?

But doubt is a good thing. Doubt is free. It’s a great way to increase your survival rate for free.

“You must be suffering a lot because your daughter is sick.”
“Yeah what… It’s something I’ve been used to from a long time ago.”

Small talk in moderation to the extent that it is not rude.
It’s good to be suspicious, but there’s no need to make enemies. Because I don’t know what will happen later.
In fact, he’s an ordinary good old man, and we might need some help later. There’s nothing wrong with being friendly.

“Hey! Don’t go out!”

A shout was heard from behind.
It was Seungpil’s voice.

… Ha. Those fools

“Hmm? Are there any other family members? Even greetings…”
“No. The successor came with her grandmother because she has dementia. I also came with my mother who is sick.”
“Ah, yes.”

Needless to say, there are young women.
I cheated on a man with a lie.

“Corporate Kang Chang-jae. I brought it.”
“I’ll give it to you, uncle.”

I am still aiming my bamboo spear, and Seungpil approaches the man with emergency rations.

“And next time, if you can, don’t come around here. They set a lot of traps around them.”
“Ah. Yes. I will go carefully.”

That, of course, is bluffing. In any case, you will be a little reluctant to come here.

“Thank you. Thank you.”

A man receives emergency food from Seungpil.
It’s a palm-sized calorie bar. It was the item I received as a reward for completing the mission I did with my mother yesterday.

The man receives it and puts it in his pocket with a happy expression. Something was sticking out of the pocket of the pants of the mountaineering suit.
After handing over the food, Seung-pil turns away from the man and returns to him.
And the man took out something else from the pocket he had the calorie bar in.

-Taang——!

The sound of gunpowder exploding, familiar to Seungpil and me.
Seungpil widened his eyes and leaned back in place.

“Sir——”

The man’s gun was pointed straight at me.
The muzzle of an old-fashioned 500-coin revolver glows.

“──Foot!”

As I threw myself at the man, I threw the bamboo spear in his hand.