Chapter 54 – The Guest

“Mom is hiding in the bathroom. You know?”
“Ah, yes.”

After hearing my words, my mother hurriedly went into the bathroom and locked the door.

We weren’t just playing around until now.
We also trained for this kind of situation. Because there is no guarantee that a hideout will always be safe.

“Seunghee, you go to the shower. You know what to do?”

Seunghee nodded with a nervous expression.
Seunghee had a lot of responsibility.

“Don’t worry. Because nothing will happen.”

He kisses Seunghee’s forehead.

“But don’t hesitate when you need to. Understand?”
“Yes… !”

Seung-hee enters the shower room with a determined face and locks the door.

Training in preparation for the arrival of guests.

First, the mother hides in the bathroom close to the entrance, and Seung-hee hides in the shower next to it.
And I treat guests.

If it can be resolved through dialogue, that’s for the best.
After sending the guests away, I signal them to come out and it’s over.

However, there was a possibility that the conversation could not be resolved.
Just like those people who killed Seungpil.

When there is a fight, of course I fight.
So if I win, it would be fortunate, but in the unlikely event I could win.

The person who killed me will first open the bathroom close to the entrance.
The mother hiding in the bathroom is a defenseless woman. It’s my guess that she won’t kill.

Then, the mother somehow manages to pass the time by talking, and in the meantime, Seung-hee buys a gun and bullets with the coins she has saved up.
And when the shower door is open, they shoot it.

Seung-hee and I only had two terminals, so this was a role only Seung-hee could play.

“It would be best if it ended peacefully, though.”

I hurriedly changed into my combat uniform and headed towards the door.

Taste was bitter.
Because what he said and what he did was the exact opposite.

With a pistol in one hand and a machete by the door.
It doesn’t look like anyone wants to end it peacefully.

I checked my terminal while biting my lip.
There is only one survivor shown on the map.
A wider spread of the map revealed no other survivors nearby.

-Clap clap clap clap. Thump.

The door rang once again.
It sounds like you are trying to force the door open.

One opponent.
But I couldn’t be careless.
Because the moment you open the door, bullet holes may appear in your body.

It would be nice to have a hole in the iron door to check the outside.
If I had known it would be like this, I would have installed an intercom.

“Hey? Who’s inside? Anybody else?”

Then, the other person started talking.
A young woman’s voice. Somehow, the pronunciation sounded a little slurred.

Is it one young woman?
So, can we say that this is not the worst case scenario?
It’s because it doesn’t seem like they came to plunder as a group.

“Who are you?”

Raise your voice and ask
The subordinates were as threatening as possible.
It’s a rule I learned in the military.

“Oh, over there…”

The opponent stutters as if he did not know that the answer would come back.
After waiting for a while, he didn’t say anything, so he asked again.

“Is there a problem? Do you need anything?”

Only then did the woman barely open her mouth.

“I am sorry. My child is sick, but could you help me?”
“… Baby?”
“Yes! He is a 7 year old boy. He has a high fever and is unconscious. But there is no medicine, no hospital, and I don’t know what to do…”
“…”

It was a more absurd story than I could have imagined.
A 7-year-old boy? Are you saying that such a young child and two mothers were brought to this island?
It was so absurd that it didn’t even sound like a lie.

“Please! Please help me! Please!”

A woman who asks again and again.
As he spoke, his voice sounded like he was overcome with emotion.

How should I accept this?
How much of this woman’s words are true?

What if it was sent as a scout by a raider group?
Wouldn’t it be like advertising that there’s a lot to be robbed if they gave you the medicine to treat the hemorrhoids?

“… Is there anyone else around to ask for help?”
“Doesn’t exist! No one! This is my first time coming here and meeting someone else!”

The woman’s voice sounded very earnest.
If this were acting, I would learn it as a pro.

However, she had no reason to believe her words.
For our safety… Mmm.
How do…

… Somehow it doesn’t sound like someone else’s story.
Being a mother who is asking for help because her son is sick.
For some reason, it overlapped with my mother who worried about me when I was injured.

… Is mom listening to this story right now?
I’m sure you’ll be sad if I say I just sent it back.

“Ha…”

I made up my mind.

“Listen carefully. Step back ten steps from the door, turn your back, raise your hands and wait. If you have a weapon, put it on the floor.”
“Yes. Ten steps from the door, back turned, weapon on the floor.”
“If you do not do as we are told, we cannot help.”
“Yes. All right. I will do as you ask.”

The woman who swallowed her cry answered in a slightly calmer voice.
I was fortunate to have a conversation partner.

Check the other person’s location with a mobile phone terminal.
The woman, as I said, was ten steps from the door.
At this distance, there would be no chance of being suddenly shot through a crack in the door.

– Clap. Sigh.

Unlock the lock and gently open the door.
Through the open slit, I checked outside using my mother’s hand mirror.

There is a woman. A woman with her back turned and her hands up.
There was no one else.

Deciding it was safe, I opened the door and stepped out.
With the pistol in her hand pointed at the woman.

“Don’t look back. Unless you want to get shot.”

First of all, a warning.
The woman’s back trembled.

“…”

When I went outside and checked the real woman, I was stunned.

First of all, the woman was tall. Probably more than me.
Wouldn’t that be at least 190 cm?

And natural-looking blonde hair.
Just looking at his back, I could tell that he was a foreigner.

“Foreigner?”
“I am American, but I am Korean.”

Such a confusing answer came back.
… Are you saying that you have been naturalized?
For some reason, I understood the tone that sounded incoherent.

“Blood on your clothes?”
“Ah.”

Short-sleeved shirt with jeans.
However, the left leg of the jeans was stained with blood.
It was terrible.

“This, this is my blood!”

The woman thought I would be suspicious, so she quickly excused herself.
Suspiciously, it was true. A woman whose clothes are stained with blood. Had she been outside she would have called the police immediately.

“On the way here… Hyena? Bitten by Spotted hyena. This is my blood. Trust me.”

Did it bite your leg?
I’ve been bitten too, but I’m not going to pass it off as ‘bitten’.
Yongke is also alive.

I glanced over and saw something like a trident lying on the floor.
Did the hyena hunt with that?

In fact, until she saw the real thing, she wondered how she could get around a place like this by herself as a woman.
But given his height and build, it didn’t seem like an impossible task. To be honest, I’ve never seen a woman taller than me. I must have done some exercise outside.

“Don’t move and wait. Don’t even look back.”
“… Yes.”

I manipulated the terminal to find an advanced medicine.
It was the medicine that Seunghee and I took.

[Are you sure you want to buy? (Y/N)]

In an instant, 400 coins disappeared and two vials appeared.

It is not a small coin. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t worth it.
But… I thought I should help if I could. As long as our lives are not threatened. Someday, on the contrary, we might get help.

More than anything, my mother would have helped me.

“… Listen in that state. I will leave two vials at the door.”
“Ah! Thank you! Thank you!”

“Take it when I get inside and the door closes. Don’t move until then.”
“Ah, I see.”

“Take one of these pills to her son and take the other one yourself. Sickness or wounds are equally effective.”
“Ah… I am…”

“You have to be healthy to protect your son. Anyway, this medicine is not effective after 7 days, so I can’t use it even if I leave it. So, eat right here.”
“Thank you. This grace must be…”

– Cheekyung.

I closed the door and entered the hideout.

“Whoa.”

Put the gun in the holster
I just lost strength in my shoulders.

… Did I do well?
Did you do well?

“Thank you! I will definitely repay this favor!”

A loud voice was heard from outside.

Noisy.
Are you thinking of going around the neighborhood?

I checked the map on my terminal.
The woman was getting farther and farther away from our hideout.

… What do we do?
Should I pursue it?

“Mom, Seunghee, you can come out now.”

At my words, the two poked their heads out.

“Are you gone?”
“Yes. Mom. It was fine. And I’ll go out for a while.”

I said as I hurriedly packed my gear for going out.
It was a long outing.

“You’re leaving? Where?”

Mom asked anxiously.
I put on a night jacket and gloves.

“We’ll have to find out if the woman really came because her son was sick, or if she came as a scout.”

As the terminal level rose, the range that could be checked on the map nearly doubled.
In other words, even if the woman is looking at the terminal, it means that it can be tracked in an undetected range.
Of course, if they were at the same level, it would be ridiculous, but there’s no way that would happen.

“… Do I have to go?”
“Yes. Don’t worry too much. I’ll be back soon.”

As she gently hugged her mother, her mother hugged her tightly as if sending her troops off.

“Huh. Come fast.”

Seunghee was looking at us from the side with sad eyes.

“Can you hug Seunghee too?”

When I asked, Seunghee hugged me tightly instead of answering.

“I will be waiting too. Brother.”
“Okay. I know you’ll get scolded for wearing a tongue.”
“Hey.”

It was Seunghee who hid her regret with a smile.

He brought his combat uniform, combat boots, machete and pistol.
The preparations are over.

“You can never get hurt.”

After being sent off by the two, I left the hideout.

– Cheekyung.

The hideout door is locked.

After checking the location of the woman with the terminal.
I started tracking.