Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 142
Only Krnovel
Episode 142
There are several ways to approach this.
So-called indirect approaches, or encounters disguised as coincidences.
Talking directly is always a last resort.
Because this could make you doubt your intentions and, if you’re not careful, you could end up on the block list and never be able to continue the conversation, I’m trying to approach Unicorn in a more roundabout and sophisticated way.
unicorn18: I hear you
The target is the shitpost that the unicorn just threw up.
Comment here.
SKELTON: Alpha One
Since becoming Awaken, Kang Han-min and Na Hye-won have been offered a new goal sign from the National Assembly, not the school.
If I remember correctly, Kang Han-min received the call sign “Jupiter” and Na Hye-in received the call sign “Minerva.”
While Kang Han-min kept the dishonorable call sign he received at school, she discarded her old call sign and chose a new one.
So, the call sign Alpha One is a call sign that only our 13th batch and similar batches, as well as a few who shared the past before Na Hye-in gained her power, know.
I commented on that on Unicorn 18’s post.
“……”
There will definitely be some kind of reaction.
This skeleton can guarantee that.
If someone comments on my nonsense and calls me a “professor”, I’ll probably have trouble sleeping. If it was Woo Min-hee who wrote that comment, I might seriously consider moving.
Now I have cast my fishing rod.
All that’s left to do is wait for the fish to bite the bait.
I headed to the sauna with the Unicorn’s writing open in my internet window.
The newly built sauna facility is one of the few comforts I have had recently.
It’s a strange thing.
Even in China, people used to ignore the sauna facilities in five-star hotels, looking at them like cows and chickens. But now, if you don’t use the sauna, it doesn’t feel like you’ve taken a bath.
Skeleton’s handmade sauna follows the Finnish tradition.
This method involves installing a brazier, laying down gravel, and spraying water directly on the heated gravel to create steam.
Cheeeeeeek-
I close my eyes and feel with my whole body the air being warmed by the white steam rising and disappearing, and the waste products inside my body being excreted with sweat.
The first scent lingers at the tip of my nose.
Even in this peaceful sauna, he brought a rifle with him.
That’s the world.
Not even an inch of carelessness can be allowed.
I tried to think positively to shake off the negative thoughts that had been lingering for a moment.
What if Unicorn 18 is Na Hye-in?
How should we continue the conversation then?
Well
There’s nothing much to talk about between us.
What connects us two is cosmos.
Now, all we have are rootless wild grasses that bloom in the spring and in the fall.
But you never know.
I’ve gotten older and Na Hye-in has gotten older too.
Wouldn’t we each have stories to tell, as the years we’ve spent together have passed?
In my case, I have a spleen material.
This is the story of Eom Chang-i’s bravery.
Na Hye-in was Woo Min-hee’s killer, but their relationship wasn’t very good.
Na Hye-in is so overwhelming and flawless that I can’t dare look down on her, but it feels like I’m challenging her by trying to scratch her insides in small ways.
It is widely known that neither Na Hye-in nor Woo Min-hee liked each other.
In fact, there was no one who liked Woo Min-hee.
If I tell you the story of how I hit Woo Min-hee, wouldn’t I be able to bring a smile to Na Hye-in’s face?
But if the opponent is Kang Han-min, then I’m not sure.
I don’t know what to say.
There were so many bad things that happened in our relationship that it couldn’t be expressed in just one word, “awkward.”
During his student days, he watched Jang Ki-young bully him and even secretly wished he would leave.
Nothing has changed since the Chinese era.
I was active on the front lines in an elite group like Kim Da-ram, Lee Sang-hoon, and Choi Bong-seok, who died in China.
Kang Han-min was assigned menial tasks such as maintaining public order in a group of second-class, fresh graduates from high school.
We rarely mixed words.
It’s the same if you meet in the shower.
They even had separate drinking parties and carried out external events in strictly separate groups.
Now, I can’t pretend to be friendly with him, no matter how shameless my new self, Skeleton, has become.
If there is any point of contact, it would be Kim Da-ram’s wedding.
Kang Han-min gave 200,000 won as a wedding gift to Kim Da-ram.
It’s an unusual amount.
At that time, 50,000 won was the socially acceptable minimum amount, and considering that 100,000 won was the Maginot Line for school graduates.
Even Kang Han-min had no contact with Kim Da-ram.
Although Kim Da-ram was a bright and honest child, he didn’t show that affection even to incompetent and ordinary people.
Still, the fact that Kang Han-min gave 200,000 won left quite a strong impression, so I had a chance to talk to him for a while.
Since we had the same teacher, we knew each other’s faces, so we nodded awkwardly and stood side by side outside for a while, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
“I think I’ll get married too.”
Kang Han-min said, exhaling vapor from his e-cigarette.
“They say that if you get married and have children, you’re guaranteed lifelong employment.”
At that time, the National Assembly encouraged hunters to marry early and have children.
There were significant benefits, although it came with the caveat that it “operated within a war zone.”
In addition to financial support, I was given significant bonus points and the opportunity to be promoted within the organization called the National Assembly.
That’s why the smart Kim Da-ram got married so quickly.
On the one hand, there were also doubts.
Even though the country is going through a low birth rate crisis, is it right to send hunters who have been trained at great expense away from the battlefield like that?
Losing an excellent combat resource like Kim Da-ram is a significant loss for me as the team leader.
In fact, we have never had such a fine fighter since she left.
But for mediocre hunters like Kang Hanmin, I thought it would be better to just get married and leave the battlefield.
If he had just gotten married and had children, he could have planned a comfortable life with a higher salary than others at a job he worked at for the rest of his life, just like he said.
“Who are you going to marry?”
The reason I asked that question is because if your spouse is a hunter with the same qualifications, you can get double the rewards, just like a retired teacher couple in their prime can get a double super pension.
“well”
I remember that Kang Han-min’s eyes shook slightly at that time.
“I wish I was a hunter.”
“Hunter would be good. The rewards are doubled.”
“I guess so?”
Kang Han-min turned his gaze and asked without confidence.
There were a lot of people where his gaze rested, but I thought I knew who he was looking at.
Another comrade, Na Hye-in, attended the wedding procession wearing a neat but inconspicuous, calm-colored suit.
“……”
I knew that my friend liked Na Hye-in.
I knew it, but I thought it had nothing to do with me.
I got up from the sauna and came out.
The -38 degree cold wind blows across Skeleton’s naked body.
I ran straight to the bunker and washed the ice stuck to my body with hot water, cleansing my body that had been alternating between heat and cold.
“…Phew.”
After taking a bath, drink the chilled cocoa prepared before taking a bath.
It’s good for your body, tastes good, and most of all, it has the effect of clearing your mind.
I sat down in front of the computer with a clear mind and checked the fishing rod I had drawn.
I checked the screen, thinking that after spending this much time, he must have taken the bait.
“hmm?”
I didn’t ask.
Unicorn 18 didn’t respond to my conversion comment at all.
Could it be that the connection was disconnected?
That’s not it either.
unicorn 18: My vagina… is getting hard again…
He’s walking around on a bulletin board where people are flocking to save their lives, writing nonsense without a care in the world.
SKELTON: Alpha One
He added another comment of conversion.
I think there will be a response to this.
But the unicorn is unresponsive.
He continued his banquet of nonsense, as befitting the owner of a 20:1 comment ratio, completely ignoring comments like mine as if they weren’t even a thing.
Surely, are you ignoring me on purpose?
Before attempting the last resort of direct conversation, I again consulted with Da-Jeong, an authority in this field.
“hey.”
Da-jeong said as if she felt sorry for him.
“Do you think someone with a 20:1 comment ratio would read other people’s comments? That person just talks about what they want to say. Nine times out of ten, they probably turned off the comment notification.”
“What?!”
Dajeong’s comment came as a real culture shock to me.
Turn off comment notifications.
Is that possible?
This is a conclusion that my thinking circuit simply cannot reach.
But there are many things in this world that I cannot understand.
Unicorn 18 also looks like that kind of person.
If so, that’s good
As a last resort, we have no choice but to use direct contact.
Knock knock
SKELTON: Sister, I’m bored-
My current concept is a skeleton from when Dajeong did a skeleton cosplay, that is, a female skeleton. It was an inevitable choice.
The only time Unicorn 18 showed interest in me was when I had the identity of that female skeleton. As expected, a reply came soon.
Message from unicorn18: Did you have a drink during the day, you crazy bastard —
The reply was quite direct.
I tapped away at the keyboard with patience.
Fall, fall
The point is to type delicately with a soft woman’s heart, rather than hitting hard and pinpointing like a professional would do.
SKELTON : Oh my – Wild –
Message from unicorn18: Skeleton, this boring bastard has finally gone crazy………….
Fall, fall~
SKELTON: I am a beautiful, naive woman in my early 20s who needs protection. I am looking for a strong, trustworthy, and warm-hearted man.
SKELTON: Skeleton needs Unicorn 18. He wants to meet you immediately. Where are you?
Message from unicorn18: Just block them?
SKELTON: Wait!
At this point, even the world’s best Park Gyu-do became nervous and took a deep breath.
“Phew.”
It feels like a heavier load is being placed on my heart than when I kill a monster.
I quietly typed on the keyboard, feeling a drop of cold sweat run down my temple and down my chin.
SKELTON: You. Are you Kang Han-min?
I ended up doing it.
A question that was always on my mind, a question I desperately wanted to ask, but at the same time, a question I absolutely did not want to ask.
Message from unicorn18: ?
The unicorn’s answer came after a while.
Message from unicorn18: Who are you?
I swallowed.
Time stopped for a moment and then began to flow very slowly.
It’s like there’s an hourglass in front of you, and the sand inside is falling particle by particle.
In that suffocating flow, thousands of thoughts passed through my mind.
Knock knock
Enter your message: I am Park Gyu-da.
I’ve typed up to here.
Knock knock knock
Enter your message:
I deleted it by pressing backspace.
As if I were writing on a sandy beach and the waves were erasing the words, I eventually felt impatient and sent a message to the unicorn amidst the countless inputs and deletions that even I could not fathom.
SKELTON: I’m from the school. 13th class.
This is the best I can say with my courage and determination at the moment.
Message from unicorn18: Are you kidding?
The unicorn answered.
It was a short text, but for some reason I felt an unusual seriousness in it.
I gained courage and sent the message again.
Need SKELTON certification?
If Kang Han-min tells me to do so, I will gladly do so.
There is no need to show your face.
Just like the unicorn, all it would take was to show the golden fleece, a small, shiny badge, and that would be enough. But there was no answer from the unicorn.
It’s slow.
Are you doing something else?
No, I’m worried.
Just like me a few seconds ago when I wrote and erased the name Park Gyu, wondering how I would reveal myself.
I calmed my heavy breathing and waited for the unicorn’s answer.
The unicorn sent me another message a minute later, after what felt like an hour to me.
Message from unicorn18: No, don’t do anything.
Before I could even begin to wonder, messages kept arriving.
Message from unicorn18: Because I don’t want to know or care who you are.
Message from unicorn18: You’re looking blurry right now. Don’t chat.
Message from unicorn18: If you say one more word I will block you immediately, so just stay where you are.
Message from unicorn18: What I’m trying to say is, do you really need to know? Do you really need to bring reality into this place where everyone is here to relieve stress?
Weren’t you also active on the bulletin board with the same purpose as me? So let’s just cover it up. A bulletin board is a bulletin board, and let’s leave reality as reality.
It’s an unexpected development.
But for some reason, I felt that this development was the perfect example of a solution that my poor imagination could not have come up with.
In the sense that it is more gentle and there is no harm to either of us.
Message from unicorn18: I’ll pretend I didn’t hear this story.
Let’s enjoy our fun bulletin board life. I’ll talk to Bibabut somehow and try to resolve this situation.
“……”
The unicorn told me not to reply, but I felt like I had to say something here.
Knock knock
SKELTON (Skeleton Approval) Thumbs up!
A message from unicorn18: Spring may bring good news. So, happy birthday!
For a moment, a hallucination unfolded in front of me, as if someone, whether it was Kang Han-min or Na Hye-in, was opening the door and disappearing beyond the message window.
He muttered quietly as he watched the unknown person disappear.
“……Have fun.”
This will probably be the first and last conversation between me and the unicorn.
Unless things change dramatically, we won’t be interacting online.
The possibility has been confirmed, that is the result of this clumsy approach.
Anything more than that, well, I don’t think it’s really necessary.
Wouldn’t it be best to leave it as is?
I, Kang Han-min, and Na Hye-in are old enough to know that opening the lid to everything in this world isn’t always a good thing.
unicorn18 : 쮸쀼쮸쀼
SKELTON: Kiyahou~
A couple who are aware of each other but never approach each other.
This is exactly the golden ratio between us.
*
It was not long after that, around Christmas time, that Unicorn uploaded a live video to Live! Apocalypse!
The video sequentially showed Mt. Halla towering above, a huge wall surrounding it that seemed to divide it as if it were a slaughterhouse, a barrier and fortress that seemed more divine than human, and a gray-white sky without a single bird.
The axis of the earth twists and a giant monster, the Kraken, comes crashing down over the barrier, only to be hit by a merciless barrage and fall. Soon, the screen changes to a dry, gravel field.
Half of that gravel patch was covered with snow, but I knew the place well.
This is the very place where the unicorn took a picture of the cosmos.
The video ended with a shallow sigh.
The sigh was clearly a woman’s.
“……”
I don’t know what that sigh means.
Was it intended to mock me because I knew about it, a ploy to deceive me, or was it just the raw sigh of the photographer?
It’s probably not a particularly important issue.
At least this lukewarm, unresolved situation gave me some purpose.
I need to live a little longer.
End
ⓒ Road Warrior #dp8g
(k554****) -Recommendation85-
Cloudy eyes is a colloquialism. It’s an expression used when someone knows something but pretends not to know.
I just found out
(Gomi and cat***) -Recommendation 81-
Guys, heartbreak is so detrimental to your mental health.
There was once a girl who spoke of fate and carefully talked about an ordinary life, not war.
In the end, it turned out like this…
(*Devil88) -Recommendation57-
Na Hye-in is not a unicorn, Kang Han-min is a unicorn
It seems like Na Hye-in’s sigh was just heard in the live video
Since the two are together, Kang Han-min still likes Na Hye-in, but since he can’t do what he wants, he’s making a mess on the bulletin board.
I think the author added a sigh to reduce confusion.
(One Two**) -Recommendation 52-
I feel dizzy when I think about how it felt to be caught on the internet by a guy I had a crush on.
(che**) -Recommendation 43-
Hyein must be really stressed out, and my expectations that Park Gyu wouldn’t be Na Hyein were betrayed lol
(jon***) -Recommendation35-
When you awaken, you get a little quirk… The new humans are different after all
(Tina****) -Recommendation 27-
What is Nahein’s penis that keeps getting harder???
(Bethel*) -Recommendation 27-
Did Kang Han-min lose his precious monk Jujis and awaken as a powerful Awaken?
(g2488***) -Recommendation 23-
Wow, Hyein said Guchu? LOL
(***jfb) -Recommendation18-
Blurry eyes
This is the first time I’ve heard that expression, but looking at the comments, it seems like it’s something women say.
I like these details
(***Seo) -Recommendation 17-
When we actually started talking, I liked the detail of not asking if it was Na Hye-in and just breaking it down.
(All****) -Recommendation 16-
Finally, seeing the video of Mt. Halla from the near future, it looks like something big is going to happen soon.
It also revealed a side of Jeju Island that had never been shown before.
There’s also the unicorn itself, which subtly reveals to people online that it’s Awaken…
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