Hiding a House in the Apocalypse - Chapter 20



Only Krnovel

18. Paradise

My bunker is more than just a shelter.

It is a fortress that was carefully designed and built with enormous resources to maintain the life of the past even if the world were to end.

It may not be as good as the fortresses of some of the conglomerates, but it has everything you need, to an excessive degree.

I prepared everything I needed: food, fuel, daily necessities, medicine, all kinds of equipment, and even odds and ends that I didn’t even know the purpose of.

Now that I have the guns and ammunition I was lacking, my fortress is completely secure.

The citadel is a place just for me.

From the design stage, I never considered accepting anyone other than myself.

Even the toilet itself is located in the center of the bunker living area, in an open space.

This location came to be because of design conveniences such as optimizing the plumbing, but if you live in a communal living space, it means you’ll have to expose yourself every time you do your business.

The same goes for reserves.

It’s an amount that would be enough to live comfortably by myself, but it wouldn’t be the case if I shared it with others.

Yes, that’s right.

My bunker is my own paradise.

“I might have to go there.”

There is someone trying to invade that paradise.

He is someone I know well.

If there are no special circumstances, this is a person with whom you have a connection that you can accept.

But you’re not alone.

“······Three people?”

There are too many.

It’s burdensome to bring one, so you want me to bring two more?

And those are people who have no connection with me.

I can roughly guess who it is.

It would be Kim Da-ram’s husband and his son.

He is a person who has nothing to do with me.

Her husband only shook hands with her at their wedding, and her son, whose name is Dong Zhuo, she has never actually met.

“I’m sorry, senior. Are you surprised by the sudden news?”

Kim Da-ram was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.

Above all, I liked the positivity.

He was a guy who never lost his smile and hope, no matter how desperate or hopeless the situation was.

Now that she has become a wife, a mother, and a high-ranking official in a group, her image from back then has been greatly diluted, but the Kim Da-ram I first met was not like that.

The awkward silence took me back in time.

It was the time when I was leading the hunting team as team leader.

At that time, I was not a welcome person.

Rather, it was an object of avoidance.

It couldn’t be otherwise, because in the past, Park Gyu was stubborn, uncompromising, and harsh to himself and others.

Because of his terrible personality, his peers left him first, and his seniors also avoided him. His juniors heard rumors and didn’t even approach him.

“You, get off my team. I don’t need someone who hesitates and watches the fire on my team.”

He was also a source of fear for his teammates.

“This isn’t a place where talentless people can come in and try to be celebrities. If you can’t keep up, then quit. I don’t want to die because of you.”

I was always spewing harsh words and pushing team members who didn’t meet my standards to their limits.

As a result, in my first year as team leader, I created a team with the highest kill score of the year, but there were hardly any people interested in my team.

“I don’t want to say anything bad about you now that I’m leaving. I’m sick of you, senior.”

“Why do you talk about everything based on your own standards? Not everyone is the same. Even if this is a place that demands uniformity, there are individual differences, right?”

“Let’s never see each other again.”

Who would want to join that team when even the people who were already there are leaving?

Oh, I did have a friend who was interested.

“Hahaha! Second place again! Second place again!”

Now, Lee Sang-hoon, who had become liberated, burst into laughter and approached me.

“But next year will be different, Professor.”

Lee Sang-hoon, who likes women then and now, brought a woman he had never seen before to the year-end party that day.

“Does your skill improve as the year changes?”

I stared intently at the cast wrapped around Lee Sang-hoon’s left arm.

“That’s not it, but you know. Can you save your teammates?”

“······.”

“Rumor has already spread. If you work under the professor, you will die from illness before you die from monsters.”

“You must be saying that because you’ve never been attacked by a monster.”

“Okay, you’re really hungry right now. There are two restaurants. One has good food but terrible service, and the other has so-so food but great service. Where would you eat?”

“The latter.”

“You know that too.”

“Are restaurants and battlefields the same?”

At the time, I didn’t think much of it.

Since I was so consumed with my hatred for monsters, I assumed everyone else was too.

To be honest, I didn’t mind having someone like me as a superior or colleague.

If only I could kill the monsters, if only I could kill with my own hands those who took everything from me, I was willing to endure any kind of cold and cruel treatment.

There is no result as plain as reality.

Lee Sang-hoon’s words, which sounded like a curse from a fake shaman, came true.

Even though I had the best track record and my team leader took on the most dangerous tasks, no one wanted to join my team.

I applied to transfer to another team as a member, but even that wasn’t easy. No one would accept me.

It wasn’t me, the team leader, who was the problem.

The human Park Gyu himself became an object of avoidance to everyone.

While I was unable to do anything, I saw my colleagues leaving for China one by one, and I fell into deep despair. It was probably around that time that I first tried alcohol.

Then a guy appeared.

He was a friend who was one year younger than me and had been seriously injured on the battlefield and had been bedridden for quite some time.

Since I only vaguely knew his face, I was just staring blankly when he smiled brightly and introduced himself first.

“I’m Kim Da-ram. I’m Da-ram.”

“······Rodent?”

“···haha.”

Maybe my out-of-context gags are one of the reasons I wasn’t popular.

Kim Da-ram was more generous than other people.

“Everyone says that you’re boring and scary, but I’m okay with it. I did some calculations. I don’t know about anything else, but when I’m with you, the chances of dying are the lowest.”

That was my first proper meeting with Kim Da-ram.

Time has come back to reality.

The desolate silence still continues.

“what’s the matter?”

I was the first to break the long silence.

“Why would such a high-ranking member of the National Assembly suddenly come to such a shabby place?”

“Things are not good.”

Kim Da-ram let out a deep sigh.

“That guy Yang Sang-gil said that Jeju Island doesn’t need incompetent people.”

“Yang Sang-gil······.”

The name of the chairman of the National Assembly.

He is neither a hunter nor a soldier, but a purely bureaucratic person who has never been on a battlefield, but has been in charge of administration since the Hunter organization was incorporated into the government.

Certainly, the ability is outstanding.

Looking at the fact that he not only kept his position while all the non-hunter members in a similar position were leaving, but he was also promoted to chairman, it is clear.

“That guy Yang Sang-gil said this at a meeting. Shouldn’t the old school remain?”

Old school refers to hunters from the old days like me.

He is a hunter from a crude era when mankind did not yet know of monster-like abilities, and had to fight with only his own skills, senses, guts, and determination.

What sets him apart is that he is a new hunter who can use mental energy and psychic abilities through a series of processes expressed in various ways, such as opening of eyes, awakening, and awakening.

They were originally called New Kids, but are now called Awaken.

Kim Da-ram and Lee Sang-hoon are old school like me.

As the first Awaken appeared and the method of mass producing Awaken was discovered through them, our Old School was quickly eliminated from the battlefield.

This may be an expected result, considering that the efficiency was mediocre compared to the cost incurred and the mortality rate was extremely high.

They were no longer needed on the battlefield and had to take off their uniforms and wear suits.

Well, for them, it’s a case that’s been resolved well.

Most old schoolers had to take off their clothes or live a second-class life as old hunters.

There were also people like Baek Seung-hyun who took a different path and had no choice but to return, leading a miserable life while being called uncle by a junior who was nearly ten years younger than them.

“If Lee Sang-hoon had as much ability as those people, it would have been Yang Gil-sang who committed suicide.”

“······.”

“Anyway, this is how things turned out.”

“While we’re on the subject, let me ask. How much time is left in Seoul?”

“vestige.”

Kim Da-ram answered without hesitation.

“Did you know that we supplied food and supplies to Seoul this time?”

“I kind of heard it.”

“That was something that had to go to the front lines. It was something that had to go to a military unit where discontent was already at its peak.”

“So that’s what happened.”

“Several frontline commanders are already showing signs of militarization. In that situation, asking them to remain in Seoul is no different from telling them to just die.”

“So you’re saying you’re coming here?”

“Are you feeling burdened?”

“Three is too many.”

“I can’t give up on anyone.”

“······I see.”

“Of course I don’t plan on going empty-handed. I am also a person with a conscience. I will bring a deposit that will make my senior nod in agreement.”

That was the end of the conversation.

Although she didn’t give a definite answer, considering Kim Da-ram’s impulsive personality, it’s a given that she’ll come here.

I thought about it carefully.

Kim Da-ram is a great fighter.

Although her senses may have dulled a bit from being up high for so long, I don’t doubt her fighting prowess.

Vs. Human, Vs. Mutation, Vs. Monster.

She demonstrated her worth without reserve on the Chinese battlefield.

Above all, I have been working with her for a long time.

If the types are compatible, the two of them can defeat another monster together.

Meanwhile, her husband is a doctor.

They say it’s a dermatologist, but the doctors are doctors.

It’s no comparison to an unlicensed quack like me.

He is not a combatant, but he can be quite helpful in some cases.

Their son is a toddler who hasn’t even started kindergarten yet, so he’s not worth discussing.

Objectively, this family is of a very high standard among those who can be accepted as colleagues in the era of destruction.

But my castle is my own paradise.

When I was unable to make a decision, I sought advice from the comfort of my heart.

But now I am also a veteran user.

I know the rules of the community and what they don’t like.

I can’t give up the title of the same name as my identity, but I try not to break the taboo they hate the most.

For the first time in a while, I tried writing under the mask of anonymity.

Anonymous1031: I’m looking to bring in a new colleague. Please evaluate him.

The story is about putting a married couple, a doctor and an active-duty hunter, in a bunker.

The reason I wrote anonymously is because asking such a question is a kind of deception.

Anonymous458: Oh my, lol, a doctor and a hunter, lol, you have a lot of great acquaintances, lol

Kyle_Dos: It’s a fantasy novel, but I think I’d accept it. As long as there’s enough food.

Anonymous848: If it’s a doctor + a hunter, they can live on their own and still have some left. If it’s siblings, I can accept it.

There is some murmuring, but overall the reviews are favorable.

The general opinion is that with that level of manpower, wouldn’t it be better than doing it alone?

I honestly feel disappointed in the community.

Because I felt that our thoughts were very different.

“······.”

Well, the community’s thoughts can’t always be the same as mine.

Still, there were some friends who expressed their concerns, even if they did not agree with my thoughts.

Defender: There’s nothing more dangerous than a parent with a child. If you saw the mess your child is making, you’d want to kill them, right?

There were opinions like this.

That squirrel acted quickly.

“Can I take a look around before I go?”

He’s coming to see the house.

There is a last resort of ignoring her, but meeting her may have been decided from the moment she contacted him.

Why, if it weren’t for that friend, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

The always positive Kim Da-ram was the glue that connected me and my new teammates, and thanks to him, I was able to continue my life as a hunter.

Although she occasionally connected me with psychopaths like Woo Min-hee and Gong Kyung-min, it is no exaggeration to say that my team was maintained thanks to her.

If the tables had not turned, she might still be fighting monsters on the same battlefield as him.

Maybe that’s what happened.

Because that guy had a hatred in his heart just as strong as mine.

That junior came to my area.

I entered my paradise with dirt feet in a military jeep.

I looked at her face with a complicated mind, but somehow, her expression was quite different from what I expected.

“and······.”

A look of considerable shock.

“It’s a savage sight.”

It seems like a bleak landscape here.

“What, this is it? Here? What the heck is this trash? Is this really a place where people live?”

But is it right to show such disgust?

I’m not asking for a thrill, but I feel like you’re disrespecting my paradise too much.

What about my bunker then?

I revealed my paradise to her with a slight sense of guilt.

The heavy bunker door was thrown open, revealing the secret main bunker to others.

“Welcome to the Skeleton Proud Palace···!!”

“······!!”

The emotion that appeared in Kim Da-ram’s eyes was surprise.

Well then, that’s right.

Who on earth could build a bunker this big, this fancy, and this fancy as an individual?

“You made all of this, senior?”

“Proud.”

It’s possible because I’m there.

But Kim Da-ram’s surprise quickly turned to disappointment and contempt.

“What is a toilet?”

Moreover, the expression I interpreted as surprise was actually shock.

Kim Da-ram turned around and muttered.

“······You can’t raise a child in a place like this.”

Only then did the hidden symbol-like brand on the clothes she was wearing become clearly visible.

Yeah, she used to wear only nice clothes.

I used to work in an office with a nice view and a nice smell, listening to the committee’s voice.

No matter how pushed she was in life, she climbed up too high while I was building the bunker.

To a level that my poor imagination cannot understand.

“I really appreciate your consideration, but it’ll be hard to live here. After thinking about it carefully, I think Dong-tak also has claustrophobia.”

She showed me a picture of her son.

“Hey, you named that kid well.”

“What does that mean?”

I asked her, half indignant and half relieved.

“What are you going to do now?”

“Well, I guess I have to figure out how to survive on my own.”

Kim Da-ram laughed heartily.

“I’m Kim Da-ram.”

“······Squirrel.”

“He is someone who worked under that professor.”

The face of Kim Da-ram from the past overlapped with her smiling face.

Yeah, this guy was positive.

So stupid.

“I won’t give up on going to Jeju Island, but I need to make contact with the military as well. I’m also considering the warlords.”

Kim Da-ram handed me a luxurious paper bag.

“Now, a present.”

Inside the envelope were high-quality Western confectionery.

She looked back at me as she was about to get into the car.

“You didn’t seem to age at all, but when I looked under the sun, I saw that you had aged a bit.”

“Is that so?”

“Is it because your expression brightened?”

She looked at me blankly.

“Have you met a woman lately?”

“no.”

“Anyway, I’ll contact you once I’ve decided on my next move.”

I watched her appear and disappear like a whirlwind for a while with a bitter smile on my face.

Everything is relative.

One person’s proud paradise may seem like hell to another.

The cookies she left behind spoke volumes about this bittersweet reality.

“Whoa, shit.”

These cookies are really fancy.