Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 87.2: Unknown Number (2)

The area where Jeon Yu-gyeong lived was a barren wasteland stretching eastward. Once filled with countless greenhouses and farmland, it had now devolved into a cracked, desolate terrain, with its surface split open like the pages of a forgotten story.

Here and there, reservoirs dotted the landscape—one of the few places where water remained. But even those reservoirs bore the frozen remnants of time, coated in the grime of years gone by, revealing the traces of past human habitation.

If someone were to ask why no one lived here, my answer would be simple: there are better places to live.

The abundance of zombies, mutations, and monster-controlled zones in the area is one of the primary reasons small groups of survivors avoid settling here.

Nominally, this wasteland fell under the Corps Faction's jurisdiction. Though far from their main stronghold in the Yeongdong region, it was relatively close to their forward base in the Yeongseo area. However, due to the poor state of the roads, only vehicles capable of off-road driving could traverse this terrain.

For someone like Bang Soo-byeon, a general in the Corps Faction, acquiring an off-road jeep wouldn’t have been difficult. That’s likely how he managed to set up a hideout for his mistress here.

Not that I take much interest in speculating about personal affairs, but it didn’t seem like this hideout was set up out of pure goodwill—especially considering the mountain of supplies he mentioned.

The Corps Faction was known for its strict enforcement of laws, particularly when it came to embezzlement. Listening to their broadcasts, you’d learn that most cases of embezzlement were met with execution by firing squad.

Over the hill ahead, I could see the destination.

It was a church, its sharp spire broken and abandoned.

Bang Soo-byeon had mentioned that Jeon Yu-gyeong’s hideout was near the church. I stopped my motorcycle and approached on foot, advancing carefully while keeping an eye on possible cover.

As I neared the church, the smell of burnt wood pricked my nose.

The inside of the church showed clear signs of fire. While there were no traces of people having burned, it was evident that no one had lived here since the fire.

According to Bang Soo-byeon, Jeon Yu-gyeong’s hideout was on the northeastern ridge beyond the church.

Through the grass and dirt-covered slope, faint traces of concrete emerged. Slowly, I approached with my firearm ready.

Sure enough, there was a house.

The yard, untended, had bamboo growing wildly as if an explosion had gone off. The house itself bore signs of neglect—stains and cracks marring its structure. Yet, by pre-war standards, it was a remarkably well-built country house.

Its experimental architecture and the sleek, modern interiors visible even in its decay made it clear that this house was once carefully designed. Below the ridge lay a green-covered hill and a lake, likely a former golf course.

The scenery was impressive—worthy of a general’s hideout.

As I approached, signs of habitation became apparent: a firepit with charred remains, recently discarded coal briquettes, and a small flowerbed hidden behind the bamboo thicket.

The flowerbed bloomed with unnamed, beautiful flowers, but the house itself was empty. Someone had lived here, but they had left.

The mountain of supplies Bang Soo-byeon had described was nowhere to be found. All that remained were faint tire marks etched into the dirt of the yard.

I attempted to contact Bang Soo-byeon, but there was no response.

I searched the house further and found ten coal briquettes in the storage room. Though I wanted to take them all, the issue wasn’t weight but space. I managed to fit six briquettes into my storage compartment and left the abandoned house.

After that, there was no further contact from Bang Soo-byeon.

I didn’t hear anything about him until a week later.

*

“Lieutenant General Bang Soo-byeon, along with five others, has been indicted and tried for embezzling wartime supplies. Despite vehemently denying the charges, clear evidence and testimony led the military tribunal to sentence Lieutenant General Bang Soo-byeon to death.

The execution is scheduled for 5 PM the day after tomorrow at the Chuncheon Military Prison. Those wishing to request visitation should contact the Integrated Headquarters in advance.”

Hearing about the imminent execution of someone I had recently been in contact with was a strange experience.

I wasn’t particularly saddened or shocked.

The connection between Bang Soo-byeon and me was nothing more than a single thin thread. He had accidentally called the wrong number, and I had gone to his mistress’s house, ultimately leaving with six coal briquettes.

Contacting the personal identification number SCARLET had been a spur-of-the-moment decision.

I wasn’t planning to console someone about to die, but I was curious. I wanted to learn a little more about the situation that had intrigued me.

Beep-beep-beep

To my surprise, there was a signal.

This meant the walkie-talkie associated with SCARLET was powered on.

Sure enough, someone answered.

“Who’s this?”

Despite the heavy noise and distortion, the voice was unmistakably clear and youthful—a young woman’s voice, bright and elegant. For a moment, I thought she might be Jeon Yu-gyeong, the woman Bang Soo-byeon had been so desperate to find. But I didn’t ask.

Instead, I opted for a frivolous question to end the call.

“Can I speak to Um Chang-yi?”

“What?”

“Isn’t this Um Chang-yi’s house?”

“No, it’s not.”

The call ended abruptly, and I prepared to leave.

I couldn’t explain it, but I had a gut feeling. Something told me that Jeon Yu-gyeong would be at that house.

This wasn’t particularly important anymore—Bang Soo-byeon’s story was effectively over—but my pathological curiosity drove me to dig deeper.

Who knows? If I was lucky, this could turn into a new story for Skelton’s "tales."

Having recently been to the house also made the journey feel lighter.

By the time I arrived, dawn’s mist veiled the abandoned church in a pale glow. This time, I parked my motorcycle farther away and approached the hideout on foot.

In the front yard, now overgrown with unsightly bamboo, a truck was parked.

A woman crouched near the flowers, seemingly lost in thought.

Was this Jeon Yu-gyeong?

There was someone else—a young man.

He wasn’t strikingly handsome, but he had a rugged, masculine appearance and a solid build. He was unloading something from the truck and carrying it into the house.

I waited, observing for a while, but there was no one else.

Just the two of them.

There was no sign of the female soldier Bang Soo-byeon had supposedly assigned to guard Jeon Yu-gyeong.

When the man finished unloading, I moved in silently, raising my gun as I approached from behind.

“Hands up.”

The man wasn’t the type to comply quietly.

Feigning surrender, he lunged at me, likely aiming to grab my weapon and engage in close combat. But he chose the wrong opponent.

Thwack!

The butt of my rifle struck his head, and as he dropped to his knees, my boot connected with his face. The blows continued until his resistance ceased entirely.

I sighed as I looked at the bloodied man and the pale-faced woman.

“When I say put your hands up, just do it. Why bother with unnecessary resistance?”

Even in his battered state, the man held the woman tightly with one arm, as if to shield her. I glanced at her face.

Young, elegant, and beautiful.

She truly looked like someone who would be a general’s mistress.

“I didn’t come here to harm you. I just needed to confirm something.”

I turned to the woman.

“Are you Jeon Yu-gyeong?”

She nodded fearfully.

“You know Bang Soo-byeon is going to die, right?”

She hesitated, but at the man’s urging, she nodded again.

One last question.

“You ignored his calls on purpose, didn’t you?”

Another nod.

I stood and looked at the man.

“Sorry for hitting you, but you came at me like you were ready to kill me.”

After a pause, I added, “Oh, while I’m here, could I trouble you for a can of synthetic oil and some food? That’ll do.”

Even in the apocalypse, one should be compensated for their efforts.

The man got up but didn’t try to stop me. With an armed stranger and a hostage in front of him, he had little choice.

He fetched the requested items from the truck and placed them in front of me. I instructed him to step back.

“Who are you?” the man asked cautiously, retreating step by step.

I hesitated briefly before answering honestly.

“Bang Soo-byeon sent me. He said a woman he knows wasn’t answering her calls, so he sent me here.”

“Oh, so that’s why... the coal briquettes...”

"The client is about to die soon, so this whole thing is over. I came here out of curiosity, and now that it’s satisfied, I’ll be leaving."

Slowly backing away, I kept my eyes on the man, wary that he might try to draw a hidden weapon. As I distanced myself, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity for Bang Soo-byeon.

He probably believed he loved Jeon Yu-gyeong and that she loved him back. A classic case of mismatched arrows in the game of affection.

Just as I was almost out of earshot, Jeon Yu-gyeong called out in a trembling voice.

"Please, don’t tell the general about us."

"What?"

"Please, I’m begging you. You can’t tell him about us!"

Her words didn’t make sense to me. The general was scheduled to be executed in a matter of days. Why fear someone who had already lost his power in the political struggle?

I decided to ask.

"Is it because of the general’s subordinates?"

"No," she replied firmly.

Perplexed, I watched her lightly bite her lip, clearly torn. Then, as if deciding to confide, she looked at me and spoke.

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"The general... General Bang is an Awakened."

"An Awakened?"

"Yes, and a terrifyingly powerful one. He’s as strong as Kang Han-min, the savior."

The revelation that a high-ranking Corps Faction general like Bang Soo-byeon was not only an Awakened but one comparable to the legendary Kang Han-min was shocking. From a purely unexpected standpoint, this story deserved high marks.

However, regardless of its truth, the story didn’t hold up logically.

If Bang Soo-byeon were truly as powerful as Kang Han-min, he would have undoubtedly surpassed Kang Han-min in reputation. Within the Corps Faction, he would have been exalted as a general and an Awakened—a combination that would have ensured him a secure, untouchable status.

At the very least, he wouldn’t be awaiting execution by firing squad.

Yet Jeon Yu-gyeong’s insistence was so resolute that it piqued my curiosity. I decided to dig into Bang Soo-byeon’s background—an individual I admittedly didn’t know much about.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much information available about the Corps Faction or its members.

While there were some users from the Corps Faction on Viva! Apocalypse!, they weren’t as active as I was. Even during PaleNet’s heyday, most users were concentrated in Seoul or Incheon, leaving little news from the Yeongdong and Yeongseo regions where the Corps Faction operated.

Still, I wasn’t entirely without connections.

Though it had been a while since I’d heard from him, Defender had joined the Corps Faction. Moreover, the 7th Corps, where Bang Soo-byeon had served, was the original unit of Dies Irae, someone I had blocked. Surely there were rumors about Bang Soo-byeon circulating within their ranks.

SKELTON: "How have you been? I need to ask you a few things."

I sent a message to Defender but received no reply. Under normal circumstances, I would have waited patiently. However, with only 32 hours and 18 minutes remaining until Bang Soo-byeon’s execution, time was running out.

So, I reached out to someone more likely to respond—Defender’s younger sister, Dajeong. As expected, she replied almost immediately.

DAJUNG: "Skelton!"

I noticed Dajeong had changed her username. She had dropped "SeamonkeyPapa" in favor of simply using her name.

Though it reminded me of the word "Da-jung" (multiple), an effect of spending too much time on the internet.

DAJUNG: "It’s been a while! How are you?"

SKELTON: "I’m fine. How about you?"

DAJUNG: "I’m in the hospital."

SKELTON: (Startled) "Hospital?"

DAJUNG: "It’s not a major illness, but it would’ve been bad if I ignored it. I’m having surgery soon—it’ll be over soon."

SKELTON: (Worried)

DAJUNG: "It’s a minor procedure, so don’t worry. By the way, the Corps Faction hospitals are great! Oh, remember that quack dentist we saw? He’s here too, lol."

SKELTON: "I see..."

DAJUNG: "So, what did you want to ask?"

I was worried about Dajeong’s condition, but for now, I decided to trust her words. Worrying wouldn’t improve her situation. I explained what I wanted to know.

DAJUNG: "General Bang Soo-byeon? Oh, yeah, I heard some strange rumors about him."

SKELTON: "What kind of rumors?"

DAJUNG: "Apparently, he was having an affair with his mistress and abandoned his family to send her all the supplies he embezzled—planning to live with her later. Luckily, he got caught before leaving his family, or they would’ve been executed for his crimes."

DAJUNG: "His son figured it out and reported him to the military police. Even his family turned their backs on him."

The story Dajeong shared was intriguing but not the kind of information I was looking for.

SKELTON: "When’s your surgery?"

DAJUNG: "Why? Thinking of visiting?"

SKELTON: "If I can."

DAJUNG: "I appreciate it, but I’m a bit of a mess right now. I’ll reach out later!"

I had suspected it before: Defender’s hasty decision to join the Corps Faction had a reason I didn’t know. And now, it was clear.

Defender joined the Corps Faction to ensure Dajeong could get the treatment she needed. The person who diagnosed her was likely the quack doctor she despised, Heo Jong-chul.

Silently wishing for her recovery, I moved on to Plan B.

First, I unblocked Dies Irae on the forum. Then, I posted a story:

SKELTON: (Skelton’s Tales) "The Secret of General Bang Soo-byeon, Soon to Be Executed.txt"

"General Bang Soo-byeon is, in fact, an incredibly powerful Awakened, possessing abilities that even make the savior Kang Han-min wary..."After writing a mostly fabricated story, I messaged Ballantine.

BALLANTINE: "Are you seriously spreading another fake story? Why are you like this? You must have a reason, right?"

SKELTON: (Serious) "It’s for the greater good."

BALLANTINE: "The greater good? Really?"

Thankfully, I didn’t need to convince Ballantine. A comment appeared on my post.

Dies Irae69: "Ah, Bang Soo-byeon? That non-KMA reservist contract officer, right?"

It was from Dies Irae. While I wasn’t thrilled about him commenting, I knew he probably had information I didn’t.

Dies Irae69: "There was a time when a company under his command was ambushed near Sariwon by remnants of the North Korean military. His entire unit was wiped out, and he was the only one who made it back."

Dies Irae69: "When the main force arrived at the battle site, there was nothing left—everything had been completely obliterated, like a thousand-megaton explosion had gone off."

Dies Irae69: "But there had been no artillery or airstrikes in the area at all."