Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 153.1: Paper Boat (1)

The end of the year had arrived.

Most of us, myself included, assumed this marked the true beginning of the bitter cold.

But as always, the weather forecast was wildly off the mark.

Under a pointlessly blazing sun, the midday temperature climbed to 22 degrees Celsius.

The melting snow turned the roads into a mess, and the half-thawed ice mixed with dirt, worsening the already unimpressive look of the city.

But the real problem wasn’t how the streets looked — it was the air in New Seoul.

“Who’s in charge here? Kim Byeong-cheol? Woo Min-hee? I’m not letting this slide anymore!”

“Name the person responsible! Enough of this 'committee' and 'task force' crap! Who the hell’s calling the shots?! Say it loud!”

There were protests in the streets.

They’d always been there — small groups stationed outside government buildings, yelling with nothing but their voices, lacking even the luxury of an amplifier.

But with the warm weather, the crowd had grown.

Most were likely just spectators, but whether it was due to the protestors’ persuasive speech or long-standing frustrations, quite a few were joining in.

“A chronic illness in this country,” I muttered.

I was in an armored vehicle, headed for my bunker.

Yes, I had a significant position in New Seoul now — but my house might be on fire.

According to Ha Tae-hoon, it was just a threat for now, but I’d rather see things with my own eyes.

Before heading out, I shared tea with the Defender siblings. The Defender didn’t say much, but Hong Da-jeong, in her usual sardonic tone, offered her analysis with a smirk.

“It’ll be nothing.”

I looked at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. Nothing’s going to happen. You’re the one who picked that place, Skeleton. As long as no one pulls some dumbass stunt, it’s practically invisible. You really think a warlord faction’s gonna show up and make a scene out there? Blah, blah, blah—”

She chuckled, her face breaking into a wide grin.

“It’s total bullshit.”

She glanced over at the Defender.

“What do you think, brother?”

He let out a sigh before answering a beat later.

“The remnants of the Legion faction wouldn’t bother with that spot. At most, they might use it as a lookout post, but there are way more rugged, higher mountains in the area. And there’s nothing strategically important nearby. Sure, there’s an airport, but in this world, who gives a damn about an airport anymore?”

He set down his teacup and added,

“They sweep the outskirts first. If there’s nothing to take, they look for people. But they’re not stupid enough to wander into empty territory for no reason.”

The way Hong Da-jeong kept glancing at her brother told me they had something else to say.

Soon, she spoke for both of them.

“This is just my speculation, alright?”

Her crooked smile returned.

“But... what if it was a fight between the people left behind?”

“Yeah?”

“Everyone there was gathered because of you — Skeleton. Without you holding them together, they’re just strangers. We don’t even have to bring up our own situation, but let’s be honest — even the Incheon hunters don’t exactly get along.”

“What?”

That was news to me.

Bang Jae-hyuk, Ha Tae-hoon, and Cheon Young-jae — not getting along?

Sure, they weren’t exactly warm and fuzzy, but I’d thought they were the type who at least had each other’s backs. And surely, someone anchored them together.

“There’s Ha Tae-hoon,” I pointed out.

He wasn’t flashy, avoided the spotlight, but he had a level-headed nature. Before I even showed up, he managed to keep the volatile Bang Jae-hyuk and Cheon Young-jae functioning as a team.

But at my comment, Hong Da-jeong burst out laughing.

“Him?”

Even the Defender gave a sly smile.

“....”

What was I missing?

Hong Da-jeong spun her chair toward the computer.

“You decide, Skeleton. I’ll hold my tongue. Gotta watch my image, you know? A woman badmouthing others — not exactly popular.”

The Defender nodded.

“Damn right.”

Their opinion was interesting — but it was still just an opinion.

If what Hong Da-jeong guessed was true, then the conflict in my territory likely stemmed from a rift between Rebecca and the other hunters.

I should have checked in from time to time... but honestly, I got swept up in New Seoul’s affairs more than I expected.

Maybe I just didn’t care.

I’ve always been the kind of person who hyper-focuses on his own work. Even if I’d mellowed a little, people don’t change that easily.

Still, I’ve done enough work for the government to return in a private armored vehicle, escorted by armed troops.

A hero’s welcome, if you will.

And it’s practical as hell.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire hit the vehicle.

Judging by the strange sound of the shots, it wasn’t a proper firearm — maybe cheap ammo. Still, one bullet pinged off the armor plate.

Ting!

“Fucking bastards!”

The driver spat a sharp curse. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

A soldier riding with me let out a dry chuckle and said,

“Security’s a mess now that the crowds are growing. Those protesters earlier? Relatively harmless. Plenty of people couldn’t handle structured life in the city and drifted to the outskirts — became raiders.”

The vehicle didn’t fire back.

Not because it wasn’t a threat — they just didn’t think it was worth wasting bullets on scavenging rats.

But I knew the truth.

The military was running low on ammunition.

Sure, they had enough for a few more battles. But they were running on fumes.

They’d been using old industrial machines from the government’s asset vaults to manufacture more rounds — but even those weren’t producing anything of decent quality.

I’d heard soldiers whispering: “If this keeps up, we’ll have to start using Punisher rounds, like the fanatics.”

No other incidents occurred after that.

We headed toward familiar roads, a ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) familiar destination.

Delays due to road conditions and the late departure meant we arrived near dusk.

“It’s me,” I said over the radio.

The gate opened.

Something felt off.

No shelling, no fires in the winter greenhouse. Nothing seemed out of place.

Except for one thing — the number of people behind the gate.

Far too few.

“Park Gyu!”

Only one person waved at me from inside.

Ha Tae-hoon.

Maybe it was the twilight shadows, but his face looked more aged and worn than I remembered.

—

Next to the winter greenhouse, a newly built house stood near completion.

Ha Tae-hoon’s house.

He’d been building it little by little since I was here, muttering that a proper Korean needs steel-reinforced concrete to live in.

Let me get to the point: No one died in my territory.

Everyone is alive.

But for their own reasons, they all left.

“I’m sorry for lying. There were no Legion remnants.”

In front of the soldiers, Ha Tae-hoon bowed his head low — too low.

“I’m sorry, Park Gyu. Really. I couldn’t hold this place on my own. I had no choice... I contacted you through Officer Woo.”

“...What happened?”

I had a good guess.

It was a people problem.

But for this much fragmentation to occur in less than three months of my absence — that was hard to stomach.

I thought I’d created a culture of mutual respect and acceptance, even if not outright affection.

I believed that.

The fact it all fell apart so easily — it was hard to accept.

Of course...

There was something I didn’t know.

“...We took in a woman.”

It was Soo who found her.

Technically, she found a man and a woman.

Both wore heavy winter gear, tied to a sled filled with supplies, trekking across the snow. Probably headed to Sejong.

Just another pair of refugees — but this time, there was a twist.

“They had forehead tattoos — looked like raiders. And they were. The guy kept yelling and hitting her. She didn’t want to go, kept crying.”

I could picture it.

He probably snatched her from some raider camp — maybe one of the women they kept for sex — and tried to escape to Sejong.

But that sort of gamble rarely ends well.

“She refused to walk any farther. The guy lost it — started beating her like a dog. That little American girl told us what was happening, and Bang Jae-hyuk shot him.”

Ha Tae-hoon gave a bitter smile.

“Hit him in the nuts. Guy collapsed, clutching his groin, bleeding out on the snow, screaming like a dying ox. Cheon Young-jae and I brought the woman back.”

He sagged in his chair.

“But you know what the real problem was?”

I could tell from his face.

“She was... kinda cute.”

Exactly what I feared.

“She was pretty.”

In times like these, beauty — for women or men — is a disruptive force.

In a functioning society, it might lead to good things.

But in this crumbling world? It sows discord.

There’s a reason Dies_Irae never accepts beautiful people into her group.

Even in my old office — a supposedly tight-knit workplace — I saw two low-ranking staffers brawling over the attractive accountant, who happened to be dating the CEO.

Never thought something like that would happen in my territory.

“Cheon Young-jae made the first move.”

“Really?”

He nodded weakly.

“That guy’s always been starved for affection. No matter how much he’s been hurt, he keeps looking for it. Like a dog in heat.”

Ha Tae-hoon’s smile vanished.

“They slept together. She gave in easily — probably a survival tactic. But the one who really liked her...”

“Was Bang Jae-hyuk.”

“Yeah. He’s always been popular. Way more than Young-jae. Among the hunters, he’s probably the top pick for women.”

“Come on, I’m better looking.”

“It’s not about looks. It’s a vibe. He’s got that fantasy quality. Even after he injured his leg, women flocked to him.”

“Really?”

“Swear to god.”

“What kind of vibe do I have?”

He stared at me, then looked away.

“You’re the professor. That’s what you are.”

“...?”

“Anyway, point is — she came on to Jae-hyuk. Normally, he wouldn’t give her the time of day, but maybe he was feeling lonely. Next thing you know, he takes her in. You can imagine the rest.”

He stood up.

“With all that, I’m thinking of leaving.”

“Where is everyone else?”

“Jae-hyuk moved out to the hillside apartments. Young-jae holed up in his own place. The American mother and daughter moved in nearby.”

“And the woman?”

For a second, Ha Tae-hoon looked away.

Just a flicker — but enough to raise alarms.

Then, with a straight face, he said,

“She’s dead.”

I immediately thought — there must be more to it.

Sure enough—

“She’s alive,” Rebecca said over the comms.

“She’s alive. She went with Bang.”

Here’s what really happened:

Ha Tae-hoon tried to assault her.

When they were alone, he attacked. But Cheon Young-jae walked in at the right time and stopped it. It didn’t go further.

But Soo remembers something else.

“That woman was grinning.”

Woo Min-hee gave me 48 hours.

At first, I thought it was plenty.

Now?

I think I’ll need all of it.