January 1st, 2024
After the talk, Autumn got up from her seat, saying she had school tomorrow. Her hands were still pulsing with black energy as she straightened her chair, and although I repeatedly suggested that she go to the emergency room, she shoved her hands back into her pockets.
“In the future, I won’t come to you unless it’s a piece I need to pass on, because I know it’ll make you anxious.”
“I don’t think so.”
“No. Sometimes I get hunters from the bureau attached to me and… It’s best if I don’t come at all.”
As Autumn headed for the sliding door with her head bowed, I walked quickly to open it for her. For a moment, I was about to say goodbye, but then a thought flashed through my mind and I spoke urgently.
“Hey, I just want to ask you something.”
“Sure! Go ahead.”
According to Autumn, she seemed to be cooperating closely with the bureau. Even so, that didn’t mean she would know anything about the people Sa-young was chasing, but just in case, I asked her.
“Do you know anything about those who artificially create awakeners… Do you know anything about them?”
“What? Ah… Yes! I know.”
The unexpected answer came back. I looked at Autumn with a slightly dumbfounded look on my face, and then asked.
“…You know?”
“Yes! I heard a little bit of what Jung-bin was talking. I think he said that they were also moving to prevent the apocalypse….”
Autumn muttered, grimacing slightly at the thought.
“I heard they kidnap people and experiment on them. I guess it’s the same goal, but I’d rather not get involved.”
Drugs, kidnapping. The apocalypse was just an excuse, this was a criminal organization.
“Did you hear anything else?”
“What? Well, …. Ah.”
Autumn rolled her eyes, then answered.
“I think he said something about… something at Incheon Port, but I didn’t hear the details because I was eavesdropping on the conversation.”
When she apologized for not knowing more, I thanked her. With my hands shoved deep in my pockets, I watched after her until she disappeared from the alleyway completely, the autumn wind blowing.
Alone in the shop, I pondered the unintended consequences of staying up all night to set up shop.
It was a story that I would not have believed if I hadn’t been able to enter the world’s netherworld, and if the backgrounds of the West Rift and the world’s netherworld weren’t identical. I would have thought Yoon Autumn was possessing me with a mental skill.
‘Another world.’
Was there really another world that was similar to this one? The world where J died, Jung-bin died, Mok Tae-oh and Matthew died, and Bae Won-woo lost his left arm. There must have been countless events that led up to that. What Yoon Autumn and I saw must have been a very short, very small moment in the future.
We don’t know when or how the end will come. Preparing for an uncertain future is similar to blindly walking forward with your eyes closed. Perhaps that’s why the bureau is so desperate to find J, so that they can have a guide to help them find their way more skillfully.
‘…….’
Since then, I pondered the world that had collapsed. When and how will the end come? How does it foreshadow? Why does the world where the end came look like a rift in the West Sea? And the end of my thoughts went to a dark room where I was taken without even knowing why.
The thought stretched on and on. Just as I was becoming less and less talkative and making small mistakes at the store, I received a text from Sa-young.
Sa-young: I have a job for you.
Sa-young asked me to track down the people who bring drugs near the Incheon Port and check the route of the drugs. Originally, it was managed by Seo Min-ki, but he went on a business trip abroad. Could it be that Yoon Autumn was on the other end of the overheard call?
Ui-jae: ㅇㅇ
Sa-young: You should have answered long
Ui-jae: ㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇ
Projection: ㅗ
‘You little bastard.’
I smiled and put down my mobile phone. Sa-young’s suggestion was a welcome one for me.
After meeting Yoon Autumn, I had too many thoughts. And complicated thoughts disappear when you move your body. If I could just relax a little bit, I wouldn’t have to worry about what to do when the apocalypse unexpectedly arrived.
So from the afternoon of the day I accepted the project, I headed to the vicinity of Incheon Port every morning with the Pado Guild corporate card in the counter.
I didn’t have a car or a license, so I took a taxi, and the late-night surcharges were ridiculous, but it didn’t matter. The leader of the Pado Guild was always working hard for money.
Early on a deserted weekday, a black bongo truck glided through the container at Incheon Port. Soon, a few big men with deep hoods and heavy backpacks got off. They looked around and headed into the corner container.
Cha Ui-jae, a young man lying on the roof of the opposite container and watching through binoculars, lowered his binoculars and closed his eyes tightly.
<Tracker’s eyes!>
As if the bottom of the container had been pierced, the shapes of people descending to the bottom could be seen. I turned on the power of the eavesdropping device in my ears. Footsteps, the sound of heavy steel doors opening. The sound of greetings. A phlegmatic, raspy voice asked.
“How much do you have today?”
“There are three.”
“We’ve been getting fewer lately…….”
Bang. There was a sound like the floor being stamped with a pipe or something.
“…You’re not going to steal it, are you?”
“What are you talking about… We’re risking our lives to carry it, too, and the three-legged fowl keep grabbing at it like rats.”
I groped to my side and picked up a leather notebook I’d tossed haphazardly. On a tear-off sheet stuck to the cover, it read, in smooth script.
Min-ki’s Beginner’s Guide to Stealth and Infiltration.
My fingertips found the bookmark labelled ‘silverfish’ and I flipped to the next page. “Three Furrows” is the Bureau, and “Padak” is the slang of the Pado Guild. Okay, you’ve written everything down.
(TL/N: Well, I’m not really sure with the second sentence. ‘쓰리고’는 각관국, ‘파닭’은 파도 길드의 은어. 좋아, 별걸 다 적어놨군.)
Before going on a business trip, Min-ki handed me this notebook, saying he was sorry that the previous incident was not smooth. Perhaps he predicted that Lee Sa-young would take charge of this kind of work, because he hadn’t asked him to do it that day, but he put the fried rice in the freezer and gave it to me as a free gift, so it was a clear sign of customer satisfaction.
(TL/N: welp, another part of confusion: 그날 자신이 시키지 않았는데도 공깃밥을 온장고에 척척 넣어주고 이런 것까지 사은품으로 주다니 고객 만족 A/ S가 아주 확실했다.)
After closing the notebook, I focused on the voice.
“That’s right. The seeds in Busan are dry. So Incheon’s the only place I can get through.”
“Fuck, where the hell do those bastards get their smell?”
“Well, they’re talking upstairs, and they’re telling us to move tomorrow because they won’t have it long. Before they catch us by the tail.”
“Eh, I guess we’ll have to move again.”
“Are you packing anything?”
“Pack the big stuff now. We need to get out of here before the Three arrive and deliver the medicine to each room.”
“Four. The one in Songpa-gu is about to enter the metamorphosis stage, so I asked for a little more.”
Each room…My eyes quickly scanned the contents. That means they’re going to entrust the goods to the local suppliers.
Variants are expected to occur soon in Songpa-gu. Clutching the notebook, I leaned back and rubbed my chin in thought.
Maybe it’s been about a week since Lee Sa-young’s request. With the tracker’s eyes, it was easy to find the suspicious guys. I have been watching them every dawn while eating kimbap at a convenience store. This group of criminals had their own behavior patterns and it was also fun to watch.
Soon enough, they were packing up and robbing as a group….
I stuffed the finished bag of kimbap into a black convenience store bag, then grabbed my phone and hesitantly tapped my fingers. The apron, which had not yet been taken off, fluttered in the early morning wind.
‘I’m going to report it to him, but….’
If you contact him, he will send backup. Now that was shallow trust. But they’ll be packing up and leaving soon. I unlocked and re-locked my phone while staring at the container below.
‘Will support get here in time?’
Now, I have two options. First, it’s to tracks those who fail even with their luggage. Second, I shoot it muself to prevent the Great Migration.
The first option was all good, but there was a big problem. With the tracker’s eyes, tracking would be enough, but no matter how high-class I’m and the skills to hide my presence, it was impossible to chase the people running away in cars or ships alone.
‘It’s not like I have a flying skill….’
It was the first time I had ever been so envious of those with flying skills. I gritted my teeth and considered the second option.
I could use my body to stop them from moving. If I chose this option, I would jump into their midst. The upside was that I’d be able to secure their feet in exchange for my body.
I’ve never kidnapped someone, but I’m pretty sure I can keep them on their toes. I’d take them all out if I had to.
‘Huh?’
I rubbed my chin.
‘Might as well.’
As expected, if you are in good shape, your head will not suffer. I turned on my phone and texted Sa-young.
Uijae: (link to map)
Uijae: The kids are packing up and leaving tonight.
Ui-jae: I’ll hold their feet.
Transmission complete. I put my phone in the pants pocket, and bravely jumped into the container.
The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard. The owner of the footsteps stood nearby and clicked his tongue.
“Is that you, jumping in here like some kind of madman?”
“Four.”
I tried to pass out naturally after being hit by a lumber, but the lumber was rather broken, but in any case, I pretended to pass out and succeeded in being tied to an old iron chair in the container.
Deciding that only an awakened could dive so bravely, the criminals tied ten cable ties to each of my arms and legs.
“Any connection to the Three Furrows?”
“Didn’t look like it.”
“Why are you questioning me? Didn’t you check him out?”
“No official ID, I checked his hunter’s license in his apron pocket, it’s a common D-rank.”
“What kind of a kid who’s only a D-rank? …He looks too distant for a reader who’s been crawling with a sniff of drugs.”
“There is no sign of mutating.”
“Well, you’ll know if you ask.”
The mumbling man bit into his cigarette and pulled on the lighter.
“Hey, wake him up. I’m running out of time.”
“Yes, hyung!”
There was a flurry of movement. Someone roughly grabbed my hair and pulled him upright. The faint sound of waves mixed with the sound of water contained in something. My closed eyes fluttered open. What a barbaric thing to wake me up by spraying me with water….
Chwaak! A cold spray of water came flying at him.
‘Shit, they’re really doing it.’
Judging by the salty taste, it must have been straight from the sea. Not only my hair, but also my upper body was soaked. Bastards, I’m not sleeping. I gritted my teeth to keep it from showing.
‘Maybe I should have just kicked their asses from the start….’
January 1st, 2024
After the talk, Autumn got up from her seat, saying she had school tomorrow. Her hands were still pulsing with black energy as she straightened her chair, and although I repeatedly suggested that she go to the emergency room, she shoved her hands back into her pockets.
“In the future, I won’t come to you unless it’s a piece I need to pass on, because I know it’ll make you anxious.”
“I don’t think so.”
“No. Sometimes I get hunters from the bureau attached to me and… It’s best if I don’t come at all.”
As Autumn headed for the sliding door with her head bowed, I walked quickly to open it for her. For a moment, I was about to say goodbye, but then a thought flashed through my mind and I spoke urgently.
“Hey, I just want to ask you something.”
“Sure! Go ahead.”
According to Autumn, she seemed to be cooperating closely with the bureau. Even so, that didn’t mean she would know anything about the people Sa-young was chasing, but just in case, I asked her.
“Do you know anything about those who artificially create awakeners… Do you know anything about them?”
“What? Ah… Yes! I know.”
The unexpected answer came back. I looked at Autumn with a slightly dumbfounded look on my face, and then asked.
“…You know?”
“Yes! I heard a little bit of what Jung-bin was talking. I think he said that they were also moving to prevent the apocalypse….”
Autumn muttered, grimacing slightly at the thought.
“I heard they kidnap people and experiment on them. I guess it’s the same goal, but I’d rather not get involved.”
Drugs, kidnapping. The apocalypse was just an excuse, this was a criminal organization.
“Did you hear anything else?”
“What? Well, …. Ah.”
Autumn rolled her eyes, then answered.
“I think he said something about… something at Incheon Port, but I didn’t hear the details because I was eavesdropping on the conversation.”
When she apologized for not knowing more, I thanked her. With my hands shoved deep in my pockets, I watched after her until she disappeared from the alleyway completely, the autumn wind blowing.
Alone in the shop, I pondered the unintended consequences of staying up all night to set up shop.
It was a story that I would not have believed if I hadn’t been able to enter the world’s netherworld, and if the backgrounds of the West Rift and the world’s netherworld weren’t identical. I would have thought Yoon Autumn was possessing me with a mental skill.
‘Another world.’
Was there really another world that was similar to this one? The world where J died, Jung-bin died, Mok Tae-oh and Matthew died, and Bae Won-woo lost his left arm. There must have been countless events that led up to that. What Yoon Autumn and I saw must have been a very short, very small moment in the future.
We don’t know when or how the end will come. Preparing for an uncertain future is similar to blindly walking forward with your eyes closed. Perhaps that’s why the bureau is so desperate to find J, so that they can have a guide to help them find their way more skillfully.
‘…….’
Since then, I pondered the world that had collapsed. When and how will the end come? How does it foreshadow? Why does the world where the end came look like a rift in the West Sea? And the end of my thoughts went to a dark room where I was taken without even knowing why.
The thought stretched on and on. Just as I was becoming less and less talkative and making small mistakes at the store, I received a text from Sa-young.
Sa-young: I have a job for you.
Sa-young asked me to track down the people who bring drugs near the Incheon Port and check the route of the drugs. Originally, it was managed by Seo Min-ki, but he went on a business trip abroad. Could it be that Yoon Autumn was on the other end of the overheard call?
Ui-jae: ㅇㅇ
Sa-young: You should have answered long
Ui-jae: ㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇ
Projection: ㅗ
‘You little bastard.’
I smiled and put down my mobile phone. Sa-young’s suggestion was a welcome one for me.
After meeting Yoon Autumn, I had too many thoughts. And complicated thoughts disappear when you move your body. If I could just relax a little bit, I wouldn’t have to worry about what to do when the apocalypse unexpectedly arrived.
So from the afternoon of the day I accepted the project, I headed to the vicinity of Incheon Port every morning with the Pado Guild corporate card in the counter.
I didn’t have a car or a license, so I took a taxi, and the late-night surcharges were ridiculous, but it didn’t matter. The leader of the Pado Guild was always working hard for money.
Early on a deserted weekday, a black bongo truck glided through the container at Incheon Port. Soon, a few big men with deep hoods and heavy backpacks got off. They looked around and headed into the corner container.
Cha Ui-jae, a young man lying on the roof of the opposite container and watching through binoculars, lowered his binoculars and closed his eyes tightly.
<Tracker’s eyes!>
As if the bottom of the container had been pierced, the shapes of people descending to the bottom could be seen. I turned on the power of the eavesdropping device in my ears. Footsteps, the sound of heavy steel doors opening. The sound of greetings. A phlegmatic, raspy voice asked.
“How much do you have today?”
“There are three.”
“We’ve been getting fewer lately…….”
Bang. There was a sound like the floor being stamped with a pipe or something.
“…You’re not going to steal it, are you?”
“What are you talking about… We’re risking our lives to carry it, too, and the three-legged fowl keep grabbing at it like rats.”
I groped to my side and picked up a leather notebook I’d tossed haphazardly. On a tear-off sheet stuck to the cover, it read, in smooth script.
Min-ki’s Beginner’s Guide to Stealth and Infiltration.
My fingertips found the bookmark labelled ‘silverfish’ and I flipped to the next page. “Three Furrows” is the Bureau, and “Padak” is the slang of the Pado Guild. Okay, you’ve written everything down.
(TL/N: Well, I’m not really sure with the second sentence. ‘쓰리고’는 각관국, ‘파닭’은 파도 길드의 은어. 좋아, 별걸 다 적어놨군.)
Before going on a business trip, Min-ki handed me this notebook, saying he was sorry that the previous incident was not smooth. Perhaps he predicted that Lee Sa-young would take charge of this kind of work, because he hadn’t asked him to do it that day, but he put the fried rice in the freezer and gave it to me as a free gift, so it was a clear sign of customer satisfaction.
(TL/N: welp, another part of confusion: 그날 자신이 시키지 않았는데도 공깃밥을 온장고에 척척 넣어주고 이런 것까지 사은품으로 주다니 고객 만족 A/ S가 아주 확실했다.)
After closing the notebook, I focused on the voice.
“That’s right. The seeds in Busan are dry. So Incheon’s the only place I can get through.”
“Fuck, where the hell do those bastards get their smell?”
“Well, they’re talking upstairs, and they’re telling us to move tomorrow because they won’t have it long. Before they catch us by the tail.”
“Eh, I guess we’ll have to move again.”
“Are you packing anything?”
“Pack the big stuff now. We need to get out of here before the Three arrive and deliver the medicine to each room.”
“Four. The one in Songpa-gu is about to enter the metamorphosis stage, so I asked for a little more.”
Each room…My eyes quickly scanned the contents. That means they’re going to entrust the goods to the local suppliers.
Variants are expected to occur soon in Songpa-gu. Clutching the notebook, I leaned back and rubbed my chin in thought.
Maybe it’s been about a week since Lee Sa-young’s request. With the tracker’s eyes, it was easy to find the suspicious guys. I have been watching them every dawn while eating kimbap at a convenience store. This group of criminals had their own behavior patterns and it was also fun to watch.
Soon enough, they were packing up and robbing as a group….
I stuffed the finished bag of kimbap into a black convenience store bag, then grabbed my phone and hesitantly tapped my fingers. The apron, which had not yet been taken off, fluttered in the early morning wind.
‘I’m going to report it to him, but….’
If you contact him, he will send backup. Now that was shallow trust. But they’ll be packing up and leaving soon. I unlocked and re-locked my phone while staring at the container below.
‘Will support get here in time?’
Now, I have two options. First, it’s to tracks those who fail even with their luggage. Second, I shoot it muself to prevent the Great Migration.
The first option was all good, but there was a big problem. With the tracker’s eyes, tracking would be enough, but no matter how high-class I’m and the skills to hide my presence, it was impossible to chase the people running away in cars or ships alone.
‘It’s not like I have a flying skill….’
It was the first time I had ever been so envious of those with flying skills. I gritted my teeth and considered the second option.
I could use my body to stop them from moving. If I chose this option, I would jump into their midst. The upside was that I’d be able to secure their feet in exchange for my body.
I’ve never kidnapped someone, but I’m pretty sure I can keep them on their toes. I’d take them all out if I had to.
‘Huh?’
I rubbed my chin.
‘Might as well.’
As expected, if you are in good shape, your head will not suffer. I turned on my phone and texted Sa-young.
Uijae: (link to map)
Uijae: The kids are packing up and leaving tonight.
Ui-jae: I’ll hold their feet.
Transmission complete. I put my phone in the pants pocket, and bravely jumped into the container.
The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard. The owner of the footsteps stood nearby and clicked his tongue.
“Is that you, jumping in here like some kind of madman?”
“Four.”
I tried to pass out naturally after being hit by a lumber, but the lumber was rather broken, but in any case, I pretended to pass out and succeeded in being tied to an old iron chair in the container.
Deciding that only an awakened could dive so bravely, the criminals tied ten cable ties to each of my arms and legs.
“Any connection to the Three Furrows?”
“Didn’t look like it.”
“Why are you questioning me? Didn’t you check him out?”
“No official ID, I checked his hunter’s license in his apron pocket, it’s a common D-rank.”
“What kind of a kid who’s only a D-rank? …He looks too distant for a reader who’s been crawling with a sniff of drugs.”
“There is no sign of mutating.”
“Well, you’ll know if you ask.”
The mumbling man bit into his cigarette and pulled on the lighter.
“Hey, wake him up. I’m running out of time.”
“Yes, hyung!”
There was a flurry of movement. Someone roughly grabbed my hair and pulled him upright. The faint sound of waves mixed with the sound of water contained in something. My closed eyes fluttered open. What a barbaric thing to wake me up by spraying me with water….
Chwaak! A cold spray of water came flying at him.
‘Shit, they’re really doing it.’
Judging by the salty taste, it must have been straight from the sea. Not only my hair, but also my upper body was soaked. Bastards, I’m not sleeping. I gritted my teeth to keep it from showing.
‘Maybe I should have just kicked their asses from the start….’
