[You have entered Chungmuro.]
"The atmosphere here is grim."
"Is there anywhere left that isn't grim?"
[#GIR-8761 channel is active.]
[#BIR-3642 channel is active.]
[The third Main Scenario is currently in progress.]
"Weren't you only speaking casually with Heewon? I don't think you've done that with Sangah or Hyunsung yet, right?"
"Ah. You're right. I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable."
"Not at all. Please, just call us whatever you're comfortable with."
"I don't mind either."
Perhaps it was because we were comrades who had fought life-and-death battles with our backs to one another, but everyone seemed unfazed.
Thank god.
If something as trivial as this soured our relationship, it would be a headache in its own right.
That aside, what were the details of the Chungmuro scenario in Ways of Survival again?
I believe it involved those vermin standing in front of us...
Look at Lee Jihye's temper.
It takes a certain kind of nerve to draw a sword and glare like that.
Then again, considering the tracks those bastards had left behind, it was entirely understandable.
"I've brought you here, so handle the rest yourselves. I'm not playing babysitter."
"Yoo Joonghyuk is here too, right?"
Click.
"Who the hell are you?"
I let it slide once.
The first time she pointed a blade at Dokja.
But I wasn't about to let it slide a second time.
Crack.
"Urgh!"
No matter how impressive Lee Jihye was, I was stronger than her right now.
Especially since I had her wrist locked in my grip, completely suppressing her.
"Put the sword away. Before I snap it."
"...Try it."
"Oppa. Stop. I'll handle the talking. Let her go."
Yoo Joonghyuk had truly ruined this girl.
If what I saw on the subway was true—and it certainly was.
I hated the way she seemed to be exploiting a child who had no choice but to be mentally unstable.
Since Dokja told me to let go, I would, but...
"I overlooked the first time, and the second was a warning... There won't be a third."
Tap.
"Damn it. You left a mark on my wrist."
She tried to act tough, but I could see her hand trembling; perhaps this was her first time experiencing such overwhelming force.
Was I too harsh on her since she's just a kid?
"We are companions of Yoo Joonghyuk, who returned alive."
"Companions? All of you? That's impossible."
"Just me and my brother here, the one who grabbed your wrist."
"...I hate to admit it, but if it's that bastard... it might be possible."
Why the hell am I Yoo Joonghyuk's companion?
The moment I see her, I'm going to ram straight into her.
Even if I die, I'll make sure to blow off one of her limbs and leave her crippled.
Though, since she's a Regressor, I wonder if that would even matter.
"Dokja, your big brother here is firmly against you getting close to Yoo Joonghyuk."
"You're embarrassing me, so just shut up."
Even if it was a lie to smooth over the situation, it still rubbed me the wrong way.
Dokja had always liked Joonghyuk, so she might not care, but I'm different.
Now that Ways of Survival has become reality and Yoo Joonghyuk has become a threat to Dokja, maybe her favorability has dropped a bit...?
It's funny when the protagonist acts like a lunatic, but it's a different story when that lunacy is directed at me.
"Where is Yoo Joonghyuk?"
"...Master isn't here right now."
"That's a problem. I have something I absolutely must tell her."
"...Just be careful not to cause any trouble."
I am going to cause a hell of a lot of trouble.
More specifically, the moment Yoo Joonghyuk arrives, I'm going to tear this place apart right in front of her.
I can't wait to see the look on her face.
.
.
.
"So, one thing led to another, and we... are following Ms. Yoo Joonghyuk..."
"Could you just stop right there?"
"Pardon?"
"I hate Yoo Joonghyuk. The one who likes her is my sister."
How do they manage to talk about nothing but Yoo Joonghyuk for so long...?
I don't know which regression turn this is, but I have zero interest in hearing that bastard's heroic tales.
Not that I'm actually listening; it's all going in one ear and out the other.
To begin with, Yoo Joonghyuk didn't "save" these people.
They were simply saved by accident while she was training the "useful" Lee Jihye.
I've already seen with my own eyes how completely Yoo Joonghyuk's humanity has worn away, so I'm certain this is the case.
"Ah... I see. I heard you were friends. I'm telling you, it's my sister who's friends with her, not me!"
"S-Sorry!"
Why do they keep making me repeat myself?
"Tell me, how are you handling food supplies here?"
"Well, it's a bit embarrassing to call it 'supplies'... A few of us, myself included, rely on Jihye. Jihye does the hunting, and then she asks Ms. Yoo Joonghyuk to cook it..."
So, in short, they're just clinging to Yoo Joonghyuk—or more accurately, to Lee Jihye, who is softer than Yoo Joonghyuk.
Since Lee Jihye is the only one who seems to have Yoo Joonghyuk's favor, did they think that by sticking with her, they could secure Yoo Joonghyuk's protection as well?
What a pathetic lot, entrusting their very survival to others.
"Then what about drinking water?"
"We trade food or Coins with the 'Landlord Alliance' upstairs to get a small amount at a time."
"...The Landlord Alliance?"
.
.
.
Because Dokja showed interest in the Landlord Alliance, we headed upstairs.
I recall the Landlord Alliance appearing early in Ways of Survival...
It doesn't seem to be a result of some butterfly effect caused by the world becoming real.
"Mmm..."
"Are you awake?"
"Gasp! I'm sorry!! Was I too heavy?"
"How heavy could a kid be?"
My stats have increased; a child's weight is nothing.
"Please put me down now. I can walk."
"Alright."
Thump.
The moment I set him down, Gilyoung didn't hesitate to collapse.
He'd been held in my arms for so long that his legs must have gone numb.
In that moment, he looked less like a child and more like a baby.
"Oh, you're those new faces from before. Are you here to look for a 'room'?"
"Ah, sorry. We just came up to use the restroom for a moment..."
"Tsk, what a shame. Be careful out there."
Gilyoung seemed unable to move immediately, so I had to stay by his side.
It was just numbness; he'd be fine after a short rest.
Gilyoung was still too weak for me to simply tell him to catch up later.
"You guys go on ahead. I'll massage Gilyoung's legs and then follow."
[You're scouting because of the plan, right? Let me know once you've set it.]
"Don't be late."
[There will be many unpleasant things. Even so, you must follow my lead.]
Unpleasant things, huh.
Does that mean something is going to happen to Dokja?
No, if she specifically used the word "unpleasant"...
It probably means there are bastards here, like those gangsters, who want to try something with Dokja.
Squeeze.
"H-Hyung. That hurts."
"Ah, sorry."
"I think I'm okay now. But I really need the bathroom..."
He'd been asleep for hours, so it was only natural.
Where did they say the restroom was?
"I think it's over that way."
"I'll be right back!"
"What do you mean 'be right back'? I'm coming with you."
Tatatatat!
He must have been in a real hurry.
Dokja and Sangah were right there, too.
"Gilyoung, you're going to trip!!"
There were so many people; I worried he might get hurt trying to push through the crowd.
Who would have thought I'd be back to raising children at my age?
"I'm back. Why are so many people gathered here?"
"I don't know. Where's Gilyoung?"
"He went to the bathroom, over there~."
"What?! How could you just let him go?!"
"Why?"
"Because that's not just a bathroom!"
[The Incarnation, 'Lee Gilyoung,' has trespassed on private property!]
What is that?
This doesn't feel good.
"Who the hell are you, runt?"
And who the hell is this bastard?
"Hmm, looks like you're lost. Do you even know where you are?"
"Isn't this the way to the bathroom?"
"The bathroom? Haha, it used to be. But you little shit... where are your parents?"
He's crossing the line.
A grown man is cursing at a child who hasn't lived a fraction of his life?
Heh. You're dead.
[Oppa. Calm down for a second.]
"Didn't you learn that you shouldn't enter other people's land without permission? Or maybe you didn't? That's fine. Mister will teach you right now."
Screeeech.
Click.
Haha... Hahahahahahaha!
You dare grab our kid's hair with those filthy hands?!
"Yoo Sangah, please step back."
"What?! But Gilyoung is..."
"Oppa's eyes have already gone half-crazy."
"Ah..."
[Oppa. Could you really try to hold back just a little...?]
Right. Dokja is asking me.
She might not have a proper plan yet.
If I start rampaging the moment I arrive, the rest of the group might be in danger—!
"Give me your money."
Snap.
...That definitely sounded like something snapping.
"Ah, he's completely lost it now."
Aha! That was the sound of my last thread of reason snapping!!
"Get your hands off him, you fucking piece of shit!!!"
BAM!
"Kgh!"
It's always the nobodies who act the loudest.
"Gilyoung. Go take care of your business. I'll handle everything here."
"Huh? Okay."
"I don't know who gave birth to our Gilyoung, but he's so obedient. Anyway... I held back my strength, so you can get up now, right?"
Even in a ruined world, you try to shake down a child?
Right in front of me?!
There are lines you don't cross, even in the apocalypse.
I'll show you exactly how powerless you are.
I'll make sure you realize that Yoo Joonghyuk isn't the only one you should fear.
Until Yoo Joonghyuk arrives... this will be a decent warm-up.
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