Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 139.2: The Weight of Life (2)

Before the war, there were people who raised Mutations.

They hadn’t been Mutations from the beginning.

They had once been family members, given love and treated as such.

A stray Mutation factor that happened to drift by caused an animal—already fully grown or still maturing—to grow abnormally large, to a degree that was clearly excessive to anyone who saw it.

Education about Mutations had been widely distributed and had become a topic of intense public interest years before the war. There wasn’t a soul unaware of them.

Some voluntarily applied to the authorities for extermination. But many, thinking of their animals as family, hid them and left them be.

News flashes about oversized Mutations massacring families, killing neighbors, and roaming the streets freely were a common sight before the war.

To put it simply, the outcome was already determined.

Raising a Mutation was a misfortune—both for the Mutation and the human.

Of course, let’s acknowledge that there are exceptions.

An unnamed cat mom proved that. And I too, am one of the few who have witnessed the possibility of coexistence between a human and a Mutation.

But arriving at that understanding is not easy.

Imagine trying to convince someone who hates you for no reason.

It’s not easy.

And if there are others around, you might not even get the chance to explain before they try to kill the Mutation.

Many who hid Mutations were put on trial for violating laws and ended up in prison.

That’s why I say it was a tragedy already written.

Well, maybe in the case of the Fox Game, it was a comedy. But this girl isn’t Kim Byeong-cheol’s daughter in name only.

She’s bright—almost excessively so—but a good kid.

And she is, unmistakably, Kim Byeong-cheol’s daughter.

No matter how far Kim Byeong-cheol has fallen now, reduced to a mere warlord, he once declared himself the head of the Republic of Korea.

And even if she’s not directly under his protection, when you consider the thousands of people around the government warehouse he’s guarding, it’s impossible not to care about her safety.

I rummaged through my phone to find the personal identification code Kim Byeong-cheol had given me a while back and initiated contact.

“This is Marshal Kim Byeong-cheol’s radio.”

An unfamiliar voice answered the radio.

Marshal, huh.

He got a promotion while I wasn’t looking.

“This is Park Gyu. Could you connect me to General Kim Byeong-cheol?”

Whatever titles they give themselves, to me, he’s just a general.

A moment later, Kim Byeong-cheol picked up the transmission.

“Oh! Hunter Park! Long time no see! What brings you to me?”

It’s never easy to read a person’s emotions through voice alone, but at the very least, Kim Byeong-cheol didn’t sound like he was in a bad mood today.

“It’s nothing much. I just saw someone on the internet—presumably your daughter—raising a dog.”

“Humphrey?”

“Excuse me?”

“Thought you might be talking about our Humphrey. You’re referring to the dog, right?”

“You’re aware that it’s a Mutation, yes?”

I sharpened my tone.

Enough for the other side to catch on.

Even if Kim Byeong-cheol still held real power, my reaction would have been the same.

There are no exceptions in the face of a clearly foreseeable danger.

Whether the other person is a president or whatever, they need to be made aware of the risk.

Before the war, I’d said what needed to be said in front of the man who called himself Emperor of China.

That is the duty of those of us who stand against the Rifts.

“I know.”

Kim Byeong-cheol, realizing my intent, replied in a different tone.

“It’d be best to terminate it as quickly as possible.”

“...Don’t you think that’s a little too cold?”

“If her life isn’t more important, then feel free to leave it be.”

“......”

“If you’ve got nothing else to say, I’ll be hanging up now.”

“Wait, Hunter Park.”

“Yes.”

The moment I heard that voice, I had a bad feeling.

Naturally so—Kim Byeong-cheol’s voice had taken on the tone of someone about to make a request.

If it were something minor, I wouldn’t mind doing it. But a request from someone in a position like Kim Byeong-cheol’s always comes with hassle—and risk.

I braced myself for rejection and waited to hear what he’d say.

“I’m really sorry, but... could you persuade my daughter for me?”

“......”

“My wife left me, took our son, and disappeared. When the war broke out, I lost contact with both of them. She’s the only family I have left.”

“How am I supposed to persuade her?”

I was an instructor for a short while, but I don’t think I was ever a good teacher.

Besides, I prefer demonstrating over lecturing.

I don’t have the emotional depth to persuade someone, nor the patience to wait for them to come around.

Most of all, I’m not his subordinate. I’m not even in his territory.

I can’t just leave my post and go to some place alone during this dangerous season of migratory flocks—just for his daughter.

“I’m not a counselor. And more importantly, I can’t go there.”

“No need to come.”

“Excuse me?”

“Can’t you just say a few words from where you are?”

At that moment, I found myself staring at the monitor without meaning to.

Displayed on the screen was a photo of Kim Byeong-cheol’s daughter hugging a Mutation dog.

“Over the internet?”

“If you ask me, you’re as good a soldier online as you are on the battlefield.”

“......”

“I’m truly sorry, but I can’t act freely around my own daughter. But someone as well-known as you on the boards... surely you could say something to move her heart?”

Kim Byeong-cheol sighed.

“It’s shameful to admit as a father, but right now, my daughter won’t listen to a single word I say...”

I thought about it for a moment.

To be honest, the term “internet warrior” is outdated.

No one—myself included—uses that term anymore.

But it’s true that I’m pretty well-known on the boards, with some degree of influence.

I nodded.

Saying a few words online wouldn’t hurt.

There was nothing to lose, and if I refused even this, I might earn Kim Byeong-cheol’s resentment.

It was better to accept.

But before that, I made the responsibilities crystal clear.

“You should know, advice on the internet is usually ignored. People don’t listen even when you tell them in person—why would they listen to some post online? Just keep that in mind.”

“I understand.”

“And if 30 days pass from now—no later than 45 days—you must have it terminated regardless of your daughter’s feelings.”

“...I’ll consider it.”

“That’s not a suggestion. That’s a warning.”

And just like that, I unexpectedly ended up in charge of psychological counseling for Kim Byeong-cheol’s daughter.

Her name was Kim Yerim.

She was 17 years old and had been raised like a princess.

Kim Byeong-cheol hadn’t mentioned any disabilities, but he did say that she had refused to attend school since middle school, and that her emotional sensitivity was unusually intense.

In short, she had trouble controlling her emotions.

It sounded like one of the symptoms often associated with autism.

There’s something our old mentor Jang Ki-young once said about autism.

“Autism? We didn’t have words like that back in the day. You know why? Back then, every neighborhood had that one guy everyone called ‘the local idiot.’ He was older but still played with little kids. Anyone could tell he was mentally off. He was middle-school age but hung out with grade schoolers. But when I hit middle school myself, that idiot was just... gone. And it wasn’t just our neighborhood. All the local idiots disappeared.”

Jang Ki-young gave a crooked smile.

“Where do you think all those village idiots went?”

That kind of outdated recollection was one of the main reasons I kept my distance from him.

Anyway, since I’d accepted the job from Kim Byeong-cheol, it was only proper to give it a try.

I straightened my posture and sat up in front of the computer, tapping away at the keyboard with a light rhythm.

“......”

Tadak, tadak.

SKELTON: (Skelton greets) Hello!

I sent a message to Yerim.

A moment later, a reply came.

Message from armeegruppe_B: (Yerim, sweating bullets) Huh?

SKELTON: Mind chatting for a moment?

Message from armeegruppe_B: Who are you?

SKELTON: (Skelton, disappointed) You don’t know me?

Message from armeegruppe_B: Of course I do!

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Message from armeegruppe_B: You’re the guy who keeps posting weird stuff!

SKELTON: ?

Message from armeegruppe_B: Aren’t you having a baby today?

I couldn’t help but smile.

Kim Byeong-cheol’s daughter knew who I was.

And she knew me quite well, at that.

It was strange.

To be known like this by someone I had never once met or spoken to.

Feeling an odd warmth fill my chest, I decided to offer a little fan service.

“......”

Tadak tadak.

SKELTON: (Skelton, intense) Kkkyoooongyooot!

SKELTON: (Skelton, chonky baby) Ungaee.

Message from armeegruppe_B: I’m blocking you.

Is this... a generation gap?

SKELTON: Wait! I’ve got something to say.

Message from armeegruppe_B: What is it?

I got straight to the point.

SKELTON: (Skelton, serious) I saw your post. Looks like you're raising a dog.

Message from armeegruppe_B: Yeah, yeah. You mean our Humphrey, right?

Message from armeegruppe_B: (Yerim, proud)

The moment I read that message, I thought of my classmate, Lee Sang-hoon.

Lee Sang-hoon was an excellent hunter, but Gukwiwon isn't a place where just being good is enough to get promoted.

Even if Lee Sang-hoon had impressive records, he was still just one of the top performers—not someone like me. And he wasn’t even Awakened.

What really brought him into the spotlight was how elegantly he handled these Mutation incidents.

I remember clearly what he said during a media interview about that case.

“Convincing the family was the hardest part. Way harder than putting down the Mutation itself—dozens of times harder, really. I mean, come on. It's a pet, right? It's family. Half the conmen in Korea scam their own family and friends. And most of the time, the victims aren’t clueless—they know. That’s the power of attachment. It's supposed to be the string that binds people together, but when one side falls off a cliff, that string pulls the other side down too.”

He had sighed as he stared at the screen with hollow eyes.

That very human moment, I recall, was praised by many.

I don’t know how he actually handled it, but according to Kim Daram—who absolutely hated him—he just talked big in interviews, while in reality he put the Mutation down first and then informed the family after.

But anything Kim Daram says has to be taken with a grain of salt.

I choose to believe my classmate did what he could to persuade families in his own way.

Back at his near-empty funeral, no one could’ve imagined I’d end up walking the same path years later.

SKELTON: (Skelton, advice) I don’t really know what to say, but I’m kind of a Mutation dog expert.

I sent over a pre-prepared photo.

One of the few precious pictures I had with my partner, Gold.

Message from armeegruppe_B: Whoa.

Message from armeegruppe_B: (Yerim, surprised) This isn’t photoshopped, right? Wow...

Message from armeegruppe_B: I need an emoji for this.

Naturally, I’d blurred out my face.

SKELTON: Not to brag, but getting to this point is extremely difficult.

Message from armeegruppe_B: Is that so?

SKELTON: Raising a Mutation dog is incredibly dangerous. You remember those pre-war news reports about Mutations wiping out entire families?

Message from armeegruppe_B: ? First I’ve heard of it.

At that moment, I realized this wasn’t going to be easy.

I could feel all the struggles Lee Sang-hoon must’ve faced.

SKELTON: It might seem cute now, but Mutations grow incredibly fast. Especially if it's a puppy—it'll grow even faster.

SKELTON: Right now, the dog might be harmless because it's still young. But once it gets bigger and smarter, you’ll be the one in danger.

Even as Kim Yerim stayed silent, I kept messaging.

A moment later...

Message from armeegruppe_B: So?

A cold reply shot back.

“......”

What now?

What could I say here that would change her mind?

I knew.

We lived in an era where everyone thought they were smart and exceptional.

Even when their knowledge was flat-out wrong, most still believed it was others who were mistaken.

Changing someone's mind with words alone? That was a fantasy.

“......”

Tadak tadak

SKELTON: I get that you love that puppy—but do you think the puppy loves you back?

All I could offer was the truth.

Message from armeegruppe_B: Humphrey loves me so much, though? He wags his tail like crazy whenever he sees me. He’s adorable. Seriously.

SKELTON: That’s probably because the puppy has no choice but to rely on you.

SKELTON: Once it grows enough to overpower you easily, once it knows it can... it’ll change.

There are reports that Mutation intelligence increases in parallel with their primal instincts.

This was one theory to explain how animals that had once been deeply loyal to humans could suddenly display totally contradictory behavior.

Whatever the case, the fact remains that Mutations raised by humans often turn on them.

There are rare exceptions—but exceptions are just that. Rare.

Reality is cruel to those who try to live as if they’re the exception.

SKELTON: It’d be best if you let the dog go.

That was my conclusion.

And then...

Message from armeegruppe_B: I’m blocking you. Don’t talk to me again.

That was Kim Yerim’s response.

I took a screenshot.

Insurance—just in case Kim Byeong-cheol came back later demanding answers.

I’d done my part.

And I had done what I was supposed to.

But still, I couldn’t shake the unease.

If I left things like this, Yerim would probably die.

And it wouldn’t be peaceful.

“......”

I stood from my seat and walked a full circle around the bunker, past the central latrine.

Then I sat down again.

Where should I even begin?

The truth was, my options were extremely limited.

Migratory flocks were camped out just beyond my borders.

They weren’t targeting me—just a coincidental overlap with a group of migrants crossing through the area. ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Each group was eyeing the other while digging in and fortifying positions along the road.

If things went sideways, the sparks could easily fly my way.

In this situation, going to Seoul would be madness. And I had no justification to risk my life just to go there and put down that Mutation myself.

Drdrk—drdrk—

The rough turning of the mouse wheel mirrored the frustration inside me—trapped between choices, unable to move either way.

Out of habit, I clicked on the Trending tab.

As always, that damn Foxgames’ outdated trend was still flooding the popular posts.

Tadak.

I tapped my keyboard without realizing it.

Yes.

If I couldn’t persuade Kim Yerim directly, I just had to create the environment for persuasion.

Foxgames

That was the word I typed without thinking.

Yes.

That guy’s the problem.

This Foxgames is the one putting false ideas into people’s heads.

So maybe the solution’s surprisingly simple.

If Foxgames gave people this false inspiration... then maybe he can take it back.

“......”

Tadak tadak

How long had it been?

Since I’d last messaged this rotted-minded human who once passed for a decent guy on the forums?

SKELTON: How’ve you been?

Of course, he might’ve blocked me.

Blocking’s one of those things people do, undo, and redo all the time.

Message from Foxgames: Oh. Skelton.

He hadn’t blocked me.

Message from Foxgames: Long time no see? :)

On the contrary—he seemed happy to hear from me.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel