Kim Yi-Hyeon and the three others left the hideout. Chelsea and Asterique watched the car leave the ruins and drive through the wasteland.
The vehicle quickly disappeared from sight.
"He's gone."
Chelsea yawned with her mouth wide open. After shivering in the helicopter for two days, she was physically and mentally exhausted. Her body was also sore here and there.
'Don't ride it again.'
It was a tortured time for Chelsea, who had a fear of heights and a fear of flying. In the end, it was a round trip, so she would have to take the plane again on the way back… But she decided not to think about it for now.
She wiped away the tears that came out from yawning and glanced to the side. Seeing Asterike's face, she thought again.
'He's such an easy person to get to know.'
He's not pouting openly, but his expression is noticeably stiff. No matter where you look, you can tell he's upset.
"Relax, Mr. Asterike."
"…Chelsea is okay?"
"What? You brought us here by helicopter, and now you left us behind?"
Asterike was silent. No further explanation was needed, for he had pinpointed exactly why she was upset.
"Well, I do get angry, but I'm trying to get used to it. I guess I'm slowly getting used to it."
"Is that possible?"
"Why wouldn't it be possible? Wasn't it always like that? You probably have all kinds of thoughts and plans in your head, but you rarely tell anyone else."
A shallow breath escaped from the nose.
"Oh, you're a person with many secrets."
How much do you know? And how far do you see? Where has Kim Lee Hyun lived and what kind of life has he led?
I don't know anything. And yet Chelsea is following Kim Hyun. Even though she is being dragged along semi-forcibly every time, the other half is of her own free will.
When I act with Kim Yi-hyun, I always get a strange feeling when I receive instructions. I think, 'I have to do it', 'I can do it'.
It feels like my existence is a cog in a huge machine. I have a feeling that if I don't function, something will break.
It wasn't a bad feeling.
'I wonder if this is also a kind of charisma.'
It was a necessary sense for Chelsea, who had lived without a clear goal for a long time. It wasn't just her. There must be many people in the world waiting for someone to show them the way.
It would go well with Asterike, but the problem is that it's a bit too much.
"I'm not swearing, so please don't misunderstand."
Golden eyes urged her on. Chelsea chose the words in her head and opened her mouth.
"Mr. Asterike. He's too blind to that guy. Look at him now, his face is full of complaints even though he just got separated for a little while."
It's beyond trust, it's dependence. He didn't say it that way, he just didn't say it out loud. The nuance alone was enough to convey it.
"I don't know how you two met or what the circumstances are, but I don't think it's just a nice relationship."
Asterique took Chelsea's point to heart and agreed with it.
After understanding everything, I answered.
"You say that because you don't know."
It was a quiet tone. His usual bubbly demeanor was nowhere to be found. His appearance was definitely the same, but Chelsea felt that Asterique had grown up beyond recognition.
"It's been about three years since I left my hometown. It's only been half a year since I met Hyun. How do you think I've lived during the remaining two and a half years?"
"That's it..."
Pecatum, who had no place to rely on. The hardships that a mutant who had strayed from the group would face were predictable. Chelsea's life was not easy either, but it was not as easy as Asterike's.
"I've done everything from construction work to mining and even cleaning sewage treatment plants. I've never been paid properly either. If I made 10 or 20 thousand won a day, I felt good all day long. If I didn't get even that much, I'd just starve... I'd sleep in empty warehouses or hidden in trunks."
At that time, the cost of lodging was the most precious thing in the world. Unpolluted food was scarce, but there were plenty of places to lie down.
Food was always a problem. Even while eating one meal, I was worried about what to eat next.
There was even an experience where I couldn't stand the hunger anymore and tried to roast the corpse of a monster, but then gave up. The story of a person who went mad after eating a monster was famous among the homeless.
"I never really thought about things like, 'Why me?' There were people at construction sites, mines, and sewage treatment plants. I've seen my own kind a few times. We all go through similar hardships."
No one is different. Whether it be disaster or poverty. There is no one in this world who can live without a trace of worry or anxiety. That is what Asterike believed.
It would have been the same for Chelsea and Kim Eui-hyun.
She didn't know anything about their past. But just by their actions and speech, she could tell that they hadn't been living comfortably.
"I had a hard time too."
Asterike looked out across the wasteland. The marks of tire tracks were visible.
"I was crying because it was so hard and something even harder had to happen, and then Hyun came."
I can remember it clearly.
At first, really at first, I thought Kim I-hyeon was more annoying than Paboni. In the midst of my confusion, he came to me out of the blue and said things like, "I'm going to use you."
I never dreamed it would turn out like this.
"Not having to sleep out on the streets. Being able to wear clean clothes. Eating proper food every day, not just dried meat or dog meat. It's all thanks to Hyun saving me."
The breath I exhaled trembled slightly.
"So… I have to be useful to Hyun."
It was an honest confession. Chelsea thought about it for a moment and then shook her head.
"I know what you're thinking. I'm sorry for being rude."
"It's okay. I didn't know."
Now that I know, I should be careful with what I say. I muttered to myself, "Yes, indeed." Astérique wasn't as innocent as she seemed.
"Still, useful? I don't think you'd think so."
Kim Yi-hyeon was not a cold-blooded person who thought of others as his own pawns. He had a sensible personality and was especially generous to his colleagues. At least in Chelsea's opinion.
Should I just say that the difference between on and off is extreme?
Although he usually gets along well with idle pranks, he values rationality during operations. This is also a necessary quality for leading others.
"Yeah. I know that too."
Agreeing, Asterike continued.
"It's just my greed. I want to be a more important person to Hyun."
"...Cough! Ah, um. Okay."
She tilted her head at Chelsea's lukewarm response.
"Why? Is it weird?"
"No, I just thought it wouldn't be embarrassing to say that…."
"Should I be embarrassed?"
It was an expression that seemed to say that she really didn't know. Chelsea avoided eye contact and fanned herself with her hand. My face felt hot for no reason.
"Anyway! I said you don't have to worry too much about it."
Chelsea, who had calmed down soon, took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry for Mr. Asterike, but it's true that there's a high risk of being caught, just like the boss said. The work we're assigned is important, too. Besides, I'm more comfortable here, isn't it?"
I changed my mind. I did what I usually do.
"This is a really great position - right?"
* * *
The exhaust rumbling. The truck pulled from the hideout reached the Atlanta border. The border checkpoint came into view beyond the windshield.
"Wake up and get ready."
Kim Yi-hyeon took a final look at his attire. He was wearing a shabby cloak covering his body. He sniffed and a foul smell wafted out.
The other two were the same. Turkam fiddled awkwardly with his cloak and then glanced at the empty seat. A pistol with the safety catch was stuck between the seats.
"I guess guns are dangerous…."
"No, let's just leave it like this. It's more unnatural to be unarmed."
A merchant cannot be all neat and tidy. Rather, he must have a rough side that stands out.
A peddler who fearlessly crosses the wasteland where monsters roam to buy and sell goods. That was the setting that Kim I-Hyeon had put together.
As we passed the one-lane road, a barrier barred our way in. We stopped and waited for a moment. Two men came out from the guard posts on the left and right.
"Where are you from?"
"Oh my. I'm coming from the neighboring country, Bedas."
Turkam rolled down his window and stuck his head out of the driver's seat. He was quite good at acting. This was also a talent that was not shown in his ability rating.
"Through the wasteland? For what reason?"
A searching gaze was shot. Kim Yi-Hyeon answered instead.
"Even in this world, there should be communication. Especially, alcohol and cigarettes taste different. We only live our lives, so we should enjoy them in many ways."
"Exchange."
"Yes. We go around with that kind of mindset. Well, we give ourselves a little margin here and there. We're not philanthropists after all."
One of the men nodded, as if he thought it made sense. He exchanged glances with his colleague and then spoke.
"Please get out. I will check the vehicle."
A coercive attitude that does not tolerate rejection. The rifle held in both hands was particularly threatening. The uniform bears the Atlanta Border Patrol emblem.
"Get down, quickly."
A second instruction. It sounded almost like a final warning.
"That's scary."
Kim Yi-hyeon got off as if he had no other choice. Turkam and West Creek followed suit.
"Do as you wish. I brought my passport, so take good care of it."
Passport. It felt awkward even when I said it myself. Cilicia was a place where you could enter even without clothes, so there was no need for a passport.
But usually it's different. Naturally, they are wary of outsiders. Especially in a country like Atlanta where the government was running smoothly.
'It's definitely become more comfortable.'
By signing an agreement with Rap, several problems were solved.
Of course, since I had obtained my identity in Cilicia, I could have made a passport just like that. The name I was using now was not 'Kim Lee-hyun from Cilicia'.
A lord of the neighboring country of Vedas. His identity was forged by Kushan.
"Take a look."
As the man gestured, the other man began searching the inside of the car. Not only the trunk, but even the seats. Of course, a gun was found lying openly in plain sight.
"Is this also the 'exchange' you were talking about?"
"It's for self-defense, for self-defense. The road is dangerous."
"...hmm."
The man looked troubled. Other than the pistol, there was nothing particularly wrong with him. The trunk was just a pile of various souvenirs.
Goods that are not essential to living, so they make money.
"Okay, I'll grant you entry permission. However, the current domestic situation is very chaotic. That's why I'm armed like this."
"Is it terrorism or something?"
"Yes. What."
The man added with a faint smile.
"I think we should accompany you. We can't put our precious guests in danger."
Although he spoke in a friendly tone, he still did not put down his gun. The way he took a step closer was blatant and oppressive.
'No matter how you look at it, he's not an ordinary soldier.'
There were no signs of combat at the border checkpoint. This does not mean that the information was false. The Legion did not pass through head-on, but rather broke through somewhere along the border.
'And we're sending people to control the border…'
It is said that information was almost completely blocked. This was the reason for the delay in news. Even the information that reached Kushan was extremely poor.
Kim Hyun was sure. Atlanta was now completely in the hands of the Legion.