Chapter 6

Failed Friendship

It was around then that Kang Daniel cautiously approached.

"Baek Je-min. Put down the weapon."

"If you don't lower it, we'll take it from you. Don't turn around. Just stand still."

Kang Daniel calmly grabbed the barrel of my M16 and slowly lifted it until the muzzle pointed toward the sky.

Without a sling, having the rifle taken away was effortless.

Then the squad members who had been watching from a distance cautiously approached, grabbed my arms, and began carrying me around like a piece of luggage.

Normally I would have complained, but my body must have been visibly rigid. They grabbed both my arms and legs and loaded me into the back of the two-and-a-half-ton truck.

Not long afterward, Kang Daniel climbed aboard and addressed the others.

"I think Baek Je-min has gone into a panic state, so I'll go with him. Everyone else, stay at the intersection position and don't leave it. Follow the platoon commander's orders and guide the civilians back into their homes."

I wanted to turn my head, but my body was too stiff to obey.

Instead, I desperately rolled my eyes and caught a glimpse of the squad members, silhouetted against the streetlights, nodding grimly.

Kang Daniel slapped the seat a few times to signal the driver to head back.

And just like that, I was finally able to leave that nightmare of an intersection behind.

Clunk. Clunk.

For the first time in my life, I welcomed the terrible ride quality and miserable suspension of a military truck.

Normally I got carsick easily and turned limp whenever I rode in a vehicle.

Right now, I almost missed the nausea.

Every time the truck lurched over a bump, it felt as though the rigidity that had frozen me in place before that horror was being shattered apart.

Like a primitive man breaking free from a glacier, I escaped the stiffness covering my body and finally drew a deep breath.

"Huuuuugh..."

"Baek Je-min!"

Kang Daniel rushed over and patted my back.

Every thump forced trapped air from my body in ragged gasps.

The taste in my mouth wasn't the sour smell of ordinary vomit.

It was the rotten fish stench of severe indigestion.

The smell triggered another wave of nausea.

But I had already thrown up everything I could.

All that came out was disgustingly fishy saliva.

If something that came out of my body was precious enough to treasure, then people would preserve their piss and shit in sacred jars too.

Unable to endure it, I spat it out like phlegm.

Only afterward did it occur to me that some poor soldiers would have to clean the truck.

At the moment, though, I couldn't care less.

What I had spat out was unmistakably dark-red blood.

A small puddle of blood emitted a nauseating rotten-fish odor, dried almost instantly, then faded away like a wet stain.

Apparently Kang Daniel saw it too.

He stopped patting my back.

"This is..."

Instead, he began frantically making the sign of the cross while muttering.

"Almighty God, protect Your lamb from the grasp of Satan and the Devil. Guide him so that he may not lose his way amidst tribulation. Your servant kneels before the temple of Jerusalem within his heart and prays..."

As he prayed, he subtly increased the distance between us and sat elsewhere.

His thoughts were painfully obvious, but I didn't have the energy to comment.

Still muttering, Kang Daniel gradually slipped into what sounded like glossolalia—the strange tongues spoken by deeply devout churchgoers.

Soon he was repeating bizarre phrases that I could no longer understand.

Who exactly was the crazy one here?

This time I quietly shifted my own position and increased the distance between us.

Only then did I think to check my phone.

January 7th, 1:48 a.m.

The moment I saw the time, the exhaustion I had forgotten about came crashing back.

I had been standing in a firing stance for nearly an hour.

The back of my neck throbbed unbearably.

My trigger finger had locked into a curled position.

My shoulder felt crushed and creaked whenever I moved it.

Yet I felt no relief whatsoever.

If anything, the moment I came back to my senses and looked around, a deeper sense of dread rose within me.

No matter how many night owls there were in South Korea, at 1:48 in the morning most people were asleep.

And this wasn't Seoul.

It was a small rural town.

Aside from streetlights and the occasional late-night vehicle, there should have been almost no lights visible.

Yet as the truck passed roads bordered by fields, I could see apartment buildings glowing beneath the dark mountain ridges.

One fluorescent light after another switched on in the windows.

That was when the phone in my left hand began vibrating.

And with it came the urgent, ominous tone unique to emergency alerts.

Beeeeeeep—. Beeeeeep—.

[Fog reported in the Uijeongbu, Suwon, and Yongin regions of Gyeonggi Province. Lock all windows and doors, cover them with curtains, and remain indoors until morning.]

Only then did I finally speak to Kang Daniel, who was still muttering in tongues.

"Did you come because of the fog?"

I had assumed they came because it was time to change sentries.

But thinking about it now, there was no reason an entire group of squad members carrying a searchlight would show up for a routine shift change.

I must have been more shocked than I realized.

Even after hearing me, Kang Daniel continued rocking back and forth while muttering for several seconds.

Then he suddenly opened his eyes wide, looked at me, and nodded.

"Y-Yes. Baek Je-min. The people standing watch at the community center also disappeared."

Kang Daniel was the type who followed regulations to the letter.

Most people either tightened their rifle slings until the weapon practically stuck to them or loosened them completely and carried the rifle casually.

He had adjusted his sling perfectly, cradling the weapon in his right arm so he could shoulder it or fire from the ready position at any moment.

It would have been comforting if he weren't simultaneously staring at me with a meaningful look and constantly trying to increase the distance between us.

Could what happened really be called a disappearance?

Without realizing it, I pressed my lips together.

"For now, the platoon commander ordered us to bring back everyone who was outside when the fog appeared. Uh, so..."

An awkward tension and silence settled between us.

Clunk.

The truck came to a stop.

The area in front of the community center was just as chaotic.

Lights were on everywhere.

Reservists like us swept flashlights across the surroundings while gripping their rifles.

Tap tap.

The driver—a civil servant in his twenties wearing combat fatigues—stuck his head out the window and looked toward us.

"Get out. Everyone's on edge, so don't provoke anybody."

Click.

The moment I stepped down from the truck, four military police officers surrounded me.

They raised a hand to stop Kang Daniel from approaching and spoke firmly.

"We'll take custody of him."

"Y-Yes. Of course."

Kang Daniel retreated in a hurry, looking visibly relieved.

Without a word, the military police escorted me away while maintaining their formation around me.

Naturally, I followed.

It was then that my eyes met those of the platoon commander, who was already directing other reservists in front of the community center.

But he immediately turned his head away and pretended not to notice me.

Instead, he continued urgently relaying orders through a radio while directing the reservists.

"Turn on the searchlights and inspect every corner of the alley entrances. Do not leave your positions under any circumstances. If fog appears, report it immediately. And follow the rules of engagement at all costs!"

Escorted by the military police, I was led deeper into the community center.

Despite all the noise and commotion around us, an eerie silence seemed to hang over the place.

Officially, the platoon commander had summoned me.

In reality, it was Lieutenant Shin Han-gi.

When I finally entered the consultation room where he was waiting, I found him seated with two NCOs wearing sunglasses.

"Baek Je-min. Please, have a seat."

Lieutenant Shin forced a professional smile as he gestured toward the chair.

Without being told anything, the two NCOs quietly stepped outside and closed the door behind them.

The two of us sat facing each other.

For a long while, neither spoke.

I was convinced that Lieutenant Shin knew far more than he had revealed, and eventually I broke the silence with a sharp question.

You convert-loving bastard.

You insect.

Countless insults bubbled up in my chest.

Yet somehow, I managed to remain polite.

Experience had piled up over the years.

I'd consumed every kind of media imaginable and thought I was familiar with all sorts of bizarre horrors.

Yet even for me, what I had witnessed barely thirteen hours after the mobilization order was declared was more horrifying than every disturbing image I'd seen throughout twenty-eight years of life.

"You knew."

"Lieutenant."

"Yes. I'm listening."

"How the fuck are we supposed to stop something like that?"

Twenty-eight years of life.

An age when talent and career begin taking shape.

When possibilities start narrowing into a visible future.

Older people might not think much of it, but even someone as insignificant as me had built up a life worth protecting.

"Fuck. You hid it because people would run if they knew, didn't you?"

"Haaah..."

Lieutenant Shin didn't deny it.

Instead, he rubbed his eyelids with one hand and let out a long sigh.

After gathering himself for a while, he looked at me with bloodshot eyes.

"The military is in chaos right now too. Separate from the Seoul fog, the new fog outbreaks appeared as isolated points. Meteorological maps show they're not connected."

"What does that—"

"The worst-case scenario has become reality, Mr. Baek."

His voice was grim.

"Anywhere fog forms, it can appear. We don't know whether this phenomenon is limited to the Korean Peninsula or whether it can spread to other foggy regions, other countries, even other continents. We know nothing."

He paused.

"But one thing is certain."

"It's spreading."

"And today..."

His expression hardened.

"We confirmed that."

My parents suddenly came to mind.

The two of them quietly enjoying retirement in Daejeon.

Far from Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

Part of me had assumed they were safe.

"You think some scary speech is gonna make me stay?"

"Fine."

His answer came instantly.

"Try deserting."

Lieutenant Shin's eyes sharpened.

"The mobilization order has already been declared. Do you think airports and ports are operating normally?"

He shook his head.

"The airports and ports of this country have either already been locked down or are in the process of shutting down. Everyone who could leave has already left."

"Now all that's left are the people who either live with this country or die with it."

He continued.

"The U.S. forces stationed here started reducing personnel under the pretext of redeployment a month ago."

"It's already over."

"Jesus fucking Christ..."

"Think about it, Mr. Baek. Do you really think neighboring countries are welcoming refugees right now?"

His voice grew increasingly bitter.

"The Japanese, the Chinese—even those pigs up north—are strengthening borders and coastlines while sending supplies because they don't want this place collapsing."

He laughed humorlessly.

"Hell, even North Korea is selling old rifles and ammunition through the west coast because they want the people in the South to survive."

"In Incheon, military units are openly tolerating civilian militias and conducting joint operations."

"So what? We're all supposed to die together?"

I slammed my hand onto the desk.

"Can those things even be killed by bullets?"

If this had been almost any other disaster, I would've gritted my teeth and gone along with it.

If it had been zombies, I'd have wrapped myself in layers of clothing and started shooting.

Even immortal zombies die when their heads get blown apart.

But those things?

How was I supposed to fight a monster that might not even care about bullets?

If I hadn't awakened to magic, I would've been eaten alive.

At that moment, Lieutenant Shin's expression changed.

He began looking at me as though he already knew something.

"Mr. Baek."

His voice lowered.

"Do you know what you need to survive an encounter with one of them?"

"A minimum eight-man squad forming a concentrated field of fire through coordinated volleys..."

I stopped speaking.

The rest didn't need to be said.

The moment I clamped my mouth shut, Lieutenant Shin finished the sentence himself.

"...Magic."

That was when he reached beneath the desk and pulled out a bag.

Opening it, he revealed stacks of documents.

Then he handed me a pen.

"Mr. Baek."

His gaze met mine.

"Let's make a deal."

"A deal?"

I snorted.

"What kind of deal do you make with a conscripted reservist? You're just going to order me around anyway."

Lieutenant Shin chuckled.

"If you agree to cooperate with military operations and the chain of command, you'll receive authorization to use localized reality-altering phenomena."

He smiled.

"In other words, magic."

"Additionally: priority access to food distribution, priority allocation of secured resources, and independent operational authority."

For a moment I thought I'd misheard him.

But another part caught my attention even more.

"And under the government's current evacuation program..."

He slid a document forward.

"Your family will receive priority evacuation or overseas relocation."

I blinked slowly.

Then leaned forward.

"And why should I trust the military?"

"Mr. Baek."

Lieutenant Shin smiled.

"Isn't the fact that the military isn't operating according to its principles exactly why this opportunity exists?"

Tap. Tap. Tap.

My finger was already drumming against the desk.

Authorization to use magic?

What a fucking joke.

A bunch of people who couldn't use it talking about authorizing it.

Most of the contract was poison wrapped in pretty words.

But a few parts mattered.

I bit the inside of my cheek and thought.

Trust the military?

No.

At this point I wasn't patriotic enough to trust the government blindly.

Anyone could hand out promises to a man expected to die on the front lines.

Still...

There were advantages.

First.

Weapons and ammunition.

In a country without a civilian firearms market, the military was by far the easiest source of the supplies I'd need.

Second.

Magic.

The military had spent the last two months collecting magical materials like the Special Lecture on Magic booklet.

There was a good chance they possessed knowledge they didn't understand or couldn't use.

Third.

Information.

Information from around the Restricted Transit Zones.

Unreliable information, perhaps.

But better than nothing.

And perhaps most importantly—

A chance to meet others who had awakened to magic like I had.

In a non-combat situation.

Potential allies.

I looked at Lieutenant Shin with bloodshot eyes.

"Fine."

I nodded.

"Let's do it."

"Oh?"

Any attachment I had to the people who had ignored my last alliance proposal was already gone.

"I'm only doing this because I'm trusting you to evacuate my parents."

"Of course."

Lieutenant Shin grinned.

"On behalf of the military, thank you for your patriotic spirit and selfless dedication to the nation, Mr. Baek."

A handshake born from filial devotion and patriotism was exchanged between us.

As I gripped Lieutenant Shin's rough hand, I forced a smile.

"In that case, at least give me some Spam."

"Best I can do is luncheon meat."

Luncheon meat instead of Spam.

Typical.