Chapter 10. Jung Ha-Yan (1)
An invisible rank was being formed. Even monsters that weren’t able to talk created ranks amongst themselves, so it would be strange if a subtle difference in class didn’t exist in this situation. In any place where humans lived, it was a very natural reaction.
“First,” I started.
Kim Hyun-Sung was at the top of the pyramid since he created this place. I didn’t know what happened during the process of finding a shelter, but the people here thoroughly trusted him. If I were in the same situation, I would’ve reacted the same way.
Not only did I fall into an unknown place, but the unknown place was filled with monsters.
Kim Hyun-Sung already got points for fighting the monsters with a sword and on top of that, he was too nice for his own good. Thus, it was only natural for people to look up to him.
Next would probably be Lee Ji-Hye. She stood next to Kim Hyun-Sung and picked up anything that gave her an advantage. Unlike Kim Hyun-Sung, who often roamed around outside, she spent the majority of her time inside the shelter distributing supplies, being vigilant, and was in charge of managing tasks that required manpower.
There were a few guys that were part of Lee Ji-Hye’s group and they were quite powerful. Of course, they couldn’t openly use this power or abuse it just because they were conscious of Kim Hyun-Sung, but I had a feeling that something would happen every time Kim Hyun-Sung went out.
“Then, what are we hyung-nim?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“You can say that we’re right under Kim Hyun-Sung since we have the strength to fight and obtain supplies,” I answered.
“Hm…”
“Of course, the other survivors probably aren’t too happy about seeing us,” I added.
“But, in the beginning…”
“Of course, they were happy to see us in the beginning, but after what happened yesterday, I’m sure they think badly of us. It’s no different from us expressing that we want to move independently. If I were to express it in a more negative way, it’s like we’re telling them that it’s not our responsibility to feed them,” I explained.
“But our portion is in the supplies that those guys took. Shouldn’t they be thanking us?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“I’m sure some of them do feel that way, but…it’s part of human nature for people to keep new powers in check, even within a small, useless group like this,” I said.
“Does that mean that Kim Hyun-Sung is keeping us in check?” he asked.
“No, I’m sure that he doesn’t even think that he owns this place, to begin with,” I answered.
“So who in the world is being wary…”
“Of course, the people who think this place belongs to them,” I said before Park Deok-Gu could finish his question.
Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t the one acting like he was the king of this place. It was Lee Ji-Hye who was picking up the crumbs from under him.
“I think I understand what you’re saying,” Park Deok-Gu said.
“Even though Kim Hyun-Sung is ranked above everyone here, that woman is the one that’s controlling everyone. Not only does he not have the time to manage this place, but he spends the majority of his time outside. Where power is needed, the one that has it is the king, and where food and shelter are needed, the one that possesses those is the king. Kim Hyun-Sung may have power, but that woman has the supplies and a comfortable shelter,” I explained.
“Are you talking about Lee Ji-Hye?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
I nodded and then continued talking. “That’s right.”
“.....”
“She gives more to people that are on her side and gives less to the people that she’s wary of, all she has to do is slightly push them away and put them at a disadvantage. Power creates discrimination and I’m sure Jung Ha-Yan is one of the people that Lee Ji-Hye is wary of…that’s probably why Jung Ha-Yan got excluded and is now doing difficult work,” I told him.
“Since when have you been watching Ms. Ha-Yan so closely?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“I’ll need to watch her even closer from now on,” I said.
Park Deok-Gu quietly nodded.
This was only the beginning of watching Jung Ha-Yan. It was a decision I made on impulse after reading Lee Ji-Hye and Jung Ha-Yan’s nature. One was a selfish and ambitious person and the other was an innocent supporter. With these, I believed that I could really bring out the result that I wanted.
* * *
“Ms. Ha-Yan, you need to do better,” a male survivor said.
“Sorry? Okay…” Jung Ha-Yan answered.
“You’re not the only one that’s tired. Everyone is working hard. At times like these, everyone needs to work together…if you keep working like this, we’ll have no choice but to reduce your portion of the supplies,” he explained
“I understand…” she answered.
“I’m sure you’ve heard, but the situation isn’t that great, so you just answering that you understand won’t change anything. We don’t know how long we’ll be staying here and obtaining supplies from the other starting points isn’t easy either. Monsters could ambush this place while Mr. Hyun-Sung is out, so building a wall is just as important,” the male survivor explained.
“Yes, I understand. I-I’m really sorry,” Jung Ha-Yan apologized.
“Tsk, if you don’t want to get kicked out, work hard and don’t take breaks. If we continue to find survivors and there’s more of us, you may get kicked out. Jeez, why are the people that came in this time so selfish…” the male survivor said.
“Sorry?” Jung Ha-Yan asked, she didn’t quite hear the latter part of his sentence.
“It’s nothing. Anyways, please do better.”
“Yes, yes, I understand,” she replied.
She saw the man head outside after angrily mumbling to himself.
Jung Ha-Yan couldn’t help but lower her head. She wasn’t sure of what she did wrong, but it seemed like the man didn’t like how she did her portion of the work. No, she was certain that it was the case. It had already been several days since she failed to meet her quota, so it was only natural for him to get angry.
‘I’m such a fool.’
People had called her slow and sluggish before, but she really hated herself for not being able to work faster even in a situation like this.
‘It hurts.’
When she glanced down, she saw how messed up her hands were. Almost all of her nails were falling out and even though it was painful, she was able to somewhat agree with what the man from earlier told her.
‘Everyone is working hard to survive.’
Mr. Hyun-Sung, Ki-Young, and Deok-Gu were fighting hard outside and the people here were working hard in building the wall. Compared to the situation before where she was frantically running around by herself and didn’t know when she was going to die, this place was no different from heaven.
If Mr. Ki-Young didn’t help her back then, then the monsters would’ve definitely caught her. Her face turned red for some reason after recalling how she came all the way here in a manner that looked and felt like she was getting hugged by him. She couldn’t help but feel embarrassed when she recalled that it was her first time to be in such close physical contact with a man.
While she absent-mindedly recalled that moment, Jung Ha-Yan nodded when she heard a person’s voice next to her.
“I hope you can understand, Ms. Ha-Yan,” Seok-Woo said.
“Oh, Mr. Seok-Woo,” she said.
“I’m sure it’s because he has been really stressed recently,” Seok-Woo explained to her.
“I-Is that so?” she asked.
“Yes. It’s because Mr. Hyun-Sung has been going out a lot recently that he believes that building a wall should also be of the utmost importance. I’m sure Ms. Ji-Hye shares the same opinion. Since we don’t know how long we’ll be staying here, it’s best to have all our defenses set up, so it’s only natural for him to be on edge,” Seok-Woo continued explaining.
“Oh, I un-understand that too.”
“But he seems to be more agitated than usual today. To me, I think you’re one of the hardest workers here…so I’ll try talking to him later. Let’s go eat,” Seok-Woo suggested.
“Oh…okay,” Jung Ha-Yan said weakly.
“I heard that Mr. Hyun-Sung obtained some supplies at a checkpoint,” Seok-Woo said.
“Oh really?” she asked.
“Yes. I heard it from Ms. Ji-Hye, so I’m sure he did,” Seok-Woo answered.
“That’s a relief, hehe,” Jung Ha-Yan said with a giggle.
Yoo Seok-Woo.
He was the only person that she was able to talk to here. As someone that was in charge of this task, he seemed like he tried to help those that had recently joined, but he was also a sociable person so he talked to her often.
“Anyways, is the work difficult?” Seok-Woo asked Ha-Yan.
“Of-Of course it’s difficult, but I’m sure there are others doing more difficult work than me,” she answered.
“But still, I’m sure it’s not easy doing this kind of work…so you can slack a bit,” he suggested.
“No, I haven’t fulfilled my quota yet…so I shouldn’t slack. You’re even working despite being injured…” Jung Ha-Yan said.
“As someone that manages, I’m not required to do a lot of physical work, hahaha, so this is nothing for me. Haha,” he said while chuckling.
After chatting about various topics, they arrived at the distribution table and saw a few people lining up. Jung Ha-Yan didn’t see Mr. Deok-Gu or Ki-Young, so she assumed that they had either eaten already or were at a different place.
‘It hasn’t been that long since they returned from the hunt.’
She thought that they probably wanted to rest their exhausted bodies.
“Please line up on this side and receive your portion when it’s your turn,” a person announced.
“Okay,” the survivors answered.
“Oh, okay,” Jung Ha-Yan answered quietly.
After receiving her portion with both hands, she found a decent place to sit and saw how the other survivors gathered and ate together. She thought about discreetly joining them, but because of her timid personality, it wasn’t easy for her to talk first or be with other strangers.
“I’m sure it’s because we’re in a difficult situation,” Seok-Woo commented.
“Sorry?” Jung Ha-Yan said.
“I’m talking about the other survivors. Everyone is in a difficult situation so they don’t have the luxury to take care of others. In addition, since you recently joined us, they’re a bit wary of you,” he explained.
“Oh…i-is that so? I-I thought it was because I wasn’t a good worker…” she said.
“No, you’re working harder than anyone Ms. Ha-Yan. Once time passes by and you get used to this work, I’m sure everyone will accept you, just like me,” he said, comforting her.
“T-Thank you for taking care of me,” she told him.
“It’s nothing. I’m only doing what’s right. I want to become closer to you, Ms. Ha-Yan,” Seok-Woo said.
“Oh! I feel the same way. Thank you so much for helping me in many ways,” she said.
Thinking about it now, Seok-Woo had helped her out a lot. From when she first came here up until now, he always talked to her first, tried hard to connect her with other people, and tried to accommodate her in many ways.
‘I’m thankful to him.’
When she unknowingly placed a piece of bread in her mouth, she felt Yoo Seok-Woo grabbing her hand.
“Oh…” was all she said.
Jung Ha-Yan tried to pull her hand out by using a bit of force, but she failed. When she looked over, she saw Yoo Seok-Woo looking at her.
“P-Please let go of my hand,” she said.
“Sorry?” he asked, dumbfounded.
“P-Please let me go. W-Why are you suddenly,” she said while stuttering.
“But, just now…”
“T-That’s not what I meant,” she told him.
Jung Ha-Yan quickly looked around, but she didn’t see anyone. She turned and saw that the Yoo Seok-Woo who always smiled at her, now had a different look. His smile was no longer there and he was now looking at her with an absurd expression.
“Ms. Ha-Yan,” he called out.
“Yes? Yes?”
“Did you think that I was doing charity work for you?” Seok-Woo asked her.
“Wh-What do you mean?” she asked.
“You’re really slow. If I offer you something, then you should offer me something too,” he answered.
“I-I don’t understand. W-Why are you acting like this…” she told him.
“You do know that I gave you many favors and did many things for you, right?” he asked.
“I-I don’t know what you mean. I…I’m thankful that you helped me…” she said, stuttering.
“Oh my gosh…are you really that dumb? Or are you pretending to be dumb? Should I just be blunt about it?” he asked angrily.
“P-Please let go of my hand. I-It hurts. It hurts…” Jung Ha-Yan pleaded.
“I’m telling you that you should look good in front of me if you want to live a comfortable life here, you stupid woman. Still don’t get the picture?” he said, bluntly.
His eyes looked scary and this was her first time experiencing something like this. Jung Ha-Yan didn’t know how she got into this situation. One thing she was certain about, however, was that she wanted to get out of this place.
As she desperately tried to pull her hand out, she heard a loud voice from behind her.
“Hey, dude. I suggest you let go of that hand if you don’t want it broken,” Park Deok-Gu warned.
Comments
Top