Chapter 1
Kwaaang!
The earth shook, and dust billowed.
Pitch-black darkness settled before her eyes.
“…Ah.”
Her body, consumed by terror, couldn’t even scream.
A Hole.
A gaping maw from which monsters, intent on devouring humanity, endlessly poured out.
It was right in front of her.
Ru… Run away.
But where?
Everything before her had already crumbled, leaving a desolate wasteland. Running in this wide-open space would only make her a target for the monsters.
Sehyun hid behind a barely standing wall, desperately holding her breath. As if that wasn’t enough, she covered her mouth and curled her body inwards with all her might.
Endure, withstand, hide!
She told herself.
Even if this wouldn’t increase her chances of survival by even 0.1%, she couldn’t just sit there and die.
While doing so, Sehyun lowered her gaze and scanned her surroundings for anything she could throw if discovered.
At the edge of her vision, she saw a long, sharp piece of metal. As she cautiously moved only her fingertips to grab it, a shadow fell over her. Goosebumps erupted all over her body, and her vision blurred. Sensing something, Sehyun lifted her head without a moment to think.
It was there.
Two eyes, yellow pupils reflecting bloodlust.
And beyond the wide-open maw, a severed arm dangled.
“Ugh.”
Amidst the trembling that wracked her body, nausea surged up. At the same time, the world began to darken.
‘Save our Sehyun. Protect this child you have given me.’
A man’s voice and a woman’s voice overlapped. She instinctively knew that this wasn’t a sound she was hearing with her ears.
It was like a small voice emanating from deep within her body.
‘Protect this child you have given me with your power.’
‘All I ask of you is the well-being of our family; I offer you the rest.’
The voice grew louder and louder, resonating throughout her being.
“Receive my prayer.”
Just as the resounding voice finally overflowed and spilled from her lips, the pitch-black world turned white.
***
“Gasp!”
Sehyun startled awake, opening her eyes.
“Are you okay?”
Sangwoo, who was beside her, asked with wide eyes. Sehyun stared at him blankly before quickly lowering her head. She saw herself sprawled out in the middle of the gymnasium.
“Ha…”
Sehyun let out a shaky breath she had been holding.
It was a dream.
As Sehyun rubbed her face and shook her head, Sangwoo spoke again.
“Are you really okay?”
“…Ah, yes, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine at all.”
Sangwoo said, looking at Sehyun dripping with cold sweat.
“I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry.”
Sangwoo scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed face.
What was he talking about? Sehyun wondered for a moment before quickly remembering the situation.
As always, she had been sparring with Sangwoo in the gymnasium. But the last thing she remembered was being knocked to the floor by a skill he used.
Oh my god.
Sehyun’s eyes widened as she recalled the fact.
“You’re a Guard, Senior.”
“…That’s right.”
Holes, where monsters suddenly started pouring out.
Guards, beings chosen by the world to fight against those Holes after they appeared.
Sangwoo’s rank was F-class. Even if he participated in Hole closure raids, the income wasn’t significant, so he was supplementing his income by working as a civilian bodyguard with Sehyun.
After getting to know each other well from working together for a long time, they would often spar like this.
But this was the first time he had used a skill.
“…Were you trying to kill me?”
“Of course not. Haa, I’m really sorry. I don’t even know why I did that…”
It was illegal for an Awakened Guard to use a skill against an unawakened civilian like Sehyun. If she reported him right now, Sangwoo would be immediately dragged to the Guard Association for investigation. And he would be fired from this bodyguard job.
Who would trust someone who uses skills on civilians as a bodyguard?
“You suddenly rushed at me, and I instinctively felt like I would die if I got hit. So, without even realizing it…”
Sehyun let out a low sigh as she watched Sangwoo rambling, unable to meet her eyes.
“I’ll let it slide since it’s your first time. Be careful next time.”
Sehyun replied nonchalantly as she got up. Sangwoo nodded, looking flustered.
“Yeah, I’ll be careful. I’m really sorry. If you’re okay, I’ll buy you a meal…”
“No, I have to go home. It’s late.”
“Okay. Then I’ll definitely buy you one next time! I really will! I’ll buy you two!”
“Buy me three. And buy some rice too. I’ll take it home and eat it.”
“Hey, you earn good money too…”
“Can it compare to a Guard’s income?”
Even if he was F-class, a Guard was still a Guard.
They received a much higher allowance than civilian bodyguards.
“Geez.”
Sangwoo just scratched the back of his head, feeling guilty.
“Then I’ll see you next time.”
Sangwoo watched Sehyun bow and turn around, a wry smile on his face. He then stared blankly at his own hands, replaying the earlier situation in his mind.
It was definitely just like their usual sparring.
But the moment Sehyun darted towards him, Sangwoo suddenly felt a sense of mortal danger.
The overwhelming feeling that he might die if he got hit.
He swung his hand without even realizing it.
Even so, she was an unawakened civilian. She would be hurt if hit, but she wouldn’t die. There was an insurmountable gap in physique and stamina between a Guard and a civilian.
But still…
What have I done?
“Haa.”
Sangwoo looked at the direction Sehyun left with a bitter face.
***
Sehyun stared blankly out the bus window as she rode home.
Since the appearance of the Holes, South Korea was no longer divided into provinces and cities. It was divided into Large Safe Zones, Medium Safe Zones, and Small Safe Zones.
Large Safe Zones were equipped with South Korea’s major facilities and had systems in place to immediately defend against Holes if they occurred. Most Guards resided there.
Medium Safe Zones were divided into five locations, each holding a share of the facilities that could be activated if the Large Safe Zones were paralyzed.
And then there were the Small Safe Zones.
Small cities where people who couldn’t afford to live in the expensive Large and Medium Safe Zones resided. Contrary to their name, they were only about the size of a couple of neighborhoods combined.
They could travel to the Medium and Large Safe Zones by taking buses operated by the Guard Association, which pre-determined safe routes based on Hole detection.
Bus schedules could be checked through news, radio, apps, and other means.
Sehyun lived in a Small Safe Zone located quite far from the Large Safe Zone. It was a place with a bus service to and from the Large Safe Zone every three days, taking about three hours each way. Even that was expensive, so she could only go home once every two weeks.
Sehyun got off the bus, put on her earphones, and climbed a gentle hill.
Human adaptability is something else…
Sehyun clicked her tongue.
After the Holes appeared and the world turned upside down, Sehyun wouldn’t dare wear earphones outside.
No matter how safe a Small Safe Zone was, you never knew when and where monsters might appear.
But a few years after the Holes appeared, she could now walk around with earphones on.
Was this a good thing or a bad thing…?
“Sigh.”
Letting out a long sigh, Sehyun walked along the quiet road and suddenly remembered what she had heard on her way out of work.
‘Don’t you want to settle down here? You know, right? Our company doesn’t hire civilian bodyguards as regular employees anymore. It’s a headache if we do. That’s why we don’t hire them… but they said they’d make an exception for you and hire you as a regular employee.’
‘I understand that if I become a regular employee, I have to live in the dormitory.’
‘That’s right. You have to live in the dormitory. You can think of it as going home once every two months. It’s not like you can’t go at all. Why? Are you worried about your family?’
‘Actually… yes.’
‘Who wouldn’t be worried? But we still do it. We have to make a lot of money to move to a Medium Safe Zone. Well, these days, even Medium Safe Zones are packed with people, and they say there are no houses available… but you still need money to even wait for a chance. So think about it. How long are you going to stay in a Small Safe Zone? It’s dangerous even in Small Safe Zones now.’
As he said, she needed money. Wasn’t that why she joined this company in the first place?
Because being a civilian bodyguard was one of the highest-paying jobs for a non-Guard.
Their job was known as protecting civilians like politicians, celebrities, businessmen, and wealthy individuals who made personal requests, but that was just a nice excuse.
There was no way civilians like them could fight the monsters that came out of the Holes on equal footing. Their job was to sacrifice their lives to buy time for their clients to escape. That’s why they were paid so much.
It was dangerous, but they wanted to earn money this way to take their families to a bigger Safe Zone.
As her boss said, Small Safe Zones, despite their name, were no longer safe.
So…
According to our regulations…
Please…
I’m sorry…
The conversation was fragmented, cutting through the loud music.
Sehyun looked up and saw her aunt and a man in a military uniform with a star-shaped embroidery standing facing each other in the alley. Behind them, neighborhood residents and men in military uniforms stood facing each other as if in a standoff.
Just once…
I’m sorry…
Sehyun took out her earphones. Only then could she clearly hear the people’s conversation.
“Is there really no other way?”
Her aunt asked with a tearful face.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hey! What do you mean we have to move somewhere within a week?”
“A temporary shelter will be designated soon, so we will contact you separately regarding the future schedule.”
The man in the military uniform with the star-shaped embroidery answered politely, but he sighed occasionally, as if annoyed by the people clinging to him.
Then he gestured with his chin to the people standing behind him, and they rushed out and handed out paper bags. Some of the men threw the bags on the ground and shouted.
“Hey! Would you just accept this and be done with it if you were in our shoes?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“We’re about to be out on the streets!”
Just as an enraged man was about to grab the collar of the man at the front, the man’s figure vanished in an instant.
Hmm, seems to be an interesting start!