Dystopia Of Night - Chapter 3 Part 2

Sehan opened the car window and drove the car in the opposite direction. As the refreshing breeze of the forest filled the car, the four of them once again discovered water. This time, it was a waterfall.

Splaaash! The sound of the pouring water was refreshing. However, no one stepped forward and they all remained inside the car.

“Is it safe?”

“Shouldn’t it be safe this time? Look, there are birds.”

In response to Hansol’s question, Yuju pointed to the birds hovering in the sky. It was an animal that they had never seen before in the sky above the lake.

Sehan’s car still had more than half a tank of fuel, but they couldn’t explore many places considering the need to return. Since they prioritized the water supply from the beginning, they had to check it, even if it involved some risk.

“Let’s get out and take a look.”

The four of them approached the waterfall. The falling water droplets, familiar to them, were refreshing. Moreover, there were fish swimming in the water.

“It seems like ordinary water. There are even fish.”

“It must taste delicious….”

Sehan carefully observed the water after scooping it into a paper cup, then he let a droplet fall onto the back of his hand. Nothing happened. Sehan nodded, and Hae-jun and Hansol rolled up their pants and stepped into the waterfall.

“Aht! They’re running away!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll give it a try!”

The two of them became busy, their attention captivated by the fish they hadn’t seen in a long time.

Yuju, left alone with Sehan, tugged at his sleeve to get his attention.

“Isn’t it strange? We see birds and fish, but we haven’t seen any other animals. And those monsters…”

Despite the limited fuel supply, they chose to stay in the car rather than walk on foot to prepare for possible attacks from wild animals and monsters. They had been cautious as they ventured into this dense forest, where monsters had been spotted, but their concerns were unfounded.

“Also, doesn’t this forest feel artificially created? There are many trees, but the spacing between them seems uniform, like someone planted them along the road.”

Being near the waterfall brought a chill in the air. Yuju rubbed her arms uneasily and looked around with an anxious expression.

“Could it be that there’s something here, whether human or something… with human-like intelligence?”

Just as Sehan was about to speak, it happened.

“Whoaaa!”

Amidst the splashing water, they heard the shouts of excitement from Hae-jun and Hansol.

“We caught one!”

In Hae-jin’s hand was a small fish that had been caught. However, as it wriggled vigorously, Hae-jun lost grip of it and dropped it.

“Ah, hyung!”

Hansol, who had been anticipating a meal, looked disappointed.

“I don’t really know what the essence of this place is either.”

Sehan broke off a fairly thick branch and pulled out a Swiss Army knife from his pocket. With a few swift moves, he sharpened the branch, creating a makeshift spear.

“What I know is that you and I are still alive.”

Whispering softly to Yuju, he gently grabbed her waist and then let go before walking into the waterfall.

Swish! In an instant, he skillfully caught a fish with his makeshift spear. Unable to create a hook, he used his hands to catch the wriggling fish and threw it onto the ground.

His muscles flexed dynamically beneath rolled-up sleeves and just below the hem of his pants. Watching him adapting quickly to the wilderness with a face that looked like he had only ever tasted elegant dinners prepared by others, Yuju felt a tug at her heart.

She took a deep breath and walked slowly towards Sehan.

“Wow, how do you catch them?”

Sehan caught three fish in a row, swiftly and skillfully. Once he grasped the technique, it became effortless. However, he had no intention of sharing the method with Hae-jun and Hansol. Food was a valuable resource in this place, and they couldn’t afford to harbor false hopes by becoming too dependent on others.

From the beginning, Sehan had never trusted anyone before.

“Can I give it a try too?”

But when Yuju approached, he changed his mind like a swaying reed.

“The refraction of light makes the fish’s position appear different from what you see with your eyes. Aim downward but calculate that the fish’s speed is faster than the speed of the dart, so you need to aim farther.”

After several attempts, Yuju succeeded in catching a fish. Sehan taught the same technique to Hae-jun and Hansol.

They couldn’t catch the fish at the same speed as Sehan and failed multiple times. Nevertheless, Sehan valued the fact that he had taught her.

It was a place where no one knew who would die and where. Sehan would do his best to survive, but if unavoidable circumstances arose, there might come a time when he would sacrifice himself and leave her behind.

‘Even if I were to die, you may still want to live.’

With such thoughts, Sehan taught them.

***

“Now I understand. It’s not the method; it’s my body that’s the problem. My endurance is off, my endurance!”

Hansol, with only his arms restraining the resistance of a large fish, exclaimed while his exhausted arm muscles strained.

“He’s even good at handling fish.”

Hansol looked at the neatly piled up fish with a face showing fatigue. Yuju, with a curious expression, asked.

“Do you know how to cook too?”

Sehan glanced coldly at Hae-jun and Hansol, who seemed to have noticed nothing, while he smiled affectionately to her.

The two people here were supposed to be a married couple. However, Yuju couldn’t deceive people as skillfully as Sehan. Being a person who felt guilt from telling lies, Sehan didn’t want Yuju to push herself too hard.

“I’ve learned. I want to cook something delicious for you during this trip.”

This trip. Yuju probably wouldn’t even know why Sehan narrowed the scope by using that word. Sehan didn’t want her to know either.

If a problem arose, he would handle it. He just wanted to appear pleasing to her, gently touching both her cheeks.

“Wow… He’s truly a great husband, right, sister-in-law?”

“Y-Yes.”

In response to Hansol’s words, Yuju nodded with a slightly flustered expression.

“But when did you two get married?”

“A month ago.”

Sehan intercepted the response and gestured to Yuju with his eyes. It was the moment when the day they started dating transformed into their wedding anniversary.

“Oh, you’re newlyweds! We’re sorry for butting in tactlessly.”

Hansol playfully laughed, raising both hands on his stomach and bowing his head.

“So, be tactful, okay?”

Sehan seemed to be playing along with the conversation, but his sincerity was 99% – the remaining 1% of conscience came from Yuju, who felt embarrassed.

He had one more goal in mind. Humans were social creatures, and he was adept at handling human emotions.

Just by reflecting a momentary familiarity, Hansol was delighted and raised his voice like a haughty fox, eagerly responding.

“Of course, Hyung-nim! I’ll be tactful in the future too.”

On the other hand, Hae-jun was completely excluded from this conversation. Sehan collected firewood and lit the fire, not even giving a glance to Hae-jun, who was awkwardly smiling and being left out.