Surviving Every Worldview

Chapter 21: Abduction (1)

About two hours after leaving the terminal.

I drove alone on the highway in the car I borrowed from Kang Hyunseok.

The highway was, unsurprisingly, a mess.

Traffic was jammed, people had abandoned their cars and fled, and I could see overturned cars over broken guardrails.

It was an apocalyptic scene and it’s delaying my arrival time considerably.

I could have taken the subway, but I’m only halfway there.

If it was my car, I would have just driven through. But it was my senior’s car, so I just let it be.

-It’s a complicated situation, so I’ll forgive you for a few scratches.

-But please drive a little… more carefully. If you stop suddenly in the middle of the road, it’ll be a problem for you too, right……?

I apologized to senior Kang Hyunseok over the phone.

Of course, it’s not polite to tamper with someone else’s car, so I would have been careful even if he didn’t say it.

If this car breaks down, there’s nothing else to borrow.

Still, it’s really not long now.

Since arriving in the city, I’ve been able to recognize familiar places and don’t even need a map app.

Whenever I had plans with Do-yeon, we would always hang out in this neighborhood.

[A few citizens noticed the car driving alone and became suspicious.]

[Awareness was raised marginally.]

There was also a shelter here, centered on a busy street.

I heard that the commandos were deployed because of an attempted murder case I solved, and they guarded this shelter.

But it felt a little worse than my neighborhood because there were fewer awakeners.

It’s okay for now, but it doesn’t seem like they can protect more people.

That’s why they’re still wary of the car I’m driving but I didn’t feel like I needed help right away, so I continued on my way.

“This is it…….”

I drove through alleys and cafes and parked near Seol Do-yeon’s house.

The day is cloudy, garbage large and small blows in the wind, and the undead stagger about unseen.

I didn’t see the place for a few days, and it was as grim as a scene from a disaster movie.

Still, I’m sure it didn’t matter to her.

“Ah.”

But then the problem hit me.

I’m glad I made it this far, but I obviously don’t know the password.

I’ll have to call her first.

Do-yeon will come and open the door, and that’s it.

-Yoo Seon-woo: Home, right?

-Yoo Seon-woo: I’m here to pick you up, so open the door.

……Again, no answer. Just like a few days ago.

Five minutes after I texted her, she didn’t read it.

Is she still sleeping?

It’s getting close to lunchtime, but there’s no way she’d normally wake up on time in the morning.

Tooroooo…….

Texting doesn’t work, so I decide to call to wake her up.

[Customer is not answering the phone…]

No answer.

It’s not urgent, but it’s kind of annoying to keep waiting for someone who might wake up at any moment…….

She’s making me use methods I never intended to use.

[Your story begins.]

I took a few steps back and quickly jumped onto the awning over the communal front door.

Luckily, the window was unlocked, so I could easily slip inside.

Do-yeon is in room 302.

I’d gotten this far somehow, but now I really needed to call her.

-Ding-dong.

I rang the doorbell.

I didn’t want to startle the people in the building.

Not that the undead outside the house would hear it, so it wouldn’t matter.

I rang the doorbell, and my story-enhanced hearing finally picked up the footsteps beyond the door.

The footsteps stopped right in front of the front door, and a small, muffled voice asked me a question.

“Who, who… are you? In this situation, who would……”

“I’m home, can you open the door?”

“What? Who…?”

“Yoo Seon-woo.”

“Oh…Huh?”

Do-yeon’s voice, which had been shaking more and more, calmed down as soon as she heard my name.

The front door opened very slowly, and Do-yeon’s dark-circled eyes peered up at me through the crack.

We finally met.

“……!!”

Immediately afterward, Seol Do-yeon flung the door open and grabbed me by the collar, pulling me inside.

She pulled me so hard that I almost fell over.

The door slammed shut but Do-yeon’s expression was indescribably complicated.

“…It’s you, isn’t it? Yoo Seon-woo…….”

“Yeah, I called you earlier, didn’t you see it?”

“First…Come in. It’s dangerous up there…….”

This time, Do-yeon guided me.

The house I came back to after four days was even more disorganized than the last time.

“Where are your parents?”

“…They’re out of town for work but I know they’re okay. There was an Awakening.”

“Good.”

There was a pile of junk in the corner of the living room, and an unopened container of instant noodles on the table.

Do-yeon hurriedly dragged me into her room, as if she wanted to hide it.

“Sit there.”

Do-yeon pointed to her desk chair where she usually sat.

As I sat down, I could see the whole room at once.

The bookshelves were neatly organized with art books and books she had written in school.

Do-yeon is sitting on a single bed, and there is a tablet and monitor on a wide desk.

And on the floor……a strange machine that looks like it was made by Do-yeon is charging.

“You’re more organized than I thought, huh?”

Do-yeon’s jaw clenched as she caught her breath.

“……You’re just noticing that the living room is dirty, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s because you came in all of a sudden! If you hadn’t come, I would have been cleaning it up by now… Ah.”

Seol Do-yeon, who was getting more and more agitated, stopped talking.

She immediately looked out the window, and after a moment, sighed in relief and sat back down on the bed.

Did she really think that screaming would attract the undead?

Anyway, it softened her demeanor a bit.

“Phew… Ah! By the way, how did you get here? Didn’t you go back for days? It’s dangerous……”

“I took a car. It took me twice as long.”

I pulled the keys out of my pocket and showed them to Do-Yeon.

“You had a… car? I didn’t even know you had a license.”

“I borrowed it from someone I know. I got my license before I graduated.”

I reluctantly got my license because everyone kept nagging me to get it when I had time before college.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to pick her up.

I don’t think the adults who encouraged me to take the license ever thought it would come in handy.

“I’m glad you weren’t in any danger, but… why are you here all of a sudden?”

“I came to pick you up. Pack your bags, Seol Do-yeon.”

“Huh……?”

Do-yeon repeated.

Suddenly, her body stopped trembling.

“You’re… picking me up? Suddenly?”

“I told you last night that I’d pick you up tomorrow.”

“Wasn’t that just a test? Just as a joke to see my reaction?”

“You thought it was a joke?”

As if sensing something was wrong, Do-Yeon’s tone became aggressive again.

Yes, this is exactly the reaction I wanted.

I can accuse her of changing her words now after we’ve already talked about it yesterday!

“That, that…the atmosphere was playful, I thought you were joking…”

“You can’t go with me……?”

“Oh, no, of course I’m going with you. It’s just that… Does that mean you will introduce me to your friends as soon as we get there……?”

“I guess so?”

“Ah… That’s right, right…….”

Seol Do-yeon fidgeted with her fingers and slowly avoided my eyes.

She twirled her hair around her fingers in a futile attempt to hide her face, hugging a pillow that was lying next to her.

Eventually, though, she made up her mind and stood up.

“Okay, I’ll get ready…….”

“You can take your time.”

“What? Are you sure about the time?”

“I didn’t know how long it would take to get there and back, so I didn’t make any plans.”

“Oh, then……!”

Do-yeon asked, her voice brightening.

“Wait, can you stay with me?”

* * *

“Wait a minute.”

Seol Do-yeon left me alone in the room.

I don’t know what she was doing, but at least she left the door open, so I could hear the sound of boiling water.

A few minutes later, Do-yeon returned with two cup noodles in each hand.

“…Don’t drop them, take them quickly.”

“Suddenly?”

I accepted the cup noodles and chopsticks.

It was sudden, but it was better to eat here than to eat late after another drive.

“What’s the matter? I thought you always ate quickly to avoid making a mess.”

“Because you’re a guest, I guess.”

“You don’t care about that.”

“Eh, I guess that’s just the way it is…….”

Do-yeon looked at me like I had hit the nail on the head and sighed.

Then she picked at her cup noodles with her chopsticks and continued.

“Just because? I suddenly wanted to grab someone and eat something together.”

“Is something wrong?”

“…I don’t know what to say, I’ve been scared since yesterday and I just wanted to see anyone.”

“Oh.”

I replied sheepishly, but she seemed to think I was okay.

I mean, how can she be in a good mood when zombies are lurking just one step away?

No wonder she was shaking.

“You weren’t?”

“I was fine.”

“Wow. You must have been out and about yesterday, meeting a lot of people, because you’re not like me.”

Do-yeon gave me a knowing smile and scoffed.

“There you go again.”

“Well, I’m just saying… I know what you were doing yesterday. You were really busy.”

Did she recognize me from the internet?

But as if to negate my worries, Do-Yeon pulled out her spare baton and showed me.

Like last time, it must mean that she gained proficiency every time I used the baton, so she vaguely knew about it.

“Well, at least you made me feel better. Thanks.”

“No, I didn’t come here to cheer you up.”

“……Wait.”

Do-yeon put down her cup of noodles and asked me.

“Speaking of coming, how did you get to my door? Wasn’t the front door locked?”

“…….”

“…Why didn’t you answer?”

I subconsciously turned my eyes away from Do-Yeon.

“The glass wall was broken, so I was able to get in.”

“You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then why did you say it a beat late?”

I couldn’t think of an answer.

When I was speechless again, Do-yeon suddenly jumped up and grabbed me.

“How did you get in here? Why won’t you answer?”

“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you, don’t get too close to me, what if I spill ramen?”

“Hurry up and tell me!”

I gave a short explanation of how I got here.

The more I told the truth, the more Do-yeon looked at me suspiciously.

“If I report you for trespassing, will you be arrested?”

“What, call the police?”

Seol Do-yeon laughed wryly.

“What if there’s a reward?”

“They won’t give you a reward for that.”

“Fine then!”

With that, Do-yeon flung herself backward and landed on the bed.

“Oh, it’s been three minutes.”

Then, suddenly, she miscalculated the time, got back up, picked up her cup noodles, and started eating.

She seems to be especially active today.

Maybe it’s because it’s her house, or maybe she’s just happy to see someone else?

Anyway, I put the cup noodles down on an empty spot on her desk and took my time eating.

I had to eat carefully because if I accidentally spilled it, it would be right on her tablet.

……And sure enough, the tablet was on.

I looked at what she had been doing before I arrived, and the screen showed a graphic tool for drawing.

There was a very detailed schematic of the device that looked like it hadn’t been drawn in just a day or two.

“What were you drawing?”

“A drone. Something that flies.”

“What drone?”

“To catch the undead.”

The giant undead in front of her house.

“I’ve always wanted to catch one…but I’m too scared to go outside.”

“You don’t usually go outside.”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”

Do-yeon rolled her eyes and patted the machine on the floor.

Now it looked just like the picture on the monitor screen.

“Anyway, that’s why I made a drone to go out for me. How’s that? That’s great! Give it a thumbs up.”

“Can I touch it?”

“Yes!”

I picked up the drone and almost dropped it.

For something as small as an entry-level drone, it was heavier than I expected.

As I lifted it higher, I realized that there was a gun and magazine attached to the bottom of the drone’s body.

It was almost too heavy.

“Can you lift this thing?”

“I can’t lift it, so I can’t move it without a controller.”

She bragged but it looked good enough that I didn’t think she was being overly dramatic.

—

[Attack Drone – Cyberpunk]

#electronics, #cyberpunk

This is the default form that is only created when the story is ‘undecided’.

It’s well done, with all the intended elements.

—

The story is honest.

The setting is specific, and without a narrative, it’s less powerful.

The item description is full of praise, though?

It means that it is the best among items that are made without materials and have no grade.

Meanwhile, Seol Do-yeon kept staring at my face, waiting for a reaction.

Normally, I would have made fun of her, but today, when I had to take her to my home, I decided to hold back.

I can tell you for sure.

I don’t regret asking Do-yeon for help at all.

“You did a good job? It can really go out in your place.”

“Really!”

She’s overjoyed.

Do-yeon suddenly grabs the drone controller in both hands and mumbles.

“Actually, I built this drone from yesterday until dawn. I thought it would be better to focus on one.”

Do-yeon continued.

“So…you just finished this drone an hour ago, and you haven’t used it yet?”

“…So?”

“Can I try it out?”

Seol Do-yeon’s eyes sparkled above her dark circles.

Just like last time, her pupils turned into crisscrossed shapes.

“You said you had plenty of time, didn’t you?”

“……Instead, as soon as it’s over, get ready and go. Okay?”

“Okay. Can you put the drone down then?”

While I put the drone on the ground, Do-Yeon opened the blinds and opened the window.

When I looked down from the window, I could see that something was trapped inside, surrounded by black walls.

“Okay, here we go……!”

Sitting back down on the bed, Do-yeon smiled tiredly as she powered up the controller.

This was Seol Do-yeon’s first demonstration of her skills.

It was something I would have to watch closely.