The Trash Wants to Live

PR: Xashaha

“What do you want to ask me?”

“…The story about that day.”

Rachel brought up the subject carefully. She seemed to be worried that recalling the events of the day would make me distressed. Even though my psychological counselling is a secret, I still thought SNT would have reported my current condition. 

I thought for a moment and asked back.

“What do you want to hear?”

“I’d like to hear as much detail as possible about that day from Mr. Ki’s point of view. But… are you okay?”

“About what?”

“…It seems to have been quite a traumatic experience for people who are non awakeners.”

“…”

“We’ve lost three people, and 92 people with injuries ranging from minor to serious. It’s fortunate that only three people died, but… anyway, there are a total of 230 people, including 50 awakeners, 150 soldiers and 30 researchers from the Glory Guild, and up to seven people including Mister Ki. There were 95 wounded or killed out of 237 people, that’s not a small number.” 

Rachel gulped down the drink as if she was thirsty. Putting the bottle down on the table with a thud, she sighed deeply.

“Among the 179 people excluding those with special abilities, all but the 40 soldiers who belonged to the 1st attack team were terrified when I asked about that day. There are many soldiers who applied for discharge. Some of the researchers have resigned. Some people were in good condition, but Mr. Ki is the first person to be calm among ordinary people.”

“Hmm…”

“Mr. Ki acts like a person with special powers.”

I said nothing. Then Rachel smiled and shook her head.

“I think I went too far ahead. I’m sorry, I’m getting agitated over this… where were we?”

“It’s my turn to speak now. Do you want me to start from the beginning?”

“Yes please.”

“Well… at first, the sky became strange.”

The sky turned red, there was a crack in the air and Dietrich fell out of it. I didn’t say more than what the others knew, like the fact that he was a holy knight but had been corrupted. I thought it was okay to say his name though, since Cookie had called him several times.

“…I inadvertently swung a dagger because he kept aiming for Hyun-joo. I tried to threaten him with the dagger that Jae-hyuk hyung made for me using his ability, but I didn’t know that his palm would be pierced…”

I even made up an excuse for the dagger that suddenly disappeared. Fortunately, Rachel seemed to be convinced that there was nothing wrong with what I said. As I continued to explain, I also came up with a story about Cookie, but Rachel suddenly asked a question.

“Do you know anything about that monster?”

“Yes, I had never seen that animal before. But… Dietrich called it a divine beast.”

“Ha… That’s right. Everyone said that. But it’s more important if it’s on our side than whether it is a divine beast or not.”

It is true that Cookie couldn’t attack properly and could not defeat Dietrich like Kwon Jae-hyuk, but Cookie was also strong enough that he didn’t fall down easily to Dietrich’s attack, which was a concern on the U.S. side. 

It would be a problem if “it” was still inside the gate or even outside it.

‘If Cookie were the enemy, then all the plans to explore inside the gate would be in vain if he remained inside.’

On the contrary, it was also a problem if Cookie had already escaped outside the gate. Cookie was strong enough to counteract Dietrich’s sword with beam-like attacks, unlike the mere goat that came out earlier. The casualties would be enormous. Of course, Cookie wasn’t the enemy, but…

‘The others must be worried because they haven’t been properly told that Cookie was not an enemy, and Cookie seems to know Dietrich well and even acted as if he was defending him.’

“I thought that ‘it’ was an acquaintance of Mr. Ki.”

“Really?”

Rachel’s words took me by surprise. I didn’t show it, but I got goosebumps, wondering how she knew that.

‘Perhaps she read my thoughts?’ 

I felt a little nervous, but shook my head as I adjusted my expression. Maybe that’s her feeling. She let out a small laugh, as if I wasn’t wrong.

“It’s not likely. It’s just that the moment ‘it’ came out was when Mr. Ki was in danger. It may be a coincidence.”

“What?”

Rachel wasn’t there, but as she pulled out her cell phone, I wondered how she saw that.

“Did no one tell you about the CCTV we had installed at base camp for security purposes?”

“CCTV?”

“Ugh Hazel, you’ve always done things half-heartedly! …I’m sorry, but it was for security purposes, not surveillance, so please forgive me.”

They put it up to prepare for any unfortunate events, and it would have been used to find out what happened when an incident broke out, like this time.

“The other cameras are badly damaged, this is the only one that captures it properly.” 

After she scrolled on the phone and handed it to me, I could see the base camp on the small screen. The CCTV seemed to be hanging somewhere on the left. The screen, which filmed the entrance, showed the sky opening and Dietrich falling.

‘The resolution is good, but I’m glad that it’s taken from afar.’

I thought that she might try to confirm our conversation by reading our lips. Everything was caught on camera, from him blocking bullets, killing people with his sword, to destroying the watchtower. Even Cookie’s appearance trying to protect people was recorded.

‘It’s true.’ 

I thought we were inconspicuous, but we showed more than we thought. Cookie tried to protect me from Detrich, and it was captured on camera that I was also running to protect Cookie from him.”

“Well, that’s why I was wondering. Since I didn’t see that dog around, maybe the dog got bigger?”

“Hahaha…”

“Well, that’s unlikely though.”

Rachel’s face, with a shy smile, looked two-faced. I was unsure if she actually knew something but pretended not to, but since I couldn’t reveal it, all I could do was smile along.

“By the way, are you really not awaken, Mr. Ki?

“You already know.”

I shrugged my shoulders. I was an incompetent and Rachel had confirmed it. When we first met, I had raised my hand on the board to test if I had any ability, but there was no response.

‘I don’t know how I didn’t get a response even now…’

Rachel’s suspicions seemed to have faded. 

“Sigh… There’s so much mystery involved in this incident. From the identity of that person to the fact that you were able to block the collapsing watchtower with just a bulletproof shield. If Mister Ki wasn’t giftless, I would have thought you had awakened some sort of ability…”

“Hahaha…”

I just laughed because I had nothing to say. Since I had been identified as a non-ability holder, even if I died and came back to life, I couldn’t become an ability holder, so I understood why she was confused.

Rachel tapped the table with her chin propped on her fingertips. She thought for a moment, and then made a sound as if she had remembered something.

“Oh, come to think of it, we got some loot.”

“Loot… oh, the sword?”

As I wondered if there was anything worthy of being called a loot, something came to my mind. It seemed like Rachel was talking about the sword that Dietrich had left behind, so I asked again and she nodded.

“That’s right. That one. Are you going to sell it to us?”

“Well, I’m not the owner of it, so…”

The real owner was Kwon Jae-hyuk, it was mine, but not mine. I didn’t want to give it away easily. So I trailed off my words and Rachel smiled faintly. 

“Ah, yes. It’s Mr. Kwon’s loot. But if Mr. Ki says something, he’ll hand it over to you, right?”

“Hmm…”

It seems like she’s also quick-witted, as she noticed that Kwon Jae-hyuk would give in to me easily, even though the item belonged to him. As expected of her to realise that what belongs to Kwon Jae-hyuk is mine.

Getting Dietrich’s sword was not a part of the original story, so I hadn’t thought in advance about what to do with it. However, I couldn’t just hand it over easily like a pushover, so I thought about what kind of benefit I could gain from it.

“How about doing joint research instead of selling it? 

“Joint research?”

“Yes. It’s a collaboration between Sungwoon and SNT.”

I smiled and used my head. Who owned Sungwoon Metal? Was it still under the hands of Ki Jae Mu? It had become a nuisance to Sungwoon, being pushed aside by other companies. Since it is a place where people barely make ends meet by subcontracting from other affiliates, I might as well hold it in my hand and put it under the Sungwoon Guild.

“I’ll send our researchers to SNT. What do you think?”

“To us?”

The research facility on the SNT would undoubtedly be far superior to that of the Sungwoon Metal, so it would be better for us to send our people there. Rachel, who had been contemplating for a while, asked us to understand  that it could not be handled solely on her end and left. After about five minutes passed, Rachel returned to her seat.

“Okay. Let’s collaborate.”

“That’s a good choice.” 

Phew. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief, but wondered what I would have done if they had refused. 

‘Well, we can conduct independent research in Korea, but…’

I thought it would be a little disappointing if I missed the opportunity to learn US know-how through joint research. Just as I was about to get up, thinking that everything was over, Rachel grabbed me.

“Mr. Ki.”

“Yes?”

Rachel seemed a little hesitant even after calling me. Wondering what was going on, I waited for her to speak.

“It’s about Mr. Kwon.”