“My name is Kwon Seong-Il, and I’m in my forties. What about you?”

The youth repeated, “Kwon Seong-Il.”

“Yes, that’s my name. Why don’t we move to a safer place? Let's go somewhere else if you don’t want to be around people.”

“Are you going to keep following me?” the youth asked indifferently.

“Am I not allowed to?” Kwon Seong-Il asked.

“I’m not going to stop you, but it’s safer to be with people.”

Seong-Il thought Seon-Hu was extraordinary due to the large backpack on his back, his ramrod straight posture, and his cold eyes. The Baekgol Reconnaissance Battalion had been recognized as a fierce domestic unit, but Seon-Hu’s eyes seemed more relentless than Sergeant Lee Kyu-Bum’s.

Seong-Il replied while lightly patting his chest and making eye contact with Seon-Hu, “My heart tells me to follow you.”

Seon-Hu shrugged. “It’s up to you, but keep in mind that if you follow me, you will likely die.”

Seong-Il’s eyes shook. “No problem. This world is already crazy, but I’ll be able to survive somehow.”

***

The space was narrower than what Seong-Il thought as he found out that the area that resembled an ordinary town was only about a block long. He couldn’t see anything beyond the area due to pervasive darkness. The areas had been perfectly separated from other spaces as if someone had drawn a line with a ruler. Seong-Il stood at the...