Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 150.1: Interview (1)

"This way."

Having settled in Seoul ahead of me, Defender had set up a new hideout inside an old cathedral.

The moment we stepped inside, we were greeted by a bleak sight—shattered stained glass and a half-charred statue of the Virgin Mary. Beneath that statue, however, lay a hidden entrance to a secret underground chamber.

"My entire team is staying here."

We descended a long, narrow staircase, and soon enough, a well-lit hallway came into view. Standing in it, dressed casually, was Hong Da-jeong, welcoming us with a smile.

"This way. This way."

I looked around.

It was a well-organized bunker.

Hong Da-jeong greeted the child warmly.

"You must be Iseo. Come in. You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?"

The child’s name was Choi Iseo.

She was quiet and emotionally reserved, but even before meeting Hong Da-jeong, she had already won the favor of the Defender’s team.

While Hong Da-jeong took care of Choi Iseo, Defender led me into a fairly spacious underground hall.

Inside were several racks filled with firearms, stacks of ammunition, bulletproof vests, and helmets—military gear piled in a somewhat haphazard but efficient fashion.

"Everyone here, including me, has either cut ties with the fanatics—or has a score to settle with them."

As each of Defender’s teammates entered the hall, they silently took up positions and began their own equipment maintenance routines—placing empty magazines on tables or wiping their faces with damp cloths.

"In a world where no one's protecting us, we've banded together because that’s all we’ve got."

Defender let out a faint smirk and pulled off the ski mask he’d worn for so long.

"...Especially someone like me, with a bit of a reputation. I’ve got to be extra careful."

Clearly, a lot had happened in a short amount of time.

But before we got into that, there was something I needed to say first.

"Anyway—thanks."

I expressed my gratitude to Defender.

I’d felt guilty about asking him for such a favor, even though he never once complained. I didn’t show it, but I appreciated it more than I let on.

Because of him, I’d achieved my goal—plus, unexpectedly, ended up bringing Choi Iseo along.

Defender looked briefly surprised by the sudden gratitude—very unlike him—but soon gave a cynical smirk and gestured for me to follow.

"Got something to show you."

He led me to a garage.

Just like my own bunker, Defender had dug through the basement of the cathedral and broken into the neighboring building to create a secret space.

The garage held multiple functional vehicles—gasoline-powered and electric—but one in particular stood out.

"This one?"

A sports car.

The kind that gleamed like a mirror—what people used to call a supercar.

Like a rider stroking the mane of a horse, Defender ran his hand along the car’s glossy red hood and said with a satisfied grin:

"I told you about my dream before, didn’t I?"

"About wanting to race in one of these?"

"Yeah."

"You really got your hands on one, huh?"

"I’d had my eye on it for a while. Stashed it somewhere no one would look. When we got this base, I brought it over."

"Does it run?"

I looked over the vehicle and asked.

Defender slowly shook his head but still wore that smug grin.

"It will soon. I spotted some decent /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ parts in a government warehouse recently."

After admiring his prize for a while, Defender turned back toward me.

"Iseo, right? Don’t worry about her. We’ll take care of her."

"Your sister?"

"No, she’s not great with kids."

"Then who?"

"We take turns. A couple of the guys are former dads."

"Go Jeong-du?"

"No, not him. He’s actually the youngest one on the team."

"That so?"

"You seem to like Jeong-du. You keep asking about him."

"Not really."

Just as I was about to leave, I heard someone running toward us in a hurry.

Everyone instinctively reached for their weapons and waited for the door to open.

It turned out to be Go Jeong-du—the one I’d been watching with interest lately.

"Jung-ho hyung! Jung-ho hyung!"

Could it be that he wanted to collaborate on content creation?

"You heard?! He's here!"

"Who?"

Defender asked, and Go Jeong-du, panting, blurted out a name with pure excitement.

"Kang Han-min!"

Has a single name ever stirred so much hope in people before?

"Kang Han-min is here!"

"We’re saved now!"

"Shit, I’m so glad we picked this place instead of Sejong. Those dumbasses who went there—still trusting the government."

"When's he arriving? I hope it’s soon."

"Kang Han-min is finally coming!"

People on the streets—men, women, kids—everyone was chanting the hero’s name.

Even the internet was ablaze with excitement.

Mangja31112: Yeah. We’ve been fucked long enough. Finally, sunlight’s coming our way.

Mangja942: If Kang Han-min is here, does that mean the Jeju Rift is closed?

RKkAra: I lived long enough to see this day.

Anonymous458: Is it true? Kang Han-min is coming?

Mangja152: Finally... we're saved.

Anonymous1702: Wow.

Berkut_break: The Lion of Hope is arriving.

Anonymous1844: Finally... 😢

...

Everyone was talking about Kang Han-min.

Nothing else seemed to matter anymore.

Even the dramatic downfall and death of John the Baptist—a villain who had shaken the world—was now an afterthought. Nobody cared about his schemes or legacy.

"You heard, right?"

Woo Min-hee wasn’t much different.

"Senior Kang is coming."

Kang Han-min.

The man once called the Savior of Korea, now synonymous with hope and heroism.

*

The situation was clear.

For one to rise, another must leave.

If Kang Han-min is here, then there's no need for someone like me—just a regular guy.

I won’t deny that part of this is personal.

I don’t want to be near him.

The moment I heard he had arrived, I started packing up my quarters.

I gave Kim Daram a heads-up.

Even though we’d never gotten along all that well, among all the old-school hunters, she was still the one I worked best with, thanks to years as a senior-junior team.

"Oh? You’re leaving?"

She wasn’t even surprised.

In fact, she sighed and added:

"I don’t really wanna be around Kang-sunbae either. But what can you do? If you want to survive, you stay. As annoying as he can be, with him here, at least we’re safe from monsters."

"Why don’t you like him?"

"I never said I don’t like him. We just don’t click. Anyway, if you’re going, better get confirmation from Director Woo. Let me know once you do."

Honestly, is there even a single old-school hunter who hasn’t disliked Kang Han-min at some point?

Can’t blame Kim Daram for that.

And she was right—I needed Woo Min-hee’s approval to leave.

Even if Kang Han-min was now on Korean soil, until he actually showed up in New Seoul, Woo Min-hee was still the de facto top authority—both in power and status.

But—

Beep—beep—beep

She wasn’t picking up.

Even when I visited her office-lodging, all I got was a curt “she’s busy right now.”

That nasty habit of only answering when it suits her... classic Woo Min-hee.

But in a tense moment like this, it was infuriating.

Fine. If that’s how she wants to play it, I’ve got options.

Tap, tap

SKELTON: Answer.

A polite protest, delivered via the forum.

Everyone knew that even when she was busy, Woo Min-hee still lurked on our message board under her pseudonym, "Reporter Guy."

Worst case, I could always pack my own bags and leave on foot.

But I’m still human—I prefer safe and easy. A ride in an armored vehicle would be nice. I wasn’t asking for a chopper, after all.

But still—no reply.

"..."

Should I start spamming?

I hate the idea of the backlash, but I’m out of time.

I have to leave before Kang Han-min gets here.

Like oil and water—we just don’t mix.

I can type 15 posts per second, but recently I unlocked a new macro function, which allows for over 100 posts per second.

Humans really are tool-using animals.

Until now, I’d held back out of respect for my “moderator” status. But in emergencies like this, breaking that rule doesn’t seem so bad.

"..."

Input message: Answer.

Repetitions: 108

Just as I was about to click "execute"—

Beep—beep—beep

My K-walkie-talkie chirped.

Caller ID: REDMASK.

Guess sincerity does move the heavens.

Woo Min-hee reached out first.

“Hey. Min-hee?”

Relieved I didn’t have to unleash my nuclear option, I answered calmly, as if nothing had happened.

“Yeah, sunbae. You tried to call?”

“Yeah. You weren’t answering—I was getting worried.”

“There was a reason for that.”

Good thing I held back on the macro.

SCREECH—SCREEECH—

A horrible sound rang out—Woo Min-hee dragging something hard against the wall on her end.

That sound meant one thing: our dear Director Woo was not in a good mood.

If I’d spammed her with a macro? Yeah—don’t even want to imagine it.

Let’s see what she wants to say.

After another round of scraping, she sighed deeply and finally spoke.

"...Haa. That guy. He’s pulling the same bullshit again."

I stayed quiet.

My instincts were firing.

Maybe... there’s something going on between her and Kang Han-min that I don’t know about?

"He’s always like that. Always so self-righteous. Acts like he’s some god. Doesn’t care what anyone else feels. Keeps his mouth shut, only does what he wants. No one can understand him."

I’ve never heard Woo Min-hee speak with that much disappointment.

She’s not the type to get hurt by others. She creates her own stress.

And yet—there she was, letting out that long, aching frustration.

"..."

She really does hate Kang Han-min.

Still—

She wasn’t hanging up. Maybe she wanted me to say something?

I waited until the scratching stopped, then looked toward the hotel window where she stayed and spoke.

"What happened between you two?"

A long sigh, as if she’d been waiting for that question.

Scree—eech

The scraping resumed.

And then—

"Nothing."

A hollow answer.

"He never tells anyone anything."

"Yeah?"

"Even back on Jeju, same thing. Silent. Always off doing his own thing. He’s got a handful of bodyguards who worship the ground he walks on, but even they have no clue what he’s thinking."

She gave a cold laugh.

"...But this time, I think I know."

She didn’t tell me what it was.

But I did learn two important things:

One: Kang Han-min and his unit have gone to a secret government bunker in Ganghwa Island.

Two: He has zero intention of coming out.

*

It’s been fifteen days since the Savior’s arrival swept through the city like wildfire.

For a brief moment, hope fluttered in people’s hearts like a tangible dream—but now, there’s nothing left.

The Savior hasn’t appeared, nor is there any sign that he ever will.

And life? It’s returned to normal, shockingly so.

Builders keep building. Factories keep humming. Hunters guard the cities. Others keep clearing the gray veils from unrecovered zones.

"Attack!"

Bang! Bang! Ratatatata!

Fifteen days and a morning since Kang Han-min arrived in Korea.

And I’m still here in New Seoul.

“Confirmed monster particle dispersion! Secured Point Charlie!”

These days, joint operations between regular Awakened and hunters run smoothly.

I don’t even need to guide or correct anyone anymore.

As long as monsters don’t deploy a new type, we might finally have a sustainable protocol—especially if we set it up for low-level support-class Awakened like me.

“Good work, Captain.”

“Take care, Captain!”

I parted ways with the regular Awakened who now treated me with a level of camaraderie.

"..."

I didn’t mind the work.

But uncertainty still gnawed at me.

How much longer do I wait in limbo?

Whatever happens—if Kang Han-min shows up here, I’m leaving.

But no one knows when he’ll come.

He sits in that Ganghwa Island bunker like some old military overlord, silent and unmoving.

I even messaged Na Hye-in—but no reply.

Maybe, given the mess in Jeju lately, she’s just too busy.

Everything feels like walking through fog.

I’ve done it before in Jeju—it’s worse than you think.

People like clarity. I do too.

Whatever the result, I just want it to come.

So I can either prepare to leave—or stay.

But if even Woo Min-hee doesn’t know what he’s thinking, what chance do we have?

I let out a bitter laugh as I walked back to my quarters.

Then, suddenly, a man appeared in front of me.

Tall, lanky arms and a wiry frame. Not handsome, more like pitiful. But strangely resilient.

"Skelton!"

It was Mgu.

"What the hell do you want?"

I couldn’t hide my confusion.

Mgu made a wounded expression, then stepped toward me eagerly.

I backed up, and he chuckled.

"Why so shy? It’s just me, Skelton."

"...Why are you here?"

There’s no reason this guy would seek me out.

We’re just internet acquaintances. If it’s not online business, why meet in person?

My question was answered exactly as I’d feared.

Mgu showed me a photo.

A photo of a bunker under construction. The sea visible in the background, but no other identifying features.

"What is this?"

"The bunker where Kang Han-min is."

"What?"

I was startled, though I tried not to show it.

Mgu grinned.

"Want to make some content together?"

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m