Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 55.1: 20 Hours and 30 Minutes (1)

“Regardless of what’s true, all we can do is sit back and enjoy the show. Or pretend we’ve got popcorn to munch on. Got any popcorn?”

The controversy surrounding the satellite photo of the Jeju evacuation fleet had spiraled into a massive scandal, shaking not only the internet but the entirety of Incheon.

However, what truly worried me wasn’t the fleet—it was the southern rift.

You only needed to look at China for a cautionary tale.

The Beijing Military District had witnessed battles so fierce they were dubbed the most intense since World War II. Yet, erosion never even reached the outskirts of Beijing.

What brought Beijing to its knees was erosion spreading unchecked from vulnerable rear areas.

Victory was declared on the frontlines, but the collapse of the rear triggered Beijing’s fall, leaving China devastated except for its coastal zones. That desperation even led them to the disastrous choice of invading Taiwan.

South Korea is no different.

Its fragile rear has crumbled.

This means the southern region will soon be swallowed by erosion.

If Gyeongnam falls, Honam will follow, and the devastation will ripple back to the metropolitan area.

Yet, despite the gravity of this situation, all attention remains fixated on the evacuation fleet.

“······.”

Ding!

The microwave beeped, signaling that the popcorn was ready.

Crunch.

Maybe focusing on the fleet is the smarter move after all.

What could anyone possibly do about the south collapsing?

Even if I marched in with an axe, it wouldn’t stop the monsters.

Crunch.

As I munched on my popcorn, I scrolled through our forum. Predictably, it was chaos.

That’s exactly what I logged on to see.

I was particularly curious about one person’s reaction. Unsurprisingly, our very own m9 did not disappoint.

mmmmmmmmm: “ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”

If I were m9, I’d have been paralyzed with fear after seeing that photo.

Had his residency rights not been stripped, he’d have been on one of those ships.

But m9? He didn’t care.

If something worked in his favor, it was a blessing; if not, it was treason.

The very embodiment of opportunism, m9 strutted through both PaleNet and our board like a victorious general.

mmmmmmmmm: “So the rumor is something about magnitude? More people equals more intensity? Jeju’s appeal was clean air and fewer people. If it’s overcrowded, what’s the point? If I were the president, I wouldn’t allow it~.”

That much was expected. m9 had long been a vocal opponent of the Jeju evacuation fleet.

But then, m9 decided to pick a fight with the wrong person.

mmmmmmmmm: “Keep munching, you bastard. Keep munching.”

m9 had directed his mockery at DongtanMom—better known as Baek Seung-hyun.

Now, Baek Seung-hyun is a different breed of problem on the internet.

If I’m the type who constantly gets flamed, Baek Seung-hyun is the type who actively incites hatred.

At least I’m not guilty of outright provoking people.

But Seung-hyun? He’s a human weapon. Killing someone is just another day for him.

He even tried to kill me once.

Had he teamed up with a competent group of raiders, I might not have survived.

m9 antagonizing someone like Baek Seung-hyun is a very dangerous move.

As the sole resident of The Hope, m9 had already been doxxed. If Seung-hyun got angry enough, he could show up with an RPG or even just a gun, and m9’s daily life of rappelling inside his building could easily end in flames or bullets.

As expected, Seung-hyun made his displeasure very clear.

dongtanmom: “Munch munch... You wanna die, m9?”

Crunch.

This was getting dangerous.

Seung-hyun was someone who could and would kill, with plenty of unsavory friends at his disposal.

Yet, m9’s audacity was just as infamous.

mmmmmmmmm: “Bring it, you bastard. Good luck even reaching my place—it’s climbing terrain from the entrance. ㅋㅋㅋ”

Even Seung-hyun’s threats didn’t faze him.

I wanted to advise m9 to stop, but I knew he wouldn’t listen to me.

He already thought of me as some kind of lunatic.

Thankfully, it seemed Seung-hyun wasn’t seriously planning to kill him—yet.

dongtanmom: “Munch munch... pathetic... Calling it sour grapes because you couldn’t get a spot? Clinging to an unverified photo like it’s gospel... Munch munch. Before trusting the picture, shouldn’t you first address the government’s counter-arguments? Munch munch. Using claims to refute other claims... How ignorant and shallow can you be? Munch.”

Seung-hyun had a point.

There’s no guarantee the satellite photo was genuine.

While the resolution and details made it seem credible, anyone with the right tools and skills could fake such an image in the age of deepfakes.

I didn’t believe the photo entirely either.

It could have been a disgruntled person who didn’t make it onto the fleet or even propaganda from the Legion to further their agenda.

But why China?

Why send the fleet there?

What about the crew aboard? Were they abandoned too?

Would they really follow such suicidal orders without protest?

If they wanted to dispose of the passengers, wouldn’t it make more sense to sink the ships at sea and blame it on Chinese submarines?

The truth remains out of reach.

Maybe Woo Min-hee knows something.

But would that cunning woman tell me the truth?

“What do you think, Skelton?”

Dajeong’s voice crackled through the comms, asking for my take on the situation.

Crunch.

“Skelton, are you eating something? Is that... popcorn?!”

“Corn.”

“Corn...? Now I want some.”

“That was my last batch.”

“Oh... Anyway, what’s your take?”

“Hmm. Let me think.”

My honest opinion? The photo was likely fake.

“Chances are, the picture’s been doctored. But that doesn’t guarantee the fleet reached Jeju either.”

“Why do you twist things so much?”

“Think about it—there’s no reason to send them to China.”

Defender had been contacting me more frequently lately.

Having been ostracized from the forum and relegated to lurking, she’d taken to venting her frustrations through conversations with me.

It wasn’t so bad.

Talking to someone, even if only through comms, felt oddly fulfilling.

“I see. So you think the government isn’t letting the refugees into Jeju. Does that mean the second fleet will face the same fate?”

“Probably.”

The second fleet was reportedly carrying 300,000 refugees—far more than the first.

Combined, that would mean half a million people trying to reach Jeju.

“I doubt Jeju will take them.”

“DongtanMom insists they will.”

“That guy’s just weird.”

“Aren’t you both hunters?”

“There are plenty of psychos among hunters.”

“I see...”

At that moment, I was certain the Jeju evacuation fleet wouldn’t make it to Jeju.

That certainty was shattered later that afternoon when I received an unexpected message.

DragonC: "I have something important to tell you."

*

The second DragonC had served well during his time.

He had consistently reinterpreted the original DragonC's works in his own style, bringing deep emotional resonance not only to PaleNet and our forum but also to users from abroad.

Choosing him as the successor to DragonC was a brilliant decision.

But time has passed.

Guilt and hatred both erode and fade under the relentless tide of time—especially during these apocalyptic days when each passing moment rushes us closer to the end.

The message he sent me contained the farewell I had vaguely anticipated but had momentarily forgotten.

Message from DragonC:

"A government official approached us, offering to take my family to Jeju. They said it would be under the title of ‘Professional Entertainer.’"

The man behind DragonC, Fulcrum88, had been a popular writer before the war—someone whose name everyone had heard at least once.

Compared to the beloved DragonC of our forum, Fulcrum88 was a league above in stature.

Follow current novels on freewebnσvel.cѳm.

It made sense that the government would recognize his talent and decide to take him.

SKELTON: "How many episodes of the manuscript do you have left?"

Message from DragonC:

"Combining the script drafts, there are about five episodes left. The original outline DragonC left behind was excellent, and working on it has brought me satisfaction. I plan to continue the project even after I move to Jeju."

“······.”

I brewed a rich shot of espresso using the coffee machine DragonC had left behind and sipped it slowly.

Would letting him go be the right thing to do?

Deep down, I wanted him to remain here, atoning for the crime of killing the original DragonC for the rest of his life.

But would DragonC himself want that?

Staring at the goldfish in my tank, I could almost hear his voice saying, "There’s no need for that."

In truth, Fulcrum88’s current position was precarious.

Across the sea were remnants of the Chinese military, and to the south lay the city of I Am Jesus.

Living with his family in such a volatile place couldn’t have been easy.

If anything, leaving might increase his sense of unease.

In the city, at least some people provided protection. In that new place, he’d bear the weight of protecting not only himself but also his family.

SKELTON: "Are you certain about moving to Jeju?"

Curiosity crept in.

If DragonC was truly going to Jeju in this age of heated debates over whether the evacuation fleets were legitimate, it might finally put the endless arguments to rest.

Message from DragonC:

"Yes, absolutely. I’ve received a direct message about it."

SKELTON: "Who sent it?"

Message from DragonC:

"Ah, this is a secret..."

SKELTON: "?ㅅ?"

Message from DragonC:

"? What?"

SKELTON: "Who sent it?"

Message from DragonC:

"Promise me you won’t tell anyone."

SKELTON: "(Skelton Oath) I swear on everything."

Message from DragonC:

"It was a journalist... I know it sounds hard to believe, but they claimed to be connected to the government."

“Oh.”

It seemed real.

Hearing that left me with a mix of emotions, impossible to define with one word.

I felt a sense of relief but also a twinge of loss.

It would be a lie to say I held no resentment toward DragonC.

But no one has the right to keep another person tethered forever.

He had completed 80% of DragonC’s manuscripts. That wasn’t perfect, but it was substantial.

Whether Fulcrum88 would finish the remaining 20% was up to him.

Since the government had extended an offer to take him, it wasn’t something I could stop even if I wanted to.

The only option available to me now would be to kill him before the government agents arrived.

But what would that achieve?

Placing even a slim hope on Fulcrum completing the remaining manuscripts seemed like the more rational choice in a world already overflowing with death.

SKELTON: "I’ll escort you to Incheon when the time comes."

It had been a rocky beginning, but I wanted to leave things on a better note.

At least this ending could be respectable.

There’s a saying: “A secret known to me is known to others.”

Once, when I was known as Professor, this saying never seemed relevant to me. But now, as nothing more than the humble Skelton, a mere user of a single forum, I find it rings true.

ㅇㅇ: (NationNet repost) "Special Selection for Living Cultural Assets.txt"

The controversial program DragonC had mentioned—the Living Cultural Assets Special Selection—was first posted on NationNet, a state-sponsored website. Soon after, the same information appeared on PaleNet.

The program’s purpose was simple: to identify individuals with exceptional artistic talent and prioritize their evacuation to Jeju Island. The goal was to provide these individuals with safety so they could continue their artistic pursuits, spreading hope and positivity to those left behind on the Korean Peninsula.

This wasn’t limited to webtoon artists like Fulcrum88. The list included pianists, actors, musicians, trot singers, filmmakers, and others who had made significant contributions before the war.

People scrutinized the names on the list. Some felt surprise, others a wave of nostalgia as they remembered an era now long gone.

But, as always, good intentions are often twisted.

ㅇㅇ: "If this is real, doesn’t it prove the Jeju evacuation fleet is real too?"

Jeju evacuation fleet proponents immediately seized on this program as evidence to counter skeptics.

Even someone like me, who had consistently doubted the fleet’s legitimacy, found myself questioning whether I’d been mistaken.

Of course, my skepticism wavered even more because I knew the identity of the journalist who had contacted DragonC. That made it harder not to believe.

If I was starting to waver, how much more so for others?

ㅇㅇ: "This looks legit. Hard not to believe now."

ㅇㅇ: "Exactly. They can’t just gather famous people and kill them—it would leak immediately."

ㅇㅇ: "Where are all the skeptics now?"

ㅇㅇ: "These bitter losers... Every chance they get, they crawl out to spew sour grapes. Remember how they lost their minds over one fake photo? LOL."

ㅇㅇ: "Honestly, if the refugees were a burden, wouldn’t it be easier to sink them at sea? Why go all the way to China to abandon them?"

The tides of Korean public opinion had turned.

On PaleNet, it was now undeniably the era of the proponents.

Naturally, the outspoken face of the skeptics, m9, was the one to bear the brunt of this backlash.

And at the forefront of this assault was Baek Seung-hyun.

dongtanmom: "Nom-nom... Hey, m9... Does your name mean you have nine M’s? You said they’d send the Jeju fleet to China, didn’t you? Care to explain? Nom-nom..."

dongtanmom: "Nom-nom... What’s the matter, m9? Cat got your tongue? Is your head tilted because you live in a crooked house? Hurry up and refute this. If they’re killing refugees in China, why are they rounding up celebrities? Nom-nom..."

Baek Seung-hyun, as if venting years of pent-up frustration, tore into the now-broken m9 with merciless ferocity.

Even as a third-party observer, it was brutal enough to make me uncomfortable.

But even worms squirm when stepped on.

mmmmmmmmm: "You little piece of shit..."

Crunch.

mmmmmmmmm: "Where do you live?"