Editor’s Survival Guide - Chapter 29

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Editor’s Survival Rules Episode 29

ep7. The Corpse Runs (1)

Gunshots from the 2 o’clock direction.

Bang-! Bang-! Bang-!

Explosion sounds from the 11 o’clock direction.

Boom-! Boom-! Boom-!

And right next to me, Kwak Jae-gyeom’s radio conversation is in full swing.

-Jae-gyeom, how many dummies are left?

“22 left now.”

-This is the B-7 minefield section, can’t you give us a few more dummies?

“Nah, no way. We have to get to round 10 today and it’s already tight as is.”

-Hey, we’re halfway done on our side but all the dummies got blown to pieces. The firepower of these mines is insane!

“What? Really?”

-A-3 sector sniper section investigation complete.

“Yong-su hyung! Do you have any spare dummies over there?”

-Got 3 that were shot up. Take them if you need them.

“Su-ho hyung, you heard that, right? Let’s use what the other teams have left first. If that’s still not enough, I’ll talk to them about it.”

Kwak Jae-gyeom, standing next to me, responded to the radio calls coming from all directions.

After a while, the explosion sounds that had briefly stopped echoed out again.

Kaboom-!

“Wow, the firepower really is good.”

Kwak Jae-gyeom whistled nonchalantly.

Then, as if belatedly remembering me, he looked my way and asked.

“Hyung, are you okay? It’s pretty noisy today, isn’t it?”

“Uh… I’m fine…”

I answered with a forced smile, but honestly, I’m not really fine.

Every time I hear an explosion, my heart drops, and when gunshots ring out, even my spine tingles with chills.

But what can I do, I have to endure it…

It’s been 3 weeks since I came out of the “Member-only Warehouse-style Mart.”

Having fully recovered my body during that time, I’m back inside the “Member-only Warehouse-style Mart.”

And…

“Oh? Hamada.”

Swoosh-!

Kwak Jae-gyeom spotted someone and suddenly raised his arm.

Wobble-

I was helplessly swayed and dragged along by Kwak Jae-gyeom’s large movement.

“Hey, hey…”

“Ah, ahaha. Sorry.”

When I tugged on the wrist cord, Kwak Jae-gyeom sheepishly lowered his arm.

The string that had been pulling taut on my wrist also loosened again.

Kwak Jae-gyeom and I were tied to each other with a cord about 1 meter long.

Stringing two adult men together like dried fish.

Even I thought it wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight to behold.

But if you ask why we’re doing this, I’d answer that it’s simply to survive.

* * *

It all started four days ago.

Bang-!

With the gunshot, a tingling vibration traveled through my hand.

Bang-! Bang-! Bang-!

The pistol’s recoil was considerable, but I held my breath and calmly aimed at the target as I’d been taught.

Soon the magazine was empty.

I took off the earmuffs that had been heavily pressing on my ears and let out a sigh.

This is the Shooting Range within the Management Bureau.

I was learning how to shoot a pistol from Cha Si-eon.

After finishing the last set and coming out of the firing lane, the target I’d shot appeared on the screen.

The target had holes punched in it equal to the number of bullets.

And all those holes were concentrated in the 8-point or higher zones.

Just two days ago, there were plenty of bullets that completely missed the target.

This is much better, yeah.

Satisfied with my rapid progress, I said to Cha Si-eon.

“Isn’t this good enough to carry a gun around?”

“It is not.”

“…”

I shouldn’t have said anything.

“Gun permits are still a long way off, so just take good care of the items you’ve been issued.”

Cha Si-eon crushed the budding hope in my heart while gesturing toward the table with his chin.

There lay the items I’d temporarily taken out of my vest while practicing shooting.

I stood in front of the table, wondering about Cha Si-eon’s upbringing.

Then I suddenly stopped, struck by a thought.

As I stood there blankly in that state, Cha Si-eon said.

“Firearms risk being taken by other people. That’s why we don’t issue them based on shooting scores alone.”

“No, that’s not it.”

This guy thinks I’m upset about not getting a gun.

If that’s what he thinks, he’s completely barking up the wrong tree.

I shook my head vigorously and then asked Cha Si-eon.

“What exactly is the scope of ‘personal items’?”

“Is this a matter I should be answering?”

…When will it ever be possible to have a conversation with this guy?

I shook my head in a different sense and then spoke seriously again.

“When I get dragged into a Special Zone, the clothes I’m wearing and the things I put in those clothes all come along with me. It’s the same for other people too. But isn’t this strange?”

“What’s strange about it?”

“For example, ‘wearing clothes’ means ‘fabric assembled to cover the body is in a fixed state of contact with a human body.’ From a human perspective, we define this subjectively as ‘wearing’ or ‘putting on,’ etc.”

Cha Si-eon looked at me with an expression that said ‘what kind of nonsense is this.’

Hey, don’t curse with your eyes…

I gave this frustrating and rude guy an example and explained again.

“When I was dragged to the Hospital Special Zone before, I was sleeping at home covered with a blanket. But when I woke up in the Special Zone, there was no blanket and I was only wearing the otter shirt and shorts. Why did only the clothes come along that time and not the blanket? Both clothes and blankets are the same fabric, and they were both touching my body.”

At my additional explanation, Cha Si-eon’s expression finally became serious.

It seems he finally understood what I meant.

“When I was dragged to the Railroad Station, the bag I was carrying on my back came along too. But when I was dragged to the mart last time, I was holding the medical examination room door handle with my hand, yet that door remained perfectly intact in reality. Isn’t that strange? This means that whatever force transports people to Special Zones knows and distinguishes concepts like ‘wearing,’ ‘putting on,’ and ‘carrying.'”

“This issue should probably be discussed with the Analysis Team as well.”

Perhaps having much to think about, Cha Si-eon answered more slowly than usual.

My mind was still scattered too, so I nodded half-heartedly.

Then, returning to the original question, I muttered absentmindedly.

“So what exactly is the scope of personal items that Special Zones recognize?”

It was something I said to Cha Si-eon, and it did end with a question mark.

But I wasn’t expecting an answer.

Not only was there no answer to be had, but this was more of a monologue than a question to begin with.

But a few hours later.

Team Leader Cha Si-eon abruptly threw his answer at me.

Even though I had never wanted one.

* * *

That evening.

“I’m back.”

Kwak Jae-gyeom, who got off work a step later than me, opened the residence entrance door and came in.

Then as soon as he saw me, he threw something at me.

“Hyung, this is a gift!”

A gift?

I reflexively caught the object that flew toward me.

What Kwak Jae-gyeom threw was a rolled-up black cord.

But even looking at it, I couldn’t tell what it was.

A dog leash?

But why are there dog collars attached to both sides?

“What is this?”

“Our team leader gave it to me.”

Cha Si-eon?

As I looked puzzled, Kwak Jae-gyeom, who had come in after taking off his shoes, unrolled the cord.

Then he put the dog collar at one end on my wrist, and the dog collar at the other end on his own wrist.

Thus, Kwak Jae-gyeom and I became tied to each other like prisoners in a labor camp.

Of course, it wasn’t locked with a padlock, so we could undo it anytime.

“…So what is this?”

“We’re supposed to stay connected like this for a while as Do-un hyung’s belongings. He wants to see if I’ll get dragged along when hyung gets pulled into the Special Zone.”

“What…?”

I was dumbfounded by Kwak Jae-gyeom’s words.

Connected by a cord as belongings?

A person, not an object?

No, more than that…!

“What if we really get dragged in together?”

“That would be exciting. Two is better than one, right?”

I asked in panic, but Kwak Jae-gyeom answered nonchalantly.

No, rather he smiled brightly and boasted to me.

“Look at this, the team leader gave me a gun too.”

Kwak Jae-gyeom opened his work uniform to show me the holster.

At the sight of the gleaming Glock, I was even more at a loss for words.

Instead, Team Leader Cha’s cold voice automatically replayed in my head.

-Gun permits are still far off.

-Instead, I’ll give you Kwak Jae-gyeom with a gun.

Team Leader Cha… no, never mind. What’s the point of saying anything.

Anyway, I understood that he had taken my words into account and turned Kwak Jae-gyeom into belongings.

I also understood that he had even allowed gun possession in preparation for any possible situation.

I’ll give some halfhearted applause for that execution and challenging spirit.

But if you ask whether that makes me feel reassured, well…? Not really.

Kwak Jae-gyeom, whom I’ve lived with for about a month, is a cheerful and fun roommate.

We’ve become quite close thanks to seeing each other morning and evening.

But Kwak Jae-gyeom, who’s the Management Bureau’s youngest, is even younger than the interns at our publishing company.

Kwak Jae-gyeom is twenty-three this year.

What if Jae-gyeom gets dragged into the Special Zone with me and something goes wrong?

The guilt would be no joke.

Besides, this cord is too short…!

As I agonized while looking at the cord that was only about an arm’s length, Kwak Jae-gyeom grinned across from me.

“This is fun. I used to play like this with my older brother when I was little.”

Wow, he’s really young. To think this kind of thing is fun.

“At this length, don’t we have to follow each other to the restroom too?”

“It’s not that bad, more like when one person is doing business, the other waits in front of the door?”

“Don’t I get any privacy?”

“The team leader says you don’t.”

Team Leader Cha…!

“Oh right, the team leader told me to tell you. Privacy, dignity, pride, personal life, etc. should be taken care of after preserving your life first.”

Kwak Jae-gyeom put strength in his eyes as he imitated Cha Si-eon.

From that terrible voice impression, I clearly realized.

I had dug my own grave…

It was troublesome, but I had no choice but to refuse.

I was just as curious about the scope of belongings.

But what do we do starting tonight?

Since the bed is narrow, should we lay out blankets in the living room and sleep there?

What about tomorrow’s schedule?

Will Kwak Jae-gyeom skip work and follow my training around?

“Oh, starting tomorrow, hyung will also enter the ‘Member-only Warehouse-style Mart’ with me.”

But what Kwak Jae-gyeom told me was completely different from my expectations.

It’s not that Kwak Jae-gyeom follows me, but that I follow Kwak Jae-gyeom?

I’m still a trainee and that’s an actual field site?

Of course, the ‘Member-only Warehouse-style Mart’ is quite safe now.

The membership cards I brought back in bulk before.

The field teams and agents who come and go there like it’s their own home with those.

The warehouse-style mart is being conquered with great success by these two things, and the notorious name Samboilsa is now a thing of the past.

So it wouldn’t be as dangerous as before, but it’s still quite unexpected.

Wasn’t Cha Si-eon a rigid rule-follower?

As I wondered about this unconventional assignment, Kwak Jae-gyeom added.

“The team leader said since we’re experimenting anyway, let’s try other experiments too.”

“What experiment?”

“Does Seo Do-un get dragged into the Special Zone even when he’s already in the Special Zone.”

Ah, right.

Cha Si-eon wasn’t a rule-follower, he was a psychopath.

I forgot!

As I smiled wryly with dim eyes, Kwak Jae-gyeom smiled back with an innocent face.

“You’re curious too, right hyung? Me too.”

At that maliceless remark, my smile became even more hollow.

Yes, it was from this time.

My one-month roommate.

The psychopath’s subordinate.

That Kwak Jae-gyeom, the Management Bureau’s youngest, became my belonging.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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