Guide to the Fallen World - Chapter 39

39. Downtown Yeouido

***

Shelter Yeouido was divided into numbered districts. District 2 was a high-end commercial area known to all its residents.

Standing on a street in that very district, Yeowon looked around with a dazed expression. She stared at the downtown crowds as if blinking would be a waste of time.

Watching her, Yi Gyeom regretted not showing her the city sooner. The Guide, who had been indifferent to everything he offered, had a rare flush on her cheeks.

Yeowon was truly moved. She didn’t scream, but the words echoed in her mind.

‘I’m here! In the place I’ve only ever seen through a satellite!’

As she stood frozen, Yi Gyeom took her by the arm and pulled her along.

“The Monster Shop is this way. They sell products exclusively for Hirugions. They have more than just rowan berries, so pick something out.”

At his words, Yeowon’s feet finally moved. An image of Tiri, who had been so depressed since the kidnapping, had flashed in her mind.

The place, called the Monster Shop or something of the sort, was just as Yi Gyeom had described, it had everything. Besides Hirugion products, the shelves were lined with items for popularly raised Wareroto pups, various monster houses, ID tag necklaces, and snacks.

Except for the fact that the pets were monsters, it was exactly like the pet supply stores she remembered from the past.

While Yeowon looked around with a strange feeling, Yi Gyeom bought the rowan berries. He had much more to show her than a store like this.

Blinded by the sight of life in downtown Yeouido, Yeowon followed Yi Gyeom without resistance.

Her wandering mind snapped back to reality only when she felt the frequency of an unfamiliar Esper.

“Chief! What are you doing downtown?”

An Esper in the uniform of the Yeouido Self-Defense Force took off his cap and waved it in a friendly greeting. He closed the distance in an instant and peered at Yeowon with a curious face.

“Oh, is this the famous Guide? Nice to meet you! I’m Yoon Haerang!”

Overwhelmed by his forwardness, Yeowon reflexively deployed her Reverse Guiding field. He had gotten far too close.

“Ugh! What the—!”

As the Esper leaped back, Yi Gyeom explained.

“I think you startled the Guide. And you… I taught you that getting so close so suddenly will surprise a civilian…”

“Ahaha! You know this works like a charm when I’m threatening junkies. The habits from my time in District 27 are hard to break. Anyway, so that’s the Guide?”

His curiosity piqued again, the Esper stepped right up to the edge of her field.

“Whoa, so Guides can do this sort of thing. That’s unique. So what are you doing now? Weren’t you keeping her locked up in District 1?”

“She’s too much of a VIP to just keep locked up… I had to make an exception. I’m currently on official escort duty for our dear Guide. We’ve decided to tour the city of Yeouido.”

At Yi Gyeom’s words, the Esper’s face twisted into a grin.

Haerang literally bent over, clutching his stomach with laughter. He didn’t seem to care in the slightest that he was on a public street.

“Pfft! Official escort duty? A tour? Is she the Noah’s chairman or something? Ahaha! Ahahaha!”

With a practiced air, Yi Gyeom put a stop to his laughter.

“Yoon Haerang.”

“Alright, alright. I get it, Chief. Well, have fun with that!”

With a casual wave, the Esper backed away, and only then did Yeowon release her Reverse Guiding field. She didn’t know who he was, but he was one incredibly exhausting Esper.

As if reading her thoughts, Yi Gyeom apologized on his behalf.

“That’s just his personality. He doesn’t mean any harm.”

“He’s very… much like a Golden Retriever.”

“You thought he was like a dog. I understand. He is a bit of a mad puppy. But he’s skilled. He’s one of only two wind Espers in Yeouido.”

As Yi Gyeom explained, his eyes were soft. He could feel that Yeowon, who had bristled with hostility toward the unfamiliar Esper, had let down her guard with him. The proof was that her Reverse Guiding field, which had sprung up the instant Yoon Haerang approached, was now gone.

Moreover, simply taking the Guide on a tour of the city was revealing her tastes and personality in a way he could never have guessed before. Just by following her gaze, he could see where her interests began and ended.

And right now, the Guide’s attention was on the Ferris wheel visible in the distance. Yi Gyeom naturally led her in its direction.

They arrived at a quiet park in District 5. Children were running across the lawn, and on one side was a public sports complex for the residents.

Half of the stadium’s outer wall was gone, like a collapsed Colosseum, but every single plastic seat was clean, signaling that the facility was still in use.

When Yeowon couldn’t tear her eyes from the dissonant sight, Yi Gyeom explained.

“The Yeouido Barrier was destroyed about two hundred years ago. I’m told the stadium has been only half a stadium ever since.”

Yeowon nodded, her gaze shifting to a string of flags hanging in the air above the stadium track. To see the flags of all nations here, of all places. It felt bittersweet, yet somehow nostalgic.

“It’s only Shelters now, but in the past, they say there were things called nations. Those flags are symbols of each country. I think they were called national flags. The children like how colorful they are, so we kept them up as decoration.”

Yeowon blinked silently. Wherever her gaze lingered, an explanation was sure to follow. The low voice that patiently explained everything was gentle.

The people seemed to know it, too. The children playing wildly waved at Yi Gyeom, shouting, “Hello!” and Yi Gyeom raised a hand to wave back. People scattered here and there throughout the park also greeted him in their own ways.

In fact, it had been the same when she was standing mesmerized in the middle of the city. She knew nothing about the reality of Yeouido’s residents, but it seemed this man was a good leader.

As if to prove her guess correct, an ice cream vendor next to the stadium spotted Yi Gyeom and waved.

“Chief! It’s been a while!”

As Yi Gyeom smiled, the vendor called out amicably.

“Come get some ice cream. It’s a bribe!”

He called it a bribe out in the open, yet no one seemed to think anything of it. Then again, if you offer a bribe while calling it a bribe, it ceases to be one. And the bribe in question was only ice cream.

Still, seeming unable to ignore the gesture, Yi Gyeom approached the vendor’s cart.

“I think I’ll take you up on that today. Give me one.”

“Gasp! You always refuse… You’re finally dating! Congratulations!”

The vendor, making a fuss in a way that wasn’t at all displeasing, scooped up some ice cream and held it out. Yi Gyeom took it and offered it directly to Yeowon.

“Do you like ice cream?”

Yeowon nodded and accepted it. As she took a bite, sweet cream spread across her tongue.

“Looks like it’s good.”

Without answering, Yeowon took another bite of the sweet, cold cream. Yi Gyeom simply stood by and watched her eat. Under his gaze, her eyes darted around.

There was a phrase any Korean who’s ever had ice cream in the summer would know: ‘Can I have a bite?’ Being one of them, the words, “Do you want a bite?” came out automatically.

“…Want a bite?”

Yi Gyeom looked at her for a moment, surprised, before nodding. He then lowered his head and took a bite of the ice cream cone she was holding.

She had acted according to a Korean’s conscience, so there was nothing more to be awkward about. ‘I’ve given him a taste, so it should be fine for me to eat the rest.’

Thinking this, Yeowon glanced around. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something felt strange.

Here in the park, most of the few people holding ice cream were adult women.

Usually, kids liked this kind of ice cream more. Yet the children weren’t crowding the ice cream cart. None were drooling, and none were whining for their parents to buy them some.

‘They must be too busy playing’, Yeowon thought, dismissing the question lightly.

The reality, however, was completely different. The reason the children weren’t interested in a treat like ice cream was because it was no longer a treat for them.

Yeowon had no idea that ice cream had become a man’s show of affection, the equivalent of a luxury handbag gifted to a woman. No one had told her that after 500 years, the culture of courtship had replaced roses with ice cream.

Yi Gyeom watched Yeowon absentmindedly licking her ice cream and realized the Guide’s ignorance.

“…I almost got my hopes up.”

“Hm?”

“Nothing, just talking to myself. Let’s go over there. You’ll get a panoramic view of Yeouido.”

“Are you talking about that Ferris wheel?”

“That’s the one. Are you afraid of heights?”

“Of course not.”

Up close, the Ferris wheel was turning slowly on its own, tracing a circle without an operator. Timing it perfectly for when a cabin arrived at the entrance, Yeowon boarded and took in the unfolding scenery as they slowly ascended.

The first thing she saw was the Han River in the distance. The buildings, roads, shattered apartments, and bustling people gradually came into view. The Gates that had begun to appear one by one had completely swallowed the Earth, and the ecosystem itself had been altered, but… everyone was living their lives to the fullest.

They were fighting earnestly, day after day.

Even with so little land left to live on, they managed to build and maintain a civilization and a society. Here, inside the Shelter surrounded by a Barrier.

For the first time, Jay’s theory of a Guide’s responsibility hit her on a visceral level. Things she had only known as concepts were now felt deep in her bones.

Yi Gyeom watched Yeowon, who couldn’t tear her eyes from the Yeouido scenery. She was so focused she didn’t seem to notice the ice cream melting in her hand.

Nor did she notice that their knees were touching in the cramped cabin.

“It’s all yours.”

Yi Gyeom whispered softly to Yeowon, whose gaze never wavered.

“If you want it, it will be yours. The right to run Shelter Yeouido… don’t you want to have it in your hands?”v