Retire 565
by Cristae565 (Extra Story 32) The Monster’s Lair
Kansas, USA.
A quiet stretch of highway.
A battered old car rattled along the empty road, then rolled to a stop.
The engine sputtered and died. From the driver’s seat, a young man in sunglasses stepped out. Dressed in a shabby jumper, he scratched his head and lifted his phone high, moving it around in search of a signal.
Soon, another person climbed out from the passenger seat. A small-framed young man with a cap pulled low stretched his arms wide.
“Did you get in touch with sunbae?”
“Of course I did.”
“I still don’t get it—why are we reporting to sunbae now?”
“I don’t know either.”
The young man in sunglasses shrugged.
“Looks like Master pulled some strings behind the scenes… But honestly, does it matter? We just do what we’re told.”
“Is it because of that?”
“Huh?”
“That thing. The one sunbae picked up last year. The business card? Wasn’t it a business card?”
The young man in sunglasses didn’t answer right away, staring at his companion in surprise.
“You caught on?”
“…What do you take me for?”
“You’ve grown up.”
“Don’t repeat what Sandra says.”
“Oh, excuse me.”
“I said, don’t!”
The young man laughed, but added an explanation.
“We’re reporting locally too. But we’re not actually part of that organization.”
“If you think about it… freelancers?”
“You even know that word?”
“What do you take me for?!”
“Well, maybe not exactly freelancers, but it’s similar. So I guess the principal thought it was a problem he didn’t know what we were up to?”
“Master’s not totally uninvolved in this either…”
“There’s been a lot going on, but that’s not our business. We just follow your friend and keep sunbae updated.”
“Hm.”
“And…”
The young man stopped.
An ordinary person wouldn’t have heard anything, but he was different. He signaled to his companion. The younger man in the cap grinned mischievously.
The young man lowered his voice to a level only someone right next to him could hear.
“Remember?”
“I know.”
“Good.”
And just like that, the atmosphere between them changed. The one in the cap raised his voice. He barely looked like a college student at best, and with his whining tone, he seemed even younger.
“Still no signal?”
“Wait a sec.”
“I told you we needed a paper map!”
“If you hadn’t wiped your phone, we’d be fine!”
“How is that my fault?”
“Just wait… Once I get a signal, I’ll figure it out.”
“What about the car? We’ll need repairs to go any farther.”
“I think there’s a town nearby…”
“You sure? We haven’t seen a single car since yesterday!”
“Just wait…”
As they bickered like a well-rehearsed comedy duo, a police car slowly approached.
The police car stopped a short distance from their stalled vehicle. The sheriff got out.
“What’s going on here?”
“Oh, uh, hello. We’re traveling, but our car’s having engine trouble. How far is the nearest town?”
The sheriff eyed them carefully, but soon relaxed and started asking questions. He seemed amused to see two young Asians traveling together, but his questions were sharp, as if checking for anything suspicious.
Just as they’d rehearsed, “Han Taekyung” and “Alex Hope”—not students on a graduation trip, but people with a very different purpose—answered smoothly.
“Just call me Dave.”
“Hi, Dave.”
“The car’s not totally dead, right?”
“No, but it really needs a checkup soon.”
“I told you we should’ve bought a better car!”
“This was the best we could afford!”
Sheriff Dave Donner laughed heartily.
“The town’s not far. About twelve miles more. Follow my car.”
“That close? Then why’s there no signal?”
Donner frowned.
“There was a dungeon break last month… No casualties, but some infrastructure got wrecked. Ever since, the area’s been spotty. They’re working on repairs, but it’s a big area.”
“Ugh. That must be a pain.”
“Well, it’s not a big town, so people just get by. There aren’t many young folks, so there’s not much complaining. You two might find it a bit stifling.”
“At least there’s a town. That’s a relief.”
“Right. You’re lucky… What did you say your names were?”
“Uh, just call me Young. This is Sandy.”
“All right, then. Just follow me.”
“Thanks, Dave. You’re a lifesaver.”
‘Young’ and ‘Sandy’ got back in their car. The engine made a few worrying noises, but started up. Satisfied, Sheriff Donner returned to his cruiser.
Following the police car at a slow pace, ‘Young’ Han Taekyung and ‘Sandy’ Alex Hope exchanged glances. From now on, even their words, gestures, and breathing would have to be cautious.
“That was a close one.”
“How much money do we have left?”
“If it comes to it, I’ll call my mom…”
“I thought you said you wouldn’t?”
“Better to get nagged than be stranded.”
“See, this is why you’re still a kid.”
“I’m not a kid!”
Young and Sandy were friends from university. Young was a Korean exchange student; Sandy was half French, half Hong Kong.
Just as they’d told the sheriff, they’d bought a used car and were traveling before heading home. But the cheap car had started breaking down on this lonely road.
A sheriff appearing out of nowhere in a place with no internet was a real stroke of luck. The young Asian students followed him without suspicion.
Han Taekyung, annoyed, tapped the steering wheel—a preset signal to Alex. They couldn’t risk talking or signing openly.
‘Awakened?’
Alex grumbled back and nodded.
Then, pretending to adjust his sleeve, he sent another signal.
‘Caution 1.’
Han Taekyung tapped the wheel twice to acknowledge.
Just as the sheriff had said, the town wasn’t far. It was so small it could hardly be called a city. From the entrance, quaint houses with flowers in the windows greeted them.
On the sign at the town’s entrance, a wooden rooster perched atop it, clutching a small sphere. A faded painting on the sign showed a man holding that sphere.
“What’s the town called?”
Alex, pretending not to have seen, asked Han Taekyung.
Han Taekyung glanced back as he answered.
“Atlas.”
“Atlas? Atlantis?”
“…How did you get into our university with that brain? Was it a donation?”
“Hey, I was joking! But that’s the origin, right?”
“…Well, yes. Anyway, it’s Atlas. The sheriff said it was small, but wow, it really is. Think we can get the car fixed?”
“It’s small, but people live here. There’ll be someone who can fix it.”
They chatted like ordinary college students, but neither of them was anything of the sort.
His little sister had told him not to get mixed up in anything shady, but he couldn’t even deny it anymore.
Han Taekyung thought of his sister back in Korea. She’d been too busy to keep in touch lately. Last year, she’d called so often it was almost annoying.
While her brother was pretending to be a college student, she was working hard as a real one.
So as an older brother, he had to do his job. Han Taekyung grinned as the sheriff pulled over.
“Dave! Can we get the car fixed here?”
“Sure. That guy over there is the best mechanic in town.”
“Oooh… Is there a restaurant here?”
“You two don’t have anywhere to stay, do you?”
“Uh, well…”
“You’re not planning to sleep in your car while it’s being fixed, are you?”
Behind his sunglasses, Han Taekyung rolled his eyes at Alex. Alex looked just as awkward.
When they’d first been assigned this mission, he’d worried whether Alex could pull it off, but he was surprisingly good at it. Maybe it was because, for all his pretty looks, his personality was nasty. No matter how much Sandra praised his maturity, he still loved to mess with people.
Unaware that Alex was thinking the same about him, Han Taekyung scratched his head sheepishly.
“Well, just in case—are there any motels…?”
“Of course not.”
“I thought so.”
“Come on, stay at my place.”
“Are you sure?”
“What, you’d rather sleep on the street? Not something a sheriff should allow.”
Alex burst out laughing, as if he’d just heard the funniest joke.
“You’re not planning to keep an eye on us, are you?”
“That too.”
“Ahaha, I’ve seen this in dramas. This is where the murder always happens!”
“Sandy!”
“What? It’s just like the start of a horror novel. I love this stuff.”
“Oh, you like horror novels?”
“Absolutely!”
Han Taekyung shook his head and followed Dave and Alex.
He couldn’t follow the conversation between the horror-novel-loving Dave and “Sandy,” but as “Young” gawked at the small town, the residents smiled kindly at him. Young greeted them awkwardly, while Han Taekyung kept a sharp lookout for Atlas emblems on mailboxes and doors.
A man bearing the world on his shoulders.
A small organization founded by former executives of Atlas Pharmaceuticals, the original model for the Ark. A village.
This suspicious little town was completely cut off from the outside world, making it hard to approach. But because there was a definite connection to Henry Lehmann, they couldn’t just leave it alone.
Han Taekyung, Alex Hope, and the others tracking Henry Lehmann had decided to take a risk. They probably didn’t know about the uneasy relationship between Lehmann and Alex Hope.
But Han Taekyung and Alex had decided to take the gamble. Woo Huijae had expressed his worries, but they couldn’t let a good opportunity slip away. If someone in Atlas recognized Alex, then Henry Lehmann would have no choice but to make a move.
Ever since they’d found the pile along with the business card fragment last year, Lehmann had gone completely underground. If it meant drawing him out, they were willing to take some risks.
“This is my house.”
“Dave! Who are your friends?”
When they arrived at the sheriff’s house, an old man watering the lawn greeted them.
Han Taekyung recognized him. He’d only seen him in photos, but before coming here, he’d memorized the faces of everyone identified in this cult village.
That old man was at the top of the list.
“Hello!”
Who knew what Alex was thinking, but he greeted the old man with a bright, open smile.
The old man.
Christopher Lehmann.
Henry Lehmann’s father.
As the evening sun began to set, in Han Taekyung’s eyes, this little town looked like a den teeming with monsters.