Hiding a House in the Apocalypse

In stock trading, there's a method known as a short position.

It’s a strategy where you gain as the stock price falls, and if we apply it to the apocalypse, we could say that our doomsday enthusiast has taken a short position on the fate of the world.

It’s not something to brag about, but it’s a clear fact that our doomsday enthusiast has lived a much better life than those who didn’t prepare.

Aside from some unlucky friends, when most ordinary people were made into insects, eating nutrition bars, hopping from one miserable shelter to another, and even being dragged into colonization squads, sent to their deaths, we were comfortably inside our bunkers, worrying about nothing, watching the world’s collapse while munching on popcorn.

Ji Chang-soo and his daughter are unprepared people.

They lived entirely in the world of light, unlike us, and they tried to bloom in it.

I saw with my own eyes what kind of life they lived after the war.

Every time I met them, I always predicted that next time they’d be living a worse life than before. But every time, as if mocking my predictions, Ji Chang-soo and his daughter always appeared in front of us looking better than before.

Defender explained it his way.

“There’s a rumor that they’ve done a damn good job making connections. Always hooked up with the real power, and when that power seemed to be in danger, they’d find another powerful group and ally with them.”

Ji Chang-soo and his daughter took immense wealth and influence behind the scenes of the Legion faction.

It’s believed that this is why they were able to bring armored vehicles into my territory in the past.

Whether or not he found the fortune he so desperately sought from the conglomerate’s heir is something I don’t know, but one thing is clear: under the Legion faction’s system, he rose as one of the most successful businessmen.

They are, therefore, the "conglomerates" of the apocalypse.

If a person who didn’t prepare for the apocalypse achieved that much growth, they deserve that title.

But, unlike public opinion, it seems that Ji Chang-soo and his daughter still thought they weren’t enough.

Perhaps that’s why.

They continuously searched for opportunities to elevate themselves from “mediocre rich” to “conglomerate.”

With the Legion faction splitting and showing signs of collapse, it seemed like only downhill was left for Ji Chang-soo and his daughter, but once again, they managed to pull it off.

mmmmmmmmm™: Look at this! Yep! I had this under my apartment!

The legendary old government secret facility, long talked about, revealed ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) its hidden form.

*

This discovery is incredibly important.

In some sense, it might affect us too.

If a base capable of housing hundreds of thousands of people appears in Seoul, it would mean a significant shift in the power balance in the metropolitan area.

I called all my companions to show them what was happening in Seoul.

As expected, everyone reacted with shock.

“Wow. I never would’ve imagined something like that was hidden beneath the tilting apartment.”

“No, who would’ve expected something to be hidden under an apartment that looks like it’s about to collapse?”

“Come to think of it, wasn’t it around the time they were running lotteries?”

Amidst differing opinions, we reminisced about Mgu’s tilting apartment.

When I visited it, there was no special impression.

The only thing I felt was a faint sense of fear regarding the precariousness of The Hope and the vitality of Mgu, living in such a place.

What’s more relevant to the current situation is probably the appearance of Mgu on the broadcast of Live! Apocalypse!

After sending everyone back, I watched the shabby show where Mgu introduced his tilting apartment to the audience.

After the unrefined parkour show, monkey tightrope walking, and ugly slapstick comedy, the bathhouse scene from the old apartment community was revealed.

“······.”

The hot water is still there.

I was amazed by it back then too.

How, from that crumbling apartment, did they manage to draw hot water into a tub big enough for twenty people?

But at that time, it seems everyone’s attention was focused more on the mutation egg Mgu found in the bathhouse.

Mgu, cradling a huge egg, jokingly said that he’d raise the hatchling once it hatched, but I believe that egg was already dead.

He probably broke the unseen backside, took out the yolk, and jokingly told us about it.

Anyway, the fact that hot water came out of that tilting bathhouse back then foreshadowed today’s situation.

“Now that I think about it, the only and largest civil engineering project after the war was The Hope's construction.”

Bang Jae-hyuk offered an interesting theory.

“The Hope was the decoy, and the real purpose might have been the construction of that facility. They built the apartment and then deliberately designed it to collapse. So they could hide government assets in the wreckage of the apartment.”

We can’t know the true intentions of the government, but it’s clear that there are secret assets hidden beneath The Hope.

mmmmmmmmm™: What is this?

Mgu revealed an unidentified machine to us.

It looked like an industrial food processing line, with a large kneading machine, conveyor belt, and industrial oven.

Amidst differing opinions, Mgu revealed the answer.

mmmmmmmmm™: Ta-da~

In the photo Mgu showed, there were stacks of bags filled with brown powder—what citizens of Seoul would describe as cockroach-colored powder.

“Nutrient bars?”

Ha Tae-hoon grimaced as he spoke.

The text on the bags confirmed Ha Tae-hoon’s guess.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

[Government Supplies - A-Type High Protein Mineral Nutrient Paste Stick Powder]

The official name of the infamous nutrient bars that once fed the citizens of Seoul was now revealed.

So they were high-protein after all.

Mgu examined the bags, trying to find the raw materials, but since these were government-issued, he couldn’t find any detailed information, not even the origin.

mmmmmmmmm™: Don’t be surprised. The real surprise starts now!

Under The Hope’s tilting base, there’s a vast underground parking garage made of rebar and concrete.

Given the nature of underground spaces, Mgu didn’t explore the area too carefully.

In the dark space, there’s always danger, and the underground parking garage had been stopped before completion, leaving no hope of obtaining needed supplies.

Moreover, various wastes were dangerously tangled up, preventing anyone from entering.

The maze-like underground parking garage extended to the 4th basement level, where a hidden passage was located.

At the end of the narrow, winding, dark passage, a wide open space awaited.

It was a subway track.

At the end of the subway track, a heavy iron door stood, blocking the track like a fortress wall.

It’s definitely the place.

The secret assets the government hid to prepare for its return to the capital are stored behind that heavy iron door.

Like a seasoned Viva! Apocalypse! user, Mgu subtly revealed to everyone that he was a force to be reckoned with.

With an armed force of over 30, all equipped with automatic rifles.

Some even had high-tech equipment, like night-vision goggles.

This wasn’t a ragtag militia.

This was a properly trained combat group.

With that powerful group, Mgu’s team stood in front of the iron door.

But on that door, the following words were painted in blood-red paint:

[Republic of Korea Government Property]

[Strictly No Entry Except for Authorized Personnel]

[Unmanned Surveillance and Lethal Equipment in Operation]

[Do Not Enter!]

It’s not ordinary.

It’s as if the door is screaming that if you want to enter, you have to risk your life.

Well, still, those who are determined will go, but... I wonder.

Won’t some preparation be necessary to open that Pandora's box?

Mgu, who unexpectedly provided us with an adventure experience, ended today’s show.

mmmmmmmmm™: The sun is setting and I hear zombies. I’m pulling out for today. The warning from the government looks dangerous.

mmmmmmmmm™: Besides, it’s boring just sending photos and posts like this, right?

mmmmmmmmm™: The unboxing of the Republic of Korea’s hidden assets will be provided live on Live! Apocalypse!

“······.”

Mgu.

He knows how to play the game like a true man.

To declare a live show here?

MELON_MASK: As expected, M9! You’re such a cool guy!

Watching Melon Mask’s praise, I could feel the blood of a “named” user stirring within me, but there’s nothing I can do here.

My SKELTON account has been banned from commenting, and the multi-accounts are being closely watched by VivaBot.

I sighed, unable to join the wave that had come to Viva! Apocalypse! this time, and mindlessly refreshed the page, letting the new comments flow by.

That’s when I saw a familiar nickname.

unicorn18: Huh?

“?”

unicorn18: What?! Is that...?

Is it Na Hye-in?

What is she doing?

Shouldn’t she be in the Rift?

The brief doubt I had was quickly washed away by unicorn’s next comment.

unicorn18: You can’t go in there! You really can’t! We could all die! Even our cute Mgu could die!

*

“Oh, that’s right. It wasn’t that difficult to live. What’s the point of bragging about money in this world now? But, before the war, my net worth was over a billion. Yeah. By normal standards, at least a golden spoon? Or should I say a diamond spoon? Haha. But, you know, saying all this might make it sound like I’m just bragging, but there are things in this world you can’t be satisfied with just money. You know the five stages of desire? It’s not as grand as that, but...”

Mgu’s Live! Apocalypse! clearly showed the influence of the now-defunct Dongtanmom.

Especially in the stylishly produced — probably pre-recorded — interview videos, I could feel Dongtanmom’s heavy shadow.

However, perhaps due to a lack of sense, the sloppy technique of using a professor for the YouTube broadcast, only changing the camera angles periodically, made it tasteless for the viewer.

It felt, how should I put it, cluttered.

I thought it would have been better to just shoot without constantly changing the angles.

“We were the primary subcontractor for a conglomerate. Yes. We were a subcontractor. In my company, I was treated like a king when I went to department stores or golf courses, but no matter how much flattery I heard and lived a lavish life, my essence as a subcontractor never changed. It pressed down on my heart like a stigma.”

I tried to stop Ji Chang-soo’s interview.

In other words, I tried to prevent this live broadcast from happening.

Time rewound.

Long before the live began, I mean, at the time when Mgu and the Ji Chang-soo family discovered the government’s hidden assets.

The trigger was unicorn18.

Message from unicorn18: SKELTON?! I was watching!

SKELTON: What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be in the Rift?

Message from unicorn18: I can take a break, can’t I?! Do you work all day?!

SKELTON: Well, not exactly.

Message from unicorn18: Anyway, we need to stop this. Seriously. If you go in there, we’ll all die. Even our cute Mgu could die!

Why unicorn is outside the Rift is not that important.

Mgu is about to die.

Even though he’s my rival, it’s disrespectful for him to die like this.

As a rival, I sent Mgu a stern warning.

SKELTON: (SKELETON serious) Mgu...

Message from mmmmmmmmm™: What?

SKELTON: (SKELETON worried) I don’t think you should go in there.

Message from mmmmmmmmm™: ?

SKELTON: (SKELETON warning) Don’t go in...

There’s no need for fancy words or logical proof between us, who survived through the harsh times of the apocalypse.

I believe that “named” users understand each other’s sincerity.

And as expected.

Message from mmmmmmmmm™: What? Is there something there?

Mgu is listening to my words.

SKELTON: I’m not sure, but unicorn18 says it’s dangerous there. Unicorn18 probably knows the exact risks.

Message from mmmmmmmmm™: Unicorn18? Wasn’t he dead?

SKELTON: He may act like a fool here, but he’s bigger than we think.

Message from mmmmmmmmm™: (M9 arms crossed) Hmm. Just like you, huh?

SKELTON: (SKELETON blushing)

Message from mmmmmmmmm™: Get lost, you bastard! Haha

SKELTON: What?!

Message from mmmmmmmmm™: I’ll talk to Unicorn directly.

And so, I connected Mgu and unicorn.

If things had gone properly, this show should not have happened.

Whether Melon Mask was disappointed or not, this live should not have been held.

But the show went on as planned.

Afterward, I didn’t hear much more from Mgu, but the continuation of the show was probably more about the will of Ji Chang-soo and his daughter than Mgu’s own.

They had more than 30 combatants armed with automatic rifles.

Even if Mgu was skilled, there’s a limit to what one person can do against a group armed with firearms.

In that situation, the best he could do was probably tell Ji Chang-soo and his daughter to stop their exploration.

It’s a chilling thought, but I could have been in Mgu’s position.

If I hadn’t formed a group, if Ji Young-hee had discovered me, and I’d been dragged off in a vulnerable state...

The chat suddenly heated up.

The reason was simple.

A woman appeared.

The interview subject shifted from Ji Chang-soo to Ji Young-hee.

“······I just. I just wanted to be recognized. That’s it. We... those people, they’re grateful, but we wanted to prove we’re better than them. No matter how much we live in an apocalyptic world where everything becomes meaningless, we can’t just give up on the dreams we’ve carried our whole lives, can we?”

She smiled.

“I didn’t want to be a servant, I wanted to be the master.”

It was a transparent, sincere smile that she had never shown me.

“······.”

She could smile like this too.

But even with the purity of that smile, I disagree with her thoughts.

She and her father have already become winners who stood out in the apocalypse.

They didn’t take a short position like us doomsday enthusiasts, but they handled the apocalypse more skillfully than any corporate figure in South Korea, and with a bit of luck, they built a power so significant that even the Legion faction couldn’t ignore them.

They are already the conglomerates of this era.

Looking at the end of those who thought they were masters, like Ji Pung-ho and Park Cheol-joo, it’s clear.

Yet, they endlessly seek recognition because they’ve based their dreams on the standards of an era that can never return.

Searching for dreams in a time that can never return is something only a ghost would do.

Now, a ghost, who may not even realize they’ve become the master, is about to follow the dead master’s footsteps.

That destruction will unfold grandly before all of humanity’s eyes.

The screen changed, and the heavy iron door appeared before us.

Creeeek--

We saw the back of dozens of armed men and those leading the welding of the iron door.

And in the center, the father and daughter standing side by side.

At the moment when destruction was about to begin, a familiar and warm face covered the screen.

“I’m really sorry, but today’s live will end here!”

It was Mgu.

He grinned.

mmmmmmmmm™: It’s an open ending, huh!

The sudden ending frustrated the viewers, and even Melon Mask showed confusion, but Mgu boldly cut off the live.

After the broadcast abruptly ended, Mgu said in the chat that due to equipment and internet issues, only the recorded video would be shown, but this was intentional, and that intention was well-timed.

In terms of keeping the value of the “Hope” apartment alive.

Thanks to that, I’m not sure, but the number of residents in The Hope has increased.