I'm still alive

'Welcome, I've been waiting.’

As soon as I opened the door, I could smell the citron strongly with the warm air. I sniffed around, and soon found a man in the middle of a long table. In his fifties? A middle-aged man with a nice half-white hair was smiling brightly at us.

The silver-rimmed glasses began to show the party to their seats, and we began to cringe and visit each other's seats. The table was large and long enough for all of us to sit on, and made of high-quality wood that was smooth. And the luxurious table decorations were gorgeous enough to catch the ladies' eye.

The men standing around began to move busily when all the party were seated. Then the middle-aged man quietly came down from the head of the table and sat carefully opposite the table where the old man was sitting. And he smiles at us and beckons quietly at the silver-rimmed.

Then the food came in one by one and smelled delicious in the room.

I began to hear saliva coming from all over the room. Along with the wonderful atmosphere of the room, the food was antique and delicious as if it were made by a professional chef. Among them, the best part was a huge steak, which I would never dream of in this situation.

Where the hell did you get the raw meat? I was half out of my mind in front of the steaming steaks even though I wondered. If this man intended to tempt us with food, I wanted to praise him for his half success.

The middle-aged man said to us.

'Let's say hello later and have a meal first.’

Then all the party looked up and looked at me. It's like I can eat it, right? This is real, right? It seemed to say I nodded and everyone rushed towards the steak. I felt a smile coming out without realizing it.

The children sat among the adults, opening their mouths like baby birds, and the two pigs have already begun to disassemble the meat. And even the old man, who was sitting decently, cut the meat like crazy when the meal started. I stared blankly at the scene and didn't smell the citron.

Dongyoon, you should eat too.’

Oh, for a moment my eyes turned to a middle-aged man. The smell of citron was evidently coming from him. By the way, did I mention your name? I looked at him with a puzzled look and soon lifted the knife and fork in front of me.

And reached out to the steak with reverence. The steak, weighed down by the fork, spilled its juices and soon gave off an ecstatic smell. I cut the meat in a hurry and took it to my mouth, and I almost shed tears as soon as the meat touched my tongue.

The joy of eating, the joy of forgetting for so long. Our party remained silent and focused only on eating. At this moment, I put all my doubts and boundaries away and put all my attention on a loaf of meat.

The restaurant could only hear the sound of chewing. And the meal was soon over.

A middle-aged man watched us finish eating with a smile on his face. He was in an ambiguous position at the right place throughout the mealtime, so that our party could finish a comfortable meal without feeling the pressure. Soon the shocking dessert called ice cream was a bonus.

When ice cream and miscellaneous refreshments came out, the restaurant turned into a social gathering place and the party was busy chatting and enjoying a peaceful afterlife. But me and the old man were looking at a middle-aged man, drinking tea without a word.

They couldn't have arranged such a meeting just to entertain guests. Either there's something we want, or we make an unexpected offer. Either one of them doesn't matter, so we were hoping to get to the point quickly.

Then a middle-aged man who felt my eyes rose quietly from his seat and said to me,

Can you spare me a moment?’

I've been waiting. I quickly nod my head and make eye contact with an old man with his chin next to me. Then the old man breathed out and stood up with me. Just in case, everyone was distracted by snacks and only Kang Soo-ryeon was looking at us.

Kang Soo-ryeon, who was listening to all the conversations, gently blinked when she met me. We didn't say anything, but we knew what we wanted. I quickly turned my eyes and soon slipped out of my seat unnoticed by the other party.

The man, me and the old man left the restaurant and slowly walked into a small room nearby. The place was small and quiet, perhaps a reception. The guards tried to follow the head of the group, but he slowly closed the door, refusing the escort decisively.

Silence began to linger in the reception room when the group leader closed. The group leader, who slowly breathed out of the silence, urged us to sit down. We sat in a prepared chair, nodding our heads, and soon kept silent, rubbing each other against the circular table.

And a moment later the group leader gave me a hand, coughing in vain.

'Say hi late. It's a hand acupressure.’

I'm Kwak Dong-yoon.’

I shook hands with the group leader's hand. Then the group leader shook his hands with a friendly smile, and soon introduced himself to the elderly and had a short greeting. It wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be to treat us in a friendly manner.

Did you like your meal?’

'Let's get to the point.'

The old man cut off the head of the group trying to bring up the story slowly. And I asked the head of the organization to quickly explain what he wanted, and I want it too, so I'm just looking at the head of the group without saying anything.

He might be embarrassed by his blatant attitude, but the group leader smiled skillfully and nodded slowly. And he made eye contact with us and said in a servile, but not arrogant manner.

Would you like to join Eden?’

The expected part was half right. I gently closed my eyes tapping on the desk with my index finger. And asked questions without hesitation to solve questions that still remain unsolved.

'Why is it ridiculous?’

Of course, fewer survivors have survived. However, if you search through Sillim-dong, there will be more survivors than us, and they will all hope to come into Eden, and there will certainly be people who are better than me or my party.

But why us?

More than five people were injured by me. But I was not punished and could be released so easily. The transgression of discipline was like poison, and the act of turning a blind eye to it was like everyone eating it.

There is no way that the person who leads such a large organization doesn't know the importance of discipline, but why does he take such risks and give us special treatment? Just a moment ago, I enjoyed a luxurious meal, eating precious raw meat like a meal.

Was it necessary to make this much of a common offer of joining in this situation?

The group leader closed his eyes quietly. He must know what I'm trying to say. That is why I was waiting calmly for an answer without any particular reason.

The group leader recited quietly.

'......you killed the stony.’

At that moment the old man sprang up from his seat with a clatter. Then he stared at the group leader as if he were going to kill him and clenched his fist. Judging from the old man's reaction, it's not the information that our party has spread. That means Eden's side collected information separately, but I felt my fist tightened at the moment I saw it.

At that moment, the door rattled open and the two guards, who heard the sound, rushed in. But the head of the group reached out and held them back and gave them a small sigh. I murmured quietly towards the old man, glaring at the head of the group.

What did you do with his body, old man?’

Then replied the head of the group, not the old man.

'You burned it with gasoline behind the mart. This is a report that came two hours ago.’

Then the old man thumped down the desk and spat out curses.

Did you send someone to the mart?’

When the old man showed an aggressive attitude, the stopped guards were startled and tried to approach again. However, the group leader once again tries to restrain them and gently raises both hands toward the elderly. I don't mean to fight. Apparently he made such a gesture.

'I'm sorry, there should have been solid evidence that you were not a tramp. And the killer who wiped out the 2nd search team had to know exactly.’

They were not just and naive groups. No, maybe we were too sloppy. I roll my eyes and look around quickly. He quickly managed to figure out how to win by counting the number of guards armed with triple sticks. Then, my muscles became tense and I jumped up from my seat. But the moment I woke up, the group leader suddenly began to shout loudly.

'I'm sorry if I offended you, but just know I didn't mean to fight.’

The group leader, who had been shouting that way, suddenly sprang up from his seat and bowed his head at us without hesitation. I stopped in a wary posture, and the old man loosened his arms with a grimace. The head of the group said with his head down.

'......the search tank's rate of return is only over 50%. No matter how many times we trained and prepared, few search teams arrived safely. The death toll is increasing....... The number of applicants is decreasing.’

'So what?

The old man asked sharply. Then the group leader gently lifted his head and looked at us, then slowly approached the desk. Then he closed his eyes and answered in a quivering voice.

We have abundant equipment and weapons. And there are many materials that can be produced and supplied at any time.'

The group leader, who said so, opened his eyes and looked straight at me.

'But experience and know-how don't. It's... ..not everyone has it.'

Me and the old man could discern this man's intention. The experience of avoiding them to live and the struggle to protect the precious seemed a little different to them.

I need your help.’

There was no more argument at the end of that remark. As the head of the group lowered his head, the guards near him bowed at the same time. I could not bear the awkwardness and embarrassment of the unfamiliar treatment and took my eyes off them.

I sighed and sat back in the chair. The old man sat with me, slowly calming down his excitement. The head of the group took a cautious look at the excitement and sat down again on the chair. I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly.

And I asked the man any questions.

Why are you doing that?’

The purpose of the search team was to secure survivors. No, in a really good way, it was a noble act of saving people. Why would Eden, who seems to be sufficiently self-sufficient, rescue the survivors even by creating a search group? Even if two people are saved, there is a big risk of three deaths.

The group leader listened to me quietly and slowly rose from his seat. And I walked silently towards one side, looking at the sunlight creeping through the window. Where he arrived, there was a small frame hanging inside which contained a beautifully woven crosshairs.

'Because of the doctrine.’

The doctrine... ...was his word and the same as the truth to those who believe in God. What did God make them say and act? Of course it was like God's hypocrisy to me who didn't believe in God. But there was no need to broach the word out of the mouth.

'He wants everyone to be saved.’

The man quietly overlapped his hands. And he mumbled his lips to see if someone was praying and remained silent for a long time. The old man began to stab me in the back, but I couldn't answer quickly. Because I was thinking about it that much.

'I'll give you a clean residence. And I will always provide good food and good clothes. We will provide education through professional personnel for children as well as hospitals. Eden is all set, Mr. Dong-yun.'

The man approached me like a snake and began to seduce me, as if he would not give me time to worry. Each of the temptations was fascinating enough to attract me strongly. No one knew whether it was a poisoned apple or a delicious honey apple.

If I suffer alone, I feel comfortable with all my company. The premise made me constantly agonize. The longest time in the world began to pass without a pause. I slowly opened my mouth, drenching my dry throat with saliva.

'......I'm.'