I'm still alive

When the cold water touched the skin, the man began to tremble around his eyes. And after a while he struggled all over and began to respond to the unfamiliar touch. Although the response is simply freaking out and hiding itself in a corner.

The ridiculous figure made me laugh, and I was worried about how scary it was. He didn't relax his guard even though he confirmed that I was a human being, and he looked at us with fearful eyes.

I understand, I could roughly guess what he'd been through all night. I spoke in a voice as gentle as possible, trying not to touch his trauma.

Do you remember my voice?’

We used to talk on the phone. Just as I remembered his voice, he only wished he remembered mine. Concerned about the man's unexpected behavior, my question was, the man hurriedly fixed his horn-rimmed glasses and looked this way blankly. The gun was partially removed and most of the party was far away. I waited until he came to his senses.

'He, are you him? The person I spoke to yesterday, are you sure?’

The man spoke gibberish at first, then blinked as if he had soon awakened from a long nightmare, reaffirming my presence. Yeah, thank God you're not crazy. I nodded my head to the question and answered that we had come to rescue you and dealt with the man who had taken control of this building. "Then the man breathed out violently and burst into tears, and the old man called out a dragon-arm that was standing back there and told him to bring the goods we had brought."

'Yong-pal! Get me a bottle of bottled water and something to eat!'

The old man kicks his tongue short at the man who bursts into tears. But the look at the man showed a warm feeling of pity for the man, not of patheticness and injustice. The old man was probably recalling our appearance just a few months ago through a man's cry. Of course, it was the same for me, who had been lost in thought for a while.

I got up from my seat, talking to the man for the last time.

'It's safe, just calm down and we'll talk later.’

Although he moved because he was a master, I was proud of the man who had endured this hell well. Even the party, who did not know the details, felt a little joy just because the survivor was alive, and felt proud through a man who thanked them continuously. Although my thoughts and minds were elsewhere, I didn't want to pour cold water on this good atmosphere. I ordered the party to rest.

* * *

Ha... I really thought I was going to die. Thank you for saving me.’

It wasn't until an hour later that the man pulled himself together, and soon accepted the conversation we recommended. A face with a lot of fear and tears, I didn't know at first, but the face of a man wearing horn-rimmed glasses was more compliant than I thought. And the old man and my attitude toward him, perhaps because of the polite manner and the fresh way of speaking, were becoming more and more emaciated. What should I say? It was different when I treated the woman at the station because she understood everything when she pretended to be nice and acted nice.

'Detective Kang, lead your party down first. Please take a seat on the 1st floor and have a quick meal. Don't forget to pack a mutant body.’

I had a long talk with a man, and there was a lot to look for at the station. I asked Detective Kang, who is closest to me, and my subsequent actions went ahead with the route I had set at the briefing. Upon hearing my instructions, Detective Kang nodded and walked toward the party, and soon the murmur began to fade away. On the rooftop, only me, the old man, and the man who was wiping the lens with his clothes were left. I watched the group go out without a word for a while, and asked the man.

Are you curious about anything?’

Although there was only an hour left, I did not act impatiently, and gave him a chance to ask questions, who would be the first to feel confused. Then he urgently asked after the woman he had called Seo, and we answered, "It's okay."

A long sigh of relief is coming. And if he thinks of his colleagues who died horribly on their way here, the man makes a grim face.

And the questions that followed were unexpectedly perfunctory, even though they must be known. Who we are, why there are survivors in the closed area. The man, like a journalist, slowly began to harden his face by asking only the necessary information.

It seems that what he knows and the truth inside the closed area slowly began to mesh. Then at the end, he gave a vain sigh and covered his pale face with his hands. The man recites quietly.

'Only if you come to rescue me......, you didn't mean it.’

'You're a smart guy.’

At that short moment the old man uttered a small exclamation at the man who grasped the situation. Yes, it certainly was quick to grasp the situation. He was well aware that we wanted the headquarters data he had. But I answered him quietly, asking him not to misunderstand, as he was washing his face as if he were tired.

'Other parties still don't know the truth. Even if I do, the rest of the people are doing rescue work with a sense of mission, so don't be too disappointed.'

I had nothing to say about myself as a snob who only looked at the master. However, I hope that the sublime of the group, which moves purely for the purpose of rescuing survivors, will not be distorted. And the man, who heard my answer, was startled and soon raised his head and waved his hands hurriedly. His face was filled with embarrassment and a deep sense of apology for what it meant.

'Oh, no. I didn't mean it that way, so please don't misunderstand......... isn't this all for everyone else? You're doing a great job. And personally......I think he's a very respectable man.’

Oh, I'm surprised. The man clasped my right hand with both hands, shouting, "Don't get me wrong." And he looks at me with a very burdensome look and says he respects me without hesitation. Was it supposed to be like this? I was more puzzled than happy to hear these eyes and words from the first person I met today.

And I laughed awkwardly once and quickly pulled my hand out. Yeah, sometimes there's someone like this. It's good to be nice, but it's awkward to deal with. Nevertheless, the atmosphere was better than I thought, and I was finally able to bring up the main point after quietly measuring the timing.

'Oh, yeah, that's fine. I'm glad the conversation went well. Then may I ask for your cooperation?’

We wanted to seek personal cooperation on the outside of the closed area, as well as important data he collected from the headquarters. Because the meeting of the station's staff may be the last chance given to us, and at the same time, a way to overcome the hopeless situation. And the man, who heard my request, jumped up from his seat and answered.

'I think that's something I should ask you to do. Please let me know if there's anything I can do. You saved my life with Seo. Can't you do that?’

He has been smiling brightly and offering a handshake as if he were completely out of fear. Although it is a stage of interest, I feel satisfied to see a man who never forgot the help he received.

Unlike the woman I met for the first time, the story went smoothly, and I felt like I was finally getting compensation for negotiations and tug-of-war that I was not good at. The mind is relieved, and a sense of accomplishment looms over one small wall in front of it.

Holding hands, the employee card around his neck shakes quietly. And at the same time, Detective Kang's handcuffs, which I didn't want to use, grumbled quietly in my arms. The warm sun lit us up on the roof with cold wind.

* * *

As soon as the story was over, we busily moved and prepared to leave. The must-have headquarters materials were tightly hidden in the clothes by the man, and we took them over in a safe briefcase and treasured them in our luggage. And the man diligently walked up and down the floors with the sound of having to pack more for the station to use, adding to the luggage we were about to carry.

Most of the important equipment was long lost, of course, but I thought of the furry in Eden and ordered it to be taken care of for now. And because of the increased luggage, we eventually put everything we could take, even mobilizing our rear cars. A busy time passes as if preparing to move. We couldn't depart from the station headquarters until about an hour later.

A clack, a clack.

The piled-up rear car was pulled exclusively by Doo-sik, and Yong-pal was pushing the rear car behind it, adding even a small amount of strength. Everyone looked tired with their hard work, but their faces were shining brightly at the thought of going home. And it wasn't just me in the lead who was watching the spectacle.

Dong-yoon, do you go home this way every time you save people?’

When I turned my head, Kim Chang-sik, who finished his communion, was calling my name and asking friendly questions. And there was a camcorder in his hand that he had not seen before, which clearly had a small red light coming in, taking pictures of me and my company. When I asked him what he was doing, he said, raising his horn-rimmed glasses.

'I'm going to leave a record.’

Records? I thought what would we do if we filmed us going back home? But I couldn't say anything to him who was filming us with a serious look. And I just smiled awkwardly in front of the camera that I was facing for the first time in a long time.

Kim Chang-sik has asked me several other questions and asked for an interview as a camcorder. Having been bored to walk still, I answered quite sincerely with the idea of just having a conversation, and he ran to the other party with a satisfied face.

I took pictures of Yong-pal acting silly, Da-hye being shy because she was in front of the camera, and Doo-sik showing off his strength. Our group laughed as if they were happy in front of their daily lives after a long time, and Kim Chang-sik, who was filming them, also had a smile hanging from his face. On our way home, we were gaining the strength to live tomorrow, feeling small happiness.

And as he was walking alone in front of the procession, taking the background of the laughter coming from behind, the old man who was walking from the very back came to me and whispered quietly. The whisper contained concerns about the future as opposed to a happy sight.

'What are you going to do in the future.

I turned my head quietly and looked at the party that was following me. The group was distracted by the camera that appeared after a long time and didn't even care about it. After watching the figure quietly, I turned my head straight again, and breathed a sigh of deep concern. And soon he gave an honest answer to the old man.

'I don't know.’

That's all right, I have a plan. Of course I would have answered others this way, but because he was the old man who knew my mind best, he told me his honest thoughts. Actually, me too...I really don't know. Once the government's cover-up was recorded, everything left behind was brought into our waters. However, this action was a way to save and think, not to have a specific plan after that.

Depending on how we use it, it could have been the only weapon we could have, or it could be a time bomb to strangle ourselves. I felt the weight of the truth, not the weight of the bag, waving helplessly the briefcase I was carrying.

Perhaps by the time these documents arrive in Eden, everyone will know the hidden truth. As I turned dark, the old man kicked his tongue and raised his hand over my shoulder.

'Don't worry yourself. I'm here, and there's the party. And now you're the head of Eden's organization, and you know you're not alone, right? Let's let everyone know and find a way together. How many people are there? I'm sure you'll have at least one good plan.’

The old man squeezed my shoulder and tried to relieve the burden of human Kwak Dong-yoon. And though I didn't express it, the desperate feelings in it slowly touched my heart.

Yes, there was no more solitude drifting in the misty sea. It came as a great comfort that there was someone behind me, even if that was death ahead.

'Brother! Grandpa! Come over here and take a picture!'

And at that moment came the voice of Yong-pal, who was trudging along, calling us. The old man and I looked back in a daze, and we could find our party stopped near the road and sat in the rear car amicably. And it was Kim Chang-sik, who had a bright smile, who took pictures of them. Yong-pal and his party wave their hands on the rear car as if they were asking to come.

'Let's go.'

The old man laughs and hits me on the back. Then he walked toward the party, telling them to follow him quickly, and soon began to set himself in a position to take a noisy photo with them. Yong-pal, who cleans his hair with saliva, Do-sik, who looks at the camera with a blank face, and Kim Hye-jung and Park Da-hye, who pose beautifully. And Detective Kang and the old man smiling brightly with their shoulders around them.

And I ran towards my seat in the middle.

* * *

[Under the picture, the sentence 'with the family' is written.]