Black Paradise Chapter 2.5

“Yes?”

“You came to get me, so why are you dawdling? Let’s go. It’s not like I didn’t expect this, and I had something to say too. But I think I need to drink some water first. Let’s stop by my room for a moment.”

Ilyeong just nodded his head and walked ahead. Chan seemed bewildered for a moment, but he quickly caught up to him with big strides.

The people loitering in the hallway looked at Ilyeong, who was walking side by side with a soldier, with strange eyes. Ilyeong was used to receiving such gazes, so he didn’t mind, but Chan made sure to glare at them until they turned their heads away on their own.

“That bag, do you always carry it with you?”

As he was rummaging through the front pocket of his duffel bag where he had put his key card, Chan suddenly asked. Ilyeong held the key card in his mouth and closed the zipper of the bag with both hands. Chan’s gaze subtly lingered on his lips.

“Actually, this issue has been a headache for me. Let’s talk about that when I meet your superior.”

Ilyeong unlocked the door and went inside. Chan did not follow.

Bang. The door closed. At the same time, Ilyeong’s movements gained speed.

First, he entered the bathroom. When he pushed open the mirrored cabinet, he saw neatly arranged amenities. He took two double-edged razor blades from them. He wrapped one in a tissue, and put the other, just as it was, one in his duffel bag and one in his back pants pocket. After that, he flushed the toilet, turned on the sink water for a moment and then turned it off, and left the bathroom with a calm face.

He immediately grabbed two bottles of water from the side table where the drinks were displayed. His gaze swept over Yuto’s bed. The bulging lump of the blanket was so still that he thought no one was there, but as he got closer, he could hear a faint sound of breathing.

Ilyeong let out a long breath without realizing it and placed one bottle of water on the bedside.

“If you’re not intentionally protesting for me to see, get your hand treated properly. I’m telling you the infirmary is on the first floor.”

Yuto, covered by the blanket, did not answer. It wasn’t a question that required an answer, so Ilyeong continued to speak indifferently.

“And since the room is in this state, I think we’ll have to change rooms. If possible, let’s use separate rooms. I think it will be uncomfortable for both of us.”

At those words, Yuto tossed and turned for a moment as if he was about to say something. Ilyeong looked down at him coldly.

“I am uncomfortable.”

The blanket became still again, like a hibernating caterpillar. Ilyeong turned around and walked towards the door. With every step, a blood-stained piece of wood kicked his foot. To have broken a perfectly fine door to this extent, he must have used some kind of tool, but unfortunately, the tool was nowhere to be seen.

Ilyeong took a deep breath as he fumbled with his hand over the front pocket of his duffel bag. Right, if worse comes to worst, I can use this…

When he opened the door again, Ilyeong had returned to his usual expressionless face.

“Lead the way.”

Ilyeong opened the cap of the water bottle and drank it all down in one go. The stream of water that washed down his very raw throat tasted metallic.

The elevator descended at a sluggish pace. It was because it stopped on every floor at a time when there were many people killing time, but in reality, no one got on the elevator. It was because of Chan. He seemed to hate even sharing a space with people from other shelter zones besides Ilyeong.

If it weren’t for this funny drug, White or whatever, I would have been treated the same way. Ilyeong leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh. It seemed it was only a matter of time before a new rumor started circulating on this cruise.

The elevator stopped on the second floor.

“Let’s take the stairs from here.”

“Where are we going?”

Ilyeong unconsciously gripped his duffel bag tightly. Only then did Chan, who had read his sign of tension, look triumphant.

“The casino. People from the shelter zones are not allowed, but Mr. Kwon Ilyeong is an exception. I will tell the staff so that you can enter whenever you wish.”

Chan led him to a staircase located in a corner. Ilyeong did not answer. He knew very well what a casino was. What good would it do for him, who had no money, to mix in there? He carefully placed his feet on the stairs as he stared at the back of Chan’s head.

Although they had only gone down one floor, the hallway below had a quiet and gloomy atmosphere. The air that actually touched his skin was also cool.

Ilyeong pulled the turtleneck he was wearing closer to his chin. After walking a little more diligently, the casino entrance was revealed. A blonde beauty exchanged a few words with Chan and then guided them inside.

The casino was full of soldiers. Judging from the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like it was open for normal business, but everyone was enjoying the cruise in their own way.

Those wearing military short-sleeved shirts were gathered at different tables playing card games and the like, and were constantly spinning the slot machines. It was as lively as the main hall, but the temperature was much heavier and cooler. Curious gazes poured onto Ilyeong, who was the only one in this space not wearing a military uniform or a uniform.

Chan headed straight for the currency exchange. The soldiers lined up in front of it grumbled, but he didn’t mind at all. The employee sitting behind the glass recognized Chan and nodded.

“Is the colonel here?”

“Yes. He is inside. But this person…”

“Don’t mind him. He’s the colonel’s guest.”

“The colonel’s guest?”

The employee examined Ilyeong’s face from every angle with curious eyes. Then, he squinted his eyes and nodded as if he understood. An unpleasant and sticky smile clung to his entire body. Eventually, the employee jerked his head towards the back.

“Please go in. The colonel must have been getting antsy.”

As soon as permission was granted, Chan stood behind Ilyeong and opened the door that led into the desk. Another door inside the currency exchange, where the sound of machinery was humming, was their destination.

“Let me tell you one thing in advance for Mr. Kwon Ilyeong’s sake. Do not get on the colonel’s bad side.”

Chan warned, holding the doorknob. And then he pushed the door open.

As soon as he stepped in, a thick fog of smoke greeted him. On top of that, he almost threw up again because of the smell of alcohol that pricked his sense of smell even more intensely. As his empty stomach churned, the headache and tinnitus also pleaded with Ilyeong to get out of this place. Of course, it was out of the question to run away after coming this far.

Ilyeong covered his nose and mouth with his hand and looked around the dark interior. It was just an ordinary small room.

On the old sofa under the blackout curtains, a man in military pants was sitting. At his feet, a small-statured man was kneeling naked, his face, swollen as if he had been beaten, was glistening with a whitish liquid. His naked upper body was flushed red as if he had been whipped, and blood droplets were forming in places.

“Colonel. This is Mr. Kwon Ilyeeong.”

It was a scene that was clearly not normal, but Chan introduced Ilyeong as if he were blind. The kneeling man saw Ilyeong and Chan and then crawled away to a corner like a dog.

Then the man sitting on the sofa could be seen properly. Was he in his forties? The muscular middle-aged man was not wearing his military pants, but had them pulled down to his thighs. His sagging penis was hanging out of his slightly lowered briefs.

“Hmm. So this is the heretic from Zone 5…”

The colonel, still leaning back, leisurely appreciated Ilyeong’s face. His green eyes glinted damply. At the same time, he slowly straightened his trousers. Click, the sound of a belt being fastened was heard, and the man who had run to the corner flinched.

When the colonel jerked his chin, one of the soldiers standing at attention by the door brought a glass of water. Even after downing the entire cup in one gulp, his turbid gaze remained the same. His eyes were half-crazed, and it seemed that this one was not normal either.

“Doctor Kwon. I’m Colonel Jamie Mohr. No need to be so formal and call me by my last name, just call me Jamie. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such blue eyes. It’s meaningless to divide by race and continent anymore, but the Paradise Asia base is especially full of Asians. I’m suddenly feeling a great sense of familiarity.”

“I am Kwon Ilyeong.”

“Right, did you bring what we agreed to trade.”

Chan stood in the middle as if to mediate between the two and held out his hand to Ilyeong. Ilyeong quietly took out the medicine box from his bag. And he placed it on Chan’s palm.

Displeasure filled Chan’s eyes when he saw the crumpled and blood-stained medicine box. Chan, with a face that looked like he wanted to ask why but was barely holding it back, handed the box to Jamie. Jamie, who saw the medicine box, also seemed dumbfounded.

“How on earth did you manage to make this precious thing into this state… Hmm?”

Jamie’s brow furrowed fiercely as he took out the contents with his thick hands. Chan’s face, who was watching him, turned deathly pale.

The aluminum packaging that should have contained eight pills was all empty. The atmosphere in the room instantly turned cold. Jamie smiled bitterly and said.

“Doctor Kwon. I’m going to need an explanation as to why the medicine box is empty.”

Ilyeong just blinked his eyes without a word. Even he thought his behavior was utterly shameless.

As expected, Jamie, with an even more heated face, crushed the tattered aluminum sheet in his strong grip.

“You don’t want to talk? Then Sergeant Chan, you talk. Did you two crawl all the way to this casino to play games with me? Huh?”

“I swear, that is not the case!”

Chan immediately prostrated himself on the floor. The only visible anger Jamie showed was a few words and his expression, but Chan was in a state of near panic. In the extreme situation, the hierarchy between the two was revealed even more explicitly.

Jamie threw the blood-stained medicine box on the floor and slowly leaned his slumped upper body forward. With both elbows on his knees, he looked like a sleek bullet waiting for the right moment to be fired. The pupils that had seemed blurry sharply scanned Ilyeong and Chan.

Ilyeong calmly picked up the medicine box rolling on the floor and finally opened his mouth.

“I clearly said that I would hand over the drug when I came to trust you and Chan. Didn’t you call me to confirm whether I had the real drug?”

So he meant that his job was done with just the medicine box and the packaging. A vein twitched on Jamie’s forehead.

“Just as I heard. Very brazen and fearless. But you don’t seem to know where you’ve crawled into on your own two feet.”

He could feel the two soldiers standing behind Ilyeong getting closer. His palms became damp with sweat. But in a situation like this, backing down was the very path that would lead to a real tragedy.

Ilyeong stood without flinching and stared intently at Jamie’s face. Finally, Jamie spread his palm and sent a hand signal to the soldiers behind him. The soldiers who had gotten close returned to their positions.

“You must have hidden the drug somewhere else. Am I right, Doctor?”

“I can’t bring all my cards when I’m meeting an opponent with military force.”

He swallowed the words that it was a good choice, now that he thought about it, to refrain from further provocation. He had realized it from the moment he first entered this room. Jamie had intended to take the drug by force from the beginning.

This place, the darkest and dampest on the spacious cruise, was the perfect environment for a person to be ground up.

Here, Jamie showed many things that didn’t necessarily need to be seen. His subordinates standing guard in various parts of the room, the naked man whimpering and curled up in the corner…

It was a warning. A silent signal to be scared and obediently hand over the drug.

“You’re obviously not going to tell me where you hid the drug.”

“…”

Ilyeong remained silent. Jamie, perhaps reading that as an affirmation, burst into a hollow laugh. The longer the laughter went on, the damper the hand gripping the duffel bag became.

The claim that he had hidden the drug somewhere else was a lie. He could feel the texture of the square tin case through a single layer of fabric. The White that Jamie was looking for was all in there.

The White, removed from the aluminum sheet, had all been transferred to the tin case. The basis for distinguishing it from Black was the color of the case. The White was put in a red tin case, and all the Black was sorted into several black tin cases.

Ilyeong stood without moving and hid his anxious expression. Please fall for it, please, please… Around the time he had pleaded dozens of times in his mind, Jamie let out a long sigh.

“Perhaps because you’re a doctor, you’re smart. And you have guts. You don’t even avoid my gaze.”

“…I have a proposal I’d like to make.”

The reason he had silently followed him here today was precisely to have that conversation.

“A proposal for me.”

“I want to make a new deal. A direct deal between you, Colonel, and me, not one mediated by a third party.”

“Haha. Are you saying you want to exclude Chan?”

Chan, who was prostrate on the floor, looked back at Ilyeong with a face stained with bewilderment and defeat. His eyes looked as if he wanted to rush over and break his neck right away.

Should I just take Jamie’s word for it and cut Chan out of the plan completely? For a moment, such an impulse arose, but Ilyeong opened his mouth calmly.

“No. The deal with Sergeant Chan is a separate matter. I will also give Sergeant Chan the promised compensation.”

Ilyeong indifferently watched as surprise spread across Jamie’s face like a shallow wave.

“That’s a shame. I was thinking of replacing the toy soon.”

Even from behind, Chan’s entire skin turned so pale it was clearly noticeable. Jamie, regardless, leaned his upper body back again and flicked his finger.

Like a trained animal, the man who was stuck in the corner quickly sprang out and pressed his lips to his fingertips. The finger unhesitatingly thrust between the tender lips.

“But then what’s the point of making a new deal with me?”

“I want to revise the existing terms of the deal and add a few more things. The compensation for that will, of course, be newly adjusted.”

Only then did a glint of interest appear in Jamie’s eyes, which had been absorbed in his finger play as if he were bored.

“In what way?”

“The night before we get off this cruise, I will give you four pills.”

“Four pills, four pills, four pills, four pills…”

Jamie repeated the same word as he licked the inside of his mouth. The longer that time went on, the rougher the fingers thrusting into the man’s mouth and throat became. The moans of the man, who was holding back his nausea while scratching the floor with his fingernails, also grew more intense.

“Gag, gag.” The moment the man finally started to throw up, Jamie’s head lifted.

“Well, it seems I need to properly attend to my guest. Now, tell me what Doctor Kwon wants. I’ll do my best. However, I need a safety measure too… You understand that much, right?”

Jamie’s pupils, like a fish’s eyeballs, glinted.

*

Ilyeong looked around his new room. He had thought it would be, at best, a double room like the previous one that he would be using alone, but the newly assigned room was a multi-room suite. The bedroom and living room were separate, and besides that, the furniture and facilities were incomparably luxurious to the previous one.

Without even the luxury of looking around more, Ilyeong first placed his duffel bag deep inside the closet in the bedroom. His shoulder muscles, which had been very tense, cried out in stiff pain. As he rotated his arms and came out to the living room, Chan, who was waiting, handed him a key card.

“Excuse me, Mr. Kwon Ilyeong.”

Ilyeong, who was indifferently receiving the key card and putting it in his pocket, stopped moving. Chan had been silent ever since the negotiation with Colonel Jamie had begun.

Chan stared at the floor anxiously, then opened his mouth again.

“About what happened earlier… I’m grateful.”

It was not the tone of a person who was always waiting for the opportune moment to put Ilyeong down. Ilyeong feigned ignorance and took off the hoodie he was wearing, hanging it on the back of the sofa.

“What are you talking about?”

“The fact that you said you wouldn’t call off the deal with me, and… for leaving a role for me.”

Ilyeong had made a few demands to Jamie. One of them was to leave Chan as the liaison between himself and Jamie, just as he was now. Since Chan was Jamie’s man anyway, Jamie also readily accepted the proposal.

“I don’t know what you’re thanking me for. I just decided to keep my promise with Sergeant Chan. Nothing has changed.”

“No. A moment ago… Mr. Kwon Ilyeong, you also heard what the Colonel said. If I had made one wrong move…”

Chan shuddered with a pale face, as if all the blood had drained to his feet. Ilyeong did not bother to ask what he had recalled.

“…I’m a case who barely climbed up to this position by sucking up to the Colonel. But recently, the Colonel hasn’t seemed very pleased with me either. I was getting anxious when I found the drug Mr. Kwon Ilyeong has.”

If so, then it makes sense that he would share the drug with his superior instead of gobbling it up himself. He must have been thinking of extending his lifeline with this.

“Paradise doesn’t have the capacity to care about an unconnected soldier with no family like me. They’ll probably forget about me in a week even if I suddenly disappear. Paradise is safe, but it’s that kind of place.”

It didn’t seem like something Chan, who had been worshiping Paradise like a god and looking down on the other shelter zones, would say. He himself seemed to know that, as he put a powerless smile on his lips.

“This is a separate matter from my love for Paradise. So, Mr. Kwon Ilyeong, please get a firm promise from the Colonel somehow. I know because I’ve been watching the Colonel handle the lottery for a long time. It’s not easy for a winner from a shelter zone to get citizenship in Paradise. It will be even harder to survive unscathed.”

“What is that…”

Wasn’t it a given that all lottery winners were recognized as citizens of Paradise?

Ilyeong’s brow furrowed. Despite Ilyeong’s question, Chan bowed his head as if he had said everything he could, and retreated from the room.

Thud. The sound of the door closing was heard. Ilyeong, who had been standing stiffly in place for a while, hurriedly turned around and walked away. It was because the son of a bitch and the winter wind in his head, from which the tension had receded like a tide, had started barking loudly again in search of food. Instead of rummaging through his duffel bag to take out and eat the drug, he headed straight for the balcony attached to the living room.

Lightly ignoring the notice on the balcony window that said to refrain from going out as much as possible, Ilyeong stepped outside. A cold chill, beyond cool, immediately enveloped him. He thought about going back inside to get the outerwear he had taken off, but he gave up and stood holding the railing.

Due to the nature of the winter sea with its short days, it was not even four o’clock yet, but the sun was already showing signs of setting. He had ended up skipping lunch. He had to attend dinner because they always checked the list at the entrance of the dining hall.

Ilyeong immediately searched his pants pocket indifferently, then pulled his hand back in surprise at the stinging sensation on his skin. Sure enough, a thin line of blood was seeping out from the tips of his middle and index fingers. It was a cut from a razor blade. Ilyeong hesitated, then put his fingertips in his mouth and explored them with the tip of his tongue.

With his other hand, he carefully searched his pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He had gotten them from Jamie a little while ago.

Click. With an awkward hand movement, he lit the lighter and lit the end of the cigarette. Then he slowly sucked on it.

The truck driver, who was a heavy smoker, had said that a person trying a cigarette for the first time would not be able to stand the smoke and would burst into a violent cough. But there was no distinct reaction from him.

“Mr. Kwon Ilyeong, you don’t open this up.”

The voice in his head suddenly popped out and scattered a muddy laugh.

Ilyeong fumbled with his Adam’s apple. The memory of the hand that had persistently scratched that place last night made his scalp stiffen and heat rise.

Ilyeong, with the cigarette in his hand, just stroked his neck. In the end, without having even tried a proper smoke, he had only wasted a precious cigarette and had to return inside.

There is a limit to how long he can endure with Seo Juhyeok’s voice, as he doesn’t know when he will be able to see him again. It’s impossible to even dream of making a new drug, so the amount of the drug is also limited.

In other words, it meant that he had to devise a new way to quell the headache and tinnitus. He could only hope that the cigarette would be the solution, and that he could properly enjoy smoking before arriving at Paradise.

Even though the room was bigger, there were no particular advantages, and there was nothing to do. There was a small TV in the bedroom, and he fiddled with it for a while because it was interesting, but he gave up on that too. In a situation where there wasn’t even a proper communication network connecting the shelter zones and Paradise, he didn’t think anything would come out of it on this open sea. And that guess was exactly right. It was when he left the lump of machinery that wouldn’t even turn on and went out to the living room again.

Ding.

It was a single sound, but the doorbell definitely rang. Ilyeong slowly walked towards it. He called out, “Who is it?” but there was no voice from the other side. His nerves were on edge.

Ilyeong put his hand in his pants pocket and put on the double lock with the chain. When he slowly opened the door, an unexpected face appeared through the gap.

“…”

“…”

At first, he thought it was Yuto. It was because he gave off a somehow similar impression. But on a second look, it was a completely different face. The man who had endured Jamie’s brutality with a body full of scars…

His eyes, like polished black pebbles, blinked gently. The man, without making a sound, just moved his lips, trying to convey some meaning.

Ilyeong first closed the door again, then undid the chain and opened the door again. The man nodded his head several times with a bright face as if to say that was right. Then he pointed to the inside of the room and looked around the hallway with an anxious expression.

“Come in.”

Only after judging that the skinny and short man in front of him would not be a threat, did Ilyeong step back. The man quickly entered the entryway.

Unlike when he saw him in the casino, the man was properly dressed. A loose turtleneck and pants covered the wounds on his entire body. Even so, what was the point when his face was a mess? After trying to forget the wounds and observing him, he seemed to be about the same age as him or a little younger.

How did he get caught by Jamie at such a young age? As he was thinking that, the man fumbled and took something out from his bosom. It was a small notebook and a pen.

「I’m Jeonseogu.」

Jeonseogu? A carrier pigeon? What is that all of a sudden? When Ilyeong frowned, the man scribbled something more.

「That’s my name. I’ve come to deliver the Colonel’s message.」

How long has it been since they met? Most of all, the fact that he sent a third party even though he had designated Chan as the liaison was proof that Jamie did not completely trust Chan and Ilyeong. Furthermore, if that liaison was this man, there would also be the purpose of reminding him of the warning.

Ilyeong twisted his lips and let out a short laugh, “Ha.” The man, perhaps interpreting that laugh differently, quickly flipped to the next page of the notebook and scribbled down some words.

「I’m sorry. My tongue was cut off. Please wait even if it’s inconvenient.」

That wasn’t what he meant. Ilyeong looked at him with a furrowed brow. He was momentarily curious about the tragic life of how his tongue was cut off, but even he, who lacked social skills, knew that asking such a thing was rude. He also had a rough idea of who had done such a terrible thing.

When Ilyeong just turned away without a word, the man flinched.

“Please sit down and write comfortably. We have plenty of time until dinner anyway.”

The man hesitantly knelt down in front of the coffee table in the living room. Then he placed the notebook on the table and concentrated on writing something. Ilyeeong, without taking his eyes off him, approached the home bar table.

Colorful fruits that he had never seen in the shelter zone were in a basket. He picked up a long, yellow one and sniffed it, and it had a sweet smell. It was a banana. It had been served as a meal at the research institute only once, but it was a little strange to see its actual appearance, surrounded by a peel, for the first time.

He seemed to have vaguely heard that some fruits were cultivated in the south of Paradise. In the past, Paradise was not a suitable environment for cultivating subtropical fruits, but it was said to be possible because the temperature of the entire planet had risen since the disaster. When he pressed the banana in his hand firmly, it was a little mushy. It didn’t seem to be fake, so Ilyeong took it and returned to the living room.

The man, having finished writing what he wanted to write, held out the notebook. Ilyeong held out the banana he was holding to the man and took the notebook instead.

「He wants to know about you, Doctor. He said it’s okay if it’s not official, and that we should write two copies of the contract and each take one. He also asked you to return the medicine box you took.」

“Does Colonel Jamie make you run errands like this every time?”

The man who had received the long, yellow fruit blinked his harmless eyes. He had a look on his face as if he didn’t even understand what Ilyeong was saying. Ilyeong shook his head slightly and plopped down a little distance away from the man.

“I’ll borrow your pen and notebook. And that, please eat it while you wait.”

The man, far from lending it to him, quickly took the notebook from Ilyeong’s hand and wrote one more line.

「How do I eat it?」

“Why are you asking me…”

He was about to retort in a fit of anger, “asking,” but he held it in after seeing the man’s face. All fruits, regardless of their variety, are a luxury. What kind of question is that to ask a person from a shelter zone, for whom even getting one meal a day is not easy?

It seems that not all people in Paradise live in luxury. Having come to that conclusion, Ilyeong took the pen and notebook from the man. A sigh he couldn’t hide was mixed with his words.

“I don’t know either. I’m from a shelter zone. The inside of the peel must be the flesh, so peel it well and try eating it. As far as I know, most fruits are like that.”

The man didn’t seem to understand what he was saying, but this time, Ilyeong really ignored him and focused on writing in the notebook.

His neck was a little stiff after writing down all the things they had agreed on in conversation. Ilyeong took out the medicine box from the hoodie he had placed on the sofa. He slid one copy of the written paper and the medicine box in front of the man. The man, who was scanning the paper with his eyes, scribbled something in his notebook.

「Please write down your personal information as well, Doctor.」

The only thing Ilyeong had written was the two-part contract. Ilyeong stood up and shook his head.

“Why does he ask for such a thing when he’s going to dig into it behind my back anyway? Just tell him to do his background check comfortably.”

The man stood up, gathering his things. At the same time, he observed Ilyeong’s every move with curious eyes, not missing a single thing.

Suddenly, Ilyeong’s gaze fell on the banana the man was holding. He had told him to peel it and eat it, but there were tiny teeth marks on the yellow skin. It seemed he had given up on gnawing on it because it didn’t taste good.

Ilyeong thought about telling him one more time, but then decided against it, thinking it would be funny for a person from a shelter zone to preach more about how to eat fruit.

“Let’s go out together. It’s time for me to go down to the dining hall for dinner too.”

Ilyeong took his key card and hoodie and was about to leave the room, but he stopped in the hallway. He couldn’t shake off a nagging feeling.

“Just a moment.”

Leaving the man in the hallway, Ilyeong returned to his room and slung the duffel bag he had put in the closet back over his shoulder. There was also a safe in a corner of the room, but perhaps because he had been robbed once before, it didn’t seem very trustworthy. Most of all, the fact that it was a room given by Jamie made it impossible to completely trust the security of this room. It was when he, with his duffel bag on his shoulder, came out to the hallway again, with the move to a new room being in vain.

The hallway was empty. The man was already gone. Unlike the seventh floor, which was crowded with people from the shelter zones, the eighth floor was deserted with no one coming and going.

Only a single piece of paper was rolling around on the carpet where the man had disappeared. Ilyeong bent down and picked up the paper, which clearly showed signs of being hastily torn off.

I’m from a shelter zone too.

It was a single phrase that sent a chill down his entire body.

*

“It’s not easy for a winner from a shelter zone to get citizenship in Paradise. It will be even harder to survive unscathed.”

「I’m from a shelter zone too.」

Chan’s words and the message left by Jeonseogu kept circling in his head. It was so intense that the dog and the winter wind, which had already taken over the main room of his mind, kept whining and barking as if on guard.

The words of the two people boasted a greater power when combined. Ilyeong thought that perhaps he had been too naive all along. For the people of the shelter zones, the lottery was a lifeline, and Paradise was the only escape from their harsh and dry lives.

But what if that wasn’t the case? What if winning the lottery wasn’t the end? Then what’s the point of boarding this cruise? Why am I walking into the enemy’s camp?

“Mr. Kwon Ilyeong, are you really okay? You look really terrible.”

Haoran and Jun, who were lining up in front of the dining hall entrance for the name check, greeted him.

Ilyeong came out of his thoughts and stared at Haoran blankly. For a moment, he felt the urge to run to the deck and jump off. And he was surprised at himself for feeling such an urge. Unable to overcome the shock, Ilyeong hit his temple with his fist.

It was something he often experienced when his mind was pushed to its limit, his memories becoming fragmented. But wanting to jump into the sea. He had never felt such an extreme urge until now. It was not a good sign. The hand hitting his head as if to punish him became even stronger.

“What are you doing! What’s wrong?!”

Haoran, startled, ran over and grabbed his wrist. Ilyeong hit his head even harder with his other hand. Even Jun, who always treated Ilyeong like an outsider with poor social skills, was surprised and grabbed his arm. The attention of not only the people from the other shelter zones but also the soldiers checking the list was focused on this side.

“Hey, what’s going on over there?”

“It’s nothing! Don’t mind us!”

One of the soldiers standing near the entrance raised his voice. Haoran instinctively tried to block the soldier’s attention. For the people of the shelter zones, soldiers were not someone to ask for help from, but someone to avoid.

Ilyeong caught his breath behind Haoran, who was feigning ignorance. And as soon as the headache and tinnitus in his head receded a little, he stood up straight calmly. As the gazes dispersed a little, Haoran quickly turned around.

“What was that all about? Mr. Kwon Ilyeong, are you really okay?”

“You, do you have some kind of illness?”

Ilyeong met the eyes that were staring at him as if he were absurd. Haoran and Jun glared at him with wide eyes.

This time, the words “I’m okay” did not come out.

No, he felt that he was the one who should be asking that question. The paradise you desire may never exist…

Ilyeong looked straight ahead and walked into the dining hall. The luxurious cruise now felt like a single prison. The prisoners sat down at the tables in a line. For breakfast and lunch, the staff had served the food, but for dinner, it seemed to be a buffet, as food was prepared on both sides of the banquet hall. Only the table in the center was vacant.

After a short while, just like at lunch yesterday, a string quartet performance began. The people who were sitting down, as if on cue, stood up and moved to the tables with the food. Jun muttered as he stood up.

“It seems neither the director nor the next director will be attending today.”

He was talking about Seo Yoonseok and Seo Juhyeok. The next director. Paradise. Prison. Cruise. At the feast of words, Ilyeong’s mind grew cold. The voice of Seo Juhyeok, which had felt sweet until yesterday, now felt as grim as a death sentence.

With the thought that he had to eat something, Ilyeong was also about to get up. Someone approached silently and grabbed the sleeve of Ilyeong’s clothes. Haoran, who was about to get up with Ilyeong, also stopped after sensing the presence.

「The Colonel wants to have a meal with you.」

What was held out in front of him was a trembling notebook. But what captivated Ilyeong’s gaze more was the face of the man holding the notebook, Jeonseogu.

He couldn’t even open his eyes properly. The more the crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling poured out its sharp and brilliant light, the more his torn eyelids squinted. Not only his eyes, but both his cheeks were also red and swollen, tinged with a bluish color. He had thought he had a rather handsome face, similar to Yuto, but now he couldn’t even find such an impression.

There was only one person who could ruin a person to this extent in just a few dozen minutes. Ilyeong quickly raised his head and looked around. And he found Colonel Jamie sitting at a table slightly off to the side from the center. He leisurely raised one arm and greeted him with a smiling face.

“Who, who are you? Is he someone Mr. Kwon Ilyeong knows? A Colonel? Why would such a high-ranking person be looking for Mr. Kwon Ilyeong?”

Haoran’s face turned pale and he was horrified.

“He’s someone I know. Haoran, go somewhere else while I’m being nice.”

“My goodness. What on earth have you gotten yourself into.”

“Just… go.”

“Mr. Kwon Ilyeong, instead of doing this, shall we run on the count of three?”

With a face that looked like he wanted to throw up at any moment, Haoran was all talk. Jamie, with a smiling face, was watching this side, then he whispered something to the soldier standing next to him.