A Survival Guide for a Counselor in the Apocalypse

Author: Cireng

Chapter 91

What on earth am I supposed to do to break out of this situation? Honestly, there’s no answer. That bastard is right now thinking about how to kill me in the most efficient way, how to squeeze out information and boil me down to the marrow.

And in the middle of all that, what can I even do with this battered body of mine?

Sa Jaeheon just stared at me without answering. His eyes were disturbingly inorganic.

‘That’s not even the gaze of someone looking at a person.’

Sure, I understand that everything in his past forced him to become like that. Understanding is one thing… but being on the receiving end of it is a completely different story, damn it.

Sa Jaeheon tightened his grip on the sword again. As someone who had read his story for years, I realized it instantly.

That bastard was about to stab again.

The motion was too familiar.

“Hey, what the hell are you?”

I didn’t know. Survival came first. I moved my hand behind my back and pulled out the pocket watch shaped like a heart.

I didn’t know exactly what it was. I hadn’t appraised it since it required skill.

But just because I hadn’t appraised it didn’t mean I couldn’t use it.

‘There was an item that looked like this.’

The Clockwork of Collapse.

A heart-shaped pocket watch that sends the user into the past of their current location. Then it returns them to the present. You can only observe the past, no interaction possible.

It was closer to confirming truth than changing the past.

The duration you could stay in the past was 3 days… for the original item. If this were a replica or fake, then maybe a few hours, or even just minutes.

Would it be safe to use? Hard to say. Even the original had severe side effects. Nausea was the baseline, and returning caused massive mental damage. If this was a fake, the backlash would be even worse.

And time in the past flowed equally in the present. Stay 3 days in the past, and 3 days will pass here.

‘Not something meant for me.’

And going into the past right now wouldn’t help anyway. What would I gain from seeing this place a few days ago?

It’d look the same.

‘Then I just won’t use it on myself.’

I thrust the watch forward.

The trigger condition: wind it, and when it winds back, it activates on whoever it touches.

Assuming this really was the Clockwork of Collapse.

‘Otherwise…’

I’d just throw some random item and die.

—

[Ah, another gamble! Our narrator really does love gambling]

[If only you hadn’t blown all your Trait Accelerators and powder on that ridiculous stunt before! (laughs)]

[Let’s hope this turns into another entertaining episode!]

—

Ignoring the familiar commentary, I steadied my breathing. Then quietly wound the spring.

A few seconds, maybe.

I tried talking again.

“You’re only thinking about killing me, right?”

No response. Instead, his hand moved to strike.

No dialogue. Just action.

That rotten personality really needed fixing.

I couldn’t track the incoming sword with my eyes. Not at this level. Even current Sa Jaeheon would go toe-to-toe with Leon.

…Assuming I could summon him at 100%.

Lee Hoin moved instantly to block, and I threw up a crude barrier behind him to buy time.

From behind him, I watched the ticking pocket watch.

3 seconds left.

I shoved Lee Hoin aside and hurled the watch forward.

Just as Sa Jaeheon was about to destroy it…

A flash of light.

And he disappeared.

Got him.

“Hey, Lee Hoin… get in the car now.”

No idea how much time that bought us. Sirens, noise, whatever… none of it mattered.

We had to run.

I yanked open the door and got in. Lee Hoin scrambled into the back seat and slammed it shut.

“Seatbelt.”

I slammed the accelerator, tearing through the silent dawn streets.

“SCREEEECH!”

The now-familiar cries of mutants echoed. It was about time they started appearing.

“Hey! Where are we going?!”

Hell if I know. As far away as possible. We could figure out a route later.

“Hold on.”

***

After driving for a long time, we ended up at the edge of a forest.

Checking the map, it was near Banghwa Station. Gaehwasan?

Never been here before.

‘Guess I just followed Line 5 all the way.’

Banghwa. Near Gimpo.

In this cramped city, how far could you even go?

‘Took over 2 hours with all the detours.’

I sighed and turned off the engine.

Lee Hoin was already asleep.

You couldn’t even call that “good nerves.” He’d burned through everything fighting in Hermadion, and immediately after, we ran into Sa Jaeheon.

Of course he’d collapse.

He slept quietly, and I started covering the windows.

If I heard anything nearby, I’d move immediately… but surprisingly, it was quiet.

Sleep first. Move later.

I covered the last window and turned forward…

FLASH!

A flashlight shone into the driver’s seat.

A woman, maybe in her 50s.

And next to her…

A sturdy man holding a shovel.

‘…Shit.’

I turned the key to start the engine.

—

[Feels like a horror slasher movie.]

[Classic setup: middle-aged woman and a rough-looking man.]

—

Slasher or not, I needed to move before that shovel came flying.

But somehow, the woman was already beside the window, tapping on it.

“Kid, where do you think you’re going? It’s 3 in the morning.”

Why are all the adults in this world so strong…

The man had already moved beside her, silently staring down at me.

I forced myself to stay calm.

“Ah, sorry. Didn’t know anyone was here. I’ll move the car right away.”

She waved her hand.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Tap, tap.

“I’m askin’ you got somewhere to go? It’s 3 a.m. Where you headin’? Got a place?”

“Ah…”

“If not, stay a bit. Two more mouths won’t change anything.”

Should I trust them?

“May I ask who you are?”

She laughed soundlessly.

“Me? Kim Jaeyeon, 58. I run a restaurant up there. This is Kim Sungho, my son. Not a bad guy… just quiet. You? That uniform… high school?”

“I’m Nam Muyeong. 20… We were at graduation. Then things got busy…”

“Ahh, I see. Then you should rest. That kid in the back’s already asleep. But 20 and driving? No license, huh?”

The conversation felt absurdly normal… like the apocalypse didn’t exist.

Kim Jaeyeon, 58.

Was she in the original story?

‘Too many people use fake names anyway.’

I stayed silent, thinking.

“Kid, I get why you’re cautious. But try trusting us once. What do I want from you? It’s cold; it’s better to sleep warm upstairs than freeze in your car.”

“…Ah.”

“If you’re still uneasy, sleep here.”

Honestly?

I was uneasy.

I needed to remember who they were, but nothing came up.

—

[Ah, reminds me of the supermarket nightmare.]

—

…That’s true.

I frowned, thinking, when she pulled out her phone.

“I run a popular restaurant. Won’t erase your doubts, but still.”

The signboard showed the following: