DRAM Ch 5

The streets were quiet. Only the debris of ruined buildings wandered in the sunlight, and shattered glass—cracked to the point of horror—glimmered unnervingly.

Clang. A piece of machinery clattered across the pavement. Ha-yoon, walking in a daze, suddenly stopped and stared at a machine wedged in a corner.

“……”

His thick eyelashes moved slowly. His dark eyes, as if swallowed by an inky night, had lost their focus—as though he were completely mesmerized by something far away.

“Ah……”

A scarred hand raked through his hair, then wiped his face. His lips twisted into a grimace as a suppressed chuckle escaped him. The man’s words—Yeo Yeon-oh’s words—reverberated in his mind.

“Who knows where you crawled in from…”

In this ruined world, the man smiled with an air of superiority. His dazzling platinum hair still swayed gracefully, and the suggestion offered by this man—who didn’t simply kill machines but seemed to control them like marionettes—was almost impossible to trust.

“Field center…”

If Ha-yoon hadn’t been drawn in by Yeo Yeon-oh’s offer, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t tempted. His ultimate goal lay there, though everything remained uncertain.

He knew he must cross the wall—built so solidly it seemed it would never fall—avoid the machines whose eyes burned like murderous predators, and face countless dangers before he could pull down those who reigned at the top.

He had risked his life over and over just for that one chance; even after countless deaths, he had never set foot in the Field center. The furthest he’d ever gotten was Area C.

“I intend to finish this ridiculous business with my own hands.”  

“I’ll keep you alive.”  

“Ha-yoon, you won’t die.”

Yeo Yeon-oh said these words as if they were obvious. His relaxed manner, steady gaze, and the confident air about him kept replaying in Ha-yoon’s mind.

“Fuck… maybe it’s just because it’s been so long since I’ve seen another person.”

Ha-yoon had grown accustomed to solitude. Ever since he realized he couldn’t truly die, he rarely visited the shelter—even if he had one remaining scrap of conscience. It was a place marked by his parents’ traces, where people still greeted him warmly. He had avoided getting tangled up with monsters and drawing the wrath of the machines. That had been his way of living… until now.

In the midst of his silent routine, an unexpected sound pierced the stillness—a voice, unmistakably Yeo Yeon-oh’s, pounding in his head. Ha-yoon had always been unusually perceptive, especially when facing Yeo Yeon-oh. Though it wasn’t a moment for idle chatter, something about the encounter felt strange.

“Even so…”

Yeo Yeon-oh had twice offered his hand in farewell, as if promising never to seek him out again. If he merely needed a companion, Ha-yoon could have simply turned inward.

Ha-yoon clicked his tongue, trying hard to clear his mind. Adjusting his blurry gaze, he stared straight ahead. Today, the light poured down brighter than ever—as if the parched earth itself were burning.

The shelter lay far away—a deliberate distance maintained in case someone came looking for him. Leaving footprints along the ruined road, he walked for a long while.

“……”

Oblique beams of light revealed a crumbling factory. Survivors of the war had willingly taken refuge in these dead spaces; the factory’s lowest levels had become the haven for the people of Area E.

Entering the factory, Ha-yoon placed his hand on a door heavily coated in dust. Creak— the door opened with a raucous sound. At the end of the dark path, a massive iron door, tightly shut as if to bar any intruders, loomed before him.

“This place never changes,” he thought. With a soft chuckle, he tugged at the door—and soon the sound of a gun being chambered echoed. The sharp report of metal against flesh pricked at his skin. Ha-yoon raised both arms in front of himself as he faced the approaching muzzle.

“Are you coming here because you’re scared? Let’s take it easy.”

“…Ha-yoon?”  

“Bro—Ha-yoon!”

One by one, murmurs arose and guns were lowered. Those who had been on high alert relaxed in an instant. Ha-yoon himself managed a faint smile as he looked around. Elderly mentors shone with bright, alert eyes.

“Come on in.”

They welcomed him warmly without asking where or why he had been—only grateful to be alive, savoring the moment. For those living on the knife-edge between life and death, explanations were unnecessary.

“Bro!”  

“Ugh.”

Ha-yoon groaned painfully as he staggered. Suddenly, a large figure rushed forward, enveloping him in a tight embrace and pressing his forehead against Ha-yoon’s neck. The man held him firmly as though unwilling to let go.

“Not letting go?”  

“Really, I thought you were dead… If you’re alive, at least file a survival report next time.”

“That’s why I’m here.”

With a swift motion, the large man released his grip and scanned Ha-yoon from head to toe with eyes still wet and alert. He peered at Ha-yoon’s disheveled features, letting out a soft, almost pained groan.

“Lee Yu-won.”  

“Why are your eyes all busted?”  

“Crying?”  

“Bro… I—I feel like I’m about to cry? Huh?”

He began to shed tears, small and pitiful, as if his eyes were that of a stray pup.

“This time… I really, really thought you were dead…”

A small, whispered voice—almost too soft to catch—brushed Ha-yoon’s ears. Ha-yoon frowned, patting the back of the crying Lee Yu-won.

“You know, nobody really dies.”

With a gentle tone, Lee Yu-won managed a smile, though his face crumpled further. Others, who didn’t know better, teased the crying Lee Yu-won.

Lee Yu-won was the only one who seemed to know everything—the fact that Ha-yoon’s parents had been killed by machines from the Field center, that Ha-yoon himself had once been skewered by a razor-sharp blade while dying for the first time, spitting blood as he had witnessed it all.

“Ha-yoon, Yu-won has been desperately looking for you. Please, comfort him.”

“You’re just a big lump, that’s all.”

Amid occasional sobs mixed with chuckles from the gathering, Ha-yoon ruffled Lee Yu-won’s tousled brown hair and gave his cheek a light tap.

“Let’s walk for a bit.”

Lee Yu-won nodded quietly and fell into step behind Ha-yoon, who had already started walking. Even the people at the shelter—knowing it wasn’t a major emergency—had returned to their posts.

“Where have you been?”  

“Just… here and there.”  

“Why are your eyes like that? When will it end?”  

“Yesterday.”

Lee Yu-won suddenly halted. When Ha-yoon turned around, Yu-won wore an expression that defied description.

“Why that face?”  

“Because I’m sorry.”  

Lee Yu-won swallowed hard, barely containing the rising emotion. The hellish moments—and the miraculous ones—of yesterday were still vivid.

“Why! Why did you come alone? Where’s Teacher Seo? What about you, Ha-yoon!”

They grabbed the sobbing Lee Yu-won as the shelter elders scolded him. With hands stained with blood, they pressed the child’s shoulders and glared sternly.

Days of living without dying had taken their toll. Like his parents, the brother he had adored was lost in an instant. The crushing guilt of being the sole survivor weighed heavily on Lee Yu-won.

“Bro… Ha-yoon?”

On the day he miraculously met him again, before any words could squeeze out of his throat, tears burst forth from Lee Yu-won. In that moment, Ha-yoon had said something—what was it?

“I know you.”

It was a voice heavy with unbearable loss.

“Bro, what’s wrong? I’m Yu-won, Lee Yu-won. Don’t you know? I thought you were dead that time…”

Ha-yoon blinked as if he were dead. With a wry, desolate smile, he buried his face in his hand as water droplets fell one by one.

Lee Yu-won then led Ha-yoon back to the shelter. Ha-yoon seemed to have forgotten even the shelter itself. Everyone who looked at him sighed—haunted by the sight of his eyes, now devoid of light.

At the shelter, they had all learned to handle guns and dodge machines together. Though Ha-yoon’s memories had faded, the sensations in his hands remained. Growing at a frightening pace, Ha-yoon left the shelter in just half a year.

“Where are you going?”

It was Lee Yu-won who caught Ha-yoon as he tried to sneak away at dawn. With an impassive expression, Ha-yoon had swatted at Yu-won’s hand.

“I thought I was dead. You saw it, right? But I’m still here. Does that make me human?”

The voice, soaked in darkness, still belonged to a boy—but it was steady.

“If we get caught, we can’t stay here. I’ll come by sometimes—so don’t hold me back. Don’t do anything. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“But you’ll die again!”  

“I won’t die. Don’t cry, just go inside and sleep. Tell the teachers you don’t know me. Don’t look for me—then I won’t come back here.”

And that was that. After offering clumsy comfort, Ha-yoon hurriedly hid his body. Lee Yu-won remained rooted to the spot, weeping. He could neither be caught nor seek him out—he had no choice but to obey Ha-yoon’s command to do nothing.

“Bro.”  

He had once vowed never to lose Ha-yoon again. He could no longer bear to watch Ha-yoon’s wounds deepen every time he sought shelter.

“Couldn’t you take me with you this time?”

Ha-yoon scowled as if he’d heard too much.

“Are you not guarding the shelter?”

“There are other brothers besides me. But you’re all I have.”

“I won’t die.”

“You said you died yesterday. Do you know what your eyes look like? Like an old man beaten with a cane.”

“You never miss, do you?”

Ha-yoon playfully punched Lee Yu-won in the chest and resumed walking. The shelter was their safest haven, and he didn’t want to leave it.

“Take care of yourself. And you’re not alone—you even saw someone out at night.”

“What? Where?”

Before Ha-yoon knew it, the sky had turned red—a bloodstained curtain seemed ready to fall.

“At the end of Area E, there’s someone walking as if nothing’s wrong. That person killed a machine.”

“Is that a dangerous person? Wait—did he save you? What is he, and where is he now?”

“He told me to come with him—to the Field center.”

“…What?”

The sound of footsteps behind fell silent. Slowly, Ha-yoon turned to look at him and, with the blood-red sky behind, managed a faint smile.

“What do you think I should do?”

“……”

“Even if you seem utterly untrustworthy, you keep…”

A strange thought occurred. A soft, trailing voice nearly disintegrated into silence. Lee Yu-won said nothing but moved his lips slightly. It was natural—after all, when he first met Yeo Yeon-oh, he had been left speechless.

“Never mind. I was just saying something unnecessary. Let’s go in. It’s getting dark, and we’ve wandered too far.”

With that, Ha-yoon shrugged off the tension and changed the subject. Grabbing Lee Yu-won’s arm, he retraced their steps. The shadows on the ground looked especially deep—as if someone were buried beneath them.

“What have you been doing? You’re sleeping here tonight, right?”

“Yes, I’m in no shape to be on my own.”

“Why do you talk like everyone else? We’re family.”

Ha-yoon simply smiled softly. As soon as they reached the shelter, Lee Yu-won’s face hardened and he headed into an inner room. He had been like that ever since hearing the news.

“Since it’s been a while since you’ve been here, let’s have a drink.”

“Oh, that sounds good. And I’m sure the teacher will be pleased, too.”

“Kids these days… their luck’s run out.”

The one Lee Yu-won affectionately called “Old Man” was Kim, the pillar of the shelter—an elderly man who knew everything about machines. With bright, youthful eyes, he scanned Ha-yoon and beckoned him closer.

“What’s with your eyes?”

“I’ve been fighting ugly bastards.”

“Always take care of yourself.”

Before he could say more, the old man fell silent and left. At the end of his limping leg, a piece of machinery dangled.

“Ha-yoon, come over here and have a drink!”

A booming voice roused Ha-yoon from his daze. When he looked back, a lavish spread had been set up—a collection of carefully salvaged items and spirits aged for years.

“If only we were as young as you, we’d go out and kill those damn machines.”

“Then you old men would die.”

“Hey! Can’t you see these muscles? Who would tease an old man like me?”

They raised their voices in jovial banter as they gulped down alcohol. Ha-yoon sat quietly, his face betraying nothing as the night deepened and it neared midnight.

“I’m going to scout around for a bit.”

Without even touching a drink, Ha-yoon stood up, prompting the others—though in their drunken state—their eyes still alert, to follow suit.

“Relax, Ha-yoon. The machines can’t come inside anyway.”

“Just, in case.”

Ha-yoon seated the group again and grabbed a metal rod lying nearby. His body, still not fully recovered, was slick with cold sweat along his back.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Answering their hasty calls, he moved quickly. Without wasting a moment, he opened the iron door and headed into the factory grounds. Peeking out through a slightly ajar door, he saw nothing but darkness.

“……”

It felt odd. Outside, everything seemed normal—there wasn’t even a system core in sight. Normally, near a system core, machines would be plentiful; this side was relatively safe.

Swallowing hard, Ha-yoon scanned the quiet surroundings. The icy, empty expanse made his heart pound loudly in his ears.

Maybe his nerves were frayed from yesterday. As he tried to calm his over-sensitive senses and prepare to close the door, he heard:

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Somewhere, the sound of rolling feet echoed.

“……”

Ha-yoon froze, gripping the door handle. Memories of the once warm daylight and the bloodstained sky flooded back. Scenes that should have been unremarkable were now vividly clear.

“Fuck.”

He tossed aside the metal rod and sprinted at full speed. There was no time to think about the door he hadn’t managed to close. If only he could shut the inner door properly—maybe then he could keep them out…

Bang!  

An explosion rang out. The killer machine that had lit up the alley had finally found him.

“Ha-yoon! What the—!”

People burst out as the inner door swung open. Their worried faces quickly froze into expressions of shock. Ha-yoon didn’t dare look back as a sharp mechanical sound relentlessly pounded at his back.

“Close the door, quickly!”

The door crumpled like a discarded sheet of paper. The machines had begun invading the shelter.