Chapter 2: Gangster
Firearms are perhaps the most efficient weapons humans have ever created.
They are especially effective against humans.
It’s not just about shooting to kill or injure people.
When interacting with people or revealing yourself, simply holding a gun has the effect of constraining the other person’s actions.
You could call it an “etiquette injector” that makes the other person behave humbly just by possessing it.
Not to mention its offensive power against people.
After all, weren’t guns originally created to kill people?
There is a saying that their power is halved against monsters or zombies, and while I agree to some extent, I can’t agree completely. It all depends on how you use the tool.
Anyway, to survive in the post-apocalyptic era, you need firearms.
As I’ve said time and again, humanity’s greatest enemy is humanity itself.
But this is South Korea.
In Korea, unlike the US, it’s hard to get guns, and even obtaining them is illegal.
You could go to the US to prepare for the end, but that has its pros and cons too.
Because the initial perceived difficulty between a country collapsing where every Tom, Dick, and Harry is armed with a gun, versus a country where gun ownership is banned collapsing, would be like heaven and earth.
Think about those battle royale games that were popular for a while.
Where’s the fun if everyone just starts shooting as soon as they land from the plane?
There should be a period of looting, fist-fighting, and scrapping it out.
Of course, for me, it would be more fun if I had a gun from the start.
This was back when Old Man Kim was still alive.
Old Man Kim had a hunting shotgun.
Normally it was kept at the police station, but during the harmful animal control season, he would inevitably bring it out and show off his terrible marksmanship.
“Back when I was in the army, see. Those Commie bastards infiltrated. I was hiding behind an acacia bush, holding my breath, and when one of them popped out from behind a tree—bang! I put an anti-communist bullet right between his eyes!”
Later, I found out through personal connections that Old Man Kim was just a reservist and hadn’t even participated in the anti-espionage operation, but his shotgun itself was a decent weapon.
Since it’s a shotgun, it has high stopping power, and even someone not skilled in shooting can handle it adequately.
But you can’t prepare for the future with just that kind of weapon.
My eyes were always fixed on the nearby Air Force base.
Since it’s a base shared with the US military, they have US equipment, and according to rumors, there are even a few Hunters—soldiers specialized against monsters—stationed there.
Getting Hunter equipment would be the best outcome, but what I want is a large quantity of ammunition and a few combat rifles.
But that’s not easy.
How on earth would I infiltrate an Air Force base guarded by both the ROK and US military to steal weapons and ammo?
My initial plan was a bit rough.
If war breaks out with China, that Air Force base is a primary target.
Because the US Forces Korea base is right next to it.
According to the Chinese war plans I looked into, the US base next to my house is a target for a preemptive nuclear strike.
Once the nuke is dropped and the base is in chaos, I’ll leisurely put on a hazmat suit and collect guns and anything useful.
This was my initial rough plan.
It might seem absurd, but I thought this was the most realistic way to obtain high-quality weapons.
There are ways to get weapons through Southeast Asian gangs or Russian sailors, but at best, all they deal in are pistols.
However, when the reality I faced turned out to be rougher than expected, and the world began to flow differently than I had anticipated, even I, the great Bak Gyu, started to feel anxious.
SKELTON: How can one obtain serious weapons like assault rifles in countries like Korea or Japan where public safety is stable and firearms are banned?
It’s a world where people make group chats and communities for everything.
There is also an internet community for those preparing for the coming apocalypse.
That is “Viva! Apocalypse!”, a community of doomsday preppers where oddballs of the world like me gather.
Not just anyone could just join.
You needed the “Galaxy Link” satellite internet equipment developed by global entrepreneur Melon Musk, and on top of that, you have to pay a hefty monthly fee of $100.
Despite the lavish prerequisites and considerable cost, it had quite a few users and enjoyed a unique popularity, enough to have a separate Korean message board.
I posted a question on the Korean board.
Several replies were posted soon, but none had any substance.
Most were irresponsible suggestions like raiding a police substation or a small military unit with like-minded comrades to loot the armory.
Even the opinion of my usual spiritual mentor, “John Lennon” (Jon-Nae-Non), wasn’t helpful.
Because South Korea’s public security isn’t that lax.
Sure, you could steal weapons if you tried, but in a country plastered with high-resolution CCTVs at every corner, there’s no guarantee you’d be safe after pulling something like that.
Just when the community I joined for a hefty $100 a month failed to provide a sharp answer, a proposal came from an unexpected place.
“This… is a bunker, right? The kind those doomsday theorists are building these days.”
The proposer’s name was Kim Wang-su, an employee of the construction company I entrusted with building my first bunker.
His nationality was Chinese; that is, he was a Joseonjok (Korean-Chinese).
Until Kim Wang-su revealed his identity, I thought he was born and raised in Korea.
He looked younger than me, dressed better, was more stylish, and used trendy speech.
Unlike other employees who tilted their heads in confusion at my request to build a bunker on empty land, Kim Wang-su showed great interest in the bunker.
“There are lots of people like that in China too. Party officials and capitalists with party connections are scrambling to build bunkers in rural areas. Much bigger and more serious ones than yours, boss.”
It wasn’t just interest.
Kim Wang-su possessed considerable knowledge and insight, as well as information about China that I wasn’t aware of.
“War? Well, sooner or later, won’t it happen? It’s not on Western news, but the provinces bordering Inner Mongolia have all been devoured by monsters. At least hundreds of millions must have died, right? The Party is desperately trying to block it, but honestly, it’s over. It’s just a matter of time.”
He seemed envious of my bunker and my ability to afford building it.
“You don’t seem that much older than me, so you must have made a lot of money? Bringing in all this equipment on such a large piece of land.”
“I hit the jackpot with crypto.”
In fact, I’m an extremely conservative investor who has never even touched stocks, let alone crypto.
Though I did take on some debt.
“Crypto. Wow.”
Kim Wang-su looked around warily and leaned his face toward me.
“Have you prepared… things like guns?”
“Guns?”
“Yes. If the world really ends, wouldn’t you need at least a reliable firearm? Even if you build this excellent bunker and stockpile supplies, if it gets snatched by robbers, well, it’s all for nothing, isn’t it?”
Kim Wang-su deliberately used a Yanbian dialect.
It was excessive to the point of being awkward.
It seemed he intended to show off that he had connections in that world.
Within the company, Kim Wang-su was trusted highly for being diligent, amiable, and clever.
To the extent that he was more recognized than Manager Hong, an outsider with 10 years of experience.
He was certainly clever and sharp.
I started the deal thinking I had nothing to lose.
The result was surprising.
“Three Type 56s. 300 rounds of ammo. 3 service magazines.”
He offered three rifles and a pretty decent number of 300 rounds.
He asked for a high price, but I had no reason to refuse.
Because to prepare for the coming future, a decent firearm is indispensable.
As the bunker construction was nearing completion, Kim Wang-su called me out.
“Boss. Everything is ready. Shall we set a date?”
At that point, I was a bit wary of Kim Wang-su.
Because after hiring a private investigator, I found out that Kim Wang-su wasn’t a Yanbian gangster, but a member of a Triad organization led by mainland Han Chinese.
I met with Kim Wang-su prepared for any situation.
“Let’s wait a moment. My associates will bring the goods.”
We stood silently for quite a long time in a secluded spot hidden by industrial waste.
The weather was chilly.
The air itself wasn’t cold, but it was very cloudy and windy.
Kim Wang-su’s gloomy background might also have been a cause of the chill.
While the wait dragged on, Kim Wang-su frequently checked his phone.
Glancing at the screen, I saw a cute little girl who resembled him smiling broadly.
“Is that your daughter?”
“Yes. My daughter.”
A faint smile and a flush appeared on Kim Wang-su’s face, which had maintained a poker face the whole time.
“She looks about seven? She’s cute.”
“Haha, she is cute, but she’s so eccentric, she gives me quite a hard time.”
It seemed Kim Wang-su was messaging with his daughter. On the familiar messenger screen, an emoticon presumably sent by his daughter was displayed.
An emoticon of a penguin character tilting its head and asking when he’s coming.
Kim Wang-su replied in simplified Chinese characters I couldn’t recognize.
It probably meant he would be back soon.
Soon, a dump truck rattled across Old Man Kim’s land.
“Hey! Hey!”
Old Man Kim, who was inside his house, rushed out to throw a fit, but when I revealed myself, he grumbled and went back inside.
Only one man was in the dump truck, and there were no signs of a special ambush or betrayal.
“Let’s begin.”
According to our prior agreement, we loaded the industrial waste scattered on my land onto the dump truck.
While I busily operated the excavator to load the waste into the truck, Kim Wang-su’s associate unloaded the real goods from the passenger seat.
The goods were genuine.
Three Type 56 rifles and 300 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
The condition was good, and they functioned without issues.
There was no betrayal from Kim Wang-su’s group, which I had worried about.
However, a slight surprise awaited at the end.
Kim Wang-su, who was about to get into the dump truck after finishing the work, suddenly got out and approached me with threateningly agile movements.
“!”
“!”
For a moment, I expected a sudden attack and even gripped the weapon hidden in my pocket just in case, but the situation played out anticlimactically.
“Do you live alone?”
For a split second, I felt a creepiness from him, but I didn’t show it.
“No. My group will be here soon.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, I just thought the bunker seemed excessively large for one person.”
“I just like spacious houses.”
“I find even a single goshiwon room livable.”
“If you run into trouble, come by.”
“Can I really?”
“We should help each other survive.”
Even if he was a gangster, he seemed like a decent person at heart.
His carpentry skills were considerable, and if he had the guts to be a gangster, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to have him on my side.
Above all, he was a caring father to a child.
The way he smiled at his daughter’s text held a warmth that made me reconsider him, regardless of what kind of person he was.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ll decline.”
“Why?”
“Ah, I’m planning to return to my home country soon.”
“China?”
“Shanghai.”
I still didn’t know what kind of person Kim Wang-su was, but when he emphasized “Shanghai,” I felt like I understood a tiny bit about who he was and what thoughts he lived with.
It was three years later when I heard from Kim Wang-su.
It was at a point when war was becoming visible and it was almost crystal clear that catastrophe was coming to the world.
A call came to my first phone.
It was an unknown number.
My first phone was something I only used up until three years ago, and since then, I had only kept the contract active without using it.
After the call cut off once, the same number called again.
I had a bad feeling.
Checking the closed-circuit screens fully installed in the bunker, I discovered an unknown vehicle within my territory.
In front of the car, a man with an anxious face stood smoking a burning cigarette with one hand in his pocket.
The moment I saw his face, I pondered for a while.
Should I meet him, or ignore him?
Kim Wang-su’s choice was faster than mine.
After opening the car door and saying something into the interior that I couldn’t see, he sprinted toward the bunker with terrifying agility.
In his hand, he held an axe wrapped in a leather case.
By the way,
Why an axe, of all things?
“…”
I picked up the first phone and called the number that had rung twice.
“Oh. Boss?”
Kim Wang-su answered the phone warmly.
Even while running at full speed, his breath didn’t falter a bit.
“Isn’t this Mr. Kim Wang-su? What’s going on? Suddenly.”
“I just wanted to say goodbye briefly before leaving Korea.”
“Goodbye?”
“Where are you?”
I revealed myself in front of him.
From a distance, I saw Kim Wang-su beaming with his characteristic genial and refreshing face.
He closed the distance rapidly.
10 paces away.
He suddenly kicked off the ground and rushed in.
Just like me, the axe hidden inside his sleeve was revealed, and he flung off the leather case covering the blade.
Watching the axe fly in a parabolic trajectory, I let out a shallow sigh.
Thwack!
The axe embedded itself deep between a person’s shoulder and neck.
It wasn’t Kim Wang-su’s.
It was mine.
With a look of shock, Kim Wang-su tried to turn his head toward me, the one who had driven the axe blade into his body.
But his neck no longer obeyed him.
Every time his muscles twitched, fresh blood only spurted from between the flesh and gore torn open by the axe.
I took my hand off the axe and took a step to the side so he could see me.
Kim Wang-su moved convulsively and swung his axe wildly.
However, his axe only cut through the air in front of me in vain, missing by a hair’s breadth.
“S-Soldier…?”
I shook my head.
“G-Gangster?! No…!!”
“Why are you doing this?”
Letting out a shallow sigh, I glared at him as he lay dying.
“If you wanted, I could have made room for you.”
The corners of Kim Wang-su’s mouth lifted.
“Sh-Shang Di Mei…” (Likely a curse or slang, possibly mispronounced “Xiong Di Mei” – Brothers/Sisters or “Shang Di” – God/Emperor, but in context likely a regretful mutter or curse).
That was his final testament.
As he collapsed with a thud, his phone popped out of his pocket.
When I unlocked it using his not-yet-cold face, the messenger screen I had seen before appeared.
I couldn’t read the chat window filled with simplified Chinese, but the Korean-released emoticon gave me a sense of déjà vu.
The penguin character tilting its head and asking, “When are you coming?”
“…Phew.”
There was no time to get sentimental.
For the sirens announcing the nuclear air raid were roaring as if to tear my eardrums apart.
At that point in time, our Old Man Kim was still alive.
***
How long has it been since the storm passed?
The Geiger counter beeped, indicating that the levels were safe enough to go out.
I took the old four-wheel-drive vehicle I had carefully hidden in the bunker and headed toward the Air Force base.
Just in case.
But.
“What the… hell is this…”
Bitter words came out of my mouth involuntarily.
Beyond the collapsed buildings, there were heaps of guns and weapons.
The Hunter equipment I expected wasn’t there, but even this was a massive jackpot. It was enough to outfit a one-man army and then some.
My rough plan of looting weapons from a military unit after the world ended turned out to be the right answer after all.
I looked toward where the car Kim Wang-su had arrived in used to be.
The charred, blackened vehicle lay there hideously.
I still think about it sometimes.
If he hadn’t made a deal with me, could he and his family have survived?
I don’t think so.
