Chapter 12: Between Life and Quest

The homeowner, who had been soothed by the bear’s gentle patting, slowly disappeared from sight. The massive bear, with a raccoon on its head, also turned and walked away to somewhere unknown.

Less than a minute later, a faint noise came from the metal door.

Click—
Click—
Clunk—
Rattle-rattle—Clunk—
Click-click—
Snick—

‘How many locks does this thing have?’

Finally, with a much heavier sound, the metal door—reinforced with layers of welded iron bars—swung open.

Just inside the doorway, the person from the rooftop was still aiming their gun at us, watching closely. Behind them stood the massive bear, steadfast like a wall.

“Ah, hello…”

I took a single step forward, raising both hands slightly so as not to seem threatening, and greeted them first.

Instead of replying, the person gave us a thorough once-over. Despite the mask and hat, the deep wrinkles around their eyes were noticeable.

“Um… I’m really sorry to ask this, but would it be possible for us to stay here for a bit? We don’t have much to offer, but we do have some clean water.”

I was thinking hard about what to say to make us seem less suspicious and more likely to be let inside.

While I was hesitating, Hayul, who had been sticking closely to my side, gave a small bow and spoke up.

“Hello. I know everyone says they’re not bad people, but we really aren’t bad! And we don’t have any guns, so you don’t have to worry!”

Yeah. We don’t have any guns.

We had already stored away all the weapons we found—baseball bats, metal rods, and sharp sticks—into our inventories, so from the outside, we probably looked unarmed.

“If you’re really worried, you can even tie us up inside!”

Wait, Hayul. Being tied up might be a bit… No, actually, if that’s what it takes, we should offer.

I tried my best to look as harmless as possible to support Hayul’s pleading.

Unlike the sharp-featured Kang siblings, Hayul had a naturally gentle face like a puppy’s. His desperate expression seemed to have a stronger effect because of that.

The Kang siblings seemed quite aware of their own intimidating looks.

They each politely bowed their heads and added that they wouldn’t forget the favor if we were allowed in.

I bowed my head as well and asked if we could stay for just a day.

Then, from behind the bear standing guard, a small voice spoke.

“Grandma, it’s okay. Let them in. There are kids, too.”

It was a raspy, female voice, sounding like she had a cold. After giving Hayul and Kang Do-jin another look, the elderly woman stepped aside and said,

“Come in.”

I let Hayul and Kang Do-jin go in first, then quickly parked Kang Do-hee’s old bicycle in a corner of the yard and followed.

“Gamja, take her and help her sit down.”

“Kwoong.”

Apparently, the moon bear’s name was Gamja (Potato), and it responded immediately, supporting a woman with its front paw.

‘The bear is helping her walk…’

The woman who had allowed us entry had her leg wrapped in a splint, and she hobbled along with the support of the upright-walking bear. It was hard to believe, even seeing it with my own eyes.

After she sat down on a single-person couch in the living room, the elderly woman perched on the armrest beside her and nodded toward the opposite seats.

“Come sit.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“O-okay!”

Hayul and I quickly responded and sat on the floor below a worn-out three-seater couch. The Kang siblings sat on top of the couch.

“Sit on the couch! The floor’s cold!”

“Eep!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

The scolding was so loud I worried it might attract every monster in the area. The woman might have been small, but her voice was powerful.

After we somehow squeezed all four of us onto the shabby three-seater, the moon bear plopped down on the floor next to the elderly woman with a heavy thud.

Seeing it sit cross-legged so naturally, it felt strangely like a typical dad in a normal home.

I glanced in order at the bear, the old woman, and the woman on the couch.

With her hood and mask off, the elder looked quite advanced in years. The woman sitting next to her appeared to be around the same age as Kang Do-hee—maybe her granddaughter?

And the bear… was definitely a real bear.

I had wondered if it was a person wearing a bearskin or a costume, but its blinking eyes, the bit of drool hanging between its bared teeth, and the tongue flicking out now and then made it clear… wait. Is it licking its lips at us?

Swallowing dryly—not from hunger, but nerves—the elder asked curtly:

“Names.”

“I’m Lee Haje. This is my younger brother, Lee Hayul.”

“I’m Kang Do-jin.”

“I’m Kang Do-hee.”

“You’re all siblings?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And the boy—how old is he?”

“I’m seventeen. I’ll be eighteen soon after my birthday!”

“Same age as him.”

“tsk tsk… What are kids this young doing out here?”

Hearing our ages, the old woman’s expression grew serious. I could faintly hear her mutter something about this not being a great place for children to be.

“I’m Gwak Hongbun. This is my granddaughter, Joo Bi-young.”

The granddaughter, introduced in place of herself, gave us a soft smile that contrasted her grandmother’s demeanor.

“You must’ve had a hard time out there. Let’s hear the full story later. For now, have you all eaten—”

Growl~

“……!!”

Just then, someone’s stomach let out a loud growl. I wasn’t sure if it was mine, Kang Do-jin’s next to me, or Hayul’s—but it was definitely loud.

At the sound, the moon bear’s ears twitched slightly. Then, as if pretending not to have heard it, it subtly turned its gaze away, like a person would.

Wow… getting sympathy from a bear, huh? That’s kind of embarrassing. But we haven’t had a proper meal in who knows how long, so it couldn’t be helped. It’s just a natural bodily reaction.

“You must’ve not even been able to eat weeds out there.”

“Let’s fill your stomachs first and talk later. I’m sorry, but I’m not in great shape right now—would one of you mind helping my grandmother?”

“I’ll do it.”

I answered immediately and followed the elder toward the kitchen, scanning my surroundings as I went.

The house was quite dim inside. Understandably so—every window had been boarded up and nailed shut, so no natural light could get in.

The only light came from the stairwell, which presumably led up to the rooftop, and a few small lamps scattered throughout the house.

“Um, ma’am.”

“Mm?”

“The electricity’s still running?”

“Well, we’ve got one of them solar power setups. It ain’t much, so we have to use it sparingly.”

“Ah, I see.”

I hadn’t noticed any solar panels earlier, but they were probably set up on the rooftop or out back.

“Looks like there’s running water too.”

“This area uses groundwater, you see.”

“Ahh.”

A house with electricity and water, even just a bit. It felt shameless, but… it’d be really nice if we could stay here for a while.

Wait—did the quest complete?

‘Status window. Show me the quest.’

[Linked Quest]
Find a Shelter 2 – Complete
Would you like to receive your reward?
[Yes] [No]

‘Yes!’

Alright, this definitely counts as a safe space. I was ready to file a complaint if the system didn’t recognize this as a legit shelter, but it seems we’re good.

I wanted to check my reward right away, but I held off and focused on helping the elder.

She brought out some simple ingredients: potatoes, sweet potatoes, and a few cucumbers. Judging by the garden out front, they seemed to be self-sufficient, and even this modest spread felt like a feast.

On one side of the kitchen, a few thin cuts of meat were hanging over a string like laundry. Maybe she was making jerky? I wondered what kind of meat it was.

As we prepared the food, I faintly heard Ha-yul laughing in the living room.

I peeked over to see the little raccoon-like creature that had been riding the bear’s head earlier, now lying belly-up on Hayul’s thigh, rubbing up against him playfully.

“Hm. Normally, Bamtol hisses and throws a fit around strangers, but he must really like your brother.”

“Oh, so his name is Bamtol? He’s adorable.”

Seriously, he was adorable. His body had the reddish fur of a fox and a chubby tail with black stripes—wait a second.

That’s not a raccoon.

“Red panda? Ma’am, is Bamtol a red panda?”

“Dunno. My grandkid calls him something like that.”

No doubt about it—it was a red panda.

So cute. If this were a fantasy novel, he’d be the mascot on the cover without question.

Seeing him grab Hayul’s hands and shake them playfully with his front paws was… dangerously cute. Like, heart-straining levels of cute.

‘Ugh… my chest actually kind of hurts…’

Even from this distance, the cuteness made my chest ache.

And the bear—‘Gamja’—had this huge, triangle-shaped back that somehow made me smile just looking at it.

Maybe that’s why the tension in my body started to ease.

For a moment, I felt my strength drain. But I couldn’t let myself show fatigue when they were about to feed us.

I could hear my companions chatting with Ju Bi-young in the living room, but their voices didn’t quite reach the kitchen.

What were they talking about? Hopefully they were explaining things reasonably well.

It’s not like we could just tell the truth: “We suddenly got dropped into this place via possession or dimensional travel.”

I worried about how to explain everything while scrubbing the potatoes—then suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through my chest.

‘Huh? That’s… actually kind of bad…’

Maybe Bamtol was too cute?

No, wait. This isn’t just something to laugh off.

This really hurts. Like, bad enough to be concerning.

“Ugh…”

“What’s wrong? Young man, are you hurt somewhere?”

“Ah… I’m sorry, ma’am. I just—my chest suddenly—agh!”

“Young man!”

“Hyung!? Hyung!!”

The pain exploded, so intense I couldn’t even speak.

It felt like someone was stabbing long claws into my chest, twisting and squeezing with all their strength.

My chest locked up like a cramp in my legs, except it was my heart—an excruciating pain spread through my whole body.

My muscles seized up in panic, and all I could do was clutch my chest and collapse to the floor.

“Hurk!”

It hurt.
It really hurt.

Was this a heart attack?

Cold sweat poured down my body. My breathing was ragged—just choked gasps. I couldn’t even make a sound.

My vision flickered, like a broken screen.

As I caught one last glimpse of Ha-yul rushing toward me, I had a terrifying realization.

‘It hurts! It seriously feels like I’m dying! No—wait, I can’t die, right?!’

No.
No matter what, that couldn’t happen.

I couldn’t leave my little brother alone in this world—not like this.

I had to hold on. I had to stay conscious and fight through it.

“Gahhh!”

“Hyung!!!”

But the pain ignored my desperate plea and only grew stronger.

Please, I begged silently, please, someone, anyone—God, Buddha, whatever divine being is out there—

‘Just let me open my eyes again and see my brother.’

In the end, unable to withstand the agony, I passed out to the sound of Ha-yul screaming my name.

★★★

When I came to, the first thing I did was check my surroundings.

I wasn’t in the elder’s home anymore.

I was surrounded by pitch-black nothingness.

I didn’t know whether this was a world of absolute darkness, or if it was just my body that had disappeared from existence.

All I knew was, I couldn’t see a thing.

Normally, you’d panic in a situation like this—unable to even see your own hands—but I didn’t.

This kind of setup was actually pretty common.

‘Feels like it’s about time for a transcendent being or a god to show up.’

Thinking like a storyteller, I realized I had just undergone sudden possession or dimensional travel, met potential allies or main characters, and then passed out—
Which usually meant it was time for some kind of divine contact.

It’s a familiar setup in countless stories: a white void, a black void, or a star-filled cosmic space—where the protagonist meets a god-like entity.

Writers love that kind of scene. Maybe because it’s dramatic, or maybe because it’s just easy to write. Either way, I’d seen it often.

That entity might be a “constellation” from some fantasy system, or a god, or some greater being—or maybe even the system itself, which brought me here.

Most likely the latter.

If this were one of those constellation-type stories, they’d have already started contacting or revealing themselves during the early chaos. But I hadn’t seen any such signs.

The only transcendent presence I’d experienced so far was the system window.

In that case…

‘Status window.’