Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 150.3: Interview (3)

His name was Nam Deok-young.

His prime had been about twenty years ago, and he enjoyed a high level of popularity even by celebrity standards.

As a popular star, he was constantly surrounded by rumors and entanglements with many actresses. He made headlines and also became the victim of gossip, but he always seemed just slightly short of truly earning the title of “the greatest of his time.”

You could call him one of those mass-produced stars who burned brightly for a short while thanks to youth alone.

Objectively, his standing had been somewhere between tier 1.5 and tier 2.

What truly made him famous was his unusually early retirement and transition to being a director.

Whether he produced any masterpieces was debatable.

His films were popular among Europeans dressed in tuxedos and gowns, but they were largely ignored in Korea.

Maybe that just meant European cinema wasn't all that entertaining to begin with.

Considering how few European films were released in Korea before the war, that much seemed certain.

While Korea coldly turned its back on Nam Deok-young, he won a film award in Europe.

That changed things for him.

The story of a once-handsome actor who retired early, built his career from scratch as a director, and then won awards at overseas film festivals had just enough charm to capture people's imaginations.

People started looking up who Nam Deok-young was again—and they found him.

Nam Deok-young became famous simply for being famous.

When European interest—wrapped in tuxedos and gowns—shifted to another Third World figure, his career ended, but there's no need to even mention how much he must’ve earned during his heyday.

If we were to compare Keystone’s bunker to anything, it would be a military base.

No—it was a military base.

The underground structures, linked by corridors, were a strange blend of classic military bunkers and natural caves.

Sitting dazed in a camping chair in what appeared to be a reception room, Keystone brought over coffee.

Fragrant aroma.

Deep body.

Capsule coffee.

Just like DragonC once stockpiled massive quantities of beans in his bunker, Keystone had stocked up on a large supply of capsule coffee.

“I don’t drink alcohol, but I have to have my coffee. It’s gone past caffeine addiction—my body runs on it like fuel.”

There was something we Viva! Apocalypse! users valued more than any to-do list: the sacred rite of bunker tours.

You could skip the rundown budget bunkers like the one Mgu used to live in, but if it was a setup this solid, it was proper etiquette to give the bunker owner a chance to brag.

While three kids peeked at us from the hallway, Keystone savored his coffee and began his tour with the clear, resonant voice of a seasoned actor.

“The Japanese army built a coastal artillery base here. After they lost the war and left, the ROK forces took over. But once strange things started happening up north, they shifted all troops to the frontlines and abandoned this place. I was lucky—I had the right connections and bought it.”

So it was a military base.

The unnaturally low concrete ceiling wasn’t a matter of cost—it was designed that way from the start.

“I originally planned to use it as a film set. You know the story of the guy who survived alone in a bunker for two years after escaping from India?”

Mgu and I nodded.

It was a well-known story.

How a wealthy Indian built a bunker, only for poor people to drag him out and massacre him. Only a handful survived and barely escaped India.

“But I had a source in China. They told me war was inevitable.”

Keystone clapped, and adults emerged from behind the children in the hallway.

Three women and four men.

Some of them resembled Keystone. Likely family.

“This is my wife.”

A tall, slim beauty waved.

“Hello.”

“She’s Chinese.”

She nodded.

“If you’ve ever looked into the Chinese factions, you’ve probably heard of the New Revolutionary Union.”

“...”

I hadn’t.

But I didn’t want to pretend.

Why? Because I’d rather die than let this guy look down on me.

Thankfully, our Captain M-nine said exactly what I wanted to.

“What’s that? Sounds like a Chinese takeout joint.”

“In simple terms, it’s one of the new radical factions. Three Nothings: no noble ancestors, no elite connections, no wealth. An outsider group with those three things in common. Normally, they wouldn’t get anywhere near power, but when the Chairman suddenly died and the country fell apart, they pushed out his faction and seized the military. They’re the ones who started the war. When the Chairman’s people tried to restore order and began party-level purges, the radicals launched nukes at the U.S. And that’s how the war began.”

Keystone looked at his wife.

“My wife’s uncle is a general in the New Revolutionary Union.”

So, like me, it seems he got confirmation the war was coming through a secure source.

I don’t know all the factional politics, but a high-ranking member of the National Crisis Management Committee gave me a similar warning.

“You’ve been prepping for years, haven’t you?”

I asked in the calmest, most restrained tone I could muster.

Heavy enough to weigh down the very air.

Mgu shot me a startled glance, but I ignored him and stared intensely at Keystone.

Keystone held my gaze for a moment, then looked away first—staring blankly at the ceiling with a lightbulb dangling from a wire.

“I started serious prep about a year before the war broke out, but I’d been fixing up this place for five years before that. Like I said, it was supposed to be a film set. But once my wife’s side sent the signal, I canceled everything and went all in here.”

There was a time when people said money was everything.

And pre-war South Korea was exactly that kind of society.

Social prestige and honor were tossed aside under the weight of rampant cynicism. The elite, who should have led by example, put on a masterclass in showing exactly what they valued most—money.

I’ve said it many times, but bunkers are about money.

The more you have, the better and more perfect your bunker can be.

Of course, if you prep like Cheon Young-jae’s family, you’ll die stupidly—but if his dad had been a Viva! Apocalypse! user, they might not have met such a ridiculous end.

Despite how much it’s been mocked and misunderstood, Viva! Apocalypse! remains the bible for those preparing for the end.

“The members you see here are my siblings and cousins. My father was with us too, but he passed away not long after.”

“I see. But didn’t a lot of refugees come to your front door?”

Mgu asked.

Keystone sighed and nodded.

“A lot came.”

“Where are they now?”

“...This place might look livable, but it’s not. Especially for people who weren’t prepared.”

“What do you mean?”

This time, I asked.

I’d heard something similar from that soldier earlier.

“...Pirates show up.”

“Pirates?”

“Probably guys living on the northern islands. They watch through binoculars during the day and come ashore silently at night in yachts—kill people, kidnap them.”

“Pirates, huh...”

We’ve discussed this before.

Why uninhabited islands aren’t ideal places to survive in the apocalypse.

The sea may seem like a barrier, but for some, it’s a highway to the world.

Ganghwa Island is big, and Keystone adapted well—that’s why he survived.

But for Keystone, pirates were ironically a kind of blessing.

“Thanks to those bastards, all the squatters in front of my base got wiped out. But the land’s good, so once one group’s gone, another moves in. It just repeats.”

He pointed to one of the younger-looking women.

“A survivor. I married her to my nephew.”

“Are the pirates still around?”

“Probably.”

Keystone sighed and changed the subject.

“Anyway, enough about that. We have a job to do, don’t we?”

Right.

Our goal today was to investigate the area where Kang Han-min had set up base.

Another question had started forming in my mind, but I wasn’t the only one curious.

Keystone pointed at me and asked Mgu,

“By the way, why’s Skelton here?”

He tilted his head.

“Does he need to be?”

Mgu answered. freёweɓnovel_com

“Skelton’s a hunter. Doesn’t look it, but he is.”

“A hunter.”

Keystone smirked.

“Old-school?”

“That’s right.”

I glared at him as I answered.

Keystone glanced at me, sighed, and muttered,

“Well, a hunter’s a hunter. Better than nothing. I thought you’d at least be Awakened if you’re calling yourself a hunter...”

He tilted his head.

I already knew he was a tactless jerk, but I didn’t expect him to be this disrespectful.

“Watch your mouth.”

I said flatly.

Keystone looked at me, surprised and irritated.

Men around us began fiddling with their weapons—but I didn’t flinch.

I just stared at him.

Keystone glared back, clearly angry—but again, he looked away first.

“...Haa.”

He sighed.

Loudly enough for me to hear.

I wasn’t going to let it slide.

“Did you have a father?”

“What?”

“Didn’t your parents raise you properly?”

Even if this bastard is from our forum, I’ve never liked him.

Sure, I’ve clashed with plenty of people, but I’ve never felt even basic respect for Keystone.

That’s why I never made up with him like I did with other users.

“Come on, why are we fighting here? Let’s calm down.”

Mgu stepped between us.

But neither of us was backing down.

He and I stared each other down, cold and hard, until finally Mgu snapped and yelled.

“Jesus Christ! We’re not here to throw hands!”

He was right, even if the situation sucked.

I stayed silent, refusing to give ground.

Mgu took Keystone’s family out of the room.

A while later, Keystone and Mgu returned.

Keystone bowed his head first.

“Sorry.”

“...”

“I spoke carelessly. It was just my usual way of talking, but I see now it upset you. I apologize, Skelton.”

“All right.”

That guy didn’t feel sorry.

What made him bow wasn’t guilt—it was necessity.

Whatever that necessity was, I didn’t know.

“Why are you involved with Kang Han-min?”

I changed the subject.

“I got curious too. As you know, he and Na Hye-in are considered heroes—the saviors.”

“...”

“I’ve lived here a long time, know the area well, and... I’ve met Kang Han-min before.”

“You know him?”

Keystone nodded.

“Yeah. I was once planning to shoot a biopic about him. We met back then.”

He looked into the distance and smiled faintly.

“...He was mysterious. Like someone who had grasped all the truths of the universe.”

I almost laughed.

Kang Han-min?

He’s no transcendental being.

He’s just one of the Alpha Awakened—those born with unusually strong powers among the over-level-10s.

He’s not the only one.

Na Hye-in is an Alpha Awakened too. Others ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) have appeared worldwide.

He’s not even the strongest.

An Awakened in India, known as the reincarnation of Shiva, once demonstrated a godlike power before hundreds of thousands in Mumbai.

“...”

The Kang Han-min I knew was a bit odd, kind of fun—and dangerous.

He doesn’t do middle ground.

People like Keystone—who think being slightly above others gives them the right to trample and mock—will never truly understand him.

“Kang Han-min remembers me. We ate together. He really loved soy-marinated crab.”

One of Keystone’s brothers came out holding something.

Soy-marinated crab, in a sealed container.

Probably homemade.

“The problem is getting there.”

Keystone knew roughly where Kang Han-min had set up on Ganghwa Island.

But there were dangers besides pirates.

Refugees driven inland by the pirates. Occasional remnants of Chinese soldiers. Mutations.

“I once saw a mutated black goat. Usually, they ignore people, but when they’re irritated, they trample you to death or gore you.”

In short, the path was known, but the journey too dangerous—so he asked for support.

Of course, true to his shady nature, he never said what he would gain from this.

He was probably negotiating behind the scenes with Woo Min-hee.

I didn’t get an invite to FoxCode, so I couldn’t know for sure—but that seemed the likeliest explanation.

Still, the biggest driving force behind this mission was Keystone’s delusions.

“If we can just get there, Kang Han-min will meet me. We ate together. We talked. He even asked for my autograph.”

Drunk on his baseless confidence, Keystone followed behind with his brother.

Click—Click—

Mgu snapped pictures enthusiastically while Keystone filmed non-stop with his camera.

I glanced at him.

Keystone noticed and turned to me.

“Do you like movies?”

I shook my head.

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