Into the Creations 2152

Chapter 2152 – 2152. Eternal Eden

Irina felt like she was going crazy these days.

It was because the residents of Building 101 were demanding she solve all the problems that had erupted.

“We need food! I fainted from hunger yesterday!”

A self-proclaimed starving ajumma shouted. She looked pretty good for someone who had supposedly starved. In this world, people hid emergency food supplies in their homes. Even without immediate food aid, no one was starving right away.

“Those bastards from Building 103 are picking fights again! They must think we’re easy targets! We need to show those bastards what’s what!”

The residents of Building 101 were on edge because of the previous incident. They were clamoring for a fight whenever Building 103 was mentioned. But fighting Building 103 here? That was just a death wish. No, with Sung Yu-jin getting involved, only Building 101 would suffer.

“Sung Yu-jin. That guy is too biased towards Building 103. I heard they’re wining and dining him… We should do it too. That way, we won’t be discriminated against.”

In short, they wanted to offer bribes. However, the people around them frowned and opposed the idea. It meant they didn’t have anything to offer. In reality, they didn’t want to give up their own things. They didn’t want to suffer any losses.

“Parasites! We need to kill the parasites! We’re all going to die from them at this rate!”

Some people were talking about more fundamental issues.

But there was no way to identify the parasites. They couldn’t just kill anyone suspected of being a parasite. Voting was also suspended. Even if someone was suspected of being a parasite, they couldn’t be killed.

“Irina, we can’t just keep standing still like this.”

“Irina, we need food!”

“Irina! You need to make a decision! A decision!”

Every time her name was called from all directions, Irina’s eyes grew dimmer. She was regretting it now. If she had known it would turn out like this, she wouldn’t have become the resident representative. What was she supposed to do in this situation? She couldn’t think of any solutions to all the problems.

She should have firmly refused the resident representative position last time… She had been blinded by a little bit of food.

It was better when Shin Ji-hoon, the previous representative of Building 101, was alive. Back then, she just had to quietly do what she was told.

“Everyone! You’re getting too heated! Let’s calm down! Isn’t Irina having a hard time too!”

A young man stepped forward, calming the residents. Woo Tae-hyun. He was always helping Irina. He was almost like the vice-representative of Building 101. He was also the reason Irina became the representative. Woo Tae-hyun had recommended Irina for the position.

Woo Tae-hyun smiled at Irina. A kind smile. But Irina felt burdened. Even when she drew a line, Woo Tae-hyun tried to cross it. She knew he was a good person, but… he was a bit annoying to Irina.

The residents’ gazes focused on her. Sweat trickled down Irina’s blonde hair under her hood. She had never liked being in front of people.

“W-well, let’s just wait and see for now.”

“Just wait and see? If we stay still, we’ll be pushovers!”

“……”

“Irina, you need to make a decision!”

“……”

“My friend died! Those bastards from Building 103 shot him with a gun!!”

“……”

The people didn’t want to stay still. Irina forced her mouth open.

“…Food aid will be coming soon. I’ll make sure the food is distributed fairly, so no one will starve. As for the Building 103 issue… I’ll talk to Yebin. I don’t think it’s something we can solve on our own. Fighting is out of the question. I’ll also talk to Sung Yu-jin, who’s an expert on the parasite issue.”

“No, you’re just leaving everything to others.”

“We need to take the initiative to solve things so Building 103 doesn’t look down on us!”

“Sung Yu-jin an expert? He’s just a crazy bastard.”

“How about… how about leaving the apartment? I heard that Sungak Elementary School is a good place to live because there are no parasites and a lot of people…”

Before the people got worked up again, Woo Tae-hyun stepped in.

“Okay, okay, calm down. Let’s wait as Irina said. We can hold out until the next food supply comes. And it’s better to solve problems through dialogue. As for the parasites, we can only be careful for now.”

The meeting of Building 101 came to a temporary end. People dispersed. Some of the men glanced at Irina. Even with her hood and mask, they could tell she was a beauty just by her eyes. Especially her dynamite figure, which couldn’t be easily hidden by her baggy jacket.

“Irina, you must be tired. Go inside and rest. I’ll take care of calming the people down.”

“…I’m sorry for leaving all the work to you, Tae-hyun.”

“It’s okay. I’m helping Irina because I want to. Oh, would you like to have dinner together tonight? I have some hidden ramen.”

“……I’m sorry. I don’t think I can.”

Irina had known for a while that Woo Tae-hyun had feelings for her. But Irina had no interest in Woo Tae-hyun. No, she didn’t have much interest in others in general. Basically, the only person important to her was herself.

“Are you going to go into your room and watch that guy again today?”

“Yes. Just in case.”

Irina parted ways with Woo Tae-hyun and went into her home. There were four locks on her front door. It couldn’t be helped. Because of her natural beauty, she was always getting caught up in unwanted incidents. So far, more than seven men had tried to break into her home.

Irina went to the balcony window and sat down with her bow. Down below, a monster cat was grooming itself in the sun. It was one of the mutated creatures roaming the outskirts of Saetbyeol Apartment. Its name was Nabi. It was a cat that a cat mom, who used to be a resident of the apartment, had raised on the streets. The cat mom had been eaten by the cat.

Even if it was a boring and annoying task, she continued to watch. The moment that cat entered the apartment, a major disaster would occur.

‘Even though the apartment is in chaos right now, it’ll be sorted out soon. If they think rationally, they’ll know that now isn’t the time to fight each other. If things get worse, Yebin will mediate. Just like she always has.’

Sung Yu-jin… she didn’t know. He was someone who was friendly to her, but it was probably because of her looks. He was someone with that much power, but he hadn’t forced anything on her, so maybe he was a good person.

‘A good person… no. How many people have died since he came?’

She wasn’t resentful. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the type to resent other people’s deaths. She just hoped things would pass quietly.

Two hours later, Irina was summoned by Sung Yu-jin. Considering Sung Yu-jin’s status within the apartment, she couldn’t refuse.

Sung Yu-jin and Choi Hye-jin were eating a meal.

Braised short ribs.

A high-class meal that couldn’t be compared to canned food or ramen. The smell alone made her mouth water.

“Choi Hye-jin. Don’t just eat the meat.”

“Okay. Okay.”

“I said don’t just eat the meat.”

“…I’m eating the potatoes too.”

Sung Yu-jin shook his head and offered some to Irina.

“Want to eat with us? There’s plenty.”

“…No. I’m okay. More importantly, why did you call me….”

“I have news to tell only the resident representative. You know food aid is coming the day after tomorrow, right? I just got a call from the government, and the amount of food being provided has been reduced to one-third.”

“…What?”

“As you can see in the news, they caught the mutated creatures in Mokpo and restored it. The aid supplies are going there first, so they’re reducing food aid for the time being. The whole nation is working together, blah blah blah… This isn’t my decision, it’s the government’s. There’s nothing I can do.”

“…Then the food distribution….”

“We have to distribute it as fairly as possible. Oh, what I’m eating right now is from Sungak Elementary School.”

She couldn’t ask if they could get aid from Sungak Elementary School. The answer she would get was obvious.

“Want some braised short ribs?”

“…No.”

“We’ll start voting again the day after tomorrow when the food comes. Are there any people you suspect of being parasites?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“The people of Building 101 suspect you.”

“What?”

“They say you’re always locked up in your room? They say it’s because you’re a parasite. All the people from Building 101 who had an interview with me today pointed you out. If this is the case, we’ll have no choice but to put you on the execution stand.”

“……”

She couldn’t say anything. Her mind had gone blank. Her blue eyes shook uncontrollably, and her heart was pounding like crazy.

“I-I’m not a parasite.”

Her voice trembled with injustice.

“Of course, I think so. But it seems the people of Building 101 don’t?”

“Who. Who reported me?”

Everyone from Building 101. Even though Sung Yu-jin had said that earlier, Irina was too out of it to understand. She could go back and find out who the residents were that had the interview today. But Sung Yu-jin kindly showed her the list.

There were 11 interviewees from Building 101. Woo Tae-hyun was among them.

“Do you know a man named Woo Tae-hyun? He was convinced that you’re a parasite.”

Irina felt dizzy. Woo Tae-hyun was trying to kill her? Why? Did he want the resident representative position? Then he could have just asked for it. She had no interest in such a burdensome position.

“I think Woo Tae-hyun and those guys have other intentions. It seems like the representative is Woo Tae-hyun… They either want the resident representative position… or they’re trying to scare you.”

“……What would they gain by scaring me?”

“I don’t know. Gaslighting?”

“……”

“What are you going to do?”

“…What should I do? The people of Building 101 follow Woo Tae-hyun more than me. Even if I claim something, they won’t listen if Woo Tae-hyun opposes it. How… how should I….”

Irina’s body trembled. She was terrible at these political issues. The only thing that came to her mind was running away. But where should she run to? Sung Yu-jin gently touched her shoulder as she panicked.

“Calm down. I’m on your side. I’ll help you. I’m the one who manages the voting. In the end, it’s up to me whether to execute you or not. If I refuse, nothing will happen. You won’t be executed.”

It was something that would have shocked anyone from another apartment. But strangely, Irina felt relieved by his words.

“…Yu-jin.”

The highest authority was on her side? She didn’t have to do anything, and he would take care of it? For a moment, Irina thought Sung Yu-jin looked very cool. She could see why people said that capable men were the best.

“What’s with the ‘Yu-jin’? We look about the same age, just call me Yu-jin.”

“Ah, no. I’m more comfortable with this.”

“If you’re comfortable, then whatever. It seems like we’ve gotten closer, want to have a drink? And watch some TV.”

Irina suddenly came to her senses. Sung Yu-jin felt like a man who was hitting on her. Was this some kind of flirting?

It was hard to refuse as bluntly as before. Hadn’t Sung Yu-jin said he would help her? And in the living room he was pointing to, there was a TV and cola, things she hadn’t seen in a while. There was also a woman named Choi Hye-jin there.

“J-just a little….”

Irina sat on the sofa. The cold cola she drank after almost three months was exhilarating. The ice cream she was offered as a dessert melted in her mouth.

Most of the news on TV was about Mokpo. Sung Yu-jin’s words were true.

• • •

They restarted the suspended voting.

The atmosphere in the apartment was terrible. It was only natural, considering that nearly 100 residents had died since I arrived.

“Today, we’ll be voting on 10 people. The first target is… Irina.”

Irina, who was in the crowd, flinched. She looked around.

Woo Tae-hyun expressed his shock and anger.

“Who dares to…! Don’t worry, Irina! I’ll gather votes against this for you!”

“……”

Irina kept her mouth shut. She quietly stepped forward. She made eye contact with me. We had met yesterday for an interview. I had told Irina that not only the people of Building 101, but also some people from Buildings 102 and 103 had reported her.

And I had even told her that Woo Tae-hyun was meeting with people from other buildings. He had made deals to get votes against Irina. Ironically, Lee Ye-bin and Kim Sang-gi had accepted the deal. They saw Woo Tae-hyun as the resident representative, not Irina.

‘Woo Tae-hyun, that bastard. He’s been scheming to get Irina.’

A benefactor who had saved her from the brink of death. When successful, one couldn’t help but feel more than just trust.

‘But that won’t do. Irina is mine.’

While I was thinking about how to kill Woo Tae-hyun, he was passionately appealing to the people about Irina’s innocence.

“Irina is definitely not a parasite! I can bet my life on it! Everyone! Please trust me and Irina! I’ll take all the responsibility! Don’t forget what Irina has done for us so far!”

I threw a small pebble at Woo Tae-hyun. Blood splattered from his forehead.

“Shut up, you bastard. You’ve been so loud since earlier. There’s no need to drag this out, let’s start the voting. Starting with Irina. Irina, you have one minute for your statement.”

Irina and I made eye contact. I nodded at her.

“…As the resident representative, I have failed to gain the trust of the people. I guess I’m not qualified. I’ll step down as the resident representative. And… I’m not a parasite.”

She closed her mouth as if she had nothing more to say.

She didn’t beg for her life like the others. She didn’t cry and appeal to them. Her calm and composed attitude made Woo Tae-hyun flustered.

“Irina is not a parasite! I guarantee it with my name! I guarantee it with my life!”

Woo Tae-hyun shouted. I ran to Woo Tae-hyun and punched him in the face. Two of his front teeth were shattered.

“You bastard. Why are you acting up? I didn’t give you permission to speak.”

“U-Ugh… Irina is not a… parasite….”

“How touching. Let’s start the voting.”

342 in favor, 308 against, 245 abstained.

It was the result of manipulation. Originally, there were 417 votes against.

Irina unknowingly slumped down. Her blue eyes contracted and dilated repeatedly. I approached her, who was in shock. She was hidden by her baggy jacket, but… judging by the smell of urine, she seemed to have wet herself a little. It wasn’t surprising. There were quite a few people who wet themselves among those who were sentenced to execution.

It seemed like she didn’t trust me 100%. Well, we weren’t that close.

“What?!”

Woo Tae-hyun was shocked. He looked around as if he had been betrayed and glared at Buildings 102 and 103 as if he wanted to kill them.

I declared to the people.

“Irina is not a parasite. I guarantee it in my name. Anyone who doesn’t like it is a parasite and will be executed.”