Chapter 82: The Kkachisan Conference (8)
A woman dressed in everyday clothes that did not suit the desert at all could be seen walking across the red desert.
She wandered through the desert with a child in her arms. The child’s face was flushed, and her breathing was weak and shallow. It was clearly the sign of a heatstroke.
The desert was devoid of even a single shade. The sudden disaster had driven many residents of Gangseo-gu into a dire situation.
The woman walked barefoot on the scorching sand. Despite the burning heat under her feet, she continued searching for shade or a sip of water.
All of a sudden, she saw a huge tent appearing in front of her like a mirage.
The magnificent tent made of long pillars and a wide canopy, stood out sharply against the wavy sand dunes. The shadows of the tents danced quietly as the fabric fluttered softly in the wind.
Under the tent’s shade, a bunch of fruits were laid out. There were lots of fruits on display, and all of them contained plenty of moisture like a watermelon.
The woman, in her casual clothes, ran towards the tent, hoping it wasn’t a mirage or a hallucination caused by her suffering.
As she approached, the tent’s shape became clearer, more real. Yet, the closer she got, the more uneasy she felt. There seemed to be people sitting under the tent, completely still, not moving at all.
As she entered the tent, her heated skin began to cool off. The temperature inside was so refreshingly cool that it was hard to believe that she was still in the desert.
“Oh! A guest has arrived.”
An elderly man, sitting closest to her, spoke. His face was full of wrinkles, and he held a large cane with both hands. His attire was adorned with dozens of jewels, overly flashy for the setting.
“Ah! Excuse me, my child seems to be suffering from a heatstroke. Can she eat some of this fruit?”
“If that’s the case, of course, I must help you. But, can you in return do a little favor to this lonely elder? If you promise to answer a simple quiz, I will give you as much fruit as you want.”
Despite his benevolent smile, something about his expression seemed awkward. But the woman was too desperate to notice.
“Y-yes! I promise! I’ll answer all your questions!”
She hastily agreed, then cracked open a watermelon and fed it to her child. The cool temperature also seemed to help, and the child started to get better.
Relieved, the woman sighed and ate a piece of watermelon herself. It was juicy and refreshing, leaving a strange, lingering taste in her mouth.
Yet the inexplicable taste of the watermelon seemed to wake the woman up from her reverie. Only then did she notice the oddities of the elderly man and the tent.
Objects!