Chapter 35

27. Tooth Decay (2)

"Skeleton!"

On the way to Pangyo, I met the Defender siblings.

They were on an old scooter, and for some reason, the younger sibling was holding the handlebars.

Noticing my gaze, the younger sibling shrugged and looked back.

"I'm a better driver, you know."

The Defender, sitting awkwardly on the back seat, scrutinized my face.

"Aren't you not eating well these days?"

"Why?"

"You look thinner than before."

"I don't really have an appetite."

The younger Defender sibling stared at me intently and asked casually.

"Do you want to share some if you don't have any?"

"I'm fine. I just don't have an appetite."

It's preserved food, but after eating it for about two years, the smell alone makes me feel nauseous.

Well, maybe I'm just saying that because I'm full.

"How much longer? If you're hungry, I can share."

"I'm fine. What about you guys?"

"We? We have about three months' worth left."

Three months is a short time.

But we probably don't need to worry.

If it's these siblings, they'll kill someone and take their food before they starve to death.

"Let's move. Before the sun sets."

"Sure."

Dentist Kim's home and clinic were located in the upscale residential area of Pangyo.

The neighboring city of Bundang suffered near-total destruction during the war, and the urban area of Pangyo was bombed to the point where it was unrecognizable, but the suburban upscale residential area managed to escape the war's devastation.

Perhaps that intactness is why the area remained a high-end residential district, not much different from before the war.

Before the National Council members left, a high-ranking member of the National Council had requisitioned the mansion, and after they left, the military took over and used it as a barracks.

Contrary to m9's thoughts, the generals chose high-end houses rather than apartments.

Soldiers were guarding the road leading to the residential area.

Although we had already coordinated and Dentist Kim had given the military a heads-up, standing in front of fully armed soldiers wasn't an easy task.

Fortunately, it seemed that the military's discipline was still maintained.

"Ah, I heard from Mr. Kim. His house is over there."

A neat officer pointed to a mansion with solar panels visible in the distance.

"Be careful. But."

The officer added with a refreshing smile that matched his cool mask.

"It might hurt a bit."

As befitting the residence of the military leadership, the area was under strict security.

Fully armed soldiers were stationed everywhere, and anti-drone jamming devices were visible on the air defense trucks.

A few civilians were visible, but they seemed to be merchants associated with the military rather than residents.

"Is this the house? Or that one?"

Coincidentally, the spot the officer pointed to had two houses side by side.

Both were in the so-called industrial style, with exposed concrete, making them look like one from a distance.

"Isn't it the same house? They look like they were designed by the same person."

The younger Defender sibling looked around the two houses and said.

"Maybe."

The Defender responded to the younger sibling.

"Rich people are closer than brothers when they go into business together, right?"

I also looked at the two mansions.

The style was similar.

Both were in the so-called courtyard style, with high outer walls surrounding the entire building.

The two mansions were like twins, but their atmospheres were completely different.

The closer one had peeling paint in places, and the entrance showed signs of being sealed and beaten with sharp and blunt objects, leaving scars.

Sandbags and barricades scattered around hinted at the storms that had hit this mansion.

The neighboring house, however, had a completely different atmosphere.

Despite the same design, it looked well-maintained and even had two soldiers guarding the main entrance.

We went to the shabby house first.

The Defender pressed the doorbell.

A shadow moved on the second floor.

Soon, the door opened slightly, and a woman appeared.

She didn't look very old, but her face was overshadowed by a deep sadness.

"Who is it?"

The woman showed her wariness from behind the clinking security chain.

"Is this Mr. Kim's house?"

The Defender asked with a salesperson's smile.

The woman mumbled something and pointed to the neighboring house.

"Mr. Kim should be there."

"Thank you."

As the woman was about to close the door, a boy's voice sharply came from inside.

"It's not Mr. Kim! They're not from Mr. Kim's house!"

It was a voice filled with anger.

The door closed, and soon the sound of the woman scolding the boy harshly could be heard.

We left, hearing the boy's crying.

The Defender siblings looked at each other as we headed to the other mansion.

"It smells fishy."

The younger sibling spoke.

Then she looked at me and said in a small voice.

"What do you think, Skeleton?"

"......I don't know."

Something is off.

It's hard to miss if you're not an idiot.

But I can't pinpoint exactly what the problem is.

I still have a toothache and want treatment.

The younger Defender sibling slowed down, came alongside me, and suddenly showed me her phone screen.

[How about it? Was it a good idea to come together?]

That damn notepad.

"Well, I admit."

When things are suspicious, it's better to go with a group.

That way, we can have more strength and help each other.

Especially for dental treatment, where you're in a vulnerable position, it's crucial to have someone watching over you.

With the possibility that Dentist Kim is a suspicious character, having a companion is not a choice but a necessity.

Under tension, the Defender pressed the doorbell.

This time, the door opened immediately.

"Hello?"

A middle-aged man with a pale face and many wrinkles around his eyes greeted us warmly.

He was wearing a white doctor's coat.

"Three people? Are you from Viva! Apocalypse!?"

"Yes, I'm Skeleton."

"Ah, Mr. Skeleton. You look younger than I expected."

"What do you mean?"

"Ha ha, nothing. Anyway, I'm a forum user with the nickname Dentist Kim."

We shook hands.

His grip was stronger than it looked, and I could feel calluses on his knuckles.

While shaking hands, Dentist Kim's gaze turned to the Defender siblings.

"These are...?"

He seemed slightly wary.

Well, it's understandable to be cautious with three people showing up.

But having a woman in the group helps in such situations.

He showed suspicion towards the Defender but signaled to the soldiers guarding from a distance that everything was fine when he saw the younger Defender.

If it had been three men, the soldiers might have come over.

"Yes, they are my cousins. We live together."

"I see. In any case, welcome all of you. Please come in."

Dentist Kim led us to the living room.

The interior of the mansion was truly opulent, befitting a high-end residential area.

From the openness to the color scheme, every corner exuded a luster that was hard to find in a commoner's home.

Seeing the beautiful interior, which seemed to have suffered little damage from the war, we sat on the high-end sofa.

On the sofa, a woman and a girl, who appeared to be Dentist Kim's wife and daughter, were staring at us.

The woman's attire was not from the post-apocalyptic era. Her clothes, jewelry, and a small, cute watch on her wrist looked like pre-war luxury items.

She was dressed exactly like a well-off lady before the war.

To maintain such a lifestyle in this situation...

The image of Kim Dalram, who we haven't heard from recently, came to mind.

The opulent woman called out to Dentist Kim and whispered something in his ear.

"Ah, can I see the items before the treatment?"

The Defender took out what she had brought.

Inside the plastic and newspaper were pre-war luxury clothes and a bag.

The woman examined each item.

"Hmm, this is a bit old."

She particularly scrutinized the bag. I don't know much about luxury items, but it was a brand known to be the most expensive in department stores.

She put the bag down and mumbled.

"But it's still genuine."

Soon, her gaze turned to me.

"Where did you buy this?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did you buy it in Korea? Or abroad?"

"Oh, that."

Well, how would I know?

Turning to the Defender,

"London."

She immediately spoke up for me.

"My mother bought it during a trip. She hardly used it. She liked the other things she bought more."

"I see. But what about the other things she bought?"

"They were used a lot and got dirty. I didn't think they were worth bringing."

"I see."

From a distance, it seemed the decision-making power in this household belonged to the wife.

"Dear, the items are fine."

She gave the okay sign, and Dentist Kim led us to the basement.

In the basement, the perfect clinic we had seen in the community was proudly set up.

"Who would like to go first?"

The younger Defender sibling waved her hand.

So, I raised my hand first.

"Please sit down."

Dentist Kim laid me down as if in a pre-war dental clinic, put a suction tube in my mouth, shone a bright light, and examined my teeth with various instruments.

"Ah, you have a cavity here. We don't have anesthetic, but can you bear it?"

"Yes."

Although I was in a position where I couldn't resist, the Defender siblings were behind me, but I didn't think it mattered much.

By that point, I already trusted Dentist Kim.

Rather, I was curious about why he trusted us so much.

No matter how much a woman was in the group, it's not easy to accept three young, energetic 20-30-year-olds without a fuss.

Whirr--

The nightmare-like sound from pre-war times echoed in the basement.

"If it hurts, please raise your hand. But, I haven't even started yet."

The treatment began.

I endured the pain, raising my hand when necessary.

Crack!

"Ouch!"

"Endure it. You're being dramatic. You look so serious."

A while later, the treatment was over.

The result was a success.

Actually, it was a great success.

Not only did I have my cavity removed in this post-apocalyptic era, but I even had it filled with amalgam.

Feeling the solid amalgam with my tongue, I felt a strong sense of satisfaction.

Next was the younger Defender sibling's turn.

She had a large cavity in her molar.

"You'll need a root canal treatment."

At the mention of a root canal, the younger Defender sibling made a pained face and showed me her phone.

[Skeleton, help ㅠㅠ]

"......"

I had a bad feeling.

I turned to Dentist Kim and asked casually.

"......Is there anesthesia?"

"Anesthesia requires some medication. If you want to use it, you'll need to pay extra. We only use it for VVIPs like the generals."

"Will this work?"

I showed him a local anesthetic I had brought just in case.

"Oh. Do you have a syringe?"

"Yes."

Tears welled up in the younger Defender sibling's eyes.

She tapped on her tablet and showed me large text.

[I love you]

"......"

As expected, the younger Defender sibling's social skills were at the level of an animal.

She screamed while getting the anesthetic injection, and I had to hold her down to keep her still.

But after the anesthesia, she cooperated smoothly, and the clinic regained its calm.

"I'll be right back."

The Defender, who had been watching the treatment, left the clinic.

When I looked at him, he shook his head.

It seemed there was nothing to treat.

The sound of the handpiece engine quietly echoed in the clinic as I recalled a past scene and waited for time to pass.

*

"Ouch. My, my...... Ah, can't open......"

We left the house with the younger Defender sibling's swollen cheek.

Dentist Kim and his family saw us off at the entrance.

"Be careful. If you need treatment again, please come back. You're always welcome, Viva! Apocalypse! members!"

He was kind until the end.

Although he was a bit pragmatic, it was a good treatment, and it was nice to see a family with some leisure time.

But when the Defender approached me with a strange smile, I felt the problems I had ignored unfolding like a debt in front of me.

"Sure enough, that guy. He's a fake."

The Defender had left and gone to the neighboring house.

I don't know how he persuaded the woman, but he heard the tragedy that occurred in this house.

The conclusion was as I had vaguely expected.

To put it simply, the Dentist Kim who talked about his future in the community before the war and the Dentist Kim who treated me are different people.

"......He said he used to work under the original doctor. When the looters came here right after the war, he brought his family to help the old employer, but that was the beginning of the tragedy for the real Dentist Kim."

The perfect equipment in the basement and the certificates and plaques in the living room were not his.

The luxury clothes and bag the woman wore were not hers.

The high-end children's clothing worn by their daughter was also not theirs.

None of these items belonged to them.

The murderer and his family not only took the lives of a family but also stole their entire life.

"......"

But his treatment was perfect.

They didn't pose any danger or harm to me.

They treated us with kindness and respect throughout.

From a patient-doctor relationship perspective, it was as ideal as it could be.

"What should we do?"

The Defender seemed to want to kill the family.

His younger sibling felt the same.

Without a strong sense of justice, they needed a reason and sought my agreement.

"......"

After thinking for a moment, I sighed and looked at them.

"Let it be."

"......Really?"

The short exchange contained a lot of meaning.

The Defender showing his clenched left molar was also part of the unspoken agreement.

There was no need to kill them.

The Dentist Kim who treated me and the real Dentist Kim were, in some sense, not different.

Or perhaps the new Dentist Kim was a better person than the old one.

The Defender might have thought that much in that short exchange.

But.

"Hmm?"

Something fell out of my mouth.

Spitting it out, I saw it was the amalgam that had just been placed.

Looking at the amalgam on my palm, the Defender smiled.

"What should we do?"

"......"

The conclusion was the same, but I did hesitate for a moment.