PAX 1

When it comes to that, I can’t help but talk about the Nageon District. The cannibalistic virus broke out… what was it, 41 years ago now? People these days seem to call it “zombie disease” easily enough, but the younger ones probably don’t know the details. To put it simply, people suddenly lost their minds, started biting and eating other people’s flesh, and a disease spread where the infected would turn bright red all over their skin. That lasted for about a year, and during that time, the population was practically cut in half. Cities and countryside alike were leveled; it was chaos. Then suddenly, it just stopped, and all of a sudden, the “zombies” regained their sanity. They had absolutely no memory of what they did when they were zombies.

That’s when the government created the Nageon District. They picked a village in the province where everyone had already left, put up wire fences around it, and rounded up all those red-skinned infected people to quarantine them. Soldiers surrounded the place to keep them from leaving and conducted tons of tests, but absolutely nothing was found in the bodies of the infected. They didn’t uncover why it happened, who the first patient was, or where it started—nothing. There wasn’t really anything they could do, and from the government’s perspective, it was uncomfortable to just let the infected roam free, so they just left them to live amongst themselves. They distributed food and supplies. The infected adapted to that life and managed to live there well enough. They set up a little market inside, schools and hospitals, and even formed a neighborhood patrol… After a while, the soldiers withdrew entirely, and it became a completely autonomous community. But since they have that stigma and people tend to avoid them, they’ve kept their gates locked and are very insular. It’s basically a different country in there.

Anyway, those people married each other there and had children, and when you look at them, their skin tone is fine, and they’re no different from regular people. Since one by one, the second generation born there kept turning out normal, they set their minds at ease and everyone started having kids. That’s how the population of the Nageon District slowly started to grow. What I’m saying here is that you can see just how primal and, at the same time, how natural the human desire for procreation is… (omitted)

—Kim Eunhye’s Radio Invitation Episode 259, Pastor Eom Seokgyeong [The Declining Birthrate Again, What is the Solution?]

🎈🤍

I arrived at the Nageon District.

The owner had said he would be in at 9 o’clock, but the tobacco shop didn’t look like it had opened its doors yet. I parked my bike at one side of the square and stood in front of the tobacco shop for the time being.

“Well, is everyone gathered? We will now begin the Nageon District tour.”

Go Yeonhyung was in the middle of the square. The tour guide of the Nageon District. His words, spoken into a head-mic, rang out through a cross-body speaker, so they were easy to hear even from here. There were twenty-two tourists gathered in front of him.

“First, let me introduce them. Two guardians from our Nageon District patrol, ‘Guardians,’ have come out to be with us throughout the tour today.”

Go Yeonhyung pointed to the two in black uniforms standing next to him. As is always the case with the guardians assigned to the tours, their appearances and physiques were particularly exceptional.

“Of course, because the Nageon District is safer and more orderly than any other place, these individuals are not accompanying you to protect you from any danger. Please just look at it as a gesture of treating you, our guests visiting from outside, with the utmost hospitality as residents of the Nageon District. In addition, since the Guardians are also symbols of our Nageon District, you may consider their accompaniment part of the tour. Now, shall we give our two Guardians a round of applause?”

As the people clapped, the pair of male and female Guardians smiled and bowed. When they are in front of tourists, the Guardians smile like the kindest people in the world.

I wonder if any of those tourists know the other name for the Guardians. Quite a few residents often call them “jailers” or “jailer bastards” when they are behind their backs, but there is no way Go Yeonhyung would reveal that during a tour.

“I, along with the two Guardians here, am a second-generation resident born and raised here in the Nageon District. That is to say, our parents are all infected people with purple skin. However, look, everyone. The skin of myself and the two Guardians is the same normal color as yours, is it not? The second generation is born without inheriting the purple skin or any abnormal virus from our infected parents, and we live as normally as you do. Of course, those called the infected also have no issues whatsoever. I will emphasize it once again: the Nageon District is safer, cleaner, and better at following rules than any other place.”

The tourists looked back and forth between Go Yeonhyung and the Guardians, occasionally looking around, and then began to buzz when they spotted an infected person passing by in the distance.

To my knowledge, while tourists are staying in the Nageon District, there are restrictions on which infected people are allowed to leave their homes and walk around. Only those whose disabilities from the time of infection are not severe and who are relatively young. If they are missing an arm and don’t wear a prosthetic, or if they are elderly, then during these hours on Monday, going outside is prohibited.

“Yes, now as you walk around inside, you will occasionally run into infected people with purple skin like that, but you don’t need to worry at all. For nearly 40 years since that period, we have been continuously conducting tests and follow-up observations on all residents of the Nageon District, and the results have consistently shown that not only has there been not a single case of recurrence, but there is also no infectivity.”

Go Yeonhyung kept his mouth shut for a moment until the buzzing of the tourists completely died down on its own.

During tours, Go Yeonhyung never uses the word “cannibalism.” Even though all these tourists know that a disease called “cannibalism” broke out 41 years ago and that all the people who were biting and chewing on the flesh of others at that time are gathered and living in here, he always refers to it as “that period.”

“But, isn’t it true that they aren’t fully cured?”

One of the tourists said in a cautious tone. They were one of the tourists wearing thick protective gear on their arms and legs.

Go Yeonhyung did not lose his professional smile even a little.

“If I may share my personal opinion, since there wasn’t even anything that could be called a treatment in the first place, I don’t think the word ‘cure’ is appropriate. Why the infected became that way, and why they suddenly regained their sanity all at once—even now, decades later, neither the cause nor the reason has been uncovered. Although I used words like ‘infection,’ ‘recurrence,’ or ‘virus,’ I only did so for convenience. I think it is more accurate to view it not as a disease, but as a certain ‘phenomenon.’ An abnormal phenomenon that swept this country for about a year a long time ago and has now completely disappeared.”

A few of the tourists nodded slowly.

“Now, once again, I will give you a notice. Taking photos, recording videos, or recording audio inside the Nageon District is strictly restricted, and I must reiterate that we will have no choice but to confiscate your devices and have you evicted upon discovery. This is for the protection of the privacy of the residents here, so we would be truly grateful if you could show your generous understanding. You have already submitted all your mobile phones to us, but if anyone has left a camera or video recording device in their bag and forgotten about it, please let us know and submit it now.”

The people looked at each other. Some even patted their pockets and bags as if to prove their innocence.

“Yes, then now, in earnest… Oh, as it happens, that person is here. It’s not on the tour schedule, but since we’ve run into him, shall I introduce him briefly?”

Go Yeonhyung and the group moved closer to this side. Perhaps because of the tourists following him in a swarm, Go Yeonhyung looked a bit like the leader of a cult.

I pushed my body away from the wall I had been leaning on and stood up straight.

“Hello, Seongshin.”