GRUMBLE!
GRUMBLE!
GRUMBLE!
Like a contagious disease the sound spread across the room. Growling sounds emanated from each of their stomachs.
After the grumbles, the room went quiet.
Min-ho hadn't realized how hungry he was up until this moment. None of them did.
All of a sudden, there was another immediately pressing matter to take care of.
Yet no one wanted to speak up.
With a sigh, Min-ho crawled out from his stone tent and walked to the middle of the room where he stood.
"We'll have to contribute to buy something to eat," he was the first to speak up.
Ji-su came out of his tent next.
"Don't you think we could hold off for now? The amount of Coins required to buy a meal is… ridiculous to say the least." Ji-su voiced his concerns.
"We can't fight on an empty stomach, we need all the strength we can get," said Jang-book, likewise leaving his tent.
Im-hee and Dok-su followed suit, leaving the still unconscious Sae-wee inside.
Min-ho cast a glance at the tent housing her. The fear of her wellbeing slithering up his spine.
"So we're just going to spend ten thousand Coins buying a loaf of bread?" Dok-su asked, unwilling to cough up such an exorbitant amount.
"He did say we should contribute,' Im-hee said. "It shouldn't be too bad that way,"
"Ten thousand is still a lot of Coins," Dok-su said. "Should have taken one of those Spectors with us."
Dok-su's words—though logical—were disturbing.
The thought of eating one of the Spectors that had massacred over five dozen people didn't sit right with anyone.
Thinking on it, he regretted his words a second later no matter how much he tried not to.
"Oh and um, I think I owe you all some Coins. Mostly you," Min-ho said to Jang-book. "We never actually discussed the specifics of how we'd share it, but I'm fine either…"
"It actually worked?" Jang-book asked, his question lighting a gleam in everyone's eyes.
Min-ho hadn't realized how important this detail was up until now.
He cocked his head.
"Yeah, I got a percentage from Jang-book's killings and uh… a percentage from the rewards you all got. Twenty percent to be exact."
"Yet the Coins I received didn't get affected," Ji-su said, speaking for everyone.
"That's incredible," Im-hee said, the excited tone of her voice encapsulating the enthusiasm everyone felt.
But just then, Im-hee realized the cost that Min-ho was paying for this great reward.
With a little contemplation, she voiced her thoughts.
"But you're risking your life for it though," she said, reminding everyone that his life was now linked to theirs.
They all fell their gaze. And those who were doubting his intentions suddenly felt guilty.
Min-ho felt uncomfortable by the sudden change in mood. It turned out, he preferred it when people doubted him than treating him like some sort of deity.
"It's not a big deal as of now. It's only a twenty percent chance," Min-ho said.
"So… it increases by increments of ten percent for every two subjects you have then?" Ji-su asked, surprising Min-ho.
"Yes that… that's pretty much it," Min-ho responded.
"Still a lot though," Im-hee insisted.
They all went quiet.
"That's not what matters, what does is the Coins," Min-ho said, then turned to Jang-book. "How are we sharing it? Would you like to take sixty percent or…"
Jang-book waved his hand.
"Just keep it for now, we can start sharing when I feel like it."
All eyes were now on Jang-book.
Min-ho was more confused than astonished.
"So I should hold your Coins for you then?" he asked.
Jang-book frowned.
"No I meant you can have my share," he said, turning his gaze in every direction that wasn't at his teammates.
"So… I'll pay you back when I make the Coins again?" Min-ho asked, a confused frown on his face. "How would we calculate that? I would have spent a lot of Coins by then and…"
"What the fuck? How are you not getting this?" Jang-book got up and walked over to Min-ho. "You can have my share for now. We can start to divide it when I feel like it. Which means we'll have started then, and thus we won't have need to bring up the ones you spent."
Min-ho froze, blinking a couple of times.
"So I won't have to pay you for the Coins I spent?" he asked.
Jang-book paused.
"Yes!" he shouted, spreading both arms.
"Oh… I understand now," Min-ho said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Im-hee giggled and Ji-su suppressed a chuckle.
Jang-book felt a hint of embarrassment when he saw Im-hee giggle.
He walked back to his tent, grumbling something inaudible to them.
As Min-ho watched Jang-book walk back, he felt a sense of relief wash over him. He didn't know if Jang-book was playing some game by asking him to pay later. But now that he knew Jang-book's gesture was something more akin to kindness and a show of trust, he felt a bit at ease.
"You can keep my share too," Dok-su said.
His words prompted stares from all directions, as he had surprised them.
"But not for yourself, use it for the team," Dok-su clarified.
Ji-su smiled upon hearing this, then he turned to Min-ho.
"Me too." His voice synced with that of Im-hee.
She smiled at him, then turned to Min-ho.
"You can have my share for now."
"Likewise, we could use it to buy bread," Ji-su said.
Min-ho paused, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
This team of his were showing great signs of camaraderie, which he hadn't expected. And if he was being honest with himself, from what he had seen so far, they seemed like genuinely good people.
The realization returned his thoughts to Sae-wee. She truly chose a crowd that were willing to help one another. If anything, he saw this as a reflection of herself.
Perhaps he could let his guard down around her. Perhaps.
'If she wakes up that is.' He dreaded, his mood suddenly gloomy.
"Okay then," he sat on the floor cross-legged. "We'll be spending twenty thousand Coins on two loaves of bread, and an extra ten for a jug of water."
"No need for that," Ji-su said, being one of the first to draw closer to Min-ho. "I have these."
Everyone's eyes lit up when three canteens of water manifested from smoke in his hands.
"You… actually remembered," Min-ho said, more than surprised.
Ji-su ducked his gaze.
"Way to go Ji-su," Im-hee said, drawing closer to them.
Dok-su joined in on the circle, but he didn't say anything even though he was proud of his brother.
Jang-book was the last to join the circle.
Somehow, they had made enough space for a sixth member, who was absent as of now.
Silence fell for a moment, before Min-ho called forth his System and purchased the two loaves of bread.