Do Not Let Them Know I Can See

Chapter 1

During the global catastrophe known as the Great Blind Zone, I lost my sight along with everyone else who had been infected.

Two years later, my vision suddenly returned.

I looked around and discovered that every wall, every floor, every visible surface had been covered with the same message:

“DO NOT LET THEM KNOW YOU CAN SEE.”

Who had written those words?

That was the first question that crossed my mind.

I carefully scanned the room again, making sure there were no surveillance devices nearby. Only then did I let out a quiet breath of relief.

Three years earlier, a plague had erupted without warning and spread across nearly the entire world.

At first, those infected suffered from diarrhea. Then it progressed to relentless vomiting and dehydration. In the worst cases, people became unable to eat and eventually died.

But the government soon found a cure.

No one could have imagined that the plague itself was only the beginning of the disaster…

Two years ago, people had begun losing their sight for no apparent reason. At first, no one paid much attention. Then the numbers started climbing…

Eventually, humanity discovered the horrifying truth: anyone who had contracted the plague would go blind, even if they survived and recovered.

Panic spread everywhere.

The government responded by establishing residential facilities designed specifically for the blind—places equipped to handle every aspect of their future lives.

The Blind Dormitory was where I lived now.

Well…

After regaining my sight, the writing on the walls had shocked me. But the room itself had left me even more stunned.

It looked nothing like the world I had seen on television before I went blind.

The entire place resembled a war-torn Middle Eastern settlement.

I couldn’t stay inside.

I had to see what was outside.

Even after the thought formed, I continued pretending to be blind. I moved slowly, one hand sliding along the wall as I felt my way out of the room.

The farther I went, the more alarmed I became. Some of the rooms were in even worse condition than mine.

Why was it like this?

What had happened to the world?

Once I stepped outside, I was even more stunned.

As far as I could see, the land was barren. There was nothing but bare earth. Not a single plant grew anywhere.

I turned around and saw the dormitory’s exterior walls. They were nothing more than rough slabs of concrete, completely different from the clean, carefully designed facilities for the blind that had been shown on television more than two years ago.

The sun hung directly overhead.

Chapter 2

It was the blind residents’ midday rest period, so the streets were almost empty. Only a few people moved about here and there.

Ever since millions of people had begun losing their sight two years earlier, the Directorate had taken complete control of their lives. Meals, rest periods, housing—everything was centrally organized.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A short distance away, I noticed a heavyset blind man leaning on a white cane as he walked away from the dormitory.

Where was he going?

Maybe I should follow him and find out.

Keeping my expression blank and my eyes unfocused, I followed him.

Why him?

I couldn’t explain it, but something about the man felt wrong. At noon, everyone was supposed to be resting. Even those who went outside usually stayed close to the dormitory, wandering aimlessly around the grounds.

This man, however, seemed to have a destination.

The farther I followed him, the more uneasy I became.

He started walking faster.

Then, all at once, he stopped tapping his cane against the ground.

Was he really blind?

“Who’s there?”

The man spun around.

I immediately resumed my act, letting my eyes go vacant while I tapped my cane against the pavement.

But in the instant he turned toward me, I realized the truth.

He wasn’t blind.

He had probably panicked when he noticed someone following him and forgotten to keep pretending. His eyes flicked around once before fixing directly on me. They were focused—clearly focused. And the moment he saw me, his expression flashed with panic, unease, and surprise.

“Is someone there?” I called quickly. “Sorry. I came out for a walk and got lost. I can’t find my way back. Could you take me there?”

My eyes remained deliberately unfocused as I stared in his direction.

“I see,” the man replied. “I’m blind too, and I’ve gotten lost. What should we do?”

As he spoke, he tapped his white cane against the ground and approached me.

Seriously? This guy was going to keep acting with me?

He shuffled closer, feeling his way forward. When the distance between us had narrowed to less than two feet, he suddenly made a move I never expected.

He raised his cane and swung it at my head.

Damn it!

I cursed silently.

If I had still been blind, I would have had no chance to react.

But my sight had returned. Instinct took over, and I raised my own cane to block the blow.

Crack!

The impact rang out with startling clarity.

“You can see?”

We shouted the words at the same time.

After that, we stared at each other for three long seconds.

The silence was painfully awkward.

“I’m not blind,” I admitted, unable to suppress my curiosity. “But how did you know I could see? What if I really had been blind? You could have killed me when you swung that thing.”

The heavyset man snorted twice, looking unbearably pleased with himself.

Chapter 3

“You’re still too green. There was a ditch back there nearly three feet wide. If you were actually blind, you would’ve fallen straight into it.”

So that was it.

One careless mistake. I silently cursed myself for overlooking it.

“You…” He paused, then continued cautiously. “Did your sight come back suddenly too?”

“Yes… Wait.” The possibility struck me, and excitement raised my voice. “Did you regain your sight too? Do you know what’s happening?”

“Shh. Keep your voice down.”

He raised a finger to his lips, then glanced around in an absurdly furtive manner.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” he whispered. “But did you see the writing on the walls?”

“I did. Who wrote it?”

“I don’t know. But there was another blind person who suddenly regained his sight. Do you remember?”

His words dragged me into the past.

A little over a year ago, there had been a report about a blind man whose vision had suddenly returned. He had told someone about it, and not long afterward, the government had taken him away.

Oh, right. I’d forgotten to mention one thing.

There were still people in this world with normal vision.

Without exception, they were people who had never been infected by the plague. And anyone who could remain untouched during a pandemic of global proportions…

Well, it wasn’t hard to guess what kind of people they were.

Rich. Powerful. Privileged.

“I remember,” I said. “Wasn’t he taken away for medical research? Maybe he’s living in luxury now.”

“No.” The man shook his head and cut me off. “He might be living in luxury. But it’s far more likely they locked him up and experimented on him.”

“What?”

It was the middle of the day, but his words sent a violent shiver through me.

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he somehow produced a small pocket watch and checked the time. It was only a few minutes before noon.

His expression changed.

Then he grabbed my arm.

“We’re out of time,” he said. “I’m taking you somewhere.”

Even though I’d been prepared for the world to have changed, nothing could have prepared me for seeing it with my own eyes.

Frank had brought me to the small town where I used to live, not far from the Blind Dormitory. After so many people lost their sight and were moved into the dormitories, the town had been abandoned.

Weeds had swallowed the landscaping along both sides of the road.

At the edge of my vision, some distance beyond the town, a forest of skyscrapers rose into the sky. And above them, countless disc-shaped aircraft drifted up and down through the air.

“This…” I stared, my mouth slightly open. “When did the Republic of Huaxia get a city like that? I’ve never even heard of it.”