episode_0006

Kim Mun-hyuk, clapping his hands as if asking what they were doing.

Of course, he couldn’t just lower his weapon recklessly. Judging by what he was doing now, it wouldn’t be strange if he immediately took out his weapon and attacked the women.

If it was just Ian and Ha Ji-yoo, they could handle the surrounding henchmen to some extent. But if they had to fight while protecting me and Cha Do-ah… The biggest problem was the shotgun.

The atmosphere was getting more intense. The men surrounding them were gripping their weapons as if they were about to swing them at any moment, and Kim Mun-hyuk also lowered the shotgun hanging on his shoulder and tapped his palm.

It was a tense situation where any movement could lead to an explosion.

The one who broke the tension was the bald man.

“Come on, why are you all so tense? Stop acting like this.”

The man who intervened looked back and forth, trying to calm the situation.

“Is there a misunderstanding? We’ve always been like this here. Kim Mun-hyuk hasn’t been a leader for long, so he’s not good at explaining…”

Kim Mun-hyuk’s eyebrows twitched.

-Slap!

His palm smacked the back of the man’s head.

“Hey, don’t get too cocky just because I’m letting it slide.”

“Oh! My head!”

The man fell forward like in a slapstick comedy, grabbing his head and rolling around. His exaggerated actions broke the icy atmosphere.

“Phew… That’s right. I was elected by vote too. We all act voluntarily. It’s a rule that has always been there. If you don’t follow it, get out now.”

The zombies had gathered around the building, surrounding them. Leaving now was practically a death sentence.

I looked around. People were anxious. They seemed to blame us for creating unnecessary tension.

It should be fine by now.

I first placed the bat on the ground, then nodded to Ian and Ha Ji-yoo as if to say it was okay, whispering,

“It might be partly true.”

Perhaps trust had been built from my previous actions. Both of them put down their weapons and took a step back.

“Take them back.”

The man who had been smiling earlier picked up the weapons, muttering something.

“The rules will be explained by the man. I’m going up.”

Kim Mun-hyuk, who was about to leave, stopped as if he remembered something.

“Oh, Yeoreum, bring the kids up later tonight.”

“Yes! Oppa!”

A bright response that didn’t match the atmosphere immediately came out.

Instead of looking at his sister like that, Kim Mun-hyuk glanced at Ha Ji-yoo once, then cleared his throat and left.

Only then did Kim Yeoreum notice Ha Ji-yoo. Her face and chest were no match for her, but her toned body from exercise and taller height, along with her fair skin, made her stand out compared to Kim Yeoreum, who had gained weight from eating and lazing around.

Was it because of the anxiety that she might be overshadowed by her brother? Sparks flew from Kim Yeoreum’s eyes.

Of course, impossible. Ha Ji-yoo voluntarily following Kim Mun-hyuk? It was unthinkable. People tend to judge others based on their own standards.

After Kim Mun-hyuk and his group had completely left, the bald man sighed deeply and spoke to us.

“Welcome to our community. I’m Lee Sang-yeop.”

As if reminiscing about the past, Lee Sang-yeop’s eyes grew distant.

“There weren’t such incidents when Min-ho was here…”

As if regretting what he had said, he covered his mouth in surprise and looked around.

No one else heard except us. He gestured for it to be kept a secret, then continued to explain about life here.

In the square plaza, lines were drawn on the ground in a perfect square. It was forbidden to step outside of those lines, as it was believed that someone might steal the precious resources of the mart.

From the control room located on the third floor, we were constantly monitored through CCTV, making it impossible to sneak away unnoticed.

Even going to the bathroom required permission from someone allowed to step outside the lines.

The bald-headed Lee Sangyeop proudly declared himself as one of them. The rest were Kim Yeorum and the absent facilities manager.

As our faces darkened, Sangyeop awkwardly chuckled. “Well, we can’t help it. The interior is so vast that if we leave things unattended, theft might occur. Especially with food.”

After assigning us our spots, Sangyeop left. Unlike the people lounging in tents or sitting on camping chairs, we had no choice but to sit on the hard floor.

All food, supplies, and even electricity had to be purchased with points. The only way to earn points was by contributing to the community.

The system was quite distorted. Similar to how old gangsters extorted money from merchants under the guise of protection fees, we were told that if we served the community by helping to maintain the place, we would be rewarded with points.

During the subsequent evening distribution, it was no surprise that we, newcomers to this place, received nothing.

Sangyeop walked around, noting down the food items each person wanted to purchase, when a small commotion broke out in one corner.

“You should return what you borrowed the same way!”

“The price of the item went up by 3 points! So you should deduct 3 points and give it back!”

“What nonsense is this? Are you calling me a thief!?”

“What? A thief!? You son of a b****!”

“Hey, calm down, everyone! Stop fighting!”

Once again, Sangyeop intervened. He stepped in between the two men about to come to blows, and amusingly, their anger quickly dissipated.

“Sangyeop, isn’t this going too far!? If food prices keep rising like this, it’s like they want us to starve to death!”

“Exactly! It’s because the points keep going up!”

“Oh, why are you all like this? I didn’t raise the prices. I know we’re all struggling. I’ll chip in some points to make up for it, so let’s just let it go today.”

Just as the disturbance was settling down, a power outage occurred.

“Damn it, another power outage.”

“Ugh, these days, power outages are happening more often…”

After dinner time passed, Kim Yeorum collected volunteers, mostly young and pretty girls. Some were happy, while others were dragged away to the slaughterhouse like sheep.

They entered a tent, wearing clothes that could only be seen in a brothel, and disappeared with Kim Yeorum. The implications were clear.

Parents turning a blind eye to their daughters being taken away. Women sending jealous glances. Men swallowing their saliva, wanting to intervene in some way. And even people grumbling about how only those girls were earning points easily.

For those who had lost hope in life, all that remained were feelings of hatred, jealousy, and resignation.

There was no community coming together to overcome adversity, as heard on the radio broadcast. It was not the atmosphere we had expected.

We gathered the remaining food. All that was left for dinner was one can of tuna, two packs of ramen, and a 2L bottle of water. If things continued like this, we would be starving from tomorrow onwards.

The way to earn points was simple: sacrifice. Judging by the atmosphere around Kim Munhyuk, if Hajiyu took a more proactive approach, she might be able to secure a spot.

They were probably expecting that. Hajiyu coming to them, stripping off her clothes in defeat due to hunger.

Of course, not a single one of us agreed to that.

With a determined look, Ian made up his mind.

“Let’s leave tomorrow. This isn’t the place we hoped for.”

So this is how it goes. In a world where everyone takes and gets taken from, where even our weapons are stripped away and we find ourselves in irrational situations, the only conclusion is for us to flee like fools.

Normally, no one would question Ian’s words. Tomorrow, we will tell Kim Moonhyuk that we are leaving. Naturally, he will not accept it.

It didn’t sit well with me, Ian’s attitude. It wouldn’t hurt to make things a little easier.

Unable to bear it any longer, I voiced a different opinion.

“If we say we’re leaving, will they just let us go? Instead, how about we take over this place? There’s electricity and food here. If we take control of this place, we can operate more efficiently.”

Was it an unexpected statement? Ian’s eyes flickered. Like someone who couldn’t even imagine taking something away from someone, no matter how evil the person may be.

“Well…, it’s not as simple as just taking over. We were elected through a vote. We don’t have the right to do that.”

People who were staring blankly, almost like zombies, at the empty air. Did they really choose Kim Moonhyuk because they liked him? Does Ian really think that way?

I didn’t think so. He’s not someone who lacks discernment to that extent. In my eyes, Ian is nothing but a coward. A hypocrite.

Unconsciously, a coldness crept into my tone and a twisted smile appeared on my lips.

“Do you really think that way? Look at those people. Do you really think they chose him as their leader because they like Kim Moonhyuk?”

Ian’s expression darkened at the mention of facing reality. After a moment of deep thought, he looked back at me.

“If we do it, how would we go about it?”

Leaning slightly forward, I lowered my voice and said, “Tonight. Let’s strike.”

At first, Ian blinked as if he misheard. Soon, his eyes widened in shock. His rapidly changing expression eventually turned into anger.

But he didn’t explode in anger. He suppressed the emotions that surged up.

“I didn’t hear anything.”

His restrained attitude only twisted my judgment further.

Pretending to be noble until the end. It didn’t sit well with me.

“What will happen to these people after we leave if something happens? Can Kim Moonhyuk really protect them? If we just get rid of those bastards, we could save more people.”

Just by looking at the atmosphere for a moment, anyone could feel it. It wouldn’t be surprising if something happened in this group tomorrow.

Ian let out a sigh, his face filled with confusion.

“Give me time to think.”

“You need to think quickly. Time is running out.”

That was the end of the conversation. A cold air lingered between us.

I knew Cha Do-ah wouldn’t say anything, but Haji-yu was unexpected. I thought he would take Ian’s side, but seeing him stay silent, he must have been more in agreement with my opinion.

Fool. In the original work, with this choice, Haji-yu dies tomorrow. He may be half-hearted and have a big heart, his tone may be strange and he may lack courage, but… I didn’t want to see Haji-yu die, even if I had grown a bit fond of him.

As bedtime approached, Ian’s response did not come back.