episode_0286

Did I walk like that for about 11 minutes?

Before I knew it, a familiar apartment complex appeared before my eyes.

Maybe it’s because the situation happened, but it’s very different from what I remember, but whatever.

Still, the image I remembered did not disappear completely.

I don’t know if we can get supplies, but honestly, I didn’t expect it.

It’s strange that so much time has passed and there are still supplies left.

At best, the food will be already spoiled and too bad to eat.

Well, you won’t die if you eat something like that, so you should eat it or something.

Still, I wasn’t too worried.

In most apartment complexes, there is bound to be at least one food item.

Even if it’s just a simple instant food, as long as it can fill up a few meals, that’s it.

If my house was no different than I remembered, things were better.

Since I didn’t leave my room and skipped meals every day, my parents bought a lot of ready-to-eat food.

Even if you can’t do it, you can start with instant rice and have things like cup ramen and water.

If not… it can’t be helped, right?

“…I guess I should go.”

A little, no. I was quite hesitant.

There were a few things I was worried about.

Parents who have become zombies, etc. Or me.

There are many other worst-case scenarios that come to mind right away.

No, there are some problems other than that.

I wonder if this is the same as my house in reality or not.

Whether it’s someone else’s house or not, everything.

You don’t know until you open the front door and walk in.

It’s called Schrödinger’s apartment.

So I was very nervous.

Because I didn’t know what to expect.

As for how nervous I am… yes.

It would have been better if it were someone else’s house.

When I opened the door, it wasn’t a familiar sight, but a different family’s daily life.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a nuclear family, a large family, or anything else, so I hope it’s someone else.

I was so nervous that I didn’t want to go in.

But I can’t back down now that I’ve already come.

Okay, so how can I back down when I’ve come this far?

So, I first stepped inside the entrance.

I passed through a hallway with dried blood and a cracked floor.

And then I slowly climbed the stairs again and again.

You will have plenty of time to organize your thoughts.

My house is on the top of the 15th floor.

It’s a height you can’t even reach without an elevator.

So, I was planning on not going out or coming in if there was a power outage.

Who knew it would be possible to climb stairs like this?

I don’t know whether I should call this fortunate or not, but whatever.

Nothing moved while going up.

Zombies too. Survivors too. All that remains is a trace.

I was here.

We were alive here.

And that we will live in the future.

I continued to climb upward, following the traces I desperately left behind.

When I came to my senses, I was already on the 14th floor.

Now, just go up one more floor and you are in the house.

…Of course, you can roughly know what the situation is just by looking at the front door.

Is that why?

Even though I could go home in just one minute, I was hesitant.

It felt like someone had stuck my feet to the stairs.

“…ugh.”

As always, the hesitation did not last long.

Let out a long sigh. Take a deep breath.

Then I slowly took my steps and went up the stairs one by one.

1 minute, no.

It only took a few seconds at most.

After about 8 to 10 seconds, a familiar scene appeared.

The scenery was natural, but it was different from what I remembered.

The floor was full of dust and red footprints were left here and there.

Isn’t there a mark on the wall that resembles a person whose posture can be roughly inferred?

The house next door had a half-torn front door barely hanging on.

Yes, it wouldn’t be strange to say that it was just a typical apocalypse.

But it’s a little different for me.

Such as the church nameplate that I carefully placed on the front door out of fear that it might offend me.

A door lock that I’ve only repaired and never changed since I was young.

A bicycle that you can’t throw away after riding it a few times because you said you’d use it for commuting to work.

Although it had faded due to neglect over time, it was okay.

Because I was still able to find familiarity and warmth in that appearance.

…I don’t know why these things are the same as reality, but whatever.

“Because this is not what is important…”

Yeah, that’s not what’s important.

What’s important is that there may be supplies in here.

And that you have to survive for a few days with those supplies.

So, without hesitation, I put my hand on the handle and turned it.

“…Hmm?”

Contrary to what I expected, the handle turned.

Since it has been abandoned for a long time, I thought I would have to force it to break and open.

It was a little stiff, but not so much that I couldn’t open it.

So I carefully opened the door and stuck my head inside.

The appearance of the house… didn’t seem to have changed that much.

Except for a little dust, it was the same as usual.

Does it feel similar to when you return from a long trip?

There were no blood stains or anything on the floor or wallpaper.

They probably evacuated calmly when the situation broke out.

It was obvious just by looking at all the drawers where food would be stored.

Moreover, they left behind all valuables and belongings and only took what they needed.

It’s strange that it seems like my parents’ meticulous personalities are coming to light.

Of course, there were no supplies left behind.

On a positive note, I found a hiding place… to a certain extent?

So, thinking that I had enjoyed the sights, I headed out of the house.

“…Ah.”

It was tightly closed and didn’t open, and I didn’t even open it on purpose.

It won’t be open in the future, and it has to be opened now.

…My room caught my eye.

When I saw that, I suddenly felt a headache.

The reason was obvious. Probably a stress headache.

It might be worth it because I discovered the mistakes of the past that I had been ignoring.

The swear word I couldn’t bring myself to say lingered in my mouth and disappeared into my throat.

Even though I thought it was nothing, I started to sweat.

At the same time, I instinctively felt that it would be better to just go.

…I decided that I had to face this rationally.

I didn’t know the exact reason why I had to face this.

Because I just felt like it had to be that way.

I don’t know why I feel that way, but I just do.

I felt like I should just… open it.

So I opened it.

He slammed the door open so hard it felt like he was going to break it down.

Fortunately, there was nothing in it that was the worst I had imagined.

Even the rope hanging from the ceiling. Even the blanket was puffy for some reason.

There was no dried blood on the floor, no open windows, anything like that.

It was just a neatly organized room full of supplies.

“…Why on earth.”

Is it because I couldn’t understand the English text?

I muttered to myself without realizing it.

There was no need to gather these materials like this.

No, on the contrary, if you took this, you would understand.

The supplies in my room were enough to last at least a week.

If you eat sparingly, you could last two to three weeks.

Not really.

For my son who wouldn’t even come out of his room.

…I wondered if there was a need to worry so much about it and leave it behind.

“…Ugh.”

The headache was getting worse.

It felt like someone was hitting my head.

Or put my head in a round frame and squeeze it.

Whatever it was, it was definitely a terrible pain.

If my physical condition had been a little worse, I would have collapsed or fainted.

But even if that were the case, there was a reason why it could never fall.

It wasn’t long before I realized the identity of this crushing pain.

Faded memories began to become clearer.

I was able to forget what I needed to forget, and I was able to remember what I needed to remember.

Exactly who and what I was.

All of that came to mind along with a headache.

…It’s not like a movie or anything.

“…I’m going to turn.”

Not swearing was the minimum patience required.

No matter how much I got, it wasn’t what I wanted to get.

Most of what I remembered was evidence of how much of a piece of shit I was.

I was 32 years old and couldn’t graduate from college or be discharged from military service.

I don’t have any money saved and am draining my parents’ funds.

I know a lot, but it’s not really important for getting a job.

And you go around harassing other people who are living healthy lives.

Even when I thought about it again, I couldn’t figure out why I was breathing and living.

Well, because she was that weak, she probably hid behind Yeji Lee.

Scooping up a person who was so shocked that he couldn’t move properly.

That wasn’t enough, because I tried to live my life thinking I was 26 years old.

It’s a shame because I was lucky enough to have turned out so pretty.

If it weren’t for that, there wouldn’t have been anywhere to rub.

I guess I need to get closer to Noh Chang-hoon.

When I go out into reality, I’ll have to cling to her or hold on to her.

But I thought it would probably work out.

The memories I gained from coming here… weren’t all useless.

The original novel that I re-read several times to admire Noh Chang-hoon.

He said he clearly remembered all the details of the novel he read that way.

Even if you were to close your eyes and memorize the first sentence, you could do it.

And thanks to that memory, I felt like I had a rough idea of what was going on in Seoul.

Not the hatching of a king and queen… but the advent of a saint.

That’s about to happen in Seoul right now.