42. Back to Routine. (1)

Eun-seo shivered and moaned in my arms.

“Haa, haa…”

Ah, that was good.

Sweat trickled down my face and into my eyes.

I wiped my face with my hand and got up.

“Ah, it’s hot. The air conditioner is on, right?”

“It is.”

Eun-seo tried to get up but fell back, breathing heavily.

“Seong Hoon, you suddenly pounced on me, so I couldn’t close the window. I was hanging laundry…”

I laughed and got up to close the window.

Then, I pulled Eun-seo’s hand and said:

“Come here. Let’s take a shower together.”

Eun-seo stuck out her tongue and got out of bed, hanging onto my arm.

She bit her lower lip and smiled.

She’s so beautiful.

Since she threw herself at me during the cockroach incident, Eun-seo has seemed brighter somehow.

She smiles more often, and I sometimes feel like she’s subtly leaning on me or relying on me.

The image of her as a strong, independent athlete who could do anything on her own has faded quite a bit.

Perhaps this is Eun-seo’s true self.

About an hour later, I put on my clothes and gear and went downstairs. Hoon-ji and his wife were laughing and chatting.

“Ah, Teacher. Are you going out?”

“Yes. I need to go back to Seoraevillage. Was everything okay last night?”

Hoon-ji laughed and said:

“Yes, Teacher. It was quiet. We haven’t seen even a single ant lately.”

“That’s good.”

I smiled.

The mart still has plenty of supplies.

There’s an abundance of rice, flour, sauces, and seasonings, so there’s no need to raid other marts or convenience stores in the area.

In other words, there’s not much reason to go outside.

These days, there’s no need to go to the movies, no reason to go out for dinner, and there’s no TV to watch.

All we do is gather and talk or play together.

As a result, people have become much closer.

Almost like family.

Perhaps this is a rather cozy apocalypse.

“Teacher, life is getting better these days.”

Hoon-ji laughed.

His wife nudged him in the ribs.

Hoon-ji winced and waved his hand at me.

“Ah, no, I don’t mean that the world ending is good. It’s sad that people died, but before, life was busy and stressful, and I couldn’t even have a proper conversation with my wife. I was always too tired after work.”

I understand what he means.

Hoon-ji laughed and said:

“These days, I spend the whole day with my wife, talking about all sorts of things, and everyone is friendly. We cook delicious food and share it. It feels like this is what life should be like. It’s a bit strange, isn’t it, Teacher?”

To be honest, I feel the same way.

Back when we were too busy to even know our neighbors, let alone greet them, and were always preoccupied with our own lives, now, in the apocalypse, people have become closer.

It’s a strange thing.

Back then, I wouldn’t have even considered having three or four partners.

I chuckled and shook my head.

“It’s best when people get along and nothing happens. Have you seen So-hyeon and Ye-eun?”

“Ah, they went inside the mart to practice archery.”

“Oh, really?”

As I turned to leave, Hoon-ji’s wife bowed to me.

I returned the bow and went into the mart.

Phew, chuckle-

“Ah, I lost!”

So-hyeon was holding her head and wriggling around. Ye-eun was laughing at her.

“Why are you so good at archery? Did you practice in secret?”

“Hot, hot, ha. I’m a genius. I don’t even need to practice at this level!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the two of them.

“What are you doing? Did you make a bet?”

“Oh, Oppa!”

The two of them laughed and came over to me.

“You have a knife. Are you going to Seoraevillage?”

“Hmm. Yes, I need to. Do you need anything?”

So-hyeon and Ye-eun looked at each other and shook their heads with a smile.

“No, just come back safely. Okay?”

“Sure.”

I nodded with a smile.

Then, I tilted my head and looked at So-hyeon and Ye-eun.

“I didn’t know you liked archery. Don’t you practice with guns?”

Ye-eun shook her head.

“Guns are heavy and scary. I like archery. It’s fun.”

“Really?”

So-hyeon nodded.

“Yeah, it’s fun.”

Then, she laughed and said:

“Back then, we would have played WoW raids, but we can’t do that anymore.”

“The server is down?”

So-hyeon nodded and said:

“Yeah, completely. We can’t even log in. Most communities are closed too.”

Hmm…

That means Netflix, Watcha, and Wave are probably gone too.

“Aren’t you bored?”

So-hyeon laughed and shook her head.

“It’s strange, but I’m not bored at all. These days are more fun than before.”

Huh?

I tilted my head and laughed.

“These days are more fun?”

Ye-eun nodded and said:

“I’ve never talked to so many people like this. It’s more comfortable and fun than just staring at my phone all day. Every day is more fun.”

Then, she looked at me and added:

“It feels a bit wrong to say this when people are getting hurt and dying outside, though.”

I shook my head.

“Don’t feel bad. Just focus on us for now.”

“Is that okay…?”

I looked at Ye-eun and So-hyeon in turn and said:

“We can’t save everyone. Right? Just focus on the people we have and yourself. Don’t worry about the rest.”

Ye-eun and So-hyeon didn’t answer.

They just looked at me and nodded faintly.

I laughed and said:

“I’m going to Seoraevillage. Call me if you need anything.”

“Ah, Oppa.”

So-hyeon called me.

Turning around, I saw her glance at Ye-eun and whisper:

“You know those women who escaped from the cockroaches?”

“Yeah. What about them?”

Ye-eun’s face darkened slightly at her words.

There’s something going on.

So-hyeon took a step closer and whispered:

“Two of them are pregnant. There might be more.”

…Pregnant?

I looked at So-hyeon in surprise.

Ye-eun came closer and whispered:

“They were crying, asking what to do. Is there anyone in Seoraevillage who can help?”

…Ah.

I remember one of the people rescued by the special forces was a gynecologist, an ajumma (middle-aged woman).

I nodded and said:

“I’ll check. Comfort the women and make sure they don’t cause any trouble.”

“Okay. Oh, if you can get some antidepressants, it would help. Can you get them?”

“Sure, I’ll check.”

I sighed.

Those cockroaches, even in death, are still causing trouble.

I sighed and asked:

“What’s Han-tae doing? What about Jun-hyuk and Tae-young?”

“Han-tae said he developed a new technology and is making a castella cake with the girl he’s close to… What are the other two doing?”

“They’re helping the grandmother and So-eun with the vegetable garden on the roof. The grandmother is scared of guns, but the men insist they need them.”

“Hmm.”

I nodded.

After hearing about the bats, they’ve been reinforcing the rooftop defenses on their own.

You never know what might fly in from the sky.

“Is the minigun installed on the roof?”

“Of course! What do you take me for!”

I laughed and said:

“Good. I’ll be back.”

The women waved at me.

“Come back safely! Don’t get hurt! Okay?”

“Make sure to come back for dinner. Okay, Oppa?”

I waved back and left the mart building.

It’s been a week since I returned.

The people who heard about what happened in Pyeongtaek were very surprised, but they quickly accepted it, given that this is an era where humans turning into monsters and biting people is the new normal.

The weapons and ammunition Captain Park delivered by rescue helicopter were used to fortify the building, and the explosives were installed in nearby buildings, shops, and houses.

Of course, the roads leading to Banpo, except for the one to Seoraevillage, were turned into minefields.

The same process was applied to Seoraevillage, except for the Banpo Bridge, which I use to travel between the two areas.

It’s a challenge to anyone who dares to come.

Anyone with eyes won’t step on a mine.

The mines are not buried but scattered visibly on the roads.

The only ones stepping on mines are the human beasts and monster beasts who run around without looking.

Luckily, since forming the minefields, there haven’t been any explosions.

The special forces have cleared the surrounding area, and I’ve mostly cleared the area around the mart building.

Riding Dalgaram into Seoraevillage, a special forces member guarding the barricade opened the gate for me.

“Seong Hoon, you’re here.”

“Yes. Was everything okay last night?”

I whispered to open the storage and dismissed Dalgaram, putting it away.

The special forces member laughed and shook his head.

“Yes, everything was fine. By the way, that’s really amazing. It feels like it’s not real.”

I smiled without answering and walked toward the motel.

Ah, right.

I turned and asked:

“Is there a gynecologist among the rescued people? She’s staying in room 708, right? She’s probably still sleeping…”

The special forces member looked curious about why I was looking for a gynecologist.

I nodded without answering and walked to the motel.

In front of the motel, Seong Ga-yeon was on guard with another special forces member.

Seong Ga-yeon smiled and greeted me.

“You’re here. Where are you going today?”

I shrugged and smiled wryly.

“Probably to the hospital.”

I nodded slightly and said:

“Is the person in room 708 still sleeping?”

Then, I went inside the motel.

Seong Ga-yeon followed, slightly surprised.

“Why her? Is it because of your girlfriend…?”

I called the elevator and shook my head.

“No, it’s because… some women have been through some bad things since the apocalypse.”

“…Ah.”

Seong Ga-yeon slowly nodded.

Then, she shook her head.

“It seems there are people who gave up on being human just because there are no police or prisons anymore.”

I chuckled.

“There might be more than you think. After all, there are no police or prisons now.”