Ch.2424. Reconstruction (1)

# Regaining a Peaceful Daily Life

Everyone living in Gyeongju must feel this way.

Indeed, incidents of ordinary people being bitten by zombies and turning into new zombies have disappeared from within the city.

“Hey Kim! Bring those washed dishes!”

“Yes, Mother!”

Kim Tae-hyun, who worked in the Balhut Cult’s cafeteria, could feel this change most keenly.

After Gyeongju’s liberation, Tae-hyun had secured a job in the cafeteria using his skills from his food service major.

Of course, since there were many chefs and self-employed individuals with more experience and superior cooking skills, Tae-hyun, who had been a university teaching assistant, was working as the kitchen’s youngest assistant.

Though kitchen assistant work was hard and demanding, Tae-hyun worked without any complaints.

In fact, he could say he was quite satisfied with his current job.

“You’re still doing well today.”

“You look tired.”

“Well, I’ve been washing dishes all day.”

First of all, he appreciated the guaranteed safety.

The Balhut Cult’s cafeteria was located in the safest place on the grounds, and Awakened members of the cult were risking their lives to protect it.

For cult members who remembered fighting for their lives over a single meal during the Apocalypse, having Awakened guardians already inspired confidence.

Above all, the fact that they could eat their fill spoke volumes—some even shed tears of gratitude when joining the cult.

“What happened today?”

“Man, don’t even ask. I heard Captain Dong-geon is recruiting a proper expedition team to go on a distant mission.”

“There are many zombies outside.”

“They say they’re developing new weapons to fight against zombies.”

While serving meals to cult members, Tae-hyun could hear detailed information about external affairs and internal cult matters through conversations with the Awakened members.

This further convinced him that his choice had saved his family.

Additionally, the kitchen assistant job provided wages and meals, and the pay was sufficient to support his family.

Tae-hyun’s life had stabilized significantly—to the point where he could never return to the days of living in constant fear of zombie threats.

“Ah, you came to work today too, Tae-hyun.”

“Oh, Ms. Yu-na! You look beautiful today as well.”

“Ahaha. Thank you.”

And if he was lucky, he could see his benefactor Choi Yu-na while serving food.

As the leader of the Balhut Cult, Yu-na could have lived differently from others, but she declared that everyone was equal as followers of Bahamut and refused the privileges she could have received as the leader. Instead, she ate at the cafeteria with other cult members.

Of course, since some cult members felt burdened or revered her presence, she only came to eat at the cafeteria about two or three times a week.

Fortunately, Yu-na had appeared on a day when Tae-hyun was serving food.

‘Today is my lucky day.’

It truly was a lucky day.

Tae-hyun, who had deliberately served Yu-na food that looked higher quality, was happy to have something to boast about to his colleagues and acquaintances.

“By the way, the cult is planning to operate a school now. Does Tae-hyun have any young students in his family?”

“Ah, I have a younger sister. Of course, I plan to enroll her.”

“We’ve also hired teachers for the children. Of course, it can’t be compared to before, but…”

“That’s enough.”

It truly was enough.

His family members had started working again, and his young sister would soon attend the school operated by the Balhut Cult.

Compared to before, many things might be lacking, but it was enough to imprint one fact in Tae-hyun’s mind:

‘We’re really rebuilding.’

Even now, manual laborers and Awakened were mingling in the streets, working on reconstruction sites. There were brave explorers investigating uncharted streets, and official expedition teams venturing to outer villages and towns.

When expedition teams returned successfully, the streets were filled with supplies they brought back. This prosperity of the expedition teams and the Balhut Cult had sparked jealousy, leading to the emergence of looter groups.

To counter these looters, the cult had gradually established a police organization called the Security Force, and thanks to their efforts, the streets of Gyeongju were beginning to regain stability.

Having heard that crimes by wandering Awakened had decreased dramatically recently, Tae-hyun inwardly condemned and denounced the Awakened criminals who dared to commit crimes in Balhut Cult territory.

“Starting today, there will be no more supply distributions.”

“Huh?”

Then, a month after Gyeongju’s reconstruction began, the cult suddenly discontinued supply distributions.

This was too abrupt for Tae-hyun, and his heart sank at the news.

“Instead, we will provide coins that can be exchanged for supplies at our official stores. The usage of these coins is explained in detail on the Balhut Cult community website. Please check in advance.”

“Coins?”

Of course, compensation for labor hadn’t disappeared.

Instead of supply distributions, they could receive coins issued by the Balhut Cult as daily wages.

Although the clerk referred to them grandly as “coins,” Tae-hyun knew what they really were.

“This is money, isn’t it?”

Yes, it was money.

Currency used to purchase goods.

In other words, it was essentially the cash commonly used before the disaster.

“Everyone else is receiving them too.”

And this money wasn’t just given to him—others were also receiving coins as wages.

At first, he was very confused by the discontinuation of supply distributions, but Tae-hyun quickly realized that from now on, he would be paid in cash for his labor.

Of course, what the Balhut Cult handed over wasn’t the now-worthless Korean won, but newly minted coins by the Balhut Cult.

“How nice.”

Though he didn’t know where they found a factory to manufacture these, the meticulously finished coins were certainly worth collecting for any coin enthusiast.

And the clerk’s announcement wasn’t over yet.

“This month, we will pay in daily wages, but next month we plan to pay monthly salaries. Please keep this in mind for your savings and household budget management.”

Daily wages this month.

Monthly salary next month.

Messages that would have been heard before the apocalypse were now being delivered through the clerk, rather than the familiar supply distributions of post-apocalyptic life.

“This is just like working for a company, isn’t it?”

Yes, things were normalizing.

The world was returning to how it used to be.

“At the same time, starting next month, we will collect taxes for electricity and water. And once the currency is well-established, please be aware that income tax will be added.”

Electricity and water bills—things that would have made his mother and father scratch their heads in frustration before the apocalypse.

These were the most love-hate entities for citizens who felt their wallets being drained, but this time, Tae-hyun felt only gladness.

It might be an irreverent thought for a wallet that would have to pay taxes, but he actually hoped the day to pay taxes would come quickly.

“…We’re returning to normal life.”

Returning to ordinary daily life.

This city was becoming the new world he wanted.

Yu-na’s prophecy to Tae-hyun was coming true exactly as foretold.

As if entranced, Tae-hyun trudged home with the cult’s information pamphlet and his daily wages.

“You’re home, Tae-hyun!”

“Yes, Mother.”

Tae-hyun’s home wasn’t the apartment they had lived in before.

It was a public villa that the Balhut Cult’s reconstruction team had renovated from an abandoned building and provided for free.

His mother and father had apparently already returned home, as his mother was contemplating while handling the coins received as today’s wages.

“Tae-hyun, your father and I want to take on a challenge.”

“A challenge? What do you mean, Father?”

And as if they had made up their minds, they told Tae-hyun about their desire to challenge themselves.

“Yes. We want to set up a business.”

“Your father and I want to earn a lot of money through self-employment.”

Father’s challenge was self-employment.

However, Tae-hyun scratched his head and spoke as if afraid of his parents’ challenge.

“But… the money.”

Running even an ordinary business required a lot of money.

Starting with store rent, construction costs, and numerous tools needed for self-employment.

If it was a retail business, they would need connections to obtain goods at wholesale prices and routes to sell them.

Thinking that far, he believed our family, without any connections, couldn’t succeed in the harsh world of self-employment, but…

“Property values are meaningless now, aren’t they? The Balhut Cult has declared that previous real estate has no value anymore.”

“Ah.”

This was the apocalypse.

All previous values had disappeared in the zombie apocalypse.

Since Tae-hyun was working as a kitchen assistant in the safest place, it was hard for him to notice, but there were still zombie hordes heading toward Gyeongju and looter groups that didn’t recognize the Balhut Cult.

Conversely, this meant that Korea’s assets had essentially been reset, and in this situation, opening a business wouldn’t cost much.

“The cult has declared that they won’t recognize previous real estate values and ownership. Well, the value itself is naturally gone since this land was overrun by zombies. And there’s almost no way to prove ownership anymore.”

And the Balhut Cult had announced that they wouldn’t provide any guarantees regarding real estate values or ownership from the time of South Korea.

In other words, the ownership of buildings in Gyeongju was determined by the Balhut Cult reclaiming and directly distributing them, and it was likely that future land ownership would also be sold in a format where the Balhut Cult reclaimed and sold it.

This was essentially a harsh and cold policy of uncompensated confiscation and distribution for buildings, and uncompensated confiscation with compensated distribution for land—cruel for former property owners, but it appeared to be a golden opportunity for the Kim Tae-hyun family, who had only ever had a jeonse apartment.

“Then what kind of business are you thinking of starting?”

“Food service.”

It was hard work.

Food service was the hardest among self-employed businesses.

“Won’t it be difficult?”

“Of course it will be.”

“But everyone is poor now, so if we work hard, can’t we earn a lot of money?”

But now everyone was poor and had no money.

If they worked with determination to survive, couldn’t they grow into business owners who could easily pass on a store to their son?

Tae-hyun understood his parents’ will, but he worried whether business was really possible with the coins he had received.

“Can we do business with these coins? They’ve just been distributed, so the credit of these coins is an issue.”

That was because the coins were money he had just received as today’s wages, so he knew nothing about their value and credit.

If they earned a lot of money, but it all turned into worthless paper, how empty and lamentable would that be?

“Ah, you don’t know yet. Look at the explanation about the coins on the cult’s website. These coins—Lord Bahamut himself has guaranteed their value and credit.”

“L-Lord Bahamut himself?!”

Bahamut.

That name was special to Tae-hyun as well.

The god of the Balhut Cult, a brave and benevolent great dragon.

The mighty dragon who had exterminated all zombies in Gyeongju and brought peace to the city.

The same Bahamut who still protected Gyeongju from external threats had guaranteed the value of the coins in front of Tae-hyun.

“Then, I’ll look into it.”

Then it could be trusted.

Tae-hyun dragged his tired body straight to the official store.

If his father and mother were going to run a business, he as their son should help them.

And what Tae-hyun saw when he arrived at the cult-operated official store was:

“For sale! Selling! Never-used items!”

“Clearance! Clearance! Everything must go! We no longer accept tuna cans or ramen! Only coins accepted!”

As if already believing in the value of the coins, hawkers filled the area around the official store.

They seemed to have brought all their useless items from home, with countless items laid out on mats.

There were useless items and seemingly useful ones.

Feeling as if he had come to a flea market, Tae-hyun realized that business was indeed possible.

“We can exchange ramen or tuna cans for coins. Of course, we’ll exchange them at a slightly lower price than our retail price.”

“Are other items possible too?”

“Yes. Electronics are possible, as well as precious metals and gold. Our expert appraisers will help with the appraisal.”

Many items were being sold at the cult’s official store, and conversely, the cult was also buying large quantities of supplies and precious metals brought by cult members.

It was a scene where one could feel with their own eyes that the Balhut Cult was aiming to revitalize the market economy.

“Mother, Father.”

And after looking at the products displayed at the official store and market stalls, Tae-hyun was able to find items that could help with their business.

“Let’s make our first business a food cart to make our name known. I also found out about business licenses from the cult.”

The Kim family’s first business was a street food cart.