Chapter 37: Kind Neighbor

A suspicious neighbor moved in. Sa Gi-hyeok arrived with just a heavy bag and worked diligently like someone truly trying to settle in the villa district.

He was first to volunteer for physical labor, sweating hard. When people mentioned difficulties, he’d roll up his suit sleeves and try to help somehow. He always greeted people with a friendly voice.

But the villa district people didn’t easily open their hearts.

“That guy, there’s something off about how he talks.”

“He works hard but isn’t very good at it. Hope he at least doesn’t get in the way.”

His way of speaking that felt like indirect insults, and results that weren’t great despite all his sweaty work.

Above all, having been badly burned by the scheming apartment people’s plot, they watched him with suspicious, watchful eyes. Like an invisible wall stood between Gi-hyeok and the villa people.

Still, through his persistent efforts to break down that wall, he gradually gained some acceptance.

“Looking him up online, seems he ran some big investment business. When would he have done manual labor before?”

“He’s probably not a spy. Who would send someone like that as a spy?”

After investigating his background, even the most suspicious people gave him minimal trust.

“Mr. Sa Gi-hyeok. Here’s payment for your work. Instant rice and Spam.”

“Wow. First time doing physical labor but it feels rewarding! Never even served in the military. Spam’s not as good as beef but can’t be picky these days. Gotta eat what we can.”

“…Then don’t eat the Spam! Go find some beef!”

One way or another, Gi-hyeok blended in as a somewhat dim-witted neighbor.

Of course, our marauder members were different.

Park Yang-gun and Do-hyung, in charge of farming based on Hope Community experience, viewed him with unfriendly eyes.

Members gathered at my place after a long time. Park Yang-gun, hands covered in dirt, shook his head.

“How can you trust someone who just talks smooth? Always bragging about how great he used to be. His face doesn’t look trustworthy either.”

Do-hyung frowned more explicitly, grumbling with what felt like hatred:

“He’s a con man. Talks just like one. People who showed up when I got inheritance after my parents died, people I met trading stocks – all had that same feel.”

“Right. His name is literally Gi-hyeok. Must be a con man.”

Having doubted if Gi-hyeok was really just simple based on his actions, I spoke confidently with conviction.

I wasn’t wrong after all. Judging by name impressions was right.

But both members looked at me like I was ridiculous.

“Reading faces is one thing, but judging people by names?”

“That’s a bit…”

What was this? Why were people who lived up to their names perfectly dismissing my judgment? While badmouthing him baselessly about faces and feelings? I was being more rational!

I opened my mouth to argue but ended up sighing deeply. No need for childish arguments. Nothing to gain.

Roughly changed the subject.

To Do-hyung, who faithfully visited Hope Community even in these harsh times to meet his girlfriend.

“Is Hope Community doing okay? How’s the romance?”

“Ah, why bring up romance…”

Though Do-hyung blushed shyly, his expression briefly darkened as he talked about the community.

“Hope Community’s really thriving. They had a clash with the police station recently, and the police backed down.”

“…The police?”

Honestly, wasn’t the police station the strongest group in this area? Guns, bulletproof vests. Their numbers weren’t small either.

But Do-hyung vividly described the clash like he’d seen it himself.

Shields made from car doors and hoods, smoke-producing Molotov cocktails, lethal slingshots, long spears, orderly formations. Even improvised armored vehicles with shields welded to cars.

Truly apocalyptic…

I gaped in amazement.

While we were awkwardly scuffling, the real powers were waging real war…

But there seemed to be problems.

“They can’t completely block the virus, so occasionally one or two people turn into zombies. Yeji seems really stressed, always crying about being scared, feeling like she’ll die…”

I didn’t care about others’ romance. I was more interested in the downsides of communal living.

‘Group living really is vulnerable to virus. They’ll definitely fall to the virus eventually. For real.’

This definitely wasn’t me cursing because the group I left was doing well. This was rational, logical, scientific prediction.

Conversation dried up around there.

“Well, goodnight. Got work tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Boil your water and watch out for the virus.”

The members left.

Alone, I prepared for bed. Hiding hammer, gun, water gun, and taser in various spots around my bed, hanging small bells on windows, blocking the door with a chair before sleeping.

The world after the apocalypse progressed was divided by space. Territory concepts. Many people created territories centered on residences with steel front doors, while many zombies gathered at commercial buildings and public facilities.

PC rooms, cafes, subways, restaurants, convenience stores, commercial buildings were designed for easy human access, naturally becoming zombie strongholds.

Glass doors broke easily. Stairs were essential too.

Anyway, the villa district was safer than expected.

Safe enough for us to work openly in the streets.

“Let’s make a safe villa district!”

Blocking off our territory in the villa district. Making it annoying for both zombies and people to approach.

“One, two, three!”

People counted as they pushed parked cars. Using cars as barriers to block the road.

Some cars had handbrakes engaged, but we just broke windows and released them. For cars with locked steering making direction awkward, we left them and moved cars that started with collected keys.

The street filled with sounds of cars slowly moving, people straining, sluggish driving.

Other people worked busily on the sidewalk.

“Tie everything from here to there!”

People holding red string tied knots to trees, streetlights, first floor villa windows, car window frames along the street, covering the sidewalk with string.

Straight lines, diagonals, crisscrossing, overlapping.

Making it hard just to walk down the street. Looking like a spiderweb from front or above.

I worked among them too. Menacingly hanging POLICE LINE tape received from police friends. At the villa district’s outer entrances, broken first floor windows, the spy’s corpse.

That’s when an embarrassed voice called out from somewhere.

“Um, excuse me, neighbors. Could you help untie me?”

Turning around, it was Gi-hyeok. He must have been working with police line tape I’d distributed, but somehow got his arms and legs tangled in it.

He’d simply managed to tie himself up while working alone with the tape.

“Anyone?”

As Gi-hyeok hopped over, people around sighed heavily like they were used to it, scolding:

“You klutz. How’d you get tangled in tape…”

“Should’ve just farmed, no, he’d probably cut his fingers cutting plastic bottles. Geez. Let’s work properly.”

But they went to untie the tape. Results of Gi-hyeok’s efforts – he’d blended in well.

But I narrowed my eyes watching.

‘Is he a spy?’

A spy lowering group work efficiency and wasting resources? Just the resources he’d wasted now – precious tape I’d gotten from police friends. Several meters worth.

Serious resource loss. The elderly farming were more useful.

I swung my hammer idly, lost in thought. Should I deal with him? His impression was ambiguous too.

But the man approaching from behind made me turn with his muttering.

“I must be crazy. Suspecting someone like that of being a spy.”

“…He could be a spy though, right?”

“Him?”

The man pointed weakly. At the end of his finger, Gi-hyeok smiled giving thanks, then tripped on string trying to return to work.

“Ah! My glasses!”

He did look pathetic, groping the ground for his fallen glasses.

“Like anyone would listen to what he says. Won’t even include him in important meetings. Spies are placed where they can exert influence.”

After thinking, I nodded.

The man seemed expert in this field, better trust the expert.

Just as I hid my unease, trying to maintain minimal suspicion – people working started looking toward the street.

Beyond the street, someone approached avoiding the strings.

And seeing that person, Gi-hyeok’s face turned deathly pale.

A filthy person. Their unkempt hair was matted from not washing, tattered clothes covered in blood and dust.

One hand held a gas can, the other a lit phone showing what looked vaguely like someone’s photo.

“Excuse me for interrupting your work. Have you seen this person? Ah, here-“

They politely seemed to ask something while showing their phone to working people, then suddenly shook and laughed.

“Haha. So you were hiding here. Ah, there you are. Gi-hyeok, you con artist bastard!”

Shouts echoed loudly.

Working people looked at each other bewildered, then shifted their gaze to Gi-hyeok.

Gi-hyeok trembled violently. So much I worried his cracked glasses might fall. He unconsciously backed away until strings tripped him backward.

Even then he crawled backward, hands pressing the ground.

“No, that’s, no.”

“What? Quarantine safe zone development investment? Got info from government officials? Priority move-in for investors? Because of those lies!”

The filthy person’s thrown phone flew between strings, landing at Gi-hyeok’s feet. It showed some investment presentation photo.

A photo of neat Gi-hyeok presenting confidently.

The situation became clear. Gi-hyeok was a criminal, this filthy person his victim.

I clenched my fist at that moment.

‘He really is a con man!’

No wonder his name felt con-man-like from the start. Gi-hyeok’s subtly uncomfortable impression changed instantly. To likeable.

A merchant selling people’s hopes and greed, a con artist skillfully manipulating people’s hearts, a marauder who stole others’ money when the world was fine then exploited the apocalypse.

Had to acknowledge this.

“You, stay right there!”

As the victim approached ducking under strings, villa district people tried to stop them. He was still a neighborhood neighbor after all, and more importantly the victim’s weaponry was dangerous.

“First put down that gas can-“

“Get lost!”

No chance to stop them. The victim instantly poured out the gas can. A momentarily beautiful rainbow liquid splashed across the street. The victim also doused themself in gas.

They quickly pulled out a lighter like someone who’d practiced this action dozens of times. Something like madness burned in the victim’s eyes.

“I just need to kill him. So get out of the way.”

“No…”

The villa people couldn’t move either way. Even the man seemed shocked.

“A con man? Him? Am I that bad at reading people? If he was a spy… Doubt. Must doubt. No matter what.”

Gi-hyeok hung his head then slowly stood. A bitter voice flowed out.

“Everyone, please move aside. It’s my fault, I’ll take responsibility.”

“Yeah, you better take responsibility! Trusting your words and just waiting without doing anything, my daughter, my wife became zombies! Should’ve bought an island vacation home instead of investing with you-“

Seemed there was a story. I wrote a scenario with him as protagonist.

A world where zombie virus spread.

Gi-hyeok approached him desperately seeking survival. Bringing hope of a quarantine safe zone.

But it was a scam, and meanwhile his family turned zombie and collapsed.

Where to direct that rage? The Chairman? Overseas, and even with a curse doll, not someone who’d fall to mere curses.

Eventually Gi-hyeok. Having sold false hope, all responsibility for collapsed hope lay with him. So the victim must have tracked him clutching his photo and gas can through dangerous streets.

Fighting zombies, fighting robbers, fighting brutal groups.

‘Setting himself on fire and burning to death with Gi-hyeok here would make a decent ending.’

Unfortunately this was reality, fire was too dangerous, and Gi-hyeok was useful talent.

I moved stealthily, holding my breath. Carefully approaching the victim’s blind spot while minding shadow positions.

People had already gathered around the victim and Gi-hyeok, so the victim didn’t notice me.

“Felt good running away? Thought I couldn’t follow?”

The victim grabbed Gi-hyeok’s collar with gas-wet hands. Following rough shaking motions, Gi-hyeok swayed back and forth with tightly closed eyes.

Taking position, I briefly looked around. Meeting eyes with Do-hyung, he made an expression like “there he goes again,” while Park Yang-gun’s face said “reading faces is science.”

The man also nodded slightly. Like he knew what I’d do.

“Say something, you dog!”

Twist upper body. Pull hammer far back. Target is crown. In martial arts terms, Heaven Spirit Opening. Need to knock out in one hit. Can’t give time to light the lighter.

If fire spreads wrong the whole villa district burns. Spreads everywhere along the tied strings. Meaning all my resources disappear.

“I was wrong-“

Then Gi-hyeok opened his eyes, saw me, and shouted in shock with raised voice.

“No, behind-“

Crack!

Perfect hit. Best hammer feeling of all my swings so far.

The arson threatener collapsed. I quickly retrieved the lighter first, then crouched to hit their head several more times before standing.

“Should we clear all these strings? Too vulnerable to fire.”

Looking again, those weren’t obstacles but fuses.