episode_0002

My eyelids, tightly shut, trembled slightly.

……

After a while in that state, I could finally be sure that nothing had happened.

Carefully lifting one eyelid, I screamed again and shut my eyes tightly.

“Ah!”

After waiting for a while, opening and closing my eyes repeatedly, I could finally open my eyes completely.

Right in front of me, a mutant was staring down at me with red eyes glowing. Upon closer inspection, the vacant eyes seemed to be focused on somewhere far away, not on me. Even when I tried to move away, it still stared blankly at the spot where I had been.

Behind the mutant, the corridor was packed with zombies, bumping into each other aimlessly, swaying like waves.

Only then did my tension ease, and I slumped back into place.

“Ha, hahaha….”

My hollow laughter echoed among the zombies for a while.

***

The protagonist Ian, reaching the end, finally finds the right vaccine. He is left alone in a world full of zombies as the last human.

This vaccine not only prevents infection but also prevents recognition by zombies.

Ian did his best to develop the vaccine, helping the surviving scientists, but ultimately, he couldn’t develop it on his own as one piece of the puzzle was missing.

In the original work, this vaccine was described as the key to the final piece, and if only this had been available, he could have produced enough vaccine.

“Ha….”

A sigh escaped at the mere thought. I searched the lab just in case, but I couldn’t find any other information related to the vaccine in the already ruined place.

Well, my life comes first.

There was no option for me to sacrifice myself for research. Before the protagonist, thinking about what happened to the only immune person in the novel….

Revealing oneself as an immune person was actually a dangerous thing among humans.

In an apocalypse, even healthy scientists tend to become mad scientists. It’s probably better to keep this fact hidden as much as possible.

-Grrr

Until I found the vaccine, I didn’t realize I was so tense, but sitting near the police station, lost in various thoughts, a crazy hunger surged.

With nothing to eat at home and this level of hunger, today might be the day.

It’s about time….

As the crimson sunset burns behind me, the zombies roam aimlessly. I watched their movements absentmindedly, like watching rocks rolling on the roadside.

The world is destroyed because of those creatures roaring so fiercely. I still can’t believe it.

Now I’m an immune person too. Maybe because there hasn’t been a tense situation other than being chased briefly from the lab, I haven’t felt any fear of zombies. Honestly, I still don’t have a sense of reality.

While pondering useless thoughts with hunger, suddenly, my hair stood on end. As I was about to turn my head, a chilling sensation at the base of my neck froze me.

I glanced down. A blade precariously hung at my neck, gracefully curving upwards. A small, white hand holding the hilt appeared.

Behind it, a fluttering skirt. Below, sturdy thighs, and above, the buttons of a tightly pulled shirt looked like they were about to burst.

Before I could even appreciate the wide view, a cold voice rang out.

“Are you alone?”

I swallowed dryly at the voice filled with suspicion.

Meeting the gaze with tension, I slowly nodded my head.

With cat-like eyes and neatly tied ponytail hair.

Hajiyu.

Whether it was due to power balance or criticism for using a katana and having a dark complexion, this character helped in the beginning but died.

I was taken aback. The current situation with a knife pressed against my throat, and the tension in the air.

After a moment of silence with our gazes meeting in midair.

“Did you handle them?”

Handle…? Ah!

I absentmindedly nodded my head again, then suddenly realized.

There were about ten or so zombies scattered around, their heads bashed in with a bat as a pastime.

“Unbelievable.”

Only then did Hajiyu withdraw the knife pressed against my throat with an uncomfortable voice.

Was this some kind of test?

Even a sturdy adult man with a bat would have a hard time dealing with a few zombies clinging to him. But to handle ten of them alone, especially looking shady, was hard to believe. Even I wouldn’t trust it.

“What are you going to do? It’s hard to trust.”

As if Hajiyu’s words were a signal, two sets of footsteps approached.

Tall stature, broad shoulders. A face that looked gentle, kind, yet strong. The protagonist should look like this, right? Ian.

Ian walked towards me with confident steps.

Behind those broad shoulders, a short-haired girl peeked out anxiously, looking towards me. The original heroine, Chadoa.

I shouldn’t be glaring at Ian like this if I want to join the party. I didn’t like it. Betrayed yet still holding onto trust in humanity, overcoming crises even in despair. And in the end, meeting a tragic end.

Both the character and the ending. I didn’t like it.

Ian and I met each other’s eyes suspiciously.

I shouldn’t be acting like this, I should be joining the protagonist’s party, but I couldn’t easily avoid his gaze.

Before I knew it, Ian stood in front of me, nodding at Hajiyu as if asking for permission, then smiling softly with his lips.

“Are your parents okay? Are you alone?”

It seemed like they were looking at each other, but it was clearly a caring attitude.

I blushed and lowered my head in embarrassment and anger at being ignored. A complex mix of embarrassment and anger.

As I blushed and bowed my head, Ian seemed confident and reassured, speaking to comfort me.

“Are you scared because my sister is acting scary? You can be honest with me. I won’t leave you here just because you couldn’t catch the zombies.”

I clenched my hands tightly in embarrassment, trying to stay calm with mind control.

Yes, that could happen. Compared to Ian, who was well over 180 cm tall, I looked small, with a face that could easily pass for a high school student, and cheeks that were pale from not eating properly, looking pitiful. It was a misunderstanding-worthy appearance.

For now, let’s not cause a scene here and try to join the party as close to the original as possible. There’s no need to prove that I handled the zombies.

Even if that’s not the case, Ian will take me with him. That’s the kind of person he is.

“If you can’t trust me, there’s nothing I can do.”

My words came out unexpectedly, contrary to my thoughts.

Ian smiled awkwardly, thinking it was just a joke.

As the awkward atmosphere continued, a embarrassed sound rang out from his stomach.

-Grumble

Hearing that sound, Ian rummaged through his pocket. A moment later, he pulled out a chocolate bar.

Gulp. My mouth watered instinctively due to hunger.

Hesitating as if he might lose if he took it, Ian smiled and offered the chocolate bar again.

“Here, take it.”

The other person is insisting so much, it wouldn’t be polite to refuse. Above all, the hunger that had been gnawing at me since a while ago had now reached its limit.

I peeled off the wrapper and chewed on the chocolate bar.

“Take your time eating. If you eat too quickly, you might choke.”

After gulping down the water he handed me, Ian began to ask questions in earnest.

“How have you survived until now?”

Even if I didn’t believe it just now, if he simply said he survived by killing zombies, I wouldn’t believe it.

Then, how have I, Yoon Siwoo, survived until now?

…

I couldn’t remember. Since I was a minor character in the early stages and not given much weight, there wasn’t much background explanation.

Even Ian, who was so indifferent to humans, would be suspicious.

A virus that broke out simultaneously nationwide, centered around the capital region. Immediately followed by North Korea’s missile bombardment. Zombie hordes pushing forward from the north to the frontline units.

With no way to respond, all national facilities collapsed, and the world was engulfed in chaos.

In this chaos, it didn’t seem at all possible for me to survive.

What should I say… How have I survived until now in this chaos?

As the silence continued and Ian’s expression subtly changed, the scenery of my room from earlier in the day flashed by.

The crumpled ramen bags and water bottles piled up like mountains in all directions. I probably made up a story that I always stacked boxes of ramen and water at home and rarely went out for a few weeks. I had no choice but to come out now because all the food had run out.

Fortunately, Ian easily nodded his head.

“It’s okay to relax now. We’re on our way there. If you’re okay with it, you can join us.”

As he spoke, Ian turned his backpack around and took out a certain item.

A rough rectangular box that fit perfectly in one hand. It seemed like such an old item that you wouldn’t think it would work, but when he turned it on, a crackling noise could be heard.

Perhaps thinking that I wouldn’t know what it was, Ian added an explanation.

“It’s a radio. I borrowed it briefly from an abandoned house. I don’t know when I can return it, but…”

With a slightly bittersweet smile, he extended the antenna and faintly mixed with the noise, a person’s voice could be heard.

“This is K-Mart Yangjae branch. Survivors have gathered here. We provide water and food, although it’s limited. We plan to create a community here for survival. If there are any survivors, let’s gather our strength and overcome this adversity together.”