episode_0015

When a person is struggling, exhausted, and tired, certain words automatically come out. Things like, “Ugh, I’m so tired I could die,” “I’m gonna drop dead,” “I can’t do this anymore,” “Damn it,” and so on. But when a person is truly struggling and feels like they’re going to die, it’s completely different. “Please help me.” These words just spill out. Everyone who has truly struggled said the same thing. I also know it all too well from my own experience.

That’s why I couldn’t just pass by the plea for help that came from above the holed ceiling. I couldn’t ignore that trembling voice, utterly devoid of energy.

‘How did he tear that open?’ When I first entered the restroom, the large hole torn in the ceiling caught my eye. I had faintly sensed that there was someone alive up there. Originally, I was just going to do my business and leave. But then the victim I met in the freezer came to mind, and it felt wrong to just pass by. So I just threw out a word, but to be asked for help… I decided to speak to him, thinking I’d at least confirm.

“Just come down and let’s talk.” “A-Are there no monsters down there?” “…No, so just come down.”

My words became curt as a slight irritation rose, but I didn’t go further. His voice sounded quite young. His trembling voice, devoid of strength, wasn’t just due to physical exhaustion but also because he was completely soaked in fear. From experience, in such cases, whether I get angry or am gentle, tears will definitely burst out. Unless it’s a pretty girl. I can’t stand seeing a guy sniffling and squeezing out tears from his eyes.

After a short wait, a rustling sound came from the hole, and then a foot descended. He struggled and flailed, then, as if his energy had drained, he nearly fell onto the floor. Cracking and thudding! “Ugh!” “……” As part of the holed ceiling tore away, a weak yelp burst out, and a thick cloud of dust rose, which was truly chaotic. The man who soon emerged from the stall looked to be in his early thirties. He was about 173cm tall with a chubby build. He had a fair amount of flesh on him. He was covered in greasy oil and dust from not being able to wash, making him quite a sight.

“How did you even get up there?” It wasn’t a ceiling finished with light plasterboard but rather a different material, so it wouldn’t just tear off by force. No matter how I looked at him, he wasn’t muscular nor did he seem agile. I scanned the man in front of me up and down, but it was simply strange.

“Oh, well. There was originally a ventilation shaft, I think? It was loose and dangling, so I tore it open and climbed up.” “Um… I get it. Hey, do you want to wash your face? You look like a zombie right now.”

I didn’t expect an answer, but I ended up reacting to his natural response. I was just going to check his condition to see if he was a zombie or not and then move on— “Uh, excuse me, but do you have anything to eat? I’m so hungry…” “…I’ll go get it, so wash up in the meantime.”

Just in case, I added a word. “It’s just in case, so only wash up. Don’t drink the water.”

He looked so pitiful that I blurted it out without realizing it. Though it might be because he was terrified, he looked a bit older than me, and perhaps because he spoke so politely, he didn’t seem like a bad person either.

‘His voice and face don’t match?’

As I pretended to go get something and started to leave, the man was utterly terrified. Seeing his body tremble instantly as if he was incredibly scared of being left alone, and his eyes well up with moisture, a sigh rose within me, but I didn’t show it. I reassured him not to worry since I’d be right outside, and then I stepped out.

After moving a little distance away from the restroom. ‘I thought something like this would happen eventually, but it came a bit sooner than expected.’ It was something I had thought about before. I couldn’t reveal my inventory in front of people, so I racked my brain for a trick. Put a few items in a large bag and take them out. Other than that, open the inventory inside the bag and take out items. The idea itself was crude. What would raise the quality was dense and meticulous movements. Don’t con artists also prepare meticulously with confidence? The outcome might be different, but I just need to be confident and careful. If caught, I can just insist they saw it wrong. ‘This is also a skill, so what if they know?’

From my inventory, I took out the large-capacity backpack I had picked up from the camping supplies section. And water, electrolyte drinks, canned porridge, and a few other snacks. I roughly packed them, slung the backpack over my shoulder, and headed back. It would be troublesome if he cried.

In the restroom, the man, who had roughly brushed off the oil and dust, was waiting for me. With a very earnest expression. ‘Ugh… his gaze is burdensome! Seriously.’ His expression changed from one extreme to another, making it easy to tell. From ‘Will he abandon me?’ to ‘He came back!’ That kind of feeling.

“Let’s just get out for now. There’s a zombie corpse at the entrance, so don’t be surprised.” To avoid the burdensome situation, I decided to move us. He flinched at the mention of zombies, but he still obediently followed.

Seeing the corpse lying at the entrance with its head burst open, the man started to retch. It’s not that I don’t understand, but… “Don’t look. Take a deep breath. This way.” I pulled the man along, quickly leaving the spot. We entered a temporary structure that looked like an event booth attached to a nearby wall. There happened to be zombies nearby, but the few that were there had been somewhat dealt with, so I had no worries. I was ready to try calming this man down and talking with him.

The man, unaware of the situation, was scared, perhaps because we were just hiding inside a temporary structure, but there’s nothing to be done when it’s like this.

“First, take these.” 2L of water and 1L of electrolyte drink. The moment he saw the drinks, the man’s eyes widened like lanterns, but he didn’t lunge. He only swallowed dryly.

‘Oh…?’

He seemed quite hungry, but he was trying to maintain his reason and even watching my reaction. He seemed like a decent person, and somehow I felt a bit sorry for him.

“C-Can I drink it?” “Yes. Start with this one.” I opened the cap of the electrolyte drink and handed it to him.

As soon as I handed it to him, he began to drink with the momentum of chugging the entire drink. “Slowly. If you drink it too fast and get indigestion now, there’s no solution.” At my unhurried words, the man seemed to notice my gaze and drank a bit more slowly. Still, the 1L electrolyte drink disappeared in a flash. As if proving that his chubby body wasn’t just for show.

This time, I handed him the water and said, as if soothing him. “Drink all this water too. This time, a little at a time, slowly.” “Ah, ah. Yes, yes.” He still watched my reaction and listened well. Perhaps because he had consumed water, he visibly began to calm down, and it seemed like we could start talking now.

“I’m Seonghan. Shin Seonghan. And you?” “Gulp— Ah, yes. I’m Choi Dongwoo. Thank you for saving me. And thank you for the water.”

‘Ohhh…?’

His unexpectedly polite demeanor seemed alright. “I wasn’t exactly trying to rescue you, and there’s more water, so you can drink it.” “Thank you. Um, if I may be so bold, could I get something to eat?” Though his voice was barely audible, I liked that his posture when asking was polite.

“I’ll give it to you. But you look like you’ve been starving for a while. How long has it been?” “Uh… well… about three days? Around that.” “You were up there for three days?” “Yes. Well, it just happened that way…”

If I had cleaned out the first floor when I first entered Holy Sale, I might have met this man sooner. But I had a different objective. ‘I wonder if this is good luck or bad luck.’ Now, I had cleared things up to some extent, making it a bit safer, but before, this seemingly naive man might have suffered or died. Maybe it was good luck.

He endured for three days against zombies in a dark, dusty ceiling. Even if one were to call him a coward, his endurance was worthy of praise.

I took out a few cans of vegetable porridge. Choi Dongwoo’s eyes darted around and trembled, following my hands. It was impressive that he hadn’t even drooled.

“I’m 29. I came here to procure supplies and found you.” I took off my sunglasses and pulled down my neck warmer, revealing my face. In front of this person, it felt okay to reveal my face and speak.

“I’m 22. But are you really 29…?” At Choi Dongwoo’s slightly surprised words, I gave him a questioning look. “No, you have an incredibly youthful appearance. I thought you were only a year or two older than me.” “…Enough. More importantly, are you really 22?” “Yes.” I was surprised instead. If he’s 22, then his naive behavior makes sense. A face that looks older than mine at that age.

“Hmm… you look quite mature.” It was the greatest conversational ‘drift’ I, in my fluster, could manage at that moment.

“Heh heh. It’s okay. Everyone says I have an old face, anyway. Oh, by the way. Can I call you Hyung-nim? You’re much older than me.” “You’re quite cheeky. More importantly, there’s something I want to ask you.” “Yes, Hyung-nim. Please tell me.”

“Hyung-nim, what are you talking about… No. You said you were up there for three days, right?” “Yes.” Choi Dongwoo now even looked incredibly gentle. For some reason, I couldn’t dislike him.

“Do you know anything about the current situation? Anything you’ve heard, miscellaneous stuff, anything is fine. Tell me.” “Huh? Huh? Oh, I don’t know much either…” “It’s because I don’t check my phone much.” “Ah~ Hmm… then.” “It’s okay, just eat this and tell me. You have to eat slowly.”

Choi Dongwoo’s face brightened at my words, and he slowly spooned up and ate the canned porridge. I was taught not to open my mouth while eating, but what does it matter? There was no one watching, and only zombies were around. I didn’t rush Choi Dongwoo, who must have been scared, thirsty, and in pain from hunger. I just listened and thought about what he told me as he slowly ate his porridge.

Choi Dongwoo slowly unraveled his story. From how he came here three days ago to eat pizza and got trapped in the restroom. How he got trapped in the ceiling because of the zombies below. His family members, whom he couldn’t contact. Stories he encountered through his smartphone in the darkness. And how he fumed at the frustrating government announcements. The story he told me while slowly emptying five cans of porridge was quite useful.

‘I thought the gosiwon was the first day of the zombie outbreak, but…’ It wasn’t yet time to be certain. But according to Choi Dongwoo, it had actually occurred a few days before that.

“…They hid it.” It seemed these bastards weren’t slow to react, but rather tried to hide it. I also remembered how quickly the videos floating around the internet were deleted.

“Hid it, Hyung-nim?” He must have overheard my mumbled monologue as I was lost in thought. Choi Dongwoo asked with a truly curious expression. This guy is really easy to read.

“No. More importantly, show me that government announcement video.” “Oh, that. My battery is dead…” At that, I took out my smartphone and handed it to Choi Dongwoo. With chubby fingers like shrimp meat, he tapped away quickly and then showed me the video.

“Hey. Is this real? Even kids could do better than this.” “Right? If you look at the comments, it’s seriously no joke.” “These bastards are eating up my hard-earned taxes…”

The government’s actual announcement was, well, simply astounding. I didn’t know what big decisions these crazy bastards would make— ‘Is rescue or recovery possible? No, it’s too late.’ I didn’t know what kind of nonsense they were doing, but it was already too late, and it would continue to be too late. If these were the countermeasures coming from the minds of such people? ‘They’ll tell people to stock up on a month’s worth of food and not go outside. Because they need to buy time. Or maybe gather people to create shelters. After that, recovery doesn’t seem possible…’ If what the reporter who asked a sharp question in the video said was true. The government had a choice. Whatever it was, they chose the side that would benefit them. Choosing to hide the zombie outbreak and the truth was the result of that. Therefore, the government’s response cannot be trusted.

People’s lives are being lost in real-time, and they’re calculating gains and losses? ‘From what I’ve seen so far, they’re not to be trusted.’ If it’s true that it spread simultaneously across major cities nationwide. There’s no safe place anywhere. The only option is to go to places with fewer people. If it spread nationwide, infrastructure, as well as order and the legal system, would collapse. People who discard a system that has lost its function— ‘Plunderers and criminals will start to swarm.’

The spread rate of the zombie outbreak is unusual. If the national system collapses in response to that. ‘…It’s a total mess.’ Just as I was thinking I should hurry and hide somewhere in the mountains. Choi Dongwoo was hesitantly watching my reaction.

“…Why?” “Um, Hyung-nim. Excuse me, but could I use your phone—” With a quick motion— “Th-Thank you!” Choi Dongwoo joyfully accepted the phone I readily tossed to him. He seemed to have been wary of my reaction, even though he was worried about his family. ‘What’s so hard about making a phone call?’ That much wasn’t difficult.

“Grandma… Please pick up the phone!” “The phone is turned off and will connect to voicemail…” After several attempts, when the call still didn’t connect, Choi Dongwoo lowered his head. Choi Dongwoo, whose shoulders were trembling as if he was about to sob—

“Don’t cry.” “B-But!” “No buts or anything. They aren’t dead. Did you see them?” At my irritated and aggressive tone, Choi Dongwoo shut his mouth.

“Other family members?” “Um… G-Grandpa…” “Calm down and just try calling. Don’t assume anything.” At my words, Choi Dongwoo tapped his smartphone again and made another call. He looked very agitated, perhaps due to worry and anxiety about his family.

“Hey. Hey. Choi Dongwoo!” He didn’t react when I called him, so I harshly called his name again. Only then did Choi Dongwoo look at me, his eyes looking as if an earthquake had occurred.

“Don’t assume anything unless you’ve seen it yourself. Understand? That’s being unfilial.” Even at my half-forceful words, Choi Dongwoo nodded deeply. He had somewhat regained his composure.

As the anxious ringtone continued— “He-Hello—” “Grandpa!!!” “D-Dongwoo! Oh, Dongwoo!!” “G-Grandpaaa! Sniff!” The Galaxy MK-18, bought after returning. A recovered convenience of civilization. Through my smartphone, a thread of hope clung to Choi Dongwoo.