episode_0024

My intention was to say it lightly, with a smile. Thanks to that, the situation became awkward. Even after I said it was fine, the uncomfortable atmosphere didn’t clear. In a way, it was like I was backbiting, or almost backbiting, but I didn’t intend to blame anyone. After all, it was me who appeared in such a state in the first place. It’s a natural reaction, unless someone is as screwed up as I am.

Meanwhile, Jihyeok-ssi wanted to salvage the situation somehow. “I apologize. Young-cheol didn’t mean anything by it.” “I-I apologize.” The person bowing 90 degrees to apologize must have been Young-cheol. “It’s truly fine. Please don’t dwell on it.” Saying more would only bother them further. Perhaps it would be better to change the subject in times like these. I gave a slight smile in response, then unzipped my duffel bag. First out was the crowbar. “This isn’t for fighting head-on; it’s for defense.” I handed them out one by one and had them practice the movements I’d taught Dong-woo. They were simple movements, but everyone nodded as if they understood. Jihyeok-ssi, in particular, had surprisingly good form. He is an actor, so I figured he must take care of his body normally, but… “Did you learn something?” “I learned various things in a crash course when I did action acting, and it seems to be helpful, haha.” Jihyeok-ssi said it as if embarrassed, but his posture wasn’t bad. The problem is whether they can confront zombies. Those creatures are dangerous. They attack living people, tear them apart, swallow their blood, and crave their flesh. I don’t know if there’s a reason for it or not. Is it hatred for the living? The sight of them screaming and rushing might be like watching humans who have lost their reason to rage. A being that tries to tear the life out of a living person rushes forward without reason, driven by an emotion akin to murderous hatred. For an ordinary person, that alone would make their body freeze. Whether from panic or consumed by fear. It’s a simple matter. Kill or be killed. If you can’t do it, you’ll just become fresh meat for the zombies.

Whether they knew my feelings or not, the mood among the group was somewhat uplifted. The group had spent helpless time trapped in fear. But now, with weapons in their hands, courage seemed to well up. It looked much better than their slumped appearances. It was simple, but positive. Isia and Bomi-ssi also tried to wield the crowbars they held, but it looked precarious. Though short, they were made entirely of iron, so it seemed difficult. I showed them a defensive stance by holding the crowbar horizontally, then urged them to focus on holding out. Rather than striking, it seemed better to endure and call for help. Fortunately, they seemed to realize this themselves and didn’t complain.

While people were getting used to the tools, I put Dong-woo to work on odd jobs. First, a 1kg bag of polished rice and a pot. “Pound this into a fine powder. As fine as possible, using the end of the handle.” I suddenly ordered him to pound the rice, but Dong-woo didn’t complain. What a commendable kid. It was strange enough to suddenly take out a large pot and rice to pound, but he was doing it with an axe handle, which made for quite a sight. Seeing his only grandson suddenly doing chores, the grandfather, perhaps feeling unwell, stepped forward. “Give it to me. I’ll do it.” “No, Grandfather. This is the time for you to recover your strength. Please rest with Grandmother.” “B-but I’m good at this kind of thing.” “That may be so, but you need to rest now, so please leave it to Dong-woo, alright?” I stopped the fidgeting Grandfather and asked Dong-woo. Dong-woo also smiled widely and dissuaded his Grandfather. “No problem. Don’t worry, Grandfather, just rest with Grandmother.” The two of them gazed at Dong-woo, who was diligently pounding the rice, thumping away. I knew how precious he was to them, but… ‘He’s not a child left by the waterside or anything [an idiom implying he is not helpless].’ I chuckled and took out a portable container burner and fuel, and prepared water. I planned to grind the rice finely to make gruel. I thought it would be good for their recovery within a day or two.

As I took out bottled water from another bag and prepared it, Shia-ssi, who had been watching from a distance, hovered nearby. “We need to save water, so shouldn’t we use tap water? You’re going to boil it anyway, right?” “Hmm, that’s true, but…” The water seemed too suspicious, so I had no intention of using tap water. The problem was I couldn’t say this directly. Everyone in the group had just survived an extremely dangerous situation. I couldn’t pour cold water on them just as they were finally taking a breath. If there was a definite reason, I would risk saying it to some extent. Because it was a matter of life and death. Because I couldn’t watch them slowly turn from living to dead. I couldn’t plunge them back into anxiety with an uncertain hypothesis, so I was agonizing over my answer when… “I saw on the internet that a lot of people are surviving on just tap water.” “Internet? People?” “Oh! I charged my phone. Phone calls don’t connect well, but I was curious about outside news, so I looked around a bit.” “…Are there many people who have drunk tap water?” “Quite a lot, it seems. They must eat something, but with the situation like this, many people can’t get food. It’s really a big problem for everyone.” According to Shia-ssi, many survivors who can’t leave their homes are drinking only tap water. Whether videos or posts, many people were appealing for help due to hunger. The problem was that the number of people seeking help was still increasing. Too quickly. ‘It seems the water has no effect.’ Should I call it fortunate? I’m lucky. I wanted to be sure, but I couldn’t experiment on people. Moreover, if they “won” the lottery, they’d immediately turn into zombies. Perhaps if it were a short time. But many had survived for more than three days on just water. Yet, no one seemed to have developed any abnormalities. I could now consider the concern about water to be safe. I was grateful to the countless people who had unintentionally become test subjects. In return, I vowed to survive until the end. Just getting rid of the worry about water was a huge gain. Isia. I thought she was just a frivolous woman, but this news was good. Despite the difficult situation, she worries about others, so she must have a kind personality. However, for now, I wished she would worry about herself and the group first. “By the way, what are you doing right now?” “I’m thinking of making some gruel to make it easier to eat.” “Hmm.” “…If your phone is charged… have you contacted… your family?” It was a mistake. After spitting it out, I immediately regretted it. In an attempt to change the subject, I unintentionally brought up family.

“Well, phone calls don’t connect well. It says there’s too much traffic. The internet connection is somewhat stable, but it feels a bit messy, you know?” It seemed the communication network was breaking down. Seeing that it wasn’t cut off immediately, it seemed Korea really was an IT powerhouse. Shia-ssi’s expression was heavy as she explained. She must have a lot to worry about.

“Seonghan-ssi, would you like to try calling? Everyone else has tried, except for you.” It seemed they had tried to contact their families while I was out. But… “I’m fine.” “Oh? Huh?” “I’m an orphan.” “Ah…” At my nonchalant words, Shia-ssi closed her mouth tightly and her eyes trembled. “It’s okay.” “B-but still…” “Don’t mind it. It’s okay, so please don’t dwell on it.” It was a reaction I had seen many times, so I didn’t think much of it. I was abandoned at birth. During my turbulent teenage years, my emotions used to flare up quite a bit. But now, a lot of time has passed, and I’ve become nonchalant. I’m truly okay now. Shia-ssi, however, didn’t seem to be. Seeing her large eyes rolling around next to me made her seem cute. Just as I was about to open my mouth to comfort her. A familiar smell wafted to my nose. ‘This is?!’ I jumped up, opened the closed door, and sniffed the air. A foul, repulsive odor began to fill the staff corridor. A smell that would instinctively make any human wrinkle their nose. The stench of rotting corpses began to emanate. ‘Corpse stench? It hasn’t been that long, how is it so fast?!’ Is it because they’re zombies? Is their decay rapid because they’ve already died once? Putting that aside, I had been too complacent until now. To think I was going to spend time here, with one door separating me from dead corpses and walking corpses. “How foolish…!” At my sudden action, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me. Perhaps it was because I had gotten used to it. Until now, I had confronted zombies and smashed their heads. I had even shivered, getting drenched in rotten blood and feeling my head throb. To miss this. Being near decaying corpses won’t lead to anything good. It would be a miracle if no new diseases emerged. Even with normal corpses, it’s like that, let alone zombie corpses. I turned to the group, who were sending me worried glances, wondering what was wrong, and explained briefly. Only then did everyone, upon hearing my words, begin to recognize the corpse stench.

“I thought I smelled something strange, but for it to be the stench of rotting corpses…” “Excuse me, but do corpses… decay so quickly?” “I was unsure, but…” One by one, the group started speaking, sharing their feelings. They must have been disoriented by the unfamiliar smell they were experiencing for the first time, but I stated my thoughts. “It seems we need to get out of here. Now.” The group was slightly unsettled by my words. I knew it. “I know that moving forcefully without recovering our condition is difficult. I also know very well that everyone is exhausted and tired right now. Nevertheless, I want us to move.” They seemed puzzled by my resolute words, but.

“Indeed, it’s a difficult situation right now, but there’s no good in staying near decaying corpses, is there?” Jihyeok-ssi, at least, seemed to vaguely understand my thoughts. He nodded and added, “Moreover, those are zombie corpses. They are decaying rapidly, and I don’t know what kind of negative effects they might have. That’s why I want to leave here.” Tension and fear began to well up on the faces of the group. Emotions they had momentarily forgotten, or tried hard to suppress. They had just barely saved their lives, but now, only a few hours later, they were being told to go outside where zombies were teeming. It was inevitable that their bodies would tremble subtly. The answer was set, and their minds knew it. But their bodies wouldn’t obey. The fear of zombies, once etched into their bodies. However, now was the time to overcome themselves once again. “Originally, I intended to set out after sufficient rest, but my thinking was short-sighted. I apologize.” At my straightforward apology, everyone became silent. They seemed to be looking down at the floor with downcast eyes.

“Anyway, you saved us when we were about to die, unable to do anything. We will follow you.” Grandfather Choi Deokman and Grandmother Park Younghee. And Dong-woo. It wasn’t so much a ‘resolution’ as a look of newfound ease in their eyes. “We’re going to die one way or another. We can’t stay next to those disgusting things.” “It’s already hard enough, I can’t handle the smell.” One by one, they began to offer their brave votes of approval. Snap-!! I turned my gaze at the sudden breaking sound to see Shia-ssi breaking the heel off her shoe. “I think this will be more comfortable to follow along.” Shia-ssi broke the heel with a refreshing eye-smile. “It seems decided. Do you have a plan, Seonghan-ssi?” Even Jihyeok-ssi, who looked ready to follow immediately. Everyone’s hesitation was short, and their decisions were quick. “…This is a sudden and dangerous decision. Are you all truly okay with this?” Seeing the group so readily agree to my words made me worry. Leaving here was the right thing to do, but in their current state, it was by no means an easy decision. “Seonghan-ssi has already risked danger to come this far. Even if it was for the two elders, you brought food and water all the way here. I know that what you’re saying now is also for our sake.” I listened to Jihyeok-ssi’s words and looked around at the group. “We are grateful for that alone. There’s no reason for us to refuse when you’re stepping up for all of us right now.” Everyone nodded, looking at me. The eyes gazing at me held a mix of anticipation and something akin to warmth. A feeling of trust? Dependability? Something that could calm my trembling body. It was a short meeting, and I had only delivered some water and food. They seemed to think of me better than I expected. Quite a lot, in fact…. The feeling of being relied upon was burdensome, yet not bad. Receiving the group’s gazes made my shoulders feel stiff. Could I safely move them? Could I truly… My own deliberation was short, and my decision was quick. “I’d like to postpone the gratitude for a bit.” Anyone who didn’t know might easily misunderstand that I was ready to die without regrets now. I wanted to put such misunderstandings aside. “The plan isn’t difficult, but…” The plan immediately formed. It was simple and hardly a plan at all. I just had to execute it. “Steel yourselves.” I gripped Misuru, which was propped up on one side. I was ready.