episode_0027

The sun set and darkness came.

I was inside the house with my grandfather.

I left my luggage in the room where I was staying.

I hung the clothes one by one on hangers and hung them on the rack. All of these clothes were things that a girl would wear. Well… weren’t there any simple ones..?

Because I was in a bad position, I couldn’t come out strong…

As I was looking at the clothes, I felt a presence outside the door.

” Are you done? Go take a bath. ”

Come to think of it, I really should wash.

I followed my grandfather’s instructions and went into the bathroom.

There was a bathtub there and water was running in it.

Oh, I guess this is how it is used because the water supply is cut off.

Is this well water?

I poured some water and touched it, and it felt a little cold.

It seemed unlikely that there would be any hot water.

I looked to the side and there was foam cleansing, shampoo, conditioner, treatment, body wash, body lotion… There were so many things?

Did you get all of these from the logistics mart too..?

First, take out a new toothbrush and apply toothpaste.

Brush your teeth thoroughly, scoop up a bowl of water, rinse your mouth, and wash your face.

Then pour the water you washed your face with onto your head.

The water is a little dirty, but this is what you need to do to save water.

Squeeze the shampoo and wash every part of your head, making sure to apply it to every single hair strand.

I feel the urge to just cut my hair off, but at the same time, a part of me is trying to convince me not to.

Is it because I’m used to this look?

Rinse your head and body at the same time, then finish by washing your body with body wash.

Huh? You don’t use things like rinse or treatment? It’s a waste of water.

Brushing my long hair was already a struggle.

After washing my body and coming out wearing a relatively simple short-sleeved shirt and shorts, I saw my grandfather preparing something on the table.

Are they preserved foods? Several cans caught my eye.

” Okay, let’s eat together. ”

” No, I… ”

” Even though I heard that the little girl didn’t have to eat. It’s hard to accept people’s feelings. Wouldn’t it be a bit much for me to eat alone? ”

” But.. ”

” It’s just my stubbornness. Just hang out with me this once. ”

No, I won’t be able to taste anything…

There was a variety of canned food. Peaches, tuna, mackerel, corn, kimchi, ham, etc.

There were also two bowls of rice.

I sat down on the chair, unwrapped a piece of rice, and put it in my mouth.

It just felt like eating rice. Even when my sense of taste was still alive, it was a bit ambiguous, so it was a bit confusing to tell the difference.

Peach. So I took one out of the can and put it in my mouth.

As far as I know, this is a soup? I remember it being sweet.

But right now, it just feels… mushy to me.

I didn’t expect much, but when I actually tried eating it…

It’s okay. There’s still more.

I took some ham out of the can and ate it.

I took a bite with some anticipation, but… ah… this was also something soft..

Do you know about water rice cake? Yeah, that’s it..

Isn’t this meat too? Why can’t I taste it?

I chewed it carefully, wondering, and only then did I faintly taste it.

The taste of pork belly eaten on its own can be faintly felt.

Why do I feel this taste here… Seriously, what’s wrong with my tongue?

But I can still feel it.

As I was munching on the food, trying to savor the flavor a little more, my grandfather spoke to me.

” Huh? Why are you like that? Does it not suit your taste? ”

” Hmm… It’s just subtle. ”

” Subtle? ”

Hmm? Huh?

” Hey.. Didn’t I tell you that I have lost my sense of taste..? ”

” This is my first time hearing this.. ”

Oh my… why did he keep asking me to eat with him?

It was a really useless waste of resources.

” Sorry. I thought I mentioned it when we spoke yesterday, but I guess I forgot. ”

” It’s not something to apologize for. Rather, it’s a shame. ”

The grandfather put his hand on his chin and continued speaking.

” But do you want meat without being able to taste it? Is it because of the texture? ”

” For some reason, I can taste the flavor of meat. ”

” Oh my… That’s right… ”

” I like raw meat the best. Grilled meat, processed meat, and seafood are also tasty, but not as good as raw meat. The fresher, the better. ”

” That part is also out of the ordinary.. It would be better for the little girl to hide that too.. ”

Well, I guess it would be terrifying to see a kid burying his face in a corpse and chewing on it.

” But since I prepared it this time, let’s eat it together this time. ”

” Yes. ”

You’re stubborn about this part.

############

Late at night, I was lying on the bed in my room, ready to sleep.

There’s no better time to organize your thoughts or reflect on the past.

My body is so special, it’s magical in itself.

Even injured or damaged bodies are restored, and the darkness is pierced, physical specs are abnormal, and there is no hunger, thirst, or fatigue.

In addition, through recent poison experiments, they have acquired a variety of poison resistances and can suck blood through their skin rather than through their mouths.

Plus, he’s a silver-haired person who prefers raw meat…

This looks like an ordinary vampire.

Sigh, do I really have to hide it to some extent?

If I get stuck, I might be able to solve it with force, but if possible, I don’t want to hurt anyone.

Well, there is a way to live alone without getting involved with anyone, but if you go to Yeoju, you will probably run into people in some form.

…Should I just live without thinking about anything? I don’t really have anything to lose, right?

Why am I worrying about this?

Let’s stay here for a while to gather useful supplies and then head to Yeoju.

Because I have to find my parents.

….I can’t sleep.

I got up, opened the door, and went out.

I walked towards the front door, trying to silence my footsteps as much as possible.

Grandpa is probably sleeping, since some time has passed since I entered the room.

” Where are you going? ”

Uh.

” Ah, let’s go for a night walk. ”

” I see. Don’t stay out too late. ”

I opened the front door, opened the gate, and went outside.

There was a full moon and many stars in the sky, and there were faint lights from a few houses on the ground.

There were street lights, but there was no electricity, so they were just for decoration.

I walked forward along the main road. I didn’t have a specific destination in mind, I just wanted to walk without a destination in mind.

As I continued walking, I came across a bench under a tree.

As I was sitting there, looking up at the sky and counting the stars, someone spoke to me from the side.

” Yes.”

” Ah. Saejun. ”

The person who personally drilled a hole in my head appeared.

” What’s going on here? ”

” Just. I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a night walk. ”

” You sound like an old man. ”

Well, he was an old man.

” Did you get the job? ”

” External exploration. I put in some effort. ”

I literally used my strength.

” Is the village chief alive? ”

” What do you think of me? ”

” Haha. Just kidding, just kidding. ”

Kim Sae-jun smiled and looked up at the sky as he spoke.

” Do you want to go out together tomorrow? My friends are going out too. ”

” Heh.. ”

I neither confirmed nor denied it. I am currently weighing which one would be more advantageous.

…If you catch a prey, you have to share it, right?

Okay, let’s reject it.

” I’ll go alone. I’m used to being alone. ”

” ..Really? Then what.. ”

” Then I’ll leave now. ”

” Do you know how to get back? ”

” Don’t worry, I won’t get lost like a child. ”

” ? You’re a kid, right? ”

” Be quiet. ”

I stood up on the bench, took a few steps forward, turned around and said.

” What’s in the logistics mart? ”

” …I told you, it wouldn’t be good for the child to find out. ”

” Hmm~. ”

I said, squinting my eyes.

” Okay. Then I guess I’ll have to go and see for myself. ”

” What?! No! ”

Kim Sae-jun suddenly got up and spoke in a panic.

No, if you throw bait like that, I have no choice but to bite, right?

” Then tell me. Why do you avoid places with a lot of supplies? ”

” ……. ”

” Are you going to keep doing that? ”

” Haa.. Armed robbers settled there not long ago. ”

” Robber? ”

” Yeah.. They’re really bad guys. Our villagers were gathering things to bring back to the village when the robbers came. They killed the men and took the women as slaves. There were also some children.. They tore them to pieces in front of their parents… There were worse cases.. ”

” How do you know that? ”

” A few survivors had fled to the village. I found out through them. ”

” Who is the tracker? ”

” There were about 3 of them, but the townspeople shot them dead. Those guys had guns, but they couldn’t respond to a surprise attack. ”

A logistics mart taken over by armed robbers~.

” Is there meat in that logistics mart? ”

” Uh.. maybe..? ”

Hehehe… I can’t turn down meat.

” But which direction is it? You need to know that so you don’t go that way. ”

” It’s the opposite side of the village entrance where we first entered. ”

Okay. Check the location. I’ll have to ask other people later.

” Then I’ll go to sleep~. ”

I hummed as I walked to my grandfather’s house.

I’m really struggling whether to attack head-on or infiltrate.

Of course, it hurts to get shot. But my desire for meat was pushing me to eat it no matter what.

What? You didn’t eat ham and mackerel?

The food that has such a weak taste is not meat.

Besides, I didn’t eat much to save resources. I have that much conscience.

I wonder if there’s beef at the logistics mart? There probably will be, right?

I wanted to go and eat quickly before the robbers finished eating everything, but it was late at night now and there was a high chance of getting lost.

Even though I can see through the darkness, I can’t see as clearly as during the day.

I passed through the front door and entrance of my grandfather’s house, returned to my room, and lay down on the bed.

I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.