episode_0028

“…Many have embraced God’s arms. But it’s not your fault. Rather, if it weren’t for you, everyone here would have been confessing their past lives at His feet, wouldn’t they? Don’t blame yourself. Everyone who survived, all the bereaved families, are grateful to the Lord. So don’t feel burdened. Get your spirits up quickly! Oh! Would you like to touch my chest?”

“…What a messed-up dream.”

Sometimes, a man can become infinitely weak.

This seems to be one of those times.

He felt like he’d only closed his eyes for a moment, but the sun had already set.

It wasn’t a long time, but he’d fallen asleep as if he’d fainted.

He didn’t know how long it had been since he’d slept like this.

Thanks to that, he even had a foul dream.

‘I’ve softened…’

Did the word ‘burden’ weigh on him so much?

Perhaps the fierce resolve he’d stubbornly built up since his rookie days when he fell with nothing but the clothes on his back had all drained away. When had he become so lax?

Since his return.

Was it from the moment he concluded there would be no more blood-soaked scenes?

His mental fortitude had weakened.

No, it would be more accurate to say it had softened.

In a famous hero movie, there’s a line like this:

“You’re not the only one trapped by the curse of knowledge.”

He hadn’t understood what it meant, but now he did.

The nature was different, and it wasn’t quite a curse, but wasn’t it a similar experience?

He had encountered a lot of information about zombies through the internet.

As a result, he felt a sense of disillusionment.

He hadn’t realized it, but after a nap, his calmed mind finally did.

*Master. You’ve lost your mind.*

…Damn it.

Tony… What kind of battles have you been fighting…?

The world changed when zombies appeared.

He thought he was indifferent amidst it all, but he wasn’t.

Whether he chose not to see it, or simply ignored it.

The moment he felt the current reality was stifling and bleak, it all burst forth.

His once strong spirit had softened.

Perhaps his mind was too at ease in his peaceful hometown.

Now that he realized it, he felt pathetic.

How pathetic must he have seemed for his grandfather to offer such encouraging words?

‘Ugh… How embarrassing…’

It was fortunate that he realized it now.

Since he knew the problem, all he had to do was steel his resolve and do well from now on.

He wanted to believe that.

He lit a cigarette, chasing away the lingering drowsiness.

‘What do I want to do, huh…?’

He let out a small chuckle at his foolish thoughts.

He should never do that in front of others again.

He stubbed out his cigarette and stood up, brushing himself off.

As he left the room, he ran into Shia, who was pacing outside the door.

“…Are you alright?”

She asked cautiously, scrutinizing his expression.

She had her head bowed as if she had something to say, but she didn’t speak.

For some reason, it felt like she was watching him.

What was there to watch him for?

He reassured her that he was fine, and together they headed to the common room.

Sure enough.

Everyone looked at him with worried eyes, genuinely concerned.

“I guess I was just tired from not sleeping well these past few days. I’m fine.”

At his words that he was truly fine…

“That’s a relief then. Please don’t overdo it.”

“That’s right, hyung-nim. You can rest more.”

“Eat something and relax your mind.”

Everyone added a word.

Their worried words jolted his mind awake.

He must have caused quite a nuisance.

He had rescued these people from danger and pushed through the peril to get here.

He shouldn’t worry them any further and must do his best until the very end.

Steeling his resolve, he found a spot and settled down casually.

Everyone sat around, and the conversation naturally resumed.

The conversation had little substance.

They had reached their primary destination, so they should rest as planned.

More precisely, they should recover their bodies.

And in the meantime, the suggestion was to observe the situation and then move.

“I’ve given it some thought, and while it’s good to rush, in a situation like this, I’d like to wait a bit and observe before moving.”

The group focused on his words.

“Because I can’t trust the government.”

In Korea, there are many shelters and similar facilities.

Even apartment complexes often have disaster shelters or underground bunkers. Even facilities like senior citizen centers in parks have emergency shelter signs.

To someone unfamiliar, it might seem like they are well-prepared for disasters.

But in reality, that wasn’t the case.

Most shelter facilities were utterly inadequate.

To the point where they could barely function properly.

Once, when he went out for demolition work.

He went to what was called a shelter demolition, but it turned out to be an underground karaoke room.

Most registered shelters were underground facilities.

They felt less like proper bomb shelters and more like makeshift substitutes.

Of course, having something was better than nothing.

But the supplies and facilities suited for them were poor.

He’d heard that the government’s response to various dangerous situations usually went completely awry. To the point where if they didn’t completely screw things up, it was considered a success.

He’d been told that national action guidelines for emergencies weren’t created for no reason.

The ability to protect the safety of the citizens and resolve crises was lacking.

The current situation was a form of shifting that responsibility onto the citizens themselves.

This was a story a seasoned public official in charge had spun, purporting to be shedding some light.

Hearing that story, his precious tax money felt like such a waste.

He heard other trivial stories too, but they only made his stomach churn.

It was a reality that only brought deep sighs.

In the current situation, he wished that public official’s words were just a lie.

Anyway, he had completely forgotten that fact, and it only now came back to him. He swallowed it down, not saying it outright for now.

Actually, besides that, he had noticed something else while looking up related information.

The response was slow and complacent.

Telling people to stay home and endure…

Everyone already knew it was dangerous outside.

The publicly announced date of the zombie outbreak was roughly four days ago.

And though it wasn’t definitive, the content of the press conference.

When Dong-woo showed it to him, he’d dismissed it as pathetic and paid no attention.

But connecting the dots roughly…

It was estimated that the outbreak in Seoul happened three days earlier than that.

In other words, for a week, they had been dragging their feet terribly.

At first, he thought it was just a reporter’s rumor, but his mind changed.

The timing when content depicting the situation back then was censored was roughly similar.

Gangnam Taeseong Hospital, in particular, was suspicious.

If.

The zombie outbreak started at Taeseong Hospital, and they had sealed it off for three days.

He believed that if proper measures had been taken, the current situation might not have occurred.

It was a forced idea, and there was no basis for judgment or clear evidence.

However, when they kept trying to hide things, suspicion was bound to sprout.

If there was nothing to hide, why would South Korea be censoring information?

He couldn’t tell everyone such a rumor-like opinion.

After thinking this far, he had a bad feeling.

First, he abandoned the idea of taking everyone to a government-designated shelter.

So, he proposed an alternative.

“For now, I think we should endure, see what happens, and then decide. We’re slightly out of danger right now, so we have a little time.”

Everyone seemed to fall into thought and deliberation.

They would want to escape danger, even if just a little.

They would want to be provided with a safe place and protection.

Because they had truly almost died.

“Anyway, moving right now is impossible. Let’s recover our bodies and wait.”

At the mention of waiting again, people seemed a little deflated.

But that was all. The atmosphere wasn’t overly disappointed.

‘Ah… these people got the news before me.’

While he was out and about, they had seen it first on their smartphones.

They might have understood this somewhat frustrating situation.

“What if… what if, I mean…”

Jihyeok cautiously asked.

“What will you do if there’s no government plan or suitable shelter?”

“Wouldn’t we have to resolve it ourselves then?”

“Ourselves… you say.”

It was a harsh truth, but if that time truly came, he believed they needed to prepare mentally. No one could be responsible for his safety, so he had to protect himself.

“In the worst-case scenario, we’ll have to band together and figure it out.”

“Us…?”

Shia questioned him, surprised at his assumption of the worst.

Jihyeok also had a surprised look.

Why would they ask such a – ah…

“Because I can’t just leave you all anywhere. That’s a promise, isn’t it?”

“Th-that’s right.”

“So don’t worry too much. It’s the same for everyone.”

He looked at the faces of his companions.

After a good night’s sleep and some food, they clearly looked much better.

Especially the grandmother, who he had worried about the most, seemed much improved.

“Everything will be alright.”

He was saying it to himself too.

He couldn’t wander the apocalypse like a complete pauper without even experiencing a relationship.

‘Somehow, it’ll work out. As I go along—’

A rumble.

He turned his gaze in the direction of the sound to see Dong-woo looking flustered.

His face was bright red, and his eyes darted around.

He had been listening quietly until now, but his stomach had answered.

“…Shall we eat something?”

It was a bit late, but no one objected.

He started pulling food out of his bag and laying it out.

The timing was good; he had wanted to change the atmosphere anyway.

This kid, Dong-woo.

He liked him.

He ate a simple meal and looked at his companions.

Their expressions weren’t bad, and their complexions were starting to return to normal.

The atmosphere, with everyone together, wasn’t entirely heavy either.

“Hyung-nim. Have some of this.”

Dong-woo offered him bread and bottled water as he peeled a sausage.

He was grinning ear to ear, happy to be eating a late-night snack.

Seonghan chuckled at the sight.

They all briefly set aside their worries for the future.

They exchanged conversations, a little laughter breaking through.

Outside was grim, but the tense atmosphere from moments ago softened.

For some reason, he wanted to protect this current mood.

It was just a thought.

***

Choi Dongwoo munched on his snack and subtly glanced at Seonghan.

He had been very worried yesterday because Seonghan seemed to be in a bad mood.

But now that he looked okay, Dongwoo felt relieved.

Choi Dongwoo was simply grateful to Seonghan.

From their first meeting in the Holy Sale bathroom ceiling until now.

He had received kindness in a short time.

He had been given a joking condition.

Seonghan had saved him and helped him meet his grandparents.

Choi Dongwoo had thought he would never see them again.

His grandmother had emphasized the importance of greeting people properly.

Thanks to following her words, he could smile in this place now.

His grandfather patted his shoulder.

His grandmother held his hand warmly.

The two people Choi Dongwoo loved most in the world.

Choi Dongwoo found Seonghan simply amazing.

In a life-threatening situation, he had truly kept his promise.

So Choi Dongwoo also vowed to keep his own promise.

‘I’m curious what kind of person Hyung-nim is, but…’

He had many questions, but for some reason, he felt like he shouldn’t ask.

He felt he couldn’t even answer if his grandparents asked about Seonghan.

Because that was the promise.

A piggyback ride between two men was a bit much, but it was an unforgettable experience.

When Seonghan carried the over 90kg Choi Dongwoo and ran across rooftops.

He hadn’t seen everything, but when Seonghan swept away the zombies.

Choi Dongwoo still vividly remembered the overwhelming surprise he felt then.

‘I wonder if he’ll give me another piggyback ride. Just one more time.’

…One day in Choi Dongwoo’s 22nd year.

He met a hero, just like in the movies.