episode_0057

It was an ambiguous time, not quite late night, nor truly early dawn.

Upon our arrival, we received intense stares from the soldiers on guard duty.

More precisely, the gazes were directed at me, and they were quite burdensome.

The feeling of receiving the sparkling gazes of burly, active-duty soldiers all at once…

Before I could shiver, I handed over the injured families and returned to my companions.

I thought I had entered quietly, but I ended up waking everyone.

It seemed they hadn’t been able to sleep easily on the uncomfortable makeshift beds.

So, while I was at it, I unpacked and distributed sleeping bags to everyone.

Everyone, who had been momentarily stunned by my act of unpacking the luggage in the middle of the night, smiled without a word, accepted the sleeping bags, and climbed inside to try and sleep again.

The sleeping bags’ effect was better than I expected.

The hard floor was unavoidable, but the feeling of being wrapped warmly was quite pleasant.

And now, after a sound sleep.

My condition was good, especially compared to running around and causing a commotion all day yesterday.

“Young man. Did you sleep well?”

“Ah, yes. Did you sleep comfortably?”

“Thanks to what you gave us yesterday, I slept warmly.”

Seeing the grandmother greeting me with a warm smile, she seemed to be in good condition. My mind was at ease, as it looked like she had overcome the dangerous hurdle and recovered well.

I looked around, but there was no one else besides the grandmother.

“Where did everyone go?”

“Oh, they went to visit the sick. Everyone was waiting to eat once you woke up, young man.”

“Ah… you could have eaten first.”

Feeling awkward, I scratched my head.

First, thinking I should eat something with everyone, I stood up.

I told the grandmother that we should all eat together on the rooftop and asked her to prepare a delicious meal.

When I told her to use the food I brought back last night as she pleased, her eyes lit up and she showed great enthusiasm.

I told her I would bring my companions and headed to the infirmary.

The atmosphere of the school, once outside the classrooms, was somewhat chaotic.

However, it wasn’t the gloomy and disorganized atmosphere from before.

‘Everyone seems busy?’

The busy soldiers and the people who had regained a bit of their vitality.

I wondered if something had changed during my day out.

I walked, feeling a somewhat livelier atmosphere.

My companions were gathered in the infirmary where I arrived.

But Jihyeok hyung and Shia were nowhere to be seen.

I was curious about the two who were absent, but I checked on the others first.

Byeongsu and Young-cheol, half-leaning, didn’t look bad.

Injuries couldn’t heal in a day or two, but the mood was bright.

As I watched them, people soon greeted me warmly.

A light smile unconsciously formed on my face at everyone’s friendly expressions.

The appearance of the people I had seen last night contrasted with that of my companions now.

The current situation was completely different.

The warm and gentle atmosphere now felt like a place where people lived.

“How are you feeling?”

“I rested well for a day, so I’m much better.”

They must still be in pain, but they definitely looked a little better.

The two had even lost consciousness, so it was a relief that no other problems developed. Young-cheol’s jesting that his recovery was smooth because he was young made me laugh.

Bomi and Byeongsu looked good in a different sense.

I could sense a subtle atmosphere that was definitely different from before.

‘Seems like something progressed.’

I didn’t know much about my companions.

Nor were we close.

But there was definitely something different from how they had appeared before.

Dong-woo, whom I suddenly noticed, was grinning, which was slightly bothersome.

“Why?”

“Nothing at all. Hehe.”

“…”

I decided to put my curiosity aside for a moment.

I felt like I’d need to have a talk with Dong-woo.

“Where did Hyung and Shia go?”

“They said they were going to meet someone.”

“…Really?”

Who could they be meeting in a place like this?

I was slightly curious, but it was a private matter, so I didn’t pry.

I stopped Dong-woo from saying something beside me and changed the subject.

“Let’s go eat. The grandmother said she’d prepare something. You two should come too.”

“Oh dear. We can’t let the old lady do it alone.”

Seeing the grandfather chuckling and quickly moving, I was impressed by his vitality. He even had a subtly cheesy side when around the grandmother, strongly giving off the vibe of a romantic.

‘Amazing at that age.’

While I was admiring them, Dong-woo also followed the grandfather out.

I thought the grandmother, receiving the love of two men, must surely be happy.

It feels new again, but I feel I made the right choice helping Dong-woo.

If I had turned away then, I wouldn’t have witnessed such a sight.

I supported Young-cheol, who was still finding it hard to move, and walked slowly.

…As for Byeongsu, Bomi would take good care of him, so…

As I was heading to the rooftop, I met Jihyeok hyung and Shia.

With an unfamiliar man.

‘Where have I seen him?’

I definitely felt like I’d seen him, but I couldn’t recall.

“Oppa! When did you wake up?”

The moment I saw Shia smiling brightly with one side of her face swollen, I almost burst out laughing. I felt bad for the injured person, but it was both funny and cute.

“Just now.”

“Everyone waited for Oppa, not even eating.”

Her rubbing her stomach gently and feigning hunger looked very different from her first impression.

“We’re going to eat right now anyway.”

“Huh? Not waiting for us?”

“If you’re not there at mealtime, you go hungry.”

“Wow! No loyalty!”

I chuckled and turned my gaze to Jihyeok hyung, who was smiling comfortably.

He was a handsome man who couldn’t be underestimated for a moment.

He seemed to be just smiling casually, but could he really look like that?

The world truly is unfair.

I felt a baseless spite.

“I was going to leave Hyung and Shia behind, but I guess I can’t.”

“Hehe. Well, I tend to be lucky with food.”

I nodded at his smooth answer and subtly commented.

“So. Who’s the person next to you?”

A middle-aged man wearing a suit that was torn and stained in places.

I didn’t know much, but I could tell it was originally a high-class garment.

His face, showing signs of considerable hardship and deep fatigue, was haggard.

Yet, his posture was straight, and his eyes were alive.

I wondered who this tall man, similar in height to Jihyeok hyung, was.

‘Is this the person Dong-woo was talking about?’

The answer came immediately.

“S-Sir! Our CEO!”

Bomi cried out in surprise.

Byeongsu and Young-cheol also widened their eyes and then tried to bow.

“Stop. What are you doing, patients?”

The middle-aged man, who calmly made the three stand up, was apparently the CEO.

“Perfect timing. Say hello. He’s the CEO of our company.”

When I threw him a silent question with my eyes, he cleverly continued.

“The CEO of the agency Shia and I belong to.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Choi Junseong.”

A faint smile and a calm tone.

The gesture of extending his hand for a handshake was extremely polite.

But it didn’t feel insincere.

How should I put it…

‘…He feels like a noble.’

I felt it clearly as I took his outstretched hand.

The subtly different aura he exuded definitely had a noble feel.

“I am Seonghan.”

In the short moment of shaking hands.

Even if not a noble, his impressive demeanor clearly showed he was a significant person, fitting for the title of a company CEO.

“Isn’t our CEO cool?”

I gave a small nod at Shia’s beaming words.

He was certainly the epitome of a cool middle-aged man, truly feeling like a gentleman.

Of course, you can’t tell just by looking at the surface.

“I never thought we’d meet in a place like this. I couldn’t reach anyone, and I was so scared… and yet…”

Shia’s voice trembled slightly, as if her emotions were running high.

Jihyeok hyung also seemed choked up and turned his head.

The expressions of the remaining three were the same.

‘Looks like they have a good relationship.’

While I was thinking that, the man who was the CEO suddenly tried to bow.

“Thank you so much for saving my family.”

I quickly raised the CEO’s body, preventing his bow.

“…You don’t have to do this. I’ve received enough thanks, and besides—”

“I heard the story from Jihyeok and Shia. Still, gratitude is gratitude.”

Seeing the man before me, saying that and giving a wonderful smile, I realized.

“He’s similar to you, Hyung.”

“Do you think so too, Seonghan? I hear that often. Haha.”

His calm tone and demeanor.

He felt very similar to Jihyeok hyung.

Not that they looked alike externally, but they were genuinely similar.

‘Are they brothers?’

“I’m often mistaken for his brother.”

“…I see.”

…Does this person read minds?

In a mix of slight embarrassment and awkwardness, just as CEO Choi Junseong was about to continue speaking.

Grumble-

The owner of the rumbling stomach was Shia, whose face was turning red with embarrassment.

Seeing Shia feigning indifference, I casually said.

“…We were just heading to eat now. Would you like to join us?”

“I wouldn’t decline.”

CEO Choi, calling out his “go” as if there was no need to think.

With one more person added to our group, we all headed to the rooftop.

On the rooftop, which our group used to avoid others’ gazes, meal preparations were already in full swing. It seemed the grandfather and Dong-woo had brought up a lot of ingredients and tools.

I had told them not to hold back on the provisions we had.

But it was a situation where it was hard to take out this and that.

The grandmother was demonstrating her skill even in a limited situation.

Something was being made in a large soup pot.

Byeongsu and Young-cheol also seemed to be tired of porridge and looked expectant.

I was also curious what would come out.

In a situation like this, pursuing gourmet tastes was an extreme luxury.

One could say it was an act that drastically lowered survival efficiency.

But I thought a little differently.

Even if not often, sometimes you had to eat something delicious.

It was already hard enough to survive; you couldn’t eat only tasteless things every day.

Shouldn’t you occasionally please your tongue and change your mood to gain the energy to face tomorrow?

Thinking similarly.

What if someone serious about building muscle ate only chicken breast?

And every day, without a cheat day.

I could never live like that.

In a situation like this, I had the ability to pursue taste, even if just a little.

Honestly, if you saved and saved only to die, you wouldn’t even be able to close your eyes from unfairness [a proverb about regretting not enjoying life’s simple pleasures].

As I was thinking that, the meal preparations were finished.

The menu was ramen, rice, and kimchi.

But the ramen’s visual was extraordinary.

Looking at the white broth and noodles, it was Gomtang-ramen, which I often ate.

But the meat on top was exceptional.

Gomtang-ramen piled high with delicious dark brown meat.

It looked even more delicious than the picture on the packaging.

Since it was ramen after a long time, it made my mouth water even more.

The moment everyone took a bite.

Only slurping sounds could be heard around us.

I gulped down the broth directly from the bowl.

“Ahhh~”

“Ohhh~”

Deep resonant sounds from all directions.

That reaction, which any Korean would recognize, emerged.

Especially CEO Choi, who had a refined air, and Jihyeok hyung had an impressive way of eating.

Watching them and then eating it myself, I wondered if this was really ramen.

A taste beyond ramen.

All my companions were engrossed in eating.

The grandfather and grandmother looked at everyone with satisfaction.

Indeed, my choice to save Dong-woo and the two elders was not wrong.

It was a short but wonderful mealtime.

Everyone, full and having eaten deliciously, wore beaming expressions.

I was just as satisfied.

‘We do all this just to live, so we might as well eat well and deliciously.’

Full-bellied, we enjoyed the autumn sky on the school rooftop.

It was a grim situation where stepping out the main gate meant dancing a death tap with zombies, but not for this moment.

It felt like my mind, hardened by tension and fear and wounded, was being comforted.

For a long time, a truly harmonious atmosphere settled over the rooftop.

I stepped a little away from my companions, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

A post-meal cigarette was an inseparable ritual.

Hyung and CEO Choi approached me.

While the three of us quietly smoked, CEO Choi brought up various topics.

Mostly, he mixed expressions of gratitude with a bit of his own story.

At first glance, it seemed like an ice-breaking conversation.

After exchanging a few more words, I realized.

“…So what is it you want to say?”

My mouth was smiling, but my words were dry.

It was a situation I’d experienced often, so I reacted out of habit.

To me, CEO Choi Junseong said.

“Would you be willing to make a deal with me?”

CEO Choi, making the offer, had his expression slightly stiffened with tension and seriousness.

I felt a little curious about what he would say next.