episode_0070

***

Grandfather’s reminiscence ended, and a little later, as they started moving, Grandmother, Park Younghee, gently tapped Shia’s hand as she walked quietly along the road.

“Grandmother, what’s wrong?”

Shia, with a lovely smile, looked at her grandmother, her pretty eyes curving gently.

Park Younghee hesitated for a moment before getting to the point.

“…You asked me something earlier.”

“Earlier? Oh~”

Grandmother frantically signaled her to be quiet.

Shia giggled and nodded.

Then, she whispered the question from earlier again.

“Was there a reason you followed Grandfather?”

Grandmother nodded slightly and spoke softly.

“I first saw the old man at a restaurant.”

“A restaurant?”

“He was completely out of energy, like a starved puppy.”

*Pffft*.

“But he was handsome.”

At that, Shia’s eyes widened.

“He stuck in my memory and I’d often see him around. He was a very hardworking man.”

Shia listened intently, eyes sparkling with interest, as her grandmother revealed her inner thoughts.

Shia quietly waited for her grandmother to continue.

“At the time, I was wondering if I should run away because of an old land-rich man, but the old man saved me from suffering something terrible.”

Grandmother’s lips trembled for a moment before she continued with difficulty.

“All men seemed pretty much the same… but the old man, running towards me from afar, calling my name, looked like he was shining.”

“Oh my…”

Shia gasped, covering her mouth with a short exclamation.

“They were strong men, even if they were just ruffians. Seeing the old man rush in without hesitation to save me, I felt it.”

Shia and Lee Bomi, who was eavesdropping, swallowed hard.

“This is the man. That feeling, bam!, that this is the man, it just hit me.”

“Ohhh…”

“And that feeling was usually right. He always protected me and cared for me.”

“Oh, how wonderful… Grandmother, you must have been so happy.”

At the two women’s exclamations, Grandmother smiled faintly.

“Sometimes he caused me trouble, but generally, everything was happy.”

The two women were excited by Grandmother’s words, who was now revealing her true feelings, unlike before.

“The old man was diligent, handsome, and strong, so he was very popular.”

“Oh, my.”

“But I reined him in.”

“!!”

“Both of you, remember this. A man’s nature is determined by his woman.”

A classic among classic proverbs emerged.

Grandmother’s experience, combined with her firm words, exerted a strong persuasive power.

Grandmother said to the two nodding women with a mischievous expression,

“Both of you have someone you’re interested in, don’t you?”

Lee Bomi, who had been quietly blushing at Grandmother’s words, tilted her head.

“Huh? Both of us?”

When Lee Bomi turned her head to look, Shia’s face was like a perfectly ripe tomato. At that sight, Lee Bomi’s eyes went wide as lanterns.

“…You? You?!”

“Aish! Be quiet!”

“…You were serious??”

Lee Bomi stared in disbelief at Shia, who bowed her head without a word.

Grandmother wore a somehow pleased expression.

“A woman’s intuition is usually right. Never ignore it, got it?”

At the advice full of wisdom, the two women unknowingly braced themselves.

“…Yes!”

“If you need help, I’ll always help you.”

“…Grandmother…”

“Care for him deeply by his side. That’s all you need to do for now.”

Shia, who had been nodding, spoke with a determined expression.

“Grandmother, please teach me how to cook.”

“It’ll be very hard, though?”

“I can do it!”

“Will just learning to cook be enough? From what I see, that young man isn’t an easy one.”

“!!”

Had Grandmother sensed something about him?

She casually spoke words that suddenly raised the difficulty level.

Hearing those words, Shia burned with resolve and firmly decided.

At this, Grandmother nodded with a meaningful smile.

Her brightly shining eyes were too confident and powerful to be those of an old person, and they felt somewhat dangerous.

“You should never give away something good to someone else. Remember that.”

“Yes!!”

From that day forward, Grandmother, Park Younghee, began to wholeheartedly impart cooking and the proper demeanor of a woman to Shia.

On this day, a women’s gathering formed from a classic love story.

It was much later that Seonghan found out about the gathering.

***

We followed the road signs and exited the Dongbu Expressway.

Passing through the lanes filled with abandoned cars was quite inconvenient.

When we pushed through the gaps and reached the exit, the road was almost completely blocked.

Vehicles were mercilessly wrecked, as if a multi-car pile-up had occurred.

They were long and tightly packed together like blocks of waste.

Turning back would be too far and carry too great a risk.

Trying to climb over the low vehicles posed a significant risk of getting injured by shattered, crumpled pieces of metal.

‘…….’

I stopped the group and surveyed the surroundings.

Once safety was confirmed, I slung my bow behind my shoulder and began walking.

I felt the gazes of the group watching me as I slowly walked through the wrecked cars.

‘What is he trying to do now?’

Those kinds of gazes.

“Whew—”

I pushed aside the front part of the most manageable-looking car.

*Creak—groan—*

I pushed the car, which seemed to be stuck tightly between others and wouldn’t move, to create a space for us to pass through. I kicked away the dangerously protruding metal fragments.

The reason for going to such lengths is my concern about the potential impact of an unforeseen injury. Getting tetanus, for instance, would be truly hopeless.

A small problem that starts from carelessness could lead to irreversible consequences.

We had been walking on safe paths for several days and had grown accustomed to it.

We must be careful when our minds unconsciously become lax, like now.

I turned around and emphasized these points to the group.

However, no answer came from them.

‘?? Ah…’

I let out a soft laugh at their reaction.

Everyone seemed quite surprised at me pushing the car.

Their mouths were slightly agape, their eyes slightly wide, and their pupils quivered as if an earthquake had struck. Their reaction was better than I expected, making the action feel more satisfying.

I wanted to enjoy their reactions a bit longer, but I had to hurry.

The sun was gradually setting, and night would arrive in a few hours.

*Clap—!!*

At the sound of my hands clapping, the group finally snapped out of it.

I smiled faintly, nodded, and then started moving.

“Be careful not to get cut by anything sharp.”

The group moved cautiously through the space I had opened up.

After passing through the scene of the accident, we exited at the edge of Jangan Bridge.

A wide road and a large intersection caught my eye.

I slowly rolled my eyes, looking around.

The overall scenery was no different from the urban areas we had passed through so far.

However, there were fewer buildings and fewer abandoned cars on the road.

The road was still a mess, that much hadn’t changed.

Compared to the Dongbu Expressway below, this area was quieter.

The number and size of the buildings were also similar.

‘Is this not as bustling a street as I thought?’

I didn’t know much about this neighborhood, but just from the sight before my eyes, I felt a little relieved.

We were currently exposed in a dangerous outdoor environment.

Fewer people meant fewer zombies.

Nodding at this welcome fact, I led the group forward.

All around was quiet, with only the gentle sound of the wind stirring my ears.

On the streets, familiar traces of destruction and fire were visible.

The first floors of most buildings were shattered.

Broken glass fragments lay everywhere, soaked in blood, giving off a grotesque color. What appeared to be bits of flesh and internal organs lay scattered, emitting an unpleasant odor.

Whether on the streets or on the roads, the raw traces of life sought, taken, and lost were starkly evident.

A terrible stench that had tormented my nose for the past few days, forgotten, returned.

The smell of death wafted from all directions.

‘This is…’

As we walked further along the road, the stench of death and the traces of demise intensified.

And then, the bodies of humans who had once lived began to appear.

Most of the corpses attacked by zombies were mangled.

Even those were rare to see.

Because most bodies would reanimate as zombies.

But the corpses at my feet now were different.

Heads destroyed and caved in as if struck by a blunt object.

Signs of beating visible all over the body.

Even those wounds had clear marks of being struck by something.

And most of the visible bodies were similar.

The only difference was the addition of stab wounds from sharp weapons.

‘…….’

These were not people attacked by zombies.

These were victims murdered by other humans.

And the traces were scattered here and there, marked by the victims’ blood.

The cause was difficult to determine.

Speculation could go on endlessly, limited only by imagination.

But…

‘A large group pursued and attacked a small number.’

The wounds were not inflicted by one person.

At least, that was the scene visible to my eyes.

Footprints that felt as if humans were hunting other humans.

It seemed this neighborhood was not a quiet place either.

I stopped examining the corpses and straightened up.

Jihyeok hyung quietly approached behind me.

“Seonghan. This…?”

“They were attacked by people.”

“…Is that so?”

I nodded at my hyung’s cautious question.

He seemed to have noticed something too, having examined from behind.

I turned to the group and spoke softly.

“It seems we should get out of this place quickly. Steel yourselves.”

At my words, everyone composed their expressions and reformed their ranks.

The group, having grasped the situation, began to grow tense.

Their footsteps, which had been light until now, felt a little heavier.

But I wasn’t too worried.

Although I hadn’t confirmed everything, the injuries on the bodies were from close-range weapons. Blunt objects or sharp weapons like knives.

There were no traces of long-range weapons.

In that case, there was no risk of fatally dangerous encounters.

The moment they entered my range, they would simply be torn apart.

Perhaps it would be different in an open area like a plain or a wasteland.

But now, we stood in the middle of a forest of buildings.

I just needed to herd the group into a building.

Unless they had guns or bows, they couldn’t even touch a single hair on my group.

The traces left on the bodies showed that these were cruel individuals.

If they attack us, they will die.

If they approach with malice, they will die.

An enemy we might encounter with high probability, though I couldn’t be certain.

As I thought of this unknown enemy, killing intent slowly rose within me.

It was always the same kind of people, no matter where—

“Oppa… Are you alright?”

Shia’s lovely voice pulled me out of my deep thoughts.

I glanced back to see Shia looking at me with eyes full of concern.

Jihyeok hyung, though he didn’t speak, was the same.

The others in the group hadn’t seemed to notice my change in mood yet.

“…Oppa.”

“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

I habitually reined in my emotions and killing intent.

I had unconsciously grown tense.

Was it because I was no longer alone, but with my family?

I scratched the side of my head and was about to move, but paused.

Shia was still looking at me with a worried expression.

For some reason, those big eyes seemed to be on the verge of watering.

I smiled faintly and stroked Shia’s head.

“It’s really nothing. Let’s go.”

Only then did Shia’s expression relax slightly, and she fell back into formation.

As soon as the group regrouped, I immediately moved forward.

‘…They won’t think I sexually harassed her by stroking her head, will they?’

Late concern washed over me.

I didn’t know why, but my hand had gone up unconsciously.

Seeing her eyes welling up, it felt like I had to.

‘Hmm…’

I’ll worry about this later.

Now was the time to focus.

I didn’t know what had happened in this neighborhood.

And I didn’t particularly want to know.

I just needed things to remain quiet while we passed through.

Zombies were already a hassle, and dealing with people was even more bothersome.

I hoped we could pass through quietly.

With each step, I imbued my desire to avoid trouble.

Silently, we walked onward, passing through the street scarred with painful traces.