episode_0071

I once heard a story from a long time ago.

It was about a famous foreign architect who visited Korea for business.

After finishing his work, when a local official offered to show him famous places in Korea, the foreigner made this request.

“Show me a good neighborhood to live in Korea.”

At his words, the official, as if without a second thought, guided him to a certain place, and the foreign architect was said to have been shocked upon arriving.

The place the official guided him to was a densely populated area in Gangnam.

In other words, it was a super-busy district in the heart of a high-density urban center.

This was a problem stemming from a difference in perspective.

At the time, there was a perception in Korea that:

“Expensive land = good neighborhood to live in.”

So the official had guided the foreigner to the heart of Gangnam, but what the foreign architect had requested was literally a good place to live.

A place where one could feel emotionally stable, where body and mind could be at peace, and where infrastructure services could be easily utilized. An area where such houses were gathered.

That was the kind of place the foreign architect wanted.

A quiet neighborhood a little distance from the city center, which we commonly imagine.

I didn’t know it when I was young, but as I got older, I began to worry about my living environment.

Until then, all I needed was a place to stretch out and lie down.

Much later, I deeply empathized with the story of the foreign architect that I chanced upon.

Because there were days in the past when I truly felt the importance of a living environment down to my bones.

After that, watching the money accumulate little by little, I dreamed of my own sanctuary.

…Now, it’s all a futile goal.

The reason this content came to mind during a tense road march.

It’s because this neighborhood we’ve stepped into seems to somewhat meet the conditions the foreign architect had requested.

As we headed towards the Yongmasan foothills, our destination, I got that feeling even more.

The scenery seen while walking along Sagajeong-ro is quaint.

Aside from a few scattered apartments, there are no high-rise buildings.

There are occasional bars and restaurants, but they don’t have the boisterous feel of a bustling downtown area.

To put it negatively, it’s less developed; to put it positively, it’s quiet and peaceful.

Overall, it doesn’t seem like there would be a large population.

A neighborhood suitable for quiet living.

That’s exactly the feeling it gives.

‘Myeonmok-dong, huh….’

If I had known sooner, I might have looked around and considered moving here.

It’s just regrettable that it’s been ruined by the zombie outbreak.

The streets, which should have been quiet, are a chaotic mix of zombie and human corpses.

The buildings look a bit old, but they have a small, cozy charm.

It wouldn’t have been bad if it weren’t for the unpleasant stains.

Walking along the quaint streets, a mix of complex emotions and tension rises within me.

Seeing even this area, which feels somewhat remote for Seoul, completely devastated, it was obvious what other places would look like.

This neighborhood might be small in scale, but it feels as though it’s equally filled with zombies.

As evidence, there’s no trace of vitality to be found on the defiled and destroyed streets.

Only an eerie, chilling sensation brushes against my skin.

And that’s not just my thought.

I didn’t look back, but I could tell from the unsteady breaths of my companions.

My companions were feeling a similar sense of despair that I was experiencing.

Even amidst that, we didn’t stop moving.

‘…Should we turn back?’

We were currently walking in a straight line towards our destination.

But the more we moved, the more intense the horrors of the street became.

The corpses of hunted zombies and people.

Abandoned debris littered the quaint street that once must have been clean.

And the sight was so nauseating that it made us consider a detour.

My companions, encountering the scene of the disaster a beat later, gasped.

Ugh, retch-!

The women with weaker stomachs couldn’t hold back their retching.

I didn’t retch, but even I furrowed my brow.

‘What kind of bastards are these, anyway?’

If it were just simple corpses or traces, we had experienced plenty of that by now.

Even if I put myself aside, my companions had grown somewhat accustomed to it.

However, the scene before us was not on that level.

Malice and murderous intent born from zombie instincts.

The raw manifestation of negative human emotions.

Those who lost reason and those who abandoned intellect.

The murderous aura of instinct and the raw madness.

It was a scene where monsters, both dead and alive, had clashed.

On a street filled only with corpses, it was almost as if the emotions from that time lingered, creating a strange illusion.

At this point, I became curious about the humans who had ripped through this place to such an extent.

The traces weren’t over; they continued straight in our direction of travel.

Fortunately, the traces of the disaster seemed to be quite old.

I could vaguely tell by the intensity of the stench and the dried bloodstains scattered everywhere.

‘The probability of encountering the guys who caused this mess is low. And…’

“Are you thinking of turning back?”

Hyuk hyung’s question came from over my shoulder.

“…”

“How about we keep going? Quite a few zombies are dead, so it might be a bit better.”

I had the same thought.

A considerable number of zombies had been hunted.

I couldn’t be certain, but for now, the path ahead had less burden in terms of zombie numbers.

It was true that humans had hunted zombies, but conversely, there were also traces of zombies having pursued humans. Or perhaps the humans had driven the zombies.

The problem was my companions.

Could they walk along a path of flesh and gore that might extend indefinitely?

Could they breathe amidst the unbearable stench of corpses?

Could they remain unfazed after passing through the heart of such a frenzied catastrophe?

“We can go.”

A calm, quiet, yet resolute voice came to me as I stared straight ahead without answering.

“It’s not that we’re completely fine, but we can go. You’re here, after all.”

Hyung lightly tossed out an embarrassing remark, then gestured for me to look back.

At that gesture, I turned my gaze to my companions.

“Hmm…”

While I briefly pondered, everyone’s eyes hardened.

Even the women suppressed their nausea and straightened their bent backs.

…They had resolute attitudes.

“You told us to steel our resolve earlier, didn’t you?”

I blinked, looking at Hyung, who held a faint smile.

Right. I definitely said that.

Nodding, I turned my body and slowly began to walk.

I didn’t say anything else, and my companions didn’t add any unnecessary remarks.

Silently, they followed behind me, walking through the gaps between the corpses.

As I walked, a small feeling of regret towards my companions arose within me.

I seemed to have underestimated my companions too much.

Everyone wasn’t just relying on me while being with me; they were adapting on their own.

A smile appeared on my face at my companions’ mental strength, which was much firmer than I expected.

I could clearly feel the corners of my lips rising, contrary to my thoughts.

My companions behind me wouldn’t know, though.

Their mental strength was so excellent that I felt sorry comparing them to other ordinary people. In that regard, a sense of trust was blossoming within me.

And proportional to that feeling, my steps became bolder.

Like pushing through fog, we passed through the corpse-filled, stench-laden areas.

The distance to our destination was decreasing, but the street’s awfulness was intensifying.

Continuing our walk, we soon arrived at Sagajeong Station.

‘…Zombie sounds? No, are they zombies?’

A wide four-lane intersection.

It was true that the road was a mess, but there were signs of partial clearing.

It looked as if wrecked cars had been pushed aside to create a path.

And there, zombies were swarming.

But they didn’t just wander the streets; they seemed to be heading in a specific direction, towards something.

They weren’t flailing wildly, but all were facing one direction.

First, I quietly hid myself and my companions in the gaps between buildings.

After signaling for silence for a moment, I followed the zombies’ gaze.

[Sagajeong Market]

A market signboard adorned the alleyway.

Below the signboard, a minivan and a white box truck blocked the road.

At first glance, it seemed that many more obstacles were piled up behind them.

The zombies swarming in front of the blocked entrance numbered roughly over 200. They were crammed together, wailing with wheezing sounds.

It was truly a feast of rotting flesh.

It seemed people were surviving beyond the obstacles.

With the zombies’ attention focused beyond, we were still safe for now.

The distance between the market entrance and us was approximately 40m.

As long as we didn’t make a loud noise, we could go around.

‘The problem is where to go.’

I quickly rolled my eyes, starting to assess the path.

Just then, a large building directly across the street caught my eye.

To the right of the building, there was an alley narrow enough for a single car to pass.

It felt like a small market alley.

‘I’d prefer to avoid alleys if possible….’

If we wanted to pass quietly in the opposite direction of the zombies’ gaze, this was the only way.

I slung my bow behind my back and gripped the crowbar in my hand.

I turned to my companions and gestured towards the alleyway.

And my companions nodded silently.

Only after checking on each of them did I begin to move quietly.

In this very moment, if we so much as breathed a little too loudly, we would be exposed to the zombies.

I moved stealthily, intending not to make even a sound with my footsteps.

My nerves were on edge, worrying that even a small sound might come from touching the wrecked cars.

It was only a few meters to the alley, but it felt like a long distance.

One step, one step.

After covering those few meters that felt like tens, we entered the alleyway.

The zombies’ wailing, swarming sounds seemed a little fainter, perhaps reflected off the building walls.

For now, we were out of the zombies’ line of sight.

My companions, perhaps sensing it too, exhaled long, held breaths.

We took a very brief moment to catch our breath and then immediately started walking again.

We had only avoided being detected by zombies for a moment.

We weren’t completely out of danger.

And our footsteps had to be even more cautious.

The alleyway wasn’t as dirty or chaotically destroyed as the main road, but broken glass was strewn everywhere.

We walked as carefully as possible, but there was no way to avoid the grating sound of glass underfoot. The feeling of tension crawling up my neck and tightening around it wouldn’t stop.

My companions and I moved hunched, tense.

It felt as if the sound of stepping on glass echoed through the alley due to the quietness.

Fortunately, the zombies didn’t detect us, either because the sound of the glass was muffled by their wails or because they were too far away to hear.

The glass-strewn path, where every step made my heart drop, ended shortly.

And I realized we had escaped the zombie horde concentrated at the market entrance.

Moreover, a narrow alley leading back to the main road was visible to the left.

We had safely passed a major crisis amidst thrilling tension.

Turning to my companions, I let out a small breath.

It felt as if the remnants of tension were exhaled through my mouth.

I smiled at my companions who had followed so well.

Perhaps feeling a bit relieved by my appearance, their expressions eased.

Just in case, I still didn’t speak.

I gestured towards the end of the alley and started moving again.

The moment I took a step.

“Grraagh—”

From the dark entrance of the building, multiple arms shot out and lunged at me.

In the darkness revealed for a split second.

Gleaming red eyes, filled with a crimson glow, rushed towards me.