episode_0089

There’s a saying that a man sheds tears three times in his life.

It sounds plausible, but I just think it’s an old saying.

Tears flow from emotions that cannot be controlled due to anger.

When sad, tears also flow from overwhelming emotions.

Tears flow from happiness too profound to express in words.

Tears flow in despair when everything is denied, or in heartwarming hope.

No one knows what the future holds, or what they will experience.

Whether man or woman, can anyone be sure they won’t shed tears in their life?

Tears are an expression of emotion and proof of humanity.

At least, that’s what I believe.

‘…….’

Someone once told me.

Tears that well up from the depths of one’s heart are hot.

Perhaps that’s why Kang Ilbyeong’s tears, soaking my shoulder, were hot.

The complex emotions he poured out with his whole body felt heavy.

It was only after I had comforted him and accepted his emotions for a long time that I was finally able to get free.

“Ahem! Ahem! Please excuse me. For showing you such a clumsy sight….”

Kang Ilbyeong, collecting himself, spoke in a voice that had dropped due to his violent crying.

Seeing him step back, I almost let out a snort of laughter.

I desperately held back my laughter as I saw his red, swollen eyes.

Perhaps feeling awkward himself, Kang Ilbyeong scratched his head sheepishly.

Kang Ilbyeong’s companions, standing behind him, also awkwardly averted their gaze.

‘They must have all had a hard time.’

The companions’ eyes were reddish, so it seemed they too had held back tears.

If I had laughed, it would have created a very awkward atmosphere.

Five people, including Kang Ilbyeong.

They looked very emaciated, as if they had been through a lot of hardship.

Their faces were shadowed, suggesting they had suffered greatly emotionally.

‘Two injured, one child. The only one who can fight… is Kang Ilbyeong?’

I subtly assessed their strength and then looked away.

Deep relief was evident on Kang Ilbyeong’s face, now that he had composed himself.

It was so clear in his gaze that I couldn’t help but notice.

But now was not the time for a reunion.

While there were many welcoming words I wanted to hear, we had to move first.

It might have seemed heartless, but I got straight to the point.

“There’s no time, so I’ll ask you directly.”

At my flat words, the five people flinched.

“Your coming all this way means you considered my proposal from back then. Is that right?”

“…That’s right.”

Under my gaze, Kang Ilbyeong paused slightly but answered with a steady voice.

“I apologize, but we need to hurry now. Can you move?”

“We can walk, but fighting might be a bit… difficult.” Lieutenant Lee Sohee said, feeling awkward.

I nodded lightly at Lieutenant Lee Sohee’s awkward words.

Everyone was injured, and one person was even holding a child.

At least Kang Ilbyeong was in good condition.

“I’m fine. But I have no bullets.”

His gaze was firm, but the fact that he had no weapon seemed to have intimidated him, as his voice lacked strength.

“Is Kang Ilbyeong the only one armed?”

“We lost some on the way here….”

Kang Ilbyeong spoke in a barely audible voice, as if he had committed a sin, but my thoughts were a little different.

‘He brought all these people here alone, with just one gun?’

I was genuinely surprised.

While I break through paths with sheer force, Kang Ilbyeong is an ordinary person.

It was an achievement worthy of commendation and praise.

…It seems the title of ‘expert marksman’ isn’t just for show.

“I’m not blaming you. Don’t worry about it. Once we leave, Kang Ilbyeong, please take the rear.”

“Understood.”

People stammered, confused by the sudden change in atmosphere, but I didn’t mind.

I roughly set up the formation for movement and lowered my backpack to the ground.

“Before we leave, I’d like you to help me with something.”

“What…?”

“Just tell us what you need.”

I took out a memo and handed it to Kang Ilbyeong.

“We need to find two types of medicine from the ones listed there.”

“Ah, these were medicine names?”

“If they’re not here, it will be quite… difficult.”

“They must be here. We’ll all look together.”

The people checked the medicine names and began searching the pharmacy.

The inside of the pharmacy was quite a mess.

Broken medicine containers and bottles were discarded on the floor.

The shelves, which should have been full of medicine, were either in disarray or empty.

It looked like people had swept through already.

But it was still too early to give up.

Most of the common and daily necessities seemed to have been looted, but the inner parts were relatively untouched. Specialized medicines, like the penicillin I saw at the hospital, were still intact.

‘Please be here.’

Perhaps because I was so close to completing the quest.

My hands, rummaging here and there, were full of anxiety.

Fortunately, the anxiety didn’t last long.

“Oh! I found it!”

“I found one here too!”

At the welcome news from behind, my head snapped around.

Liquid medicine in a small bottle.

Small boxes, neatly wrapped in plastic as if brand new.

The product names, written in specialized English that was hard to read, matched.

“Whew….”

My anxious heart, which had been tight for a long time, relaxed slightly at the fact that we had passed one hurdle.

I carefully placed the handed-over medicine boxes into my backpack and quietly caught my breath.

Now, all I had to do was return safely, and the mission would be over.

“Alright, now—”

Grumble grumble~

“…….”

As I was about to press on, a tiny stomach rumbling sound was heard.

It seemed to have come from the child’s stomach.

Just as my gaze was about to linger on the child.

Grumble grumble rumble—

This time, a series of loud rumbling sounds burst forth.

It felt even louder due to the quiet interior.

“Well, we haven’t eaten for over a full day….”

Kang Ilbyeong and the adults all blushed slightly.

It seemed they felt even more embarrassed because it was such a tense moment.

Unlike them, I was purely amazed.

It was incredible that they hadn’t shown any signs of hunger despite starving for over a day.

If it were me, I might have immediately grabbed them and looked for food.

“…Then let’s have a quick bite before we go.”

“Oh! You, you have food?”

“Just simple things.”

I replied lightly and began to slowly pull things out of my backpack.

A high-performance portable burner, a pot, cup noodles, and various kimbap.

Seeing me lay out even water, their eyes sparkled.

“There’s a water purifier inside. The water is drinkable.”

Kang Ilbyeong, saying so, quietly asked for permission, took the pot, and brought water.

‘He really is considerate.’

In such a difficult situation, even small actions stand out.

Kang Ilbyeong, who pays attention even to trivial actions, is definitely an A-grade soldier.

“It’s a good thing, because the power outage meant there was no hot water. I thought your backpack was big, but were you carrying all this?”

“Just in case. I brought portable items, and it’s fortunate they’re coming in handy.”

A brief moment, waiting for the water in the pot to boil with food in front of them.

The tense atmosphere disappeared as if it had never been there.

Even the mere bubbling sound of water seemed comforting, and the difficult tension on people’s faces was momentarily erased.

“The child probably can’t eat spicy food… Do you want this?”

“…….”

Thinking it wouldn’t be good for a child who had starved all day, I offered mild Gomtang noodles, but there was no reaction.

“Ah, thank you. The child was so startled that they haven’t been speaking.”

“I see….”

Looking closely, it wasn’t just shadows on the child’s face.

Their eyes had lost focus and were blurry, and their small mouth was tightly shut.

It seemed they had suffered a great shock.

They also seemed to be trembling slightly…

Wondering if they were cold, I took off my windbreaker and handed it to the child’s mother.

“For now, please wrap the child in this.”

“Uh, well…”

“It’s fine. I’ll get warm enough to sweat anyway once we start moving.”

“Th-thank you.”

The child’s mother bowed deeply and immediately wrapped the windbreaker around the child.

The child simply yielded to their mother’s touch.

There was no reaction.

I was worried about their lifeless appearance, almost like a doll.

‘…Maybe they’ll feel a little better if they drink some warm soup.’

Just then, I poured the boiling water into the noodles and handed them out to everyone.

And a moment later.

People, as if it wasn’t even hot, slurped the broth and began hastily devouring the noodles. It seemed less than 5 minutes had passed before they had completely finished even the kimbap.

…The time it took to boil the water was even longer.

Given their long starvation, this kind of reaction was natural.

Except for the mother, whose meal was delayed because she was feeding her child, everyone else was just looking at their empty bowls, wanting more.

Everyone looked a bit disappointed with the quantity, but there was nothing to be done.

“We need to move immediately, so please just eat this much for now.”

At my words, the people came to their senses and quietly put down their chopsticks.

Their expressions became much livelier, as if their bodies and minds had been calmed by the warm food.

Then Kang Ilbyeong, who was wiping his mouth, quietly asked.

“Hyung-nim. There’s something I want to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“That… Is the safe house you mentioned really there?”

Kang Ilbyeong seemed to be in doubt.

Indeed, having encountered completely broken and halted buildings and cityscapes on the way here, such doubts were not unreasonable.

Furthermore, this neighborhood doesn’t even give off the impression that something might be here.

From Kang Ilbyeong’s perspective, he must have wanted to believe strongly, but he probably also thought it was realistically impossible.

So I answered him calmly.

“Yes, it is.”

At my straightforward answer, Kang Ilbyeong and the others blinked.

“It’s located in a surprisingly safe place and can accommodate all of you. There’s plenty of food, and there’s even a doctor.”

“A d-doctor?”

“Yes. He’s an internal medicine doctor, but surely he can treat external injuries to some extent?”

“Ohhh….”

At the successive hopeful news, people exclaimed in admiration together and began to get excited with hope. The child’s mother even had tears welling up in her eyes.

“It’s not far from here. We’ll have to take a bit of a detour because of the zombies, but it won’t take long.”

At the mention of zombies, everyone’s expressions abruptly hardened.

A fact they had momentarily forgotten while feeling the warmth provided by the hot food.

It was still dangerous outside.

“I’ll lead. Kang Ilbyeong will take the rear, and the rest of you will move in the middle.”

“You can count on me.”

Kang Ilbyeong answered resolutely, despite having no weapon.

I was worried he might do something reckless.

The others also looked like they had difficulty moving, but their eyes were alive.

The child’s mother tightly hugged her daughter and firmed her resolve.

“I’ll get ready before we leave. Kang Ilbyeong. What’s the condition of your gun?”

“I’m almost out of bullets, and the gun isn’t in good condition either.”

To Kang Ilbyeong, who answered with a gloomy expression, I pulled something out of my backpack and gave it to him.

Kang Ilbyeong, checking the item, widened his eyes.

Lieutenant Lee Sohee, who was sitting next to him, also startled and straightened her upper body.

“Th-this?!!”

“I picked it up on the way.”

What I pulled out in front of the two soldiers, who were simultaneously horrified and impressed.

What I handed to Kang Ilbyeong was a shiny, brand-new clip, still secured.

It was ammunition, waiting only to be inserted into a magazine and loaded.