episode_0105

The gentlemen’s conversation concluded after a fair amount of time.

Indeed, opening up to these two men first was a good choice.

Now, all that remained was to share the information with the group.

I expected Hyuk hyung and Representative Choi to act as a buffer between the information I provided and the group.

Since it wasn’t bright and hopeful news, I didn’t know how people would react.

It was easy to compare if I recalled scenes from movies or dramas depicting people receiving devastating news.

They were psychological scenes depicted quite sensationally, but in a situation like this, could they really be dismissed as mere sensationalism?

Many people in everyday life would crumble when faced with unbearable situations.

Back then, they could at least pull themselves together and rise again…

Now, the situation itself was hopeless.

In this situation, I had to deliver bad news once again.

I hoped the group wouldn’t despair.

I hoped they would steel their resolve and prepare themselves.

I hoped they would forge ahead for tomorrow.

‘…What I can do is…’

“Seonghan. Let’s go.”

I came to my senses at Hyung’s words, which broke my train of thought.

Representative Choi also waited for me, composed.

“…Let’s go.”

I rose from my seat as if led by the two.

My footsteps felt a little heavy as I followed them.

The hallway leading to the drawing room where everyone was gathered seemed incredibly long.

***

Many people had gathered in the drawing room, summoned together.

A total of 18 people.

Even excluding Byeongsu-ssi, who had difficulty moving, there were 17 people.

I hadn’t expected such a large group to gather so quickly.

In any case, these were the people who had survived and gathered here.

Receiving everyone’s gazes, the two men and I stood at the end of the table.

As the murmuring subsided, I met Hyung’s gaze.

Hyung gave a slight nod and calmly began to speak.

“I’ve arranged this gathering because there’s something urgent I need to tell all of you.”

His clear pronunciation and pleasant voice went straight to the point without hesitation.

He conveyed only the essentials of what I had experienced, concisely and in chronological order.

Parts that might feel somewhat cruel were tactfully rephrased.

The handsome man’s words were, without exception, grim news unfitting for his handsome face.

In a way, it felt like an actor performing a tragic scene.

Such was the series of unrealistic situations.

Absurd details continued, making it seem like a scene from a script reading if we hadn’t experienced it ourselves. The story, delivered like a monologue, soon came to an end.

The story was shorter than when the three of us had discussed it.

However, its impact was not light.

As expected, the air in the drawing room grew heavy.

They seemed to be crushed by a situation they didn’t want to acknowledge, one they had deliberately ignored.

As evidence, their expressions stiffened, and their gazes lowered.

Not a single person opened their mouth.

Only silence flowed over the large table.

‘…It must have sunk in.’

The daily life we once knew no longer existed.

Until now, there had been numerous situations where their lives were threatened.

But now, they had to face the gloomy reality that the entire world seemed to have turned into a threat.

Everyone in this room had realized it once again.

And they were being crushed by the suffocating reality.

That’s how it appeared to me.

And I was the one who had created this situation.

“…It might be hard to believe, but this is the current reality.”

Representative Choi’s words were gentle and mild, yet they weighed heavily.

At his words, people let out soft sighs.

“There must be a reason for deliberately telling us this, right?”

The grandfather, who was holding the grandmother’s hand tightly, quietly opened his mouth.

His expression was stiff, but his gaze was clear.

Whether it was wisdom or strong mental fortitude, he was facing reality.

“Given the situation, I judged that everyone needed to know. We also have to prepare for what’s ahead.”

After saying that, Hyung turned his gaze to me.

Receiving his gaze, I calmly began to speak.

“I did not save and gather all of you as if collecting toys.”

Everyone blinked at my words.

“Nor do I intend to confine you here and control you, like birds in a cage.”

As my words continued, people listened intently, pricking up their ears.

“I hope you all make your own choices.”

“What kind of choice are you referring to?”

“Whether to survive or not.”

At this, Hyuk hyung took over.

“The outside has already become a lawless land. I believe that for us to survive, we must steel our hearts and change.”

Catching his breath for a moment, Hyung looked around at everyone and spoke gravely.

The pain of hunger and thirst experienced in Times Square.

The malice of the incited people experienced at the girls’ high school.

The corpses of the pitiful victims witnessed here.

Even the horror of the zombies rushing in mindlessly with rolled-back eyes.

After recounting his experiences, Hyung spoke in a calm but firm tone.

“We must unite as one. It’s selfish, but we must only think of ourselves. We must only think of our survival. Truly, …we must be ruthless in our resolve.”

“In that process, we might… have to kill someone….”

At Representative Choi’s words, which supported what was said, people gasped.

Their widened eyes showed just how shocked they were.

It was hard to believe that these words came from Representative Choi, who had the image of a gentle gentleman.

“…If we can’t be that resolute, then we will be the ones who die. That’s the situation now.”

The conversation fell into a lull.

No one could easily open their mouth.

They seemed to feel a sense of disconnect from the reality that they might have to even resort to murder to survive.

As I watched them, I felt a sense of puzzlement.

‘Why aren’t they refuting it?’

It was a situation almost equivalent to forcing them to become ruthless, yet no one was voicing a different opinion. They merely wore expressions of contemplation, chewing over what we had presented.

In the quiet, Kang Ilbyeong raised his hand.

“You can speak comfortably, Kang Ilbyeong.”

“Ah. Yes. Um, Seonghan hyung-nim?”

“Yes.”

“What’s the plan going forward?”

“There isn’t really a plan, per se.”

At my words, not just Kang Ilbyeong but everyone else’s expressions were tinged with bewilderment.

“Huh? Really…?”

Exactly that feeling.

“There’s no need to overthink it. Secure a space to rest, procure supplies, and endure. That’s all there is to it.”

“Um… yeah, but…”

“Thanks to Representative Choi-nim, we’re already inside this reliable space called a shelter. We’ve also secured a certain amount of food supplies. We just need to endure while paying attention to our health.”

At my words, Representative Choi couldn’t hide his proud expression.

Kang Ilbyeong, who had spoken, subtly sat down and listened attentively to my words.

“As long as I’m here, you won’t go hungry. Because I, for one, hate being hungry.”

My honest words lightened the heavy atmosphere, if only a little.

You could tell by the sight of people letting out small chuckles.

“It’s true we have to be ruthless, just as Hyung said. But if they don’t provoke us first, we won’t get hit, right? Don’t you agree?”

“That’s right. If they don’t bother us, there’ll be no fight.”

Hyung, chiming in with a grin, had impeccable timing.

Thanks to him, people’s expressions were significantly relaxing.

“We’ll need to discuss it further, but I am against increasing our numbers beyond this. Furthermore, I have no intention of going around to rescue anyone. We are neither a charity nor a state organization, nor are we soldiers. We are ordinary people who just happened to gather to survive.”

These were selfish words, but they were also true.

“I think it’s enough that we just manage to survive well among ourselves.”

As my words ended, each person wore a thoughtful expression.

Nodding their heads, they seemed to be seriously contemplating…

“When I used to run my business, you see.”

The grandmother, who had been silently sitting, quietly began to speak.

“When I started my business without knowing much, I gave people a lot of leeway. Both customers and those around me, you see.”

The grandmother, speaking calmly, smiled a self-deprecating smile.

“Because of that, I suffered a lot of losses. A tremendous amount.”

People focused on the grandmother’s words.

I, too, closed my mouth and listened attentively.

“I thought a food business had to be generous, but it wasn’t like that. I did it out of goodwill, but people took it for granted. They even stabbed me in the back, you know.”

“Damn it… that was truly difficult back then…”

“In the end, I finally steeled my heart and became firm. And from then on, I could finally make a living. I realized it then, like a fool: if I acted like a pushover, I’d be the one suffering terribly.”

The grandfather and grandmother, wearing complex yet poignant expressions, looked straight at me.

“While the situation is a bit different, I understand what Seonghan is saying. I’m in favor.”

“I agree as well.”

“Oh, me too, Hyung-nim.”

Although it wasn’t a matter of ‘pro’ or ‘con’, the Choi family expressed their agreement with my opinion.

“Helping people? It’s good, yes! But shouldn’t I survive first? What right does a person who can’t even take care of himself or his family have to help someone else?”

“Exactly.”

The grandfather spoke with emphasis, and I strongly agreed.

I fully concurred.

It was nonsensical to claim to protect and help others when one couldn’t even protect what was most precious.

“Not everyone will be dangerous or selfish. But before that! I believe we must come first.”

“Those are wise words.”

Representative Choi, with a gentle expression, acknowledged the grandfather’s words.

“Zombies are scary, but people can be scary too.”

The mother holding her child also expressed her thoughts.

Dr. Jang Heeyeon and her group, of course, had nothing to add.

Hadn’t they themselves almost suffered a great misfortune just recently?

Though they didn’t bring up their humiliating memories, seeing them fully agree with the opinion showed they seemed to have a lot bottled up.

Shia, Bomi-ssi, and the managers were the same.

Especially Young-cheol-ssi had his head cracked, and Byeongsu-ssi still couldn’t get up from his seat.

All of them had experienced situations where it wouldn’t be strange if they developed misanthropy.

There were no dissenting opinions.

Furthermore, the final blow was delivered by Kang Ilbyeong and his group.

“We’ve really been burned by people, you know.”

Their mouths were smiling, but their eyes flickered with anger.

If simply remembering it caused such a reaction, it didn’t seem like something to take lightly.

‘Come to think of it…’

“How did Kang Ilbyeong end up coming all the way here?”

At my words, everyone’s gaze turned towards him.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who had been curious.

Kang Ilbyeong and his group, suddenly singled out.

The story Kang Ilbyeong quietly began to tell was incredibly intense.