episode_0106

Private Kang and Second Lieutenant Lee Sohee, both military personnel.

Their presence here meant they had deserted.

Desertion was a criminal act, a serious offense.

These were people who knew that better than anyone, yet they had willingly deserted.

This could only mean something terrible had happened.

Sure enough, Private Kang’s subsequent words were quite sharp.

From the convenience store where they first met until now.

Private Kang and his group had every right to be distrustful of humanity.

The reason Private Kang’s unit was cornered in the convenience store wasn’t simple.

Outside, soldiers were driven into crisis and died, but everyone just watched.

The firmly closed doors never opened, and it was said they even interfered to prevent the soldiers from entering the building.

‘I think I saw a video of soldiers being chased…’

Now that I thought about it, that must have been Private Kang’s group.

After many twists and turns, they finally met me and barely returned safely.

But even after that, there were problems.

“…After the hyung-nims left, we tried to return to base, but….”

“Instead, we were ordered to advance.”

Second Lieutenant Lee, pale-faced, spoke stiffly, almost spitting out her words.

“What, in that situation? For what reason?”

Hyuk hyung, who was listening, asked in a bewildered tone.

That was how poor the conditions for the soldiers at the girls’ high school were at the time.

But Second Lieutenant Lee’s answer was concise.

“No questions asked.”

“Huh…”

Everyone swallowed an empty breath at Second Lieutenant Lee’s curt, almost cold, reply.

An order delivered simultaneously with the suddenly restored radio contact.

In a word, it meant they were ordered to charge blindly in that situation.

Leaving the survivors behind at the school.

“…What was the destination?”

At hyung’s next question, Second Lieutenant Lee spoke as if she’d been waiting.

“Gangnam. To be precise, Taeseong Hospital.”

“…Are they insane? That’s an area to avoid…”

“Who gave such a ridiculous order?”

Commander Choi, who was listening nearby, asked in a low, hushed voice.

Although they were soldiers, it was a situation that drove people to their deaths.

What kind of human being could be so—

“…I don’t know.”

“…What?”

“The command structure was chaotic, so I don’t know exactly who the order came from.”

“What do you mean??”

“What’s certain is that we merged with authorized command-level personnel and surviving units. As soon as the merger was confirmed, the order was issued again.”

“Even if they are soldiers, still…”

Disregarding the system was unthinkable, yet it happened.

The proof was Private Kang’s group coming here and spilling the truth as if confessing.

‘What a completely messed-up army.’

The explanation that followed was simply absurd and tragic.

They simply shoved clumsily integrated soldiers towards Gangnam.

They ordered a charge, not a blockade or annihilation, and the soldiers obeyed.

However, there was a reason why the soldiers followed this absurd order.

“At first, it seemed possible. Because we succeeded in pushing back the zombies and clearing a path.”

Though conscripted, all the soldiers were young and trained.

The soldiers armed with firearms certainly did more than their part and truly shone.

The soldiers saw possibility and felt hope there.

‘Certainly, the soldiers aren’t powerless….’

You could tell by how much they accomplished their mission even under harsh conditions.

The problem lay with a few high-ranking individuals, not the soldiers themselves, who were not powerless.

But…

“However, it didn’t take long for the military to collapse.”

“What happened?”

At Commander Choi’s question, Private Kang and Second Lieutenant Lee’s expressions turned sour.

“…The number of zombies suddenly increased. Explosively.”

“It was as if they had been hiding and suddenly burst out.”

“And then…”

“Were there variants?”

“!”

At my words, everyone’s gaze sharply turned to me.

Second Lieutenant Lee, who had been gaping, urgently asked.

“You… you knew about the special types?”

“Because I encountered them when I first met Private Kang.”

“Ah…. I had momentarily forgotten….”

“Did headquarters not know about the variants?”

Surely they weren’t that foolish.

Even I, an individual, knew, and there must have been soldiers who witnessed them.

The probability was high that the higher-ups were also aware.

But as always, the answer I heard was beyond imagination.

“…They must have known… probably.”

“Meaning?”

“They didn’t mention the special types. From beginning to end.”

Second Lieutenant Lee’s voice, distorted with rage, continued as if she was spitting out her feelings. After that, it was obvious what happened next.

Troops defeated as if annihilated, unable to even reach near their destination.

The surviving soldiers scattered, and the military force disintegrated.

Even amidst that, the unit Private Kang’s group belonged to reportedly had quite a few survivors.

However, there were considerable sacrifices during their escape.

“…The two second lieutenants at that time probably….”

“……”

Private Kang’s lips bled slightly as he recounted how they sacrificed themselves to block the variants mixed with the rushing zombies.

Whether he bit his lip or clenched his teeth…

His inability to fully swallow his rage made him look incredibly pained.

A different kind of pain, not physical.

Second Lieutenant Lee was concealing a deep sorrow submerged within her burning rage.

Unbeknownst to herself, Second Lieutenant Lee was shedding tears.

Private Kang continued speaking, taking over for her, as she was choked up and couldn’t.

“While vaguely fleeing, I remembered what Seonghan hyung-nim had said.”

“……”

“So I told Sergeant Kang, and we headed straight this way, but….”

“How did you meet those people?”

“Ah. We, just in case, followed the soldiers from afar and….”

Seeing the soldiers head towards Gangnam, they couldn’t follow further and wavered.

And then, they met Private Kang’s escaping group.

‘They were truly lucky.’

If their paths had diverged, they might have died meaninglessly on the road.

It seemed like a prank, but truly, coincidence upon coincidence saved their lives.

Even at this point, there were still survivors and surviving soldiers.

But most lost their lives while making their way here.

Private Kang, who had been speaking with a somber expression, finally shed tears.

His tears didn’t stop, and neither did his explanation.

As if he carried the duty to do so.

The journey of the survivors was harsh.

They couldn’t handle the swarming zombies, starved, and shivered from the cold.

They were chased by humans who had turned into fearless looters attacking soldiers, and harassed by those approaching to steal weapons.

“Sergeant Kang lured the zombies away with the veterans and saved us….”

Even as they were injured and lost people, they didn’t give up.

They swallowed their tears, leaving behind those who fell one by one.

After many hardships, they arrived in Myeonmok-dong but were attacked by thugs.

They somehow managed to overcome that and wandered, searching for a path, but were blocked by zombies.

Just then, the rain poured down, so they took shelter, and…

“That’s where you met me, then.”

“…That’s right.”

“You’ve suffered a lot.”

“Ugh!”

In the end, Private Kang burst out with the sorrow he had been trying to suppress.

I silently watched Private Kang and Second Lieutenant Lee, who were sobbing.

Everyone just watched; no one could offer words of comfort.

What could compare to the feeling of losing comrades who were with you in the same space?

They seemed to have a good relationship and were soldiers who had endured through the jaws of death.

It felt as if no comfort could reach them.

Listening to Private Kang’s story, I understood.

It was undeniable that they had done their best.

The soldiers were clearly not powerless; they struggled to survive.

But that was it.

The more they fired their guns to survive, the harder it became to handle the swarming zombies.

There were too many civilians to protect as well.

It was a miracle they hadn’t been wiped out and had made it this far.

There was only one difference between our group and Private Kang’s group.

My absence.

Even the power of numerous modern weapons couldn’t compare to me.

That was all.

That’s how dangerous and messed up the existence of zombies is.

In the somber atmosphere, I gazed steadily at Private Kang.

Private Kang, who had simply enlisted to fulfill his national defense duty.

All that remained for him was the disgusting treatment from a country that used him as a sacrificial pawn, and terrible wounds.

And it was the same for Second Lieutenant Lee.

It was impossible to tell if they wanted to forget or refused to accept it.

They were enraged by the fact that they had been used as meaningless consumables.

Such emotions were clearly mixed in their crying, which was choked with sorrow.

It was right after hearing the story.

There was no way not to know.

‘…….’

I waited a long time until the two calmed down.

It wasn’t boring, nor was the time wasted.

Knowing what kind of emotions they were feeling, I simply remained silent.

After crying for a long time, the two seemed to come to their senses and looked quite awkward.

“Ahem! I apologize….”

“It’s okay. Here, have some water…”

Their eyes were swollen, and their voices were hoarse and cracking.

Tear-stained, the two tried to compose themselves and their emotions, wiping their faces.

People patted Private Kang and his group, comforting them.

Watching them, I spoke indifferently.

One question that had popped into my mind.

“Why?”

“…?”

“The reason they ground up soldiers like that.”

“Se, Seonghan-ah.”

At my words, people were flustered, and the two, who had been collecting themselves, stared blankly at me.

But I didn’t care.

It was better to deal with something like this all at once than to let it fester.

“What on earth was there that made them push the soldiers in? Without even informing them about the variable of variants.”

“……”

“Do you really know nothing?”

“I’m sorry. We haven’t heard anything, nor was anything made known….”

“…You don’t need to apologize.”

In some ways, these soldiers were frustrating, but they couldn’t be blamed.

They simply fulfilled their duties faithfully.

However, it was regrettable that they didn’t seem to think even in such a situation.

It was frustrating not knowing the crucial ‘why?’

Just as frustration welled up inside me, Private Kang cautiously spoke.

“Uh, this is just something I overheard in passing, but.”

I gave him a look, as if telling him to speak, despite his hesitation.

“I heard that they had to break through to the hospital and find something.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know that much. But it also seems plausible…”

“Is there a reason you think that?”

It turned into an interrogation, but Private Kang spoke as if he had been waiting.

“Among the troops, there were non-military personnel mixed in.”

“Volunteers or something like that…”

“No. They must have been from a private organization. However, given their good armament, they didn’t seem to be random nobodies.”

Private Kang finished his explanation, interrupting Commander Choi, who had thought of volunteers.

After that, Second Lieutenant Lee, as if something had just occurred to her, continued speaking.

“Now that I think about it, I heard about infiltration teams or something. We were acting so hastily and urgently that I completely forgot.”

“Those people. They must have failed, of course.”

Second Lieutenant Lee nodded heavily at my words.

I asked one more thing.

“Were there any Capital Defense Command troops?”

“Yes. They were the main force.”

We continued to exchange dialogue, but there was nothing particularly significant.

Leaving the people chatting, I began to sink into thought.

‘There’s something in Gangnam, but what could it be…?’

I couldn’t know what was there.

I lacked the information to make a judgment.

But given the developing situation, there was something I could expect.

‘Look at these bastards?’

A laugh involuntarily escaped me.

“…Oppa. Why are you laughing like that?”

“Huh? Me, what?”

“You look really evil, somehow.”

“…Really?”

Shia looked at me suspiciously, and Hyuk hyung and Commander Choi also looked at me with puzzled expressions. At this, I composed my expression and salvaged the atmosphere.

Although their reactions seemed to ask what was wrong with me, I smoothly moved on.

I quietly approached and offered a small comfort to Private Kang’s group who had shared their difficult times.

The conversation had veered off a bit, but I had a good understanding of what the people here thought.

‘At least they won’t be trolling.’

There are often cliché scenes in movies or dramas.

Humanity and morality that suddenly well up in poor and difficult environments.

I’ve never seen such cases end well.

Naturally, movies and reality are different.

Fortunately, the people inside here don’t seem to pose such a “danger.”

Whether they knew my thoughts or not, the people seemed to be winding down the conversation. They probably thought of it as a good occasion to confirm each other’s resolve.

In that regard, they weren’t wrong.

Because I confirmed they were people worth staying with, at the very least.

However, there was no helping the fact that the atmosphere had quite dampened.

It was a rare chance to get treated by a doctor and reunite with welcome faces.

Thanks to that, I thought there might be some vitality, but it was back to square one, lamenting.

‘…Should I try to liven up the mood a bit?’

A somewhat plausible idea crossed my mind.

My gaze then turned to Dong-woo and Private Kang.

As the gathering was winding down, the two men who met my eyes were simply bewildered.