episode_0182

There are scenes sometimes seen in dramas or movies.

Families enjoying a pleasant breakfast together.

Sometimes they take their time, other times they’re in a frantic rush.

Burning fried eggs or spilling coffee.

Rushing around, not knowing where car keys or important documents are.

“It’s on the sink, Mom.”

“Check your pocket, Dad.”

“Oh~ You know we can’t do without our daughter, right?”

“My child, I love you. And eat your bell peppers.”

Warm love even at the start of a breathless day.

I thought that was what the media wanted to show.

I envied it.

Because it was a daily routine I had never experienced, and one I wondered if I ever would.

At least in the shelter, I could experience a similar feeling.

That’s why I like that time.

I like that time when we share a meal and feel a sense of connection.

But now, well…?

“First, we explore the surroundings and just in case…”

“We need to assess the current situation to determine priorities…”

“If we set it up like this, for now…”

‘…….’

It’s noisy.

It should be a pleasant mealtime, but it’s chaotic.

I can’t tell if they’re eating or holding a meeting.

It’s like a goblin market in here.

The team members, barely eating, were getting all worked up.

Their enthusiasm wasn’t just overflowing; it was excessive.

Captain Lee and the team members’ eyes sparkled so much as they passionately drew up future plans, it was almost overwhelming.

It was still better than being dejected and gloomy, though.

‘Can’t they just eat first?’

I couldn’t tell if the food was going into my mouth or my nose.

Perhaps this was how the sons and daughters in dramas felt.

Still, it was amusing to watch.

Had their atmosphere rubbed off on me?

Somehow, I felt my fatigue lessening.

Not wanting to spoil the good atmosphere, I just silently emptied my can.

At least Lawrence and I were eating quietly.

Heize, who was eating as if she’d burst her stomach, seemed to have no other thoughts.

If she eats like that and goes outside…

I just hope Heize has a strong stomach.

The early morning meal finally ended after the sun had risen.

The soldiers, pressed for time, hurried their movements.

Everyone headed towards the helipad.

The two Americans were with them too.

Personally, I thought Lawrence, being pregnant, should stay in the hotel room.

Outside wasn’t visually pleasant, and the smell was terrible.

I suggested she and Heize stay behind, thinking it wouldn’t be good for the baby in her belly, but…

“We’re scared. Take us with you.”

I could only laugh.

“What do you have to be scared of? You’re a soldier.”

“Nope. I’m weak. I’m scared.”

What nonsense was a woman swinging a huge axe talking about?

“It’s safe here. Your friend is also struggling.”

“No. Lawrence is coming too. Coming?”

“…If it’s difficult, speak in English.”

Heize, who had been insisting in clumsy Korean, soon rattled off a long, fluent English sentence.

“Ms. Lawrence also wants to come along. Both of them have been practically trapped here for a long time and feel stifled. They believe that going with us will be absolutely safe.”

Lieutenant Lee naturally translated beside me.

“But why are they telling me that?”

At my question, Lieutenant Lee asked something and then chuckled softly.

“They’re asking if Seonghan-ssi isn’t the leader.”

“What… Captain Lee is the commander, so please tell them to ask Captain Lee.”

“If Seonghan-ssi is okay with it, we are too.”

Captain Lee, who was behind me, answered without hesitation.

Why were they pushing this decision onto me?

I looked at Captain Lee with a puzzled gaze.

“Leaving just the two of them here also feels a bit unsettling. If we hadn’t seen them at all, it would be one thing, but since it’s come to this, I think it’s better if we move together. Staff Sergeant Park can also keep an eye on the pregnant woman’s condition, so wouldn’t that be good?”

“Will that be alright?”

“Since Ms. Heize is also a soldier, there’s no downside for us.”

Captain Lee wanted to take care of the two, saying there would be no problem.

When Lieutenant Lee translated this, the two women’s eyes sparkled.

“Me strong. Do work well.”

“What?”

“Me A-grade. Help everyone. All? He, help.”

“Heh.”

I chuckled at her calling herself A-grade.

But Heize seemed to be genuinely appealing.

And a flicker of unhidden anxiety was also visible.

Looking at her serious expression, something occurred to me.

“Heize.”

“Hm?”

“Are you worried we’ll leave you behind?”

“…….”

It must have hit home.

Heize’s expression stiffened, her lips pressed tightly together as if speechless.

“Don’t think like that…”

“We already abandoned.”

Heize’s clear voice became dry.

But soon, she pleaded in broken Korean.

“Take only Lawrence. Me now too much. Cannot protect.”

“Hey…”

“Please. Han. Me okay here. Only Lawrence. Hm?”

“No, calm down.”

“Friend, baby, protect. Please.”

Heize’s expression, struggling to hold back tears, crumbled.

She mumbled something, her voice even constricting.

Her tightly clenched fists even trembled slightly.

‘…What on earth happened?’

The bright, energetic glutton was gone, replaced by a frail woman.

Since she wasn’t speaking, I didn’t know what had happened.

But one thing was clear: she had endured by thinking she needed to protect Lawrence and the baby.

That seemed to be the driving force that had kept Heize going until now.

It seemed she had been worrying inwardly that we might leave them behind…

‘Now that I think about it, she got agitated when we said we weren’t a rescue team, right?’

“Captain Lee said he’d take everyone.”

“What about Han?”

“Huh? Me?”

“Not Han?”

I’m not the leader.

“…Of course we’re going together.”

“Really?”

“Would I lie?”

“Phew… relieved.”

Seeing Heize giggle, wiping away the tears in her eyes with her fingers, she seemed to have suffered greatly.

Her reactions were quite… extreme, I suppose.

When you cry and then laugh, hair grows on you—does she not know that because she’s American?

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

“You said you’re good at work, so work hard at whatever you’re told to do.”

“A-Anything. Me good.”

Her childlike giggling sapped my energy.

The somewhat strange conversation and small incident quickly ended.

Though Lawrence, who had been listening to the conversation from behind, nudged Heize and shed a few tears.

Anyway.

After organizing our transportation, we immediately left the hotel.

The sun was just rising, which was perfect.

However, it was so cold that the sudden drop in temperature was palpable.

On top of that, a strong wind blew.

It was like overcoming one mountain only to face another.

After dealing with zombies, now the weather was the problem.

Nothing was easy.

At this point, I even suspected that the higher power in the sky had decided to wipe out humanity.

But the cold didn’t seem to be an issue for the current soldiers.

Their composed demeanor remained unfazed even in adverse conditions.

Everyone simply endured the cold stoically.

The vehicles, driving smoothly down a quiet road, soon arrived at the scene.

And immediately, the bodies came into view.

“…….”

Everyone was horrified by the gruesome corpses scattered on the ground.

The soldiers froze, seeing the traces of the previous night’s battle.

The shock must have been immense, as they couldn’t close their gaping mouths.

Even the moving cars stopped, and people couldn’t take their eyes off the sight before them.

“Um… excuse me?”

“W-What on earth is this…”

Captain Lee, who was usually calm and resolute, now had trembling pupils.

Everyone remained stunned for a long time.

“We saw it through the binoculars from the hotel, but… did a war break out or something…?”

“Well… didn’t you already know it would turn out like this?”

“No, ha… this… haa…”

Captain Lee, unable to speak as if his brain had stopped working, merely gasped for air.

The soldiers who glanced back had similar reactions.

Those inside the car even leaned forward and rubbed their eyes.

They weren’t novices either.

They had faced zombies and encountered corpses before.

‘…There certainly were a lot.’

It was night, and I had been running and fighting frantically, so I hadn’t noticed.

Seeing it in broad daylight, it felt different again.

There were more than I thought, and… well, it was gruesome.

A significant number of zombies remained as charred remains, on the verge of crumbling, having been burned to beyond recognition.

The flames that had lit up the night had vanished as if they had never been there, leaving only acrid smoke. Everywhere I looked, there were charred and burnt marks.

Besides that, torn, cut, and burst chunks of flesh filled every corner of my vision.

Seeing it like this, Captain Lee’s question about whether a war had broken out seemed plausible…

Lawrence, who was in the passenger seat, couldn’t suppress her retching.

Her sounds of vomiting brought the soldiers back to their senses.

“Let’s… go to the helipad.”

Captain Lee composed himself and his team members.

His highly complex expression showed he was confused.

The car moved, but people couldn’t take their eyes off the battle-scarred scene.

Captain Lee, in particular, diligently scanned the area, as if trying to imprint the scene into his memory.

The Government-General Building remained partially collapsed and half-burnt.

The collapsed wall I mentioned looked wider in scope than I had thought.

‘Nothing major happened, right?’

Despite the large explosion, no zombies had rushed in from the city center.

I sincerely hoped that everything would pass without incident just like this.

With that small wish, we arrived at the helipad.

In the daylight, I realized we had done a proper sweep last night.

The piled-up zombie corpses extended to a spot slightly away from the helipad.

It was as if they had drawn a boundary.

Quite a good result.

‘At least it’ll be a bit better now.’

At least I wouldn’t have to work next to burnt, rotting flesh.

The people who slowly arrived at the helipad were speechless once again.

Captain Lee and the team members trembled as they saw the scattered supplies across the wide area.

They let out small cheers and patted each other on the shoulders.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Captain Lee soon snapped back to reality.

The first thing he did was check the helicopter’s condition.

The personnel who stopped their cars near the helicopter and disembarked immediately took up defensive positions.

They didn’t relax their guard, tightening their resolve even further.

Their clear understanding of what needed to be done instilled a sense of trustworthiness in anyone watching.

Maintaining regular intervals, they scanned their surroundings with sharp eyes.

It was clear that they were seasoned veterans with accumulated experience.

As I had mentioned, the scene was clean and problem-free.

After confirming safety, the soldiers immediately began inspecting the helicopter.

“It looks clean on the outside. We’ll begin inspection.”

Jo Junwi and Lieutenant Lee meticulously examined the helicopter, almost caressing it.

“I’ll leave it to the two of you. The rest of you will guard the surroundings and check the supplies. First, find fuel, aviation fuel.”

“Understood.”

“Maintain your distance and don’t scatter too far. It might seem safe, but be careful not to let your guard down. There’s plenty of time. Don’t rush, prioritize safety. Understand?”

“Yes!”

After sending off the team members who immediately dispersed and took action, Captain Lee entrusted Heize and Lawrence to me.

“Seonghan-ssi, please look after the two of them.”

“It’s safe for now, so I can help out.”

At my words, Captain Lee looked troubled.

“Please let me do at least this.”

“…….”

He didn’t say much.

It seemed he was feeling burdened in various ways.

Captain Lee, who couldn’t hide his discomfort even while smiling, entrusted the two women to me and then quickly left.

Left alone with the two Americans, I felt awkward.

“What we doing?”

“…Good question.”

As I scratched my head, the two of them chuckled softly.

“First, get in the car.”

“Again?”

“Just follow me without complaining.”

I helped Lawrence into the pickup truck and made sure she stayed warm.

“A pregnant woman shouldn’t get cold.”

“Oh…”

I found a blanket I had packed from the PX and wrapped Lawrence in it.

As an alternative, I gave her a hot pack and urged her to rest comfortably.

“Thank you.”

Lawrence, smiling brightly, expressed her gratitude in Korean.

It was clumsy, but a heartfelt word.

I observed her carefully.

Lawrence was also pretty.

However, her slightly reddish-brown hair looked quite dry and brittle.

Her body was quite thin, despite carrying a child.

It was evident that her body and mind were utterly exhausted.

Nevertheless, a faint smile graced her lips, and her eyes shone brightly.

Seeing her gently stroke her belly, I felt I understood how she had endured.

And somehow, I found her beautiful.

‘…Is this what they mean by mothers being great?’

Just as my heart was softening at the heartwarming sight,

“What about me?”

“…What?”

“Why aren’t you giving me one?”

“…Here.”

I tossed a hot pack to Heize, who was whining like a younger sister coveting her older sister’s belongings.

“That’s so unfair.”

“What now? I gave you a hot pack.”

“…Tsk.”

“…Are you a child? Give it back if you don’t want it.”

“Hmph!”

Her quickly tearing open the packaging and clutching it tightly with both hands was exactly like a child.

While Heize and I were bickering, Lawrence fell asleep.

Covered up to her neck with the blanket, her expression was peaceful.

Heize, who had been gazing silently at the sleeping Lawrence, quietly opened her mouth.

“Han.”

“Why?”

“Thank you. Truly.”

“…Don’t worry about it.”

Her words were lacking in expression, but her sincerity was palpable.

In the suddenly awkward atmosphere, Heize just fiddled with the innocent hot pack.

“I’m curious.”

“What are you curious about?”

“Hmm…”

Heize hesitated for a moment, then met my gaze.

“Captain said not to.”

“Then don’t.”

When I cut her off abruptly, Heize pouted.

“But I’m curious.”

My warning not to didn’t register at all.

I sighed softly and asked out of politeness.

“What are you curious about?”

“Seonghan. Are you perhaps Superman?”

“…What?”

To think she’d ask that.

“Super Soldier? Esper?”

“What nonsense is she spouting now?”

“We all saw it last night. Han fighting.”

“Ah…”

Captain Lee also hemmed and hawed earlier, so…

It seemed they had all watched.

Heize spoke cautiously, but her eyes were incredibly bright and sparkling.

She couldn’t seem to control her curiosity.

“Super Samurai?”

“Hey! What’s a samurai?”

“Then?”

“…These days, they call it a Swordmaster.”

“Oh! Sword master.”

She mumbled a few words in English to herself, seemingly impressed.

“Heize.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t go telling anyone about this.”

“Why? Han very strong. Cool. You’re a Hero.”

There was no way to stop Heize, who was getting increasingly excited.

So I just dismissed her with one phrase.

“Please.”

“Oh… secret. I got it.”

Will that really be enough?

“Our secret, just the two of us?”

“…….”

It’ll be fine, right?