episode_0212

The discussion held in CEO Choi’s private study concluded on a good note.

The conclusion was simple.

Don’t cause each other trouble; help when needed, and accept help when offered.

While it might establish a somewhat business-like relationship with the Konkuk University shelter, that doesn’t seem bad in itself…

More than anything, a good relationship formed with a decent person felt surprisingly good.

For me, who initially intended to hole up alone, my direction had completely reversed by 180 degrees.

Facing the apocalypse, I even developed social skills I didn’t have before.

Thinking about living alone now, I was sure that living by myself was something I couldn’t do.

It seems I can never give up this current warmth, which feels like a fluffy cloud.

Anyway, I’m expected to be busy often from now on, but I didn’t feel bad about it.

Of course, assuming there’s work to be done.

After the conversation ended, I don’t remember anything.

Weariness washed over me, and I lay down for a short nap, only to wake up the next morning.

…It was just absurd.

It seems I had accumulated fatigue I hadn’t realized…

I felt it was a waste to have lost time and missed a meal.

In the past, I wouldn’t have even imagined sleeping so deeply.

I realized once again that I truly consider this place comfortable.

“Even if you go back to sleep, you should eat first.”

“…Ugh…”

“Pfft~ Get up quickly.”

Thanks to Shia, who gently smiled while worrying about my utterly sprawled-out state, I was able to wake up.

Such a morning greeting… seems really nice.

‘…The apron suits her well.’

I couldn’t say it, but with just an apron, she exuded a domestic and charming aura.

What can I say about this…

It feels really good for my eye health.

…Anyway….

Heize and Lawrence, perhaps like me, had apparently fallen asleep as if they’d fainted.

Even while half-asleep, they were led by Shia to come out for a meal.

The two of them ate their meal without any difficulty.

However, it was clear that they couldn’t easily shake off their fatigue.

Still, it was nice to see them smiling at the warm meal.

As always, our mealtime was enjoyable.

After eating a hearty breakfast, I decided to tackle my “homework” first.

So, I headed to Dr. Jang Heeyeon’s makeshift medical office.

“Excuse me, Seonghan.”

“Yes.”

“Please don’t make it hurt…”

“Hmm……”

Miri’s father, facing me for the treatment of his improperly healed bone, was filled with fear and tension.

“Please, I beg you.”

“Well… I’m an expert at making things hurt.”

“…What?”

He looked at me, speaking with a smile, his pupils trembling, but he really wouldn’t die.

“Instead, I’ll make it clean, so don’t worry.”

“Ah, no, wait—”

“Dong-woo, Incheol.”

“Yes, sir!”

At my call, the two younger brothers who were waiting stepped forward quickly.

“Hold him down.”

“Yes, sir!”

With the two younger brothers joining in, Miri’s father became greatly flustered.

I gently soothed Miri’s father.

“Stay still, relax. If you struggle, your bone will break.”

“Ah, no! You’re breaking my bone righ—”

Thwack—Snap!

A crisp striking sound that cut off his words.

I straightened Miri’s father’s injured arm and lightly struck it with the edge of my hand.

“Noooooooooo!”

“Seonghan, it’s ready.”

“Okay. Now I’ll set it.”

“?!”

Crack—Grind!

“Gahhh…”

I held his shoulder in place with my left hand, pulled his forearm, and concentrated on the sensation in my hands.

The strangely twisted and stiffened muscles screamed.

Fortunately, the weaker he was, the less resistance there was.

Crunch—Crunch!

“!!!”

Miri’s father seemed to be in so much pain that he couldn’t even make a sound, only his mouth opened and closed silently.

The pain is only for a moment.

It’ll get better soon.

Dr. Jang and I swiftly moved our hands.

Dr. Jang, who generously applied menthol balm around the injured area, carefully shaped the arm and then brought over the cast.

It certainly must have hurt, as Miri’s father broke out in a cold sweat in a short time.

Despite that, he still seemed to have the energy to speak.

“…Teacher-nim… it hurts too much…”

“Hehe. It’ll subside quickly.”

“Oh, he’s just exaggerating!”

Miri’s mother, who had been anxiously watching with a sympathetic expression, stepped forward.

“Honey… I’m really in pain…”

“Oh, my sweetie~ Did it hurt a lot~?”

Slap!

Miri’s mother’s firm palm smash landed.

“Agh!”

“Stop exaggerating, you human! Teacher-nim, Seonghan. You worked hard. Thank you so much~ Hoho~”

Everyone burst into laughter seeing Miri’s mother handle her husband’s exaggeration.

Miri’s father, the one involved, also laughed along, perhaps finding himself funny.

Though pain accompanied it, the treatment was quickly finished.

…However, an unexpected side effect appeared.

“Miri? What’s wrong?”

“……”

Miri, apparently shocked and misunderstanding that I had hurt her father, had tears welling up in her eyes.

Startled, I tried to soothe her, but she dodged my hand and ran to her mother.

“Sweetie~ It’s not like that. Uncle treated Daddy~”

“……”

Despite her gentle mother’s explanation, Miri just buried her face in her mother’s arms and wouldn’t even look at me.

“Oh dear… Look at her. Se-Seonghan, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. It’s okay.”

…The affinity that had finally risen plummeted to rock bottom.

I knew it wasn’t true, but a bitter taste filled my mouth.

“Hyung-nim. Miri will clear up the misunderstanding soon. Cheer up.”

“……”

At Dong-woo’s quiet words of comfort, I closed my eyes tightly.

I never thought the day would come when I’d be pitied by Dong-woo…

While my heart ached from Miri’s cold shoulder, I heard Dr. Jang’s explanation.

Management was important, and he had to be careful not to exert force…

Dr. Jang explained that the rehabilitation training would also be very difficult afterward.

She said complete recovery would require significant time and effort.

Even as an outsider, I could tell he would suffer a lot.

However, Miri’s father’s expression was bright as he showed enthusiasm, saying there was no problem.

Reunited with his family, he felt like an invincible man.

‘……’

Seeing this heartwarming scene, I figured I wouldn’t have to worry too much about what comes next.

I gazed intently at Dr. Jang.

The presence of a doctor truly holds significant meaning.

Breaking and destroying things is easy and simple.

But fixing and restoring things is hard and difficult.

The power to remove pain and restore health.

The power of knowledge and technology for life felt newly real to me.

Suddenly, the scene in the room caught my eye.

Unlike my room, it was meager, but shelves and racks were filled with things.

Inside them were various medicines and treatment tools.

It had the appearance of being set up, but it was meager in many respects.

“Seonghan, what’s wrong?”

Dr. Jang blinked, perhaps curious why I was looking around the room.

“Is there anything else you might need?”

“Need anything?”

“Yes. Whether it’s medicine or tools. It seems like you need more.”

“Ah—! Hmm……”

Dr. Jang immediately fell into thought, apparently recalling various things.

“Could you at least make a list of things that would be good to have?”

“Understood. As quickly as possible…”

“You can take your time.”

Dr. Jang, who nodded at my words, began preparing Miri’s father’s medicine.

Leaving Miri’s family, I headed to the reception room with the younger brothers.

I sat down comfortably on the sofa and leaned back.

Dong-woo, sitting across from me, subtly spoke.

“Hyung-nim, are you going out again?”

“I’ll see and go out.”

Seeing the recent treatment process, the importance and usefulness of a doctor became clear.

If you’re going to work in the field, tools are important.

If you’re going to fight outside, armament is important.

For a doctor, the scalpel is their weapon, and various medicines are their ammunition.

It felt like Dr. Jang was currently lacking a lot to properly exert her power.

It was naive of me to only think about disinfectants or antibiotics.

She is an important person responsible for the health of our family, including myself.

Even if electronic equipment is out of the question, I thought I should at least prepare the bare minimum.

If possible, I should sweep everything up and store it in my inventory…

“Can’t I come with you?”

“……”

Dong-woo’s eyes shone with an overwhelming intensity.

It was clear he desperately wanted to go outside.

“Alright.”

“Oh?! Really?”

“Uh, then me too…”

“This time, I’ll go with just Dong-woo. We have to walk anyway because of the snow.”

I gently consoled Incheol, who looked a little disappointed.

“It’s also to give him some exercise.”

“Ah~”

“Huh? Hyung-nim??”

“More importantly, didn’t you say there was something you needed to do?”

“Oh, right. First, we need to go outside.”

“Grab whatever you need. Let’s go right away.”

While I was away, everyone diligently moved to maintain their current way of life.

I’m going to take care of one of those things together now.

Dong-woo and Incheol prepared to go out and packed a broom-like tool.

A cleaning tool with a very soft microfiber brush.

The two younger brothers, wearing thick coats and hats, familiar took the lead.

It strongly exuded a feeling of being quite accustomed to it.

As we stepped out the entrance together, the sky was gloomy.

“Wow… it’s still snowing.”

“The weather’s crazy… seriously.”

“Hyung-nim, look at the accumulated snow! Woah!”

Dong-woo, floundering in the snowfield where his feet sank deeply, seemed slightly excited.

‘…A guy full of childlike wonder.’

Incheol and I shook our heads and followed behind.

We trudged through the heavily accumulated snow.

It was a bit distant behind the building, but I had never been there before.

It was a dense forest, and there was no path due to the snow, but the two guys walked confidently.

“Hyung-nim. There are a lot of squirrels and birds here.”

“Squirrels are really cute, I have to admit.”

“Those birds, we should catch and eat them all… Agh!”

Dong-woo vented his frustration, and Incheol agreed.

Curious why they were acting like this, I subtly asked.

“What did the birds do?”

“They squirt poop from the air!”

“Hyung-nim. The smell is really pungent too. Ugh!”

“My nose hurts because of it, I’m telling you?!”

“Heh…”

Laughter escaped me at the somewhat peaceful reason.

I could endure any number of such happenings.

The place I followed the younger brothers to was where solar panels were installed.

Surprisingly, there were so many that they filled a large and spacious area.

“There’s nothing special about this, but we have to check it once in a while.”

“And we have to make sure there’s no bird poop on them.”

Dong-woo and Incheol moved familiarly.

They opened a control panel, seemed to manipulate something, and then activated a machine.

The device, which started operating from one end, slowly moved and began cleaning the panels.

“Hyung-nim. This is a cleaning robot.”

“This?”

“CEO-nim said this was really expensive, you know?”

“Oh…”

I didn’t know the principle, but after the robot passed, the panels transformed into a clean state.

As I stared in wonder, Dong-woo explained it like a salesman.

“They say keeping this clean improves electricity efficiency.”

“That certainly makes sense.”

“Other than that, it’s too complicated, so I don’t really know. Hehe.”

Dong-woo and Incheol approached each panel and repeated the same task.

There were more solar panels than I expected, so it subtly ate up time.

They finished up the parts that the cleaning robot couldn’t handle with the tools they brought.

It was a simple task, but the guys didn’t do it carelessly; they were serious.

I had come along to help, but there was nothing specific for me to do.

‘……’

Both Dong-woo and Incheol felt like they had matured in the short time I hadn’t seen them.

I slowly followed behind the younger brothers who were meticulously inspecting the panels in silence.

The younger brothers, diligently moving their hands, were doing their part.

…They were admirable and reliable guys.

“Hyung-nim wouldn’t know, but CEO Choi bragged about it a lot.”

“Bragged? About what?”

“About these facilities here.”

“I’ve never seen CEO Choi talk so much before…”

“Ah… Heheh~”

I recalled his passionate appearance when his interests came up during our first meeting.

CEO Choi definitely talked a lot when it came to his hobbies and favorite fields.

Enough to make you clench your fists.

“He certainly has that side to him.”

“Seriously. I thought my ears were going to callus!”

“I thought my ears were bleeding.”

Sharing their difficult(?) memories, they became excited and made a fuss among themselves.

Perhaps because they were similar in age, they got along very well.

Yet, their hands didn’t stop moving.

I watched the younger brothers engrossed in their work and surveyed the surroundings.

I habitually looked around, but all I could see were mountains stretching out steeply.

‘…There doesn’t seem to be anything unusual.’

I observed, and the younger brothers moved.

After repeating for a long time, the inspection of the solar power facility was complete.

“Hyung-nim! It’s all done~”

At Dong-woo’s words signaling the end of the work, I slowly approached.

“When did you guys start doing this?”

“It’s been quite a while.”

“…Really?”

“CEO Choi was struggling by himself, so we learned and helped him.”

“Good job.”

The two guys laughed it off as if it were nothing special, but they were admirable.

The invisible efforts of the two younger brothers greatly contributed to our warm and comfortable lives.

We brushed off the snow accumulated on our heads and walked back the way we came.

While silently listening only to the sound of snow crunching underfoot.

“…Hyung-nim. Is Sergeant Kang doing well?”

Incheol subtly asked about his senior with the same name.

He pretended it was nothing, but a deep longing was strongly felt.

“He was lively. And his hair grew quite long.”

“Ah… He always said he wanted to grow his hair… Hehehe~”

After I spoke a few words about Sergeant Kang from when I met him, Incheol couldn’t hide his smile, apparently in a better mood.

“Sergeant Kang had surprisingly clumsy parts, so he needed a lot of help.”

“Hoo…”

“I did all the chores and tidying up for him.”

“You’ll have a bit of a hard time in the future too.”

At my words, spoken with a smile, Incheol abruptly stopped walking.

“Um… Hyung-nim…”

“……”

“I’m sorry.”

Incheol, who had stopped walking, bowed deeply at the waist.

“I, too, should go to Sergeant Kang.”

I looked back at Incheol, and Dong-woo also gazed at Incheol.

Surprisingly, Dong-woo didn’t show any particular reaction.

“Look up.”

“……”

“I told you already. Do what your heart tells you.”

“…Hyung-nim…”

I approached the frozen Incheol and brushed the snow off his shoulders.

“If you and Sohee go, it’ll be a great strength to Sergeant Kang too.”

“……”

“Lighten up. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again, so why are you acting like that?”

Incheol pressed his lips together.

And then, with difficulty, he spoke.

“…Thank you.”

“It’s fine. Keep it.”

“Hmph.”

“Just don’t go there whining that you miss Grandma’s cooking.”

“Hehehe~ That’s a big one.”

Incheol, displaying a relieved expression along with a playful laugh, once again moved his steps and followed between me and Dong-woo.

“Incheol Hyung. If you go, I’ll have to do this alone…”

“Hmm… Good luck.”

“…You bad guy.”

“Hey. Even if he’s your hyung, what’s with ‘guy’?”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

If you only look at their appearance, Dong-woo looks like the older brother…

Dong-woo complained in a way that didn’t suit his appearance and stature.

Though he didn’t say it directly, it must have been his true feelings shown to Incheol, who had decided to leave.

Dong-woo is naturally gentle and kind.

It seems the two have become close and grown very fond of each other in the meantime.

Incheol kept trying to soothe him, but Dong-woo responded indifferently.

It felt like watching a pouting youngest child.

As Hyuk Hyung said, a drinking session where they could open their hearts seems necessary.

Even until we arrived back at the shelter, Dong-woo was in a sulky mood.

Although he said he understood, well…

Thanks to that, the atmosphere flowed a bit strangely, but both Dong-woo and Incheol acted discreetly so as not to ruin the mood. Because of this, there was nothing for me to step in and say.

Rather, their attitude of being more mature than their age and conscious of their surroundings bothered me a little.

‘Hmm……’

This is all because of the zombies.

Those damn things all deserve to die.

Just as I was thinking it would be great if there was a way to wipe them all out in one go.

“Young man. It’s cold outside, isn’t it? Come here and drink this.”

Grandma, who was resting in the reception room, called us over, placing warm drinks in front of us.

Shia and Dr. Jang were already there, resting together.

The two guys, changing their expressions as if nothing had happened, cheerfully rushed to the snack.

“Oh, this…”

“It’s tasty, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this.”

It was the soup that I could sometimes taste from vending machines.

It was a real delicacy on cold days, and I hadn’t had it in a very long time.

Enjoying the taste of the soup, I sank into the plush sofa.

Slurp—

Along with the savory umami flavor, I felt the cold receding.

It’s so delicious, so why did it disappear from the vending machine menu?

As I savored the taste of memories, Shia spoke with a pleased expression.

“You worked hard in the cold.”

“I didn’t do anything. They did everything.”

“Noona. You should praise us a bit too.”

“Okay. Good job~”

At Shia’s praise, the two guys narrowed their eyes.

“…I don’t feel any soul in that…”

“…I was a true fan, you know…”

Laughter burst out of me as I watched the two guys become sulky while holding their cup soup.

Grandma looked at us warmly.

While I was at it, I asked Grandma.

“Is there anything you need?”

“Huh? Something I need?”

“Yes. Something that would be good to have, that kind of thing.”

At my words, Grandma closed her mouth and fell into thought.

It didn’t seem like she was simply recalling a list of necessities.

After pondering for a bit, Grandma cautiously began to speak.

“Something I need… there is, indeed.”

“What kind of thing?”

I asked gently, but Grandma didn’t open her mouth easily.

It seemed she felt sorry towards me…

I didn’t rush her and waited with a relaxed expression.

“Well, you see…”

After finishing her thoughts, Grandma showed timidity instead of her usual hearty demeanor.

I quietly listened to Grandma’s words and gently nodded.

Grandma’s request was reasonable and something we also needed.

I began to focus on Grandma’s words, organizing the list in my head.