episode_0215

Walking on a snowy path where your feet sink deep, or through mud, is surprisingly difficult. Every single movement requires unnecessary effort, and your actions become sluggish. If you keep it up, even with good stamina, you’ll eventually become utterly exhausted. Or, it becomes overtly difficult. Just like now.

“Hoo- hoo-” “Hek! Hek-” Dong-woo and Hyung’s breathing became ragged. Even though I walked ahead, breaking through the snow or leaving footprints, they were exhausted.

“Why, why is it so hard? Hek! Hek!” “It’s always hard to walk through snow.” “No, but… Huk! Huk! It’s just snow, isn’t it?”

Dong-woo- Dong-woo~ My foolish Dong-woo~

“If you underestimate snow, you’ll get into an accident.” “Seonghan, I get it… but how much further? Whew~” Hyung, whose face was slightly flushed, subtly hinted that he wanted to rest. I wanted to drag the two of them along a bit longer, but…

“We’re here.” “Huh?” “It’s here.” When I announced our arrival, the two looked around.

I led the two into a pharmacy located in a rather strange spot. It was a place I hadn’t been to in a long time. Leaving a small sense of familiarity behind, I habitually surveyed the interior.

‘……’ Perhaps because the door had been open, a small amount of snow had accumulated on the floor. Beyond that, a thin layer of dust lay. Small customer chairs, a water dispenser, a desk, display shelves, etc. Everything visible was covered in a thick layer of dust. It was proof that no human hands had touched them. However, looking at the floor, that wasn’t entirely true.

Footprints, as if someone had wandered, remained on the floor. They were slightly clotted and hardened marks, perhaps from wet feet. These were not the footprints of myself and Incheol’s group from my last visit here. Footprints were scattered haphazardly in front of the shelves and even inside the dispensing room. All of them looked like old traces. Someone other than me, or several people, had visited. As evidence, the shelves and display cases, thickly covered in dust, had many empty spaces.

Gulp- …As I focused, I heard the loud sound of a throat gulping.

“There’s no one here. Relax.” “…Okay.” Perhaps because it was a dark and cramped space, the two couldn’t easily relax. I chuckled and spoke lightly.

“This is where I met Incheol and Sohee.” “Oh? That was here?” “Yes. They were hiding inside.” “Ohh… you can’t even see well from here, can you?” “Thanks to that, I almost got a bullet in my forehead.”

“……What?” “Eh?!” The two were startled, but I casually told the story.

“Incheol Hyung shot Hyung-nim…” “He’s scary too… he does what he has to when the time comes.” “It couldn’t be helped back then. I had my face covered too.”

Recalling past memories for a moment seemed to ease the tension. We immediately began to move, searching for what we needed. Each of us spread out a bit and searched around.

“Hyung-nim. It seems like this place was ransacked?” “…Indeed.” There were many empty spots, so I had a feeling, and it turned out to be true. It seems there were still survivors in this neighborhood.

The presence of survivors is welcome news. However, looking at the ransacked pharmacy, the current situation was not ideal. Perhaps that’s why. Hyung, who was surveying and rummaging through the interior, clicked his tongue softly.

“There’s quite a lot missing, isn’t there?” “The inside is completely empty.” “Hmm…”

Last time, when I met Incheol’s group here, I only took the essentials. I should have come back once more to stock up after that…

‘…Damn it.’ I had been too complacent. It was a mistake to have forgotten, feeling relieved that Byeongsu and his family had recovered their health. It’s just like they say: a person’s mind changes between going to the restroom and coming out [a proverb about how people act differently after they get what they want]. I swallowed the sigh that was about to escape. There was nothing useful for us here.

“…Let’s move on to the next one.” I also searched the pharmacy directly opposite. The windows were shattered, and the place was somewhat chaotic, but the situation here was the same. Hyung, having confirmed the desolate interior, spoke quietly.

“Seonghan, this…” I nodded, looking down at the similar traces. “There are other survivors besides us.”

At the mention of survivors, Dong-woo tensed up slightly. “Why are you nervous?” “Huh? Oh! No. Hehe…” Leaving Dong-woo, who looked embarrassed, I thoroughly searched the pharmacy, but found nothing.

“Did they try to fill their stomachs with medicine?” “If there’s nothing to eat, they might really do that.” “…Hyung, are you serious?”

Hyung, seeing the expression on my face, subtly twisted his lips. “In movies, the protagonist sometimes puts painkillers on potatoes because there’s no sauce.” “Huh… No, that’s just a movie.”

He annoyingly shrugged his shoulders at my bewildered expression. “Doesn’t it feel like we’re in a movie right now?” “…Um…”

It was absurd, but I couldn’t deny it. Whether it was a movie, an anime, a novel, or anything else. Because similar things were now happening in reality.

“This… it wouldn’t be just one person, right?” “There are several.” “How do you know that?” “The size of the footprints differs significantly.”

At my words, this time Hyung and Dong-woo were dumbfounded. “How do you know that? No, can you even see that?” “If you look often enough, you can see it. It’s hard to explain how.”

“Hah…” “Oh… Hyung-nim. You’re like a hunter.” Dong-woo made a keen observation.

“That’s right.” “Huh? Really?” “It’s a hunter’s skill. I learned it by watching others.” “Woah…” “…You really are capable…”

I called the two, who were admiring anew, and had them examine the traces. “This is an an area of skill. It’s harder to explain it theoretically.” “In such cases, you have to experience it yourself.” “That’s right. You might not understand it immediately, but it’s important to encounter it often. Dong-woo, you watch closely too.”

Of course, you can’t do well from the start. “…I can definitely tell when the sizes are vastly different.” “Oh… this one seems to have a different pattern.” “Looking closely, I can see it a bit.”

“…….” I asked if they really could tell, and their answers were quite something. “It shows up in crime investigation dramas, doesn’t it?” “I also studied it for a drama shoot once.” “Hoo…”

I must have underestimated the power of dramas too much. The efforts of the writers, who painstakingly focused on historical accuracy, shined here. Reality and dramas are certainly different, but it was proving helpful now. Feeling a slight, unidentifiable sense of futility, I stopped examining and straightened my back.

“If you look often, you’ll learn a lot.” “Hmm… it doesn’t seem like it’ll be easy.” “What’s easy in this world? Let’s move.” “Is there somewhere else we can go?” “I heard there’s a public health center right nearby.” “Oh, that’s right. Since we’re out, we should check it out. Let’s go.”

We had drawn blanks consecutively, but I endured it calmly. At this point, I had become too accustomed to the situation to repeatedly feel good or disappointed. We immediately left the pharmacy and traced our way to the public health center.

‘The path is definitely this way…’ I roughly pinpointed the location Dr. Jang had told me about and started walking again. A neighborhood park located between the pharmacy and the Red Hospital. We walked along the narrow alley between the park and the residential area.

Snow here, snow there. There were no traces of anyone passing by, nor any disturbing sounds. Only an unsuited purity presented itself on the pure white snowfield. In a normal world, I might want to roll around on that snowfield… It was a tedious time, yet one that could never be truly boring.

We traveled the short distance, taking about ten minutes. The moment we turned the corner of the alley.

“Found it.” “Where?” “Ah! I think that’s it?”

A familiar-looking 5-story building appeared directly ahead. A building where public duties, like a neighborhood administrative welfare center, could be handled, stood there. I approached the building without hesitation, and the two diligently followed behind me.

“Hmm…” “The entrance looks clean?” “It does.” “Hyung-nim. There’s a pharmacy here too?”

Dong-woo was right. Directly in front of the public health center building was a small pharmacy. The building, built with businesses on the first floor and residences on the second, looked old. However, the pharmacy looked relatively neat, as if it had been recently renovated. Perhaps because the shutter was down, it seemed untouched by human hands. Through the glass window, the interior was visibly filled with shelves.

“The pharmacy first. Hyung and Dong-woo, please check in opposite directions.” “Okay.” While the two stood guard, I approached the shutter. Seeing that it was locked, no one seemed to have come and gone.

Crunch-! I tore off the tiny lock with brute force.

Rattle-! As I noisily lifted the shutter, the interior was clearly visible.

‘…Good.’ Fortunately, the last remaining glass entrance door was not locked. As I surveyed the interior, Hyung spoke from behind me.

“Wow… with that strength, everything’s okay, isn’t it?” “Right? Usually, when you tear something like this off, don’t you bring tools and struggle?” “Exactly. Having such strength makes things easy for both your body and mind.” “Stop the unnecessary talk and come in.” “Oh my~ Excuse me~”

I let the two inside and lowered the shutter again. After quietly closing the glass door, I dusted off a customer chair and sat down.

“Short break.” “Ah! Finally!” “Ugh~ My feet were already so cold they felt numb.” “Take off your shoes and gently rub your feet.”

Hyung and Dong-woo soon took off their wet shoes and began to rub their feet. “Ugh~ I didn’t notice it when I was moving, but now that I’m still, it’s suddenly gotten cold.” “Me too, Hyung-nim. Ugh…” “How can you be cold after bundling up so much?” “Aw~ Even so, cold is cold.” “If only you couldn’t talk.”

“Hehet. Huh?” Dong-woo, who had been whining, his eyes gleamed.

“Isn’t that Jihyeok Hyung-nim in that picture?” “Where? It really is.” “Huh? Gasp?!”

Where Dong-woo pointed, a large life-sized standee stood. It was an advertisement for Jihyeok Hyung, wearing a suit and flashing a handsome smile. In his hand was a nutritional supplement from a famous company.

“Hoo…?” “Jihyeok Hyung-nim looks handsome even like this.” “St-stop!” “Aw~ Why are you embarrassed~” “Be quiet! No, how old is that thing that it’s still here…”

His face was red, perhaps flustered by seeing his own standee. Leaving the two bickering, I rummaged through my deflated backpack.

“What are you doing?” “Going to eat my lunch.” “Gasp?!” “You brought food?” “Of course. I can’t starve while working, can I?”

I handed each of them a lunchbox. “Oh! Hyung-nim, what’s this?” “Ah… that is what they call American MREs.” “…Your tone is annoying.” “Kukukuku.”

Hyung, who was tearing open his MRE, looked at me with curious eyes. “Aren’t you eating?” “I’m not very hungry. This is enough for me.” “Sorry to take it all…” “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

It really was fine. “Hyung-nim! This is my first time eating MREs!” “Ah, Dong-woo, it’s your first time. Then follow what I do.” “Yes, sir!”

Hyung, who seemed to have eaten it before, skillfully completed the preparations. “Hyung, have you eaten MREs before?” “No? I’ve eaten other military rations, so I roughly know how to do it.” “Oh… the dignity of a veteran.” “This is my first time too, I’m looking forward to it.”

I guarantee it, it’ll be an unforgettable experience. Hyung, truly looking like he hadn’t eaten it before, worked with expectant eyes. He prepared it step by step, reading the instructions on the packaging… Go on, pretty boy, receive that taste that strikes the cardiovascular system.

While the heating pack warmed the food, we shared the jerky. “Hyung-nim! The jerky is so tender!” “Oh! This is tasty!” “Hmph…”

It was a product worthy of their admiration. Its class was different from the meager jerky sold in convenience stores. The large, long, well-shaped rectangular jerky looked different from the start. It was soft to chew yet chewy and delicious. With a flavor that wasn’t too strong and a savory umami taste from the meat, it was hard to stop eating. I ate this delicious jerky, and the two ate their lunchboxes. Finally, as time passed, the moment arrived.

Each took a large spoonful of their steaming hot meal. And then, they both shivered.

“Ugh-!!” “Cough-!” Hyung covered his mouth with his hand, and Dong-woo’s face turned crimson. And they squinted their eyes tightly, making all sorts of grimaces. Both desperately chewed and eventually swallowed it down.

“Ugh, damn it…” “Nooo…” “Euhahahahahahat!”

This was it. This was exactly it. I wanted to see this. I now understood the feeling Heize had when she laughed madly at me. I now knew how Captain Lee and the soldiers felt, holding their breath and watching until I put it in my mouth.

‘So this is what it felt like.’ Seeing them shaking their heads and shuddering made the already delicious jerky taste even better.

“What the hell is this taste?” “Hmm… it’s sour, sweet, and spicy…” “Hey! Is this spoiled?” “No way.” “But why does it taste like this?” “They say it’s not an easy taste for Koreans.”

“Woah… you… this is why you didn’t eat it, isn’t it?” Hyung narrowed his eyes and glared at me.

“No way. I’m really just not hungry, that’s why I’m eating this.” “…….” “Seriously.”

“Whew… Alright, just give me some jerky. I think I can only eat this if I eat it with that.” “Heh~ Here you go.” “…Just you wait.”

Hyung and Dong-woo, despite their suffering, ended up eating all of the MREs. Both knew the preciousness of food well, so leaving anything behind wasn’t an option. However, they thoroughly enjoyed the chocolate cake for dessert.

‘I should have left that out.’ Having experienced both hot and cold baths simultaneously, the two burst into laughter, finding themselves amusing.

“It’s like some kind of penalty game, ugh…” “Hyung-nim. But as I ate it, it seemed edible, didn’t it?” “Then do you want to try a different menu for dinner?” “Koreans still need to eat rice, you know.”

I smiled faintly at Dong-woo’s cheekiness and enjoyed the short break. Hyung, who had been laughing silently for a moment, quietly spoke to me.

“Seonghan. You said the purpose of coming out today was for reconnaissance, right?” “Yes.” “You’ve been looking around since we came out, what are you looking for?”

“Ah, traces.” “…Traces of zombies?” “Yes. There’s something that bothers me.” I recalled what happened at Yongsan Base. Especially, Heize’s tale of hardships.

“Heize said she couldn’t even properly leave her hotel room. She said zombies were roaming around.” “You said that yesterday. That zombies were moving strangely.” “But when we went, there weren’t any wandering around the hotel. It was as if they had all gathered in one place.”

“You mean they were gathered at that helipad?” I silently nodded.

“I don’t know why they do that. The ones I saw were just wandering short distances.” “Hmm…” “But at Yongsan Base, they wandered a certain distance. The zombies that cornered Heize weren’t even visible nearby.”

“Now that you mention it… it’s definitely strange?” “Why do they do that?” “I don’t know either.”

It’s frustrating, but I truly don’t know. Rather, it’s to the point where I want to grab a zombie by the collar, shake it, and ask. ‘Why the hell aren’t you just dying quietly instead of wandering around like this?’

I continued to share my thoughts with the two who were deep in thought. “Their strangeness isn’t just for a day or two, you know.” “Heh… that’s true too.” Hyung, letting out a small chuckle, shook his head from side to side.

I then somewhat seriously brought up what I had felt today. “…I dealt with a significant number of zombies at Sagajeong Market, didn’t I?” “Yes.” “We haven’t encountered any other zombies since we came out today until now.”

“Oh… is that… right?” Although we had found familiar paths, I had also intentionally passed through paths where we might encounter zombies.

“Zombies do move, but it doesn’t seem like they go beyond a certain range.” “Oh…” “Unless they were attracted or herded by something, there’s a high possibility that zombies won’t be seen near Sagajeong Station.”

“…Oh?” Hyung and Dong-woo blinked their eyes.

“Assuming we divide the area… if we clear out the zombies, I think we can secure a certain level of safety.” “Whoa…” At the mention of securing safety, Dong-woo’s eyes widened. But Hyung wasn’t easily swayed by those words.

“…On the condition that we don’t provoke zombies unnecessarily and attract them?” “Yes.” “It seems possible, doesn’t it? More importantly, we haven’t heard even a zombie’s groan since we came out today, let alone seen any.” “Even though some time has passed since I cleared out the zombies, it seems there aren’t any more of them. The snowy paths we saw on the way here were all clean too.”

“Oh… that’s right, isn’t it? Hyung-nim?” In other words, while zombies do move, they don’t wander far enough to disturb everything. Today, I confirmed that around us. A faint glimmer of expectation appeared in Hyung’s eyes as he listened to the story.

“Clearing out zombies would cleanse the area, but it won’t be easy.” “…Ah… that’s true.” “Hyung-nim. What if we join forces with the Konkuk University Shelter?”

“It might be possible to some extent, but a wide area would be difficult.” “Ah…” “We lack people who can fight. And it’s hard to say we have enough weapons either.” Hyung seemed to understand my words.

“…So, the issue is the sheer number.” “Yes.” “It’s not easy…”

Hyung was right. Even if we tried something, we lacked manpower and resources. Just with ammunition alone, unless it’s constantly produced and supplied, it’s like hitting a rock with an egg [a proverb about a futile effort against overwhelming odds]. The number of zombies to defeat is immeasurable. However, our side has obvious numerical limitations.

Hyung and Dong-woo sank heavily, but I dusted off my hands and stood up. “Let’s think about that later and do what we need to do now.” “…Okay.”

Their hearts might have been heavy, but I had made gains in my own way. In any case, I had seen a possibility. The two soon pulled themselves together, put on their shoes, and stood up.

We looked around at the various medicines filling the pharmacy. They were many, packed tightly, and diverse. I handed them each a duffel bag that I had carefully placed on my A-frame backpack.

“First, let’s find everything that looks like nutritional supplements.” “Alright!” “Hehehe~ This is awesome~”

Perhaps to shake off the gloom pressing down on their hearts, they were slightly overdoing it, but it wasn’t bad. It was much better than shrinking completely and hitting rock bottom. I handed Dr. Jang’s note to Hyung, hoping they could clear their heads, if only for now.

Hyung and Dong-woo began to move busily, looking back and forth between the note and the medicines. Watching them, I also started to move my hands.

‘…A purification operation, huh…’ What would be an efficient way to stomp out the zombies? Once a thought began to bite its tail, it didn’t easily disappear. And that thought continued even as I rummaged through the medicine boxes.