episode_0223

Honestly, I hadn’t paid much attention to cosmetics as a product.

From my perspective, the stronger impression was ‘items for female beauty.’

Even the protagonists in movies about the apocalypse seemed to manage just fine, even if they were grimy and their faces oily.

Of course, whenever I saw scenes of men and women embracing, rubbing skin, and spending a steamy night…

“Oh, come on! Do it after you wash!”

I’d even exclaimed that before, but experiencing it myself, I understood.

There’s no problem living without them.

If anything were truly essential, wouldn’t it be soap?

Up until now, a single, nearly all-purpose bar of soap was a free pass.

This was just my standard, though…

My thoughts changed after hearing Dr. Jang’s opinion and seeing the condition of our group members.

It was also a shallow thought that, since we were surviving anyway, wouldn’t it be better to be healthy and pretty?

‘…Good is good, I guess.’

If Shia and Heize became a bit more soft and radiant, that would be…

“Seonghan. What are you thinking?”

“Huh?”

“What are you thinking that makes your expression so slippery? I’ve never seen you make that face before.”

Jihyeok hyung, passing by with a box, squinted his eyes and gave a mischievous smile.

What was my expression like, anyway?

For now, I feigned ignorance.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“…What? What is it? Tell your hyung a little.”

“…Just hurry up and carry the luggage.”

“Hmmph, suspicious~”

“Oh, stop it. Hurry up. The sun will set at this rate.”

Jihyeok hyung continued working with the same sly smile that Dong-woo always wore.

[Olive One]

Inside the store, we were busy carrying various items.

Thanks to Dr. Jang, who knew the area, we found the store easily.

Like any other shopping district, the windows were shattered and it was a mess.

But the inside was different.

There were almost no signs of anyone touching anything, and the display cases were full of goods.

It wasn’t just me who prioritized immediate necessities like food.

Except for the shattered entrance and accumulated dust, it was a goldmine.

Thanks to that, we felt like we were picking out items as if filling a shopping cart.

Since cosmetics themselves come in small volumes, there were many quantities and types.

When I wondered what to take, Sohee stepped forward.

“How about we prioritize famous brands with good performance?”

It was a good point and a good suggestion, so I readily agreed, and Sohee performed admirably.

Her confident hands, picking out items among countless goods, felt like those of an ordinary woman.

I’d heard from Sergeant Kang that she was nicknamed “Witch,” but it seems a woman is still a woman.

It seemed as if the significantly gloomy atmosphere was forgotten for a moment.

It seems the instinct of women to pursue beauty cannot be ignored.

We had Incheol and Dong-woo stand guard, and the rest of us followed Sohee’s instructions.

First, we took out items in clean boxes from the back storage room.

Here, we truly had no choice but to follow what Sohee told us.

When it came to cosmetics, all I had ever used were toner and lotion.

As for functional products, at most, it was sunscreen.

But I realized today that I knew too little about this industry.

There were ‘soothing’ and ‘toner’ products, all with different uses, and though they looked similar, they were slightly different.

Brand reputation #1, functional reputation #1, sales volume #1 in XX category, and so on.

Why were there so many ‘number ones’?

It felt like the marketing in this industry was no joke either.

I felt like I was visiting Technomart for the first time again, just like when I was a child.

…It was a relief that Sohee was here.

Lotion, shampoo, conditioner, mask packs, nourishing gels, high-quality cleansers, and so on.

What particularly caught my eye were body lotion and soothing gel.

For some reason, I liked the sound of them.

It didn’t take long to fill the remaining cargo space and stack them high and organize them.

I left the others outside for a moment and went into the warehouse alone.

And I scraped all the remaining inventory into my inventory.

For some reason, I had a feeling these cosmetics would be quite useful.

Seeing the warehouse emptied in an instant, I felt a strange satisfaction.

The vehicle was full, and my pockets were full.

Even the sense of accomplishment from successfully completing a plan after a long time.

My steps heading out of the store were light, and my mood was refreshed.

It certainly was.

Until just before I stepped outside.

“…What is this?”

Our group members were currently in a strange standoff.

On one side were about ten people dressed in ragged clothes.

Still, they held crude weapons and even guns, somehow acquired.

On the other side were individuals impeccably dressed and heavily armed.

One side was an unknown group.

The other side, though not certain, felt familiar.

First, the cosmetics store was a roadside shop.

The store, located on the first floor of a complex shopping building, was 200-300m away from Sagajeong Station.

The direction was opposite to Myeonmok Station.

That is, towards Gunja.

The ragged group seemed to have come from the Gunja direction.

Conversely, the well-dressed group came from the Sagajeong direction.

Unlike the former, who had no means of transport, the latter was an armed group even mobilizing vehicles.

Our group members were caught in the middle of both sides, in a standoff.

And I had casually appeared at an awkward moment.

The gazes of both factions snapped towards me.

An awkward tension weighed down on everyone, but I didn’t care.

“Hyung.”

“Seonghan.”

Jihyeok hyung seemed relieved to see me.

“Sorry. But what’s going on?”

“I don’t know either. They suddenly appeared from both sides at the same time.”

Hyung’s voice was low due to tension.

The other group members also had tension in their shoulders.

They weren’t aiming their guns, but it seemed they’d pull the trigger given any reason.

The atmosphere was subtly cold to that extent.

Regardless, I only cared about our group members.

To think such an event happened while I was in the warehouse for a moment.

“What are they saying?”

“They haven’t said anything.”

“Do they want to fight?”

“It doesn’t seem like that.”

Sohee conveyed that the uncomfortable standoff wasn’t hostile.

At her words, my head tilted to the side involuntarily.

Just then.

“W-we don’t intend to fight!!”

Someone from the ragged group shouted loudly.

The weak voice gave the impression of an empty fried cookie [meaning something that looks substantial but lacks substance].

To show that they truly had no intention to fight, they took a few steps back and raised both hands.

‘…They’re not in a state to fight.’

The ragged group was so emaciated that dried pollock would ask to be friends [a saying describing extreme thinness].

Their shoes, clothes, and overall appearance from head to toe were terrible.

People who had severely starved and gone without food.

Honestly, they looked like they could barely stand.

However, we couldn’t let our guard down just by looking at their appearance.

Even if they looked worn out, they were still humans carrying ‘guns’.

They even had machetes, somehow acquired.

And they had only stepped back a few paces, not retreated from their position.

They didn’t seem likely to attack immediately, so I turned my gaze to the other side.

They just stared at me, with no other reaction.

Keeping my gaze fixed, I whispered quietly to Jihyeok hyung.

“When I give the signal, take everyone and take cover inside the store.”

At my words, Jihyeok hyung paused slightly but then nodded.

Even if not the ragged group, there’s a high probability that the other side will make a fuss.

‘…Why did those bastards come here?’

Their attire had changed slightly, but not so much that I couldn’t recognize them.

Taesung’s guard dogs, their security guards.

No, were they mercenaries?

Anyway, the guys I’d forgotten about for a while had reappeared.

Their full-face helmets and protective gear looked unusual.

Their overall upgraded appearance sparked my curiosity.

How could they have acquired and donned such things?

Their appearance was like mass-produced fodder, but I could feel the refined aura of well-trained individuals.

People who, though not holding guns, wouldn’t hesitate to pull a trigger.

And those guys were staring at me.

‘…Interesting.’

Just as I felt a sense of frustration, two individuals from the back of the group stepped forward.

Neither wore helmets, and one was dressed in a suit.

“Sorry to startle you. We also have no intention of fighting.”

The man in the suit, who seemed to be around Jihyeok hyung’s age, spoke courteously. Maintaining that tone, he looked around the assembly and opened his mouth.

“Would it be alright if I asked you all a few questions?”

The man who stepped forward with a gentle expression didn’t wait for an answer and continued speaking.

“We are looking for people. More precisely, our comrades. Have you perhaps seen anyone dressed similarly to these individuals?”

The man pointed to the men lined up behind him and asked.

But no one spoke.

“To anyone who provides accurate information, we will give water and food. If you wish, we will even be responsible for your transportation to a safe place.”

At the words of the man in the suit, the ragged group stirred.

But the stirring quickly died down.

“Of course, the information must be accurate. There are too many people who give false information, you see.”

“……”

He certainly wore a gentle expression, but a faint killing intent leaked out at the end.

‘It’s them, alright.’

As expected, they’re all cut from the same cloth; they are indeed the same faction.

It seemed they couldn’t stand it and had dealt with the remaining survivors somewhere…

I wanted to finish them off right away, but our group’s position was too unfavorable.

First, there was a significant difference in armament.

Compared to them, we were the ragged ones.

Getting rid of all of them would be an easy task.

But if we fought now, someone among us would die.

I subtly glanced at my group members’ faces; they were all stiff with tension.

However, Sohee and Incheol were stiff in a slightly different way.

It seemed they recognized who those guys were.

Both of them were currently suppressing rising anger.

Seeing the two of them, I also suppressed the urge to hit them.

As if nothing was wrong, I spoke to the man in the suit with a straight face.

“We haven’t seen them.”

“Is that so?”

“We’ve been staying hidden, so we don’t go outside. Today was a rare, unavoidable outing. The situation is like this, isn’t it?”

“Ah~ I see.”

“I hope you achieve what you desire.”

I had the illusion that the man’s eyes had briefly gleamed.

“Haha. Those are kind words.”

“Then, you handle your business. We’ll be going now.”

Naturally, I turned my body and gestured for the others to get into the car.

“Just a moment.”

…The man in the suit made me stop.

Someone was trying to let us go peacefully for once, but he was so oblivious.

I slowly turned my body and met the man’s gaze.

But…

‘…This is…’

His eyes held an expression of interest towards me.

I couldn’t even guess what part of me had caught his interest.

Just as my mind was filling with question marks…

“Do you perhaps know a doctor named Jang Myeonghwan?”

It was a question thrown out abruptly, without warning.

Seeing them looking for that old man again, it seems these bastards are tougher than rubber bands.

Thanks to that, I almost flinched for a moment, but I naturally glossed over it.

“I know him well. He’s a famous person in this neighborhood.”

“Then, his recent whereabouts, or where he went…?”

“I’m not sure about that either….”

“Ah~ that’s a shame.”

Yeah. Keep being disappointed.

“It’s a shame I couldn’t be of help. Perhaps from those people over there…”

I pointed to the ragged group that had retreated, trying to divert their attention, but…

“Oh. They’ve all disappeared.”

“……”

“Well, I understand. Everyone is wary of strangers, after all.”

‘Wow… Have you ever seen such jerks?’

The ragged group vanished like smoke during our brief conversation.

It seems they felt something after seeing the guys in matching outfits, and that’s good.

But damn it, they dumped their trouble on me and ran away.

I promised myself I’d crush them next time we met, but the man in front of me was irritating.

He was smiling politely, but it was a greasy smile.

I really hated this feeling.

“Are you staying in this vicinity?”

“Yes, well….”

“Do you have more people with you?”

He started to naturally play his tricks, like a snake slithering over a wall.

I naturally showed signs of caution, as anyone would.

“Why do you ask that?”

“Ah! Nothing else, just wondering if I could be of help.”

“…There are four elders with us. We’re fine with help.”

“Hmm~ That might certainly be the case.”

The man in the suit was trying to sweet-talk me, running his mouth in front of me.

I responded to lies with lies.

The man overtly glanced at me and my group members, examining us.

Then he nodded and looked straight at me.

“What is your name? You can comfortably call me Manager Kim.”

“…I’m Lee Deokgyu.”

“Deokgyu. That’s a good name.”

Would he say that if he knew the name’s original owner?

Since it was the name of an old man who once wore a golden badge, there was no burden in using it.

The man’s superficial pleasantries, ignorant of this, were laughable.

I barely managed to suppress the scornful laugh that threatened to escape, when the man smiled broadly.

“Deokgyu. This might be sudden, but would you like to come with us?”

“?”

For a moment, I doubted my ears, wondering if I had misheard.

“We would like to escort you and your group members.”

“……”

“This is a sincere offer.”

…I was sincerely dumbfounded myself.