episode_0240

Kim Hyunwoo’s appearance caused quite a commotion early in the morning.

The agency family, starting with Jihyeok hyung, rushed out all at once, creating a scene of absolute wailing.

Especially impressive was the sight of Hyung and CEO Choi, who usually remained calm, overcome with emotion, etching the scene into my mind.

Shia, who had been clinging to me, was also petting Kim Hyunwoo’s head, creating quite a fuss.

‘…’

The space in my arms, now empty of Shia, felt considerably hollow.

It seems the soft warmth I’d felt was better than I’d thought.

Still… seeing everyone so happy makes me feel proud.

Watching the heartwarming scene, I turned my gaze to Heize, who was dangling around my neck.

“Get off now.”

“No. I like this.”

“Hey.”

“Shh. Han. You’re tactless.”

“…”

The blonde warrior woman shot me a silent gaze, telling me to shut up and stay still.

She intertwined her body with mine, as if to fill the space Shia had left.

But it didn’t feel alluring like before, more like…

…a childlike clinginess, which brought a small smile to my face.

Swoosh- swoosh-

As I gently stroked her finely unbound blonde hair, she seemed pleased.

Heize, who I thought was becoming docile under my touch, buried her face in my chest.

Inhale- exhale~

“…What are you doing now?”

“Hmm~ the smell… huh?”

Isn’t it usually the other way around?

Just as I was about to say something to Heize, who was openly embarrassing me.

Sniff sniff!

Frown-

Heize, having confirmed the smell and lifted her face, furrowed her brow.

And with clear, vivid blue eyes, she didn’t look up at me… but glared.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Han, perhaps—”

“Seonghan-ssi.”

Just as Heize was about to say something, CEO Choi interrupted.

He, who came out late after hearing the commotion, had moist eyes.

“There’s a lot I want to say, but I must say this first.”

Clutch-

As soon as Heize let go, he grabbed my hand with both of his and shook it firmly.

“…Thank you so much. Truly, thank you.”

“It’s just a relief… that’s all.”

…It’s embarrassing.

If you think about it, I didn’t exactly save him on purpose; I almost screwed things up.

I was still weighing my options even as I brought him inside.

To purely accept CEO Choi’s thanks… it felt a bit off.

I tactfully kept quiet about those facts.

I looked at Kim Hyunwoo, who was laughing while shedding copious tears.

Another precious acquaintance of the family, reunited alive, following Miri’s father.

Thanks to him, the atmosphere was lively from the morning.

After a long reunion, everyone finally calmed down and became eerily quiet.

Into the slightly awkward yet warm atmosphere, Grandmother stepped forward.

“Oh my~ he’s such a handsome young man.”

“Hehe. Hello, Grandmother.”

“Indeed. Your face is quite worn out. Are you hungry too?”

Grandmother patted Kim Hyunwoo gently and kindly, as if soothing a child.

No one objected to Grandmother’s words, as she naturally led the way, saying they should fill their stomachs first.

I, too, tried to follow the flow and quietly go into my room, but…

“Young man.”

“…”

Grandmother, who turned around, had a slightly hardened expression.

But she didn’t say anything specific.

She simply held my soiled and cold hand.

“Nothing happened, did it?”

Normally, she would have asked if I was hurt, so this was unexpected.

“Of course not.”

Hearing my firm answer, Grandmother smiled faintly.

“You’re a young man who takes care of himself… but listen.”

“Yes.”

Grandmother hesitated, which was rare for her.

“…Don’t take everything on by yourself.”

“…”

“Everyone worried a lot, and they also felt a bit neglected.”

As Grandmother spoke, stroking my hand, I strongly felt that she was comforting me.

“You know what I mean, don’t you?”

“Yes…”

Grandmother cut her words short, saying that a woman shouldn’t complain about a man’s work.

I gazed intently at Grandmother as she chuckled softly and disappeared into the kitchen.

…It seems I worried them more than I thought.

I scratched my cheek, feeling unnecessarily awkward.

As I stood there, Kim Hyunwoo and the agency family approached.

“Hyung-nim. Sniff~ Thank you so much. Sniff.”

“It’s Seonghan.”

“Seonghan Hyung-nim. Your name is nice. Sniff. Please call me casually.”

“…Alright.”

In just a short while, Kim Hyunwoo, whose eyes were red and swollen like a goldfish’s, was grinning endlessly.

“Seonghan-ah…”

Jihyeok hyung also had similar rabbit-like red eyes and gazed at me deeply.

Everyone’s noses were red, a truly amusing sight.

I chuckled and spoke playfully.

“Grateful, aren’t you?”

“Truly grateful. There’s no way to express it.”

Everyone standing by Hyung, who spoke seriously, was conveying their thanks with their eyes.

That they were truly grateful.

“If you’re grateful, then lend a hand.”

“Huh?”

“Since you’re all here, let’s do some work together.”

“Work??”

I led everyone, who looked bewildered, to the truck.

“…Seonghan-ah. What kind of car is this again?”

Hyung asked disheartenedly, looking at the truck scratched all over.

Well… the details later.

I said, rolling up the net with Young-cheol.

“Let’s move all this, and then have a company dinner. How about it?”

“A company dinner sounds great~ Let’s finish quickly.”

As we rolled up the net and removed a plywood board, everyone fell silent.

“Um… Hyung-nim? What is all this?”

“I loaded it while you were sleeping.”

Everyone who followed lost their words looking at the cargo loaded in the truck.

Kim Hyunwoo, in particular, forced his swollen eyes wide open.

Indeed. A lot had happened while he was asleep, so it was understandable he’d be surprised.

“…Whoa… Why didn’t I know?”

“You wouldn’t even know if someone carried you away while you were sleeping.”

“Ugh~ I’m sorry. You must have had a hard time alone…”

“It’s fine. Follow the hyungs and move this.”

“Understood!”

“Now, put down what’s in your hand.”

“Huh?”

I found their flustered reactions cute, and everyone rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

Their expressions brightened with each careful transfer of ingredients.

“Fish! There are vegetables too!”

“Ohh~”

“The color’s good, isn’t it? Looks fresh.”

They started to enjoy seeing the fresh ingredients directly.

But soon, the real reaction came out.

“M-meat!”

“What?!”

“It’s raw meat! It’s raw meat!”

“Really?! Let me see! Whoa?!”

Those who encountered proper goods after a long time had their eyes change.

Seeing the meat boasting vibrant colors, everyone started to get extremely excited.

Indeed, meat is a beneficial food for humans.

Even now, doesn’t it lift and lower people’s spirits?

Thanks to many people joining in a relay, it didn’t take long to organize the loaded goods.

The refrigerator was filled with fresh items for the first time in a while.

The large freezer was also completely filled with large chunks.

The underground storage also gained abundance for the first time in a while.

And to that extent, a sense of ease settled upon everyone.

With a slightly more relaxed feeling, everyone whose minds were at ease couldn’t stop smiling.

They decided to wash up and meet again, then dispersed.

Following Hyung, who was taking care of Kim Hyunwoo, I quietly entered my room.

I quickly stripped off my clothes and scrubbed my head vigorously.

My hair felt like dog fur after being covered in dust and asbestos powder.

Carefully, I rinsed it multiple times, delicately soothing my hair.

It was only after soaking my body in hot water for a long time that I regained my freshness.

‘…What should I eat?’

Having worked hard all night, and having brought ingredients, shouldn’t I be able to eat lavishly from the morning?

As I swallowed my saliva repeatedly, put on my pants, and picked up a shirt.

Click-

“…”

“…I’m changing clothes.”

Heize suddenly entered the room.

Even after seeing me undressed, she didn’t leave, but came in and quietly closed the door.

“A woman shouldn’t enter a man’s room without knocking.”

“…”

I put on comfortable clothes and looked at Heize.

She seemed surprised to see the faint scars on my body.

Her slightly trembling blue eyes soon stopped, and she gazed at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“We talk.”

“…You want to talk?”

“Mhm.”

Her voice was pretty but a little subdued.

Seriousness could be felt in her slightly stiff tone.

First, I hung a towel around my neck and sat on the bed.

“Is there something you want to say?”

When I signaled her to speak comfortably, she came and sat next to me.

“…Han.”

“Yeah.”

“Who did you fight?”

“…What?”

“Han. Who did you fight?”

Heize’s gaze was as calm as her voice.

It wasn’t a demanding atmosphere.

To her cautious and serious question, I hinted.

“Why do you think that?”

“Earlier, I smelled it.”

“…Huh? Smell?”

It seemed some foul odor had clung to my body.

I should have been more careful…

“Gunpowder smell.”

Seeing Heize cut me off, I closed my mouth.

“There was also the smell of human blood.”

“…”

“I smell well. My senses are very good.”

“…”

Heize looked me directly in the eyes.

“There was also the smell of corpses. Han fought humans and zombies. Right?”

“That’s right. So?”

“Who was your opponent?”

“Why that?”

I threw the towel into a corner.

“Your enemy. I want to know too.”

“What will you do by knowing that?”

“I fight together too.”

“…”

“I want to help too.”

I stared intently at Heize, who answered firmly.

“I don’t leave you alone in danger. I join too.”

“Hey…”

“I, I can help Seonghan.”

She wants to help me.

I know what Heize is saying.

But it’s difficult to accept so readily.

“Heize.”

“Mhm.”

“As you said, I fought zombies and I fought humans too.”

“Mhm. So…”

“And I killed them all.”

“…Ah?”

“I killed them all.”

At the simple conclusion, Heize blinked her beautiful eyes.

“I told you before, didn’t I? That I’m not a good person.”

“I remember.”

“I didn’t just kill zombies, I killed people too.”

“…”

“I killed far more than you can imagine, countless numbers. And I’ll have to kill more in the future.”

Thinking about the future, I don’t know how many or who I’ll have to kill, not just Taeseong.

Because things are that crazy right now.

If it’s about fighting zombies, I can ask for help as much as needed.

It’s certain that not only Heize but everyone in the family would step forward.

But I also fight living humans.

If things go wrong, I can simply twist their necks on the spot.

I have no hesitation in killing.

If I have enough time, I can be as cruel as needed.

Because of that, I’ve always been called a monster.

I hear it often on this side too.

But that’s a misunderstanding and an underestimate.

I’m worse than a monster.

To catch a zombie, you have to be worse than a zombie.

To catch a son of a bitch, you have to be an even more vicious son of a bitch.

To catch a monster, you simply have to become an even greater monster than it.

Gangsters? Taeseong?

It doesn’t matter who the opponent is.

I just have to be worse than them.

Our family members have never seen this kind of murderous side of me.

Hyung and CEO Choi must have some inkling.

Because it was always me who encountered enemies and returned alive.

I believe that by not digging into it, they are trusting and caring for me.

Joining me when fighting zombies?

I can welcome that wholeheartedly.

But murder is different.

What if they saw me stabbing, slicing, crushing, and tearing people apart?

I killed not just one or two, but dozens, hundreds.

In the future, it might be thousands.

What would it truly be like if they witnessed such scenes of slaughter from my side?

Even then, would those beautiful blue eyes, showing favor towards me, still shine clear and bright?

“Even knowing this, you’ll still help me?”

“Mhm.”

At her answer, given without a 0.1-second hesitation, this time I frowned.

“Do you even understand what I’m saying?”

“Yeah.”

As I was about to say more—

Slap!

Heize cupped my face with both hands.

“I know it all.”

“Hey…”

“I’ll be with you. I don’t leave Han alone.”

“…”

Saying such things with moist eyes is cheating.

But Heize, unconcerned, lowered her hands and wrapped them around my neck.

Slide-

“What are you doing?”

“Hehe~”

She very naturally placed her hands on my shoulders and climbed onto my thighs.

She pressed her lower abdomen against my body and looked down at me from her now higher eye level.

As she drew closer, a fresh scent rose from her fair skin.

Her gently heaving chest was almost touching…

“Get off.”

“Han.”

“Just get off for now.”

Press-

She put pressure on the hand placed on my shoulder and gently tickled my collarbone with both thumbs.

“Han is mistaken.”

“Me? About what?”

“I am not pure anymore.”

I raised my eyebrows at her sudden words, and saw Heize smiling faintly.

“I am soldier. I fight to protect. I fight humans too. I am alive.”

“…”

“Me and Lawrence. Rape no. So I fight. We both live.”

The words “fought and lived.”

If interpreted, it means she killed them all.

Just like me.

Heize’s expression, as she spoke calmly, showed no change.

“My hands are already stained with blood. But I don’t regret it.”

“Heize.”

“I can fight. I am strong.”

“…Heh.”

“…Don’t laugh.”

“I know you fight well.”

Our first meeting was too impressive for me to ever forget it.

“Don’t do it alone. Let’s do it together.”

“…”

“And.”

Heize swept her hand from my shoulder to my face.

Her eyes shone fiercely, as if she had made a firm decision.

Her pretty lips parted attractively.

“I’ll protect my man.”

“Huh?”

“Han. My man.”

Slide-

Heize slowly lowered her face—

Kiss-

“…”

“…”

A moist and soft, light and gentle feeling.

Heize’s face, having lightly kissed my forehead, flushed red.

Her neck and earlobes were completely flushed a deep red.

Her usual confident and playful expression had vanished completely.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-

It wasn’t a sound from my body.

Heize’s faintly audible heartbeat was so fierce it felt like it would burst.

“Uhh…”

“Hey, you…”

“Th-this much! Is no problem!! Hmph! Hah! Easy!”

I was dumbfounded in a different way.

“You don’t mean…”

“What? What? What?”

“…”

At her kindergarten-like reaction, I closed my mouth.

Her red face, almost ready to burst, and her moistening eyes.

Anyone could see her face was consumed by embarrassment.

Her twitching eye corners clearly showed Heize’s feelings.

When their gazes intertwined, Heize pressed her lips together firmly.

And once again, she lowered her face—

Clank-

“Seonghan-ah! Let’s… eat… uh… uh…”

“…”

“Oops?”

The person who burst in without knocking was Jihyeok hyung.

Hyung froze in place, seeing Heize on top of me, just as he had entered.

Swish swish-

Click-

Seeing Hyung disappear as if rewinding a video, neither of us reacted.

“Hehet~”

“…”

Heize, with a deeply flushed face, cheekily stuck out her tongue.

Even though it was a series of absurd and embarrassing moments, she looked cute.

“Ha!”

Now that my brain had stopped thinking, all I could do was laugh.