episode_0261

Immediately after the fight.

I stepped inside the temporary wall, crossed my arms, and stood silently. People’s intense gazes fixed on me, but I had no desire to respond to each of them.

The soldiers, intoxicated by the joy of victory, were in a bright mood, but I was not. From the start, given who the opponents were, there was no lingering sense of victory.

The problem lies elsewhere.

“…Sorry.”

“…I apologize.”

“……”

Now, my mood is souring. In real time.

Soaked in dark blue blood, I just calmly watched the two of them with my arms crossed.

Drip drip—

Jihyeok Hyung and Dong-woo, whose eyes followed the dripping blood, swallowed hard.

“Seonghan-ah. Listen. We only provided support safely from the rear. Really. Right, Dong-woo-ya?”

“Yes. We helped carry supplies…”

“And all the guards too…”

“Hyung. Dong-woo-ya.”

At my quiet call, the two fell silent.

“Do you know how surprised I was to see you both on top of the wall?”

“Um…”

“I apologize.”

Watching the two disheartened figures, I wiped the blood flowing down my cheek.

I was startled to see Dong-woo calling me from atop the temporary wall, especially near the iron gate. Seeing wisps of smoke gently rising from their overheated guns, I immediately knew they had fought alongside me.

My heart sank seeing them get involved in danger, but at the same time, a subtle anger rose within me.

‘…This isn’t why we came together…’

We came here because I had ‘business’ and wanted to observe the atmosphere, not to fight alongside them. The people who should have been providing support from the temporary wall were not Hyung and Dong-woo, but the residents who had hidden away.

I don’t like that.

The sole reason I defended the iron gate, which was on the verge of being breached today, was purely because of my companions. I feel sorry for the people of Konkuk University Shelter, but if I had been alone, I might have retreated without a second glance. If I could have gotten my companions out, there’s a high probability I would have done so.

It’s quite laughable to be thinking like this after everything is already done. Still, for now—

“When I saw you fighting out there, I thought my heart was going to drop out [an idiom meaning to be extremely surprised or terrified].”

“……”

He cowardly appealed to my emotions.

“What do you think it was like for us, watching you fight like that from behind?”

“Hyung. I—”

“I know. I know you’re strong. But my worry for you hasn’t changed.”

Hyung gently flicked off a piece of flesh stuck to my shoulder.

“There’s no older brother in this world who would just stand by and watch his younger sibling throw their life away right before their eyes.”

“And no younger sibling either.”

“…Ha.”

An awkward, forced laugh escaped me. It was embarrassing, yet strangely comforting.

Just as my desire to say anything faded and an awkward atmosphere began to settle.

“You know what?”

Hyung lightly changed his tone of voice.

“What is it?”

“If you look closely, you have a strong propensity to be a pushover, don’t you?”

“…Me?”

Everything was going well, so why was this guy talking nonsense? My jaw was about to drop [an idiom meaning to be dumbfounded or at a loss for words], when Dong-woo chimed in from beside me.

“I admit it. Hyuk Hyung seems to be right.”

“Hey!”

“He doesn’t acknowledge reality himself.”

“Indeed. Grandmother was right.”

“What?”

When Grandmother was even mentioned, I couldn’t just brush it off easily.

“Grandmother said that if you meet the wrong woman, you’d probably give everything away completely.”

That I’m a complete pushover. How on earth do they see me to say such a thing…

“Grandmother was worried. She wondered if you might end up getting a straw stuck in you [a metaphor for being exploited] somewhere.”

“……”

“Grandfather said so too. He said that while you look sharp on the outside, you’re too soft on the inside. He called you ‘fluttering ears’ [a term for someone easily swayed or exploited]. He also said you look perfectly suited to have your backbone pulled out [a metaphor for being completely exploited]…”

“That’s why they both worried a lot that you need to meet the right person.”

…I had nothing to say. I couldn’t even refute it because I, too, admit to having “fluttering ears.” I never dreamed that the assessment of me would be so harsh in places I didn’t even know.

“That’s why Junseong Hyung-nim is also very worried.”

“Uh…”

So the reason CEO Choi has been running around with fire in his eyes until now was…

“Can you feel him struggling to keep you from getting stabbed in the back [a metaphor for being betrayed or conned]? Hehehe.”

I slowly closed my eyes at Hyung’s grinning words.

“Hyung-nim. It’s okay. We’re here.”

“Of course.”

“……”

No particular retort came to mind, so I just kept my mouth shut. My face felt hot for no reason.

Hyung, who had been openly snickering, calmly asked.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“…No.”

“Even looking at it again, it’s truly remarkable.”

It was then that Hyung gave a thumbs-up with both hands.

“Oh? Hyung-nim! Blood on your hand!”

“Oh, this?”

Dong-woo fussed when he saw clear red blood amidst the dark blue bloodstains. Because I had gripped the broken sword blade with all my might, the palm of my hand was somewhat cut.

‘Even when I held a kitchen knife, I was fine…’

When I casually flipped my palm over, Hyung and Dong-woo were horrified.

“Hey! You crazy fool! You were enduring this?!”

“Blood! It’s still bleeding!”

“No, it’s fine. There’s no need to…”

“Dong-woo-ya! Get water! Water!”

Dong-woo hurriedly took out a bottle of water from his backpack and poured it onto my hand.

“Ugh… Hyung-nim, what do we do about this?”

Hyung took out antiseptic and poured it onto my hand.

“Ow! That stings!”

Seeing white foam mixed with blood bubbling up from the cut, Hyung, uncharacteristically, flustered.

“What… Right! Let’s go to Dr. Jang-nim!”

“What’s going on?”

Captain Lee, who approached amidst the commotion, listened to the explanation and nodded.

“First, Seonghan-ssi, this way. You, go tell Dr. Jang-nim to prepare for treatment.”

His expression was calm, but his words were incredibly fast. Captain Lee sent a soldier on an errand and then led us to a container near the main gate.

“Seonghan-ssi. I apologize, but we’ll wash you quickly.”

“…Do what?”

“It’s for your sake, Seonghan-ssi. Over there. Turn on the power.”

While Captain Lee was directing the soldiers, one of them was running over, pulling a long yellow hose. Then Captain Lee took something quite familiar and spoke quickly.

“Seonghan-ssi. Close your eyes.”

“Ah, no, wait a moment…”

“Turn it on!”

Trickle—

Whoosh—

“Ah, it’s cold! *Pthth*!”

Captain Lee and one soldier began to wash me down with a high-pressure water sprayer, something I had seen often and was familiar with.

Whoosh—

The strong jet of water struck my body, washing away the stubbornly clinging grime. Dark black blood streamed down from head to toe.

‘…This feels exactly like washing down a prisoner…’

Now, reminiscent of scenes occasionally seen in crime movies, a dark blue puddle formed at my feet.

Only after enduring the water jet for a long time did I regain the appearance of a human. As soon as the washing finished, several people rushed over and handed towels. Not to me, but to Hyung and Dong-woo.

“We’ll bring you a change of clothes right away. Get into the car quickly.”

Saying so, Captain Lee quickly wrapped my hand tightly with a towel. He didn’t stop there, but rushed as if transporting an emergency patient. He was in such a hurry that he didn’t hesitate to take the wheel himself.

As soon as Captain Lee picked us up, he quickly drove the car to the building used as a clinic. Hyung and Dong-woo were busy wiping off water with their towels.

‘……’

Surrounded by Captain Lee, Hyung, and Dong-woo, I was escorted to the examination room, and people’s gazes were drawn to me. With a blood-stained towel in my hand, leaving wet footprints with every step…

…Should I cry or laugh at this?

“This way.”

In the room we arrived at, Dr. Jang and a familiar nurse were waiting. Dr. Jang, seeing the blood-stained towel, immediately took action.

“Let me see… Hmm…”

“Oh my…”

Dr. Jang let out a low groan upon seeing the palm of my hand after the towel was removed.

“Nurse Kim Seonyoung. Bring more antiseptic, cotton, and gauze.”

“Yes.”

“Seonghan-ssi. It will sting a bit.”

After washing away the blood and spraying antiseptic, Dr. Jang narrowed her eyes, looking at the now clear wound.

“…This is…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Dr. Jang naturally brushed off Captain Lee’s reaction and began to treat the wound on my palm. To call it ‘treatment’… felt a bit embarrassing. The situation was over with just the treatment tools the nurse hurriedly brought.

Plenty of ointment to promote new skin growth. Finished by applying gauze and carefully wrapping it with a thin bandage. Once finished, it looked just like a boxer’s taped fist. Though each finger was individually wrapped.

“Keep it away from water and apply antiseptic and ointment once a day.”

“Uh, excuse me, Doctor-nim. The wound is severe, is this enough? Shouldn’t it be stitched…?”

Dr. Jang smiled slightly at the flustered Jihyeok Hyung’s words.

“This much is sufficient. How do you feel? Are you uncomfortable?”

I lightly nodded to Dr. Jang, who was looking at me with a slightly serious gaze.

“It might feel stifling, but be careful for a while. Your muscles and nerves aren’t damaged, so it will recover quickly. The scar will also gradually disappear over time.”

“…Thank you.”

Dr. Jang, seeing the wound already beginning to heal, deliberately showed no surprise. Nor did she ask any questions. Instead, she added something else.

“You don’t need to worry about infection.”

“Infection… you mean?”

What Dr. Jang was referring to was not a common infection.

“Yes. It’s because there are often people who worry about it.”

According to Dr. Jang, there were occasionally people who got drenched in zombie blood. While fleeing, or while fighting head-on. She said it’s frequent for them to feel anxious, wondering if they might turn into one of ‘those things’ themselves.

Regarding that, Dr. Jang asserted, “No,” and told me the same thing.

“Are you certain?”

“Not entirely, but I believe the probability is high.”

From her unwavering words, it was clear that despite her phrasing, she was confident. Indeed, she said there had been no cases of anyone transforming after being drenched in blood so far.

“What’s your reason for thinking so?”

“I’m currently in the process of finalizing the details.”

“……”

“I’ll be able to give you an answer before you leave.”

There was no reason to press for an answer when she put it like that. Just waiting a bit and hearing it all at once would be…

“Seonghan-ssi.”

“Yes?”

“By any chance… do you feel anything unusual in your body?”

“……What do you mean?”

As I spoke with a stiff voice, Dr. Jang straightened her posture and continued.

“…Though it’s rare, there have been unusual cases among people who were drenched in zombie bodily fluids.”

“Unusual?”

Dr. Jang nodded her head.

“Cases are very few, and symptoms are not consistent. The prominent symptoms, for now, are seeing hallucinations, having nightmares, suffering from high fever. And…”

“……”

“Or having your senses stimulated.”

“What?”

“More precisely, should I say it stimulates human instincts? You might be unable to control your appetite, or your sexual desire might surge. Or your violent tendencies might intensify.”

“……”

“Excessively.”

I closed my mouth.

“Though they are few in number, there are certainly those who have experienced similar symptoms. The fortunate part is that being drenched in bodily fluids doesn’t lead to infection, and the symptoms are neither fatal nor permanent.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. The problem is that it takes time to recover to daily life, and the individual suffers a lot.”

“Hmm…”

As for appetite, I eat a lot anyway, so I’ll pass. As for sexual desire… well, I’m young. Don’t they say a man can still do it even if he only has enough strength left to lift chopsticks [an idiom implying that sexual performance is possible even with minimal physical strength]?

However, the part about violent tendencies intensifying bothered me a little. On the contrary, it doesn’t take time to recover, so I’m not particularly worried. Since they say it doesn’t cause infection, I figured there’s no need to worry needlessly.

But Dr. Jang didn’t seem to think so.

“I apologize to those who have suffered, but typically, not much bodily fluid gets on someone. But that’s not the case for you, Seonghan-ssi.”

“……”

Dr. Jang, who had worn a remorseful expression, soon returned to her usual gentle demeanor.

“I didn’t see it directly, but I heard about it. That’s why… I asked out of concern.”

“I understand.”

“It’s truly a relief if you have no symptoms.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s my duty, after all.”

Dr. Jang, finishing with a benevolent smile, only hinted that there would be something to convey through the higher-ups.

After the treatment and the non-consultation consultation ended, I stood up from my seat. When I turned around, the three men were watching me with worried eyes. Their expressions, as if looking at an injured child, made me chuckle.

“You all heard her say I’m fine.”

“Uh, right.”

“Captain Lee-nim, please relax your expression too.”

“Yes.”

“But are you allowed to be here?”

Captain Lee, who had difficulty relaxing his expression, smiled slightly and said.

“Cleanup has already begun, and my subordinates have formed teams to thoroughly inspect the interior.”

“Oh…”

“Isn’t it true that we can’t leave any hazardous elements behind?”

“That’s obvious.”

It was a needless worry. Captain Lee knows well what needs to be done and what he should do.

“More importantly, you should change your clothes.”

It was then that Captain Lee was about to step forward, seeing water still dripping from my clothes.

“Hey! Are you alright?!”

The door burst open, and Chairman Kim and Old Man Park appeared.

“What on earth is this state you’re in?”

“Oh dear, did you hurt your hand?”

“……”

Why are these guys beating a drum after the party [an idiom for doing or saying something after the opportune moment has passed]?

Dr. Jang and Captain Lee subtly slipped away. In the dizzying situation, I sent a pleading look to Manager Seong, who was standing behind the two fussing old men.

‘These guys are a bit much…’

‘I apologize.’

Manager Seong subtly turned his head away.

I let out a deep sigh amidst the two old men chattering wildly.