episode_0278

***

An impromptu campfire was noisily raging in front of the majestic church.

Seonghan wasn’t the only one watching the fire.

Though not many, there were eyes focused on the scene.

They were the survivors of Mangwoo-ri.

Whether in groups, small gatherings, or alone, the survivors had been holding their breath and hiding in their own ways.

Not many, but clearly living people.

Cowering in fear, they had endured agonizing hours listening to the wails of zombies filling the streets.

Some covered their ears, while others shed tears.

Some tore at their hair, and others buried their faces.

There were also those who lay prostrate in resignation, having come to terms with their fate.

The cold, which felt painful, the agonizing hunger, the pressure of impending death, and the fear.

There was no way to alleviate the physical pain.

There was also no way to deal with the psychological torment.

Help was desperately needed, but there was nowhere to turn.

They were merely breathing, pushed to the brink.

Even finding food to survive was becoming increasingly difficult.

Reality was relentlessly chipping away at the survivors.

One day, when the concept of time had grown hazy.

The zombies’ ceaseless wailing began to sound unusual.

To compare it, it was like a frantic struggle. The wails almost sounded like screams, creating an illusion.

「Something is wrong.」

The survivors, who had grown acutely sensitive to the outside situation, shivered with fear but strained their ears.

At that moment, with a loud roar, the zombies let out tearing screams.

Most people trembled at the monstrous sounds, but some did not.

And those few could see.

Zombies writhing, engulfed in flames.

Witnessing the sight they had longed for, the survivors doubted their eyes.

It was hard to believe what they saw: the very things that had driven them to despair and threatened them were being swallowed by fire and collapsing.

But seeing the flames shoot up with the explosions, they recognized it as reality.

The military? A rescue team?

It didn’t matter who.

If someone would just kill off those damned things, they would welcome them with open arms.

The few survivors were captivated by the flames devouring the street.

The dreadful monstrous sounds seemed like screams of agony.

The horrifying struggles looked merely like flailing in pain.

Lost in these illusory feelings, people quietly shed tears.

Not out of fear and despair, but a mix of exhilaration, relief, comfort, anger, and more…

A complex surge of emotions welled up, expressed in tears, capturing their gaze.

While most genuinely cursed the zombies, wishing them all to burn to death.

A few people’s gazes were drawn elsewhere.

They couldn’t see clearly, but they knew.

A man on the rooftop of a small building, intermittently throwing Molotov cocktails to fuel the fire.

That was him.

That person had created this situation.

That person was creating a miracle to save them.

Those who witnessed the arsonist (?) clenched their fists.

They offered silent gratitude and support, imprinting the man’s image in their minds.

Until the flames grew enormous and obscured the man.

It wasn’t long before this marked the beginning of the “Purification Incident,” which would be talked about among survivors for ages to come.

***

People who work with fire often say:

『Fire possesses a magical power to captivate people.』

It’s not a matter of concentration.

They say that simply watching the burning flames makes one lose themselves unconsciously.

You might zone out or suddenly reflect on your life.

Because of this, I heard that people in related professions practice ‘fire safety’ in a slightly different sense.

I thought it was some kind of urban legend, but…

“It’s true…”

Today, I truly felt the meaning of that saying.

This time, there wasn’t a large explosion like before, so I could watch the fire for a while.

I enjoyed watching the zombies wail, flail, and then collapse. Truly enjoyed it.

Then, at some point, I really became enchanted by the fire and completely zoned out for a long time.

What snapped me out of it was the terrible smell of burning flesh.

If it hadn’t been for that stench piercing deep into my nostrils, I might have stayed there all day.

I shook my head, gathered my thoughts, and surveyed the atmosphere.

“This is good, isn’t it?”

I wasn’t the only one captivated by the fire.

While I was zoning out, the fire asserted its presence and was still slowly growing.

And the zombies drawn to it were merrily performing a fiery tap dance.

Until they cooked themselves to a crisp and stopped moving.

The layers of charred bodies piled up into heaps of charcoal, forming a widespread hill.

The sight of their emaciated skeletons poking out really felt like viewing an avant-garde art piece.

The flames repeatedly consumed zombies and spat out charcoal, advancing little by little, slowly.

It was like watching a burning slime moving along the roadway.

“Just how many have gathered…?”

The number of zombies was enough to be a little overwhelming.

But now, the zombies were like kindling, running to throw themselves into the fire.

Thanks to them, the flames showed no sign of dying down.

And just as many zombies collapsed.

“This would be perfect for YouTube, what a waste.”

For now, regretfully, I captured this sight, too good to keep to myself, on my smartphone.

It wasn’t aesthetically pleasing, but its grotesque beauty was certainly worth preserving.

“I wonder how far it will burn.”

After about three minutes of filming, I moved on to my main objective.

The door to the common rooftop entrance wasn’t locked.

As I gently pushed the door open and entered, the wails of the zombies outside echoed through the stairwell.

‘…’

I left footprints on the dust-covered stairs, sharpening my focus.

I decided to skip the fifth floor, which seemed to be residential.

Then, I went down one more floor…

『Game Distribution』

It was a rather simple but intuitive sign.

The main business started right on the fourth floor.

The game store, about 80 pyeong with glass walls, was quiet.

Dust filled the corridor and entrance, as if no one had stepped there.

‘No zombies…’

The glass door of the store was securely locked.

*Snap-*

*Crash-!!*

“Phew-”

I grabbed the handle and pulled with force, and it shattered immediately.

Glass shards hit the floor, sending up clouds of accumulated dust in all directions.

The store, which I entered quietly, was dim, perhaps due to the cloudy weather.

First, I took out my flashlight and carefully surveyed the interior.

“……”

The store’s layout was simple and clear.

The first thing that caught my eye were several turned-off TVs connected to game consoles.

From a quick glance, they seemed to be for demonstrations and promotions.

“Oh… this…”

It was something I had seen in pictures.

A sleek white body.

Standing upright like a computer tower.

That thing many married people longed for.

The problematic model that would get you a beating on the back if you bought it secretly.

The extremely famous PlayWay.

It was my first time seeing it in person.

Its stylish appearance certainly made it look expensive.

Besides that, there was a variety of other machines.

Goggles that looked like VR devices, and strangely shaped controllers or remotes.

…Honestly, I didn’t really understand them.

Even looking at the game titles filling the display shelves and walls, they seemed unfamiliar.

The only games I’d ever played were with a keyboard and mouse at a PC bang.

Even the space warfare game I’d tried, I only ever got beaten, so I was practically a beginner at games.

‘First, then…’

I scooped up all the game consoles and titles.

Only new devices still in their boxes.

Just in case, I also grabbed a large TV.

That was it, a clean sweep.

Leaving the empty store behind, I headed to the next floor.

“Well… is it burning well?”

Before taking the stairs, I peeked through the window and saw that zombies were still burning outside.

I nodded towards the flames that were conveniently hunting on their own and headed to the third floor.

The door at the stair entrance was locked.

Again, I forcibly tore off the doorknob and pushed the door open, revealing a direct connection to the store.

“Oh…”

【Books and Music】

Despite the dimness, the interior had a somehow serene feel.

A cultural sort of vibe, perhaps.

Seeing the shelves full of books and music CDs just gave me that feeling.

I slowly looked around the interior; nothing seemed amiss.

There were no traces of anyone having stayed there.

「Groooaaan!!」

It wasn’t quiet, though.

Ignoring the noise from outside, I began to gather everything I could get my hands on.

Self-help books were an exception.

Religious books were also an exception.

I didn’t know why books on tax law were there.

Personally, I thought books about taxes were perfect for kindling.

It was just as I was clicking my tongue at the disappointing selection of items.

『Andersen Collection』

Even I, who am not particularly well-versed in such things, knew that person.

It would be good for adults to read, and wouldn’t it also be a nice gift for Miri?

I carefully took the books with very famous titles and all the ones that looked interesting.

I especially didn’t miss the cooking-related books.

While collecting bestsellers and classic novels, I also leisurely browsed the new releases.

『The Transferee’s Otherworldly Life』

It was described as a light novel good for a casual read, so I was tempted and grabbed it.

Books, well…

It was clear I wouldn’t read them all, but there was a joy in picking them up one by one.

Each time a book entered my inventory, that false feeling of gaining knowledge wasn’t bad.

After sifting through and gathering a good amount, I also carefully collected music albums.

Classical, pop songs, old best K-pop hits, etc.

While sweeping them up, my gaze fixed on one particular album.

CUTICLE VOL.2

It must be…

“……”

The album cover featured four beautiful girls with captivating expressions.

One of them was Shia.

She truly looked like an idol… no, she *was* an idol.

The Shia on the cover looked a little younger than she was now.

Slightly heavy makeup suited her quite well.

Her outfit, which emphasized her figure… was also excellent.

However, her chic, expressionless face was very unfamiliar.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the atmosphere, which was so different from her usual gentle, soft smile.

…But she was still beautiful, nonetheless.

“Why is there only this one?”

It was the second album, so shouldn’t there be a first?

No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find it, so I carefully put the album in my hand into my inventory.

This was my personal treasure.

I should get her autograph later.

After acting silly and collecting a bit more, there was nothing left to do on the third floor.

Since there wasn’t as much to take as I expected, I immediately headed to the second floor.

“Ah, damn it…”

As soon as I descended the stairs into the store, I pulled out my mask and put it on over my neck warmer.

Unlike the third floor, a pungent, smoky smell and the odor of burning meat instantly assailed me, almost like a lie.

“Ugh… I can’t do this.”

Leaving my inventory open, I swiftly moved around, sweeping up everything I could reach.

As I walked quickly, my eyes stung, and my throat felt scratchy.

Immediately after quickly clearing out the second floor without distinction.

*Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!*

“Gasp!”

I sprinted at full speed to the rooftop.

As soon as I got outside, I pulled a bottle of water from my inventory and quickly quenched my thirst.

“Gulp- cough-”

Even after drinking water, the scratchy feeling wouldn’t go away. This feeling was very unhealthy.

“Ah…”

It wasn’t just the lower floors; the entire street was filled with the smell.

My nose had become a little dull, so I noticed it belatedly.

“Hmm.”

The smell was unpleasant, but the flames were still burning fiercely.

The fire, slowly creeping towards the intersection, seemed to be following the zombies.

If left alone, it felt like the zombies in the area would be dealt with on their own.

The efficiency of this “auto-hunt” was better than expected.

‘Then…’

Some time had passed, but it was still too early to go back.

Some people came to mind.

Those people who ran away when they saw us on our way home.

They weren’t zombies, but they were still a concern.

My next task was decided, and I immediately moved.

Today, I would only check up to the area between the shelter and Sagajeong, then return.

For a simple schedule, I ran atop the buildings.

First, I briefly surveyed the area from Mangwoo Intersection, which was right in front of me.

【⇦Yongmasan-ro】

The road that turns left here leads to the shelter entrance.

Perhaps that’s why the current situation made me frown.

There certainly weren’t this many zombies before.

But now, a considerable number of zombies had appeared in the direction I was headed.

“……”

I opened my inventory again and started running.

*Whoosh-! Whoosh!*

I threw Molotov cocktails intermittently, leaving sparks among the zombies.

I didn’t know how effective it would be, but if they were clustered like that, they should burn quite well.

Just as I thought that, the chilling screeches of zombies echoed from all directions on the street.

As I jumped over low two- and three-story buildings, I stopped again.

‘Looks like they couldn’t hold out.’

Urim Market, which I had secretly observed from a distance before.

I remembered them carefully blocking the entrance and working together to hold out.

But that market was now stained with blood, and zombies roamed instead of people.

And the line of zombies ended at the T-junction at the market entrance.

From the looks of it, they seemed to have come all the way from Mangwoo-ri.

Why did those guys come all the way here?

Zombies do move, but usually, they only wander nearby.

Even at Yongsan Base, they only moved a certain distance back and forth.

*Whoosh-! Whoosh!*

I threw Molotov cocktails at the T-junction and the market entrance while thinking.

Why?

I racked my brain for a moment, watching the fire spread instantly, then gave up.

Speculation was just speculation, and it only gave me a headache.

With that, I started running again.

After leaving the T-junction, the road became clear.

It felt like a lie, even though I hadn’t traveled a great distance.

Two suspicions arose while I was running quickly.

Either they were drawn by something.

Or someone led them here.

“……”

Which one could it be?

I wondered if there would be anyone who’d cause such a ruckus in an already quiet neighborhood, but…

Still, if there was, I hoped to encounter them soon.

After all, it’s much better to sort things out before they escalate.

Putting aside that small wish as I ran, I gauged how many Molotov cocktails I had left.

‘I hope something shows up.’

…I can burn more than just zombies.