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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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The sun was setting. I’d cleared about a third of the mid-sized market. It would probably take another day. I called Soo-hyun on my way back.
“Oppa…”
“Hey, Soo-hyun. Did you have dinner?”
“I don’t know… When are you coming home…?”
I chuckled. Ah, she was so cute. “It looks like I’ll be another day. I’m clearing the area here and rescuing people. Wait a little longer. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
“Noooo… You’re going to cheat on me…”
“Are you messing with me?”
“Nuh-uh.”
I chuckled. “Behave yourself. I’ll be back tomorrow, so wait for me while eating something delicious. Okay?”
“Okay…”
“Can you stop talking like that?”
“Whyyyy… It’s fuuun…”
She probably wasn’t lying. She was actually enjoying this strange way of talking. I smiled. “Alright. Rest up, and I’ll call you later. I’m hanging up.”
“Noooo…”
I ended the call. “Honestly.” I chuckled to myself, putting the phone back in my pocket, and headed back to the motel. It was rather busy inside. People were walking around with bowls and plates. Sergeant Song Kyu-tae, who was sitting in the lobby, stood up when he saw me.
“Ah, Sung-hoon. You’re back?”
“Yes. Seems busy? Anything happening?”
Sergeant Song Kyu-tae shook his head. “No. We just finished making a large pot of porridge. We blended in some nutritional supplements and are distributing it to the newcomers.”
“Ah.” So, they were in pretty bad shape, then.
Sergeant Song Kyu-tae continued, “It’s a good thing we raided that pharmacy yesterday. Most of them are suffering from malnutrition. Some mild cases, some severe. I’m no doctor, so I can’t tell just by looking.”
“Is there a doctor here?”
Sergeant Song Kyu-tae shook his head. “Not among us. One of the women we rescued said she’s an OB-GYN from a clinic in this area.”
An OB-GYN? A surgeon or an ER doctor would have been more useful in this situation.
“But I don’t know if she’ll make it,” Sergeant Song Kyu-tae added. “She’s in the worst condition.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Hmm… Captain Kim had said it yesterday. Who wasn’t dying these days? I’d killed so many, and seen so many dead, that I felt numb to it. It was just… another death.
“I see. I’m going to rest.”
“Yes, please do.”
I entered my room on the first floor and saw a set of fresh clothes on the bed. Had the Chief Secretary brought them? Jeans and a white t-shirt. I looked at the clothes for a moment, then went to the bathroom.
I showered and was wiping down my lifting belt with a damp towel when the doorbell rang. Who could that be? I opened the door to find Captain Park and Captain Kim, holding cans of beer. The team members must have brought back a stash of alcohol when they raided the convenience store.
“Sung-hoon, do you drink?” Captain Kim asked, offering me a beer. Condensation clung to the can. It must have been ice-cold. I bit my lower lip, a smile playing on my lips. “Come in.”
The captains glanced at my bloodstained clothes, crumpled on the bathroom floor, and stepped inside. They’d brought beer and shrimp crackers. “Things have improved considerably in the past few days thanks to you, Sung-hoon. We thought we’d have a small welcome gathering. Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
We sat on the floor, each taking a can of beer. Pop. The white foam fizzed over the top. I quickly brought the can to my lips, savoring the cool, refreshing taste as I gulped it down. It felt invigorating. “Ah, this is nice. It’s been a while since I had a drink.”
The captains drank their beers, their eyes closing in satisfaction. Their expressions said it all. These were men who enjoyed their alcohol. But they’d held back. To share a drink with me. The reason it wasn’t soju was probably because they needed to remain alert for missions and didn’t want to get too drunk. Bringing only three cans of beer confirmed that.
“So, Sung-hoon,” Captain Kim asked, “what did you do before all this? The special forces leader and the team members said your swordsmanship is incredible. And you’re a good shot with a bow, too.”
Hmm. Explaining this was always awkward. I just smiled. “Ah, I’ve been interested in martial arts since I was young.”
“Ah, martial arts. You must have always enjoyed physical activities.”
“Yes.” Not at all. My greatest joy was sitting at home playing strategy and turn-based simulation games. I smiled and asked, “How did you two end up joining this group?”
Captain Kim took a swig of beer. “Ah. Well, I’m originally from Jeju Island.”
“Jeju Island?”
He nodded. “Jeju Island. I wasn’t born there, but… it’s a long story.”
Hmm. He seemed to be inviting me to ask. Three men sitting around, drinking beer and eating shrimp crackers. What else were we supposed to talk about if not personal stories? Depressing stories about how many people had died in the apocalypse? I chuckled. “I have time for a story. Until midnight, at least.”
“Are you going out again at midnight?”
“Yes. I need to finish clearing out that market. Probably won’t be done until tomorrow afternoon.”
Captain Park, who had been silent until now, spoke, his face serious. “Aren’t those creatures dangerous? I heard there are a lot of them inside the market.”
I nodded slowly. “They are. It’s best to avoid approaching them. Not just there, but all the other stores as well.”
“…Impressive. That you can clear out places like that…” Captain Park’s voice was deep and resonant. Quite pleasant to listen to. He could have been an opera singer.
I just smiled and took another sip of beer. Refreshing. “So, you two. No families?”
…Ah. That was thoughtless of me. Two middle-aged men with no families in this situation… the implications were obvious.
Captain Kim smiled wryly. “My wife passed away.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright.” He smiled. “Before all this happened. A long time ago. Breast cancer.”
…Ah. In a strange way, I felt relieved. Not that I was glad his wife had died, but…
Captain Kim took a long drink of his beer. “I used to be a helicopter pilot in the military. I met my wife back then. We got married, and I was waiting for a promotion, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.” He shook his head sadly. “She had surgery, but… well, they had to remove everything. She became depressed. We had always talked about moving to Jeju Island after I retired. So, I left everything and we moved there. We lived happily for a few years.”
Now that he mentioned it, he was wearing a ring on his left hand.
“It came back a few years later,” Captain Kim continued. “She had chemotherapy, but… After she passed, I tried to find work as a helicopter pilot, but I couldn’t. It reminded me too much of her. So, I ended up working as a day laborer on a tangerine farm, just doing odd jobs.”
I nodded.
“Then, last month, my father passed away from old age,” he said. “I went to his funeral, and I was planning to return to Jeju Island… but… well, here I am.” He chuckled. “I came here, met the president, and became a captain again. It doesn’t mean much, being a captain without an army, but… that’s what they call me. Just call me Min-jun, or Min-jun hyung. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
“Ah, okay.” Hmm. Everyone had their own story. I looked at Captain Park.
Captain Kim smiled. “This guy rarely talks about himself. All I know is that he, like me, returned to service.”
I nodded and took a sip of beer. If he didn’t want to talk about it, I shouldn’t pry.
“So, Sung-hoon,” Captain Kim asked, “how have you been since this all started? You said you have a large group? Tell us about it.”
I smiled and told them my story. How I’d moved into the boarding house, met the inline skaters, encountered the Cockroaches, and how the zombie wave had hit. Captain Kim and Captain Park seemed quite interested in the story about the Cockroaches, reacting with disbelief and outrage. We spent a few hours chatting and enjoying our beers. It had been a while since I’d had a relaxing evening like this.
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Around midnight, I exerted myself once more. I’d cleared out about half of the creatures in the market. Level 20. Strength 65. Slow. But I was getting stronger.
When I returned to the motel, a tall, beautiful woman was sitting on the lobby sofa, drinking a Powerade. Sung Ga-yeon, the special forces leader’s sister. Her ankle was heavily bandaged, her leg stretched out in front of her.
“Ah, Sung-hoon. You’re back.” She didn’t even flinch at the sight of me dripping with blood. I’d been covered in gore the first time we met, after all. I chuckled and leaned against the wall. I’d probably leave some bloodstains, but considering I was already leaving bloody footprints everywhere I walked, I didn’t really care.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, wiping my hands on my pants and pulling out a cigarette and lighter. “Couldn’t sleep?”
Sung Ga-yeon chuckled. “I slept all day, so now I can’t sleep at all. Can I have one?”
“You smoke?”
“I learned in the military. You learn all the good stuff in the military, right?”
This woman was interesting. I smiled and offered her a cigarette. We lit up and took a long drag. Tasted good. A cigarette after slaughtering dozens of creatures was always a special treat.
“How’s your leg?”
“Still hurts. But I can walk. I’ve taken so many painkillers that I’m barely coherent.”
“Just try not to fall.” I smiled, gesturing towards the inside of the motel. I exhaled a plume of smoke. “How are the others? Feeling any better?”
Sung Ga-yeon nodded. “Yes. Some are improving, others still need time to recover. But we’re starting to run out of space in the motel.”
“Hmm.” I nodded. She was right. They were rescuing people. And trying to house them in a single motel? Not enough space. I took a drag of my cigarette. “We’ll figure that out. You focus on healing your leg first. We’ll need you on missions. Are you planning to stay bedridden forever?”
Sung Ga-yeon smirked. “Is that… an invitation?”
This woman. I laughed. Out loud.
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