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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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I returned to the boarding house,
laden with supplies
from the hardware store.
The mixed-use building was still swarming,
but the return trip was safe.
The metal was heavy.
Damn it.
“Hoo…”
I set the supplies down
in the courtyard and asked,
“Soo-hyun,
do you need anything else?”
Hoon set a heavy bag down,
sweat dripping from his forehead.
Soo-hyun opened the bag.
“Silicone sealant, check.
Power drill, check. Welding tools…”
She paused.
“…Plywood would be good…
but where would we find any?”
…Plywood?
Where…?
Then Hoon spoke up.
“Soo-hyun, I don’t know about plywood,
but would sheet metal work?
Aluminum…”
“We have that?”
Hoon nodded.
“Yes. Isn’t it all over the roads?”
…!
Ah!
The cars!
We could strip them!
I grinned at Soo-hyun.
Not bad.
She grinned back.
“Then let’s go to the hardware store again,
and then scavenge some car parts.”
“Let’s do that.”
Why hadn’t I thought of that?
“What are you going to do
with the car parts?”
Soo-hyun pointed at the wall.
“Reinforce the walls.”
…A fortress.
I had no idea how. I’d leave it to Soo-hyun.
By the time we returned
from the hardware store,
it was lunchtime.
The women were preparing lunch,
chattering. They had a lot of supplies. Lunch was kimchi jjigae. It was delicious.
“How’s the supermarket?”
I asked.
Ye-eun replied,
“It’s good. It’s already crowded.”
“Crowded?”
Hoon’s wife smiled.
“I saw our neighbor.
The inline skaters must have come
to our neighborhood.”
…Oh.
I asked,
“How crowded?”
Ye-eun thought.
“Twenty? Thirty?
More and more people are showing up.”
…Oh…
More…
That meant even more would come.
“Are the inline skaters still delivering?”
Ye-eun nodded.
“Yes. They’re giving out ramen.”
…Hmm…
…Wait…
That supermarket…
it had a lot of supplies.
…Twenty, thirty people…
and more coming…
They probably hadn’t all come out yet.
…What would happen once they knew it was safe?
Wouldn’t they all come out?
They were still sharing.
…For now.
…I needed to secure the hypermarket.
I looked at Soo-hyun.
She was looking at me.
“…Oppa, I’m going back
to the supermarket after lunch.
Could you and Hoon
take care of the car parts?”
…Soo-hyun had the same idea.
The hordes…
We needed to stock up.
I nodded.
“Bring back as much as you can.”
“…Okay.”
Soo-hyun nodded. Ye-eun, So-eun, and Hoon’s wife hadn’t seen the video. Soo-hyun was quick. She didn’t mention it. Hoon was the same. He ate quietly. After lunch, the women went back to the supermarket, and Hoon and I went outside.
We used the cutting tool, removing hoods, bumpers, and piling them up. We were exhausted.
“Let’s take a break,” I said.
“Yes, sir.”
It was still hard work. The sun was setting.
“I’m going to wash up.”
“Yes, sir. Get some rest.”
Hoon bowed deeply.
…A bit much.
I’d already told him…
Whatever.
Ugh, I was sweating.
I went back to the rooftop room.
It was clean. Soo-hyun? Snacks and jellies were neatly stacked in a corner. The women must have done this.
They were taking care of me. I showered and lay down. Ah, it smelled good.
…Good? I sniffed the pillow. They had changed the sheets. I chuckled. I was tired.
I’d rest, eat dinner, then raid the mixed-use building.
“Hoo…” My phone buzzed.
[Dinner’s ready. Hurry up!]
It was Soo-hyun. I went downstairs. The aroma of cheonggukjang filled the air.
Hmm. So-eun, Hoon’s wife, and Hoon weren’t there.
“Where is everyone?” Ye-eun chuckled.
“They don’t like cheonggukjang. They’re eating pizza.”
Hmm. I ate and asked,
“How’s the supermarket? Crowded?”
“Whoa! This was amazing!” I looked at Ye-eun, and she smiled.
“This is delicious, Grandma.” “Eat a lot,” Grandma said.
Then Soo-hyun noticed my hands.
“Oppa!
What’s that?!”
“Huh?”
…Ah, shit. The gloves. The women stared. “Ah, this…”
What should I say?
“I… I was bored…”
Whatever, damn it. I ate.
“Wow, those are pretty!” Soo-hyun said.
“Did you do them yourself?”
…No. “Yeah.”
“What did you use?” She grabbed my hand and rubbed.
“They won’t come off? These aren’t tattoos…?”
Ye-eun asked. “Did you use a marker?” “…I smiled.
“Yeah.”
“Wings and rings? They’re pretty,” Ye-eun said. Wings? I thought they were flames. Soo-hyun said, “They look good. Do mine sometime.”
I pulled my hand away. “So, how was the supermarket?” “It was packed,” Soo-hyun said. “Like a normal weekend.” “Yeah, like a weekend,” Ye-eun agreed. …Hmm…
They must have brought their families.
…More tomorrow…
…Would the supermarket run out soon?
“What was the atmosphere like?”
Ye-eun shrugged.
“It was… fine. People were… smiling…”
…Smiling?
Soo-hyun nodded.
“Yeah. Someone shared some meat.”
…Hmm… It sounded like a nice story, but it wasn’t. They were running out of meat. We needed more supplies. I nodded. “I’m going to go now.”
“Where are you going?” I smiled.
“The usual.” Soo-hyun patted my butt.
“Be careful.” Grandma was appalled.
Soo-hyun stuck her tongue out.
“No one cares about that these days.” I left.
“Thanks for the meal.”
“Alright, be careful.” I went upstairs to the rooftop room. The lifting belt, swords, gloves. Time to go.
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Was this supposed to be an earlier chapter before he got his new specializaton?
Sorry I confused things sorry for the inconvenience its been fixed now