Chapter 111: Fateful Ties
Chapter 111: Fateful Ties
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"How can I help?"
"This is Building 402, Apartment 401. There are zombies in the stairwell."
"I'll come up. Wait inside for a moment."
I turned back toward the apartment complex entrance.
It sounded as though the zombies had trapped her inside.
As she'd said, Building 402 contained zombies.
As I prepared to carry the handcart upstairs, I could already hear them above.
Clang, clang, clang.
On the third floor, I left the handcart in a corner and struck the stair railing with the K2.
"Dinner time."
Graaagh.
Like Pavlov's dogs, the zombies rushed toward the sound.
Five of them charged and leaped at me.
Thwack, thwack.
'They can't dodge in midair, yet they keep jumping.'
Grateful for their stupidity, I disposed of them carefully.
The danger was no longer being bitten. I was trying to avoid touching them at all.
I stepped away from each falling body and avoided the splattering fluids as much as possible.
"Hoo... I suppose this much is unavoidable."
No matter how careful I was, a few bloodstains still reached my clothes.
After confirming that no zombies remained, I retrieved the handcart and carried it upstairs around the corpses.
Knock. Knock-knock. Knock-knock-knock.
'Ah... I knocked in that rhythm again.'
My hand automatically found a beat whenever I knocked, and words I had not used in years surfaced without warning.
My lost memories seemed to be returning little by little.
That made me consider keeping a diary like the person whose journal I had found.
'I have not kept one since rushing through a school assignment as a child...'
Perhaps writing regularly would trigger more lost memories.
Even if it did not, recording my path would have value.
Clack.
"Come in..."
The woman from the balcony opened the door and stepped aside.
I entered with my weapon raised.
"Please remain there for a moment."
I locked the door, passed the woman, and moved deeper into the apartment.
I checked the living room and kitchen, then opened all three bedroom doors.
Finally, I inspected the bathroom and balcony. At least within this apartment, she truly was alone.
"Are you finished checking?"
"Yes. I apologize if that offended you. I've learned to fear other people."
"But you're willing to trust me?"
"If I suspect everyone, there will be no end to it. Anyway, what did you need?"
She must have put on a bra while I climbed the stairs.
The points I'd seen earlier were gone, leaving only the outline of her underwear.
"You've already helped me. Those zombies had trapped me here. Without you, I probably would have tried fighting them alone soon and died. Thank you."
"Have you been living here alone this entire time?"
"Yes. This is my home, and I've been unable to leave for more than a week. I can't handle that many yet. I ran out of food and was beginning to feel desperate."
The woman introduced herself as Lee Yu-jin, twenty-five years old, and briefly explained her circumstances.
She'd been scavenging nearby when a large group of zombies chased her home.
She escaped inside, but the pursuing zombies remained and trapped her.
If that story was true, one woman alone didn't pose much danger.
Her ability might still make her dangerous, though, so I needed to confirm it.
"Thank you again. You must be incredibly strong."
"I manage. What ability do you have, Yu-jin?"
"Heh. Is that not a little direct?"
"Ah... Was that rude? Mine enhances my strength. I'll demonstrate first."
Before she could object, I explained my own ability.
I didn't reveal everything, but neither did I lie.
I removed a fist-sized stone from my pocket and squeezed.
Her eyes widened as it crumbled in my hand.
"Now will you tell me?"
"Fine... Once you confirm it, please lower your weapon. And I'm much younger, so you can drop the formal speech. My ability is Telekinesis. It's not very strong, but..."
As she spoke, a cup rose from the dining table.
An ability capable of controlling and throwing a knife was dangerous enough.
My internal estimate of her threat level rose again.
Even if several zombies overwhelmed her, she could certainly kill one person.
"With an ability like that, you couldn't handle a few zombies?"
"I only started scavenging recently, so I haven't earned many Available Points. And the zombies charge so quickly..."
She'd invited me to speak casually, but I had immediately become too familiar and scolded her.
Yu-jin answered in a shrinking voice.
"I wasn't criticizing you. Do you need anything else?"
"Could you perhaps share a little food...?"
She glanced toward my duffel bags.
Her face was grimy from being unable to wash, but she didn't appear to be short on food.
"I'm already incredibly grateful, but I've almost nothing left to eat. If you help me a little, I can start scavenging again and repay you."
"Fine. I'll share some. I'm traveling far away, so repayment is unnecessary. It won't be free, though."
"Right. What would you like in return? Is there something you need?"
"Information. And sex. You understand?"
Yu-jin's eyes visibly trembled.
She bit her lip and considered the demand.
She must have anticipated the possibility before inviting me inside.
"Think about it. I'll smoke on the balcony."
"Okay..."
Had I been too direct?
I expected never to see her again, so I'd stated my terms honestly.
This was a transaction.
To give her time, I stepped onto the balcony and lit a cigarette.
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"Um, mister?"
"Yeah?"
"It's not that I don't want to. I just don't want you to get the wrong idea."
When I returned to the kitchen, her gaze had steadied, but her face was bright red.
"I won't misunderstand. Say whatever you need to say."
"Well... This is so embarrassing..."
"What is it?"
"I stored some water before the supply stopped, but not enough to wash properly."
"So?"
Yu-jin spoke with a flushed face, then suddenly glared at me.
What had I done?
"For fuck's sake. I'm saying I smell!"
"Ah..."
Silence hung between us.
Come to think of it, I probably smelled awful too.
If unpleasant odors surrounded us once our bodies touched, any excitement might disappear.
Then again, pent-up male lust wasn't so easily extinguished.
"Hmm... We're hungry. Should we eat first?"
"Okay..."
It was a complete change of subject, but I could think of no immediate solution, so we began with food.
I was hungry anyway.
"Um, the gas has stopped working..."
"I know. It's out everywhere."
"Really? Then how can we cook...?"
"Do you have any wooden furniture we can break?"
"Huh?"
After explaining, I smashed the desk she considered least important.
I built a fire on the balcony and cooked rice while we prepared the rest of the meal.
"Wow. Thank you for the food. I didn't know this was possible."
"You can make a fire whenever the surroundings allow it."
"That makes sense. Thank you. I'm learning a great deal today."
We ate together and exchanged information.
Most of her questions concerned fighting zombies and basic survival methods.
I lacked extensive experience myself, but I could still offer useful advice.
Eventually, she interrupted her meal to take notes.
"Thank you, truly. You saved my life."
"It was nothing. What I told you was hardly extraordinary..."
Her praise made me uncomfortable.
She treated me like an expert, but I was improvising my own survival day by day.
'In truth, I was not qualified to teach anyone.'
Her enthusiasm had prevented me from asking the questions that interested me.
Those could wait.
Once my stomach was full, my lust returned.
"Then shall we wash? I'll provide the water."
"Okay..."
I removed the two-liter bottle reserved for drinking from my bag.
I poured half into an empty bottle and handed it to her.
"Can you brush your teeth and wash below the waist with this?"
"Yes, I think so. I'll be back."
Yu-jin glanced at the large water-dispenser bottle beneath the handcart, then went to the bathroom.
I brushed my teeth in the kitchen and waited.
"Don't give me a hard time if I still smell. That would hurt."
"I understand. None of us can wash properly now."
"Then come this way. This is my room."
I followed her inside and immediately undressed.
After sweating for days, I had to smell terrible as well.
But I would not waste more water merely to spare her discomfort.
"Take off your clothes too."
"Immediately? Just like that?"
"Yes. Delaying will only make it more difficult."
At my words, she hesitated and began undressing.
I had no intention of creating a romantic atmosphere.
It might hurt her, but this was only a transaction.
I had not always behaved this way.
Whether my earlier attitude came from human nature or social conditioning, I did not know.
I had simply tried to live while considering other people as much as possible.
Even if I could not be a saint, I had tried not to harm anyone.
The experiences after my blackout seemed to have changed that outlook.
I had decided to live according to my own desires.
Na-yeon, the first person I met after awakening, had traded sex for food.
Every man I encountered afterward had tried to kill me.
'The kid is... No. Even so, doing that with a child would be...'
The standard was contradictory and poorly defined, but it reflected how I felt.
I did not intend to become a villain, yet my desire to live more selfishly and honestly according to my instincts had strengthened.
That was why I would not form an unnecessary emotional attachment to Yu-jin.
'She is... right. Just a transactional partner.'
I had already provided everything promised, yet Yu-jin continued hesitating.
I decided to press her slightly.
"I didn't wash. Can you clean it with your mouth?"
A stale odor rose from my erect penis.
Yu-jin slowly removed the rest of her clothes and covered her breasts and pubic area with her hands.
Despite her embarrassment, her gaze remained fixed on my penis.
"Okay... If that's what you want. But it's so large..."
I lay back comfortably on her bed.
As though surrendering to the situation, Yu-jin gave a hollow laugh and tied up her hair.
Good. That was all I needed.
This was nothing more than a transaction.