Chapter 125: Traveling Together
Chapter 125: Traveling Together
#
After lunch and a short rest,
We left the building in the midafternoon.
The grass-covered futsal field brought back memories of the first day.
Back then, zombies had appeared with the rain, and the hardships that followed had made me resent the gloomy weather.
'Please, let it rain.'
Now I resented the painfully clear sky instead.
Perhaps we should have rested longer and departed in the early evening.
"Eun-ah, remove only the restraint around her ankles."
"Okay..."
Eun-ah used her ability to release Hye-ji's ankle shackles.
We had a long walk ahead of us, and shackles would severely reduce both her speed and stamina.
"Carry me..."
"Sure."
I lifted Eun-ah and placed her on the handcart.
The Enchantment on the handcart had finished a short while earlier.
According to Eun-ah, it was now far sturdier.
It could supposedly carry heavy cargo and run indefinitely without issue.
She even thought it might withstand being swung around as a weapon to bludgeon zombies.
The shield we'd scavenged the previous day was next in line for Enchantment.
The transparent polycarbonate shield was oval, measuring roughly fifty-five centimeters across at its widest point.
The word POLICE appeared across its center in black adhesive lettering.
It was designed for one-handed use, with an adjustable forearm strap and a handle.
"Are you all right? Is anything uncomfortable?"
"I'm fine..."
I secured Eun-ah atop the duffel bag with rope, then handed her the shield.
After checking on Eun-ah, I turned to Hye-ji.
A long rope had been tied to one side of the handcart frame.
It connected to a collar fashioned from a cut belt, and its wearer was, naturally, Hye-ji.
'Why did I make it look so much like a dog collar?'
Perhaps because the black belt around Hye-ji's neck was so broad, the sight looked wrong.
It gave off a distinctly slave-like impression.
Hye-ji had said she'd endure anything if we spared her, but I had no intention of treating her as a slave.
It was absurd that I could kill people so readily yet still feel a psychological aversion to something like this.
"Let's get moving. Im Hye-ji, tell me if it becomes difficult."
"Yes!"
Eun-ah turned her head and stared silently at me.
"Eun-ah, tell me if you've any trouble too."
"Okay..."
We left the futsal field that had sheltered us for a day and followed the road beside the Han River.
Once we climbed onto the expressway, we'd have to camp outdoors continuously, so I planned to stop briefly in the neighborhood around Deokso Station.
"See that elevated road ahead? That's the Seoul–Yangyang Expressway. We'll go up there early tomorrow morning."
"Ah, yes."
"Deokso Station is a little farther ahead. Think about anything each of you needs."
"Yes."
"Especially you, Im Hye-ji. You don't even have spare clothes. Once we get onto the elevated road, we won't come back down, so we need to scavenge as much as possible before leaving."
"Understood. Thank you for considering what I need."
Eun-ah glared openly at Hye-ji, who responded promptly with a crisp “Yes” each time.
We moved in a formation with Hye-ji walking in front and me following behind while pushing the handcart.
Eun-ah's face reflected in the shield she held, and I distinctly saw her eyes shift toward Hye-ji.
'So that's what swearing at someone with your eyes looks like...'
Unable to turn her head while Enchanting, she could only roll her eyes into a glare, which somehow made her even more frightening.
[Deokso Riverside Hyeongdae Riverview Site 2 Hometown]
Near Deokso Station.
Following the riverside road brought us to an apartment complex with an absurdly grand name.
"From here on, Hye-ji, move to the rear. Stay close and don't let the distance grow too much. While we're moving, tell me if you see a convenience store, pharmacy, hardware store—actually, anywhere that looks worth scavenging."
"Yes. The interior of that apartment complex probably isn't worth scavenging, right?"
"Right. An individual unit might contain something useful, but it's too random."
As we changed positions, Eun-ah stopped Enchanting.
She extended her arms, and I lifted her down.
"Eun-ah, couldn't you've climbed down by yourself?"
"...That apartment name is strange."
Pretending not to hear me, Eun-ah changed the subject.
"Apartment names are all like that these days. It's to keep mothers-in-law from finding the place."
"...What does that mean?"
"Hohoho. Really? That's funny."
When Hye-ji laughed quietly one step behind us, Eun-ah glared at her again.
One way or another, Hye-ji clearly grated on Eun-ah.
I was simply grateful someone had laughed at my terrible joke.
"Let's check that commercial building. It has a pharmacy and a camping-supply store."
"Yessir."
"Yeah..."
Eun-ah had been responding informally for some time while watching my reaction.
She appeared to be doing it deliberately because of Hye-ji.
Finding her sudden possessiveness adorable, I patted her head once to show that I did not mind.
The blush on her face and twitch at the corners of her lips were impossible to miss.
Eun-ah no longer kept the hood of her raincoat pulled low over her face.
#
The first place we entered was the camping-supply store.
It was an unusual shop built as one open floor despite occupying the height of two normal stories.
A huge plate-glass wall facing the Han River exposed the entire interior.
"Whoa... They even have a jeep inside."
The glass must have been extremely sturdy.
There was no sign that anyone had looted the place.
Eun-ah's ability opened the door easily, and the interior proved remarkably tidy.
"We're lucky. We can gather almost everything we need here."
"Exactly. Let's grab what we need quickly. There aren't even any zombies."
As Hye-ji said, luck was on our side, and we quickly scavenged a wide variety of equipment.
Starting with the camping store, we looted every nearby business.
A pharmacy, convenience store, clothing shop, restaurant, nail salon, and more.
Unfortunately, other survivors had already visited most of them.
"Load the two tents onto the handcart, and everyone take mosquito repellent."
"What should we do with the cookware sets?"
"We still have the ones we've been using, so put only a few in your backpack. Take some cups and tumblers too."
We had entered a small campsite beside the Han River.
There, we sorted supplies scavenged from an abandoned camper.
We planned to eat a somewhat late dinner, rest, and depart again early the next morning.
"Then shall we try fishing?"
"Yeah..." "Yes."
Each of us carried two fishing rods, and we walked to the riverbank together.
Across a single road from the campsite stood a small coffee shop and tackle shop side by side; we'd collected the fishing gear there.
Hye-ji said fishing was her father's hobby, so we decided to try it.
"That monstrous snakehead can't come all the way into this shallow water, can it?"
"That worries me too, but it's shallow here, so I don't think it can approach."
Hye-ji demonstrated first, then helped Eun-ah and me.
"We're lucky they had salted earthworms. These still look usable. Hook one like this, and then... Hmm..."
I did not understand most of her explanation, but apparently the bait would allow us to fish.
Hye-ji had brought several types of bait and handled the setup.
She selected our positions and explained various precautions.
"When you feel a few light taps at first, wait a little longer. When the sensation changes, set the hook. Setting the hook means flicking your wrist like this..."
Fishing was considerably more difficult than expected.
I'd assumed we could simply cast, wait, and pull the rod up, but that was a major miscalculation.
"Just remember this part. I'll handle everything else."
In the end, Hye-ji did everything from baiting the hooks to casting the lines.
Eun-ah and I only had to watch carefully, pull when appropriate, and pray for luck.
"I never expected Hye-ji to carry us..."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. I said thank you."
The three of us then sat a short distance apart and began fishing.
Eun-ah apparently expected little from this kind of fishing and stared blankly at the flowing river.
"The water is cleaner than I expected..."
"Right? Was the Han River always this clean?"
The Han River, which I'd expected to resemble filthy wastewater, was surprisingly clear.
It was not transparent to the bottom, but the water near the surface was reasonably visible.
There was no trash along the bank and no foul odor.
"I think we could wash with this water."
"Huh? Wouldn't that be pushing it?"
"If you help me, Big Brother, I can build a filtration system."
"Really?"
Eun-ah said she could construct a primitive filtration system that would make the water suitable for washing.
It might not become potable, but it should be safe enough for bathing.
"There are plenty of stones here... Large rocks and gravel. The campsite has charcoal and sand too..."
"All right, let's try it. If we can wash here, I'm taking everything we can carry."
"The water tank and the containers from the camper... Hmm... Like this."
Eun-ah drew a design in her notebook and showed it to me.
It depicted a cross-section of the large campsite water tank filled with layers of charcoal, stones, and sand.
I told Eun-ah to watch the fishing rod, then walked around the campsite inspecting possible materials.
Unfortunately, the inside of the large water tank was far too filthy to use.
A large water container inside the camper, though, was usable.
Its lid had remained closed, leaving the interior spotless.
'But we aren't going to drink it. If it's only for a quick wash, couldn't we use the river water directly?'
I carried the rectangular container back and decided to collect some water first.
I submerged the mouth of an empty plastic jerry can just beneath the surface of the Han River and filled it carefully.
"Big Brother, look at this."
"Huh? Whoa, whoa—what is that? Pull!"
Beside me, Eun-ah was struggling to hold a jerking fishing rod.
I threw the water container aside, stepped behind Eun-ah, and seized the rod with her.
Splash, splash.
The force on the line was surprisingly heavy.
Were fish normally this strong?
The rod bowed under the tension, and the line seemed ready to snap.
"Huk... One moment."
Hye-ji hurried over and joined us in holding the rod.
I left the rod with the two women and immediately plunged into the river.
'What the hell is that thing...?'
Swimming beneath the surface, I encountered an enormous carp thrashing like a crazed Magikarp.
It was far larger than my forearm—nearly the size of an entire leg.
Using the swimming skills I had diligently learned through elementary school, I approached it.
Grab.
I wrapped both arms tightly around it from behind and kicked toward shore.
It thrashed and struck my side with a fin.
I was too frantic to notice the pain.
I had swum a fair distance from shore and was terrified that the monstrous snakehead from yesterday might appear, but I couldn't abandon this catch.
Splash, splash.
"Pwah..."
"Hieeek...? What is that?"
Flop, flop, flop-flop-flop.
Hye-ji recoiled at the sight of the giant carp.
"Move back."
Wham. Wham. Wham.
Hye-ji and Eun-ah hurriedly retreated.
Gripping the carp by its tail, I smashed its head against the ground.
After only three blows, it fell still.
"Isn't this a carp?"
"I think so... One moment."
Hye-ji approached and removed the hook.
Dripping water everywhere, I carried the fish to the front of the camper.
"Let's kill it quickly. Start the fire and prepare dinner."
"Yes. Ah... How should we cook it?"
"Just grill it over charcoal. Wait here."
I stripped off my soaked clothing, threw it aside, and picked up the axe.
Thwack.
I brought the axe down once on the carp's head where it lay across the table.
The creature continued twitching.
"What the hell? Is it a zombie? Why is it still moving? No, zombies stop when you destroy their heads."
"Fish sometimes keep moving even after a blow to the head. That's why you normally don't start with the head but instead..."
"Oh, right—the water container. Shit. What were you saying?"
"Ah... Never mind. Give me a knife and I'll clean it."
"Yeah, here."
I'd become so absorbed in the fish that I'd forgotten the container.
Hye-ji had been explaining something beside me, but it didn't sound urgent, so I handed her the knife and rushed back to the riverbank.
Eun-ah was already holding the jerry can filled with Han River water.
"It's heavy..."
"Ha ha. I'll carry it."
I returned with the twenty-liter container, opened the lid, and inspected the water.
It was clear.
Invisible sediment or bacteria might still have been present, but it appeared fine at a glance.
"How is it going?"
"Good. I'm removing the scales now."
"All right. Tell me if you need help."
"Could you pour water over it when I remove the organs?"
"Got it."
I had no idea whether carp tasted good.
While Hye-ji cleaned the fish, I used the river water to rinse off the blood and changed clothes.
I had entered the river completely and even opened my eyes underwater, yet I felt perfectly fine.
Perhaps we could simply wash with the untreated water.
"Eun-ah, I think we can use it as it is. It seems fine."
"Okay..."
"It doesn't even smell."
Looking faintly disappointed, Eun-ah folded her filtration-system design and put it in her pocket.
She was probably upset that her idea had been rejected.
"But how did you catch that carp? That was incredible. I was completely shocked—it's enormous."
"Right? I've never seen a carp that large in my life."
"Well, the thing floating in the water twitched, so I grabbed the rod..."
Eun-ah's disappointed expression brightened again, and her voice rose in pitch.
She excitedly reenacted the moment she hooked the fish with her entire body.
It was unfortunate that even in her excitement, her voice barely grew louder and her expression changed only slightly.
Watching Eun-ah struggle to express her emotions, Hye-ji and I showered her with praise together.