Chapter 14: Farming
Chapter 14: Farming
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"So you got through to your dad?"
"Yes. He said everyone from work is gathered together. They're planning to start clearing the area soon, and once things are somewhat under control he'll come here, so he told me to stay hidden at home."
"Wow! That's wonderful. I'm so relieved."
The three of us sat around the kitchen table.
Ga-yeong hadn't been able to reach her mother, but her father seemed to be okay.
When she told him about Seon-yeong and me, he was so grateful he said we were welcome to stay at the house indefinitely.
The table was set with stew that looked like Ga-yeong's mother's cooking, assorted side dishes, and seasoned grilled beef.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a home-cooked meal.
Because I worked full-time and lived alone, I'd mostly eaten delivery food even before the zombie outbreak.
"Thanks for the food!"
"Thank you. It looks delicious."
All I'd done was cook the rice and grill the meat.
Their cheerful thanks made me feel awkward.
Come to think of it, perhaps I should've let Ga-yeong use the more flattering form of address.
I was technically old enough to be called mister, but being treated like a younger man sounded much nicer.
I'd insisted on the more distant form to draw a line, but now it only felt awkward.
Clink. Clack.
We wrapped up the conversation and focused on eating.
No one spoke; the only sounds at the table were the occasional clatter of utensils.
The pleasure of eating went beyond simple enjoyment; it was almost euphoric.
"Ah... I'm full. I'll do the dishes. You two go relax."
"I'll do them. You barely slept yesterday, didn't you? You can barely keep your eyes open right now. Go get some sleep."
Ga-yeong tried to refuse, but once I stepped in and nudged her along, she went to her room first.
Seon-yeong and I were tired too, but we were in slightly better shape than yesterday.
It seemed like we'd managed to pace ourselves a bit better today.
"Seon-yeong, want a cup of coffee?"
"That sounds wonderful!"
I brewed coffee next to her while she washed the dishes.
Until two days ago, I'd drunk two cups of coffee every day without fail, so this felt especially welcome.
I hadn't been able to smoke much or drink coffee since the outbreak began, so this was a treat.
Breathing in the fragrant coffee aroma made me feel like I could die happy.
Maybe this was what it meant to appreciate ordinary life.
It had only been a little over a day.
Now that I'd lost the things I used to take for granted, even a small luxury brought deep happiness.
While I was at it, I took the cigarettes from my bag and stepped onto the balcony with my coffee in one hand.
Click. Click.
Sss... Haa.
I stared vacantly out at the road and enjoyed the hazy sensation.
The grassy field I'd left on the first day came into view, along with the sports complex beside it.
I also spotted two men hurrying into a building in the sports complex.
Survivors.
They were carrying something in both hands.
'Right... Maybe even now.'
Even if I couldn't see them, someone somewhere was fighting to survive.
At that very moment, someone was probably fighting zombies.
No matter how happy and comfortable I felt right now, I couldn't afford to get complacent. I had to keep fighting.
I encouraged myself. I was doing well.
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"Team Leader! Ugh, that smell. Quit smoking, will you? Why does it feel like I always catch you smoking whenever I'm looking for you?"
"Ah... hearing that gave me PTSD. Heh. Why did you come out instead of resting?"
"I just wanted to talk a little about what we're doing tomorrow."
Seon-yeong's voice drifted in as the veranda door opened.
It brought back the conversation I'd had with her right before the zombie outbreak.
She really knew how to startle me.
"We'll decide tomorrow once I wake up and check my side. I looked while washing up, and it's bruised pretty badly."
"Ah... I hope it heals fast."
"I'm sure it'll be fine. So for tonight, don't think about anything. Just get some solid rest. Sleep in a little tomorrow, too."
Just moments ago I'd steeled my resolve and swore I'd keep fighting, but for survival, resting well was just as important.
Especially with an injury like this, it seemed wiser to play it safe and monitor the recovery.
"Okay. I'll sleep in the study, then, Team Leader, so you take the master bedroom. I'm not going to bed right away, so let me know if you need anything!"
Seon-yeong smiled at the mention of sleeping in, said she was going to check MeTube, and went back inside first.
Was anyone even uploading videos in this situation?
No, wait. Maybe this kind of situation meant more updates, not fewer.
Ga-yeong's house was a three-bedroom layout with two bathrooms.
Ga-yeong kept her usual room, and Seon-yeong gave the master bedroom to me.
The study Seon-yeong had taken was actually a small room used as both a study and dressing room, with a computer and clothes rack.
It was the smallest room, and Ga-yeong had already laid out bedding for her.
I'd offered to use the study instead, but she refused outright, insisting the injured person came first.
Evening settled over the end of a long, exhausting day.
And so, after a grueling day, we each retreated to our own rooms to rest.
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— Mic check, mic check! Hello, my dear subscribers. Hoping you all made it through another day safe and sound, this is Survival Man, reporting in on Day 2 of survival.
I lay on the wide bed in the master bedroom, plugged my phone into a charger, and opened MeTube.
The top of MeTube was flooded with videos related to the zombie outbreak.
Among them, I started playing a video from a MeTuber who went by the name Survival Man.
I'd already subscribed to Survival Man's channel.
His main content showed him camping or building shelters in remote places such as wooded hills and islands.
Looking at his video list, I saw that starting yesterday he'd been uploading under the title "Survival Man's Survival Diary."
His dedication to his work was remarkable.
— As many of you already know, we have that thing now. The God-Tier Status Window!!!! My subscribers have been leaving comments about all sorts of abilities. They say that in an apocalypse situation like this, hiding your ability is the golden rule, but for the sake of addressing your curiosity, I've decided to reveal my own ability and show you all how I develop it going forward.
Survival Man had been in a remote mountain area with two companions for a shoot on the first day of the outbreak.
Both companions had turned into zombies, but he'd barely survived after managing to put them to rest.
The first Survival Diary video showed him using the tent and supplies he had on hand to establish a base camp.
Today's upload focused mainly on introducing his ability.
I had no idea where his base camp was, but he'd filmed and uploaded the video alone.
Judging by how okay he looked on screen, things must have been going pretty well for him.
— As the number under Available Points decreased, my ability grew stronger. I'll set a can here and test how much its power has increased.
Survival Man didn't reveal the specific details written on his Status Window.
In the video, he opened his mouth and spat out a fireball.
The fireball flew at a fair speed and struck the can with a light impact.
The can tumbled to the ground and quickly started to burn.
'Isn't that a Fireball?'
— Do you see that? Hold on... I'll show you more closely. It didn't melt, but can you see how it's charred pitch-black? The firepower definitely increased compared to before I reinforced it with points. Honestly, the change isn't dramatic, but if I hunt more zombies and strengthen the ability further, I think it'll be quite useful in real combat. I haven't been able to test it on a zombie yet, but if I get the chance later, I'll prepare a video where I take on a zombie.
— @Kangsu_Lee: Whoa, fire's actually coming out of his mouth. Does he not take any damage himself?
— @bureng74: Sigh... why the hell is my ability so useless? Survival Man, how did you upload this so quickly?
— @user-pcx245okdla: Explosions are art!
— @nintotheza: Day 2 of survival, checking in~
— @niconiconee: Illegal! Illegal! Illegal!
The video had been up for less than an hour, and it already had quite a few comments.
I scrolled through the abilities other people had written about.
Quite a few people seemed to possess abilities that would have looked otherworldly before the apocalypse.
Even looking right around me, Ga-yeong could create shields, just like Seon-yeong.
Those kinds of abilities could be actively used in combat and seemed like they'd be a huge help right away.
On the other hand, no one was talking about an ability like mine.
It was still too early to judge, and I couldn't tell whether my ability was good or a dud.
'I'd find out with time.'
It was only a vague guess, but I doubted any ability was outright trash.
Or maybe not. There might be abilities that were utterly useless.
— So, once again, I wish all of us a safe day. Survival Man will return for Day 3. We'll meet again!
The video ended while I was still mulling over the different abilities.
Survival Man had shown edited footage of various experiments: how many fireballs he could spit, their range, how long the ability took to recover, and more.
He'd analyzed his own ability quite thoroughly.
That kind of effort was worth emulating.
As difficult as that might be, I needed to think of ways to learn more about my own ability.
'He's an impressive guy.'
After watching everything he'd uploaded, I found Survival Man genuinely impressive.
He'd already set up a base camp and was running experiments on his ability.
On top of that, he was even editing and uploading the footage.
The world really was full of remarkable people.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Team Leader. Can I come in?"
I'd intended to study my ability, taking a page from Survival Man.
The moment I answered the knock, Seon-yeong entered carrying a plastic case that resembled a first-aid kit.
"Where are you hurt? No, wait. Take your shirt off for a second. I need to check."
I lifted my shirt to show her my side, and Seon-yeong looked startled.
"What? You're badly hurt. How much did this hurt? Why didn't you say anything?"
"It's more or less manageable now. I just have to be a little careful when I move."
"Your skin is torn up in several places, so what do you mean 'manageable'? Hold still."
Seon-yeong guided me onto the bed, then gently applied ointment to my side.
After the ointment, she placed a wide piece of gauze over the area and finished by wrapping it with a bandage.
I'd recognized that the injury could be dangerous, yet stupidly never thought to apply medicine.
"Your ability really needs to kick in and fix this fast... It'll get better, right?"
"I'm sure it'll get better. It's an ability, after all. Thanks. Having you around is nice, Seon-yeong."
"Heh. Flattery won't get you anything extra! All right, sleep well."
"Good night, Seon-yeong."
After we exchanged goodnights, Seon-yeong packed up the medical supplies and stood.
Wouldn't sleeping on the study floor be uncomfortable?
The bed was spacious, so sleeping together seemed like it would be fine.
And then that impulsive thought carried me along.
Snatch.
I grabbed Seon-yeong's wrist as she was about to leave the room.
"Let's sleep together."
The words slipped out before I could think, and silence fell over the room.