Chapter 43: Carelessness

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Tap-tap—thwack.

Raaaargh!

I gripped the handle with one hand and the barrel with the other, then charged.

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠aimed at the nearest zombie's head and thrust out the hand gripping the barrel, smashing its skull with the end of the bat.

My eyes darted across the hallway, locating the remaining zombies.

"Shield, shield, shield!"

Behind me, Ga-yeong deployed Shields in rapid succession.

Ga-yeong had the same Shield ability as Seon-yeong, but a different trait.

Ga-yeong could generate multiple shields at once.

Thump thump clang

Opaque shields appeared in front of the two zombies charging from either side, blocking their bites.

Another shield appeared in front of the zombie charging straight at me, but it shattered as soon as the zombie's torso hit it.

The zombie lost its balance as it broke the shield and pitched forward.

Its head dropped to the perfect height. I adjusted my grip and brought the bat down on it.

At the same moment, Ga-yeong's golf club hammered the skull of the zombie on the right that had briefly halted.

"Ga-yeong, straight ahead!"

I shouted the warning, pulled the bat back, and tucked it under my arm.

A zombie I had missed with the hand mirror leapt from the stairs to the roof and hurled itself at me.

I sidestepped, and its arms flailed past me.

As it sailed past, I timed a hard palm strike to its side.

"Shield, Shield,"

Ga-yeong had already run past me on the right. She generated two shields and stopped both zombies charging from the front.

After confirming that the zombie I'd shoved had collided with another and sent both rolling, I turned back to the front.

Ga-yeong was already swinging her golf club at the rightmost of the two zombies in front of her.

Whi-i-i-ik—wham

The shield held the zombie in place, and Ga-yeong's downward swing caved in the crown of its skull.

I launched myself at the zombie beside it, which had just seen its companion's skull cave in, and drove a front kick into its solar plexus.

The kick slipped under the deployed Shield and sent the zombie hurtling toward the elevator.

I left the zombie I'd kicked away to Ga-yeong and turned toward the two fallen zombies trying to rise.

Shoowook—crunch crunch

Holding the bat upside down like a pestle, I pounded both zombies' skulls as if grinding grain in a mortar.

When I finished and turned, Ga-yeong had already struck the fallen zombie's head and was looking at me.

"All done. Good job, Ga-yeong."

I scanned the area briefly and checked the rooftop stairwell as well, but no zombies remained.

Including the one on the stairs, which had been within our expected range, we'd killed six zombies.

"Ha... ha... ha..."

Ga-yeong was breathing too hard to answer and concentrated on getting it under control.

The fight had lasted only a minute or two, but she had pushed every muscle so hard that her breathing refused to settle.

We went down one floor and sat on the stairs until she caught her breath.

After recovering, Ga-yeong began chattering away.

"Tae-sik, you worked hard. Watching you fight was amazing. How can you move so fast?"

"It's just my ability. You did very well too. You used your ability intelligently and did not freeze. Your shield has a short range, so it must have been frightening, but you handled it perfectly."

"I was more scared on the third floor. This time you said you trusted me and ran in first, so I just thought I had to do something..."

Looked like telling her I trusted her had paid off.

"I moved before I had time to be afraid. I couldn't pay attention to my surroundings; I just kept striking the heads in front of me, and before I knew it, the fight was over."

"How many Shields do you have left?"

"I don't think I can use any more. If I try again, it feels like it's going to hurt badly."

"You know to invest Available Points in it, right? Since your trait is different, its applications are different too. If you develop it, I think your ability will have many uses."

"Yes, I need to study how to use it better. Compared with Seon-yeong's shield, mine breaks so easily that I thought my ability was useless. I'm relieved it isn't."

I was relieved Ga-yeong had faced off against zombies and done so well.

I kept praising her courage and clever use of her ability as we returned home.

Once we got back, I told Ga-yeong to wash up and rest first, then grabbed the body bag and headed back toward the next building over.

On the way back I'd noticed Ga-yeong probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed tomorrow if she pushed any harder, so I went to finish the cleanup alone.

Compared to Seon-yeong, her stamina was seriously lacking, but there was no need to compare the two.

Ga-yeong had done more than enough today, and if she kept improving like this, her endurance would gradually increase and her combat strength would grow.

Now the only thing left was to get the zombie corpses properly stowed at the recycling station before they started rotting.

I'd have to make several trips, but I hurried so I could finish the day's work early.

When I returned after depositing the last corpse, I heard the women talking and laughing in the bedroom.

Seon-yeong must have been awake. I pictured the freshly washed Ga-yeong clinging to her.

She'd be chattering away, bragging about her exploits.

They didn't seem to notice I'd come back.

So as not to disturb them, I stowed my scavenging gear and slipped quietly into the study, then headed for the living-room bathroom.

The truth was, I hurried off to wash up because I wanted to leave Ga-yeong's chatter in Seon-yeong's hands.

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"Ga-yeong, congratulations on getting through your first fight safely. Let's all stay healthy and survive together. Cheers!"

"Hehe, thank you. You two have already done so much that being congratulated feels a little embarrassing, but I'm really happy. Tae-sik, Seon-yeong, thank you for everything. I love you both!"

After washing up, I'd been sitting in the living room, resting and checking my phone for news from other areas.

After a while, their girls' talk seemed to end, and Seon-yeong and Ga-yeong came out together.

They immediately suggested a family dinner to celebrate Ga-yeong's first fight.

"Tae-sik, has your skin gotten a little better? Or am I imagining it?"

"Yeah, probably just imagining it, heh heh. Hey, Seon-yeong, shouldn't you stop drinking? You still need to take it easy, right?"

"I haven't even finished one can yet! I'll just have this one, please just let me..."

Seon-yeong boldly declared that a day of rest had cured her and that she wanted fried chicken and beer.

We had frozen chicken, and she offered to cook it. I was worried, but the two women had formed a united front and pushed me into the bedroom.

Apparently I was to stop nagging and stay there.

That was how we ended up frying two reasonably presentable chickens, even if they weren't restaurant quality, and having beer with our family dinner.

Family...

Were those two now thinking of each other as family?

It hadn't even been a month since we started living together in this apartment.

"Tae-sik, does that mean all three of us will go everywhere together from tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure. Fighting zombies didn't seem as difficult for you as I expected, so it would be good for you to come scavenging and earn Available Points. The problem is your stamina. If you followed us all day the way Seon-yeong used to, you'd collapse by the end of it."

"Hing... yeah, honestly... my hands are still shaking right now."

"Hehehe, is Ga-yeong gonna have to start hitting the weights?"

"Ugh, at this rate we're gonna end up scavenging a gym."

Was I taking the word family much more seriously than they were?

Or had they used "family dinner" as casually as saying "let's have a party," while I alone agonized over it?

"What if we spend more time clearing the apartment buildings and you take Ga-yeong with you for that? Having all three of us out all day seems too much."

"Then let's do this. We keep the morning schedule as it is. In the afternoon, instead of going out to scavenge, I'll clear apartment buildings with Ga-yeong while Seon-yeong rests. In the evening, all three of us can scavenge the apartments we cleared. How does that sound?"

"I like it! We can do that for now, see how my stamina develops, and gradually increase how long I'm active. Seon-yeong can get a little more rest too."

"Yeah, I really did need a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bit more rest. Following Tae-sik around everywhere finally caught up with me and I totally crashed."

"Got it. Then that's the plan. Tomorrow, after we get up and you've both checked your condition, let me know."

It struck me that I'd been reacting too sensitively to the word "family."

After my parents died, I'd spent a long time resenting the world.

Later, that resentment had turned inward.

The events lay far in the past, but the memories remained vivid enough to torment me.

Perhaps drinking for the first time in a while was making me drag up old memories.

Two people were enjoying themselves right in front of me, yet I was alone digging myself into a mental hole. I'd grown older without growing wiser.

Enough. I should enjoy the evening with them.

It suddenly occurred to me that being able to look after each other and share laughter even in a world this hard was an incredible stroke of luck.

Perhaps Seon-yeong had already reached the realization I'd only just found after brooding and then looking at the two smiling women.

So that's why she'd suggested a family dinner.

Without realizing it, we'd begun relying on one another like family to endure these difficult days.

"Tae-sik, are you done now? What have you been agonizing over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by yourself all this time? I told you to speak up if something is bothering you."

"It's resolved now, so stop reading my mind."

"Tae-sik, I can read minds too. Now that Seon-yeong says she's feeling better, you were thinking dirty thoughts, weren't you?"

"Ugh, both of you, stop drinking. A girl who can't even finish one can without getting drunk—why were you begging for beer so badly?"

"Right? Ga-yeong turned out to be a complete lightweight. From the way she talked earlier, I thought she was a serious drinker. We should stop and go to bed."

"Noooo. I'm not drunnnk. You're trying to ditch me so the two of you can do naughty things. I know it. I know everything. But Seon-yeong, you still can't. You're still hurting."

"Whoa, she's drunk and she still won't stop talking..."

Ga-yeong's limit seemed to be less than one can of beer, and Seon-yeong's condition clearly wasn't back to normal either, so true to their word, they each stopped after just the one.

I kept it moderate too—about three cans—then cleared out and started tidying up.

But then Seon-yeong—whom I'd trusted—shoved the drunk Ga-yeong onto me and bolted, saying she wanted to wash up.

Feeling deeply betrayed, I had to endure Ga-yeong's chatter the entire time I washed the dishes and cleaned up.

I wished she'd simply go to bed, but she slumped over the kitchen table and kept talking to me.

"Tae-sik, when did you get so big? Why are you so dark and tanned? Do you take after your father or your mother? I'm about as tall as a sixth-grader—how old were you when you were my height?"

Could one person really have that many questions?

Questions about me and stories about herself poured out in a jumbled stream.

She didn't seem to expect answers. Even while I kept silent, Ga-yeong's mouth never stopped.

For the sake of my mental health, I wrapped up the cleaning fast and hoisted Ga-yeong onto my shoulder.

Flop.

"Ga-yeong, sleep early if you want to grow taller. Good night."

I tossed the chattering Ga-yeong onto her bed and fled.

Determined to confront Seon-yeong about her betrayal, I lay on the bedroom bed and waited for her to finish washing.

"Tae-sik, are you mad?"

"Yeah. You're a traitor."

"Aww, come on. Don't be sulky. I'm stuck with Ga-yeong all the time. I only asked you to cover for today!"

Seon-yeong slowly approached while opening the front of her bathrobe.

My sense of betrayal toward Seon-yeong evaporated in less than ten seconds.

With the front of her robe hanging open, she rubbed her whole body against me and turned on the charm. Before I knew it, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I caught myself grinning like an idiot.

I surrendered to Seon-yeong's charms, abandoned my half-serious complaint, and began kissing her.

Just as we began caressing each other and setting the mood, the bedroom door flew open and a whining Ga-yeong stumbled in.

Bang!

"Seon-yeong! Tae-sik, don't leave me out, hmph..."

Why did you have to appear at exactly that moment?

And why was she crying? I was the one who wanted to cry.

And please, just put some clothes on and go away for a bit...