Chapter 65: Roles
Chapter 65: Roles
14. Roles
"Everyone did well. Let's go inside and eat first."
The following day.
The transport work was finally complete.
After pushing ourselves since the previous day, we had moved almost the entire hardware store and stationery shop before the afternoon.
The sixth floor, which we'd been using for storage, was now at capacity, so we planned to expand onto the seventh.
"Hey, are we starting the one-at-a-time rotations today?"
"Yeah, let's begin right away. Eun-mi, did you finish the work schedule?"
"Yes, I finished it yesterday. We're starting with Ga-yeong this afternoon."
After lunch, we would begin clearing the apartment building.
It was the same work I had once done alone: searching for survivors and killing the zombies inside.
From then on, the women would take turns accompanying me during the clearing work.
The others would remain behind and handle various tasks under Seon-yeong's direction.
So we excluded Seon-yeong from the apartment-clearing rotation.
"Mister, why did you call it a duty roster, of all things?"
"I couldn't think of a better term. That's what we called it in the army, and my company used the same word."
"Ah~ Seeing my name on a duty roster makes it feel as though I got a job."
She'd endured a terrible ordeal, so I was glad that she could still smile so brightly.
It seemed I could finally worry a little less about her.
We returned home, completed a quick equipment check, and the women began preparing lunch together.
Even for something as ordinary as making lunch, I enjoyed seeing them use both kitchens and help one another.
In a group this large, there was usually someone trying to avoid work, but at least I hadn't seen that yet.
"Raid Leader! Time to eat!"
I'd been studying the survivor list Su-jin compiled while planning the building-clearing route.
At the knock and shouted summons, I went into the living room.
I sat at the wide table. Spaghetti was the main dish.
We'd been eating ramen and other noodles unusually often, probably because their expiration dates came sooner than expected.
Surprisingly, most instant noodles were officially meant to be eaten within only a few months.
That didn't mean they became inedible immediately afterward, of course.
"So we used three whole packages of spaghetti... and two cans of tomato sauce?"
"Will that take long? Eat with us and finish it afterward."
"I'll be right there. Go ahead and eat."
Seon-yeong remained in the kitchen, speaking with Ha-na while checking the supply ledger.
Calling her again accomplished nothing.
Still, checking the ledger immediately was probably better.
As our numbers grew and everyone drew from the same supplies, maintaining the ledger had become more complicated.
Before, Ga-yeong could organize everything herself as long as we mentioned what we used. That would no longer work.
Meal preparation and similar chores would also need to rotate according to circumstances.
"Ugh, this is a full job by itself. Ah, I told you to eat first. Why did you wait?"
"Come on, you worked hard. Thanks for the meal, then."
"Thanks for the meal!"
Things were still chaotic, but the system would gradually become more organized.
Seon-yeong was extremely intelligent, and Eun-mi and the others all seemed capable and practical.
There was now almost nothing I needed to manage personally.
The others excused me from most household work because I spent the entire day outside fighting zombies.
I'd still help with heavy lifting, but we agreed that I'd sit out routine chores such as cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning.
That included organizing stored supplies, maintaining the ledger, and developing the residence's defense plan.
Seon-yeong took charge of planning and carrying out those important tasks.
Combat was the only area I needed to command.
That meant deciding everyone's positions against zombies, creating and leading tactical drills, and establishing and teaching hand signals.
I also continued to direct our scavenging plans and methods.
Once the roles were divided, mine truly was the job of a Raid Leader.
Seon-yeong still kept me informed about everything happening in the other areas.
Dividing the responsibilities eased some of the weight on my mind.
As the group grew, specialization made every task considerably easier.
But unexpected friction could still arise.
Even if I were absent now, the others would no longer descend into total confusion.
#
"Alright, I'm off."
After lunch, Ga-yeong and I headed to Building 302.
We'd cleared all of its stairwells during our previous visit but hadn't entered a single apartment.
"Mister, doesn't this feel as though we're simply continuing from where we stopped?"
"It does. How did you end up first in the rotation?"
"The older women still have some unpacking left. I had the most free time, so I volunteered to go first."
The building was next door, and we reached it quickly while chatting.
"We'll start on the first floor and enter through the balconies."
When Eun-mi accompanied me, we could use the doors. With anyone else, we had to enter through windows or balconies.
The exact method didn't matter as long as we got inside.
Crash-tinktinktink
"You okay? Did any shards fly at you?"
"Ah, I'm fine. I was just startled."
The first-floor window was locked, so I shattered the glass with a hammer.
Ga-yeong flinched beside me, and for a moment I feared that a shard had struck her.
"Let's breach. I'll enter first, but you should handle as many of the zombies as possible."
"Yes, I'm ready!"
After the crash of the breaking window faded and the apartment fell quiet again, we climbed inside.
Following the routine I'd developed, we searched every room and reset the door-lock code.
There were no zombies or people on the first floor.
"You said there were no survivors anywhere in this building, right?"
"Right. Other than us, anything moving inside will be a zombie. We don't need to worry about encountering people."
Previously, I'd simply skipped apartments with locked windows.
Breaking into an occupied home would have been tantamount to starting a fight.
Now that Su-jin could scout for us, I could break windows and enter without hesitation.
I'd already circled the complex with Su-jin and confirmed that Building 302 contained no survivors.
Her ability had one drawback: it could identify people in a building but not determine their floor.
Director Kim's Scan had pinpointed locations relatively accurately even inside buildings.
Su-jin's Mapping had many other strengths, but because it represented the world in two dimensions, it provided little vertical information.
During the last attack, she'd also struggled to count the zombies accurately because they were packed so tightly together.
"Mister... I don't think I can climb up there."
After searching the first floor, we stepped outside and prepared to ascend to the second.
Ga-yeong jumped repeatedly, trying to catch the second-floor railing.
"Hahaha, I'll help you."
I approached to lift her, only to realize that I wasn't sure where to hold her.
"I'm fine, so help me in whatever way is easiest for you."
When I hesitated, Ga-yeong spread her arms and spoke as though it were no concern at all.
Her voice remained composed, but the faint flush on her face revealed her embarrassment.
"If I lift you high enough, can you pull yourself over the railing?"
"I'll give it a try."
"All right. Excuse me for a moment."
I bent my knees, gathered Ga-yeong's legs together, and seated her against my shoulder.
When I stood, her hands reached the second-floor railing.
"I'll support you. Climb up."
Once I confirmed that she had a firm grip, I pushed upward against her feet.
Thud thud thud
Kwaaaagh
"Kyaak!"
The moment I pushed Ga-yeong higher, something began thudding against the second-floor window and a zombie growled from inside.
There was apparently a zombie in the living room.
Startled by the sudden sound, Ga-yeong screamed.
"Huh? Ga-yeong!"
She must have been badly frightened, because she fell backward.
She lost her balance, wobbled, then slipped from the railing.
The height wasn't great, but I startled as well and caught her quickly in my arms.
Plop
"Phew... Are you all right?"
"Yeees... thank you."
I'd caught her in a princess carry, and she answered in a small, dispirited voice.
"At least it was only the second floor. I thought you were past the stage of being startled by an ordinary zombie."
"It suddenly appeared right in front of my face... I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for. I'm only glad you weren't hurt. Be more careful next time."
Embarrassed, she lowered her head while her face turned red as a beet.
I set Ga-yeong down and climbed first this time.
I moved slightly to one side, jumped lightly, and landed on the second-floor railing.
Laundry hanging on that side blocked the zombie's view, so it didn't notice me.
"Ga-yeong, come this way and toss me the rope. I'll pull you up."
She trotted beneath me and tossed up one end of the safety rope secured around her body.
Her first two throws went in completely the wrong direction, and I caught the rope only on the third attempt.
Did the girl have poor coordination?
"The harness won't come loose, so you don't need to grip the rope so tightly."
"My hands felt empty otherwise."
The safety harnesses Ga-yeong and I wore were secured around our waists and thighs so that they couldn't slip off.
Even if Ga-yeong relaxed and let herself hang, there was no real danger of her falling.
I had also connected her rope to my harness with a carabiner, so she was safe unless I fell as well.
I'd spoken because she was gripping the rope with obvious tension. When she failed to relax, I realized that the climb itself frightened her.
Swoooosh
At my signal, I began pulling Ga-yeong upward.
Holding the railing with one hand, I hauled on the rope with the other arm and wound the slack around my neck as she rose.
"Ga-yeong, can you let go of me now?"
After all the effort of pulling her up, she ignored the railing and clung to me instead.
Once she came within reach, she wrapped both arms around my neck and both legs around my lower body, leaving me unable to move.
"I'm sorry... I'm too frightened to make my hands release you."
"Then at least hold on properly."
I waited, but her arms and legs refused to loosen, so I eventually gave up.
I lifted Ga-yeong higher by the backside and held her securely, then carried her to the window farthest from the zombie.
"This window is open. I'm going to lower you inside, so be ready for the zombie immediately. Understood?"
"Yes. I think I'll be fine once I'm inside."
Swoosh tap
"Shield."
I opened the window and lowered Ga-yeong into the apartment. The zombie reacted to the faint noise and approached.
Once her feet touched the floor, she recovered and skillfully smashed the zombie's head.
"Good work. Let's search quickly."
We began moving from room to room through the apartment.
And just like that, she was completely fine again.
Did she have a fear of heights?
We still had more floors to clear, so I'd need to find another way to get her upstairs.