Department Store People

Unlike the Yeouido department store with its open ceiling, the interior layout here was different, so I couldn't see it with my own eyes.

But I didn't need to see it to know.

"Aaaaaah!!!!"

"Uwaaak!!!"

"S-Save me!!!!!!!!!"

"Graaaah!!!"

"Graaaaaah!!!"

"Graaaah!!!"

Shrieks that sounded like they were tearing throats apart, mixed with the howling of zombies.

"Fuck!!!!"

"Why the hell are there zombies here?!!"

"Do something already!!!"

"Move!! Get out of the way!!!"

"Don't push!!!"

"Graaaaah!!"

"Graaah!!"

"Graaaaaah!!!"

People screamed as they scrambled up and down the escalators, zombies hot on their heels.

"Th-They're coming this way!!!"

"Ah..."

"How can you push people like that?!"

"That bitch is dragging zombies over here, what am I supposed to do?!!!"

"Someone please help!!!"

"Graaaaaah!!!"

"Aaaaaah!!!!"

The chaotic noise was close enough that I rounded the corner of the store blocking my view.

A woman sat sprawled on the floor where she'd fallen hard ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on her backside, a zombie charging at her with murderous intent while the people around her chose flight over help.

Still, there was exactly one person who stayed put, shouting for someone to help the woman in danger.

Of course, he wasn't helping her himself—just begging others to do it—but thanks to that, the woman lived.

CRUNCH!!!!

One punch driven straight into the zombie's temple sent it flying into the neighboring store. I turned my head to follow the crowd that looked chaotic on the surface but was clearly moving in a specific direction.

"Get in there! Hurry!!"

It was the same man who'd grilled me earlier about how I'd gotten inside.

Even in this mess, people were heading where he pointed, so he clearly had their trust. For all that, he looked pretty weak.

Then again, everyone in this department store had to be weak.

Ever since the zombies appeared, they'd been holing up inside, surviving on whatever food was left in the food court and restaurants.

Sure, someone might have gone outside looking for supplies, but even then they couldn't have been roaming around for long.

"Sunbae-nim! Are you okay??"

"I-I'm fine.... Over there..! Thank you for saving me..."

"Get over there right away."

"Ah.. yes!"

"Th-Thank you!"

I watched the two women bow repeatedly as they ran and confirmed they'd reached the gathering spot safely, then turned my back on the people who just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stood there screaming and doing nothing.

I hated this side of myself, but I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knew better.

This world had a twisted pervert of a god, but it also had a kind one.

And that kind god was surprisingly petty.

Except I'd been wrong.

The kind god was even pettier than I thought.

Looking at the rewards just made me sigh.

Doing a good deed and getting a little something for it wasn't something to complain about, sure.

But I was still human, so I couldn't hide the disappointment.

"Maybe I should just go home."

"Graaaaah!!!!"

CRUNCH!!!!

Even after the situation settled, the department store was still in chaos.

The zombies were gone, but conflict between people had taken their place.

"This is driving me insane..! Is it that hard to stop playing around and help out for once?!"

"Look. We're customers. Why should we have to do that kind of work?"

"Exactly. That's the kind of service you people who work here are supposed to provide for customers like us."

"What's wrong with telling you to do your job?"

"Wow.. I'm going crazy..!"

"Stop whining and clean it up already! What are we supposed to do about the smell..!!"

"If it smells that bad, you clean it yourselves!!"

"No way! Why should I?!"

"Don't even bother responding to people like that. They're not worth it."

"Haa... You're right. Thanks for stopping me. I almost became just like them."

Employees who earned their living working at the department store, and customers who spent money consuming there.

The reason those positions still divided people even after this much time in a world like this was simple: they'd only ever lived inside this isolated department store.

In a sealed-off space cut off from the outside, people could spiral even harder, but there was no one here twisted enough for that, so the status quo held.

A ridiculous world where people who still thought of themselves as customers acted superior and high-handed.

"It's fine if we just do it ourselves. Don't fight over nothing."

"Aren't you angry, Hyeonju-ssi?! They do nothing but sit around eating and playing every day?!"

"Even so, us forcing them like that doesn't feel right either.."

"Wow... I'm losing it.. Why are people like this?! You think they'll feel even a little grateful if you act like that?!"

"I know it's not right.. but it's work we have to do anyway..."

"Ah, forget it. I'm done. If you're going to do it, leave me out. And from now on I don't care what happens to those people."

"Sajang-nim..."

"Give me a break. What the hell has she even done to talk like that?"

"Right? This is ridiculous."

"This is exactly why I said from the start we should keep our spaces separate from people like them."

"People like them? Hey, ajumma! What did you just say?!"

"Ajumma..? Hey!!! Who the hell are you calling ajumma?!"

"E-Excuse me..! Everyone please calm down..!!"

"Where do you think you're touching?!"

"Kyaak!!"

What a spectacle.

I'd tried to understand somehow, but no matter how much this was a webtoon, how could they keep indulging that kind of spoiled nonsense?

Was everyone here Gandhi and Buddha?

They'd all probably spit out a sarira when they died.

"Are you okay?"

"Ah.. yes.. I'm fine.. Thank you..."

The woman who'd been trying to mediate was the same one whose desperate cry had just saved a life.

She looked to be in her early-to-mid twenties, and her face was as kind and naive as her actions.

Exactly the type Gihun would fall for at first sight.

Come to think of it, I'd been having way too much fun on my own.

That lifelong virgin of a friend of mine ought to at least hold a girl's hand once while he was here.

"Ugh, the smell..! What the hell is that stench..!!"

"......"

The woman who'd shoved someone just for touching her wrinkled her nose and pinched it shut.

Well, I did reek pretty badly right now.

I was covered in the blood and flesh of every zombie I'd smashed on the way here, plus the ones I'd just taken down inside.

But that didn't mean I deserved this kind of treatment or these looks.

People like me—people who couldn't even wash because of the contaminated water—were the only reason these people still got to exist as humans.

"Instead of staring, go wash yourself! You stink!! This is disgusting, seriously..!!"

"Haa.. she's really throwing a fit."

"What..? A f-fit?! Hey!!!"

"What?"

"Do you even know who I am?!"

"No idea, ajumma. And I don't want to."

"Ajumma?! This bitch!! Who the hell do you think you're talking casually to?! What kind of attitude is this toward a customer!!!"

"You talked casually to that ahjussi too. And to this woman. And I'm not an employee here. You're not a customer anymore either."

"If I'm not a customer, then what am I?!!"

"Just a survivor. A survivor who's about to starve to death because there's nothing left to eat or drink."

"What...?"

The eyes of the woman who'd been screaming her head off flickered with unease.

I'd only said the obvious—why was she so shocked?

I shook my head and raised my voice so the people who'd all turned to stare could hear.

"I don't really need to tell you this, but from now on, if you drink the water coming out of the taps, you'll all end up like that. Whether you rinse your mouth, wash a wound, get it in your eyes or nose, or even use a bidet and it goes into some hole—doesn't matter."

"......"

"......"

"......"

"......"

The people whose faces had gone identical to the rude woman's all looked at the dead zombie I'd pointed to, then started shouting over each other.

"What do you mean by that?!"

"What are you talking about!"

"Those people turned because of the water?!"

"Then how are we supposed to wash and drink now?!!"

"Why are you asking me? Figure it out yourselves."

The moment I finished speaking I turned toward the staff-only entrance.

I'd only come because of the sudden quest. I'd never planned on coming here in the first place.

Plenty of people were still alive, but even in the webtoon this department store barely got any screen time.

Getting massacred by Seo Hamin after she turned into a murderous demon was the entire role these people had been given.

Of course, since Seo Hamin never went dark, they'd probably last longer than they did in the webtoon.

"Ah, right. Excuse me."

"Me..?"

"Yeah. Want to come with me?"

I asked the kind-looking woman for the sake of my lifelong virgin friend.

Not that I was planning to force her together with Gihun no matter what.

That choice was hers.

If she didn't like Gihun, there was model-like Suho, idol-like Baek Sihyeon, decently handsome Jaeyeol, and if she preferred older guys there was thirty-year-old Lee Jeongcheol.

She could pick any of them.

"Where.. are you going..?"

"Where my companions are."

"Th-Then can't everyone here come too??"

"No. You can't."

"What..?"

"I said no."

"Ah... Wh-Why..?"

"First of all, I have zero intention of helping rude, clueless people like that, and while one extra person isn't a big burden, two or more would be a problem for us too."

"Ah.... Then... I'll stay here.. Thank you for thinking of me.."

"You won't regret it? If you come with me you won't have to worry about water or food. Or zombies either."

"I'm really grateful but.. I can't just abandon everyone so I can live alone..."

She was even kinder than I'd expected.

Frustratingly so.

And there was one more person like that.

"Please wait a moment! Could I speak with you briefly?"

It was the man who had the people's deep trust.

Even after I'd helped clean out the zombies, he'd been searching the interior with a few others in case any were left, and only now had he come down.

"Sure. Keep it short."

"First, thank you for your help. I'm Seong Eunho."

Seong Eunho.

Not a character who appeared in the webtoon.

Probably one of the extras who died in the chaos or got killed by Seo Hamin.

"Kang Juhan."

"Nice to meet you, Kang Juhan-ssi. Then let me ask a few things. How did you know the water was dangerous?"

"I saw it. Someone drank water and turned into a zombie."

"Ah... Then how did you know we were here and come find us?"

"I saw the lights on at night."

"I see.. Then are you staying somewhere ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nearby?"

"Not particularly close, not particularly far."

"Are you under the protection of the military or police, by any chance?"

"No."

"Do you know anything about rescue teams or how the government is handling the current situation?"

"I don't know any of that, but don't expect anything from rescue teams or the government."

"Why not?"

"If they were going to do something they already would have. Well, later..."

"Later..?"

"Never mind."

I'd almost spoiled things without thinking, but my voice cut itself off on its own.

Then again, they weren't going to survive until then anyway—wouldn't it be fine to tell these people?

That Seoul was going to turn into a sea of fire.

It was still a long way off, though.

"Anything else you wanted to ask?"

"Ah..! Kang Juhan-ssi must be in the same position as us. How do you plan to secure drinking water going forward?"

"I'll figure something out."

"If you know a method, could you share it with us?"

Telling them the method wasn't hard at all.

But these people wouldn't have the ability to reach a place where a shop appeared, or the points to use one.

They'd been stuck inside the department store the whole time.

Of course I had zero intention of using the shop summon ticket I'd just gotten as a reward, or spending the points my group and I had for their sake.

But a white quest here??

Don't tell me...!!!

Whew... thank god.

I thought it was going to make me burn a shop summon ticket and points. Scared me for a second.

Wait. But only 50P—is this a chain quest?

What a pain..!

And hey, Kind God-ssi!

If you're going to hand out quests, at least give proper rewards!!