Chapter 13
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Harsh Reality at Taeyang Apartment
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Han Yejin didn't look back fondly on the brief day she'd spent with Jaehwan.
Simply because she'd had to offer her body just to get him to escort her home.
And that had been her first time, no less.
She had brought it up herself, but it still felt like coercion. Jaehwan knew she couldn't take down zombies on her own, so to her, it was no different from him using that as leverage to demand her body.
So after parting ways with Jaehwan, Yejin thought everything would fall into place.
There wasn't any particular reason. She simply figured it had to be better than sticking with him.
But that was just Yejin's misconception.
When she returned to Taeyang Apartment, it was under the control of complete strangers. Fierce-looking men, some sporting tattoos so garish they made your eyes water, had taken over and were lording it over the residents.
Their sole justification? As Combat Specialists, they would protect everyone inside Taeyang Apartment from the zombies outside.
In exchange, everyone had to obey them. That was how they ruled the place.
"Here, here! Grab your rations for today!"
The first thing they'd done was confiscate every scrap of food in the apartment.
Under the pretext that in a zombie apocalypse, individuals couldn't manage their own supplies properly. They claimed they'd distribute it fairly to each person, ensuring everyone could survive the outbreak.
But anyone could see it was just a ploy for them to hoard it all.
Their so-called "fair" distribution didn't make any sense.
Their criteria for fairness was based on how useful you were to the organization running Taeyang Apartment. Helpful people got more food accordingly, while those just hiding out inside received a pathetically small amount by comparison.
In Yejin's case, awakening as a Medical Specialist gave her some utility in healing, so she got a little extra. But her parents, who lived with her, still hadn't awakened and were just cowering in the apartment.
As a result, the rations their family of three received from the ruling group were barely enough for one person to fill up—and that was just one meal a day.
That's why Yejin had once asked her parents if they shouldn't awaken and get out of there.
But their response left her deeply disappointed in them.
"What? Awaken? Doesn't that mean killing zombies? How are we supposed to fight zombies and awaken?"
"Now that you've awakened, shouldn't you help us eat well and live comfortably? You're our child—you're supposed to make sure your parents are taken care of."
The two of them apparently planned to stay holed up in what they saw as the safety of the apartment, mooching off rations without ever stepping out. Since what they got was too little, they demanded every single day that Yejin somehow scrounge up more for them.
Her relationship with her parents had never been great to begin with, but in this situation, seeing them obsess solely over their own safety—refusing to take even one step outside—while pressuring their own daughter to bring in more? How could she not be disappointed?
On top of that, the group controlling Taeyang Apartment had seized control of the water supply too. They provided a decent amount for drinking, but the problem was they'd shut off the taps in every household, making it impossible to use for anything else.
The reasoning was the same as with the food.
No one knew how long they'd have to hold out, so they'd manage it and prioritize those putting in the hard work. Thanks to that, Yejin hadn't been able to wash properly for days and felt utterly filthy, to the point of despair.
She even missed the clean bath she'd taken at Jaehwan's place before returning to Taeyang Apartment.
So two days after getting back, when she decided she couldn't take it anymore, she volunteered to join a scavenging party instead of rotting away at home with the others.
If she didn't do this, even the rations for a Medical Specialist wouldn't be enough to hold out. Scavengers at least got larger shares, so she had no choice.
Fortunately, hardly anyone in Taeyang Apartment had chosen the Medical Specialist trait, so Yejin got in easily. Having a Medical Specialist to heal injuries right away during outings was a big plus.
And so, grouped with four other men for scavenging duty, that's when she ran into Jaehwan today.
Yejin was more startled by Jaehwan's impeccably clean state—compared to her own—than by the reunion itself.
She was barely eating or washing, forcing herself into this grueling scavenging just to survive, yet this guy looked like he was living it up in the zombie apocalypse.
Deep down, she even envied how he was getting by.
"What the hell is this punk? You know him?"
"Ah, um..."
When Jaehwan suddenly approached and spoke to Yejin, it rubbed Lee Dongsu—the scavenging party's leader—the wrong way.
She looked grubby now, but he'd spotted the beauty hidden underneath, and he'd been eyeing her for himself.
So some unheard-of nobody popping up and acting familiar with her didn't sit well.
While Yejin hemmed and hawed without a proper answer, Jaehwan spoke up first.
"Me? I spent a day getting physical with that girl over there."
"What? Is that for real!?"
Furious at Jaehwan's claim of touching what he saw as his, Dongsu bellowed at Yejin. Her subtle nod up and down was enough to make him snap—he lunged and grabbed Jaehwan by the collar.
"You bastard, how dare..."
Dongsu had disliked Jaehwan on sight anyway, so he whipped out the knife from his pocket to stab him in the gut. But Jaehwan's pristine appearance made him hesitate and stop.
'What the...? Why's this guy so damn clean?'
Sure, he was a scavenging leader in Taeyang Apartment, but that didn't put him high up in the organization's hierarchy, so his rations were just adequate. Jaehwan's look screamed he was living way better.
He couldn't help but wonder what his deal was to stay so clean.
"You. What's your trait?"
"Me? Technician."
"What? Technician? Pfft!"
Dongsu couldn't help bursting into laughter at the mention of Jaehwan's Technician trait.
Technician was known as the most useless trait among all Awakeners right now.
Of the five traits, Combat Specialist—essential for protecting against zombies—was so vital that tons of people picked it. Supporting them, Weapon Crafter was naturally a close second in importance.
Medical Specialist was also needed to play supporter in fights. But since most people went for Combat Specialist, their numbers were low—making Yejin's return from outside perfect timing.
Farmers didn't help directly in combat, but since food would inevitably run short as people lived on, that trait was considered necessary too.
Technician, though? Way too vague.
The things a Technician could make with their current skills were extremely limited. Low-level items were inconvenient and unnecessary compared to existing alternatives, and no one knew what level they'd need to hit to be useful—let alone having the coins to invest in leveling them up.
Even if they could eventually produce worthwhile gear, plenty figured they could just repair and reuse what they already had.
So when Jaehwan straight-up called himself a Technician, to Dongsu, he looked like a juicy, helpless meal.
"Kehheheh, Technician? Picking trash like that and wandering around outside? Where do you live, punk? You look well-fed and comfy—hand over everything you've got."
Dongsu pressed the knife to Jaehwan's throat.
"Unless you wanna die."
Anyone could see this was a situation where the Technician Jaehwan had to beg for his life.
Yet Jaehwan just gazed calmly at Dongsu with a smile.
"Yeah? So what's yours?"
"What? This fucker wants to die!"
"You could at least tell me. What do you say?"
"Hah, some psycho? Obviously Combat Specialist. Level 3, no less!"
As the highest-level Combat Specialist in Taeyang Apartment, Dongsu quietly took pride in that fact.
"What? Level 3? Pfft, hahahahaha!"
Hearing this, Jaehwan roared with laughter like he couldn't hold it in anymore. Dongsu and the others stared at him in utter disbelief.
It was astonishing that he could laugh like that with a knife at his throat, possibly seconds from being stabbed.
"Hahaha... Level 3? What a joke. That's what you were bragging about?"
"What? You fucking dog!"
Seeing Jaehwan apparently still clueless, Dongsu tried to press the knife even closer to intimidate him further.
He had no intention of stabbing deep—just enough to nick the skin and make him realize his life was at stake. He gripped the handle tighter for that purpose, but...
"Huh?"
His hand wouldn't budge an inch.
Looking closely, Jaehwan had somehow grabbed the wrist holding the knife, locking it in place completely.
"Moron... I'm level 6, asshole!"
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