Chapter 84
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Safe Haven
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Lee Seoyoon huddled in on herself even more as she followed behind Han Yejin.
Suddenly so many things had happened one after another that her head throbbed like it was about to burst.
Even just thinking back to everything that had unfolded since meeting Kim Jaehwan made her question if it was all a dream.
First, there was the unknown, bizarre energy he'd shown her—demonic energy.
Kim Jaehwan hadn't fully explained demonic energy to her yet, but she could guess that her ability to sense it made her special in some way.
And she had a rough idea that the astonishing feats he'd performed right in front of her eyes were possible through that demonic energy.
Then, when he'd declared he would take her as his disciple, long-dormant emotions stirred deep within her heart.
The people who had ruined her life.
The two women devoured by the Taker today were part of it, but they were just underlings compared to the ringleader.
There was only one woman who had led the torment against Lee Seoyoon—Joo Hyeri.
Joo Hyeri had incited others to bully her relentlessly.
There were others who did the harassing too, but Joo Hyeri had controlled them like a queen bee.
Two of those women had even wormed their way into Lee Seoyoon's home and lived there.
And through their giggling chatter, Lee Seoyoon had learned that Joo Hyeri was still alive somewhere.
"By the way, aren't we lucky we decided to hole up here?"
"Yeah, tell me about it. That bitch Hyeri would've ditched us the second things got dicey."
"That fucking cunt's living it up thanks to her daddy even after the zombie apocalypse hit, acting all high and mighty. Makes my blood boil just thinking about it."
Lee Seoyoon hadn't heard the full details about Joo Hyeri, but she knew the woman was still living well somewhere even after the zombie apocalypse began.
If she could learn to wield demonic energy from Kim Jaehwan, she wanted revenge on Joo Hyeri, who had somehow survived this far. That's why Lee Seoyoon had immediately asked him if revenge was possible.
His affirmative answer made Kim Jaehwan feel like a ray of hope piercing through her darkness.
And that was just the beginning—everything that followed was even more astonishing.
Not only had Kim Jaehwan carried her and sprinted at speeds that made her doubt he was human, but once they reached the large supermarket, he'd grabbed her hand and teleported them to another location in less than a second.
Stunned by it all, Lee Seoyoon thought she'd made the right choice in following his words.
'If I just listen to him... I can have my revenge and survive this broken world.'
After that, Kim Jaehwan vanished, and Han Yejin led her inside the building.
As they climbed the stairs, the two exchanged brief small talk.
"Oh, so you're Lee Seoyoon? Twenty-two years old? I'm your unnie, so speak comfortably~"
"Y-yes..."
Han Yejin, who was two years older than the twenty-two-year-old Lee Seoyoon, introduced herself and asked how she'd met Jaehwan.
"Well... A Taker smashed through the wall of my house, and that's when Mas-Master saved me."
"Huh? Master? You call oppa 'Master'?"
"He said he'd take me as his disciple. I don't know exactly what he'll teach me yet, though."
Hearing this, Han Yejin looked at her with wonder. Knowing Kim Jaehwan's behavior so far, she was sure he wouldn't take just anyone as a disciple on a whim. Her interest in Lee Seoyoon piqued.
"Really? You must have something special about you. Oppa doesn't say stuff like that to just anybody. He cuts useless people loose without mercy."
"Is that so?"
"Yep~ I don't have any amazing abilities like you, so I have to sell my body to stay by oppas side. Even now, I'm working hard not to get tossed aside."
Lee Seoyoon looked up in shock at Han Yejin's words.
To her, Han Yejin was stunningly beautiful. Hearing even someone like her had to strive not to be discarded by Kim Jaehwan made Lee Seoyoon feel truly chosen.
They soon arrived at Han Yejin's room, where she handed Lee Seoyoon a towel.
"You look like you haven't properly washed in days. Go clean up. For food... I need to call Unnie Miyoung."
Lee Seoyoon took the towel and entered the shower. She stripped off her ragged clothes, then involuntarily squeezed her eyes shut at her reflection in the mirror.
There was the scar on her forehead she'd tried to hide with her hair when meeting Kim Jaehwan—probably visible anyway—but the worst was the one on her stomach.
From burns like cigarette butts pressed into skin to slashes that formed unrecognizable letters.
Every time she saw those scars, memories of her bullying flooded back. Lee Seoyoon shook her head. Thinking of Han Yejin waiting outside, she hurried through her shower and stepped out, spotting another unfamiliar woman.
"Hi, I'm Lee Miyoung. I left some clothes for you down there, so put those on."
Lee Miyoung bowed her head in greeting and pointed downward.
Spotting neatly folded clothes at her feet, Lee Seoyoon grabbed them and quickly changed in the shower.
'She didn't see it, did she?'
Lee Seoyoon worried that her scars—ones she never wanted to show anyone—had been exposed. The facial one was unavoidable, but the stomach scars were something she desperately wanted to hide.
Now dressed in a comfy T-shirt and shorts, Lee Seoyoon emerged to a warm welcome from Lee Miyoung and Han Yejin.
"We kept it simple, so dig in."
"Wow... Did you make this yourself?"
"Yeah. Any allergies or anything?"
"N-no, nothing like that..."
Lee Seoyoon stared in amazement at the meal laid out before her.
Fluffy white rice, grilled fish, kimchi, and what looked like stew—all neatly arranged. She never dreamed she'd taste food like this again.
In this zombie apocalypse, scavenging food was no easy task, and she'd thought she'd never enjoy flavors from the old world again.
Especially the grilled fish—after so much time since the outbreak, it wasn't something you could easily find.
She couldn't help but be stunned that they offered such food so casually.
"Can I really eat this?"
"Of course. Eat up."
"Th-thank you! I'll dig in!"
With permission granted, Lee Seoyoon shoveled the food into her mouth ravenously.
Having had her rations stolen by those two women who took over her house, she hadn't eaten properly in ages. Every bite tasted heavenly.
'It's delicious! So delicious!'
As she ate, Han Yejin gave her a rough rundown of the place.
It was Kim Jaehwan's base—perfectly safe from zombies outside, with food, clothing, and shelter all provided.
Lee Seoyoon devoured the entire spread in no time. Lee Miyoung and Han Yejin cleared the table and started on the dishes.
Seeing this, Lee Seoyoon stood to help, but Han Yejin stopped her.
"Seoyoon, you rest for now. You look like you haven't had a proper break in forever."
Unable to argue, Lee Seoyoon sat back down.
'What is this... It feels like a dream...'
The delicious meal, her clean body, the landscape free of constant zombie dread—it all felt so foreign.
Perhaps sensing the comfort around her, as she watched the two washing dishes, the fatigue she'd been holding back crashed over her. Her head began nodding off.
Spotting this, Han Yejin approached.
"If you're that tired, crash on the bed."
"Mm... Is that okay?"
"Of course."
In a half-daze, Lee Seoyoon followed her advice and climbed onto the nearby bed. As the pillow and covers enveloped her, a soothing scent wafted up, calming her mind.
'Ah... This feels so good...'
She fell into a deep sleep just like that.
Time passed, and Lee Seoyoon awoke from her slumber, opening her eyes.
"Huh? It's already night? How long was I out?"
It had been bright daylight before she slept, but now the window showed pitch-black night.
As her mind cleared from waking, a system window appeared before her eyes.
[The Zombie Wave ends effective immediately.]
[All remaining mutant zombies 'Taker' have been eliminated.]
[Daily zombie generation numbers and strength revert to pre-Zombie Wave levels.]
[Congratulations to all surviving Awakeners. Rewards distributed.]
[Acquired 600 Coins and 1 Point.]
Lee Seoyoon, who had spent the zombie wave—a disaster like a force of nature—cowering in hiding, could hardly believe she'd survived to the end.
But the system window didn't end there.
[A Harsher Zombie Apocalypse]
[Zombie numbers will slightly increase.]
[Mutant zombies 'Lacer' and 'Smasher' will appear randomly from now on.]
[Another Zombie Wave will occur in 2 weeks. Awakeners, please prepare.]
She was shocked to hear the zombie wave she thought was finally over would start again, but the real surprise came next.
[Awakeners who cleared Main Quest 1 are deemed sufficiently adapted to the Zombie Apocalypse world.]
[Free provisions will now be restricted.]
[In one week, electricity and water supply will be discontinued.]
[Please obtain electricity and water from Awakeners with the Technician trait.]
She'd barely scraped by so far, but electricity and water had kept daily life possible.
Now they were cutting that off in a week? It felt like a massive crisis.
Just then, the door opened, and Han Yejin entered the room.
"Oh, you're up? You were out cold. Must've been exhausted."
"Y-yeah... More importantly, this is bad! Electricity and water are getting cut soon..."
"Oh, that? I saw it too."
Unlike Lee Seoyoon, who saw it as a dire emergency, Han Yejin seemed utterly unconcerned.
"Isn't this a big deal?"
"Ah, you just got here today, so you wouldn't know. No need to worry."
Han Yejin's next words rang with utter confidence.
"We have oppa on our side."