Chapter 108: The Taste of Paradise
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 108: The Taste of Paradise
Jo Hun-jae's words were so trivial that it made me wonder why he had gone to such lengths to hide them.
"The Yongsan US Military Base is their headquarters, they're linked to a Chinese drug cartel, they get their weapons and drugs from them, and their self-production line was at Konkuk University Station—which I destroyed. And the Coins they make from selling drugs are sent back to the military base?"
Of course, it was key information in its own right, but it was also stuff I would have figured out eventually anyway.
Knowing it early was great for me, but from Jo Hun-jae's perspective, it didn't seem like a secret worth taking to his grave.
"You didn't want to tell me just this? What a waste of both our time."
"..."
His slumped body didn't seem to have the strength to reply.
A body with stats below Level 1 was no different from a body on the verge of death.
It was the same reason Level 1 zombies were so easily hunted.
Permanent stat loss.
In terms of pure mechanics, it wasn't much different from a stat buff wearing off, but considering the intense pain only accompanied permanent stat loss, it was probably the difference between a temporary downgrade and permanent loss.
Regardless, I had gotten all the information I needed, so I gave him a painless death.
"Goodbye."
Now that I knew Yongsan was their final stronghold, the initiative was in my hands.
The fact that their drug cartel branches were scattered all over meant they couldn't focus solely on me. Besides, after getting wiped out like that at Dong Seoul Terminal, they would need time to go and investigate.
During that time, I planned to wrap up Faction Quest 2, raise my Hunting Expert level a bit more, and then strike Yongsan.
*
Yeon Ji-yoon moved into a riverside apartment next to Trimage.
It was an exclusive benefit of the Level 3 Membership, and those who reached Level 3 through the professional track were exempt from the move-in fee.
"...This is nice."
Although they had initially said only she would receive Level 3, when they moved here, Paradise showed her respect by upgrading the pharmacists and nurses who came with her to Level 3 as well.
Of course, this only applied to those who could fully perform their duties, so a few were left out.
But Yeon Ji-yoon was in no position to look after everyone.
At first, she had tried to take care of everyone, but once she actually settled down in Paradise and began living here, she started to wonder if she really needed to put so much effort into being a leader and looking after people.
Finding shelter and just doing her job was, in fact, the most comfortable way to live.
Her life had always been that of a leader, so she had naturally assumed that was her role and that she was comfortable with it, doing it as a matter of course.
But now that she was experiencing a life where someone provided her food, a place to sleep, and clothes, leaving her to only do what she was good at, she realized it wasn't bad at all.
The work itself wasn't much different from what she did at the hospital.
Kim Ji-hee.
The doctor of Paradise, who had made her feel skeptical about her own profession as a doctor, was technically at the hospital, but she only showed up briefly at scheduled times to perform treatment for about five minutes before vanishing. In reality, the hospital was staffed almost entirely by doctors, pharmacists, and nurses who lacked healing skills. Thus, it felt like she had transitioned from running a major university hospital to opening a small neighborhood clinic.
There were more patients, though.
Virtually all Paradise Membership members came here, and those who couldn't afford the hefty hospital fee of 150 Coins came to Yeon Ji-yoon and the other doctors for consultations.
Naturally, she ended up doing the bulk of the work.
There were a few other surgeons besides her, but as a professor, she held the highest rank and had the most experience. Moreover, in a zombie apocalypse, trauma cases naturally made up the vast majority of injuries.
Infected patients didn't come in the first place since there was no cure, and even if they did, nothing could be done for them.
By working like this, she was paid a small amount of Coins as a commission, allowing her to enjoy small happinesses like going to the cafeteria and ordering extra food she craved.
While on duty, she could eat for free at the adjacent cafeteria.
At home, water, electricity, and heating were free, so there was no need to go anywhere else.
Even if she couldn't order delicious food like she used to, the world had changed, and she had to adapt.
She was relatively quick to adapt.
Her experience of wandering from place to place after the apocalypse broke out had helped.
While it was true that being a doctor gave her a certain advantage in survival, she had still come close to facing terrible situations many times.
If she hadn't been a doctor, she probably would have died on several occasions.
In fact, their numbers had dwindled significantly compared to the beginning.
Because of this, she felt a sense of gratitude.
Although her first impression of him hadn't been the best, the system that man had built was so perfect that it truly deserved the name Paradise.
It even evolved every day.
If they suggested something they needed, it was added; if something was lacking, he would go out and get it.
When she noticed they were running low on medical supplies due to the growing number of patients, she mentioned it to Kim Ji-hee, who promised to pass the message along.
Did I judge him too harshly based on my first impression?
She couldn't help but wonder.
In truth, she no longer held any negative thoughts.
She hadn't seen the man for over a week since their first meeting, and even when she moved in, she had only caught a glimpse of him once or twice from afar.
Yet, it was strange how clearly she remembered his face.
It was a face with absolutely nothing special about it.
To be honest, it was a common face you could see on one out of every five guys walking down the street.
And yet, it kept coming to mind.
Had he left that strong of an impression?
Sex with a man like that?
Could she do it?
Yeon Ji-yoon still remembered the condition she had heard on the first day.
She had initially thought he said it just to scare her, but after talking with Kim Ji-hee, she learned that the man wasn't the type to make empty threats.
What should she do if he came to have sex with her?
In the pre-apocalypse world, Yeon Ji-yoon wouldn't have even dreamed of kissing a man like him, let alone having sex.
Her life had been affluent enough that she never had to settle for low-quality food, and even without money, she was a woman with enough sex appeal to choose and sleep with any handsome man she wanted.
But she had no intention of refusing.
Though the thought of Could I even refuse? crossed her mind first.
She felt that her current life wasn't bad.
The same probably went for the other Level 3 Membership members, including herself.
When she mentioned this to Kim Ji-hee, Kim Ji-hee had smiled and said it was only natural for everyone to feel that way.
After all, even in the real world, people ultimately had sex for the sake of a stable marriage.
If sex was the price for a guaranteed, stable life, wouldn't that be a decent trade—akin to an arranged marriage?
Since Yeon Ji-yoon was at the tail end of her marriageable age, she was particularly quick to calculate these things.
The only drawback was that he wasn't her physical type. But once she cooled her head, she realized that since he was the Owner of Paradise, she was actually the one who should be clinging to him.
And so, from a certain point on...
Yeon Ji-yoon began to pay attention to the man.
Although she hadn't run into him even once since entering Paradise, she was, in a way, preparing herself to have sex with him at any moment.
She paid extra attention to grooming, washed thoroughly, and wore form-fitting clothes that accentuated her figure to appeal to him sexually.
What was the charm of a woman in her thirties?
Trying to mimic the fresh youthfulness of a woman in her twenties would only look pathetic.
Standing next to Kim Ji-hee, even though Yeon Ji-yoon was confident in herself, she objectively had to admit she couldn't match that youthful radiance.
On the other hand, the mature sensuality of a woman in her thirties was something a woman in her twenties could never replicate.
Experience.
Men might desire virgins, but they also craved the lead of an experienced, older woman.
If she utilized that, couldn't she appeal to him with her own unique charm?
She didn't quite know why a once-successful surgical professor from Hanyang University Hospital was fantasizing about having sex with an ordinary man, but regardless...
She waited.
Of course, she couldn't just wait around doing nothing.
When she went to work in the morning, patients who had been waiting since dawn lined up to enter, and a never-ending stream of visitors flooded in until closing time at 5 PM.
Her waiting was limited to the time between returning home in the evening and going to sleep.
But the man did not come.
She recalled the condition being two... or was it three times a week, without refusal?
Weeks had already passed.
Is he not coming?
Am I not attractive enough?
Should I go and ask him myself?
After agonizing over it, Yeon Ji-yoon finally sought help from Kim Ji-hee.
"Huh? Ah! Because Oppa hasn't visited you?"
"No, it's not that. It's just that it's been a few days since I requested medical supplies, but I haven't heard back yet..."
"Ah, that's because Oppa has been a bit busy lately. He said he'd have some free time soon and was planning to go farming at Hanyang University Hospital. Hold on. Oppa is at home, so I'll go ask him."
The Paradise residential area, accessible only to Kim Ji-hee and the man.
While talking to Kim Ji-hee through the intercom at the outer automatic door, the door slid open.
"Come on in."
Beyond the high fortress walls and the automatic door lay a towering fence and a grand mansion.
And along the path leading up to it were colorful flowerbeds, fountains, and other beautiful landscaping.
She couldn't help but gasp in admiration.
She had thought the apartment she lived in was unrealistically luxurious for an apocalypse, but this place was truly Paradise itself.
As she walked in, Kim Ji-hee was coming out of the mansion.
Her beauty was so striking that she looked perfectly natural even while walking out of this massive mansion in casual clothes.
Kim Ji-hee smiled brightly and greeted her.
"I'm heading out and will be back late, so take your time."
"...Pardon? With what...?"
Without waiting for an answer, Kim Ji-hee walked out of the residential area.