37. Now This Apartment Is Mine
Starting from the 5th floor, after searching every apartment, we gathered all the hidden survivors in front of 403. In my heart, I wanted to cram them into the blood- and filth-stained interior of 403 to maximize their terror... but Catherine stopped me, saying the corpse of the dead Lee Chang-seop and Yoo Soo-kyung's face full of fear were enough.
"Fear good, but too much can buy resentment. This enough. Dictators who use only fear, all end up ruined."
True... We do need some image management. So, with the other nine survivors kneeling in the 4th-floor hallway—precisely in front of Lee Chang-seop's corpse and the naked, trembling Yoo Soo-kyung—I stepped forward and opened my mouth.
"Whew... If you'd all come out when I told you to, we could've had a much nicer chat... What is this?"
"Eek..."
As I toyed lightly with the crossbow trigger and sighed, a terrified whimper leaked from the ajummas with their heads bowed. Right then.
The middle-aged man, now the sole surviving male among the lower-floor residents, spoke up in a trembling voice.
"Wh-what the hell are you doing? What did we do wrong..."
"Oh, right—we haven't properly explained why we came down here. First and foremost... it's to enforce justice."
As I mentioned Catherine, whom they'd driven out just days ago, and the words enforce justice left my mouth, the nine survivors flinched and began shaking violently. Pushing aside the strange satisfaction from their reaction.
I referenced Lee Chang-seop and Yoo Soo-kyung's confessions, declaring that I'd just delivered justice accordingly.
"So Lee Chang-seop was punished directly by the victim, Catherine. And Yoo Soo-kyung, who incited everyone to drive out Catherine at her lover's behest, has been sentenced to immediate expulsion from our apartment."
I continued, scolding them for rejecting Catherine despite receiving her grace.
"By the way, you're no better than Lee Chang-seop or Yoo Soo-kyung here—you all sinned against Catherine just the same. Hell, how do you barricade the entrance, block the zombies, then kick out the one who saved you?"
The ajummas, who had been sneaking glances, stepped forward first, shoving the blame onto half-dazed Yoo Soo-kyung.
"W-we didn't know the truth... And it was all Soo-kyung unnie—no, that woman—stirring everyone up!"
"Right. She kept saying Chang-seop wouldn't do that, how do we know what tricks that foreign bitch pulled..."
Driven by survival instinct, they all tried to cut ties, unleashing a torrent of harsh criticism. The disgusting commotion, like pigs squealing as they're slaughtered—squeeeal, oiiink—echoed through the 4th-floor hallway for a moment.
Claaaang!!
At my gesture, Park Sang-hyuk slammed his pickaxe into the floor, silencing them all. With peace(?) restored, I made an irresistible offer to the remaining nine survivors.
"Fine, the world's ending in unprecedented chaos, so I'll chalk it up to fear-driven mistakes. But there's one condition."
"Y-yes?"
At my words that I'd overlook it all if they met this one condition, the lower-floor survivors lifted their bowed heads, eyes gleaming. Amid their resolve—even willing to stab the person next to them to survive—the deal I'd offered Park Sang-hyuk slipped from my mouth.
Of course, a downgraded version of what I'd offered him.
"If you promise to provide 'favors' whenever and however I—or any of us—want, I'll forget all the unpleasantness. And as payment for those favors, I'll share my 'clean water.' But if you refuse..."
I glanced alternately at Lee Chang-seop's corpse and Yoo Soo-kyung, soon to be cast out. The next moment.
The group—one middle-aged man and eight ajummas—nodded frantically, shouting "Yes!" loud enough to echo down to the 1st-floor hallway.
Congratulations! You have completed the quest 'Apartment Ruler (1)'.
Reward: 40 MP acquired.
Apartment Ruler (2)
You've claimed one line of the apartment. Now conquer the entire complex to build a stable force.
Search and secure the other lines of the apartment. Form friendly relations with any survivor groups you find, or subjugate them.
⚠︎ If necessary, you may drive them out of the apartment or eliminate them—it will still count as success.
🎁 Rewards: 50 MP, 9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 30 rounds of 9×19mm Parabellum
⚠︎ Quest Failure: Hostile relations with the survivor group.
After sending the lower-floor survivors—who'd sworn submission disguised as a deal—back to their homes for now.
We first tossed Lee Chang-seop's corpse out the window. Then I, Catherine, and Park Sang-hyuk headed to the 1st floor with the expelled Yoo Soo-kyung. The other three stayed on the 4th to guard the elevator, just in case.
For some reason, I don't want to be around that Park Soo-hyun punk...
Park Sang-hyuk's son Park Soo-hyun seemed like the type who'd stab me in the back at the first opportunity. Pondering how to deal with him as we walked.
Yoo Soo-kyung, gripped by Park Sang-hyuk, suddenly collapsed in place. Her face and voice overflowed with desperate plea not to die.
"I was wrong! Please spare me just once... I'll beg like this, so please..."
She clasped her hands in supplication, then—reeking of piss—performed a naked dogeza toward Catherine. She even slammed her forehead on the floor repeatedly, but Catherine remained expressionless, offering no gesture.
Realizing begging Catherine a thousand times was pointless, she switched targets, clinging to my leg.
"I'll do anything you say. From chores to everything... Sh-should I suck your dick? I'm really good at sucking dick!"
"Aigoo... Why are you doing this?"
Her hands climbed my leg, groping my crotch over my suit, insisting she'd suck me off. As I tried to pry off Yoo Soo-kyung, who'd half-abandoned her dignity.
A way to make use of this ajumma suddenly came to mind.
I do have betrayal detection, but another tool wouldn't hurt.
The next instant, I leaned down and whispered to her.
"Fine. If you do exactly as I say, I might spare you... What do you think?"
"Yes! I'll do anything!"
She nodded frantically at the mere possibility of mercy. Into the ear of the woman blooming with faint hope, my first order arrived.
"Ajumma, suck that ajusshi's dick for me."
"Pardon? Oh, yes, I'll do it."
I nodded toward Park Sang-hyuk, who held his pickaxe, ordering her to blow him instead. Yoo Soo-kyung's face flashed bewilderment, but soon—filled with zeal for life—she lunged at Park Sang-hyuk's lower half.
"N-no... Wait, uh, what..."
As stunned Park Sang-hyuk floundered helplessly. Ziiiip—with practiced ease, she unzipped his pants, delved in, and pulled out his cock.
His limp, flaccid dick emerged in her hand, and without hesitation, she engulfed the darkened glans in her mouth.
Slurp, schluuurp, pop! Slurp-slurp-slurp!
Her cheeks hollowed deeply, stretching Park Sang-hyuk's cock long with devoted technique. She's pretty good...
True to her word that she was great at blowjobs, her skills were no joke. If I didn't have my beautiful partner Hye-yeon, I might've even thought, Should I try it too? and whipped mine out.
Moments later.
With Park Sang-hyuk's cock massively erect from Yoo Soo-kyung's mouth-pussy service, I approached Catherine, who watched impassively.
"Catherine. I've got a good idea—wanna hear it?"
"Yes."
"Instead of kicking this woman out, how about making her the exclusive whore for the male residents here?"
"Whore? That... um... woman who sells body?"
"Yeah. Turning the ajumma leader into a whore feels like sweeter revenge."
"Oh... genius."
Thus, the would-be exile Yoo Soo-kyung was hired as Pu-reum Apartment's exclusive whore—and my first spy.
"Ahem... uh... then I'll head back to the 4th floor first."
Less than three minutes after receiving Yoo Soo-kyung's flashy blowjob, Park Sang-hyuk came. As he vanished up the stairs with an intensely embarrassed expression and voice, I approached Yoo Soo-kyung, tense like a condemned prisoner awaiting sentence.
"I won't kick you out as promised. But from now on, you're the communal whore for the men in this apartment. You'll keep your place, but everything inside is confiscated. Earn your keep from the men's payments."
"Ah..."
"What? Don't like it?"
"No, no. I'll do it... whore..."
"Good. One more thing. If you overhear anything valuable from the men in bed, bring it to me—I'll pay well, so come find me if you hear something."