Provisions
A moment later, Lee Jaemin's voice carried in from the kitchen.
"Hyung! Noonas! Mister Jang! Breakfast is ready!"
At his call, everyone headed into the house.
"Jia, you're not eating?"
She was the only one who hadn't gone in, standing there blankly, and I turned the question on her.
"Ah... I'd like to practice with my bow a little longer."
It had been a long time since she'd held one, and she seemed reluctant to put it down. She turned down breakfast.
"Mm... sorry, but I've got something I need to say. I think we ought to eat together."
What I had to tell them mattered to Lee Jia as much as anyone. Leaving her out of breakfast wasn't an option.
"All right."
She went inside without a heartbeat of hesitation.
Huh?
I hadn't expected her to fall in line that easily, and the surprise showed on my face, but I followed her in all the same.
"Ta-da! What do you think?"
The moment I stepped into the dining room, a rich, savory smell tickled my nose in welcome. Jaemin was setting dishes on the table, steam curling up off every one of them.
"Whoa. This is seriously impressive."
I stared at the spread, caught off guard.
Besides rice and soup, several side dishes had been laid out with careful neatness. What caught the eye most was the fish, grilled to a perfect golden brown.
Kang Hanna sniffed the air.
"Damn, that smells good. How'd you even make something like this?"
Jaemin laughed, a little shy.
"I just used whatever was in the fridge. It's nothing special."
Jang Sangcheol nodded.
"Heh heh. All this, out of whatever was sitting in the fridge? You've got real skill, boy."
"Well then, everyone—please, dig in!"
Jaemin said it with a wide grin.
I picked up my chopsticks, took a piece of fish, and put it in my mouth. A clean, savory flavor spread across my tongue all at once, and my eyes went wide.
"Whoa, this is actually delicious!"
The exclamation slipped out before I could stop it.
The others reacted much the same. Hanna kept nodding as she ate, and Sangcheol praised him outright, chuckling that at this level he could open a restaurant. Jia ate in silence, but one look at her face was enough to tell she was enjoying every bite.
With skill like this... we won't have to worry about meals from here on.
The thought settled quietly in my head.
"Um..."
I looked up at the careful sound of Jaemin's voice.
"If there's anything else you need, just say so. I'll make more."
I smiled and shook my head.
"No, this is plenty. But Jaemin—your cooking is something else."
"Hehe. I've been cooking since middle school, so this much is basic."
Embarrassed, he dragged a finger along the skin under his nose as he said it.
The mood around the table stayed warm and easy while we ate. It was hard to believe we could have a meal this good in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.
Still, I had to face reality soon enough. Good food was welcome, but our survival mattered more.
"All right, everyone. Listen up."
I raised my voice.
"Looks like you're all about finished, and there's something important we need to talk about."
Every eye turned to me. I drew a deep breath and went on.
"I think we need to talk about the food we've got."
Hanna arched a brow.
"Something wrong?"
I nodded.
"We used to have enough to last about ninety days. That's not the case anymore."
Jaemin asked, uneasy.
"Is it... because of us?"
"I'm not blaming you,"
I answered at once.
"But we have to look at how things actually are. With four more people, we're going to burn through food faster. There's no way around it."
"How much do we have, then?"
"Originally, about ninety days' worth. Now that four of you have joined us, even if we stretch it, it'll be gone in two weeks."
"Hmm. Not a long time, and not a short one either."
Sangcheol muttered it under his breath.
"That's right. But we don't know what might happen, and the way I see it, we ought to keep a comfortable surplus stocked."
Whether they agreed or were simply taking it in, everyone nodded.
"So I'm thinking of putting together a supply team."
"A supply team?"
"Honestly, calling it a team is being generous. Everyone but one person is going out to scavenge food."
"Ah. Yeah, that tracks."
The words were barely out of my mouth before Hanna's eyes slid to Jaemin.
Back when we'd been holed up at the Got-It-All store, Jaemin and Jia had both been left off the supply runs, so she must have assumed the one person I meant to leave behind was him. Jia had a bow now, though, and she'd become a lethal long-range sniper. Putting her on the team was only natural.
"No. Not Jaemin. Someone else."
Hanna's guess was wrong.
"What? Then who?"
"Mister Jang."
At that, surprise crossed every face.
"Heh heh. You mean the boy, in my place?"
Sangcheol was the one who said it, as if he couldn't make sense of the choice.
"Yes. I heard from Hanna why Jaemin and Jia were kept off the supply team at the last place. But I think your disadvantage is the greater one."
I said it with my eyes on his bad left leg.
"I know, Dohyun. I'm not unaware that this leg of mine is a liability. But Jaemin's a minor, isn't he? I'm the adult here. I'm the one who ought to be protecting him, not the one being protected."
His throat seemed dry. He swallowed some water and went on.
"Miss Jia got a bow this time, so she can support the rest of you from a fair distance, and relatively safely at that. Jaemin can't, can he? He'd have to stand up front with you and face those zombie bastards head-on. I'd rather be the one going out."
I was quiet for a moment. He wasn't wrong.
Jaemin was plainly a minor, someone we were supposed to protect. But reality was merciless. We were fighting to stay alive.
"What you're saying makes sense, but—"
I began, slowly.
"Then—!"
"How long do you think this is going to last, Mister Jang?"
I cut him off and kept going.
"A year? Ten? For all we know, we could be living like this for the rest of our lives."
At that, he closed his mouth and listened.
"In a crisis with no end in sight, the reason I'm assigning Jaemin to the supply team is potential."
"Haa..."
He bowed his head. He understood what I meant in a single breath.
"Jia's stamina is weak, and Jaemin's nerve is fragile, but training will fix both of those sooner or later. But..."
I looked at his leg.
"Your disadvantage won't get better. That's why Jaemin goes out in your place."
Dismay flickered across Sangcheol's face. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes trembled, faint but visible, and I watched his reaction carefully.
"I see..."
He nodded slowly. Bitterness clung to his voice.
"You're right, Dohyun. My leg... there's no chance it'll recover."
As he went on, I noticed his hand rubbing the bad leg without his seeming to realize it. An old habit, most likely.
Hanna shifted in her seat, uncomfortable. Sympathy and worry crossed in her eyes.
"Mister..."
Jaemin called to him softly. His face was tangled with feeling.
Sangcheol let out a sigh, and the sound cut through the heavy air and spread.
"Heh heh. Don't you worry. I'm fine."
Little by little, his expression changed. Conflict showed in his eyes at first, then gave way to understanding. Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at me.
"Heh heh... you're right. I was thinking too much with my feelings."
A bitter smile sat in his voice. I set a hand on his shoulder.
"There'll still be something I can do."
He said it with resolve, and his eyes didn't waver.
"Guarding the house matters too, doesn't it? I'll take that on."
I nodded.
"Yes. That's right. If you watch the house, the rest of us can head out with easier minds."
With that, the work of persuading him was done.
"So when are we heading out?"
Once things had settled, Hanna put the question to me.
"Any reason to drag it out? We leave today."
There was the Daily Quest to think about, too. I couldn't afford to rest even a day. I needed the points.