All Together Entering the Water - 3
"Alright. Shine the light well for me. I'll get started."
A wooden cart sat beside me, its wooden wheels making it look a little unsteady, but it should hold up to a certain weight just fine. I lightly jammed the shovel into the wall.
"Hmmm."
It sank in smooth as slicing tofu with a spoon.
"Now to scoop this out..."
I pulled the shovel back a bit, then drove it in again, digging out a chunk of stone like I was scooping dirt.
"There."
I lightly lifted a shovelful of stone and carefully placed it on the cart.
"Got the hang of it now."
Using a pickaxe to break the stone and haul it would be too exhausting, not to mention all the dust and noise. At this rate, I could fill several carts without any issues.
"It's amazing. We've come down so deep... and we can breathe just fine."
Sua glanced around curiously.
"This place has its own facilities, after all."
The status window guaranteed it. We could breathe inside, and as long as I didn't dig too recklessly, the tunnel wouldn't collapse.
"Alright, let's keep going."
I dug without pause. Stones piled up in no time, stacking higher and higher. Sua and Seohee pushed the cart back to the mine's entrance where we'd started. Haena took over the flashlight, shining it where I needed to dig.
"That's incredible..."
"This ain't nothin' special."
It wasn't the most efficient, considering I was using a tiny bit of mana, but still.
"Do we really need this much stone?"
"Well, stone's useful for all sorts of building. Plus, for the bathhouse, we'll need a massive amount anyway."
Haena nodded.
"...I miss it."
"The bathhouse?"
"Yeah."
While I kept digging without a break, Haena stayed by my side as my conversation partner.
"When I was little, there was a time I really wanted to take a bath."
"A bath? Why?"
"The orphanage had some fairy tale books, right?"
I dredged up the memory with effort—a bookshelf in one corner of the orphanage, full of books written in simple, gentle words for kids.
"One of them had a story about a baby getting into warm bathwater, listening to mom, and washing up nice and clean... something like that. It seemed so magical."
"Didn't you have showers there?"
"No tubs. Hot showers were amazing, of course... but I was a kid back then. I didn't know how lucky we were."
"Hmm..."
"So, uh, I don't remember exactly... around nine years old? Me and the other kids secretly dragged a big tub into the shower room."
"No kidding?"
The idea of nine-year-olds scheming that together was impressive in itself. Yeowon never would've allowed it.
"Looking back, it probably wasn't that big. I was small then, so even a tub that fit me might not have been huge."
Haena looked up with distant eyes. Not that there was much to see—just the low mine ceiling.
"I don't even remember what the tub was for. Didn't know back then, and I can't recall now."
Remembering something from ten years ago vividly isn't easy.
"But I do remember playing so happily with the kids my age and my big sisters. Three of us squeezing into the tub, soaking in warm water..."
"..."
"Whining that we didn't wanna get out in front of the sisters, splashing around... It's all just fond memories now."
Haena flashed a bright smile.
"Still, there are probably more people than me who crave a real 'bath' even more."
"Why's that?"
"For a bath in warm water in a big tub... more people might've never tried it than have. Maybe even Seohee unnie's done it once... otherwise, probably not."
I held back the urge to check her expression and focused on shoveling.
As she said, this was an apocalypse world, after all. I sometimes forgot thanks to the status window's conveniences or my apartment's insane performance, but plenty of people had never lived in proper facilities their whole lives. For them, drawing large amounts of warm, clean water to soak in might be pure luxury.
"I want others to make memories as warm as that one back then."
The cart was full. I finally turned to look at Haena's face. She smiled radiantly, without a hint of falsehood in her words.
"You're so sweet."
"I'm not sweet... It's just, how do I put it? Seeing others unhappy when even someone like me is this happy... it bugs me." Haena tilted her head.
I felt a pang of guilt deep down. She was thankful I'd called her happy. What she'd been doing lately wasn't light work by any means.
Hmm...
She wasn't the sturdiest to begin with. And as one of my women—a sex slave living near me—other girls often came to her with requests. Compared to super-close Sua, distant Roa, or rough-looking Seohee (who'd improved but still), Haena was approachable for chats.
Naturally, she'd taken on the role of wish-granter for the settlement folks. And she handled her own duties diligently too—I worried she might be overworked.
Fortunately, she didn't seem strained right now.
"I keep thinking, 'Do I even deserve this?' That's why."
"It's enough. You're doing great."
I gently stroked her.
Just then, a voice called from afar.
"What's this, what's this! Already gettin' all cozy? Haena's got some scary charm. Even in the dark, not even ten minutes and you've built that vibe—"
Seohee grinned mischievously.
"I-it's not like that!"
"Then hurry up and come on. Help push."
Seohee beckoned Haena. Seohee and Haena pushed the cart off, and Sua dragged over a newly emptied one.
"Our turn to start! I can't do much, but I'll make sure Master never gets bored!"
Sua puffed out her chest confidently, her ample bust on display.
"Let's start with smiles again!"
This settlement didn't have dedicated soldiers or hunters, but we still kept a watch. People might leave or arrive, so we needed at least one lookout.
"Uh, hey... Can I step out for a sec?"
Soi looked up at the woman on the guard tower. Her face showed clear annoyance laced with resolve.
"No can do. Boss's orders."
"Just a quick one, really..."
"You know zombies are out there, right? Any other time maybe, but when the boss is in the mine? Absolutely not."
"Ugh..."
"You weren't at the fire during that meeting, so maybe you missed it, but our boss was stubborn about it."
Soi sighed deeply.
"That serious?"
"Don't get me started. We almost had a rule where everyone finishes work and heads to the safe zone during the few hours he's in the mine."
"That strict?"
"Dunno what he thinks, but our boss... he has high standards for safety."
"Well, fair enough."
Soi had casually wandered streets with her crew. Back then, zombies were boring nuisances, not real threats. Compared to starvation, revenge shootouts, or battlefield deaths, "dying alone to a strong monster" wasn't a big deal.
But he was different. He'd bravely fought enemies even in hellish wars if he chose to. What seemed normal to others might make him think, "Why risk your life there?"
"Got it. I'm heading back."
Soi couldn't smoke in the end. Everyone was inside the base—she didn't want to break rules alone, and smoking inside wasn't an option.
It wasn't her original plan, or at least not fully. She'd come all this way without a cig.
Still, Soi could smile.
...This might be better anyway.
It was just orders, but she felt his care. He truly worried for the women here.
Lucky her. Every day was happy. He'd given her a new life, warm attention. Soi pocketed her smokes and headed back to where the others rested.
That's where she belonged—with them.