Chapter 30.
Chapter 30.
One evening, the five of us were sitting around eating dinner.
Su-jin looked at Seo-yun and asked.
"I heard you and Min-woo-ssi were in the same department? What was he like in college?"
It was just light curiosity. However, I saw Ye-rin's spoon pause slightly.
"Seo-yun was the Department Goddess."
I spoke up first with a smile.
"As soon as she enrolled, the whole department was turned upside down. Men were lining up."
Surprised by my words, Seo-yun waved her hands.
"No, you're exaggerating."
"It's not an exaggeration. Do you know how many guys flocked to Seo-yun's group during the MT?"
"That was only because Seonbae was the group leader."
Su-jin laughed.
"Then what was Min-woo-ssi like in college?"
Su-jin narrowed her eyes and looked at me.
Before I could answer, Seo-yun spoke first.
"Seonbae was a really good person."
Her voice became serious.
"He was quiet but had a strong sense of responsibility. Whenever we had group projects, Seonbae would do everything. Even at drinking parties, he'd take care of the drunk kids. But he never made a big deal out of it."
Seo-yun looked at me and smiled.
"You probably didn't know you were popular, Seonbae. You were secretly quite popular among the female classmates."
"That's news to me."
"Of course it is. Because you're dense, Seonbae."
Seo-yun laughed. It was a comfortable laugh. An expression that looked as if she had returned to her college days. I used to always admire how beautiful that expression was. I liked it, too.
"You're exactly the same as you are now. Taking care of everyone while pretending you're fine. You haven't changed, Seonbae."
For the first time in a while, the atmosphere grew warm. It felt like reminiscing about old memories with an old acquaintance.
Su-jin nodded, and Jeong-hun laughed, saying Hyung-nim had been like that since college.
Only Ye-rin remained quiet.
She was eating her rice, moving her spoon slowly, but her expression was awkward. She was wearing a trained celebrity smile, but it wasn't a real one.
Seo-yun smiling at me. Sharing college memories. A past she couldn't be a part of. She probably hated that.
"Ye-rin, aren't you eating?"
"Yes, I am."
It was brief. Normally, she would have said much more.
The next morning. I went out hunting with Ye-rin.
Since we had to go a bit far today, we took the kickboard. I stood in front, and Ye-rin got on behind me.
"Sajang-nim, I want to stand in the back today."
"In the back?"
"Yes. I'm always in the front. I think it'll be fun to just hang on to the back."
"Aren't you scared?"
"What's there to be scared of when Sajang-nim is driving?"
Ye-rin stepped onto the back. As she tried to grab my waist, the kickboard wobbled.
"Alright, let's go. Hold on tight."
"Yes!"
Ye-rin's arms wrapped around my waist. But she wasn't just holding on; she hugged me tightly. Something soft pressed against my back. Ye-rin's chest was flush against me.
The chest of an idol famous for being glamorous was pressed and flattened against my back. Even through our clothes, I could feel the volume, making my heart race. I tried not to be conscious of it, but my body was honest.
The kickboard started moving. As we picked up speed, Ye-rin clung even tighter. She might say it was because she was scared, but she was pressed against me more than necessary.
"Sajang-nim, your back is broad."
"Is it?"
"Yes. It's reassuring."
Ye-rin's hair tickled my neck in the wind. The body heat transmitted through my back was hot. I needed to focus, but it wasn't easy.
On the way back from the hunt. Ye-rin was still hugging me tightly. By now, it wasn't because of the wind; she was just hugging me.
Seo-yun was standing in front of the warehouse. She approached when she saw the kickboard stop.
"You're back?"
She greeted us with a smile. Her gaze lingered for a moment on Ye-rin's arms wrapped around my waist. Ye-rin stepped down leisurely and swept her hair back.
"I caught four of them today."
"Wow, that's impressive, Ye-rin-ssi."
Seo-yun smiled. It was a natural smile.
As I was parking the kickboard, Ye-rin grabbed my arm.
"Sajang-nim, you have a scratch here."
There was a thin scratch on the inside of my forearm. It seemed to have happened while passing through some bushes. A bit of blood was beading.
"It's fine. It's just this much."
"It's not fine. What if it scars?"
Ye-rin pulled a band-aid out of her pocket. She seemed to always carry them. She grabbed my arm and carefully placed it over the wound. Her fingers softly brushed over my bare skin.
"All done."
Ye-rin looked up and smiled. A close distance. Natural skinship.
It was reminiscent of the comfort only possible between people who had been together for a long time.
"Thanks."
"This is the least I could do. Since I have to take care of Sajang-nim."
Ye-rin walked toward the camping car while still holding my arm. The two of them walked side by side, talking and laughing about something.
Before entering the camping car, I looked back.
The smile had vanished from Seo-yun's face as she stood alone in front of the target. Holding the air rifle.
Pak.
She fired a shot. It looked like she missed.
I saw her let out a sigh. Her shoulders were slumped.
It didn't seem to be just because of the gun.
We gradually expanded our hunting radius around the camping car.
From the initial 500 meters to 1 kilometer, then 2 kilometers. Every day I went out with Ye-rin to catch zombies, and occasionally Seo-yun or Jeong-hun would accompany us.
It was to improve everyone's marksmanship in real combat.
About ten days had passed. The number of zombies caught exceeded 500. The total kill count of 1,000 was getting closer.
That afternoon, Jeong-hun and I were sitting in front of the warehouse making arrows. The women were chatting inside the camping car. Laughter could be heard occasionally.
Jeong-hun brought out two cans of beer.
"Hyung-nim, have a can."
"Oh, beer sounds great."
Kkak. I popped it open and took a sip. The cold beer flowed down my throat. Has beer always tasted this good?
Having electricity and a refrigerator in a ruined world is truly a blessing.
I worked quietly, attaching tips to the arrow shafts. Jeong-hun's hand movements had become skillful. He was clumsy at first, but now he was faster than me.
After working in silence for a while, Jeong-hun asked casually.
"Hyung-nim, have you made any progress with Ye-rin-ssi?"
Suddenly? It was out of the blue.
"Progress? Eh, no. We're not in that kind of relationship."
"Really? From the outside, it looks like Ye-rin-ssi has feelings for you. You should try being more bold, Hyung-nim."
"I don't know. There's a big age gap. Would a celebrity who was the nation's idol really be a match for someone like me? We only got close because of the current situation."
"Eyy. Celebrities are all just people, too. You develop feelings when you're together."
Jeong-hun laughed as he took a sip of beer.
"You don't have any problems with Su-jin-ssi, do you?"
Jeong-hun's expression changed slightly. He tapped the beer can with his finger.
"Sigh. Actually, my relationship with Su-jin-ssi isn't that deep. It hasn't been long since we decided to date, either."
I knew. I had heard a bit from Su-jin. About what happened at the shelter. But I didn't bother bringing it up in front of Jeong-hun.
Jeong-hun sighed as he shaved an arrow shaft.
"There hasn't been any progress yet. Forget about sleeping together, there's hardly even any skinship."
"Really? That's unexpected."
"Su-jin-ssi has some scars. She's hesitant about those things. I'm going to try and wait for her."
His voice was calm, but I could feel the suppressed emotions.
"Time will solve it."
"I suppose so."
Jeong-hun raised his can and finished the rest.
Neither of us spoke anymore. Only the sound of shaving arrows continued quietly.
Laughter from the women was heard again from inside the camping car. I wondered what was so funny.
It was peaceful. Even though I knew such days couldn't last forever.
That was the day I was supposed to go hunting with Seo-yun.
I opened the camping car door to prepare for the hunt.
I stopped.
Seo-yun was inside the camping car. She was standing with her back to me. She was bent over, in the middle of changing her panties.
Her long hair flowed to one side, and her white back and waistline were fully exposed. Because of her bent posture, her round and firm buttocks were completely visible below her waist.
My breath hitched. I should have looked away, but my body was frozen and wouldn't move. A sight I could never have imagined even in my dreams during college was unfolding before my eyes.
Seo-yun turned her head at the sound of someone's presence. Our eyes met.
"Ah!"
Seo-yun hurriedly grabbed her clothes and curled her body. She turned red all the way to her ears.
"Sorry! I didn't know you were inside."
I closed the door and stepped outside. My heart was pounding like crazy. The afterimage burned into my eyes wouldn't go away. That white skin, those long legs, and...
A moment later, the door opened and Seo-yun came out. She was fully dressed. Her face was still red.
"Seonbae, I'm the one who's sorry."
"No, I should have knocked."
"No. I should have been more careful. Living as a guest, and I didn't even lock the door."
She said, looking down. Her voice grew small.
"I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable. I'm really sorry, Seonbae."
I was the one who should be sorry, but Seo-yun was apologizing more. Her words about living as a guest made me feel a pang of guilt.
"No. Don't worry about it. It was my fault."
"Thank you. Seonbae, you're a really good person."
Seo-yun smiled shyly and turned back.
Even though I saw it by mistake, fortunately, her expression was quite bright.
The two of us went out hunting together.
Seoyun wasn't used to real combat yet, so she didn't venture far from the camp.
She searched for lone zombies and shot at them with an air rifle. Whenever her shot missed a zombie's head, I immediately finished it off with my bow, keeping us safe.
Thwack.
The shot hit the zombie squarely in the head, and it collapsed.
"I hit it!"
Seoyun smiled brightly. That was her third headshot today alone. She had definitely improved.
"Good job. Looks like you've gotten the hang of it."
"That's because you taught me so well, Senior."
We were on our way back after patrolling for about an hour. Wildflowers were in full bloom along the stream. Yellow and purple flowers swayed in the breeze.
Spring had fully arrived.
Seoyun stopped.
"Senior, let's take a short break here. It's so pretty."
We sat side-by-side on the grass next to the stream. The wind blew, fluttering Seoyun's long hair. The sound of the water was peaceful.
"This reminds me of our college days," Seoyun said, hugging her knees. "You were really good to me back then, too."
"What do you mean? I didn't do anything special."
"I remember everything. When I got drunk and cried at the MT*, you brought me water. During our group project, you stayed up all night finishing the parts I couldn't do. And you never even made a big deal out of it."
I remembered. All of it. It was a time when I always hovered around her. Just as a good senior. But in the end, I never confessed my feelings.
It was because I thought: What could an ordinary guy like me possibly mean to the department goddess who had dozens of guys lining up for her?
"I also remember you buying me cotton candy during the festival. You only bought it for me."
"That's because you said you wanted some."
"But you didn't buy any for the other girls."
Seoyun smiled. Her eyes were full of mischief. It was the exact same smile I used to see back in college.
"You liked me back then, didn't you, Senior? Or at least, you were interested in me?"
My heart skipped a beat.
"What are you talking about."
"It was so obvious. It's just that you never actually said it in the end."
I couldn't answer. Seoyun looked out at the stream and spoke.
"What would have happened if you had told me back then? I think about that sometimes."
The wind blew. Flower petals fluttered in the air. Not knowing what to say, I just sat there quietly.