Chapter 147: Side Story - Bunker (5)
Chapter 147: Side Story - Bunker (5)
"What's with that face? You look like you've got a massive stick up your ass."
The moment Kang Yu-min saw my expression, her face crumpled into a scowl, but that didn't change the truth.
"No, I just didn't realize my own sister was such a pervert."
"There you go again, talking out of your ass."
"Talking out of my ass? You're the one who just said it."
I smirked and needled her as usual, but for once, Yu-min couldn't just brush me off.
And for good reason—the one whose eyes had lit up at the mention of a half-body bath wasn't me, but her.
Of course, I could understand why. Rationally speaking, it was only natural.
Even I felt the same way. I was getting tired of just taking quick showers; I was starting to crave a long, hot soak.
It had been a year and a half, and the possibility was finally right in front of us, so it made sense.
Still, the person who shows their hand first is the one at fault. I curled my lips into a grin, fully intending to tease her, while Yu-min glared at me with pure distaste.
But hey, what was she going to do about it?
As I stood my ground, Yu-min let out a long, heavy sigh.
"...It doesn't seem like a prank."
"Wasn't that already proven the moment the Cola appeared?"
"Look at you, following me around like a puppy while complaining the whole time."
"I only followed you to prove a point, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, you're so great. Prick."
Yu-min scowled in annoyance, but her eyes remained fixed on the can of Cola in front of her.
"So... what exactly is this?"
It was a question she’d asked before, but at the same time, it was a question that needed asking.
"How should I know?"
And I really didn't.
It had appeared out of nowhere, and I hadn't even known it existed until Yu-min started screaming at me, thinking I was the one behind it.
It was completely random, and even though we were currently drinking the resulting Cola, neither of us had any idea what the terminal actually was.
"It just appeared?"
"I wasn't even the one who found it. You were."
"Stop calling me 'you,' you little shit. Call me Noona."
"You have to act like a sister if you want to be treated like one. Does throwing a tantrum every five minutes magically make you an older sister?"
"What the hell are you talking about, you brat?"
We bickered back and forth, but the reality of the situation began to sink in again.
Why did this thing appear? What was its purpose?
We didn't even know what triggered the rewards.
The only clue we had was the title of the post.
Family-Friendly Shelter.
Did it mean we were supposed to get along? I pondered this, kicking my legs back and forth as I sat on the bed in front of the terminal.
"Family-Friendly Shelter..."
At that moment, our thoughts were perfectly in sync. It was suspicious—beyond suspicious, really—and we had our doubts about whether we should even be using it.
But 'not using it' wasn't an option.
"Right?"
"Right. Though I'm not a fan of the instructions..."
That was true. Looking at the instructions saved so far, there was no guarantee that something even worse wouldn't pop up later.
I mean, a joint half-body bath? Just looking at the fact that a folding bathtub was the reward for sleeping together, I could feel an underlying intention.
It felt like it was saying, 'Still won't take a bath together? Even if I give you chicken?'
It was annoying, and more than that, it was fishy. I wondered if there was some ulterior motive behind it all.
Still, it was only right to use whatever we could.
We were among the few survivors on a ruined Earth—who knew how many of us were even left?
Even if others were alive, most were likely struggling just to breathe.
In such a world, wasting resources or refusing something useful was simply irrational.
We had decades' worth of food, the water supply was stable for now, and the air filtration system was functioning normally, but...
There was no telling when things might go south. Based on my limited knowledge, radiation takes an incredibly long time to dissipate. It was obvious that the world outside wouldn't be safe for a very long time.
Look at Chernobyl. Even after all those years, the danger zones were still crawling with radiation.
In the midst of all that, I focused on the potential resources this Family-Friendly Shelter could provide.
I didn't know what would happen next, but the sense of 'intent' I felt from it gave me a hunch.
If the bunker's air filtration broke, maybe it would give us a repair kit. If we ran out of food, maybe it would provide more.
Of course, I couldn't trust it completely, but still.
It was better than nothing. Either way, our life in the bunker wouldn't change.
Therefore, this was a rational decision.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
"I wonder... what the criteria for '1 meter' is."
I was lying in bed with Yu-min.
It was partly because it was time to sleep, and partly because we had stayed up until 4 AM.
I thought I'd fall asleep right away, but...
"Hey, are you listening?"
"What?"
"I asked what the criteria for 1 meter is."
"How should I know?"
"Watch your tone. Hey, I'm still your older sister, you know? Show some..."
"The fact that my 'older sister' is asking about the criteria for 1 meter is so pathetic that it's making me lose my respect for you. Is that why my tone is bad?"
"You little son of a bitch."
"If I'm a son of a bitch, then you're a daughter of a bitch. Stop insulting our parents, you crazy hag."
Sleep wasn't coming as easily as I’d expected. I couldn't even pinpoint why, so I just kept snapping at Yu-min.
Of course, we could have just ignored these ridiculous instructions and waited for new ones after 4 AM tomorrow.
But I, too, was starting to miss the feeling of a proper bath.
And that wasn't all. Drinking that Cola earlier made me realize something: our life in the bunker was severely lacking in stimulation.
I wouldn't say we had an abundance of resources, but at least we weren't short on water—as long as the filters didn't break.
But looking at this crazy woman who spent all day exercising because there wasn't a single book to read, I couldn't help but think.
If we had something to entertain us, maybe Yu-min and I wouldn't be at each other's throats so much.
Setting aside the 'joint' part of the bath, having a bathtub wouldn't be a bad thing.
Even if we didn't use it for its intended purpose.
A basin for water, or even the plastic the tub was made of, could be useful in many ways.
So, I had accepted Yu-min's suggestion and was lying in bed, and she was lying right there next to me.
Her hands were folded over her stomach, and since there were no pillows, she was just lying flat on the mattress.
She stared up at the ceiling in the darkened room.
"...My neck is stiff."
"How do you usually sleep? It's not like we have pillows or blankets anyway."
"I know, but... maybe it's because this isn't where I usually sleep?"
"It's all in your head. The placebo effect."
"Are you sure that's how you use 'placebo effect'?"
"I don't know. Who cares? It's not like we have the internet to look it up anymore."
It seemed I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.
"Talking about the internet reminds me of the old days."
"Like what?"
"Like when we were huddled in front of the terminal earlier."
"Yeah."
"Do you remember the games we used to play?"
"How far back are you going? Are you a boomer?"
"Don't call your sister a boomer, you brat."
I could see her gesturing as if to punch me through the dim light we’d left on. I exaggeratedly flinched, and Yu-min let out a satisfied laugh at my reaction.
"Anyway. It was fun back then."
"The dress-up games were boring as hell."
"But you liked the undressing games."
"You pervert."
"Like you didn't enjoy them too."
Hearing Yu-min giggle, I found myself laughing along.
Thinking back, it was true. This pervert of a sister was so bad at being an 'older sister' that she used to drag me into playing adult games whenever our mom was at work.
And honestly, it had been a pretty fun experience.
It wasn't so much that I enjoyed seeing the characters' clothes come off, but rather that I enjoyed the atmosphere itself.
Actually, since we were just two kids playing games made for adults, they were usually too difficult for us to actually get very far.
But we still had fun with them. It was mostly because our computer was so bad that we didn't have many other options.
Still, looking back, it was a fond memory.
"So, that's what you were thinking about?"
"I just remembered it, that's all."
"How boring."
"The only thing boring around here is the nutritional porridge."
"True."
As we exchanged idle chatter, I felt Yu-min's body squirming beside me.
"What now?"
"Hey."
"I said, what is it?"
"My neck is really stiff."
"You already said that."
"No, I mean..."
Yu-min hesitated, mumbling something under her breath. I looked over to see what was wrong, and she slowly turned her body to face me.
"Hey... give me your, uh, arm..."
No way.
My eyes widened as I realized what she was getting at. Yu-min avoided my gaze and whispered.
"Let me use... your arm... as a pillow..."
Maybe it was just my imagination, but her face looked slightly flushed. As I stared at her, holding my breath, Yu-min grabbed my arm with a strangely huffy attitude.
"Just let me use your arm as a pillow! My neck hurts!"
She barked the words at me, but the sense of embarrassment was much stronger.
What was wrong with this crazy woman now? Was it because of the memories we just talked about?
Despite my thoughts, I didn't pull my arm away.
Fine, I'll let her have this one. She's always been immature.
I let out a long sigh and let my arm slide under her neck.
"My arm's gonna fall asleep, I just know it."
Whether she heard me or not, Yu-min just lay there with my arm as her pillow, giggling to herself.