Chapter 148: Side Story - Bunker (6)
Chapter 148: Side Story - Bunker (6)
When I woke up, the bunker… or more accurately, my room, was drifting in a familiar blend of darkness and light.
Perhaps it was because as long as the bunker had power, the lights stayed on, and even if I turned them off to sleep, I couldn't shut down the entire system.
My room exuded a cozy atmosphere, a mix of the light bleeding in from outside and the shadows within.
The ambiance reminded me of the days when Mother was still honing her business instincts and constantly traveling. Kang Yu-min and I were still young then, so we often slept in the same room. Because of that, this environment felt incredibly familiar to us.
Waking up in that familiarity felt strange. It was as if I had traveled back in time.
“…My arm’s numb.”
In the midst of that sentiment, my arm was actually tingling. I guess at this age, giving an arm pillow to a sister who’s a year older than me was a bit much.
I let out a sigh and pulled my arm away. Kang Yu-min tossed and turned, eventually hooking her leg over mine.
“It’s hot.”
When I tried to gently push her away, her arm came flailing out. It pinned me down, and only then did I give up and let out another sigh.
I wondered when she’d wake up. I could have escaped without a second thought, but I found myself recalling what happened last night.
Kang Yu-min and I had fallen asleep while chatting idly about old memories.
The details of the conversation were so trivial I couldn't even remember the main topic.
Actually, it hadn't been that bad. If anything, it was nice because it was the first long conversation we’d had since entering the bunker.
I hadn't even realized I was starved for conversation, but how should I put it…?
It made my heart feel quite a bit lighter.
I wondered if it might be good to talk like this every now and then. It wasn't like either of us was going to move out, and no new residents were coming… At the very least, as fellow residents of the same community and the only family each other had left, I figured it was better to maintain a smooth relationship.
The thought that Kang Yu-min probably wasn't having such serious reflections made me lose a bit of steam… but at the very least, I should act properly as the only adult in this house.
I let out a sigh, glanced at Kang Yu-min—who was sleeping soundly with her arm draped over me—and rolled off the bed.
Thud.
As I climbed down, I bumped into something. Just like the Cola, this was obvious.
Something I didn't even need to unwrap to identify. A starkly packaged folding, portable bathtub.
It took up quite a bit of volume, but it wasn't that heavy. I worried whether something like this could actually hold water properly and fit two people, but…
Well, if it didn't work, I could just use it as a single-person tub or take it apart to use elsewhere. With that thought, I glanced at the terminal.
[New Directive]
[Goal: Occupant Kang Yu-min and Occupant Kang Yu-jin sleep within (1)m of each other]
[Reward: Folding bathtub, portable half-body bathtub (2-person)]
[Status: 1/1]
Directive [Archive]
Directive [Change]
The directive on the screen was marked as complete, and the "Change" option was blinking at the bottom, as if asking if I wanted to switch to a new one.
Can't I archive it? Because it's already finished?
I fiddled with the terminal's keypad, and seeing as nothing changed when I selected "Archive," it seemed my guess was correct.
Then… Change?
Directive [Change]
Just as I was about to press the button to change the directive.
“…It’s cold.”
Kang Yu-min woke up.
She was talking nonsense about being cold when it was sweltering. I looked back at her, dumbfounded. Kang Yu-min rubbed her arms as she sat up, staring at me with a dazed expression.
“Why are you over there?”
“…Because it’s my room?”
“I know that… but why aren't you next to me?”
What is she even saying? I continued to stare at her in disbelief, and she rubbed her arms again.
“I’m cold.”
“So what if you’re cold?”
“Since I’m cold…”
She started to say something but trailed off. Despite my questioning gaze, she tried to force the words out before seemingly giving up, muttering to herself as she stood up.
“…Oh.”
Then, she looked at the box at her feet in surprise. Perhaps it was because the object wasn't there before, or maybe her brain had finally woken up enough to recognize what it was.
Kang Yu-min leaned over and peered into the box.
“Huh? Is this…?”
“It probably is.”
“Can I open it?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
Realizing her mistake, she agreed and tore the box open.
What was inside was, as expected.
“Oh… so this is what it looks like.”
It was a set of plastic panels—or rather, something you could assemble into a circular shape to hold water and use as a bathtub.
“Hey.”
“Yeah, what?”
“Let’s assemble it.”
“…Now?”
“Do you have anything else to do?”
She had a point. With a bewildered expression, I was dragged along by Kang Yu-min, clutching the pieces of the portable bathtub as we headed toward the shower room.
I felt like I was forgetting something, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
The bunker's shower room was structured so that multiple people could wash at once.
At the same time, the partitions were distinct, and there weren't separate sections for men and women.
While I tried my best not to wash at the same time as Kang Yu-min, there were times when we ended up doing so out of necessity.
After all, we were family.
Family members aren't supposed to care about seeing each other naked or whatever.
It was just that Kang Yu-min was exceptionally prickly and teased me so much that I tried to avoid sharing the space whenever possible.
So, I didn't even have to think twice about where to set up the tub.
“You want to put it here?”
“Yeah, why?”
“It’ll be a pain to move. It’ll be incredibly heavy once it’s filled with water.”
“Oh, really?”
Good grief, this dumbass. She didn't seem to realize how heavy water actually was, looking at me with a puzzled face.
“Water itself is heavy. Especially if you fill this size to the brim, you won't be able to lift it no matter how much you exercise. Unless… you’re some kind of 2.5-meter-tall super soldier in power armor, you won't be able to budge it.”
“What’s with that overly detailed, geeky explanation?”
“Never mind that.”
“Fine, let’s say you’re right… then where are you going to put it?”
So, the place I had mentally designated for the tub from the moment I saw it was the corner stall of the shower room.
It was easy to fill with water, and being in the corner, it was a structure that was hard to peek into.
Not that anyone would peek, but I figured we’d want to enjoy it with some privacy.
After all, I planned on taking a half-body bath eventually, too.
After hearing my reasoning, Kang Yu-min nodded in agreement.
“I guess so, since there’s a pervert living in this bunker…”
“What? Are you introducing yourself?”
“I’m talking about you, you pervert.”
“The pervert who wants to take a bath with her brother is calling someone else a pervert.”
“No, who said I wanted to do that? I said I just wanted to take a bath! Why do you keep insisting on that? You brat.”
“You’re the one who’s stubborn as hell.”
“Ugh, whatever. Shut up. Let’s just assemble it.”
“There you go again, changing the subject because you’re losing.”
“Ah, seriously! Let’s just build it!”
“Yes, yes. Building.”
I grumbled but followed her lead and began the assembly.
The folding bathtub seemed to have been designed with a "lightweight" motto; the structure was quite simple yet efficient.
It felt like it wasn't meant to be moved once installed, or even kept installed for a very long time.
I wondered how many uses it would take before it broke… but the repairs looked simple enough.
It was a form where a plastic frame was wrapped in a material that felt like a highly elastic plastic derivative.
Perhaps anticipating that the frame or the material itself might fail, there were plenty of spare parts included.
I figured I wouldn't have to worry about this for a while.
After all, whoever—or whatever—was giving us these things was generous enough to hand over a whole crate of Cola. I doubted they’d want us to suffer because the bathtub broke mid-soak.
That might just be wishful thinking, but regardless.
The assembly took some time, but it wasn't too bad.
“Hey, you dumbass. This doesn't connect here. If you look at the manual…”
“You keep nagging me. You want me to stop helping?”
“Huh? Who was the one who wanted to do this? If you’re not going to help, go get some Cola.”
“Cola? Oh, right. We had Cola. Fine, I’ll go get some, so…”
We drank the cans of Cola we’d received earlier while assembling and chatting.
We bickered like usual. Kang Yu-min and I were both grateful for the fact that we finally had something to do in the bunker, and after about two hours, we finished the assembly.
To be honest, it took longer because the structure was unfamiliar.
If something broke and needed fixing later, I figured it would take less time. We’d developed a bit of a knack for it.
Standing before the finished bathtub, both Kang Yu-min and I had refreshed, happy expressions as we looked at the scene.
“It feels kind of…”
“Serene?”
“That’s a bit grand. But anyway, it looks good.”
Maybe it was because the bunker’s shower room had its own unique atmosphere. The bathtub didn't look out of place.
If anything, its slightly makeshift appearance gave it a certain "aesthetic."
It felt like one of those famous "Instagrammable" cafes Mother used to take me to. The kind that felt trendy specifically because it looked unrefined?
Thinking about Mother made my mood sink for a moment, but I couldn't stay depressed when I had a finished bathtub and the prospect of a soak right in front of me.
I glanced at Kang Yu-min, and she gave me a wide grin.
“Alright, then I’ll…?”
I was about to suggest rock-paper-scissors or something to decide the order.
Kang Yu-min boldly threw off her clothes.
Before I could stop her or say anything, it happened in an instant.
She stripped down, tossed her underwear aside, and stepped into the tub completely naked.
The hot water we’d already filled surged and splashed. Kang Yu-min settled into the tub and smirked at me.
“Don't you know the older sister always goes first? If you’ve got a problem with it, get in too. It’s a two-person tub, so why use it separately?”
This crazy bitch?
I felt a surge of irritation, but I didn't back down or run away like a coward.
Instead, I proudly took off my clothes.
Let me be clear: I didn't fall for her provocation.
I simply noted the hidden rationality in her statement and graciously accepted the proposal.