Chapter 150: Side Story - Bunker (8)
Chapter 150: Side Story - Bunker (8)
In truth, there was no particular reason to eat on the floor.
The floor wasn't exactly clean, and it was made of exposed concrete tiles. If possible, it would have been better to eat at a table rather than on the ground, but…
The dining table and chairs were a single metal unit.
That meant they were even colder than the floor. There were no cloths or fabrics to cover them with, and the bunker—designed for bare-minimum survival—didn't even have proper heating.
Using towels as cushions, Kang Yu-min and I sat facing each other, staring directly at the majesty revealed before us.
It was a miracle clad in golden batter.
I felt dizzy at the sight of the steam rising along the surface, the scent of meat hidden within that intense heat, and the unmistakable aroma of fried food.
A year and a half.
That was how long Kang Yu-min and I had survived on nothing but nutritional porridge. It was the length of time we had been separated from normal, everyday food.
I swallowed hard. I couldn't even process the fact that we were sitting across from each other completely naked.
I groaned at the mental stimulation. Swallowing the saliva that pooled in my mouth involuntarily, I stared blankly down at the food.
“…Chicken.”
Kang Yu-min was the same. She sat there, staring vacantly at the chicken, her hands trembling slightly.
I never imagined we’d be able to eat chicken again in this era. It had been so long that I couldn't even remember what it was supposed to taste like.
And so, both Yu-min and I hesitated, glancing at each other.
It wasn't that we thought it was poisoned or anything like that; it was just a strange, lingering hesitation.
However, we couldn't hesitate forever. Even if it got cold, it would still be better than the nutritional porridge we usually ate, but…
The first taste of civilization in a year and a half gave me no room for such regrets.
My hand moved forward. My fingers touched the batter.
“Ugh.”
It was hot. Seriously hot, to the point where I thought I might actually get burned.
It felt as if it had just been pulled out of the fryer. That sensation sent my expectations soaring, and I brought the piece to my lips without further delay.
The piece I grabbed was rounded and plump—a drumstick, something I had stopped even dreaming about.
At the sensation of that seductive batter and the meat beneath, I hurriedly opened my mouth and took a bite.
Crunch.
An intense stimulation surged through my mouth, which had been deprived of such sensations for so long.
First, there was the heat. It was surprisingly hot.
You could heat up the nutritional porridge if you wanted to, but warm porridge was just a needlessly difficult-to-eat, tasteless mess.
Every time I ate the porridge, I would heat it up, wait for it to cool, and then force it down.
It was better to just eat it quickly and get it over with.
But this heat was different. It had the specific warmth of food that had been properly heated and properly cooked.
Despite the intense heat that felt like it might scald my mouth, I hurriedly buried my teeth deeper into the batter.
And then, I tasted it.
The savory flavor of the batter, mixed with the distinct richness of fresh oil, filled my mouth.
After that came the meat.
Meat, for the first time in a year and a half. Perhaps it was because the taste had become a faint memory, or because I had no hope of ever eating it again.
The flavor was something I had missed dearly, yet it felt foreign and profoundly moving.
I felt the texture of the tender fibers, the hot, mouth-filling meat crumbling against my tongue.
It was something that could only be described as the specific taste of meat, but at the same time, if I were to describe it in detail, it wasn't impossible to put into words.
Savory, umami-rich, and perfectly salted from the brine.
It was a kind of stimulation that could never be found in nutritional porridge. I closed my eyes for a moment, moving my tongue to savor every bit of it.
Even though the heat made my tongue sting, and even as I panted and exhaled sharply, I didn't spit the meat out.
I couldn't bring myself to do it. Even as the crunchy batter and meat mixed together and slid down my throat, and even as my fingers burned with a stinging heat.
I couldn't let this go. So, I struggled through the heat and swallowed the chicken. I sat there dazed for a moment, feeling lightheaded, before slowly opening my eyes.
The cola I had brought caught my eye. Driven by an irresistible impulse, I snatched up the can and tilted it back.
The carbonation, the sweetness, and that subtle syrupy thickness surged down my throat.
That slightly bitter aftertaste washed away the grease and heat that had been clogging my gullet.
“…Kaaaah.”
I suppressed a burp that tried to escape, and a feeling close to pure fulfillment swept over me.
Yes, I am alive. In this shitty bunker, with my annoying family, I am alive.
And I am alive, eating chicken and drinking cola. Even though it should be impossible, even though I don't know the intention behind it.
Even if this isn't reality, even if it's just a dream I'm having.
I didn't care. As long as this taste was spreading through my mouth at this very moment, this was reality.
That was why I hurriedly continued my meal.
I tore into the drumstick, chewing and swallowing the bits of meat and cartilage at the top.
I rotated the piece, and with greasy fingers, I stripped the remaining batter from the bone I had been using as a handle and ate that too.
I slowly set the bone, stripped clean in an instant, back down on the packaging.
“…How is it?”
Kang Yu-min looked at me with eyes full of anticipation.
She leaned forward, her face slightly flushed with a mix of worry, expectation, and impatience.
I could have made a joke, or teased her by poking at her cleavage that was practically spilling out as she leaned in.
But I didn't feel like it.
“Eat, quick. Before it gets cold.”
“Oh, uh… okay…”
Perhaps flustered by my serious tone, she stammered and lowered her head. In front of her sat another whole chicken.
Kindly enough, two chickens had been provided—same brand, same flavor. As if possessed, Yu-min reached out and picked up a wing, immediately taking a bite.
Then, she showed the exact reaction I probably had.
She closed her eyes, shivering slightly as she chewed slowly to savor the flavor.
After swallowing, she hurriedly looked for the cola, eventually grabbing the can I had been drinking from and tilting it back.
Only then did I realize that the one I had been drinking was likely hers to begin with.
But whatever. If neither of us brings it up, it’s not a problem. I watched her for a moment, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Her thick eyelashes trembled, and a faint hint of tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
“…Seriously, this is…”
“It’s insane, right?”
“Yeah…”
Yu-min wiped her eyes, her voice melting with emotion. I watched her quietly for a moment, then reached into my chicken box, pulled out a wing, and slid it into hers.
“You like the wings, right?”
“What… why are you being so nice all of a sudden?”
“Give me a drumstick.”
“I knew it.”
Yu-min chuckled, but without a word of complaint, she pulled a drumstick out of her box and handed it over.
This was how we were.
On the surface, we bickered and acted like we couldn't stand each other.
But we were still siblings. Family was family.
If we weren't, there was no way the two of us could have survived together in this suffocating bunker that guaranteed nothing but bare survival.
In that sense, the meal continued quite harmoniously.
“Seriously… I can’t tell you how much I missed food like this.”
“Me too.”
We shared the cola, ate the chicken.
We enjoyed the flavors spreading through our mouths.
“You like this part, right? The thigh.”
“That sounds a bit weird coming from you.”
“Whatever. Just eat mine. I’ll eat the ribs.”
“You really like the lungs, don't you?”
“Yeah, I like that bitter, astringent taste.”
“You weirdo.”
“Hey, watch it. Calling your Noona a 'weirdo'?”
Sharing the parts we liked and pushing away the parts we didn't.
We continued our meal in peace.
“Do you remember when Mom used to buy chicken?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I remember.”
“I went by that place a while ago, and it was still there.”
“Isn't it a bit weird to say 'still' there?”
“Ah, I guess so.”
We talked about old memories.
“How’s your working out going lately?”
“It’s going well. Honestly… the nutritional porridge has a ton of protein.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, look at this.”
“Ugh, gross. We’re eating.”
“What’s gross about it! Is your Noona’s stomach that disgusting?”
“Have some consideration for how it feels to look at a family member’s naked body while eating.”
“Oh, whatever. So, how’s the stomach? Doesn't it look like the workout is paying off?”
“…Hmm, I guess so.”
“Why don't you join me? It’s not like you have anything else to do anyway.”
We talked about our current lives—or lack thereof—and the future.
The chicken and the honest, rambling conversation created an atmosphere where we could talk about such things without any worry.
Despite the fact that we were actually the only ones left in a ruined world.
Despite the fact that our future was more uncertain than anything else.
By choosing this escape, we were able to focus on the present and the fantasy, rather than the problems of survival.
Because of that, the meal ended with a sense of total satisfaction.
The fact that we were both naked remained, and a slight chill seeped up from the towels we were sitting on.
Moreover, once the food was gone, realistic worries began to pop back into my head.
But still, we were able to face each other while pretending to be okay, pretending to be happy.
“Ugh, stop looking at my dick. Are you a pervert?”
“Shut up. I was looking to see if you were going to eat that pepper so I could have it.”
“Wow, are you insane?”
“No, not that! The chicken!”
I had to force the jokes, but it wasn't entirely bad.
I even found myself wishing for opportunities like this more often.
And it seemed I wasn't the only one thinking that.
“Hey, so what instructions came in today?”
Something I had forgotten, but was just starting to resurface. I told her I’d seen that a message arrived but hadn't checked it yet. Yu-min stood up, looking strangely excited.
“Then should we check now? If it’s something easy, let’s knock it out quick. I wonder what they’ll give us.”
Yu-min walked toward the terminal with a grin, and I pushed the empty packaging aside to follow her.
“I wonder what it’ll be~”
Her voice and movements were full of anticipation. As she leaned over, sticking her butt out and wiggling it, I quickly turned my head away.
My stomach was full, and having just eaten something delicious, I was afraid I might start having strange thoughts. One desire often leads to another, after all.
It was while I was looking away.
“…Kang Yu-min?”
It was strangely quiet. It was as if she wasn't even there.
What is it?
When I turned my head to look at her, Yu-min was still in the same position, butt stuck out.
“What is it?”
Yu-min didn't answer; she just looked back at me. The expression on her face was one of vivid confusion.
What could it be? As I stepped closer, I finally saw the reason why she had frozen in place.
[New Directive]
[Goal: Resident Kang Yu-jin and Resident Kang Yu-min to sleep together for (7) hours]
[Reward: Duck down couple's bedding set]
[Progress: 0/7]
To make matters worse, our clothes weren't dry yet.
In a state of panic, I locked eyes with Kang Yu-min.