Freeloading Is Not Welcome (4)
'Who...?'
As Go Cheon-su furrowed his brow, the woman shouted urgently.
"This way! Hurry!"
Following her gestures, Go Cheon-su's group slipped inside, and she quickly slammed the door shut and locked it.
Bang!
Something crashed against it from outside.
Bang! Boom!
The Red Zombies, having missed their prey, were still rampaging.
"Phew."
But even they couldn't break through this steel door.
"It'll be fine. This door's built to withstand water pressure."
The woman let out a sigh, glancing at the door still thudding relentlessly, then pointed upward as if it was too soon to relax.
"Let's head up first. This isn't a great spot for a chat."
With that, she started climbing the stairs ahead of them.
"Wait, who the hell are you...?"
"Let's go for now, sir."
Go Cheon-su cut off Park Chang-sik's questions and started moving.
"We can't just stand around here anyway."
Plus, the viewers' reactions had turned positive since the woman appeared.
Go Cheon-su glanced away from the chat window and looked up. The staircase stretched high, its end not immediately visible.
'If we go up here...'
It seemed they'd at least reach near the top deck.
Compared to the paths they'd traversed so far, these stairs were a breeze for Go Cheon-su. No obstacles in sight.
He followed the woman wordlessly with his group.
"Hoo."
After a short climb, the woman stopped in front of a door.
"Here. It's safe, so no need to keep that axe raised."
Go Cheon-su still held his axe high.
"Better safe than sorry."
The ship was already overrun by monsters. Even if she'd checked it before, things could have changed.
"Mm. Got it."
She hesitated briefly, then yanked the door open.
Screeech.
A new space revealed itself as the steel door swung wide.
"See? Nothing here."
She spread her arms wide after stepping out first. Heukgu trotted to her side, circled the area, and barked once.
Woof!
'All clear.'
Go Cheon-su cautiously exited and looked around. Indeed, nothing in sight.
"I've blocked off all the other passages leading here."
She gave a faint smile.
"Come on out? Let me close the door."
"Oh? Yeah, sure."
Park Chang-sik followed her lead and joined Go Cheon-su. She shut the door promptly and spoke again.
"Better late than never—welcome aboard the Nachala cruise ship."
Her calm demeanor amid the chaos drew a slight sigh from Go Cheon-su.
'Song Hana?'
His eyes finally caught the name tag on her uniform: Song Ha Na, written bluntly in the Korean style.
"Name tag says you're Korean."
"Oh, yeah. Do I look foreign?"
Song Hana glanced down at herself upon hearing Go Cheon-su. He let out a dry chuckle.
"Nah, just surprised we have cruise ships like this back home."
"It's not exactly a Korean cruise line. They recruited a lot of Korean crew for an international ship docking pilot program."
"I see."
Intriguing, but not worth dwelling on now. Whether the name tag was too straightforward in English or it wasn't a domestic ship—none of that mattered. What counted was her intentions.
"So why'd you save us?"
Saving passengers might come naturally to a crew member, but not when they were wielding an axe.
"You seem to be on your own."
Song Hana shrugged at Go Cheon-su's question.
"Just did."
"Just...?"
"I went down to check the situation and saw you being chased."
In other words, perfect timing led to an impulsive rescue.
Go Cheon-su flicked his eyes to the chat, then turned to Song Hana.
"Lucky for us, then. That you saved us."
"Yeah. But even if it wasn't, I had no choice."
Was she resigned to the situation?
"This ship's not long for this world anyway."
But what she said next caught Go Cheon-su off guard.
"What? What do you mean?"
"Long story. If you want an explanation, how about the bridge?"
Song Hana folded her arms and pointed behind her.
"For reference, the bridge is where we operate the ship. We're using it as our shelter now."
"The bridge?"
Go Cheon-su's eyes widened momentarily.
"The captain still up there?"
"Captain's alive, yeah. He was the one waving from the upper deck near the port."
So the figure who'd watched silently before retreating was the captain.
"Got it. Lead the way."
Go Cheon-su urged her on. He needed answers from the captain about docking so far out despite no intention of letting anyone board.
"You don't have some grudge or anything, right?"
Go Cheon-su lowered his axe hand as Song Hana asked with a hint of worry.
Bridge.
Song Hana flung the door open, startling the crew inside, who shot wary glances her way.
"Wh-what, you again."
"Where've you been now?"
"We told you it's dangerous out there. What the...?"
But their scolding didn't last. Go Cheon-su's group followed right behind her.
"Wh-who?"
"Who're they?"
The crew backed away, openly on guard.
Go Cheon-su scanned them briefly.
'All Koreans?'
Three of them, around Song Hana's age. Clinging together for survival, it seemed—all Korean, though one outfit stood out.
Go Cheon-su eyed the man in black work clothes. Definitely not guest services uniform. Worth noting.
"Captain!"
Song Hana ignored them entirely, waving toward the front.
A middle-aged man with a striking white goatee, peering out the forward windows, turned toward them.
'That's him...'
Seeing his white uniform, Go Cheon-su sighed softly.
'Yeah, matches.'
The mysterious figure who'd stood on the cruise ship's deck, waving at the pier. This seemed to be the same man, approaching slowly.
"Ah, he's Russian, but don't worry."
As Song Hana interjected, perhaps sensing their retreat,
"...Survivors, huh."
the captain said in a flat tone.
"Sorry we couldn't fetch you ourselves."
Fluent Korean.
As Go Cheon-su blinked in mild surprise, Song Hana explained.
"He speaks five languages, including ours."
"Impressive. Good to know."
Go Cheon-su extended a hand to introduce himself.
"Go Cheon-su. Recent passenger."
The captain muttered quizzically at his bold demeanor.
"Recent... passenger?"
"Boarded in Pohang."
The captain's eyes widened.
"Pohang?!"
Thankfully, the captain didn't demand fare from Go Cheon-su.
"Impossible! You boarded there?"
"Yes. Why so surprised?"
As the captain's expression shifted to excitement, Go Cheon-su replied coolly.
"You knew about the crane arm extending toward the ship."
"W-we confirmed that much, but just the fact. Never dreamed you'd actually board that way. Let alone make it here..."
So he'd assumed no one would survive regardless.
"I don't die easy."
Go Cheon-su withdrew his un-shaken hand with an apology.
"Sorry for freeloadin' anyway."
"Ah..."
"Introductions done? Got a question."
The ship had anchored away from Pohang's pier. No reason unless trolling.
"Why the hell'd you do that?"
Go Cheon-su's face was ice cold.
"Docking like that just to mess with people?"
The awkward position made boarding impossible for those nearby. Go Cheon-su knew docking at the pier was risky—zombies below, hard to launch lifeboats. But still.
"If it was too dangerous, just bail. No point teasing like that."
From the ship's position, it was a pie in the sky. Without his ingenuity, no new passengers.
"Uh, ahem."
The captain faltered, flustered. Go Cheon-su stared him down, demanding answers.
"Uh, Mr. Go Cheon-su?"
Song Hana seemed thrown by the sudden tension, lightly gripping his shoulder.
"I get you're pissed, but maybe calm down a bit?"
"Yeah, let's all chill."
The other crew edged between them.
"Docking there meant death for us all."
"Cruise ships aren't that maneuverable."
"We had no choice."
They sounded aggrieved. But Go Cheon-su kept his eyes on the captain.
'Extra's out.'
The only Russian here who spoke Korean. Too standout to miss. Clearly, he held key info.
"I-I apologize."
The captain finally cracked under the gaze.
"There was a reason."
"Reason?"
"Well..."
He glanced away.
"Ha."
Go Cheon-su sighed, turning away.
"Yeah, sure. Wanted to save folks but lacked the guts to dock. Fair enough—even the soldiers with me froze up. Got it."
"...Uh, mm."
"Anyway, water? Throat's dry from the climb."
He plopped into a nearby chair.
"No, you! Sneak aboard and rude to the captain?"
"Yeah!"
The crew vented at him. Go Cheon-su barely reacted, just arching a brow.
"Asking for water that rude?"
He hadn't even pressed yet—the captain was reacting solo.
"If not, fine."
His nonchalant look left the crew baffled. The captain stepped in to defuse.
"I-it's fine. He's had a rough trip here. Get him water—from the fridge outside, not here."
"But..."
"Please."
The crew grumbled but nodded.
"Got it. One of us'll go."
"All of you."
The captain said quietly.
"Not like someone wandering solo."
"Pardon? Fridge area's safe, and if we all go, captain, your safety..."
"Go."
No budging. Decision made.
Go Cheon-su, who'd exchanged looks with the captain at "soldiers," turned to Park Chang-sik.
"Driver, escort the crew with Heukgu. Keep everyone safe."
Freeloading was over.