Chapter 303
Chapter 303
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 303
Chapter Title: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse (2)
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I'd learned something while taking down those zombies just now—this world had a thing called 'points.' It was like currency you earned by killing zombies, and you could spend it at the 'point shop' on all sorts of random stuff.
-Plop
"Wh-what?! A bento box?!"
"Ugh..."
I bought a fancy bento from there and handed it over to the girls without asking for anything in return. My plan was to show them the goods first before negotiating. From what they'd said, they'd already gone two days without food, so they had to be starving. A high-end bento like this would be perfect for piquing their interest.
"I'll help you out, sure, but handing out freebies makes me a total pushover, right? So... how about a trade? Pay the right price, and I'll fetch you anything you need."
"A-anything...? Gulp..."
The side-character girl swallowed hard at my words. She glanced at me cautiously, then asked in a small voice. It was clear she wanted more than just the bento. Time to make the sale. I pulled up the point shop and bought a cup of coffee too.
"Yeah, anything. Coffee, whatever—just say the word. I'll hook you up."
"Ah... Th-thank you. Um, in that case..."
"Hana, hold on!"
"...Huh?"
"Hey... what exactly do you mean by 'price'? You're talking trades, so we need to know the cost upfront. Like, how much for that bento? That one right there? Tell us now—no backing out later!"
What the hell? Wasn't she passed out? The protagonist snapped back to his senses and rushed over, glaring at me like he was ready for a fight. A far cry from the meek side-character guy earlier. No wonder they called him Siwoo. It pissed me off instantly.
But... there was no reason for me to lose my cool here. He was the one who'd have to watch his girlfriend fall. I magnanimously forgave the protagonist.
"Price? Yeah, price is key. Here it is."
"H-how much?!"
"One bento for one kiss."
"What...? Fuck, what did you just say?!"
A guy like Siwoo probably hadn't even had his first kiss yet. Seeing his face stiffen made me burst out laughing. Thanks for the gift, Siwoo. I'll take good care of that first kiss. I grinned lecherously at the cursing protagonist.
Once the guy left with a casual "Looking forward to doing business," the four of them sighed in unison. They'd dodged the fox only to run into a tiger. At least he wasn't some ruthless killer or rapist. But anyone could see he was toying with them. A kiss for a bento? They cursed him silently in their hearts.
"Guys... you know I had no choice, right? It's not my fault."
"......"
"Argh, come on! What, should I have run away or something? You saw it too! Dozens of zombies dropped with a flick of his wrist. Think we could've escaped? No way—we'd have just gotten ourselves killed."
"......"
"Hey, I at least played nice to get us this far. So don't blame me for nothing. You think I planned this? I was trying to protect you idiots! So Siwoo, quit glaring like that. Fuck, you think I like this shit?!"
"Oppa, calm down! No one's blaming you!"
"No, that asshole's face is pissing me off!"
Choi Jin-ho suddenly exploded. Guilt over dragging the guy in had triggered his defenses. It left Han Siwoo feeling unfairly targeted, but he got it. He understood his friend's anger.
After all, Siwoo owed him too much to criticize now.
"What's wrong with Siwoo's face? It's the same as Harin or Haring's! You gonna yell at Harin too?!"
"No, Hana..."
"He's just stressed out. Why make weird assumptions? You stop riling people up and cool off! Are we gonna fight each other now? No! We need to stick together! Act like an adult for once!"
"Haa... Sigh, yeah... you're right, not the time."
"Exactly? We get how you feel, oppa... just chill. I hate when your outbursts kill the vibe!"
"Sigh... Tch, fine. My bad... Sorry, Siwoo."
Yu Hana flipped the mood around. Choi Jin-ho, scolded by his girlfriend like always, took a deep breath and simmered down. She was right—the situation didn't allow for outbursts. Room 305 fell quiet again after the brief chaos. Han Siwoo leaned against the wall with a bitter smile and muttered softly.
"At least he didn't force it, hyung. Said we could refuse."
"Tch, true... but that's only after he brings food. Starving to death? That's pressure enough. For now... we play along with that bastard. Dirty as it is, what choice do we have? We're the ones begging."
"What? You're serious?!"
"Gotta be, right? Zombies are probably swarming again by now. How else do we break through? That guy could, maybe."
"B-but..."
Choi Jin-ho's logic wasn't lost on him. Harsh as it was, it rang true. Highly persuasive, even. But Han Siwoo couldn't accept it. Harin kissing that creep? Rage boiled up as he clenched his fist. He'd convince Jin-ho otherwise.
"That's why... Hana, mind if I crash here a bit?"
But Choi Jin-ho spoke first.
"...What're you saying, oppa?"
"Look, it's impossible to forage right now. So... can he spot us some food too? A kiss won't wear out your lips. Might as well do one more and cover my meals. Yeah?"
"Oppa, are you insane?!"
Yu Hana finally blew up.
"No, no, Hana—hear me out before you get mad. I'm not saying mooch forever. There's this point shop, see? Kill zombies, earn points, buy stuff like..."
Jin-ho oppa's story sounded ridiculous at first, but it started making sense. Earn points to boost stats—like strength or stamina, key for survival. Get stronger, earn more points. A positive loop, per him.
"So... you want me to support you till you're strong enough?"
"Yeah, won't take long. I nabbed one zombie earlier—5 points. Ten gets a bento. Easy, right?"
"Easy? What if you get bitten like Teacher Mina!"
"Don't worry. I'm confident. Not charging in—just lure 'em one by one. You saw how slow those zombie bastards are."
"Ugh..."
Points, shops... totally unreal. But zombies were unreal too. After seeing that 5-point bread with my own eyes, no reason not to trust Jin-ho oppa.
"Fine. Just... don't make me wait forever."
"Hana! Thanks for believing in me!"
"Sigh... What about you two? Same deal. Harin, can you really kiss that guy? You hate that stuff."
"I, um..."
So I hesitated—just a moment—then nodded. If Hana's doing it, how can I not? A kiss without feelings... I hated the idea. But for Siwoo, I could endure.
"Absolutely not! Harin, I'll figure something out..."
"Hey, Han Siwoo—can you back that up? Get bit down there, then what about Harin? Quit the tantrum and face reality. Can you fetch food alone? Can't? Then drop it!"
"Urk..."
Siwoo tried stopping me, but I brushed it off. Lips don't wear out, like Jin-ho oppa said. I couldn't agree, but I'd convince myself.
Otherwise... we couldn't survive.
Pretending calm, I reached out and took Siwoo's trembling hand. His warmth eased me a bit. Ah... I wish time would stop. We naturally leaned into each other's shoulders, fingers laced.
"It's okay, Siwoo. Don't worry too much."
"Harin..."
Now might be the time... for that first kiss we'd kept putting off.
Gathering courage, I signaled Siwoo subtly. Hana and Jin-ho oppa were there, but... no more chances. Before kissing that monster, I wanted Siwoo first. My first kiss, to remember forever... not with some guy I didn't love.
"Yeah, man! Lighten up. It's just a kiss. Not even your first—what's the big deal? When Harin goes pro, you'll redo kiss scenes a hundred times. Practice now."
"H-ha... True..."
But Jin-ho oppa ruined the moment. 'Just a kiss'? We haven't even done it yet! Flustered, Siwoo pulled away, unlacing our fingers. I still wanted to... it hurt a little.