Osan
Kang Dohyun stepped out of the bathroom after his shower and dried himself off.
"Feeling refreshed."
He changed into a spare set of clothes from his bag and hung the ones he'd worn to dry in the room. His stomach gave a quiet rumble. He glanced at the clock — lunchtime.
Time to eat first.
He slung his bag over his shoulder and left the motel. In the apocalypse, anything you didn't carry on your person could vanish at any moment without a second thought.
He made his way to the military-occupied district and entered the army mess hall. The soldier guarding the entrance immediately asked for his food ticket, and Dohyun produced it without hesitation.
"Hand it in here and go on in."
He dropped the ticket into the metal collection box and stepped inside. True to its military nature, the mess hall served food on trays. What landed on Dohyun's tray was thin porridge, kimchi, and a splash of soy sauce — that was it. The army's stockpiles were substantial, but with so many soldiers and support personnel to feed, they'd had to tighten the belt.
Still, the porridge had a decent thickness to it. It wasn't exactly delicious, but Dohyun ate it with the simple satisfaction of having warm food in his belly.
After finishing his meal, he headed back to the market and found the shop with the largest stockpile of food supplies. He got straight to bargaining.
"How many instant rice packs for one food ticket?"
"Two packs for one ticket."
"Then I'll take five for two tickets."
"Hmm… deal."
He continued purchasing what he needed with his food tickets.
"How about five cans of tuna for three tickets?"
"What if I give you three chocolate bars for one ticket?"
He had plenty of tickets, so he focused on compact, high-calorie foods that offered the best bang for his buck.
"And this is on the house."
The shop owner threw in some candy as a bonus for his large purchase, but Dohyun also wanted the small newspaper sitting beside the counter.
"Give me that newspaper too."
"The newspaper? Ah, it's just an information bulletin the army distributes, but you can take it."
Dohyun left the shop with a substantial haul of food supplies and the information bulletin in hand.
He found a quiet corner of the street and sat down to read.
Slurp.
"?"
While he ate an apple he'd bought that day and flipped through the bulletin, a child lingered uncertainly nearby. A middle schooler, or maybe an older elementary student — the kid swallowed hard and stared at the apple in Dohyun's hand. Apples had become a luxury item just twenty days into the apocalypse.
Something about the boy's face looked familiar.
Could it be?
Dohyun offered the apple he'd been nibbling on to the kid.
"Thank you!"
The boy thanked him, took the apple, and started eating right away. Dohyun observed the ease with which the child accepted and consumed it — no hesitation, no awkwardness. Three weeks had barely passed. Most people raised on good food wouldn't adapt that quickly to a sudden change in circumstances.
That's him. Ko Suhyeok.
Ko Suhyeok — just a middle schooler now, but destined to become an outstanding warrior. He'd lost his parents to zombies in the early days of the apocalypse, which had forged a deep, burning hatred for the undead within him. That hatred would drive him to become a famous soldier who specialized in hunting zombies.
If I had the means, I'd raise him myself. But not now.
Right now, he had to focus on growing strong quickly with his younger brother in tow. There was no time to take on another person.
Still, he decided to give the boy a small opportunity.
"Hey, you know where the women in revealing clothes hang out?"
"Y-yes! I do!"
"Show me. If I'm satisfied, I'll give you this."
Dohyun pulled out a food ticket. The boy's eyes lit up.
"I'll lead you right there. I know exactly where the pretty older sisters are."
Ko Suhyeok guided him immediately. Osan had always been a heavily militarized area, so naturally there were plenty of women who worked with men — and they were still doing business even after the apocalypse began, trading their bodies for food, especially with soldiers. On top of that, more ordinary women were now selling themselves just to survive.
They moved into a back alley where women in provocative outfits and heavy makeup lined the street. Over a hundred of them stood there. In just three weeks, many women had come to a grim realization: protecting their chastity wasn't as important as staying alive.
Ko Suhyeok pointed to the outer edge of the alley.
"Those older sisters over there are the prettiest."
Dohyun looked, and sure enough, their faces were noticeably more attractive than the others'. The boy had good eyes and real sense — he knew where to find the better-looking women among the crowd, and he understood what adult men were looking for.
"Thanks."
Dohyun handed him the food ticket.
"You want to live properly, right?"
The boy nodded. Dohyun reached into his bag and pulled out a small hand axe.
"Go out and hunt zombies. Farm for food and get it yourself. That's how you survive."
A spare hand axe — not a trivial item in the current situation. But if Ko Suhyeok was going to grow into a formidable warrior, it was a worthwhile investment.
"You're still growing, so eat well. Take more tickets too."
He handed over ten additional food tickets. Ko Suhyeok glanced around quickly, then snatched them up with practiced speed.
"Thank you. But… why are you being so kind to me?"
"Just think of it as luck. But if you meet me again later, you'll pay me back many times over."
"Understood. If I meet you again, hyung, I'll definitely pay you back."
Dohyun made sure to plant the seed of future repayment firmly.
"If you get the chance later, come find me. My name is Kang Dohyun."
In the apocalypse, giving someone your name carried real weight — knowing your name was often enough to find you later.
"Yes, I'll remember it."
Ko Suhyeok's future had just shifted. Dohyun's intervention meant the boy's difficult early days would be a little easier. He didn't know exactly how it would change the boy's path, but he considered it a good investment.
He was known for being loyal. If he survives, he'll come back somehow.
Ko Suhyeok thanked him repeatedly before disappearing. Judging by the direction he headed, he'd go to the mess hall for a meal first, then head out to hunt.
Dohyun approached the group of pretty women the boy had pointed out.
They really are attractive.
Their looks stood out. He got straight to the point.
"How much?"
The women hesitated slightly, then the one who seemed to be the leader spoke up.
"Um… three tickets for one round, five tickets for the whole day."
"That's too expensive."
At his comment, the women fidgeted nervously. They clearly hadn't had much experience negotiating with men — they weren't from the entertainment industry.
All three are decent.
All three women were genuinely attractive, and their still-innocent appearance appealed to him too.
"Fine. How about ten tickets for all three of you, for the whole day?"
"!"
The women's eyes widened at the offer — buying all three at once, for ten tickets.
"Make up your mind quickly."
"Yes."
The leader nodded, and the deal was done.
Dohyun brought the women back to his motel room.
"Everyone, wash up fast."
"The water's running?"
When Dohyun nodded at the woman's question, she said, "Let's wash," and the three of them started undressing and heading into the bathroom. They laughed as they washed — water was only supplied to certain areas of Osan, so aside from drinking water, bathing water was hard to come by.
Dohyun stripped and entered the bathroom too. Three beautiful women were showering enthusiastically, completely naked.
"You first."
"Yes."
The woman who'd been acting as leader pressed her hands against the bathroom wall and arched her backside toward him.
Thrust.
"Haaah!"
Not bad. A woman who works out really is different.
Dohyun began working his hips with vigor, releasing his desire. He spent the afternoon thoroughly enjoying all three women.