The Taekwondo Girl
Kwon Bomi had reached level 20, and the new trait she'd gained was Loot Collector — a passive ability that boosted the experience, coins, and item drop rates she earned from killing enemies, zombies included.
It didn't improve combat power at all, which was why most apocalypse survivors didn't care much for it.
"Kyaaak! This is amazing!"
Kwon Bomi, however, was overjoyed.
She'd always wanted more coins, so this trait suited her perfectly.
Kang Dohyun and Kang Dohun, hearing about her new trait, exchanged a look.
"Haa..."
"That's a shame."
They felt sorry for her — happy about a trait that offered no real strength.
The group returned to base camp.
"Tomorrow's the day we head back. Let me prepare a special meal for tonight."
"Hehe, I'm looking forward to it."
Kwon Bomi, now a bit more comfortable around him, smiled at Dohyun's offer.
"It feels weird. Please fill up the water for me soon."
"Just a moment."
Dohun filled the empty water containers in the shower tent at her request.
Once Bomi had showered and come out, Dohyun had prepared another special dinner.
"No way... you have sashimi?"
"Yes. Tonight's dinner is sashimi, spicy fish stew, and..."
Dohyun gestured toward the soju and beer he'd set out.
"Wow... soju-mac!"
Her face lit up with pure joy.
Chaerin ate her meal alone, while Dohyun, Dohun, and Bomi shared the dinner and soju-mac together.
"This is really good. So good."
She was happy for three days.
Clearing dungeons alongside comrades of unmatched skill, showering clean every evening, eating truly special meals — and on top of that, she'd been traveling with a man she liked, even if she'd never said it out loud.
She was so happy.
Dohyun, watching her happy expression, asked, "Do you really have to go back to your village?"
"..."
Bomi couldn't answer right away. After a moment's thought, she gave the same answer she always had.
"I still have to go. Too many people would starve or get killed by invaders if I'm not there."
Her resolve to protect her village hadn't wavered.
The next morning, the brothers drove Bomi all the way back to Gyeongbuk Sports High School, where they'd first met her.
"Four days and we're back at the school."
This was her alma mater, and the area around it was where she'd operated most often — she knew it well.
"It was fun. These three days."
"Thank you for everything. I'm truly grateful."
Dohyun shook her hand first, offering his farewells.
"Ms. Bomi, I hope you live happily."
"Yes... I hope you do too, Dohun-nim."
Dohun and Bomi exchanged a strange look before shaking hands.
The two brothers waved goodbye, and Bomi headed out of the school grounds toward her village.
As she walked, various thoughts ran through her mind.
'I must have been boring, right?'
In the end, she hadn't become physically intimate with Dohun. It was a relief, but also a disappointment — and the thought that she'd been unappealing came first.
'My looks... did I not dress up enough? Still, people often said I was prettier than average.'
She thought about her appearance, then —
'It's a shame. Why?? Why am I thinking it's a shame?!'
Without realizing it, she'd come to feel regret that things with Dohun hadn't progressed further.
But as the village drew nearer, she felt better in a different way.
'Everyone must be waiting for me.'
She'd been gone for over three days without warning. Everyone would be waiting anxiously.
'At least I saved a lot of coins.'
Thinking that everyone would finally get to eat their fill, she entered the village —
"Hey, Kwon Bomi!"
"!"
Waiting at the village entrance wasn't a resident. It was Hwang Giwoo, the bandit leader who'd been eyeing her village, flanked by his men.
Hwang Giwoo — the guy who'd always been gunning for the village she lived in. His group alone numbered over twenty warriors.
'If I hit and run, I can still handle them...'
But as she thought that, more men emerged from the surrounding area.
'Kim Hanam!'
The man with whom she had a history of bad blood — and his own group had joined in too.
The enemy numbered close to forty.
A tough fight. No — a fight she was certain to lose. And yet, she still showed her will to fight.
'I got stronger when I hit level 20. I did!'
Reaching level 20 had made her stronger. The trait had been disappointing, but the offensive skill she'd gained during the level-up had raised her combat power above what it had been before.
'And the village chief will ask for help.'
If a battle broke out here, the villagers would request rescue from the allied villages they'd made pacts with.
Three nearby villages had formed a defensive alliance specifically to counter bandit groups like Hwang Giwoo's.
But that hope crumbled almost instantly.
"Bomi-ya. Surrender."
"Bomi-ya, give up now."
The people who appeared behind Hwang Giwoo were villagers. The village chief, the women's association chair, even the old lady from next door where she lived.
The villagers were urging her to surrender.
"No... Grandma, Grandpa..."
She looked at them in disbelief.
"Hahahaha! Even the old folks here are on our side! So just give up."
The villagers she'd been protecting — they'd grown too anxious about relying solely on Kwon Bomi.
So they'd decided to hand her over to Hwang Giwoo for a more stable future.
Bomi, understanding everything, felt her strength drain away.
Everyone had treated her as a pushover. And in truth, she'd known it all along — that the villagers were using her.
Still, she hadn't wanted to forget old ties, so she'd tried to live with them. She'd really worked hard, even risking her own body.
And they'd handed her over to Hwang Giwoo instead.
Seeing Bomi's spirit deflate, Hwang Giwoo handed her a piece of paper with a triumphant look.
"Sign this. Then everyone will be happy."
What he handed her was a slave contract.
"About four years, right? That's worth 500 coins."
His men chimed in.
"Kukuk, yeah, sign it and the villagers will be safe."
"And you'll be fine too."
"Our boss is amazing in bed, you know."
"Hahahaha, a new life begins — working by day, serving your masters by night."
It was blatant. In truth, whether she signed or not, capturing her was already a foregone conclusion.
Tears streamed down Bomi's face. And yet, she took up a fighting stance once more.
"Of course, the Taekwondo Girl!"
"Yeah, that's it."
"She's got spirit."
Hwang Giwoo and the bandits raised their weapons.
"Long-range attacks first."
They knew her fighting style, so everyone was holding stones. They planned to tire her out with ranged harassment before capturing her.
And Bomi, surrounded on all sides by enemies, prepared for her final battle.
But then, at that moment —
BOOM!
"Aaak!"
Someone behind them screamed and fell.
"What the—?"
The person who appeared was Kang Dohun, swinging his fists with a furious expression.
When Bomi had left, Dohun had said, "Hey, let's follow her."
"Why? Stop it. We're not even close."
Dohun had answered Dohyun's suggestion with a "stop teasing me" tone, but —
"No, I just have a bad feeling."
Something felt off. The instinct of someone who'd survived a long time in the apocalypse — a faint chill.
"It's just a feeling. Something's weird. Follow her. You'll regret it if you don't."
"Really?"
At his brother's insistence, Dohun followed her out of caution — and had witnessed the entire situation.
Dohun appeared suddenly.
"What the hell, kill him!"
Hwang Giwoo and the bandits turned to counterattack —
Thwack, thwack, CRACK!
Everyone fell from a single punch of Dohun's.
In just ten minutes of combat, all but a few who fled were dead.
When the fight ended, Dohun approached Bomi.
"Are you okay?"
At his words, Bomi collapsed into his arms and cried.
"Th-thank you."
Dohun patted her back as she wept.
With Hwang Giwoo and the bandits gone, only Dohun, Bomi, and the villagers remained.
"B-Bomi-ya."
"I'm sorry! We had no choice..."
"That bastard threatened us!"
"We had no choice if we wanted to live."
Everyone tried to make excuses and turn her heart around, but the pushover Taekwondo Girl was gone.
"Get out of my sight. Right now."
At her cold words, the villagers tried to beg —
"I only held back because of old feelings! Before I change my mind, GET OUT!!"
She screamed it out, and the villagers fled to their homes.
Bomi went to her own house.
"..."
It was a mess.
After deciding to hand her over to Hwang Giwoo, the villagers had already looted her home.
"Damn it... these bastards are worse than dogs!"
Dohun was furious, but —
"It's fine."
She calmly gathered only her father's photo and a few belongings.
"People I'll never see again."
With her things packed, she left the village with Dohun.
And Dohun decided that after Bomi left, he would clean up this village himself.
Bomi returned with Dohun to Gyeongbuk Sports High School, where Dohyun was waiting.
"I was afraid she wouldn't come back."
His brother nodded at his words.
"Hehe..."
She smiled at Dohyun, but tears were streaming down her face.
The three of them returned to base camp, and once there, they had a proper conversation.
"Ms. Bomi, what will you do?"
At Dohyun's question, she looked at Dohun. But —
"..."
Dohun didn't answer. After a long silence, she made up her mind and spoke.
"I'll become a Traveler."
A Traveler — wandering without a fixed home, hunting zombies. She'd decided to travel across the country and level up.
Dohyun thought, 'My brother's got it bad... or is he just sentimental?'
"Then let me help you."
"No. I'm already so grateful for everything you've done so far."
"If you're so grateful, then take it. I need to be able to see you again later for my help to feel worthwhile."
Saying that, he brought over his bag.
Dohyun hated the thought of his brother regretting this.
Sure, Bomi would regret letting her go right now too, but if something happened to her, he'd regret it for the rest of his life — so he gave her advice and packed supplies for her.
"First, go to Gyeongju. Items drop there. Get stronger while you collect them."
Gyeongju was the city that best suited the Loot Collector trait she'd gained at level 20.
"Always wear a digital watch, take this rechargeable flashlight, you'll need a tent... no, just let me pack a full set in this bag for you."
Dohyun packed various equipment into his own space-expansion bag and added extra food supplies too.
"And when December rolls into next year, never stay near a dungeon. It's dangerous."
With that final warning, he handed her the large bag.
Dohyun had overpacked for her. She felt shameless, but everyone needed these things to survive.
"Thank you. I'll repay this kindness somehow."
"Think about surviving first, not repaying kindness. You're strong, but danger is everywhere. Get stronger in Gyeongju, and never stay near a dungeon around year-end."
And Bomi said her final goodbye to Dohun.
"We'll see each other again someday, right?"
"Yes, if fate allows."
After that last farewell, she rode Dohyun's drone out of base camp.
Dohyun dropped her off at a safe location nearby.
"Contact me anytime if you have problems. I'll help. Our future daughter-in-law."
At the words "future daughter-in-law," Bomi's face turned red.
"I'll... get stronger and come back as a woman worthy of Dohun-nim."
"Yes, I'll wait for you anytime."
After bidding Dohyun farewell, Bomi began walking toward Gyeongju with determined steps.
And Dohyun watched her go.