Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Separation Anxiety and the Department Store Visit
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The Leader woke up in the morning and sensed something was off.
Normally, the warm chest where she laid her head would be right there.
But the spot next to the Leader was empty.
"Manager Lee? ...Where's Manager Lee?"
She threw on a robe and headed to the room where the maids gathered to look for him.
But Lee Seo-ho was nowhere to be seen.
"If you're looking for Manager Lee, he said early this morning he'd be stepping out briefly and would return soon."
The head maid, who had been waiting, stood up and reported to the Leader.
"Where did Manager Lee go...?"
"We're not sure.... He just said to let you know if you asked for him...."
"......"
"...Eek!"
In that instant, the head maid and the other maids paled at the sight of the Leader's cold expression.
The Leader approached the head maid.
Slap!
She struck her across the cheek.
"Manager Lee...! Why didn't you report immediately where he went!"
"I'm sorry...! Manager Lee said there was no need to report since you were sleeping...!"
"Ugh...!"
Slap! Slap!
The Leader's hand moved twice more, turning the head maid's face twice.
The head maid collapsed to the floor, her legs trembling.
A small puddle formed beneath her legs.
"Ahh.... How glorious...♥."
Despite the hard slaps on her cheek, the head maid clutched her face and gazed up at the Leader with an ecstatic expression.
"Ugh, haah...."
Unable to hold back, she climaxed, squeezing her legs together and lightly collapsing, only to be helped up by the other maids.
The Leader clicked her tongue at the sight and said,
"When Manager Lee returns, report to me immediately! No, tell him to come straight to me!"
"Yes, understood...."
The Leader shot a sharp glare at the maids, who looked at her with fearful, trembling eyes.
They were just as guilty for not reporting it.
But the other maids flushed at the Leader's piercing gaze, feeling a thrilling sensation.
The Leader didn't like this about them.
It wasn't due to her abilities or anything—it was simply that the devotees who volunteered as maids were masochistic perverts.
That's why they had eagerly applied for roles as lowly slave laborers.
They found joy in sacrificing their bodies for the Leader, whose heart they adored.
'This makes punishment pointless.'
Frustrated with maids who saw any treatment as a reward, the Leader stormed back to her room.
'Where the hell did he go!'
Something felt off from the morning.
Now, she couldn't calm down unless she woke up in the morning enveloped in his warm embrace, inhaling his scent.
The Leader valued her daily routine highly.
Thanks to him leaving without permission, her important start to the day was ruined.
'When he gets back, I'll give him a piece of my mind!'
It was because she'd always been so lenient with him that this happened.
She resolved to clearly show him who was in charge this time, ensuring it never happened again.
She huffed back to her room.
And shortly after.
"...Leader. I heard you were looking for me. That you were worried...."
Lee Seo-ho returned to her room.
He arrived just before noon, around 11 a.m.
"Hwaaaang! Really! Where were you! You have to tell me if you're going somewhere! Hic, does that mean I'm not precious to you? That's why you just vanished like that!"
The Leader threw herself into Lee Seo-ho's arms, now that he was finally back, and burst into sobs.
The moment she saw his face, her firm resolve melted away, and tears flowed reflexively.
"You think it's annoying because I always cling to you! So you snuck off without me? That's too much! You said you liked me! You said you loved me!"
"S-Sorry. I didn't think you'd be this upset.... It was just a personal errand that came up suddenly. Next time, I'll definitely let you know before I go."
"No! Next time, I'm coming with you!"
"...Yes, next time we'll go together."
Lee Seo-ho, flustered, held her close and stroked her soothingly.
'...Separation anxiety?'
He'd thought it would be fine since he was only stepping out briefly.
But he'd conquered her heart far more thoroughly than expected.
'If I'd stayed for lunch, it would've been a disaster.'
The place he'd gone was the department store.
Contact had been sparse lately, and with today's exchange meeting at the department store, he'd needed to reach out in advance.
"Today's an important day, and you ruined it from the morning. If anything goes wrong, it'll be your fault, Manager Lee."
"It'll be fine. You're exceptional, Leader."
"...Praise me more."
"You're so wise that something like this won't be a problem. I believe in you, Leader."
"......"
The Leader buried her face silently in his chest.
Her lips kept trying to curve upward on their own, so she hid her face in his embrace and smiled freely.
。 。 。
After lunch, the Leader took Lee Seo-ho, Manager Heo, and the entire search team, riding in three vehicles toward S Department Store.
'It's so quiet.'
Lee Seo-ho, seated next to the Leader in the luxury sedan, gazed out the window in amazement.
To prepare for today, most of the Cult's combat team and male slaves had cleared out all the zombies along the route from L Hotel to S Department Store.
Zombies didn't respawn like in a game.
Depending on how thoroughly they were handled, the path could be this peaceful.
Lee Seo-ho was impressed once again by the Cult's combat team's prowess.
'With me here, zombies aren't a threat anyway. But this sure is convenient.'
Thanks to them, he could enjoy a relaxed drive next to the Leader for the first time in a while.
"Manager Heo, you confirmed with S Department Store, right? No mix-up on the time?"
"Yes, they actually took the initiative. Haha, they must be really looking forward to seeing you today, Leader."
"Hehe, if things go well today, I get a gift too."
The Leader blushed faintly and tickled Lee Seo-ho's chest from within his arms.
In response, Lee Seo-ho smiled and gently kneaded her butt.
'...Tch.'
Manager Heo Seojin, currently driving the sedan, grimaced as she watched Lee Seo-ho through the rearview mirror.
'How did a guy like that end up in the seat next to the Leader.... Even reaching the same manager position as us....'
He'd started as a mere slave.
But before long, he'd captured the Leader's heart and climbed to a position no man in the Cult could reach.
Manager Heo didn't like it one bit.
'The Leader used to despise men so much....'
Now she smiled like a bitch in heat, willing to get pregnant for him.
Crunch.
Her teeth ground together.
'...Should I take him out?'
Today was the crucial exchange meeting between the Leader and S Department Store's leader.
If it went well, the Cult could gain access to S Department Store's resources.
That would make the Cult perhaps the first group in this zombie-ruined world to rebuild society.
'If that scum is still by the Leader's side afterward.... It'll be dangerous.'
That man was a problem.
Manager Heo stared ahead, pondering what to do next.
Lee Seo-ho had noticed her glare.
'She glares so openly every time.'
Lee Seo-ho smirked slyly at the back of Manager Heo's head, now that she'd averted her eyes.
After hours of cautious driving,
They finally arrived in front of S Department Store.
They waited on the fifth floor of a nearby building by the parking lot for the department store's welcoming party.
"That's an impressive number. So those zombies are protecting the department store?"
"Yes, and from what I can tell, the department store residents seem to have considerable freedom around those zombies."
"...Hmm, I see."
The Leader eyed S Department Store intently.
'As expected, the department store's master must possess mysterious powers like mine....'
Unlike anyone she'd met so far, a survivor with similar abilities.
The thought of meeting such a person filled the Leader with unprecedented tension.
At that moment.
Swish.
"Don't worry. You'll be fine."
Lee Seo-ho gently grasped her hand.
"......"
His warm hand put her heart at ease.
The Leader glanced at the hand, her face flushing, then looked up at him with a smile.
"...Yeah, I'll do my best. For you, Manager Lee."
For him, she felt like she could take on the world.
As they gazed at the department store together in an intimate atmosphere.
"Pardon the interruption. I've come to escort the Leader."
"Eek!"
"S-She appeared out of nowhere!"
"Damn! Where the hell did she come from!"
In the center of the fifth floor, packed with Cult combatants, a single figure appeared like a ghost.
'That just now...!'
Even the Leader's eyes widened as she stared at the woman who had appeared.
In a spot where no one had been moments before.
The woman seemed to have been there all along, her hime-cut black hair swaying as she lifted her head.
'Da-hee sells the act well.'
Lee Seo-ho eyed Ryu Da-hee, who had appeared in the center of the building, and gave a subtle nod.
Ryu Da-hee met his gaze.
She glanced down, noticing the Leader's hand tightly clasped in his.
"......Hmph."
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
But it was a fleeting change, noticeable only to Lee Seo-ho.
She quickly composed her expressionless face and turned to the Leader.
"Please come with me. The Leader is waiting. ...Oh, could the others wait here? Our Leader wouldn't want such a large group entering the department store."
"Hah?! You want the Leader to go into that demon den alone?!"
"Be reasonable! You trying to get yourself killed?!"
At Ryu Da-hee's indifferent words, the surrounding search team members and Manager Heo raised their voices in protest.
Ryu Da-hee let out a small sigh.
She raised her index finger slightly.
"Then just one person can accompany you. We're heading to our living quarters. We can't bring so many people there, and there's no safe way to escort them."
At her words, everyone recalled the horde of zombies in front of the parking lot.
That was when someone immediately raised their hand.
"Then I'll go."
It was the man right beside the Leader.
Lee Seo-ho.
"What?! You think you can protect the Leader alone? What makes you think we can trust your scrawny ass!"
Manager Heo immediately shot back.
She flexed her muscles menacingly, glaring at him.
But Lee Seo-ho responded calmly, unfazed.
"I'm a man too, at least. I have a pistol, so I can protect the Leader just fine. ...More importantly, isn't it rude to assume something dangerous will happen at the place that invited us?"
"...Hah, fine then. Hand over the pistol. I'll go with the Leader. I can protect her far better than a worthless man like you."
Manager Heo extended her hand firmly.
But Lee Seo-ho shook his head.
"No, sorry, but I'm not backing down. I think I'd protect the Leader better than you."
"Haha! What makes you spout such nonsense? Fine, let's hear your reasoning."
"Simple."
Lee Seo-ho then pulled the Leader's shoulder close in a firm embrace.
"If danger arises, I'd stake my life for the Leader."
Of course, it was bullshit.
There wouldn't even be real danger, and if there was, Lee Seo-ho's abilities meant he wouldn't need to risk his life.
But his bullshit worked perfectly.
"Manager Lee...."
The Leader blushed, clutching her chest with a moved expression as she gazed at him.
His bold declaration of staking his life made her fall for him all over again, her face that of a lovestruck girl.
The Leader smiled brightly at Manager Heo.
"Manager Heo! You're out...! No, stand by! It'll just be Manager Lee and me!"
Manager Heo realized from the Leader's excited eyes that further persuasion was pointless and clicked her tongue.
"Then, don't stray from my side."
And so, the Leader and Lee Seo-ho followed Ryu Da-hee, who had come to greet them, into the department store.
"Hehe, am I that precious to you? Enough to risk your life?"
"It's embarrassing, so let's talk later. We're on business right now."
"Why~? It's still fine."
Even as they passed through the zombie horde, the Leader showed no tension at all, her eyes fixed only on Lee Seo-ho.
The zombies had no interest in them anyway, so they didn't approach.
That morning, Lee Seo-ho had urgently visited the department store and already commanded the surrounding zombies not to attack him or his companions.
Thus, Lee Seo-ho successfully lured the enemy leader he'd targeted straight to his own base.