Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Securing the Adjacent Building
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"It's better than I thought."
"Right?"
I was in the director's office tucked away in the corner of the math academy.
I'd given the building a rough once-over, but I hadn't checked every little nook like this room, so I was pretty surprised.
I'd been worried about where we'd sleep, but since it was in an area clustered with academies, we could crash on the sofas in the consultation rooms or director's offices.
For something I'd been fretting over, it turned out to be a fairly comfortable setup.
There were multiple sofas, including the ones for Min-hyuk and me, plus a few extras.
"These sofas..."
"...We used to have more people besides us."
Min-hyuk stroked the sofa with a wistful look in his eyes.
Makes sense—surely not just the three of us had been in this huge building when the zombie outbreak hit.
The mood wasn't right to pry further, and I was exhausted anyway, so we turned off the lights and hit the hay.
It was an uncomfortable bed compared to usual, but we'd been on the move all day, and it was way better than expected, so I was out like a light soon after my head hit the pillow.
"Mm..."
I woke in a daze.
Min-hyuk must've gotten up first—he was gone from where he'd been sleeping next to me.
I debated rolling over for more sleep, but then I heard faint voices from the hallway.
Wondering what was up, I crept to the door, cracked it open just a sliver, and peered out into the corridor.
Su-a and Min-hyuk were standing side by side.
Really close.
It was the first time I'd seen them at a distance like a couple.
"R-Really okay if I do?"
"Don't make me say it twice."
"O-Okay."
Watching them, it felt just like a drama scene.
Genre-wise, a romance.
Their faces drew closer until their lips met in a light kiss.
Then they pulled apart.
Su-a chased after Min-hyuk's retreating face for a moment with a look of regret before stopping.
Min-hyuk's face was flushed red, as if that single light kiss had pushed him to his limit.
"..."
I took back what I'd thought before.
I'd wondered if this novel might not be erotica after all, but seeing the protagonist, it sure didn't seem like it.
"My heart's pounding so hard."
"Huh? Oh... yeah..."
"Thanks, Su-a. Let's definitely escape this place together."
"Yeah... let's do that."
Min-hyuk thanked her once more, then dutifully headed off to check the ladder.
He was too good and diligent, but that could be a flaw sometimes.
That light kiss was probably Su-a's idea first.
From how Min-hyuk acted just now, he wasn't the type to initiate physical contact.
After Min-hyuk left, Su-a let out a small sigh.
A sigh mixed with regret, a hint of dissatisfaction, and a jumble of other indescribable emotions.
I straightened my clothes and stepped out of the room, pretending I hadn't seen a thing.
Then I called out to Su-a in mock surprise.
"What're you doing here?"
"...Mind your own business."
Predictably, I got a prickly response.
She hesitated for a moment before asking me something.
"Did you... see?"
"See what?"
"Nothing... What do you think about a girl who suggests skinship first?"
"Suggests what?"
"...Like, she seems too forward or desperate..."
Would any guy hate that?
I chuckled and said,
"Any guy would love a girl like that."
"...I picked the wrong person to ask."
I sidled closer, bringing my face right up to hers.
Su-a turned her head away and replied.
I'd spoken nothing but the truth, but she didn't buy it.
Up close, Su-a definitely had her own appeal.
What was it?
Like the heroine in a zombie apocalypse story—no makeup needed, but she looked softly made-up anyway.
Her thick eyebrows and vivid red lips made me wonder if she really wasn't wearing any.
Just to check, I brushed my finger across her lips.
Of course, no smudge, no color on my finger.
Just the soft feel of her lips.
"W-What are you doing..."
"Wanna kiss me too?"
"...So you did see."
So-yun's eyes sharpened like a snake's.
I grinned slyly to brush it off and stepped back.
"We'll do it when I get back."
"What if I say no?"
"Then I'd have to do So-yun instead."
"...Trash."
Taking her tacit approval, I headed to where Min-hyuk and So-yun were.
They both looked anxious standing there.
As I approached, their eyes fixed on me.
"Hyung, you sure you're okay?"
"Isn't this too dangerous, oppa? Should we come too?"
"Nah, I work better alone. Don't worry."
I reassured the two, who seemed more nervous than me, and explained the route I'd mapped out yesterday based on the building layouts.
"Three buildings this way should do it. It's far enough, and with the corners, once we lure the variants away, they won't spot us."
"...Sounds good."
Min-hyuk pondered my words, then nodded.
That alone satisfied me.
A "sounds good" from the protagonist who survives to the novel's end was more reassuring than anything.
Plus, beyond luring, this route was perfect for farming.
With restaurants, clothing stores, and various shops, if we cleared and secured the interiors, we could score good loot.
"Whoa!"
When I tucked the ladder under my arm, So-yun suddenly exclaimed in admiration.
"It was heavy even for the two of us."
"Yeah."
"Really?"
I honestly wasn't sure if it was that heavy.
Maybe because my Strength level had gone up.
My power already felt superhuman.
I hauled the ladder to the rooftop and hooked it up to the next building as planned.
"Alright, I'm off."
"Oppa! Come back right away if it's dangerous!"
"Hyung, call me and I'll come running."
"...Be safe."
Su-a spoke last, handing me the machete.
I almost forgot it thanks to the weapons in my inventory.
With their send-off, I crossed the ladder to the adjacent building.
Fortunately, the rooftop door wasn't locked.
Creeeak.
The unoiled metal door screeched noisily.
I wet my parched lips with spit from tension and stepped inside, one foot at a time.
Gripping the machete, I scanned the interior warily, but the building was eerily quiet.
In the heart of a bustling district where it should've been packed with people, the silence was more terrifying.
Honestly, the quiet scared me more than the zombies right now.
So I deliberately made noise.
Kicking the metal door a few times—thud thud thud—was enough.
"Oppa! You okay?!!"
"Yeah! All good!"
I'd startled not just zombies, but the others too.
But the fear and tension melted away like snow.
Guess I'll buy more meat from the shop next time.
Thud, patter.
Grrrowl.
Irregular footsteps and phlegmy growls rose from the lower floors.
I couldn't have been happier to hear that nasty sound.
"If I'd known an empty building would be this creepy, I should've brought Min-hyuk."
The protagonist Min-hyuk would've survived fine even without me watching his back.
But I changed my mind.
With Min-hyuk back there, he'd protect So-yun and Su-a no matter what happened.
I swung the machete at the zombies sluggishly climbing the stairs.
My first swing with Strength LV.2 turned the approaching zombies mercilessly into points.
Swinging this heavy machete felt like whipping a switch or twig—whoosh—cutting through the air.
Thanks to that, it took less than 20 minutes to wipe out the horde rushing up.
A disgusting zombie staircase formed on the steps.
"Ugh..."
Grimacing, I had to trample their corpses to pass.
Next up: farming and luring.
First, to farm and lure safely, I needed to block the first-floor entrance.
The commotion on the stairs must've carried outside—zombies were milling around the entrance.
I could've cleared them, but I caught sight of the three watching worriedly from the next building, so I waved casually, shut the metal door, and locked it.
Unlike the academy, this place had a clothing store on the first floor with its own separate entrance, so I locked that too.
I entered the store and closed its door.
"...Fancy brand?"
I muttered, glancing at the steep price tags on the clothes.
I usually shopped online, so I rarely came to places like this in person. And a silent clothing store was a first.
"No more wearing the same clothes after washing up now."
Conveniently, there were cosmetics and underwear shops deeper inside.
Just knowing I could change clothes made me oddly happy.
I patrolled the interior, checking for hidden zombies, secured it, then started luring.
Luring was simple.
Up on the second floor, I banged the machete hard against the outer wall.
The top noise complaints in apartments were kids running around and hammering.
Whacking the wall with a metal blade created massive noise, drawing the shambling zombies from outside the academy building toward me in a frenzy.
"Just do this twice, right?"
It looked like it'd wrap up quicker than expected.