Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Wind and Sun
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Yesterday morning's meeting conversation came to mind.
After finishing the discussion about the Big Ma carcass, I said to the group,
"We need to absorb the survivors from Myungsin Women's University."
For long-term survival and improving our quality of life.
We had concluded that expanding our forces was necessary to achieve those two goals.
And when we arrived at Myungsin Women's University, we learned there were quite a few survivors.
"Well... this is a prestigious university, right? They have a medical school too, don't they?"
"Yeah. They have a medical school and a pharmacy school."
Jang Ho-seop nodded right away.
He said he was thinking the same thing.
This place wasn't just full of college students.
There were professors, graduate students, and other university staff.
Not to mention people from various other professions, even soldiers.
In other words, we could absorb a diverse range of people.
And the average age would be relatively young.
"The problem is how to do it."
No one raised any objections to absorbing Myungsin Women's University survivors.
So the next task was figuring out how to absorb them.
There were far more survivors here than on my side.
"If we put you up front, Brother, and put on a show..."
Jang Ho-seop was the first to suggest an idea.
Capturing a large number of people at once wasn't easy.
"Eh, that's not quite right. What about the rest of you? Any good ideas?"
Everyone clamped their mouths shut.
"The Wind and the Sun."
"Pardon? What do you mean...?"
So I shared what I'd been thinking about on my own.
"There's a fable. About the bet to make the traveler take off his coat."
"Oh, right. The wind and the sun... The sun won, didn't it?"
Jang Ho-seop at least played along.
His expression showed he was trying to guess why I'd brought up the fable.
"Hyun-ah? What's that?"
On the other hand, some people didn't know it at all.
Sister Bom and Yu-na must not have heard this fable before.
"The wind and the sun were always fighting. But they could never decide who was stronger."
"Yeah."
"Then one day, a traveler passed by. So they made a bet. Whoever got the traveler to take off his coat would win."
Sister Bom and Yu-na focused intently on the story that had started out of nowhere.
I retold it in my own words, like the stories my mom used to read me as a kid.
"The wind went first and blew a strong gust. The traveler just huddled up tighter against the cold."
"Ah, yeah, that makes sense."
"Then the sun stepped up... The sun just shone warm rays."
Yu-na suddenly raised her hand.
I nodded, and she said confidently,
"The traveler got hot and took off his clothes!"
"Yeah. Exactly."
I could feel her joy.
Jang Ho-seop looked at Yu-na with an incredulous expression.
"It wasn't even a quiz from Brother..."
Yu-na glared at him, and he trailed off, averting his eyes.
She still scared him, apparently.
"So, what's the moral of the story?"
"Huh? Oh... um... He took off his clothes because it was hot..."
This time, Yu-na trailed off.
Jang Ho-seop answered instead.
"There are various interpretations, but... Rather than forcing with strength, you should persuade the person to act on their own. Something like that?"
I nodded at his words.
"Yeah. And to add to that..."
What Jang Ho-seop said was right too.
It's more efficient if people tackle tasks with their own motivation rather than being forced.
And one more thing.
"If you treat them well, their true nature comes out."
"Pardon?"
"When you send warm sunlight like the sun, people drop the clothes hiding their bodies and reveal their ugly true selves."
I wanted to explain the mindset we should have when approaching the Myungsin Women's University survivors.
"So, let's distribute supplies."
That was my conclusion.
"Don't just make the Building 1 students work. Gather everyone still here. Then feed them first."
Once I set the direction, the group finally started chiming in.
They added ideas one by one.
"Brother. Could we maybe play a little prank on the Building 2 folks?"
"What prank? They look like they'll never come out of there."
"Hehe. I thought of a good way. Even the wind can send warm sunlight."
We weren't wasting the supplies we'd gathered so diligently.
It might seem like a loss now, but in the long run, this would be more efficient.
'Feed them, clothe them first... Then squeeze out more later.'
And so, the plan to absorb Myungsin Women's University survivors began.
The reason I recalled those memories was because the reaction we expected emerged from the women's shower tent.
"Um, I'm fine. Maybe next time..."
Someone refused to shower.
Ki Eun-chae, who had gone in with her, asked in a puzzled voice,
"You mean you won't shower?"
"Y-yes. I have to put these clothes back on anyway..."
The woman stammered excuses.
"That doesn't mean we give extra food. If you don't wash, that's it."
"Yes, it's fine. I'll handle washing myself..."
Showering, like meals, was part of the sunlight we offered.
In their current situation, even washing was a great reward.
Not having clothes to change into was just an excuse.
There was another reason.
"You'll have to wait while the others wash..."
"Yes! I'll wait!"
As Ki Eun-chae readily gave permission, one woman bolted out of the shower tent like she was escaping.
She sat at a moderate distance from where Seol-hee and I were.
'Anxiety.'
Her face was calm, but she couldn't hide her emotions.
Target Detection picked up her anxiety and impatience.
I glanced briefly at the exhausted, grubby woman, then looked away.
"It's really true. How does Yi Hyun even know things like this...?"
Seol-hee murmured in admiration that my prediction had come true.
Even though it wasn't some great foresight.
Time flew by as we talked with her.
"Yi Hyun. Showers are done."
"Okay. Let's head back."
The shower time ended, and we returned to the back gate of Myungsin Women's University.
People who had sweated all day taking turns washing up and returning.
We had also prepared dinner for them.
"Here you go."
"Hey! Why doesn't mine have that side dish?"
My people started serving food.
Like breakfast, it was thin porridge just enough to stave off hunger.
"Take what you're given. That person worked hard."
But some got meat dishes.
Grilled Big Ma meat.
Just as I had watched people while farming.
The others had also observed how those assigned to them worked.
Meals were divided based on our evaluations.
"Hurry up. Can't you see people waiting behind?"
"You think someone who just killed time gets the same as someone who worked hard...?"
When one woman complained about her portion, the other survivors got angry first.
We didn't even need to step in.
"Mmm~ Smells like delicious meat again today!"
Jang Ho-seop was fanning the aroma in front of Building 2 again.
"As you know, resources are limited. The portions may be small, but we've done our best to distribute them."
As people began their varied meals.
Aunt Kim Soo-jung walked among them, speaking.
"It's only because Yi Hyun shared the personal supplies he's gathered so far that we can have meals like this."
She spoke as if it were the most natural thing.
"So eat with gratitude. Come back tomorrow too. We're creating jobs like today to give you opportunities..."
I looked at the meal in front of me.
Rice, seaweed soup.
Four side dishes and Big Ma meat.
Slightly different from what the auntie described.
Our table even used separate bowls.
The others got their food on trays.
'The village residents and Building 1 students are eating well.'
We were openly showing the difference in status.
To make them act on their own.
And so dinner ended.
This was all we'd prepared.
The people would return to wherever they were holding out and come back at dawn tomorrow.
"Wait. Those who were called, stay behind."
No, not everyone could leave yet.
Five women. Two men.
The Myungsin Women's University survivors we had singled out.
I took them toward the makeshift shower area.
"Why did you call us separately?"
One woman stared straight at Ki Eun-chae and asked.
Ki Eun-chae shook her head, saying she didn't know either.
'This woman barely shows any anxiety.'
Among those we kept, there was the woman from my team earlier.
The one who refused to shower.
The others were similar.
They hadn't washed.
'Bold, huh?'
We figured some would try to siphon supplies when we put them to work.
They hid the pilfered goods on their bodies, so they refused showers.
There were watchful eyes inside the shower tent too.
But we hadn't expected so many to get caught on the first day.
"We gave you a chance. We shared work we could have done ourselves, let you eat and wash..."
A few of my group and some village residents were here.
I'd also brought cadets from Building 1's training corps.
Aunt Kim Soo-jung opened the proceedings.
"Unfortunately, goodwill doesn't always return as goodwill."
The reason for bringing Building 1 cadets was their enthusiasm.
So this was both a thief-hunting and an opportunity for the cadets.
A chance to enter my fold.
"We warned you beforehand. To follow our instructions."
"Is this because we didn't wash? That was our reward."
The woman who questioned Ki Eun-chae spoke up brazenly again.
"Yes, it was the reward. Do you think we're idiots?"
Aunt Kim Soo-jung's face hardened.
She called the Building 1 cadets.
"Strip them all."
"Pardon?"
Ki Eun-chae asked, doubting her ears.
"Strip them all."
"Ah, yes."
Ki Eun-chae must have an idea.
She bit her lip seeing Aunt Kim Soo-jung's resolute expression.
Then she stepped forward with the other cadets.
They politely asked the gathered survivors.
"Please take off your clothes."
"Are you crazy? Why make us strip all of a sudden?"
"We need to check something. Please cooperate."
We needed to save time.
I walked among them.
Crack―
I slapped the brazen woman's face.
It sounded like a punch, and she collapsed to the ground.
I grabbed her collar and yanked her up.
Slapped her a few more times with an open palm.
'They're dead cards anyway.'
These were already filtered out by my standards.
No need to invest effort in absorbing them.
"Strip them all. Quick."
I tossed the dazed woman aside.
And stared straight into Ki Eun-chae's eyes.
She met my gaze and nodded.
"Hoo... Last chance. Everyone, take off your clothes."
The other survivors backed away at my actions.
Still, no one undressed themselves.
Ki Eun-chae nodded to the other cadets, and they acted.
"Kyaaak! W-wait... Gahk."
They used violence.
Grabbed fleeing people and threw them down.
Punched stomachs and swung at faces.
"Urk... Hey. I'm a professor in the Global Fusion Studies Department..."
No exceptions for men or women.
Status meant nothing here.
Only the strong and the weak.
'They took the first step faster than I thought.'
Some find violence against fellow humans easy, others hard.
Especially when it's not self-defense.
The Building 1 cadets started using violence from a position of clear superiority and grew excited.
"Stop. Strip them and check their belongings."
Aunt Kim Soo-jung cut in at the right moment.
Reminded them of the goal.
In the end, all seven were stripped naked in front of everyone.
"Do you have anything to say now?"
Some had a few chocolates.
Others canned goods, energy bars.
Some had packed thriftily, others made you think, 'That's it?'
Hiding spots varied.
Inner pockets, socks, underwear.
The most ingenious was the woman I'd hit.
She'd stuffed rice and grains into a cylindrical plastic container and hidden it inside her body.
We wouldn't have found it without stripping her underwear.
"Pl-please, just this once. I beg you."
The woman crawled to me naked, pleading.
Her face covered in blood.
"My sister... She's in the law school building. She can't move right now..."
She spilled her sob story.
I kicked her chest and drew my axe.
Whoooosh. Crunch.
And brought it down in one stroke.
Her head rolled off her body.
Right to Ki Eun-chae's feet.
"We never let those who covet our possessions go unpunished. That's how we survive."
Aunt Kim Soo-jung spoke again.
"It doesn't matter what or why they stole. They showed hostility toward us. They touched our things."
She looked at the Building 1 cadets.
"If you show weakness, enemies will bare their claws. Now we must protect ourselves."
The Building 1 cadets had united to overcome hardships.
Against the mighty Big Ma horde, there was no room for infighting.
She asked them,
"Are you prepared to enter Yi Hyun's fold?"
The village residents approached and handed knives to the cadets.
Ki Eun-chae took a knife and bowed her head quietly.
Seeing that, the naked man and woman started crawling away.
"Opportunities don't come twice."
Soon the cadets chased the fleeing pair.
Blood splattered on their faces.
The next day.
At dawn again, Myungsin Women's University survivors lined up.
Jang Ho-seop stepped forward.
"Today's rations will be smaller than yesterday's."
The crowd murmured.
"There was an unfortunate incident yesterday. Turns out some people were caught sneaking food!"
Jang Ho-seop said it with a smile.
My people were eating a hearty breakfast today too.
In plain view of the line.
Deliberately flaunting it.