34. Everyday Life. (3)
"Phew."
As I stepped into the motel, everyone was gathered there. The President, Chief of Staff An Jun-gyu, Special Forces Captain Seong Gyu-hyuk and Seong Ga-yeon, the captains, and Sergeant Song Gyu-tae. The leaders of our group were assembled in the lobby, all staring at me.
What the hell?
President Min Jeong-woo approached me.
"You're back, Sung-hoon. You worked hard again today."
I wiped the blood trickling from my chin and said, "Got any empty rooms? I wanna wash up before heading back."
Chief of Staff An Jun-gyu spoke up. "Of course. We always have a room ready for you. But before that, could we talk for a moment?"
I tilted my head. "Sure. What's up?"
Special Forces Captain Seong Gyu-hyuk said, "We're heading to Pyeongtaek. Departure at 10 a.m. tomorrow."
I glanced at him in mild surprise. Already? Right, it'd been nearly four weeks.
SeoRae Village had grown into a sizable survivor settlement of about 200 people. Barricades ten meters high surrounded it on all sides, strong enough to fend off most zombie waves. The rescued survivors had jumped straight into reinforcing the village the moment they recovered enough not to die or get bitten.
Feeding 200 people was a real issue, but word was they were turning the Banpo Sports Complex grounds and the adjacent women's middle and high school fields into farmland. Not bad for four weeks' work.
Pyeongtaek, huh. That meant they'd cleared out the immediate area. No more survivor rescue ops.
I nodded. "10 a.m.?"
Captain Seong Gyu-hyuk nodded. "Yes. Special Forces Teams 2 and 3 will move by helicopter. Teams 4 and 5 will handle SeoRae Village defenses. We hope you'll join the Pyeongtaek op, Sung-hoon."
I smirked. "Don't even think about going without me."
Smiles spread across the faces of the President and the others.
President Min Jeong-woo said, "How could we send our men anywhere without you, Sung-hoon? You'll come with us, of course."
The Chief of Staff added, "It might take a while, though. You okay with that?"
I looked back and forth between the Chief of Staff and the captain. Time, huh.
"How long do you think?"
"Depends on how much is there."
Fair point. I nodded. "Got it. See you tomorrow, then. Gonna wash up first."
"Who knows how long it'll take?"
Su-hyeon frowned, her expression sourer than anyone else's among the group lounging on the rooftop.
"Yeah. Could be a few days... or longer."
"Ugh, come on!"
She hated being apart from me—even my daily commutes bugged her. But aside from Su-hyeon, everyone else—especially the guys—were grinning ear to ear.
"Sweep up everything you can, Sung-hoon. Turn this place into an impenetrable fortress."
"Machine guns would be nice."
"G-grenades too, teacher."
Hmm. Great minds.
I grinned. "I was thinking landmines, but machine guns work too. We'll grab everything we can carry."
"Ooh, landmines!"
The guys' faces lit up. Telepathy achieved.
The women, meanwhile, looked lost trying to follow our talk. I said, "To keep living like this, we need weapons to protect ourselves. Serious firepower to punch through another zombie wave like before."
I scanned the rooftop. Fresh sprouts were already poking up from the rooftop garden, green and vibrant. I smiled.
"It's been over two months since the world went to shit. To survive from here on, we'll need a lot. The President talked about electricity and water. That's what we need to live."
I looked at the group—especially Su-hyeon. "I'll be heading out a lot. But I'll always come back, so don't worry. Just focus on keeping this daily life going. The situation's hopeless enough—don't let your hearts give up too. Let's keep pushing."
"Right on!"
Jun-hyeok started clapping, and soon everyone joined in.
Damn, did I just give a speech?
The next morning, I slung on a backpack stuffed with bottled water, energy bars, and chocolate, then left the building amid the first-floor group's send-off. I hopped on my bike and pedaled to SeoRae Village.
SeoRae Village. A Special Forces soldier on barricade watch lowered a ladder for me. I climbed up and asked, "Everyone ready?"
"President's giving some speech right now. We're all set."
Speech, huh. Figures—he's the President; better at it than me.
"Helicopter ride—zombie wave precautions in place?"
The soldier grinned and pointed to the motel rooftop. Another Special Forces guy stood guard with his rifle.
"Troops on all key buildings. Civilians with military experience volunteered for building defense. We've prepped as best we can."
"Good."
Hope it's enough.
I descended the ladder and walked to the motel. Special Forces were lined up out front, facing the President and civilians seeing them off.
"I have no doubt about your bravery. But remember this: the mission's success matters less than each of your lives. You're what's precious to us."
Unexpected. I'd figured a presidential speech would be more "go fight and die for glory!"
The President continued, "Look, Sung-hoon is here. Our brave hero, Han Sung-hoon."
The crowd spotted me and burst into applause. I smirked and walked to join the Special Forces line.
"Sung-hoon's with us now, but above all, you all—never forget. What guards our daily lives isn't the weapons in your hands, but each of your lives. Don't get hurt. Don't die. Come back alive. You must come back alive."
The President spread his arms slightly. "You all know this. I lost my wife. My children too. All I have left is you. Every one of you survivors—you're my family now."
He turned to the Special Forces and the people behind them, voice firm. "We are family. Never forget that."
A hush fell. Guy's a political vet—knows how to work a crowd.
The President stepped forward, shaking hands with the Special Forces one by one. Each returned a nod. Seong Gyu-hyuk and Seong Ga-yeon shook his hand too, with light nods. Salutes might've fit better, but they skipped the formalities. Who knows what they talked about while I was gone.
He reached me. "Sung-hoon. Please come back alive. We need you."
He gripped my hand. This old man's got warm hands.
I nodded. "Got it."
He leaned in, whispering, "And if you can, look after our men too."
As he pulled back, I gave a light nod instead of words.
Having shaken everyone's hand, the President returned to his spot. Captain Seong Gyu-hyuk bellowed, "Attention! Salute the President."
Snap! Footsteps rang out in unison. Hands flew to brows.
The President saluted back. When he lowered his, they did too.
I watched, hand on my sword hilt. So that's what it's like. Pretty cool.
I'm no soldier, never wanna be. These folks are their own force. Even for the President, no salute from me. Still, ceremonies like this? Damn impressive.
The team turned and marched toward the barricade.
"Come back safe!"
A young woman waved at one Special Forces soldier, wiping her eyes. Guess he'd hooked up with some woman I'd rescued without me knowing. A handsome one turned back with a wave.
Like families seeing off men to war.
Yeah. That's exactly where we were headed.
We crossed the barricade toward Floating Light Island. Seong Ga-yeon lagged behind, falling in beside me.
"Left a will for the family?"
"A will?"
She grinned at my echo. "We all did."
For real?
I eyed the Special Forces ahead. Silent, just showing their backs to the crowd.
Seong Ga-yeon said, "No doctors or hospitals anymore. One bite and you're done. Least we can do is leave a will. Might not come back."
Never crossed my mind. I'm immune to evil, can wipe out most threats solo—no fear. But these guys? One scratch and it's over. That's why they were going.
The President's speech. His request to me. The wills. They were all walking in prepared to die.
That's why it felt like a war send-off.
Been solo-slaughtering so long, forgot how it hits others.
I turned to Seong Ga-yeon. "What'd you write?"
She smirked, shrugging. "Nothing much to say, so I just rambled."
"Rambled?"
"Yeah."
Grinning, she said, "If I get reborn, I'll fuck all the guys I want, date my ass off, and never do military service. Ended with, 'Fuck, I'm dead, you bastards! Screw you all!'"
I wasn't the only one chuckling. Even the Special Forces ahead shook with stifled laughs.
Too good to die.
Alright. President's favor. Time to try hard.
We climbed the ladder on Floating Light Island, boarded the helicopter. Park Dae-wi and Kim Dae-wi, waiting inside, turned to us.
"Everyone set?"
The captain scanned us and me, then nodded to Park Dae-wi.
"Earplugs in that box. It'll be loud."
He worked the controls. Whirr—the engine revved.
"Taking off."
The roar built steadily, like cannon fire. Orange earplugs piled in the back box. We plugged in and peered out the windows.
The chopper lifted. The landscape slowly dropped below.