Chapter 43
Chapter 43
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Faction Currents. (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I shrugged and said,
"Who knows? I'm no doctor. Their faces were pretty banged up, though."
The old lady hung her head low and rocked back and forth.
Guilt was pouring out of her body language.
Her eyebrows and the corners of her mouth were drooping. She looked utterly heartbroken, too upset to even speak.
She must've been one of those nagging for food, too.
She seemed like a weak-willed type, and probably got swept up in the escalating mood as everyone chimed in one after another.
...Tch.
She's not talking, and what am I, a shrink?
Might as well check YouTube.
See how the world's changed.
"...Those people... they're not... dead... right...?"
...Jesus.
"Sorry? Then go downstairs and apologize."
I scanned the old lady up and down.
It was a harsh glare.
Can't be helped—passive types like her make my chest tighten up like I've got indigestion.
What does she expect me to do?
Does she think burying her head and rocking back and forth will magically fix everything?
Should I have just let her kill herself?
Fuck.
Her pathetic display soured my mood, so I set my phone down.
"What do you want? Gonna off yourself? Fine, I'll drag you out there. This place is for people who wanna live. Those bastards outside are itching to rip people apart, and we don't have the luxury to babysit suicides. Got it?"
Hiss.
I lit another cigarette.
"I only brought you up here 'cause you seemed like the sanest one in that pack. Not to coddle you or play therapist."
Frustrating as hell.
I stood up, opened the door, and stepped out.
"If you're gonna die, do it outside. Not in my room. Too much hassle to clean up."
Slam.
I shut the door.
Fuck, just try killing yourself in my room.
Watching her alone like that already made my gut churn. No husband in sight either—probably drove him nuts and ended up solo.
Try talking to her, and she won't even communicate. Fuck.
Ah, nice sunlight.
Lifts the mood.
"Phew—"
Cigarette smoke hits the spot.
Streets are empty.
No survivor groups in sight.
I could relax, tidy up one house, then move people there.
......Hold up.
I looked up and gazed down the street.
Beyond the row of low-rise houses.
Across an eight-lane road, tall buildings lined up.
To the right, along the street.
There, a building so tall it blocked the view of the ones across from it.
A big-box mart.
First and second floors were the store, third probably offices—but likely doubled as warehouse space.
No reason to use a whole floor for offices.
That means supplies stacked across all three floors.
Not just food—appliances, bathroom stuff, clothes, bedding, tools, hardware. Everything.
The ultimate survival jackpot.
And it's gotta be at least ten stories high.
...Not bad...
At all.
"Hmm..."
Survival jackpot.
Tall building to boot.
If we tap every floor's resources...
And even better.
That jackpot building.
The only one who can claim it—ownerless as it is—is me.
No one else can get near it.
Step one foot out, and you'd be swarmed by human beasts, turned into chow.
Or join the horde.
No living soul can approach that place.
Just me.
I took a long drag on my cigarette and exhaled slowly.
"...Not a bad idea."
Time to call a meeting.
Splitting into two houses makes it tough to protect if those survivors barge in.
And if human beasts show up here while we're split, we're done the second food runs low.
So, use it as a short-term base for a few days. That's the play.
Big mart.
The mart's the answer.
...Alright.
I was grinning contentedly around my cigarette when I heard footsteps beside me.
It was the old lady.
She stood behind me, head bowed.
"Heading out?"
The old lady spoke.
"...Before I go... I want to apologize... to those people."
...Hmm.
Been out here a while?
Oh yeah, stomach's rumbling now.
Lost track of time thinking, and it's lunchtime.
Looks like she did some thinking inside too.
"Got it. Let's head down."
I went downstairs and knocked on Su-hyun's door.
Jeong Eun-seo opened it.
"Yes... Oh, Seong-hun."
Jeong Eun-seo glanced at the old lady with her head down beside me, then ignored her.
Her stomach must be in knots.
Peeking inside, I saw six legs sticking out from beds.
Groans of pain echoed too.
"How're they doing?"
Jeong Eun-seo sighed heavily, her face grim.
"Bad. Eyelid's torn, bruises all over. Seong-hun, you know how to stitch wounds?"
...Ugh.
I shook my head.
Then the old lady lifted her head.
"...I can..."
...Huh?
This old lady can handle wounds?
Jeong Eun-seo eyed her.
Not kindly.
"How can I trust you with her? After we ran around so hard trying to—"
She clamped her mouth shut, emotions boiling over.
The old lady bowed her head, then bent at the waist.
"...I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. We're not helping anymore, so just know that."
...Hmm.
Jeong Eun-seo was pissed.
The old lady felt sorry, even though she didn't hit them herself.
And me? Don't give a damn.
I asked the old lady,
"Can you suture a torn eyelid?"
She still wouldn't meet our eyes, head down as she replied.
"...Yes. I was... a nurse when I was young."
Oh.
A nurse?
Old lady's got skills.
I glanced at Jeong Eun-seo.
What do you think?
She glared back.
Fuck off!
I shook my head.
Give her a break.
Jeong Eun-seo shook her head.
Get lost, asshole.
...We were gesturing back and forth, guessing meanings, but better to just say it.
"Leave it untreated, it might get infected. Lose an eyeball? She's a nurse. Save the people first. Huh?"
Someone inside overheard and called out.
"Who's the nurse?"
Jeong Eun-seo's face fell.
I nodded at the old lady.
"She didn't hit them. She's offering help. Those guys are dying in pain."
Jeong Eun-seo rolled her eyes, looked up, and sighed deeply.
Good.
I grinned and gave the old lady a light push on the back.
"Go on in. Take good care of the guys."
She bowed to me and entered.
Jeong Eun-seo shot me one last fierce glare before closing the door.
And I? Amused as hell.
Oh yeah.
Sticking uncomfortable people in one room together.
World's a riot.
Chucking to myself as I climbed the stairs, a thought hit me.
Wait.
...Don't we just get a healer in the party?
Granny Nurse Healer!
Hmm...
Not bad?
Lost in silly thoughts, I reached the main house, where delicious smells wafted out.
...Smells like jjajangmyeon?
I opened the door.
"Whoa, smells good."
Definitely jjajangmyeon.
Ye-eun and Su-hyun cooking in the kitchen, So-eun holding out a spoon for a taste—all turned to me.
"Oh, oppa."
They'd boiled a whole pot of it.
Makes sense—mouths to feed jumped from seven to fourteen.
Can't starve the old lady either.
Everyone eats together.
Fourteen...
Food per meal's gonna be massive.
I grinned.
"Starving."
Su-hyun smiled.
"It's done. Just wait a sec."
Yes!
Lunch is jjajangmyeon today!
A bit after lunch, I called everyone to the rooftop for a meeting.
The first-floor folks said it'd take time—fair enough.
Hoon's family had to feed the baby, Su-hyun's room had patients to tend. Would take a while.
The house grandma, Ye-eun, So-eun, and my ambiguous fuckbuddy-maybe-girlfriend Su-hyun sat around on the roof, chattering away. I listened from the side.
Grandma seemed pretty happy.
Probably hadn't seen sunlight in ages.
TV's dead now too—stuck inside must suck.
About an hour later, Hoon's couple, the new women, and nurse granny all climbed up.
...Whoa...
Eleven.
Plus three downed guys below makes fourteen.
Baby's fifteen.
...A ton.
Beats me how I ended up leading this mob.
All I did was kill shit.
Anyway.
I flicked my cigarette into the street and grinned.
"Jjajang was good, right? Ye-eun's cooking is killer. Su-hyun too."
I gave Su-hyun a thumbs-up.
But she frowned, glaring—'cause I said Ye-eun first?
Practically my girlfriend.
I smirked.
"Got something important. That's why I called you all."
"What."
Su-hyun said curtly.
Jealous? Cute.
I smiled.
"Mart's tapped out. That's the issue."
Everyone's eyes shifted.
We hadn't breathed a word about it at lunch.
Topic they wanted to dodge.
I continued.
"We stockpiled some at home, but it's not enough. You know that. To keep living, we need food, TP, diapers."
Their gazes locked on me.
Focused.
Survival talk—natural.
I turned and pointed at the tall building.
"That big mart. Everything we want's there. Food in abundance, essentials, tools, materials. All of it."
Eyes turned to the mart.
I waited for them to look back.
"Let's move there."
Eyes widened.
Gasps rose.
Grandma especially shocked.
"Why leave our houses for that, young man?"
I smiled.
"It's better. Look—wide, sturdy, everything we need. Safer and richer than here."
I glanced at the roof.
"...Could farm up there. Collect rainwater easy."
Their expressions shifted bit by bit.
Even Grandma's eyes wavered at "farm."
Can't hide shaky eyes behind a frown.
Farming beats rotting in a corner.
For her, anyway.
Nurse granny listened intently too.
Still awkward in the corner, but eyes stayed on me.
Faces lit with faint hope.
Just a little.
...Nice.
...Makes me wonder.
These people before me have a glimmer of hope in their eyes, faint smiles.
...What's the vibe like in other survivor groups?
Shit, obviously.
Fucking idiots.