Veteran Newbie (5)
Ju Kang-rim let out a hollow smile. It looked like he'd really pulled it off. From here on out, the choice was his.
But still, he couldn't bring himself to leave. All the effort he'd put in so far was too precious to waste—he had to catch that bastard.
I'm gonna end up dead at this rate.
Ju Kang-rim gave a wry smile. He was staking his last life on this fight, and here came the nagging.
But Yeomra's reply was unexpectedly straightforward.
Ju Kang-rim figured it meant catch the guy and go, but messages kept pouring in from Yeomra—dripping with mockery.
Yeomra's words were blunt, but hard to swallow. What kills a person? Everyone's born the same, but death comes in endless varieties—tripping on a roadside rock, vaporized in a nuke's flames. People die in all sorts of ways.
Yeomra was saying what came next.
Who do you think could kill you?
Ju Kang-rim had already experienced the afterlife. And now, as one of its members, he'd contracted to hunt those who defied death. Death wasn't some scary foe to flee from—it was his ally, his friend, his tool.
So what he had to do was clear.
Staring down the enhanced zombie, Ju Kang-rim said, "Gonna have to kill you before I go. Got some time now."
Regretting the time he'd wasted, he strode toward the enhanced zombie. It sensed him and immediately assumed a stance.
Bam.
Ju Kang-rim barely dodged the charging beast, pressing against the wall. The enhanced zombie loomed right in front of him. It swung its stump of an arm to smash him.
But in that instant, Ju Kang-rim shoved his fist straight into its mouth.
Crunch.
The agony of its teeth tearing in was nauseating. Grimacing, Ju Kang-rim didn't pull back. Instead, he grabbed its tongue tight.
Then he slammed the zombie's head to the floor and raised his hand axe with his free hand.
It probably never understood what hit it.
Thud.
Ju Kang-rim's hand axe cleaved into the enhanced zombie's neck. It thrashed wildly but couldn't shake him—his hand was buried deep inside. Clinging on, he hacked away madly.
Thump, bam.
The zombie's frenzy battered him around, but before the tenth strike, its head finally came off.
Thud, rumble...
Ju Kang-rim exhaled heavily and tossed the severed head aside. His Saingeom was absorbing the black core.
His bitten forearm was a shredded rag, but still attached. Thanks to the zombie plague, it was already turning dark blue.
Hmm, normal folks would drop dead on the spot from this.
Suddenly, dizziness hit. His body collapsed limply.
"Ju Kang-rim."
He felt a hand prodding him. His whole body ached with exhaustion—he had zero desire to get up. If it was rescuers, they could just haul him out.
But the hand persisted. "Ju Kang-rim."
Suddenly, he recognized the voice. It felt like ages ago, but it was the moon-duty grim reaper he'd met under the Samdo River bridge—Yoo Wol-ryeong.
She whispered sharply in his ear, "Call me one more time, and your soul gets dragged out. I know you're awake—get up."
"...Yeah."
Ju Kang-rim barely opened his eyes. Yoo Wol-ryeong stood before him, still in her suit, dark circles heavy under her eyes. But her ghostly pallor was gone, replaced by a hint of life.
"Is that guy okay?" someone asked from behind her. A crossbow-and-hand-axe wielder—zombie hunter, by the look.
Non-combat agents followed, cleaning up the mess.
Yoo Wol-ryeong glanced at Ju Kang-rim's left arm. The zombie plague marks were gone, but the bite scar remained vivid.
"Yes. No issues."
She touched the bite with a finger. Skin knit over it smoothly—but the pain lingered, suggesting she'd covered it, not healed it.
"You took out all these zombies alone... and no bites?" The hunter sounded skeptical, but Yoo Wol-ryeong nodded.
He hesitated. "Look, not doubting you, but protocol requires a check."
"Do as you must."
The hunter sent agents to inspect Ju Kang-rim. They poked and prodded, soon murmuring in awe.
"Damn, killed all those zombies, covered in blood, and not a scratch?"
Huh?
Ju Kang-rim checked himself, puzzled. No wounds anywhere. The enhanced zombie bite ached faintly, but thanks to Yoo Wol-ryeong, it was invisible.
Even when they touched his left arm, they found nothing.
"Uh, thanks. Can we evac now? Or more business?"
Yoo Wol-ryeong tapped her phone instead. A ding—notifying the hunter's.
His face lit up. "Quick payment—thanks. Mission done. Cleanup's on us."
"Y-yeah, got it. Call us again."
Seemed she'd hired them to get here. Stumbling up, Ju Kang-rim grabbed her arm.
He muttered hoarsely, "Guess I'm immune to the zombie plague after all."
"No—it's that it can't kill your flesh."
Same difference, right? He pondered the distinction, but Yoo Wol-ryeong didn't elaborate. The hunter was walking with them now, eyeing Ju Kang-rim curiously.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"...Ju Kang-rim."
"From another zombie hunting firm or PMC? You look young—how'd you get so damn good?"
Ju Kang-rim mulled his resume. Zombie hunting CEO, last resistance colonel, technically PMC too. Impressive on paper, but now just a high-school dropout bum. Good eye or bad luck from Lee Tae-hu?
"No affiliation yet..."
"Ah! Knew it—raw talent. If you're free and not sick of this shit, hit me up?"
Lee Tae-hu slipped a business card into Ju Kang-rim's pocket. But Yoo Wol-ryeong fished it out and flicked it at him.
"Ju Kang-rim's with our company. Hands off."
"..."
Lee Tae-hu blinked, then nodded hastily.
Ju Kang-rim wondered what cover Yoo Wol-ryeong used here. As a grim reaper with a body, she could've handled it solo.
Some other underworld law, probably.
As they exited, a private ambulance waited. Nurse Han Min-ah, pacing anxiously, spotted him and rushed over.
"Ju Kang-rim! Thank God you're safe! Everyone's thanks to you..."
She grabbed his hand to check him, but Yoo Wol-ryeong blocked sharply. Instead, she pressed his head and shoved him into the ambulance.
"Sorry, he's in emergency evac. Got a card?"
"Uh? Oh, yeah."
Han Min-ah fumbled one out, dazed. Yoo Wol-ryeong glanced and continued.
"We'll call later—talk then, Han Min-ah."
Emergency evac? Baffled, Ju Kang-rim obeyed and climbed in. Han Min-ah stared blankly as the doors shut.
The ambulance sped off immediately.
Inside the ambulance, Ju Kang-rim eyed his left arm cautiously.
"Seems fine... it bad?"
"No. That nurse has sharp instincts—might spot the disguise skin on your arm. Had to block her."
"Fake skin... not healed, huh."
"Flesh damage heals fast anyway. Or replace it. Either way, good to have hospital contacts— we'll reach out to Han Min-ah later."
Silence fell, broken only by the siren. Ju Kang-rim glanced uncomfortably at Yoo Wol-ryeong—she stared unblinkingly, like a security cam.
"Something to say?"
"You took down that enhanced zombie at the end."
"Yeah. Problem? Got bit by a zombie?"
"No. You did well."
She praised flatly. "Even knowing you can't die easily, instincts are hard to beat. But you passed that hurdle unscathed."
"Hurdle?"
"You'll understand: flesh is just clothes now. Your soul rules and owns it."
"Starting to lose me."
"You'll learn it with your body."
Gonna suck.
But post-apocalypse survivor Ju Kang-rim wasn't fazed by "hardship." Then it hit him—Yoo Wol-ryeong had seen that era too.
She kept staring.
"...Why the look? Proud?"
"If it's not rude—why'd you take it down?"
Reason for the enhanced zombie? "Put in that much work, had to finish it."
"Yeomra's message meant patients escaped—time to withdraw. It was trapped underground, no threat."
"Well, actually testing my limits..."
"No."
"Wanted the reward."
He admitted sheepishly. Hadn't checked the payout yet.
"No."
"No?"
"You had a reason to cling to it. Ignored the others, but couldn't leave that one."
Ju Kang-rim blinked. He'd tried leaving it multiple times. But yeah, he'd always found excuses to fight. Yeomra's texts were "go," not "die."
No real reason to risk it.
Then it clicked.
He realized why he couldn't let it go.
"Couldn't leave it be."
In his memories, that enhanced zombie escaped the hospital and slaughtered a family of four nearby. Gates like Bukhansan claimed countless lives, but this stuck because it was his hospital.
Killing it nipped that future in the bud.
Yoo Wol-ryeong finally nodded. "Thanks for the honesty."
Was it? Felt like she'd grilled him till he gave the "right" answer.
"...What're you fishing for?"
He asked what conclusion she'd drawn.
But she shook her head. "Not fishing."
"Huh?"
"Wanted to make sure you weren't lying to yourself."