Riverside Brawls
White clouds drifted peacefully across the lofty sky.
It was autumn, that season of idle bliss when the sky stretched endlessly high and horses grew fat.
Dragonflies, unseen for who knows how long, swarmed in flocks through the air.
Yet the vista of Seoul sprawling below was anything but peaceful.
Reality hadn't changed a bit.
As the seasons raced toward fall, quite a bit of rain had fallen.
But the bloodstains on the streets had hardened even more stubbornly than before.
They should have washed away by now.
Along the riverside stretching all the way to the grand bridge, crowds milled about outside the safe zone's walls.
Familiar faces stood out among them.
The tattoo crew, gathered around benches encircling a tree.
Ever since Lee Beom-sik had headed off to the barracks, they'd been run ragged alongside other laborers, filling in the space under the bridge.
All to prevent any chance of infected slipping through the gaps.
No work orders had come down for a while after that.
So from the moment they opened their eyes each morning, this listless wasting of time was all there was.
Yong Tattoo, the dragon coiled around his body, lowered his gaze from the sky.
Most of the people passing by now were total strangers.
Before the expansion, they'd staked out the vibe early, making it comfortable. But the riverside was different.
With work zones shuffling randomly, they had to hole up amid complete unknowns.
Still, sticking together like this kept anyone from messing with them.
"Haa..."
"What's up, bro?"
As Yong Tattoo let out a deep sigh, the Youngest (Carp Tattoo) who'd overheard asked with concern.
The youngest had a carp wrapped around his body in ink.
"How long we gotta live this bullshit?"
"Tell me about it, bro."
The novelty of water gushing from the sinks had lasted mere days. Dunking in the river to cool off when it got hot? A day or two at most.
Everything was wearing thin.
And it wasn't just them feeling it.
The folks wandering nearby all harbored the same thoughts.
At first, they'd gathered in the safe zone purely for survival.
Then they'd thrown themselves into repairing the outer walls to protect against the infected.
Things hadn't improved dramatically even now, but back then the conditions had been brutal.
At least these days they could drink water whenever they wanted, even wash up.
And so summer passed.
Over those few weeks, people had naturally paired off or formed groups.
It was only natural.
With the boundary zone's population nearing tens of thousands, going solo amid that crowd was dangerous in every sense.
As the area expanded, soldier patrols grew less frequent and stretched farther out.
Even with Han Jaejeong and Kang Youngman roaming around, they couldn't monitor every corner.
One person vanishing wouldn't even raise an eyebrow.
Nighttime was the riskiest for exactly that reason.
There were plenty of good folks, but just as many who weren't.
In the end, people started banding together.
Love even bloomed in the harsh conditions, and larger groups of ten or more cropped up too.
Most were slowly adapting to life here.
Of course, once the safe zone expanded further and work zones shifted again, they'd be split up anew.
Which explained the moans leaking from tents here and there every night, robbing everyone of sleep.
Yong Tattoo, the eldest, felt like he was going insane.
Just last night, lewd groans had echoed from all directions, keeping him up.
The others had probably suffered the same.
But among them, Yong Tattoo's hormones reacted with especially fierce, acute intensity.
That's when he spotted a woman standing near a nearby tree.
And damn, she was the prettiest one he'd seen since arriving in the safe zone.
Wait, but that face... seen it somewhere? Nah?
Yong Tattoo swallowed dryly without thinking.
Wherever he'd seen her or not, what did it matter?
A knockout like that was right in front of him.
He meticulously wiped his face with his hands, then cupped his mouth to check his breath.
Thanks to brushing on time, no halitosis.
Perfect.
He was gesturing to his brothers and starting to stand when a thick black arm snaked around the woman's waist.
Yong Tattoo's face crumpled like paper.
Soon, a short, pudgy guy passed by arm-in-arm with her, all cozy.
Of course, he wasn't the only one eyeing her.
Most folks nearby were staring too.
Yong Tattoo glared at the guy like he was shooting lasers from his eyes.
The two men locked eyes by chance, neither looking away.
Soon the guy approached.
Yong Tattoo thought this could be fun.
With nothing to do and boredom killing him, the guy coming over first was a godsend.
The harsher survival got, the more raw power ruled everything.
And this safe zone? The perfect place for might-makes-right.
Yong Tattoo looked up at the guy with a relaxed expression.
His fellow tattooed brother, Second (Goblin Tattoo), and the Youngest (Carp Tattoo) eyed him too.
He looked like a total pushover, not even worth reacting to.
A cute little potbelly sticking out.
"What're you staring at?"
Maybe because of the woman, the guy's glare and tone ratcheted up the tension.
Just the vibe the tattoos loved.
"Your girl's too pretty. Hey, don't we know each other from somewhere?"
Yong Tattoo pointed at her with an awkward grin.
The woman dodged answering, swallowing tensely with a stiff face.
She kept tugging the guy's clothes, signaling to leave.
Like they had to bolt right now.
But the guy couldn't just walk away.
One more line, that's all.
"Staring like that doesn't look good. Be careful."
"But this fucking..."
The watching Youngest loomed forward on his long legs toward the guy.
Yet the guy didn't flinch a bit.
Yong Tattoo wasn't offended by the attitude; he just laughed back.
"Can't be careful? Just go quietly?"
He should've stopped there like Yong Tattoo said.
But as the guy turned away with the woman, he tossed one more.
Thinking the attitude was a diss, delivered with a mocking laugh of his own.
"Punk-ass thugs."
How many steps had the guy and woman taken?
"Hey."
Thud. Thud.
The guy turned—and slammed face-first into the dirt.
Yong Tattoo had closed in instantly and thrown a punch.
Dust billowed as the fallen guy struggled to rise.
"Oppa! You okay? Why'd you hit him?"
"Get up. I went easy."
Ignoring the woman, Yong Tattoo ground down on the guy's ankle.
Aware of eyes on them, Second and the Youngest swiftly encircled the area.
"Grrgh..."
As the guy clutched his crushed ankle in agony, Yong Tattoo hawked up a thick glob of spit.
Splat!
The guy, wretched, smeared his face in the dirt to wipe off the dripping phlegm.
"Weak-ass punk fronting in front of a girl. You'll die ugly like that. Know it? Ugh, those eyes really piss me off."
"Pluck 'em out, bro?"
Despite the threats, the guy kept glaring murderously at Yong Tattoo.
He had to have some backup to act this bold.
"Nah, whatever. Boring. Hey, miss. Watch your step at night. Hanging with a wimp like this—if someone jumps you, what then? Everyone saw how weak he is. Gonna be risky tonight."
The woman trembled in fear but tried ignoring him.
"Any trouble, find me. Can't promise much, but protection? Solid."
"Me too."
"Oppa too."
Second and the Youngest chimed in as they followed Yong Tattoo turning away.
The dirt-caked guy could only stagger up with the woman's help.
The curses came out of nowhere, long after, as dusk settled and the surroundings dimmed.
The tattoos were washing up at the sinks, watching the setting sun, when the insults slammed into the backs of their heads.
"Hey, you dog shits. Hogging the sinks for a group grope?"
At the voice, Yong Tattoo and the crew all whipped around.
A group stood on the hillside by the road.
About ten strong, centered on a hulking brute.
The guy and woman from earlier were there too.
Situation clear.
Yong Tattoo shook off the water and lit his last cigarette, eyeing them.
"Brought a crowd. Baseball game?"
"You? The punk who fucked with my bro?"
The big guy stormed down, declaring it.
"Yeah. Probably? What, hogged all the food solo to get that big? Feed your bro too, selfish prick."
"Local-spitting delinquent shit..."
Crack!
Right in Yong Tattoo's face, the guy who'd closed in unleashed a punch.
His head snapped around with a loud smack, but the surprised one was the big guy.
Real power should've sent him flying, yet Yong Tattoo stood firm, feet planted wide, unmoved.
"No regrets."
With that, Yong Tattoo, Second, and the Youngest charged as one.
The guy's crew rushed down too, turning it into a muddy brawl.
"No need for a separate wall along the riverside. It's a high-traffic stretch with sinks anyway."
The Work Leader was eagerly explaining to the Park Yi-hyun-seok trailing behind.
Listening, Park Yi-hyun-seok adjusted his glasses and asked,
"I see. And the walls by the bridge from the work—holding up well?"
"Of course, sir. While you're here, let's take another look around. I inspect multiple times a day myself."
The Work Leader said confidently.
This was Park Yi-hyun-seok's first visit since repairs finished.
To check post-work maintenance.
From the Work Leader's view, he had to show results, no matter what.
The man called "Doctor" was utterly pitiless, bloodless and tearless.
He tolerated no mistakes, however small.
The previous Work Leader had vanished somewhere after repeated slip-ups, just days later.
No one knew where to this day.
That's what made him so terrifying.
One word from Park Yi-hyun-seok, one glance, and everything changed.
So the Work Leader kept his posture rigid and tense throughout the explanation.
That's when, walking along the existing wall before turning toward the river,
The Work Leader, about to comment on the sinks, suddenly choked up.
Tattooed goons wrapped head to toe were facing off against some guy.
And then it happened right after.
Crack!
The massive brute squared off against the lead Yong Tattoo—and punched him square in the face.
That sparked it: the men on the road tangled with the tattoo crew in the park.
The Work Leader's gaze flicked to Park Yi-hyun-seok, who watched the chaos with narrowed eyes.
Park Yi-hyun-seok rarely showed expression.
Seeing his facial muscles twitch ever so slightly, the Work Leader swallowed hard.
This way...
No good.
Those fuckers again.
Not the first or second time—he'd lost count.
Park Yi-hyun-seok finally spoke.
"As the safe zone grows, management must be a challenge. Can't go chasing every troublemaker daily."
"I-I'll grab and thrash them right now. Sorry, we educate and manage, but..."
"Thrash? Who do you mean?"
Park Yi-hyun-seok's brow twisted; the Work Leader's chest burned.
"I-I mean, we'll do our utmost to prevent any recurrence."
"Didn't you say that last time?"
"But..."
"I'll come back later."
The Work Leader was speechless.
Like a knife at his throat, fear and rage left him trembling.
Infected People