The Kind Neighbor: "I Really Am a Conman"
In the street at dusk, with the sunset bleeding across the sky, Sa Gihyeok sat slumped in the middle of the road where the ropes had been reeled back in and the oil hastily scrubbed away. "I really am a conman," he muttered.
The people of Villa Street encircled him like spectators at a concert, watching in silence as if he'd become some rare entertainment in their monotonous apocalyptic routine. Yet an eerie quiet had settled over the street. It felt like a chapel during one of the Pastor's services. Sa Gihyeok had become the penitent sinner, pouring out his confession.
"The easiest way to make money was always that. Scamming. Deceiving well-off people and taking their cash. That's what I did. The moment the zombie outbreak hit, I saw it as an opportunity."
I observed him quietly. He possessed the instincts of a true marauder. A mind that could weaponize disaster itself into a con. His judgment of the bigger picture, however, seemed somewhat lacking. The Chairman had personally unleashed the virus, yet all this man could think up was financial fraud. If he'd been sharper, he would have glimpsed the Chairman's grand design and prepared to plunder accordingly.
Sa Gihyeok appeared to regret that realization belatedly. His head drooped, and his heavy voice spread across the ground like a shadow.
"I never imagined the world would collapse this completely. I thought it would pass like the coronavirus or a bad flu. If I'd known…."
The crowd began to whisper. Accusations against Sa Gihyeok trickled out. Is that guy actually a conman? Why the hell did he come here? How could anyone fall for his act?
At that point the old man stepped forward. The same uncle who'd been muttering "suspicious, suspicious" like he'd swallowed something rotten now fixed him with a piercing glare.
"So why did you come here? What's your real purpose? And why the hell were you pretending to be useless at work? What was your angle with all that kindness?"
Sa Gihyeok's head snapped up. He looked at the old man with wounded eyes, then appealed to the surrounding crowd.
"I was fleeing from people chasing me and stumbled here by chance. I genuinely gave every task my all. And the kindness…."
Sa Gihyeok glanced around. The Villa Street residents stared back with suspicion and hostility. The man who had brimmed with confidence even when cursed for his incompetence now trembled like a soldier stripped of his weapons.
"It was sincere. I sincerely tried to survive alongside all of you. Because I had to. Because that was the only way I could live."
His voice carried the tone of a man making his final confession.
"The virus transmission has entered a lull. Everyone's shut inside, wearing masks, disinfecting everything. Zombies and humans don't fight if their territories don't overlap. But."
What had he witnessed while wandering the streets to avoid vengeful victims? He continued in a frail voice.
"People killing people has become far more common. This can't continue. It means we'll all die. If humans keep fighting each other, the zombies will eventually overwhelm us."
His persuasive words reached their conclusion.
"To survive, we must cooperate, show consideration, and act with genuine goodwill. That's all there is to it. I truly harbored no malice."
….
Like a prisoner awaiting execution, Sa Gihyeok let his body go slack, closed his eyes, and slumped. The residents, however, wore complicated expressions—half understanding, half swayed. At the very least, their reaction wasn't outright hostile.
I clenched my fist. Now I understood. The reason Sa Gihyeok's impression had always felt so ambiguous. The reason he'd been as hard to judge as the Pastor.
A born marauder had simply put on the mask of a good man. No wonder it was confusing.
The conman had openly focused on winning favor. And this was the same man who had plundered other people's money even before the world fell apart. Having been swept into this life against my will and become a marauder myself, I couldn't help but be thrown off. Especially since Sa Gihyeok had made kindness itself his goal and dispensed it accordingly.
It had been a serious mistake.
I smirked beneath my mask.
Pastor. There's a lost lamb here. I'll guide him back to the proper path myself.
People should do what they're good at. Kindness? Cooperation? A conman should live by running cons. Sa Gihyeok had lost his way amid the zombie outbreak, and I resolved to lead the lost soul into the light.
The old man seemed to read the crowd's expressions, then slowly picked up his steel pipe.
"Go inside for now. Don't even think about running."
"…Is it all right if I stay?"
"I need to think. Wait here."
With that, the people began to disperse. Surprisingly, they made no move to drive Sa Gihyeok out. And so I followed him with the old man—the old man likely intending to interrogate him further, and I to guide him back to his true nature.
The house Sa Gihyeok entered was meticulously organized. He'd clearly done some interior work; the worn villa had been transformed into something resembling a sleek office. Seated in a chair before the table, he watched me and the old man in silence. He seemed to realize the real interrogation was about to begin.
The old man was obviously a key figure in Villa Street, and as a fellow marauder I must have given off a certain vibe. "I'll answer whatever you ask," Sa Gihyeok said. "I truly enjoyed living here. If I could just stay…."
He claimed he'd reflected deeply while working and socializing with everyone. The old man, now apparently afflicted with terminal suspicion, pulled out a notebook and gripped a ballpoint pen.
"Place of birth. Parents, relatives. Elementary school, middle school, high school, university, military service, subsequent activities. Everything. Who you associated with, what you did, where."
When I glanced over, I saw a star heavily underlined beside the note: Investigate every Villa Street resident on suspicion. He probably figured blood ties, regional connections, and school networks could all become motives for betrayal, so he meant to dig deep. His mind seemed slightly unhinged. Then again, this was the apocalypse.
The interrogation continued until the sun had set and darkness swallowed the room. Sa Gihyeok answered diligently while I remained silent. I had no interest in such questioning. Past history didn't matter—what mattered was his marauder's nature and whether he had any value to exploit. Betrayal and sabotage couldn't be prevented anyway. Better to live assuming it would happen than waste time and mental energy trying to stop it.
Eventually the interrogation wound down.
"All right, I get it."
"Then what about me?"
"Stay put. I haven't cleared you of suspicion. Try anything funny and I'll kill you on the spot."
The harsh words actually signaled that he'd passed the test. As Sa Gihyeok exhaled in relief, I stood up. My turn.
Sa Gihyeok's body went rigid. His eyes darted to my hammer—the one still crusted with dried blood. Too threatening? It might carry the zombie virus, after all. Not wanting to create unnecessary tension, I approached, patted his shoulder lightly, and spoke in a friendly tone.
"Sa Gihyeok. Don't lie to me."
"I-I'm not lying. Everything I said was true."
"No, that's not what I mean."
Had he worn the mask too long? Like how I'd fallen under the Pastor's influence and become possessed by that cult, it seemed he'd imitated a good person for so long that he'd forgotten his real self.
I met his eyes. When persuading someone, you should look them in the eye, shouldn't you?
"You don't actually have any goodwill. All that kindness was calculated, wasn't it?"
"That's not true! I genuinely, sincerely tried to fit in with everyone—"
Sa Gihyeok shouted as if deeply wronged. He resembled an actor too immersed in his role. A truly excellent conman.
I laughed in admiration.
"Genuinely? No. You chose those actions because they were beneficial. Because kindness was profitable. Because you calculated it was the best way to survive."
"That…."
His face drained of color. Whether he'd been lost in the performance or had half-believed it himself, he seemed to have glimpsed his true nature. I could never understand purely good people—their motives were incomprehensible. But this man I understood perfectly. He'd chosen kindness after calculating the benefits. Therefore Sa Gihyeok, with whom I could empathize, possessed the qualifications of a true marauder.
I patted his shoulder again, reassuring him.
"I'm not criticizing you. On the contrary, I like it. Better a man who coldly calculates long-term gains than a fool who acts on impulse."
"No, I… sincerely… my true feelings…."
True feelings? Would an originally decent person have lived by scamming others? Sa Gihyeok's essence was simple: a man who chased profit. In the apocalypse, he'd judged that good deeds brought benefits and acted accordingly, emotions be damned.
Leaving the still-acting Sa Gihyeok behind, I glanced at the old man.
"Shall we give him one job? Sa Gihyeok. Complete one task properly, and we'll accept you into Villa Street."
"…You're sending me to the apartment complex?"
The old man seemed to catch on; his eyes glinted faintly. I nodded and continued in a low whisper.
"Go there and run your scams. Create division, lure their leadership over to our side, or simply cause them damage. I'll leave the method entirely to you."
A plan with nothing to lose. Failure was acceptable. The apartment bastards were enemies anyway—things couldn't get worse. If Sa Gihyeok betrayed us? Got caught? Same result. He wasn't a key figure. At worst, we'd simply be rid of a suspicious neighbor we could never fully trust. Success, on the other hand, would give us an excellent marauder comrade while keeping our enemies in check.
"I can't. I won't. I've decided to stop doing this kind of thing."
Sa Gihyeok's head drooped. His hands shook violently. Lacking confidence? I decided to give him some.
"Sa Gihyeok. People should do what they're good at. You aren't suited for simple labor, are you? You make mistakes constantly and only cause trouble. This is how you help Villa Street—by using your actual talents."
"This isn't right. Everyone will die…."
His eyes wavered in confusion. The old man chimed in.
"If you don't do this, we'll die even sooner. You heard what happened. We clashed with the apartment group. A fight is coming. If we go in as we are, we'll lose. All the people who got along with you will die."
….
Sa Gihyeok clutched his head and groaned like a man in pain. Shadows fell across his downturned face. Then he looked up. His expression was utterly exhausted, like someone who'd just finished a desperate sprint. Beyond his cracked glasses, his heavy-lidded eyes now held a faint, cunning gleam.
"…I'll do it."
He was a man who had chosen kindness because it benefited him. If scamming offered benefits, of course he would choose that. Villa Street was a decent enough group to join.
The old man and I responded immediately.
"Of course. How could we cast out someone who risked himself for the street? Right, old man?"
"Exactly. From then on, we're family."
With that, Sa Gihyeok began to move. He rummaged through his belongings, pulled out a crisp suit, found an intact pair of glasses, and strapped on a military watch. As each piece of his outfit changed, so did his entire aura. Confidence became his clothing. Even his speech patterns grew trustworthy. His previously awkward movements now carried the distinctive momentum of a successful man.
Sa Gihyeok murmured, "Please provide detailed personal information on the apartment residents, especially my primary targets. The more specifics, the better."
"Not a problem. I've already looked into them."
The old man rattled off everything he'd gathered about the women's association president and the apartment manager. Sa Gihyeok professionally tapped notes into his phone, cross-referencing details, and began crafting his scheme. He centered it on the era's desperate hope—the kind people didn't want to suspect, like the quarantine safety zones.
I smiled with satisfaction.
Pastor, are you watching? I have guided one lost lamb back onto the right path.
A man who had been doing work unsuited to him because of the disaster had finally returned to his true profession. It was a good thing. After all, a kind neighbor who had grasped a rare hope in this apocalypse now stood before me. A good and kind neighbor who would share that hope.
Perhaps it was thanks to Sa Gihyeok's skill. Or maybe the apartment residents had grown that desperate. Either way, the kind neighbor operation succeeded brilliantly.
A few days later, Sa Gihyeok returned to Villa Street leading a group of apartment survivors. He brought them straight into the street where we had already prepared our traps and taken up ambush positions.
The sidewalks were blocked with cars, corpses, and luggage. Only the roadway remained conveniently clear. Along that road, Sa Gihyeok and the apartment group advanced cautiously. I don't know what lies he'd fed them, but their faces flickered between hope and unease.
"Director Sa. Do we really have to do this? We haven't done anything wrong. It's just that people from other neighborhoods seem to hate us…."
"You can turn back if you'd like."
Sa Gihyeok shrugged as if it made no difference to him, then glanced behind. His gaze passed over the apartment people and fixed on the road beyond—the point where the attack would begin. He needed to slip away at precisely the right moment. After all, the plan was to run them down with a vehicle. That was why we'd blocked the sidewalks.
I stood by the window, calmly waiting for the revenge drama to unfold.
It's starting.
Vroooom—!
A vehicle accelerated violently from the end of the road. Sa Gihyeok's face darkened for a split second before he swiftly climbed onto a parked car at the roadside. In an instant he was over it and gone. The others stared after him in confusion.
"Director S—"
That was the end. The vehicle slammed straight into the apartment group. A deafening crash. People flew like cartoon characters, toppling like bowling pins.
"Aaaagh!"
"What the hell kind of driving—"
Their reactions were too slow. Even those who avoided the initial impact missed their chance to escape.
"Apartment bastards! Die!"
"Kill them all!"
Residents who had been waiting throughout the villa buildings poured out with weapons, mercilessly beating the panicked survivors. A lethal surprise attack, a perfect encirclement, overwhelming numerical superiority. The apartment group was wiped out in moments.
I hurried down to the street, breathing hard as if I'd been working the whole time, and surveyed the scene. Blood flowed across the pavement. People lay with joints bent at unnatural angles, heads smashed open, bodies hacked by axes. Every one of them was from the apartment complex.
One survivor somehow lifted their head. It was the women's association president. She was searching for Sa Gihyeok.
"Director Sa… why… the diagnostic kit… safety…."
A final mental attack? An appeal to conscience meant to wound the spirit? Unfortunately it meant nothing to our capable marauder. I smashed her head several times with my hammer, then moved around the street performing confirmation kills.
When I glanced over, I saw Sa Gihyeok surrounded by Villa Street residents. His face was deathly pale. He couldn't tear his eyes from the president's corpse. Then, gradually, color returned to his face. Thanks to the encouragement pouring in from those around him.
"Sa Gihyeok, you did great. Real reliable. Thanks to you we got our revenge on these enemy bastards."
"You really come through when it counts. Must've been dangerous for you too. Good work."
"We're safe now because of you. After this many deaths, the apartment won't dare mess with us lightly."
The residents showered Sa Gihyeok with praise. Their pure joy, relief, and catharsis were unmistakable. No matter the method, they acknowledged him.
I clapped his shoulder firmly.
"See? Forget cooperation and kindness. Just do what you're good at."
Sa Gihyeok, who had been staring blankly at the Villa Street crowd, suddenly burst out laughing.
"Haha. Hahahaha."
It seemed being recognized felt good. As expected, people should do what they're good at—what matches their true nature. Murder, theft, fraud—in this world, these had become strengths. A world without prejudice where people could display their abilities freely. A world where it didn't matter what field you excelled in as long as you contributed. A world that purely acknowledged those abilities.
It was a world full of hope.