Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: 27-Year-Old Busty Office Worker Shin Yuri
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Thwack!
"Ugh!!"
"Eh?!"
It was an unexpected attack that caught me off guard, but my hand shot out on instinct, blocking the stick hurtling toward me.
My hand stung a little, but it didn't seem injured.
I was already reaping the benefits of investing those points in my stats.
The old me wouldn't have even reacted in time, and even if I had blocked it, I'd have ended up with a nasty bruise for sure.
'Who attacks out of nowhere like that... Scared the hell out of me.'
I stared past the wooden stick frozen right in front of my face at the culprit who had swung it at me.
Neatly trimmed brown bob haircut.
Clear eyes that shone somewhere between light brown and yellow.
A cute face with refined features and a straight, perky nose.
She was wearing an oversized white T-shirt with no bottoms in sight, which only amplified the overwhelming presence of her massive chest.
This angelic girl with a face that made my own heat up just looking at her was gazing at me in shock.
'Wow... damn. How is this woman Korean? Breasts that jiggle with every breath... Living next door to tits like—no, a woman like this? I might actually be blessed.'
Her chest kept drawing my eyes like a magnet, but honestly, she looked like a living hentai no matter where I looked.
Soft arms, a slender waist, plump childbearing hips, and smooth, supple-looking legs.
She was that kind of woman—sexy and irresistibly hot.
'Though I'm the real impressive one for never noticing a woman like this living upstairs...'
Well, until just a few hours ago, I'd been living by the realization that "life is best alone," so it made sense.
Her looks hadn't registered because I'd holed up at home, only catching glimpses of her heading to work through the window now and then. This was the first time seeing her up close.
Maybe because we were so near, the faint, intoxicating feminine scent wafting from her stirred my instincts even more.
Snapping back to reality, I locked eyes with her. She still had her eyes wide open.
She seemed just as flustered by the sudden turn of events.
Her grip had loosened, and somehow the wooden stick was now in my hand.
I flung it behind me with a flick and glared at her, forcing my gaze up from where it wanted to drift lower.
"Uh... uh... um..."
"Sigh... Can I come in first?"
I swallowed the flood of words bubbling up—some angry, some otherwise—and spoke to the stammering, flustered woman.
Even to me, my voice sounded cold.
But as the one who'd been attacked, I couldn't muster anything softer.
Even if she was pretty and walked erotica, that was one thing—this was another.
Besides, asserting dominance right from the first meeting made things easier down the line.
Luckily, she'd handed me the perfect justification on a platter. Time to make good use of it.
"Y-Yes... Come in..."
Trembling in her eyes—whether from fear of my tone or guilt—she let me into her home.
She knew she'd messed up.
At least she didn't seem like the rude type. Good sign.
Satisfied with the response I'd hoped for, I smirked inwardly and followed her lead, stepping inside with ease.
Of course, I left the machete by the entryway.
No need to spook her and complicate things, so I disarmed myself.
She led the way, her limbs tense and body hunched in nervousness.
Her hips and chest bounced with every step, stealing my gaze, but since I was behind her, I didn't bother hiding it.
The place she showed me into was surprisingly clean... no, spotless.
My first impression upon entering was of a cozy, neatly decorated home.
The standout feature? It was overwhelmingly pink.
Cute interior with whites and pinks popping everywhere.
"P-Please, come in..."
She turned to say it, and her chest moved with a visible boing, sending my heart racing.
'Whew... Calm down, Jin Yuseong.'
It was temptation too much for any man to bear.
The urge to just take her by force right then flickered in my mind.
In this lawless apocalypse, my desires surged without brakes.
But I held back.
My reason was still that of a civilized man—not quite beastly yet.
'I don't wanna turn into some animal...'
For now, securing safety was the goal, so I pushed other thoughts aside.
Following her lead, I sat across from her at the low table in the living room center.
She sat demurely, fidgeting with a hint of fear, while I remained stone-faced and still.
Her white boxy tee and black dolphin shorts made her look like living porn, so I carved the character for "endure" into my mind once more.
"Shall we start with introductions? I'm Jin Yuseong, 21 years old. I live downstairs, so you might've seen me passing by."
"Ah...! Y-Yes! I'm Shin Yuri... 27 years old... I remember you! I've seen you coming back from the convenience store a few times... from afar, though..."
"..."
"..."
The silence stretched after that.
Couldn't be helped.
I wasn't good at conversation.
Don't expect much from a natural-born voluntary loner.
Thankfully, her soft, hesitant voice—Shin Yuri's—broke it before long.
"Um... Sorry about earlier... I thought you were one of those monsters outside for sure..."
"Eh, don't worry about it. I didn't get hurt, and honestly, I'd have done the same."
I played it understanding, forgiving her with a magnanimous air.
Lie if I said I wasn't mad, but ogling her from behind had already absolved her.
There's that saying, right?
If a woman offers, "Wanna touch my boobs?" most guys' anger vanishes instantly.
I'm just a man like any other.
And yeah, hearing footsteps right outside with zombies roaming? Scary enough.
Though I wouldn't fling the door open with just a wooden stick...
'Normal people wouldn't even consider opening the door relying on a stick alone without knowing how strong zombies are... Brave or just clumsy? Hm.'
She seemed too timid for bravery, so I mentally noted her as the klutzy type.
"Still, I was attacked, so let's call it a debt. Pay me back later."
"Y-Yes... I'm really, truly sorry...!"
Got her confirmation.
Now she'd see herself as owing me, putting her in the submissive position naturally.
Mission accomplished, I dropped the blank expression.
Next: Build rapport and shared ground.
Share some info too.
"Alright, let's move past the mishap. Yuri... Ah, mind if I call you Yuri sis? Formal titles aren't my thing."
"Sure! Call me whatever you like...!"
"Then call me Yuseong too, Yuri sis. Casual speech is fine—be comfortable."
"Okay... Got it! Yuseong."
She switched to casual instantly when I suggested it.
Seemed pretty laid-back.
With my face softening and the title sorted, the distance between us shrank a bit.
Her hazel eyes sparkled clearer than before.
"Introductions done, then. So, Yuri sis, how much do you know about what's going on?"
"Well... The internet went down, screams outside, monsters roaming... That's about it. Ugh... Even from afar, they looked like nightmares."
Her face paled, like she hated even thinking about it.
After that, she just shared useless bits: more screams heard, a few more monster sightings.
"Hmm... Sounds about what I know. The things outside are zombies... You know zombies, right?"
"Yeah, like in movies? Undead that infect corpses? Something like that."
"Close enough. The monsters outside are zombies. They attack people and infect them via bodily fluids, turning victims into more of themselves."
Basic stuff anyone could figure out.
Yuri sis nodded, showing she got it and focusing on my words.
"The outside's probably overrun by zombies now. This neighborhood's likely got almost no survivors left. Those screams were probably the last gasps of the few who held on."
I stated the conclusion without explanation.
Couldn't prove it, and even if I could, I wouldn't—can't cite a webtoon.
But if my guess was right, that's how it'd gone down.
Ajeol's apocalypse stood out among zombie stories for lacking any zombie origin logic.
No spreading virus or lab accident creating one.
Ajeol's zombies were "descent"-type, if we had to classify.
The moment doomsday hit zero, 20% of humanity turned zombie instantly.
No reason or cause ever revealed—that was Ajeol.
Your neighbor turns without warning.
That alone showed the despair.
In a blink, the person in front of you becomes a zombie charging to kill.
Experts analyzing real zombies said they spread inefficiently via fluids from few hosts, so society could suppress them fast.
Whether intentional, Ajeol went realistic with descent zombies.
Result: Instant mass slaughter and infection, like a movie apocalypse.
Equal-opportunity doom collapsed society to the zombies' mercy.
Politicians, cops, soldiers—all just people.
Ajeol had survivor groups, but government, police, and military factions numbered under five total. Society crumbled pathetically easy.