240 Hours (3)
April 12th.
My eyes snapped open.
What filled my vision was the familiar ceiling of my home — Room 303 of Haengbok Villa — steeped in darkness.
The nightmare that had tormented me right up until the moment I woke vanished from my memory in an instant.
Hoo. Thank god. Looking at that familiar ceiling, it was clear — my companions and I had safely defeated the Skeleton King and returned to the villa in triumph. That was reality. Not a delusion.
I'd trusted in my own abilities, but a sliver of psychological unease must have surfaced as a dream. The funny part was that I couldn't remember a single detail of it. All that remained was the feeling of despair.
Came back pretty smoothly and spent a peaceful night, huh.
The decisive battle against the Skeleton King, and the Administrator's declaration of a Purification Zone on top of that.
My three women and I had lived through every one of those events firsthand before returning to our cradle — Haengbok Villa.
The moment we arrived, the survivors staying at the villa greeted us with tearful hospitality. Seo Hyejin in particular had practically bawled her eyes out, clutching my arm and saying how glad she was we'd made it back.
That damn girl...!
I could practically hear Han Sora grinding her teeth behind me, but even that was drowned out by the chorus of gratitude from the survivors packing the villa's narrow hallway.
"You did so well — you really did, all of you!"
"Thank you!"
"Finally... we can walk outside freely now. Thank goodness, thank goodness...!"
"Seyeon unnie... Seeun-ah...! You did amazing. I'm so glad you came back alive...!"
After weathering that flood of thanks and tears and offering our replies, my companions and I returned to Room 303.
The moment we stepped inside, we washed up quickly, then — overwhelmed by the fatigue crashing down on us — hastily agreed to leave the rest for tomorrow... and surrendered ourselves to the bed and sofa.
It really was over in a blink.
Still, right up until I fell asleep, I made sure to check the messages that had poured in.
Of course, reading them all was impossible. In those short three minutes, over five million messages had flooded my way.
There were so many in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, and more that I had no choice but to skim them the way you'd delete spam mail.
After glancing at a few of those wretched contents, I didn't fight my drooping eyelids and drifted into a deep sleep right there on the sofa.
Then came the nightmare, and now I'd woken in the dead of night. April — spring. Still dark, but light was beginning to seep in.
"...Heavy."
And then I realized it. Something weighed on my chest and left arm.
What the hell? Did I put something on myself before falling asleep?
In that moment, my sense of smell caught it.
A faint fragrance. The scent of hair. The smell of our house shampoo, used by a woman who'd insisted she absolutely had to wash her hair even while half-asleep last night.
"Haaah... hnn..."
Why is this girl sleeping with her head on my chest?
I stared blankly at Han Sora, sprawled on top of me and breathing softly in her sleep. What on earth had given this antisocial shut-in gamer the courage to fall asleep on top of me?
If the genders were reversed, this would be... nah, forget it. What does that even mean in this day and age? More importantly — I feel pretty damn good about this.
Waking up in the morning to find a beautiful woman sleeping soundly on your chest? If that doesn't make you happy, you're a eunuch.
...Well, thanks to Lawful Good, I'm basically half a eunuch already.
"Sora said she was going to bed after talking with us late into the night and left the room. I was wondering where she'd fallen asleep... so it was by your side after all, Jeong Hoon-ssi."
But the voice that suddenly came from nearby made every hair on my body stand on end.
My gaze, which had been fixed on Sora, swiveled with a creak that practically deserved its own sound effect.
And my eyes found her.
Who? Kim Seyeon, dressed in a rather sloppy T-shirt and pants, looking this way with slightly sleepy eyes. She was the owner of that voice.
For some reason, she had come out of the room where she'd fallen asleep with Park Seeun, and in the middle of the night was staring at the sofa where Sora and I had been lying.
"Th-this is...!"
Instantly, even though no one had accused me of anything, my mouth tried to launch into excuses.
But at the same time, a counterargument rose from a corner of my mind — Do you have any idea how pathetic this looks? — and my lips refused to move properly.
What entered my flustered eyes was the sight of Kim Seyeon letting out a soft chuckle.
"Don't worry. I already know that Sora snuggled up next to you after you'd fallen asleep. Looking at it any way you like... I can't imagine you were the one who pulled her over yourself."
Th-thank god. She doesn't suspect me at all!
So this is how the image I've built up pays off! Even though I'd only really interacted with the Kim Seyeon standing in front of me for about two days.
"Hoo..."
I couldn't endure the stifling feeling any longer.
I carefully pushed Sora onto the sofa and stood up. Falling back asleep in this situation felt a little off somehow. If Sora hadn't just sprawled on top of me of her own accord, I would have simply gone back to sleep, but...
"Kuuuh... nnngh..."
Whether I slipped out from under her or not, Sora slept on with an almost infuriating ease.
What a carefree little brat. Always looking and sounding like the most anxious person in the room, yet the second she hits the pillow she sleeps like the world doesn't exist and shows no sign of waking.
"Um, Jeong Hoon-ssi...?"
Kim Seyeon pulled me out of the reverie I'd fallen into while staring holes through Han Sora. When I looked her way, she hesitated slightly before whispering,
"Could we... talk for a moment?"
"Hm?"
It was such an odd thing to say that I tilted my head. Weren't we already talking, if you thought about it?
Just as that crossed my mind, Kim Seyeon added a follow-up.
"Ah, not here... could we talk on the rooftop for a bit? Just the two of us."
Thump...!
At that faintly meaningful emphasis on the last part, I found myself nodding before I could stop.
Kim Seyeon and I climbed up to the rooftop.
We stepped boldly onto a rooftop we wouldn't even have dared imagine ascending to just yesterday.
With a creak, I opened the door and stepped out, taking in the clear sky high above.
The dawn air against my skin was cold. A spring dawn was considerably brighter than a winter one. In the distance, the rising sun was clearly visible.
Above all else... it was quiet. A day utterly different from every one of the twenty-four-hour stretches of the past ten-plus days was about to begin. From the rooftop, breathing air that hadn't improved dramatically but was still quite decent, I could look out over the streets.
There were unnaturally no zombies or monsters on the roads. The ruins remained, but the absence of those hideous creatures left only a peaceful stillness — and that was vastly better.
A fleeting peace granted only to XX-gu in Gyeonggi-do.
At the same time, it was a moment of leisure that anyone else living on this earth would envy.
"Look over there, Jeong Hoon-ssi. A person."
Kim Seyeon, leaning against the rooftop railing and surveying the surroundings, pointed somewhere. I naturally moved closer to her and fixed my gaze in that direction.
It really was a person. A bit shabby in appearance, but unmistakably human. Not a zombie. From this early hour, carefully watching their surroundings, they were slipping into a nearby convenience store.
"Well, under normal circumstances that would be theft... but given the situation, it's an unavoidable act of survival, isn't it?"
"Indeed. More than anything... for a short while, at least, everyone can come out and gather daily necessities with peace of mind."
"Yes. Even just a week ago... no one would have dared try. The streets were far too dangerous..."
At the slight catch of moisture in Kim Seyeon's voice, I instinctively turned to look at her.
Bathed in the morning sunlight, her red eyes — genuinely glistening — swept across the streets.
Despite her sloppy clothes, the sight of her resting her hands on the railing and gazing into the distance called to mind a painting. An erotic painting, of course. Ahem...
Still, if it weren't for those glasses right in front of her eyes, the general public would probably have stood there gaping at her.
Huh? Why does that actually feel like a relief? Hmm... it's like she's got a suppressor bolted onto her face...
"Thank you, Jeong Hoon-ssi."
"Hm?"
Kim Seyeon, who had been silently admiring the streets of XX-gu, opened her mouth again — and this time her words were directed at me.
"If it weren't for you... we never would have been able to feel this moment of peace. For more than ten days... we've lived every one of those twenty-four hours in fear and anxiety, never able to stretch our legs properly. This is the first time. Feeling this kind of calm. And what's more..."
Kim Seyeon, wearing a smile full of resolve, turned her gaze fully toward me.
"...Even before the world ended, I never felt this degree of comfort. It's thanks to you, Jeong Hoon-ssi."
"...That is far too generous. No matter how hard I strive, it cannot compare to life before March 31st."
Almost automatically, a humble reply sprang from my lips.
Whose handiwork, you ask? Who else? That inner value system — the one who near-perfectly dominates my lips and tongue — none other than Lord Lawful Good himself!
Of course, in moments like this I'm endlessly grateful! Thanks for holding down the gravitas. Seriously!
"No. I mean it, Jeong Hoon-ssi. You... you didn't brush off my words, my proposal... You truly listened. Even in a desperate situation, with a powerful monster reigning right before our eyes."
Huh? What's so impressive about that? Well, looking back, I did follow Kim Seyeon's words pretty calmly... but is that really something to get this emotional over?
And she had the nerve to say it with that bewitching smile on her lips and a faint flush on her cheeks — enough to make my soul briefly leave my body and come back! This damn sex-appeal specialist!
"In that situation, I simply felt that heeding your words was the correct judgment."
"To me, it was more than that. Because... no, this isn't something I should say right now. I'm sorry."
What was that? She seemed like she wanted to gloss over it.
Maybe... if my awkwardly sharp instincts are anything to go by... something bad involving her husband?
It didn't seem like she was living with her family now, either. And when Park Seeun talked with Kim Seyeon, she'd mentioned something about being separated from her husband, hadn't she?
This part... right! Let's go this way!
"Very well. In that case... I should like to make the correct judgment once more, from my own position."
"Pardon?"
"I mean that I require your counsel."
"Ah..."
Look at that — gratitude written all over her face again.
'This man earnestly listens to my opinions and takes them to heart' — it was practically stamped across her expression!
That's it. The Kim Seyeon conquest guide. Heh heh heh...
The look of emotion on Kim Seyeon's face soon turned serious. Though a smile of goodwill still lingered at the corners of her mouth.
"It seems you have some plan in mind, Jeong Hoon-ssi?"
"I do. As you said, this peace is limited. Two hundred forty hours... no — we defeated that Skeleton King around five in the afternoon on the eleventh, and right now it is..."
"Five-thirty in the morning. Precisely two hundred twenty-seven hours and thirty minutes remaining."
"My thanks. As such... this peace is temporary. Just as people grow accustomed to its sweetness, it will end, and the cold, unstable zombie apocalypse will once again descend upon the survivors of this district. I want those people to be ready. Unlike April 1st, when no one was properly prepared and they suffered through the apocalypse... I want them to use these ten days so that they can steadfastly weather the zombie apocalypse when it returns."
"...That's a wonderful plan."
Kim Seyeon agreed with my opinion remarkably easily.
I had a feeling, and sure enough. Kim Seyeon had been thinking the same thing as me.
She must have carried it too — the worry over what would become of the survivors' fates once this sweet period of rest came to an end.
And then...
"...Even if we are no longer present here, there is a need to establish a leader so that they will not falter."
"Ah, if it's that, I know just the person. Sora told me yesterday. Once the Lord class reaches level ten..."
She, too, just like me, had been thinking of leaving XX-gu in Gyeonggi-do.
And so, right up until the moment Sora and Seeun came looking for us and climbed to the rooftop, Kim Seyeon and I were able to chat away in the warmest of spirits.
April 12th, evening.
The rooftop of Haengbok Villa in XX-gu, Gyeonggi-do, was bustling with noise.
"Aahh...! This refreshing taste of carbonated soda... to be able to drink it out in the open like this...!"
"Unnie, that's beer...?"
"Huh, really? No wonder it tasted sweet! You kids think alcohol is bitter? Mine's sweet."
"Is she really a college student like us?"
"Puhahahaha...!"
People gathered on the rooftop, cracking silly jokes as they enjoyed drinks and snacks.
Tables stood in rows, and portable lanterns and lamps were strung about to cast light into the dark night sky. Someone had even gone so far as to mount them high up like streetlights, for a touch of charm.
"I love seeing everyone enjoying themselves with such relaxed faces."
"R-right...! U-unlike me, they're all social butterflies, so... ah, no! I mean, people who know how to enjoy a party, so..."
"Sora unnie, if you're uncomfortable, you can just say so. I'm not exactly used to this either..."
Kim Seyeon, Han Sora, and Park Seeun had gathered in one spot, chatting quietly as they clinked drink cans and beer cans together.
This modest little party was Kim Seyeon's idea. According to her, no matter how she thought about it, there was no better way to smoothly convey my plan to everyone than a gathering like this.
People are like that, you know. Finger food, cold drinks, and alcohol. When they enjoy those things while talking among themselves, they become just a little more willing to listen — no matter who starts giving a speech on whatever topic. Especially someone like you... a person who saved their lives and even handed them an enormous reward. Whether they want to or not, their ears will lean your way.
Quietly nursing a beer can in the corner, I recalled what Kim Seyeon had said.
Indeed — saving her had been the best decision I'd made.
If Han Sora had gaming knowledge and long-range marksmanship, and Park Seeun had outstanding athleticism, then Kim Seyeon had sex app— ...well, she had that too, but more than anything, she had intelligence.
She was someone who could come up with ideas steeped in political instinct that neither I nor Han Sora would ever have thought of.
And so, though Lawful Good kept my outward expression deadpan, inside I was so pleased my mouth was curling into a crescent-moon smile as I looked at Kim Seyeon.
The sight of her chatting happily with Park Seeun and Han Sora, bathed in the evening lamplight, truly called to mind a beautiful woman standing and smiling beneath a full moon.
Though calling her a beauty overflowing with sex appeal and sensuality would have been far more accurate... ahem, enough idle thoughts. Someone was approaching me.
"What are you doing over here, Jeong Hoon-ssi?"
A familiar voice, and a familiar face.
She wasn't quite on the level of those three beauties over there, but she was more than attractive enough that no one would complain if she went around advertising herself as a beauty.
The acquaintance of a woman named Minjeong — the very woman who had been the protagonist of my dark history on April 6th.
Seo Hyejin.
The very person I'd been aiming for today had come walking right up to me of her own accord.