Crime and Punishment
One week and three days had passed.
During that time, we had begun our search operations at 9:00 AM every day alongside the surveillance team. We split into three groups, with one of the Gusan bastards attached to each. To overcome the penalty of handing over half of our loot, I targeted areas with high risk and high return.
With Han Jiyoung and Kim Inbeom included, our combat power was top-tier, but the pressure to secure enough supplies to justify that was equally immense.
“Senior, let’s take a break. I’m so tired I’m going to die.”
“I can’t go any further either.”
Han Jiyoung and Kim Inbeom caught their breath. Yoon Taesik, who had failed to keep up with our pace and arrived late, collapsed onto the floor as if it were his own living room.
“Ugh, damn it…! You’re doing this to screw me over on purpose, right?”
Our team had decided to treat Yoon Taesik as a complete ghost. When no one responded, he wiped away his sweat, grumbling to himself.
My destination was the tallest building in Seoul. It was a 120-story skyscraper, and I judged that the residential complex from the 40th to the 70th floors would be packed with loot. Large supermarkets and food courts were located on the lower floors, so they had likely been picked clean long ago. I had seen signs of combat starting from the first floor.
“We’re at the 40th floor now. Only two more levels to go.”
“I know what you’re thinking, Senior, but are you planning to ignore the basics of searching?”
“We don’t have time to tap on every stone bridge.”
The basic rule of searching is to thoroughly check the lower floors before moving up. It was one of the things we were taught at the training facility, and a concept that survivors who had made it this far naturally adhered to. No survivor would have checked from the 1st to the 39th floor just to search above the 40th. Considering the time and effort involved, it was a massive loss. Above all, high-end residential complexes like this had an unimaginable number of doors that needed to be opened.
“Drink some water.”
I pulled out a bottle of water and poured some into my palm. Do-jin, who had been wagging his tail, hurriedly quenched his thirst. It was entirely thanks to this guy that I had decided to target this place.
“But wouldn’t there be a lot of zombies?” Kim Inbeom asked in a worried tone.
“High probability.”
“We skipped all the lower floors. What if we get surrounded?”
“That’s why we have to be careful. We need to keep the noise to an absolute minimum.”
“As for me, I’ll just follow whatever you say, Hyung-nim.”
Han Jiyoung and Kim Inbeom didn’t seem particularly worried, but Yoon Taesik was different.
“This is insane. I’ve never seen anyone search like this, even in Gusan.”
Of course he hadn’t. Gusan didn’t have Do-jin, and they didn’t have a Hunter like me. If not for the 50% penalty, I wouldn’t have had to take such risks either.
“Let’s get up.”
“Yes. Let’s do it.”
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
“Are my words not even worth listening to? Such rude brats.”
We climbed two more floors and arrived at the residential area. It had taken so long to get here that the clock was already past 1:00 PM.
“We need to hurry.”
Do-jin, like a competent scout, took the lead and checked for the presence of zombies. The first time Do-jin, who had been moving freely, took a defensive stance was in front of Room 4203.
“Does that mean there’s a zombie inside?” Kim Inbeom asked quietly.
“That’s right.”
“Can we trust him?”
“I’ve tested him dozens of times. You can trust him.”
“Wait a second. You’re telling me you came here trusting a damn dog like this?” Yoon Taesik kept trying to ruin the mood from the side. I glared at him, and he flinched, avoiding my eyes.
“We don’t know how many are inside. I’ll go in first.”
I pulled a master key from my pocket. It was a universal key that could open any door, digital or analog. Han Jiyoung looked at it with envy, and Yoon Taesik, clearly knowing what it was, widened his eyes and dropped his jaw.
“W-were you a Senior Hunter…? Really? Are you really a Senior Hunter?!”
“If you talk one more time, I’ll pull out one of your teeth for every letter you speak.”
“…….”
The door opened in the heavy silence. The floor was finished with glossy natural marble, and a custom-made full-length mirror greeted us. Passing through an entrance that reminded me of a hotel lobby, we entered the living room, where the panoramic view through the floor-to-ceiling windows caught my eye. The windows, overlooking the Seoul skyline, wrapped even the hazy dust in a glow like stage lighting. With walls decorated with art panels, a kitchen finished in matte stone, and an imported wine cellar standing as if waiting for its owner, this place didn’t look like a space for living, but a space for showing off.
“Wow, how happy must the person who lived here have been?” Han Jiyoung muttered softly.
Thanks to Do-jin’s escort, we were soon able to meet that happy person.
“Oh…?”
Do-jin stopped in front of the dressing room next to the bedroom. As I slowly pushed the sliding door, the owner of the house was standing there, staring blankly.
“That’s him, right…?”
He was a famous hip-hop artist everyone would recognize. He wore a black puffer jacket with a large brand logo and monogram pants hanging loosely. Gold rings were on every finger, and a heavy-looking pure gold chain hung low.
“Wow, they say he was young and rich, so he lived here.”
His skin was rotting away, but thanks to the bromide hanging nearby, I could confirm his identity.
Kk-!
As if he didn’t welcome the visitors, he turned his head at an awkward angle. Yoon Taesik pulled a large combat knife from his waistband and drove it straight into the center of the zombie’s forehead. It was probably just my imagination that even the way he trembled and slowly collapsed felt ‘hip’.
“Look at how much this is worth. Hehehe!”
Yoon Taesik began to recover valuables from the rotting corpse. He cut off the fingers to remove the rings, put them on his own fingers, and stripped the puffer jacket and chain to wear them himself. Having even found sunglasses in the dressing room, Yoon Taesik wore a satisfied, beaming smile. It felt like watching a robbery, and it was clearly not his first time doing this.
“Ugh, what a psycho. Does he really have to do that?”
“He’s already dead, so what does it matter?”
“Tsk.”
I was about to start searching again, but Do-jin was still in a defensive stance. It meant there were more zombies.
“Wait.”
I approached the place Do-jin was looking at. It was the bathroom connected to the dressing room. As I slowly pushed the door, a naked zombie was lying in the bathtub.
“Oh?! That’s that actress, right? Wow, damn! They said it wasn’t a dating rumor, but it was true!”
Long, straight hair and a face the size of a fist. Because the dating rumors had been such a hot topic, I could immediately tell who she was.
“I once waited three hours because she said she was having an autograph session! To think I’d see her again like this.” Yoon Taesik raised his voice, seemingly overcome with excitement. Even though the zombie, having broken out of its catatonic state, was waving its arms around, he just stared at her as if it were fascinating.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to kill it?”
“I’ll handle it. Everyone else, get out.”
Yoon Taesik took out a rope and tied the zombie’s hands. After taking off his puffer jacket to use as a gag, he climbed on top of the zombie’s stomach and began to fondle its body.
“This crazy…!”
“I’ll finish quickly, so just get out.”
It was a scene that went beyond nausea, evoking a deep sense of disgust. Watching Yoon Taesik’s face, wet with saliva and drenched in madness, I felt a deep urge to kill. I had seen many pieces of trash in my time, but this was the first time I had encountered such a vile, bottom-of-the-barrel human being.
“You damn bastard!”
Unable to watch any longer, Han Jiyoung grabbed Yoon Taesik and yanked him away. The hands that had been fondling the body grabbed at thin air. Yoon Taesik, licking his lips, glared at Han Jiyoung.
“Hey. Didn’t I say I’d handle it? She’s already dead, so what’s the problem? What, are you going to call the police?”
“Stop acting like trash and behave yourself.”
“And if I don’t, what are you going to do? Are you embarrassed because you’re a woman?”
“Are you not going to shut that mouth?”
“Then why don’t you offer yourself up? I actually prefer a firm body over a limp one anyway.”
“You damn…!”
Han Jiyoung drew the sword from her back. She pressed the blade against his throat and panted, but Yoon Taesik didn’t even blink. Instead, he laughed openly, as if it were pathetic.
“Heh! What are you going to do? You’re a Hunter who can’t even kill a person.”
“You think I can’t?”
As the blade dug in a little deeper, a drop of blood trickled down his neck. Yoon Taesik twisted his expression, but he was convinced that she wouldn’t be able to kill him.
“Do you think you can handle the aftermath if you do this to me? If I report today’s events to Gusan, what do you think will happen to Osori?”
“You smell, so shut your mouth.”
“Hehehe! You might actually have to offer yourself up then. Would that be okay?”
“…….”
In an instant, the atmosphere changed. Something cold flowed through the heavy, settled air. It was felt so clearly that it made the hair on my arms stand up. It was pure, high-purity killing intent.
“Senior.”
Han Jiyoung looked back at me. She asked with only her eyes. Was it okay to kill this bastard? Would I give her permission? To that question, I willingly nodded.
“W-wait a minute! What are you guys doing—!”
Slash!
By the time Yoon Taesik realized it, it was already too late. Han Jiyoung didn’t hesitate for even a second before slicing his throat. His body fell backward, hung on the edge of the bathtub, and then collapsed miserably, spraying blood everywhere. His gaze wasn’t on the blood-stained tiles, but on the expressions of the three of us.
No emotion remained on Han Jiyoung’s face. Her hand was trembling as she sheathed her sword, but her eyes were expressionless.
“…Please tell me I did well.”
“You did well.”
While I wiped the blood off Han Jiyoung’s face with a towel, Kim Inbeom ended the life of the actress-turned-zombie. Han Jiyoung stared at her blood-stained sword, unable to speak for a long time, before slowly opening her mouth.
“So this is what it feels like to kill a person. Even to kill a piece of trash like this…….”
“The first time is always the hardest. There’s no need to feel guilty.”
“…It’ll be okay, right?”
As refreshing as it felt, a backlash was coming. If it had been me, I would have let a zombie bite him to create evidence. I would have said he got distracted by the actress and became a zombie while messing around on his own. But Yoon Taesik was dead, and the dead don’t become zombies. Still, Han Jiyoung had grown a step, so I was satisfied with that.
“You guys don’t say a word. I’ll handle this.”
“Yes….”
Our team returned last. When we arrived at the shelter, the rest of the surveillance team was waiting for us.
“Huh? Where did Taesik-hyung go? He went out with you guys, didn’t he?”
“That’s right.”
“What? ‘That’s right’? Are you joking with me?”
What should I do with the remaining two? Perhaps the answer was already decided. They say there’s no such thing as a perfect crime in the world, but that was back in the days of forensic science and a heaven of CCTV cameras.
“The dead tell no tales.”
“What is this bastard saying? Where is Taesik-hyung— Ugh!”
I pulled out my combat knife and slashed the guy’s throat. I immediately lunged at the one behind him like lightning and stabbed him in the heart.
“You, damn…!”
They collapsed to the floor without even being able to breathe properly. Even as blood leaked from their mouths, their eyes were wide open in disbelief. I turned on the radio and called Kang Muchul.
“I need to dispose of some trash.”
A brief silence followed. The sky was dark, and the wind was heavy. In the air, where the smell of blood had not yet faded, the day was being buried.