Selfishness Runs Rampant on the Rooftop
“So, at times like these, we need to band together more than ever…”
The moment we opened the rooftop door, every gaze snapped toward us. Wariness filled those eyes far more than any goodwill.
“You’re here.”
The man I’d seen earlier that day approached me. He glanced at So-hye before speaking again.
“Are the two of you the only ones living on the second floor?”
“Yes. I checked myself. No one answered from any of the other units. Everyone on the second floor was a college student, so they probably went to school and ran into trouble.”
He fixed me with a sharp look. When I didn’t look away, he finally let out a short sigh and dropped his gaze.
“There are far fewer people than I expected. All right, I understand for now.”
He surveyed the others gathered around, then clapped his hands once.
“Well then, it looks like everyone who lives in this building is here, so let’s talk properly. First we should introduce ourselves. Anyone want to go first?”
Silence settled so thick that only breathing could be heard. People eyed one another and just mumbled under their breath, so the man stepped forward again.
“…I’ll start. My name is Kim Min-ho. I’m twenty-eight. Before all this, I worked at a small company. Nice to meet you.”
Quiet claimed the rooftop once more.
Kim Min-ho rolled his eyes over the group until they met mine. He dipped his head slightly and mouthed a silent request, so I had no choice but to speak up.
Honestly, I felt a little sorry for him.
“I’m Lee Seong-won. Twenty-four, returning student. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh… wow…”
So-hye clapped her hands softly. The sudden attention made her jump. I patted her shoulder, and only then did she relax enough to speak.
“I-I’m Lee So-hye. Twenty-two. I’m a college student too.”
Maybe because three people had already introduced themselves, those who had been standing with arms crossed and watching began to open their mouths one by one.
“Yeah. Name’s Ha Min-gi. Twenty-five. Just doin’ part-time gigs and gettin’ by.”
He had a pretty decent face—blue hair, star-shaped earrings, and a lounging, shiftless attitude that made him look like trouble. Not the kind of guy whose head seemed screwed on right.
Ha Min-gi winked at So-hye.
“Ugh…”
She scowled and ducked behind me while he snickered. Yeah. I already didn’t like him.
“I’m An Ga-hee. Twenty-four, also in college.”
Not quite on So-hye’s level, but still a strikingly pretty face—neat and refined.
“Oh my. You’re all younger than me? I’m Jo Hee-ran, the owner of these studio apartments. Forty-two. Nice to meet you?”
“I’m Kang Tae-ik. Same deal—building owner. Thirty-five.”
Jo Hee-ran and Kang Tae-ik stood close together, clearly a married couple. Both wore smug expressions that were almost funny.
With the world like this, what did being a landlord even matter? I wasn’t one to put much stock in faces, but those two looked exactly like the type to cause problems.
“So why’d you call us all up here?”
Kang Tae-ik stared at Kim Min-ho with open dissatisfaction.
“As I said a moment ago, with the world the way it is, shouldn’t we join forces?”
“Join forces how, exactly?”
“That’s what we need to discuss and decide starting now. First, let’s settle security.”
“Security?”
“As you all know, the first floor of this building has a parking garage, and the entrance is a glass door. That means outsiders or infected can walk right in. Doesn’t that make you uneasy?”
Everyone nodded at his words. The landlord couple frowned, but they couldn’t really argue.
“I think we should at least be able to live comfortably inside this building. So how about stacking furniture on the stairs leading up to the second floor to make a barricade, and posting night watches?”
“Doesn’t sound bad.”
“I think it’s a good idea too.”
When So-hye and I agreed, Kim Min-ho’s face brightened a little. He met the others’ eyes and asked,
“What do the rest of you think?”
“Hmm. Yeah, the way things are now is kinda sketchy. But night watch? I don’t really wanna do that.”
The landlord couple nodded along with Ha Min-gi. An Ga-hee kept her arms crossed and said nothing.
“Why don’t you want to take night watch?”
“I sleep a lot, y’know? At night I can’t keep my head straight. So I just don’t feel like it.”
Kim Min-ho’s face twisted at the absurd excuse. Looking at the guy’s face and manner, you’d think he spent every night living in clubs and pickup bars.
“All right… I understand for now. And you two? What’s your reason?”
“Kid, you know we’re the landlords, right?”
“Excuse me?”
While Kim Min-ho stood dumbfounded, Kang Tae-ik piled on.
“If you think about it, you’re all freeloading off my building. And now you want us to do extra work? I figure I’ve already done plenty as the owner.”
“What does that have to do with anything right now?”
“If you don’t like it, get out of my building. You got somewhere else to go right this second?”
Kim Min-ho opened his mouth, then shut it again. The way he brushed a hand down his arm said he was pissed.
Well, it was an outrageously shameless claim.
Guess face-reading really is a science.
While I was thinking that, Kang Tae-ik spoke up again.
“And I don’t know about you people, but we live on the fourth floor. Even if some weirdos show up in the building, my wife and I would have plenty of time to deal with it. Right?”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
Jo Hee-ran smiled and nodded, then suddenly clapped her hands.
“Ah! More importantly, young man, and you girls—do you happen to have any food at home? If you do, I’d like you to hand some over. We’re planning to take that instead of rent from now on. How about it? Nice, right?”
This time every face except the couple’s twisted.
“You’re asking for rent in food?”
“Yep. I don’t eat much, but this guy’s got a big appetite, so our supplies run out fast~ So I figured we’d collect a little…”
Kim Min-ho bit down hard on his lip and shook his head vigorously. Then he raked a hand through his hair and answered with a face flushed dark with anger.
“…I was going to talk about security first and then have everyone work together, but never mind. Since none of you show any intention of cooperating, from now on we’ll each handle things ourselves.”
“Huh? Is that okay? You’re the one who gathered us, hyung.”
“R-right.”
An Ga-hee, who had stayed silent until now, timidly agreed.
“Didn’t you just say you didn’t want to stand night watch?”
“Ah, cut me some slack on that, yeah~ I really can’t get up at night~”
“I-I’m not in great shape either…”
Kim Min-ho let out a long sigh. He glanced at So-hye and me, then shook his head slowly. After that he started walking toward the rooftop door.
“…I’m leaving. Do as you please from here on.”
“Wait a second, young man! What about the rent!?”
He ignored Jo Hee-ran and left the rooftop.
“Th-that bastard! Honey, do something!”
“Leave him. We can go collect later. More importantly, what about the rest of you?”
Kang Tae-ik locked eyes with each of us in turn. He focused especially hard on me—probably because I’d backed Kim Min-ho’s idea.
“Obviously we’re not giving you anything.”
“What?”
“I barely have food for myself. Why the hell would I fill someone else’s stomach? If you’re out of food at home, go outside and get it yourself. You’re old enough—why are you acting like a damn kid?”
“You little shit with no manners! Hey, you bastard! If you’re gonna act like that, get the fuck out of my building right now! Get lost!”
Kang Tae-ik waved his arms with veins standing out on his neck. His forearms were covered in small tattoos.
“I never lived in this building to begin with. My girlfriend used to live here, and I just ended up staying. And with the world like this, what does ‘landlord’ even mean? If you want us out so badly, try throwing us out by force.”
“You fucking piece of shit!”
“H-honey, that guy… he’s the one…!”
When Kang Tae-ik lunged, Jo Hee-ran grabbed his arm and yanked him back, whispering urgently. His face contorted; he spat on the floor.
“Fuck. Looking at him now, he’s a total psycho. Killed his own girlfriend?”
The others flinched at those words. So-hye alone stayed still.
“The bitch with you is probably the same kind of bitch. Hey, both of you get lost. Just looking at your faces pisses me off, so don’t let me see you again. Got it?”
“Yes, yes. Understood~ Let’s go.”
“Yes…”
I left the rooftop with So-hye. Voices drifted through the closed door, but I paid them no mind. Whatever they were saying would be worthless anyway.
“I-is this really okay?”
“What, were you planning to just hand over our precious food? Do you know how I got that food, or how you got yours?”
In truth I’d obtained it pretty easily, but I put on a bit of a show.
“…You’re right.”
“If they come looking for you, contact me. I’ll deal with them. And try not to run into them if you can help it.”
“Yes, okay…”
What should I do about those people? Part of me wanted to cave their skulls in with a hammer right then, but that felt a little premature.
They haven’t crossed the line yet.
If I killed everyone just because they rubbed me the wrong way, I’d have to kill most of the people I met from now on.
In a world that had already ended, making more enemies wasn’t smart. Of course, that was rich coming from the guy who’d just sharpened his tongue at them.
I’ll leave them alone for now.
But the moment they crossed the line, I would kill them without mercy. Judging by their natures, they’d come running at me soon enough on their own.
“First, once we get down to the second floor, let’s block off the hallway. We’re on the lowest floor, so we need at least minimal defenses.”
“Yes, okay!”