Seventeen Days Since the End
Despite An Ga-hee's threat that she'd make us regret it, nothing much came of it.
"…What a petty person."
"Right?"
All she'd managed was to smash the barricade we'd set up at the top of the second-floor stairs and run off. Even then, her handiwork was so clumsy we could put it back together in no time.
"That should do it."
After repairing the barrier with So-hye, we headed back home together — for breakfast.
"You're having a lunchbox again today, right?"
"We might as well finish whatever's left."
She opened the fridge and spoke with a gloomy face.
"…The lunchboxes. If we eat them this morning, that'll be the last of them."
"Can't be helped. There weren't that many to begin with, and two people were eating them."
"I'm sorry. It's my fault for adding another mouth…"
I shook my head at that.
"I've told you before. There was always more than I could eat on my own. Without you, So-hye, it all would've gone to waste anyway."
And the truth was, So-hye never ate that much of the lunchboxes. I was the one who tore through them like a beast, working out all day long at home.
Still, thanks to that, my body's gotten better.
Muscle that would take most people months to build was already starting to show. It had to be connected to the ability I'd gained.
"Thank you for saying that. Since it's the last of the lunchboxes, I thought we might make them a little special. What do you think?"
"How so?"
"Just give me a moment."
She pulled a frying pan from the cupboard and set it on the gas range. She poured in some cooking oil and turned up the flame.
"I went to a friend's place once — the kind of place where you live alone. She said whenever she got sick of lunchboxes, she'd turn them into fried rice."
"Lunchbox fried rice?"
"Yeah. She said it's a pretty common trick. Sounds like this is the first you've heard of it, Seong-won."
"I've never been much of a cook. When I got hungry I'd just eat spam or kimchi. If even that felt like too much work, I'd dump rice in water and call it a meal."
Most of my memories of eating were of buying food outside. My girlfriend hadn't known how to cook either.
"You can't eat like that. You have to treat yourself the way you'd treat a guest — that's how your self-esteem goes up, and meals become something enjoyable and delicious."
"I see."
"…Though honestly, I ordered delivery more often myself. Ah — mind if I use some sugar and an egg?"
"Go ahead. Help yourself."
So-hye flushed as she tore open the packaging. Then she dumped everything into the pan and started stir-frying with clumsy enthusiasm.
So this is what it feels like.
Watching a woman cook for me made something warm and soft unfurl in my chest.
"Here you go!"
When the fried rice was done, she plated it neatly and held it out to me. A fried egg sat perfectly on top.
"Want to try it?"
At her words, I scooped up a spoonful and put it in my mouth. Slightly sweet, a little salty — a surprising mix of flavors.
"How is it?"
"It's good."
At the very least, it was far better than any of the lunchboxes I'd eaten so far.
"I'm so glad!"
She beamed and made another plate of fried rice, and we shared the meal together.
"So-hye. Have you thought about going outside?"
Her busy hands froze mid-motion. Her eyes went round.
"O-outside?"
"Yes. I think it's about time we went out and gathered what we need. Some reconnaissance of the area wouldn't hurt either."
Seventeen days had passed since the world became like this. More than enough time to accept despair.
Of course, someone like An Ga-hee could still look the other way for a while — but even that was only a matter of time. Food wasn't infinite. Eventually, everyone had to step outside.
"Do we really need to go out? We still have plenty of food, don't we?"
"Not if you think about living in this world for the long haul. It's not that much."
Naturally, I had the supermarket. There was enough food there to last a year without breaking a sweat. But I didn't tell So-hye about that.
I still can't fully trust her.
After going out together today, I figured I'd be able to trust her a little more. Still, letting my guard down was out of the question.
"Even so…"
"And we need gear. People who haven't found food are going to start running out any day now. When that happens, they've only got two options."
Loot.
Or trade.
"We need equipment just to be ready for when we run into people like that."
While we were at it, I planned to kill a few zombies too. I needed to push my ability further.
"What do you think?"
So-hye laced her fingers together with a serious expression. She bit down hard on her lip and tapped the back of her hand with her right index finger.
There were plenty of things she could say here.
She could simply admit she was too scared to go. Or she could offer to stay behind and defend the house.
Going outside is that terrifying, after all.
Even with me at her side, it meant putting her life on the line. For someone like So-hye, raised like a flower in a greenhouse, it wouldn't be easy.
"I'll go with you."
I hadn't expected much. If she'd refused, I would have been disappointed — but I wouldn't have blamed her. Instead, she said something unexpected.
"Really?"
"…Honestly, I don't want to go out at all. I'm scared, too. But if I have to go eventually, going with you seems like the better option. And I can't just keep living like a freeloader forever…"
"Understood. I'll prepare a weapon for you, then. After we finish eating, put on the thickest clothes you can find and come back."
"Okay."
Breakfast ended in silence. So-hye's pale face bothered me, but there was nothing to be done about it.
She has to overcome this herself.
I got dressed the way I always did and picked up my hammer. Then I took the spear I'd leaned in the corner and stepped out into the hallway.
She's not out yet.
I leaned against the corridor wall and let my thoughts wander for a moment.
I hadn't told her, but this was a kind of bait. The people living in this building — An Ga-hee, Ha Min-gi, Jo Hee-ran, Kang Tae-ik.
I don't like any of them.
If any of them had crossed the line, I would have dealt with them already. Aside from An Ga-hee, they'd all been quiet. Even she had only come close to the line without stepping over it.
I couldn't let things continue like this. I couldn't leave people like that in the building I lived in.
If So-hye had seen me bring food home, there was a good chance the others had seen it too. I was planning to hook one of them.
The boxes at home are all empty now, anyway.
I'd eaten some of the food I'd brought back, and moved the rest to the supermarket overnight. All that was left in the apartment was a single box of instant noodles, a few drinks, and some cigarettes.
Come on. Someone take the bait.
I'd catch them and kill them on the spot.
"Seong-won?"
Someone shook me while I was lost in thought. I turned my head and found So-hye wearing a mask, looking at me with worried eyes.
"Ah, So-hye."
"I called you and you didn't answer, so I shook you. Are you feeling all right?"
"I'm fine. Just thinking."
"That's a relief."
She let out a breath and spread her arms.
"How do I look? Is this okay?"
"Looks fine. Though you're going to be pretty hot outside dressed like that. You sure you're okay with it?"
"Better than getting bitten by a zombie."
"Fair enough. Here — take this."
I held out a spear I'd made by fixing a kitchen knife to the end of a pole. So-hye took it and examined it with open curiosity.
"Wow, you're really good with your hands."
"It's nothing special. Honestly, I'm not sure how much killing power it has. It's a crude job — I'm a little worried it'll break."
"Even so, I'm grateful just to have this! Your hammer looks way more dangerous, honestly."
"This is just what I'm comfortable with. All right — let's go."
"Okay."
I headed for the second-floor stairs with So-hye. We cleared the barricade, climbed over, and stacked it back up on the other side.
"One second."
I pulled a small wooden chip from my pocket and wedged it into the gap. If anyone came up to the second floor, it would fall to the floor.
"Let's go."
"O-okay…!"
The moment we reached the first floor, the stench of rot hit us. It was going to take a real rainstorm to wash this smell away.
"Ugh…"
So-hye clamped a hand over her mouth and grimaced. It was definitely worse down here than on the second floor.
We stepped outside the building together and started walking toward the convenience store. Fortunately, there were no zombies yet.
"So, where are we headed today?"
She pressed close and whispered near my ear, clearly conscious of the undead.
"There's a department store about a twenty-minute walk from here. That's where I'm planning to go."
"Oh, I've been there a few times. It was really big and nice. Think there might be clothes, too?"
"Hard to say…"
I'd set the department store as our target, but I wasn't sure we'd actually be able to get inside. It was in a busy commercial district — bound to be crawling with zombies.
If we couldn't get into the department store, I planned to try the camping supply shop nearby. We could pick up some useful gear there.
KRAAAAAAH—
The moment we rounded the corner together, we came face to face with a zombie.
"Hhk…!"
So-hye startled violently and covered her mouth with one hand. Somehow, she managed not to scream.
Luckily, the zombie had its back to us, so dealing with it wasn't hard. I kicked its legs out from under it and raised my hammer.
Wait.
Instead of crushing its skull, I brought the hammer down hard on both its legs and arms. With a wet crunch, the zombie thrashed on the ground.
"So-hye."
"Y-yes?"
She blinked furiously. The way her nose wrinkled said she was thoroughly shaken.
"Think you can finish this one?"
"What?"