The Operation
When I woke, darkness surrounded me on every side. A soft sensation against my hand made me open my eyes, and I saw So-hye clinging to my arm.
I smiled at the gentle, warm scent of her body hanging in the air and carefully slipped my arm free.
“Mmm…”
She flailed for it, so I pressed a long pillow into her arms. Only then did a peaceful expression settle over her face, as if she finally felt safe.
I got out of bed and rolled my shoulders and neck. Joints popped and loosened with a series of soft cracks.
Today’s the day.
Outside the window it was still early morning. The sky was only just beginning to lighten; it would be a while yet before true dawn.
Maybe I should head out and kill a few zombies.
I still wasn’t used to handling my enhanced body and senses—maybe because I hadn’t had the ability for long. It felt like forcing myself into clothes that didn’t fit. The only real fix for that disconnect was live combat, but I was supposed to meet Park Chang-ho today, so time was short.
Maybe I should’ve stalled and met him later.
The thought crossed my mind, but I shook my head almost at once. It wasn’t a good idea. Give Park Chang-ho too much time and there was no telling what he might do. More importantly, it looked like he had gained some kind of power of his own.
More mutation than ability, if I’m being precise.
The sudden bulk, the tumors covering his body, the purple skin—just hearing the description made it hard to think of him as human. Add the abrupt personality shift and the sheer cruelty, and he was closer to a monster. And the part about him fucking corpses…
Just thinking about it makes me sick.
I grimaced at the image that flickered through my head, pulled a bottle of water from the fridge, drank, then tore open an energy bar and shoved it in my mouth.
Gulp, gulp—
I washed it down with more water and pocketed a second bar. In the innermost room, weapons of every kind hung on the walls—gear we’d taken from the camping supply store. I grabbed the hammer from the corner and headed outside.
Primary goal: get comfortable with the enhanced physical abilities. Secondary goal: bring body and senses into alignment. Final goal: master all of it completely.
None of it would be easy, but at least the first goal had to be locked down if today’s work was going to go smoothly.
I’ll make it happen.
“I’m back~”
The bright voice from the front door made me open my eyes slowly. I rolled from my side onto my back and found An Ga-hee looking down at me.
“Why are you sleeping out here?”
“……Just because. Bring me some water.”
“Why should I?”
“You need to show a little faith, don’t you, Miss An Ga-hee?”
She scowled, muttered under her breath, and walked off.
“……Is this guy actually insane?”
I watched her go, then slowly sat up. Both hands covered my face as I let out a long breath.
The fatigue’s worse than I expected.
Before dawn I’d prowled the area around the building and taken down more than twenty zombies. The numbers hadn’t been small to begin with, but the real reason it had been so draining was the ability itself.
Getting used to the physical power—my first goal—had been easier than expected. I’d already moved around a lot in the karaoke room and the PC bang.
The real problem was syncing body and senses.
There had been this odd feeling that my senses were always a half-step ahead, and it turned out to be true. Every time, my body’s reaction lagged just a little behind what my senses registered. That was the price of senses that had outstripped the flesh.
The gap between them left a constant sense of disconnect, and the fatigue and stress that came with it were brutal. It was like mashing a hotkey in a game only for the input to fail and get you killed.
I’ve adapted somewhat, but…
I still had no idea how it would play out in a fight against Park Chang-ho.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
The sudden cold against my cheek made me jump. I looked up and saw An Ga-hee’s face. I took the cup from her and answered.
“How I’m going to fight this afternoon.”
“What, you got some fancy strategy? We just dogpile the bastard. Nobody stands up to a good dogpile.”
“With a body that size, even three of us jumping him might not be easy. And you said he has underlings nearby.”
“Ah, right.”
I drained the water in one go and set the cup on the table. The cold liquid eased some of the tightness and fatigue.
“So did you come up with a plan?”
“Not really. It wasn’t the kind of situation where you can prepare much, and we didn’t have the time. In the end we go with the simplest, most effective approach.”
“Which is?”
“Crush him with raw force.”
“Hey. You just said it was going to be hard. You really think you can pull that off?”
I nodded slowly at her scolding tone.
“I can’t be certain, but I think I can. Provided you two handle the underlings around him, of course.”
“That much we can probably manage, right?”
“Then we’re good. Just do that much. I’ll take Park Chang-ho myself.”
From Kim Min-ho’s description, Park Chang-ho was massive. That meant he would be slow. I was quick, so if I made it a contest of speed, I had a real shot.
Whether things would go the way I pictured was another question, but I’d already mapped out a few responses in my head. I’d make it work somehow.
“Come eat!”
The call from the kitchen got me on my feet. The moment I sat down at the table, So-hye brought over a pot and set it down.
“Oh!”
She lifted the lid and steam billowed out. When it cleared, white tofu nestled among kimchi came into view.
“Kimchi jjigae?”
“That’s right. We’re heading into a fight soon, so we need something solid.”
“How’d you even get tofu? Everything we’ve found so far has been past its date, hasn’t it?”
Tofu’s shelf life was roughly two weeks. It might stretch a few days longer, but not much.
“No. The printed date is short, but the actual consumption window is a lot longer. Keep it cold and it can last up to ninety days.”
“That’s genuinely surprising.”
“So all the tofu stacked in the fridge right now is still good for a while?”
“Yes. But it’s been at room temperature before, so it could turn at any time. Better to use it as fast as we can.”
“Looks like we’re eating tofu dishes for the foreseeable future.”
An Ga-hee’s face lit up. She was already crazy for meat; apparently she liked tofu too.
“I’m glad the internet still works. I don’t actually know that many tofu recipes.”
“Yeah, we’re lucky. All right, let’s dig in.”
At An Ga-hee’s urging we picked up our spoons and started eating.
Damn, that’s good.
I put a bite of tangy kimchi and salty spam in my mouth together. The fatigue from the early morning seemed to melt away with the taste.
I was hungry, but the food was precious, so I savored every bite. While I ate, the two women came into view.
It was an ordinary meal, yet something felt off. The chopsticks holding a piece of kimchi trembled faintly, sending broth splattering.
They’re nervous.
An Ga-hee was holding it together better than So-hye, but only barely. In the end she was scared too.
“I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry too much.”
Both of them looked up at me.
“I don’t get the feeling we’re going to lose. If it gets really bad, forget about winning—just hold on. I’ll finish my side fast and come help.”
“…What the hell. That’s so cringey.”
“Yeah. Shut up.”
An Ga-hee snorted a laugh and stuffed her cheeks full of kimchi stew until they bulged. So-hye looked a little more at ease and went back to eating calmly.
Once breakfast was gone I went straight to bed and slept. The fatigue still hadn’t fully cleared.
“Hey. Get up.”
When I woke again, the appointed time was right on top of us. I took An Ga-hee’s hand and stood.
“You look wiped. You sure you can fight like that?”
There was a hint of worry in her voice. I told her not to worry. Most of the fatigue really had burned off.
I layered on thick clothes, grabbed the hammer and axe, and slipped an energy bar into my pocket. Then we opened the front door and stepped into the hallway.
“You’re here. You were so late I thought you’d run.”
When I knocked on 301, Kim Min-ho appeared with a slightly pale face. His breathing was a little rough.
“No chance of that. Let’s get ready quickly. We’re short on time.”
“Understood. Just one more drink and I’ll be out.”
“You’re about to meet Park Chang-ho. You sure that’s wise? There might be a fight. No—there will definitely be a fight.”
If Park Chang-ho and all his underlings showed up, that made four of them. One of us would have to take one of them. The plan I’d already built assumed exactly that.
“…Yeah. Better to be a little drunk than freeze up from nerves.”
“If that’s how you see it, I won’t stop you.”
He cracked open a bottle of whiskey near the door and poured it straight down his throat. He wiped his mouth; his eyes looked sharper than before.
“What’s the plan?”
“Simple.”
Given Park Chang-ho’s bulk, the odds of him actually entering the building were low. A body that heavy wouldn’t enjoy climbing stairs. So the job of bringing the women would almost certainly fall to his underlings.
“Kim Min-ho, you take one underling into the building. Just in case two of them come up, I’m pairing An Ga-hee with you.”
“And if only one goes up?”
“Then the three of us handle the remaining three. That’s fine. We can hold long enough, and once two of us drop one of them we can finish fast and come down.”
“True enough, but I’m still a little worried. Will So-hye be all right?”
So-hye gripped her shovel tightly and nodded.
“Yes. Seong-won said he can do it. So I believe him.”
“…If you put it that way, I won’t argue further. Perfect plans don’t exist anyway.”
“Then let’s go over it once more.”
One or two underlings enter the building. The moment Park Chang-ho relaxes, I throw the axe and kill him. That was the ideal scenario.
But it was far too uncertain, so the plan was to throw the axe and charge at the same time.
“That’s everything.”
“What? That barely even counts as a plan.”
“I’m not exactly a military academy graduate. How am I supposed to cook up something fancy?”
I’d considered Molotovs, but the risk was too high. If a fire got out of control there would be no containing it. In the end it had to be pure force.
“Still—”
Thud—
An Ga-hee was about to say something when the ground suddenly shook. For a second I thought it was an earthquake. It wasn’t.
Huff, huff—
Through my enhanced hearing came the sound of rough, heavy breathing. I gestured to An Ga-hee. She opened her mouth, closed it again, and sprinted for the building.
I grabbed So-hye’s hand and pulled her behind a nearby car, then dropped flat and crawled underneath.
Thud, thud—
“Huff… huff…”
A moment later, through the gap under the car, I saw thick slabs of flesh and several pairs of feet lumber past.
Park Chang-ho had arrived.