Preparing for the Outing
As we'd agreed with the girls, I spent the night at home recovering my mental and physical strength as much as possible.
"Heeugh...♡"
We did end up having sex a few times in the process, but both women seemed satisfied enough, so it was fine either way.
Once our relationship got a little closer, I figured we might even be able to do it all together. A threesome in an apocalyptic world—now that would be something special.
After spending the day like that, the next morning we gathered for breakfast. The meal was leftover curry from the day before.
Slurp—
"Putting udon noodles in it like this completely changes the vibe, doesn't it?"
We'd already eaten curry for all three meals yesterday, and now again for breakfast—it should have gotten old by now. But So-hye's cooking was so good that I still wasn't sick of it.
"Right? There happened to be a ton of frozen udon packs in the freezer, so I brought them over."
"Good call. It's just barely delicious enough."
So-hye beamed at my praise.
I picked up some udon with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth. The curry, the sweet butter aroma, and the chewy noodles together were something else.
"By the way, So-hye—did you use a condom when we had sex yesterday?"
"Pffft! Cough, cough cough!"
The blunt question made So-hye jump. She must have choked, because she started thumping her chest. I poured her some water and handed it over; she grabbed it immediately and gulped it down.
"Haa... I thought I was going to die choking... Unnie, why would you bring that up while we're eating? You scared me!"
"Because I figured if I didn't ask now, there wouldn't be another good time. So? Did you? Answer me."
"No. I never really have. What about you, Unnie?"
"I... haven't either?"
The two women, who had been looking at each other, slowly turned their heads toward me at the same time. I just shrugged.
"What."
When I answered shamelessly, Ga-hee smacked my arm.
"Are you out of your fucking mind? What if one of us gets pregnant? You came inside So-hye the same way you did with me, didn't you!"
"Yeah, I did. But it'll probably be fine."
"How the hell would you know that, you crazy bastard!"
Every time I ejaculated into a womb, I felt something—like the semen went in and then evaporated. More precisely, some kind of energy would form and get absorbed into their bodies.
So even if I came inside, pregnancy didn't seem likely. For that kind of energy to appear, there had to be a source, and other than my semen, there wasn't one.
Both of them are in better shape and look prettier now, so the effect is definitely real.
It was probably related to the ability I'd gained, but I couldn't control it yet. For the time being we'd have to live as if we were infertile—but in this situation, that was actually a plus.
Condoms dulled the pleasure and they were consumables that would eventually run out. Going bare felt better, was better for the body, and meant we didn't have to worry about how many condoms we had left.
Plus, we could use condoms as trade goods. Three birds with one stone.
"Just take it as fact for now. And birth control pills are bad for your body, right?"
"Well, yeah, but... what if one of us actually gets pregnant..."
"I'm a little worried too..."
Seeing the two of them looking uneasy, I answered firmly.
"If that happens, I'll take responsibility no matter what. Don't worry."
At my words, both So-hye and Ga-hee flushed red. Their reactions differed by personality—So-hye covered her face with both hands.
"Ooh~ look at you being all manly~"
Ga-hee lightly punched my arm, trying to hide her embarrassment. Of course, it was completely obvious.
"Just finish eating and get ready to head out. We're checking out the subway today."
"Yeah."
"Okay."
After the meal we just brushed our teeth quickly and packed our clothes and gear. We'd have to wash thoroughly once we got back anyway.
"Are you really going out dressed like that? What if a zombie bites you?"
While I was getting dressed, Ga-hee pointed out my outfit. I was only wearing a tracksuit top and bottom.
"Should be fine. Unless I let my guard down or there are way too many zombies, this is better. It's easier to move in."
"What about the mutated ones?"
"If anything, that makes this even more necessary. No matter how thick the clothes are, they're still just fabric. You think a scrap of cloth is going to stop their attacks?"
"I guess...?"
"It'll be okay. Considering Oppa's physical abilities, dressing like that will actually help more with combat power and mobility."
When So-hye backed me up, Ga-hee finally nodded.
"Fine. If even you say so, So-hye... alright."
"What, were you worried?"
I ruffled her hair as I asked. She shook her head hard.
"Yeah! I was worried! What, is that cute or something?"
"No? I'm saying thanks, you brat."
"Good. Be grateful. Be grateful."
"Stop bickering like kids and come over here, please."
At So-hye's call, the two of us walked over right away. She had spread out a backpack and various items on the floor—condoms, cigarettes, coffee, and canned goods and other processed foods.
"The reason we're going to the subway is to figure out what kind of place it is and gather information at the same time, right?"
"Right. And pick up anything useful while we're at it, if we can."
"Then we need to bring things we can trade. What should we pack?"
"Hmm."
I looked over the items on the floor.
"Leave the canned food out."
"Because food is the most valuable?"
"That, and it's dangerous. Offering food as a trade item is basically advertising that you've got plenty to eat."
It wasn't always true, but it could easily look that way. No point taking unnecessary risks.
"That makes sense. Okay, we'll leave those. What about the rest?"
"Cigarettes, condoms, and coffee—take all of them."
"Condoms we don't use anyway, and nobody really drinks coffee, so I get those. But cigarettes too? We don't smoke, but you do."
"I barely smoke these days."
"Really?"
Ga-hee closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded.
"You're right. Now that I think about it, you really haven't smoked at all. What, did you quit?"
"Not quit so much as the timing never works out."
During the day I was usually outside, and there was no room to smoke out there. The smell could also draw people in.
At night the light was the problem. One wrong move and we'd give away our position. Electricity still worked, but streetlights and the like had all gone out long ago.
"So I just never feel like lighting up."
"Yeah, that tracks. Cigarette smell lingers forever, especially."
"Then I'll pack the cigarettes too? There were more than ten cartons at home. Way too many for one person to smoke alone."
"Yeah, pack them. But don't take too many. We don't want to look like golden goblins."
"Golden goblins? What's that?"
"Yeah, what's a golden goblin?"
At the two women's questions I covered my face, then shook my head.
"It means we might look rich, so be careful. Wear the most worn-out, dirty clothes you can find instead of clean ones. Weapons don't really matter."
"Got it."
"Okay."
We packed the trade goods into the backpack. Once everything was ready, we headed down the stairs.
"Shouldn't we tell Kim Min-ho?"
"We agreed to just message each other unless something special comes up or we have something to say. It's more efficient that way."
"Yeah, that makes sense. Then let's just go."
"Alright. Who's carrying the backpack?"
"I'll take it. I'm more of a support type than someone who fights up front."
So-hye volunteered to carry it. It wasn't that heavy, so I nodded and started walking.
"Just thought of something. Are we not stopping by the liquor store?"
"Why would we?"
"There's still a lot of booze we haven't brought back. Feels like a waste."
"I'd rather not go near that street if I can help it."
"Why? Because of the mutated zombie?"
I nodded while scanning our surroundings. We'd cleared the area, but zombies could show up anywhere, anytime. Letting your guard down was a death sentence.
"Yeah. This is just a guess, but that female zombie seemed like she could think."
"She has intelligence? What the hell did you see when you went out at dawn that makes you say that?"
I told them everything that had happened. Ga-hee's expression grew a little serious.
"Playing a song on a computer means she not only has that level of intelligence, but also retains memories from when she was alive, right? There's no other way she could do that."
"Exactly. That's why I'm being careful. Her abilities alone are already a threat—if she can think on top of that? That's a whole different level of annoying."
Zombies were easy to deal with because their intentions were obvious. Once you knew what they wanted, predicting their next move was simple.
But the mutated zombie I'd met that night? I couldn't read her intentions at all. Why she killed people, why she suddenly started listening to music—I had no idea.
"If what you're saying is true, avoiding her is definitely the smart move."
"Yeah."
"That's terrifying. Regular zombies are already more than enough. Now they're evolving too..."
So-hye muttered with a dark look on her face.
"But what exactly was Park Chang-ho? He definitely wasn't human, no matter how you looked at him. But he acted too human to just call him a zombie."
"Hell if I know. If you think of him as a mutated zombie it kind of makes sense, but he didn't have that rage toward humans like the female one did... I really don't know. Something between zombie and human, probably."
Only Park Chang-ho would know the truth. Of course, he was already dead, so it was all gone with him.
Kyaaaaah—!
The moment we turned the corner, a zombie came charging as if it had been waiting. I smashed its head with the hammer and it crumpled straight to the ground.
Crunch—
I stomped on its neck and snapped the spine. The thrashing stopped cold.
"Enough talking. Let's move."
"Okay."
What kind of place would the subway be? What kind of groups would be there? I was genuinely worried.