Mutant Entity

"Hey, do I look like a fucking joke to you? Why the hell are you clinging to her side like a goddamn leech?!"

"I told you. This guy—he said to come over."

"Don't lie! I said don't fucking lie!"

"I give you the honest truth and you still freak out..."

What now?

I opened my eyes to the commotion.

My vision slowly sharpened, and two faces wearing furious expressions came into focus.

"Why's it so loud first thing in the morning..."

At my groggy voice, both pairs of eyes snapped toward me.

Ha Hui-ryeong in particular was glaring at me with hatchet eyes.

"Hey! Perfect timing! Is every single thing she's saying true? Is it?!"

"What? You have to actually tell me what's going on first."

"I'm talking about...! Did you give her a blanket and tell her to sleep next to you?!"

Ah. She's talking about last night.

So that's what this is about.

I sat up and answered flatly.

"I did. And?"

"And? 'And'? You fucking heard me before we went to sleep! I told you to leave her the hell alone! And you still pulled that shit?!"

"Come on, Hui-ryeong. You want me to just let her mouth hang open until she drops? I turned her into a slave with coins. That'd be a waste."

"Don't care. She croaks, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that's on her."

She snorted a *hmph*, jerking her head away.

She seemed to realize she was being unreasonable, because her tone was already edging toward a petulant whine.

Good grief. Wasting this much emotion on something so stupid.

"First, dial down the anger and let's talk this out. Okay?"

"If she admits she was wrong, then I'll dial it down."

"...Why should I? I only did what I was told."

"See! See! Look at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her talking back! And you still want me to calm down?!"

Dismay spread across my face.

I mean, Ha-yoon, just yesterday you were completely cowed by Hui-ryeong, so why the hell are you suddenly bold today?

You think you can handle it? If you get smacked, you'll turn right back into a scared little mouse. What's with this confidence?

I found myself helplessly rubbing my face at the sheer impossibility of it all.

"Both of you, relax. Instead of this, let's just eat something. Agreed? Yes?"

"Give her only a little."

"...Stingy."

"What?"

"No. Nothing."

"Ugh. Anyway, both of you shut up and eat this. Don't waste mental energy fighting over nothing."

Since it looked like they'd never stop if I let them go, I pulled chocolate bars out of the backpack I'd used as a pillow and handed them over.

Both of them looked displeased, but when I pushed them with a firm "Go on," they reluctantly took them.

This is what I'm dealing with the moment I wake up.

Even though I slept, I somehow feel even more drained.

"This is freaking ridiculous. Are you on my side or hers?"

"That topic. Are we really going to keep picking at it?"

"Answer me first."

"Haah..."

Ha Hui-ryeong chewed her chocolate bar, staring daggers at me.

She's been an incredible handful today.

She's asking a question she already knows the answer to—just being a pain.

"Obviously I'm on your side. But she's part of the group now too. Shouldn't we at least let her breathe a little?"

"You're too soft. Weak. Pathetic."

Harsh.

"More importantly, when did you two start this? You didn't just stay up all night and start picking fights right after shift change, did you?"

"If that were the case, you'd have woken up ages ago. It was exactly three hours after my shift change that I started causing a fuss, so don't make assumptions. I'm not that kind of trash."

"I wasn't assuming—never mind. Fine."

At least she's self-aware that she was the one causing a fuss.

Should ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I count that as a plus?

I grimaced inwardly and subtly shifted my gaze to Kim Ha-yoon.

She was quietly nibbling her chocolate bar like a hamster, but the moment Ha Hui-ryeong glared her way, she slyly scooted closer to me.

"Wow, look at that sly little bitch. See? She's no ordinary case."

"Aren't you being too sensitive?"

"You're just thick. The way she's eyeing you is straight-up foxy. I oughta smash her face in."

"Watch your language."

"...You seriously don't remember calling people motherfucking sons of bitches with your own mouth yesterday?"

"Me? When?"

Ha Hui-ryeong let out a baffled laugh, completely incredulous.

Apparently finding it ridiculous that Ha-yoon would talk back while hiding behind my back, she irritably tossed the empty wrapper aside.

Of course, since Kim Ha-yoon was behind me, I ended up taking the hit for no reason.

"Hey, you're hilarious. The guy who fucked you yesterday, and you want to cling to him? Have you got no shame?"

"Better than you, unnie. At least he doesn't hit me."

"Sorry for being barbaric. But guess what? He's even worse than me, not better. You backed the wrong horse."

I really hate hearing that I'm worse than a former school bully.

My mood soured and my face scrunched up. Noticing that, Ha Hui-ryeong got awkward and cleared her throat.

"Ahem. Anyway, watch yourself. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"...I'll handle myself."

"Argh, I oughta just...!"

She raised a fist but just as quickly lowered it.

She kept sneaking glances at me, and impressively, she suppressed her temper and backed down.

Mm. That's a plus. Our little she-cat may be fierce, but she does read her master's mood.

I suppressed the urge to stamp "Great job!" all over her butt and said,

"Let's get moving. Ah, right. Hui-ryeong, did you hear from your mom?"

"I did. She says the vibe isn't great... but she's managing."

"Really? That's good. Ha-yoon, pack up too."

"Ah, okay."

Kim Ha-yoon gathered her things and slung a backpack on each shoulder.

She still struggled, but it looked more stable than yesterday.

Alright, time to move again.

*

The aftereffects of sleeping rough lasted longer than I expected.

It wasn't just the lack of sleep; my posture was terrible, so my whole body was still stiff.

"That's all because you're out of shape."

Ha Hui-ryeong jabbed at me.

Is it just my imagination that everyone else looks perfectly fine?

At a glance, the two of them were in far better condition than I was.

"How about learning some exercise for a change? Noona will teach you."

"What exercise, with no equipment?"

"There's plenty you can do without equipment. Bodyweight stuff—I can correct your form. So how about it?"

I was dumbfounded.

Working out in a zombie apocalypse. Absurdly optimistic.

Well, it's better than moping and draining your energy, but there's absolutely no leisure right now. It was a proposal not even worth considering.

"Forget it. More importantly, we're almost there, so let's stay sharp."

"Sure, just changing the subject because you don't want to. Still, keep it in mind for later."

"Unnie, forcing people is bad."

"Shut your trap."

Ha Hui-ryeong, who had been grinning while chatting with me, scrunched up her face and flipped the bird at the soft criticism from behind.

Then Kim Ha-yoon whispered to me in a slightly chipper tone,

"Isn't it hard putting up with her?"

"...Not really."

"Lies. Fix that rotten look on your face before you open your mouth. Honestly, it's a bit much, right?"

The reason my face looks rotten is because you two keep fighting.

Do you have any idea how much I suffer, caught in the middle?

While I was grumbling internally—

"Hey! You two whispering again? Badmouthing me?"

Ha Hui-ryeong, walking ahead, shot us a sulky glare.

I shook my head.

"Of course not, Hui-ryeong. She was just whining about being tired, so I humored her."

"I'm not tired. I'm still fine."

"Quiet."

And whisper in my ear at a reasonable volume.

Because it's pissing me off. In more ways than one.

"Why don't you back off a bit?"

"Fine, fine. So you tone down the irritation too."

"When did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I ever get irritated... Ah, what are you doing!"

The moment my arm wrapped around Ha Hui-ryeong's waist, she immediately snapped.

But she didn't push me away—instead, she leaned her body a little closer to mine, like she didn't entirely hate it.

A truly surprising gap between words and actions.

It was such a cute little tantrum it nearly made me laugh.

"Did our Hui-ryeong feel left out? Why so prickly? Hm?"

"...Go fuck yourself. You gonna move that hand or not?"

"Your attitude sucks, so no. Let's walk like this until we reach the next station."

"N... no! Let go!"

"Aw, just a little longer. Okay?"

"Eek!"

Ha Hui-ryeong whipped her head the other way at my shameless smile.

Of course, that didn't hide her flushed cheeks.

What an adorable little thing.

In any case, no more scuffles broke out after that.

Occasionally Kim Ha-yoon would pick fights, asking if I wasn't embarrassed to act like that at my age, or noting that my flirting skills were no joke.

But each time, I stopped an actual argument by teasing Hui-ryeong's waist to redirect her attention.

Mediating is a chore, a real chore.

I don't know why that girl suddenly started acting like that, but it was mentally exhausting.

Gently provoking Hui-ryeong, then using me as a shield when things got dicey. She's seriously sly.

'Sigh... we finally made it.'

How long had that precarious atmosphere lasted? After a long stretch of walking, we finally reached the next station.

The station was quieter than I expected.

No, eerily quiet would be more accurate.

Bloodstains and bits of flesh were splattered everywhere, but there was absolutely no sign of life anywhere.

Still, you'd typically expect to see at least a few zombies...

"What the? Did someone clean this place out?"

"...Hey, keep it down."

I reined in Ha Hui-ryeong's raised voice and scanned the area with a sober look.

It was strange.

The unnaturally still surroundings were deeply unsettling.

"Ah, okay."

At my tone, Ha Hui-ryeong, who normally would've snapped back, lowered her voice.

She had good instincts; she read my expression and quickly grasped the severity.

Just as we advanced, alert to the max—

Thud.

A far-off, far-from-ordinary sound echoed.

It was so heavy it felt like the earth itself was shaking.

Everyone in my group stopped moving at once, no signal needed.

Thud. Thud. THUD!

And as the intervals between them shortened, our bodies flinched involuntarily.

A chill shot down my spine, every nerve frozen rigid with tension.

I sensed instinctively that things had gone horribly wrong.

Right after that.

Sure enough, a goddamn disaster struck.

-Crunch!

An aberrant-type chewing the blood-soaked arm of a human like a biscuit.

We had run into an incredibly dangerous monster that looked every bit like an evolved form.

Gulp—

Dry saliva slid down my throat as cold sweat trickled down my cheek.

Sculpted, massive muscles like a statue.

An overwhelming frame that easily surpassed two meters.

And a grotesque body structure with four eyes and four arms.

The entire set of features was alarmingly similar to a post I'd studied closely the night before.

'Be wary: there's a crazy muscle-freak mutant with four arms heading toward Choansan.'

No matter how I look at it, that's gotta be the one...

But why the hell is this bastard here?

Weren't you supposed to be near Choansan?

Jomgu Jomgu, did you lie to me...?

But there was no time to solve that mystery.

Twitch.

The creature's eyes, which had been darting in different directions like a chameleon's—

Both pairs of massive eyeballs zeroed in on us all at once.

"...We're fucked."

Kim Ha-yoon's quiet murmur.

Couldn't argue with that.