Demand and Compensation
Demand and Compensation
Ring.
After hitting the dial, I stepped inside. The place looked the same as always.
No signs anyone had broken in. Exactly the way I'd left it the day before.
"At least we can breathe for a bit."
"..."
Ha Hui-ryeong swept her eyes over the interior, then followed me in warily.
Strange how things turn out. Never in my wildest dreams did I picture letting this bitch into my home — just a little while ago, the idea would've been unthinkable.
I dropped my bag in the living room and headed straight for the bathroom.
Honestly, I felt kind of filthy. The blood spatter from earlier was really getting to me.
Might as well wash up first.
"Hey, I think we should wait for things to settle down a bit downstairs before we head out. Let's just rest today."
"...Fine. Got it."
I'd expected pushback, but Ha Hui-ryeong actually agreed. She was probably mentally fried too. Not much time had passed, but the intensity had been brutal. Chased by zombies, meeting another survivor, then watching her companion suddenly bash that survivor's skull in — she'd have to be on the verge of cracking. If her mental fortitude were any weaker, she'd have collapsed already after everything crammed into just a few hours.
"Should I wash up first?"
"Do whatever you want."
She sank onto the sofa and started fiddling with her phone. The furious tapping on the keyboard suggested she was messaging family or acquaintances.
Well, none of my business.
Leaving her to it, I locked the bathroom door and turned on the shower. Water was still running fine. Might cut off soon, so it was smart to wash while I could.
As warm water poured over me, I decided to get my thoughts in order.
A disaster. A zombie-infested apocalypse, to be exact. That part wasn't too different from what you see in various media. The weird part was this:
[Trait: Lucky One
— Provides probability correction when enhancing equipment or drawing items.
Trait: Dark Merchant.
— Locate a vending machine. Essential survival supplies are available there.
— Special products for "Dark Merchant" are added to the vending machine.]
When I pressed the semi-transparent window floating in the corner of my vision, it expanded slightly and displayed a block of text.
Honestly, I had no clue what to make of it. Wasn't this exactly the sort of thing you'd see in a game or a novel? Experiencing it in real life left me mystified and unconvinced. Had I lost my mind? Had the shock driven me insane? Under the circumstances, that seemed like the most plausible explanation — but ironically, my head had never felt clearer. I was in peak condition — calm, collected, capable of rational judgment.
What the hell is this, really?
Looking back, these things started appearing when I killed that person. So maybe murder served as the trigger. The theory suddenly hit me: maybe awakening a special power required killing a sentient being. Of course, a theory's just a theory. As long as I wasn't even sure if what I was seeing was real, jumping to conclusions was stupid. I'd have to test this so-called vending machine first before making any decisions. Anyway, "luck" was such a vague, broad concept. And the "Dark Merchant" angle... it was still unclear how it would help me.
Should I head out now?
I gave my hair a rough shampoo, towel-dried my head, and stepped out of the bathroom.
Ha Hui-ryeong was still hunched in the corner of the sofa, staring at her phone. The frown on her face suggested the results weren't too positive.
"Hey, you should wash up too. No telling when the water's going to stop. Better to wash while you can."
"Ah... yeah. Got it..."
She lifted her head slightly, and our eyes met. For some reason, her expression was absolutely shocked — eyes wide as saucers as she stared at me.
"Hey, you fucking...! Put some goddamn clothes on, you bastard...!!"
"Ah."
Ha Hui-ryeong whipped her gaze away and let out a disgusted "Ughhh..."
I hadn't even considered that blunder and hurried back into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. Damn it, walking around naked had become such a habit that I'd just embarrassed myself in a pretty mortifying incident.
"So fucking embarrassing..."
I let out a small sigh and pulled my clothes on.
When I came out again, she glanced at me and exhaled deeply.
"If you peek, I'll kill you."
The muttered threat lacked her usual venom. She brushed past me into the bathroom. Feeling awkward, I scratched my head and headed into the bedroom to find a bigger bag. Preparing for what lay ahead required something with proper capacity. Looting. I needed a bag that wasn't too small but not too bulky either, so it wouldn't hinder movement.
"Oh."
Found the right one. Only problem was it was from my school days, which gave me a bit of a cringey feeling. But so what? If I got hung up on every little thing like that now, I'd end up with nothing.
And then, weapons. Ha Hui-ryeong had that metal bat from the convenience store, but I had no proper weapon of my own. I couldn't keep relying on her forever. Hell, this party could fall apart as early as tomorrow. Since I hadn't yet committed to rescuing that bitch's mother, I absolutely needed something to defend myself.
Something sturdy with decent reach.
I thought about what I had. Then I remembered there was something decent on the veranda. Memories of it being the ultimate weapon in some game — I'd saved up my allowance to buy it back then — came flooding back with a nostalgic pang. I went straight to the veranda and rummaged through the crap piled haphazardly on the shelves.
There it is, there it is.
It took longer than I expected because everything was tangled together, but I finally got what I wanted: a sharp iron bar with a forked, curved end. A crowbar. Length was just right.
Whoosh, whoosh. I swung it around — lightweight, great grip. Its reach matched Ha Hui-ryeong's bat, which made it pretty damn satisfying.
"This is nice. Heh heh."
After that, I spent some time swinging the crowbar this way and that to get a feel for it. Figured a bit of practice before actual combat beat sitting around doing nothing.
Creeeak.
About ten minutes later, Ha Hui-ryeong stepped into the living room, fresh from her shower. Her figure, still damp from the water, looked quite different in various ways.
"Hey, is there a hair dryer?"
"Over there. Oh, right. After you dry your hair, how about we eat something?"
"Like what?"
"I've got some frozen stuff at home. Power's still on, so we should use the air fryer and all while we can."
"..."
She didn't answer directly, but she seemed to consent. Well, after moving around that much, she had to be hungry.
So she dried her hair, and I pulled out the emergency rations I'd carefully stashed in the freezer and heated them up in the air fryer. Fried shrimp and frozen chicken. Every last bit of the late-night snacks I'd saved for a beer later. After roughly setting the food and beer on the table, I was about to sit down when she, done drying her hair, asked casually.
"Hey, what's that? What's with the metal stick all of a sudden?"
Her finger pointed at the crowbar I'd left in the middle of the living room.
"What do you think? I need something to protect myself too."
"Hmph. That thing's hard to use if you're not used to it."
She said it like someone who'd handled one before. Maybe I'd ask her for pointers later, if the chance came up.
"So, shall we toast?"
Psssh. I cracked open a beer can and offered it to her, but she just sat there with a sullen expression. What was she unhappy about now?
"You're drinking alcohol in this situation?"
"That's exactly why I should. When else am I going to get the chance to drink this leisurely again?"
"...I suppose that's true."
If you don't want any, then don't. I bit into a piece of fried shrimp and took a long swig of beer. The cool carbonation and the beer's distinctive bitterness slid down my throat along with the greasiness of the fried food.
"Ahhh... that hits the spot."
"You sound like an old man."
Rude. But her scolding didn't last long. Ha Hui-ryeong glanced back and forth between the fried food and the beer, then finally reached for them. Even she couldn't ignore hunger. As the food entered her mouth, her sulky expression softened a little.
We kept eating in silence for a while, and Ha Hui-ryeong, who'd been stealing glances at my face, finally spoke.
"Hey, I'm asking just to be sure, but you're going with me to Hansarang Apartment, right?"
"Don't worry. At the very least, I'll get you there. After that... I'm not sure what'll happen."
Her chopsticks stopped mid-air.
"What do you mean you're not sure...?"
"I mean, I'll drop you off and we'll go our separate ways."
I'd thought about it, and going to rescue that bitch's mother just wasn't worth the cost. The risk was too high, and even if we succeeded, she wouldn't be much of an asset. Most importantly, I didn't have any good feelings toward her.
"So you're just going to take me there and then leave? Go where?"
"Who knows. I'll figure it out when the time comes."
"Then why can't we just keep traveling together? Do you really have to go that far...?"
"You know as well as I do that we're not exactly close. And I think I've already done my part loyalty-wise, don't you?"
"..."
Ha Hui-ryeong looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end she shut her mouth and hung her head. I couldn't understand her reaction. Sure, I got that having me around raised the odds of rescuing her mother, so it wasn't completely incomprehensible. But why cling to someone you're on such awkward terms with? I asked, bewildered.
"You're seriously weird. You want to stick with the guy who just turned a person into mincemeat a little while ago?"
"...That's exactly why. That's why I need you even more."
"...?"
When I gave her a puzzled look, Ha Hui-ryeong lifted her head and met my eyes. She looked straight at me, without cowering like before.
"Honestly, I don't give a damn about those monster-like bastards. But... there's no guarantee that's the only kind of thing we'll face from now on."
Right. I suppose that's true. Maybe someday she'd have to swing that bat at a person. But... wasn't she more than capable? She had a history of beating someone half to death, after all.
"So you're reluctant to do the killing, is that it?"
"...Yeah. I don't have the confidence. But you probably..."
Wouldn't hesitate. In a world where life and death get decided in a split second, hesitation means death. In that sense, I was confident I wouldn't leave any loose ends behind. After all, everything's hard the first time and easy from the second on.
Hmm, I got the gist.
"So you handle the zombies, I handle the people. That's what you're suggesting?"
Ha Hui-ryeong nodded.
"It's better for you to have me around than to be alone, isn't it? At the very least, I won't drag you down. I'll pull my weight."
She wasn't wrong. The way she'd torn through that zombie horde earlier was so impressive it almost reminded me of Yeo Bong-seon. Anyway, a division of roles...
It wasn't a bad proposal, but she was overlooking one important fact. For that relationship to hold, unconditional trust was necessary.
"You're not worried I might betray you? As far as I recall, we don't exactly have the warmest feelings for each other."
"No. You can't betray me."
I narrowed my eyes. I didn't know where this confidence came from, but her tone was almost certain.
"Based on what?"
"You like me."
...Excuse me? My heart dropped. Faced with this sudden, completely out-of-nowhere, utterly ridiculous nonsense, I lost all control of my expression. My mouth fell open and my pupils dilated. She, in contrast, remained relatively indifferent, wearing a look that said What's the problem? I couldn't hide my bewilderment.
"Wh-what? M-me? Like you?"
"Yeah. The look on your face tells me everything. That's why you kept working at my mom's store, right? Trying to stick around somehow?"
"That was just because the conditions were good...!"
"Don't give me that bullshit. Would you really work at the store of the woman your dad slept with just because the conditions were good? Even you have to admit that doesn't make any sense."
I was at a loss for words. I wanted to shoot something back — anything — to deny it, but for some reason my mouth just kept opening and closing like a goldfish. In the middle of that, she stood up slightly and reached out. She grabbed me by the collar and pulled my face closer to hers.
"So help me. All the way."
"..."
This time, I was the one who fell silent. I stared at her through narrowed eyes, and she glared back with fiercely upturned eyes.
After dozens of seconds of silence, I finally moved my dry lips.
"...No. The more I think about it, there's almost nothing in it for me."
"Ha! So that's how you're going to play it?"
"Then what are you going to do? Hit me? You think I'll just sit there and take it like last time?"
I wrapped my hand around the arm that held my collar and gave it a slight squeeze as a warning. She frowned, then released me.
Plop.
Dropping back into her chair, Ha Hui-ryeong started tapping the table. A habit of hers that surfaced unconsciously when her thoughts got tangled.
"...So if there is something in it for you, you'll do what I'm saying?"
"If there is, then yeah."
At my words, Ha Hui-ryeong squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. Then her small lips parted.
"...Once a day... I'll do whatever you want."
"What?"
"Ugh, once a day! I said I'll do anything you tell me to!"
She'd mumbled it so quietly I'd had to ask her to repeat herself, and now she suddenly snapped at me with irritation. Still, I wasn't angry. Instead, my entire focus was hijacked by her proposal.
Once a day. I could do whatever I wanted with her? That meant...
"...Really? Anything?"
I stared at her blankly, then slowly ran my eyes up and down her body. Maybe sensing my impure gaze, Ha Hui-ryeong flinched. Then, with her head turned away, she answered in a faint voice that had absolutely no confidence behind it.
"...Anything."
What the hell.