In Seoul
In Seoul
Yadeulyadeul* : Never thought I'd get to eat chicken again at a time like this. Thanks.
Yajeongkojeong : If you're grateful, tip a little extra ㅇㅇ
Yadeulyadeul* : Honestly, 20 coins is already steep, so that's a bit much;
Yajeongkojeong : The fact that you even have coins to blow on this in the current situation kinda means you've got some breathing room, doesn't it? ㅎㅎ
Yadeulyadeul* : ...Anyway, enough about me. Hurry up and send the cigarettes too.
Yajeongkojeong : ㅇㅋ That'll be 40 coins total~
Ding.
[Transaction complete.]
[Coins held: 2137>2177]
"Okay. That should hold me for a while."
I stretched, relieved.
The newly added Random Instant Food item had pulled in quite a tidy profit this time.
Average canned goods on the market went for 10 coins.
But since what I was selling averaged around 15 coins, the general sentiment was: might as well toss in an extra 5 coins and actually eat something good.
Thanks to that, I'd raked in a little over 800 coins in just half a day.
Considering my previous daily record was 400 coins, this was a staggering result.
'I've built up a nice little surplus here...'
So I could probably take it easy the next day.
Move with Mirkella's guidance in the morning, and resume sales in a quiet spot in the afternoon.
That was the plan for now.
"Phew... is it over?"
Number 9 asked, wiping the sweat from her brow.
I gave a slight nod.
"Yeah. Get some rest for now. Help yourselves to the leftovers. Oh, and Yeon-ji, Number 7—grab a pack each."
"Whaaat?"
"Don't 'what' me. I gave you plenty yesterday."
"I've smoked almost all of them, though. There's only five left..."
...What the hell, Yeon-ji.
I'm sure I gave you three whole packs yesterday, and you've already nearly burned through them?
"Hey, you're gonna kill yourself at this rate. You could drop dead on the spot, dumbass."
"It's fine. I haven't been smoking that long, so my lungs can probably take it."
That varies from person to person.
Some people chain-smoke their whole lives and never get sick. Others get cancer and drop dead in an instant even while smoking in moderation.
That's just how bodies are.
At the end of the day, it's about whether it really agrees with you or not.
"Cut the crap and pace yourself."
"Tch... fine. I'll try."
Jeong Yeon-ji looked deeply reluctant, but she didn't argue any further.
She knew arguing with me would get her nowhere, so she'd test the waters like this every once in a while.
...Cheeky brat.
"Thank you, as always. I'll smoke them sparingly."
Number 7, on the other hand, smiled brightly as if even this was a huge favor, instead of whining.
Having hit rock bottom once before, she seemed to have learned a thing or two about patience.
"Number 0. Let's go."
Number 7 led Jeong Yeon-ji outside.
Though Number 7 was sometimes envious of Yeon-ji, the two of them were smoking buddies, one way or another.
Once they were gone, the remaining First Generation members split up and began collecting food.
"Number 9. But is it really okay for just us to take this much?"
"It's fine. He told me I could take more."
"Is... that so?"
Number 9 was hanging out with Number 1.
An unexpected pairing.
Or maybe not—from Number 1's perspective, being the least screwed over, Number 9 might have actually been the best option.
Conversely, maybe Number 9 figured dealing with Number 1, who had already fallen out of favor, was easier than dealing with the others who could threaten her own standing.
And on the other side.
"Hey, Number 4! Why aren't you grabbing anything?!"
"My back's hurting, that's why. You're young, so put that strength to use, okay?"
"The age gap isn't even that big! And you think you're the only one in pain? I'm tired too, you know!"
"Oh, come on, both of you, lower your voices. Let's calm down a little."
Number 3 and Number 4 were bickering—they'd gotten pretty close—and Number 8 mediated with an easygoing laugh.
Come to think of it, those three seemed to have banded together from the very beginning.
It felt like they'd sworn some kind of oath of solidarity, the three of them.
'Roughly three factions, then. Those three, Number 9 and Number 1. And the two smoking addicts. Something like that.'
I watched calmly from a slight distance.
Number 9, who held my favor, naturally seemed to be at odds with those three.
They weren't openly keeping her in check, but it was like they were eyeing the chance to drag her down the moment an opportunity arose.
'The curious thing is there's one who doesn't fit into any group.'
"....."
Number 5.
She was the biggest oddball among them.
A woman even more silent and blunt than Kim Ha-yoon.
Ha-yoon at least showed little change in expression, but she still said what she needed to say and expressed dislike clearly.
Number 5, on the other hand, hadn't uttered a single word so far, as if she were a literal Buddha statue.
Yesterday was the same.
She was the only one who didn't participate in the wild sex party.
The sight of her tearing into leftovers, completely unbothered while love juices and semen flew everywhere nearby.
I couldn't help but be impressed.
'Well, whatever. If she wants to isolate herself, there's no reason to stop her.'
My direct involvement had to be extremely rare.
That would make them easier to handle.
Favoring Number 9 alone was enough.
Look, hadn't they already started clashing among themselves?
Going forward, they'd each try their damnedest to direct my favor toward themselves.
A situation like this was exactly the flow I wanted.
I wasn't about to break that flow just because of one Number 5.
"Mm, nothing to do now."
Once all the First Generation members returned to their rooms, I sprawled on the sofa and sighed.
Ha Hui-ryeong had taken the other girls, saying she'd clear out the nearby zombies before we headed out tomorrow.
Well, the implication was there too—using the chance to coordinate with Mirkella.
So that left only...
'Only Su-ah left.'
Ha Rin-i was here too, but she was outside working with Jeong Ji-min, said she needed to do maintenance on the vehicles.
So it was a bit much to call her over just to kill my boredom.
"Anyway, Su-ah. You sure you don't need to go? I kinda got the feeling you wanted to hang out with them."
At my words, Im Soo-ah quietly lowered her gaze.
She looked somewhat dispirited.
"I... wanted to, but the others don't seem to. Whenever I try to approach them, they all avoid me."
Im Soo-ah complained in a gloomy tone.
She seemed genuinely upset that her efforts weren't being reciprocated.
"Well, of course they do. You're in an entirely different situation from them."
Even though she stayed with the First Generation, the attitude me and the other women showed toward Im Soo-ah was clearly different from how we treated them.
Maybe they knew I was fond of her, but they didn't really touch her, so to speak.
Even that Jeong Ji-min didn't mess with Im Soo-ah carelessly.
Well, Jeong Yeon-ji was in a similar position... but her attitude was shit, so the others just plain disliked her, kind of?
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"What do you think? It means you don't have to hang around with them. If you want, you can come to our room."
"Oh... so that means..."
"You're on the same level as Ha Rin-i or Ji-min. If it gets uncomfortable, come over to our side anytime. Ha Yeosa will act scary at first, but she's just establishing discipline like always, so don't be too intimidated."
When I finished, Im Soo-ah looked rather confused.
That reaction meant she genuinely hadn't known.
"Really, is it okay for me to do that?"
"I said it's fine. Want me to talk to them for you if it's awkward?"
"Mm..."
She looked hesitant, but soon nodded carefully, as if she'd made up her mind.
"Yes. I'd be grateful if you did."
"Alright. I'll explain properly when they get back. Stay here in the meantime."
When I patted the spot beside me, she slowly approached.
She'd sucked my thing without a hint of reserve just yesterday, yet now she was showing clear signs of shyness.
I really can't figure her out.
"If you're bored, read this or something."
I handed her the book I'd been reading and stared into empty space.
To be precise, at the semi-transparent window—the bulletin board.
Chatting with the former VTuber wouldn't have been so bad either, but.
She seemed deep in thought right now, absolutely not in the mood to talk.
Looked like she was seriously pondering strategies to adapt to the new environment.
'Let's see... come to think of it, there was an interesting post earlier.'
I'd been focused on business first, so I hadn't had the chance to check it properly.
I scrolled down for a while to find it.
Zombie Observation* - Zombie Observation Journal (Latest Edition)
Since some time has passed, I'll skip the zombie basics—assuming everyone knows them by now.
What I'll cover this time is mutant entities.
Mutant entities—these bastards aren't picky about hosts.
Human hosts are the mainstream, but the ratios vary a lot by region.
In some ways, that can be more dangerous.
Especially in mountainous areas—entire trees can turn into monsters, making survival a hell of a lot harder.
Also, I recommend steering clear of underground areas and the Han River.
As those who know, know, the underground has a decent population of those centipede monsters.
The Han River has fish.
Every night, marine life turns that area into total chaos.
Don't try crossing the bridge for no reason.
And watch out for the sounds of birds crying.
Especially crows and pigeons.
Individuals aren't that threatening, but they swarm, so they're tough to deal with.
If your goal is coins, targeting places with these guys is one approach.
Still, always keep in mind: your own life comes first.
Additional)
Lately, zombie movements around the Yongsan-gu area have been unusual.
There are way, way too many of them.
My guess is it's the work of a mutant entity.
Of course, that's just a guess—take it with a grain of salt.
-
It was a post packed with actual substance.
This was why I liked this guy.
No idea what his ability was, but he kept us informed about the situation inside Seoul in detail.
He was like a piece of scrap metal that actually shines once in a blue moon amidst the piles of garbage.
I'd gotten pretty curious about his real identity.
'Luckily, there won't be any unexpected trouble on our path.'
Our current targets were Dongjak-gu and Gwanak-gu.
Though they were close to Yongsan-gu, they were across the bridge, so there was probably no particular need to worry.
And next.
Hammurabi - Don't you know?
Haven't any of you noticed something weird about the bulletin board?
Why isn't there a single mention of other regions?
Hasn't anyone ever wondered about that?
Well, maybe not—you're all fucking losers with no life—but it's been bugging the hell out of me.
So I went digging through the posts... and it's seriously strange. Photos, videos, text contents—they all share one consistent detail.
They're all people living inside Seoul.
Doesn't that seem off to you?
Why aren't there people living elsewhere?
There have to be survivors in other countries, just like us, right?
So why??
-
Nongnongㅋ : Nng~? Couldn't it just be a coincidence~? Maybe you're just misunderstanding, you know~. They might actually live somewhere else but talk like they're in Seoul~.
ㄴHammurabi : There's no reason for them to do that. And if you doubt me, go look around for yourself? Judge whether I'm right or wrong then.
ㄴNongnongㅋ : ㅋㅋ; Nope~. I'm not a time billionaire like you, so that's tough for me~.
ㄴHammurabi : The way you talk is fucking irritating. I get it's a concept, but tone it down.
Hammer Goes : That might actually be true...? Now that you mention it, looking at recent posts, they're all scenes from Seoul.
APO Teacher Day 23* : Accepting trades for Seoul women. Other regions welcome too.
ㄴBee Flower Mamma Tong : Yeongpoti Teacher; please take it easy;;
Creek Dragon : So... putting what you said together, it's like this bulletin board itself is a kind of 'Seoul server.' There's no way everywhere except the capital region has been completely wiped out.
ㄴHammurabi : ㅇㅇ I thought your brain was full of cum, but you actually grasped the main point.
ㄴCreek Dragon : What's with the sudden aggression, you motherfucker
Mimimi : But so what, what's the big deal? Even if the servers are divided, that's not really a problem.
ㄴHammurabi : It is. Don't you think this system subtly resembles a game? Look, it's currently Season 2. So for Season 3, it wouldn't be strange if content like matches between different servers showed up.
ㄴMimimi : No evidence. But well, it's a pretty interesting theory for the first time in a while.
ㄴHammurabi : Season 3 hasn't actually been announced, but you never know. The current situation is one where nothing would be strange happening.
...This was pretty interesting.
Looking around the bulletin board a bit more, this post had become the starting point for a string of similar speculation.
From people asking where others lived, to whether a server war would really break out next season,
to idiots telling them to shut the hell up with their baseless bullshit and just look at lewd pics—it was all mixed together in an utterly chaotic mess.
'It's definitely true, though. A decent amount of time has passed since the bulletin board appeared, but I've never heard anyone say they live outside Seoul.'
So it wasn't a topic to just shrug off.
Nothing would be strange if it happened.
Because I agreed with that opinion.
In fact, starting tomorrow, it could be something that sparks large-scale conflict with people in Incheon.
This thing called the System made that entirely possible.
"Hmm..."
After humming to myself for a moment, I shoved the bulletin board to the corner of my vision.
That's when it happened.
"—So what I'm saying is, you shouldn't push forward there—you need to watch my back! Why don't you get it?"
"Why should I have to clean up after you? I was fine on my own."
"Is that what matters? I'm talking about linking up! Not running off solo like you always do!"
"Hmph, that's preposterous. You are far too unreasonable, Hui. Acting as if others must adapt to you, and that gives you the right to rampage around... that cannot be called a link. It is merely everyone else accommodating your reckless, colt-like rampage. No more, no less."
"...What did you just say?"
"Ah, both of you, calm down. You're too worked up."
Ha Hui-ryeong, who had flung open the door and returned to the camper, threw off her outerwear and grumbled irritably. Mirkella retorted proudly without a hint of intimidation.
What was this?
She'd been as passive as a beaten chihuahua until now, but for some reason she was glaring and stubbornly locking horns with Ha Hui-ryeong.
"What's up with them?"
"Oh... well, I think it's because their roles overlap."
That was Kim Ha-yoon's answer.
Having quietly slipped away from between them, she squeezed into the space between Im Soo-ah and me.
"Roles?"
"They're both vanguards. But their temperaments overlap too. They're both the fearless, charge-first type."
Aha... in short, they each wanted to be at the front, and that wounded their pride.
This wasn't a problem that could be solved right away.
Only time would be the answer.
'Things are gonna get a bit rough from here on out, huh?'