The Ones Who Should Be Worried Are Them
"...Really? That brother of yours is incredibly amazing."
"Right? Anyway, thanks to our Brother Jun-ho, everyone in our shelter—like me, Sunny, and Yuna—was able to survive."
Park Deok-cheol spoke proudly, having added the prefix "our" to Jun-ho's name at some point. "Honestly, I was terrified when I first met him. He was slicing up those punk gangsters with a knife right in front of my eyes; it was incredibly gruesome. But when I think about it, if Brother Jun-ho hadn't saved us back then, I would've died, and Sunny and Yuna would be... whew..."
Park Deok-cheol shuddered, unable to finish his sentence.
"Ugh..."
The three Blossom members, including Cherry (Ahn Yu-jeong), wore pale expressions as if they had experienced it themselves. As fellow women and idols, it was obvious what would have happened to them. Lee Chae-rin, who had nearly faced a similar situation today, wrapped her arms around herself and trembled, then suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked Park Deok-cheol.
"But, Ducky oppa. That place where you, Sunny, and Yuna live. Our Shelter? Is it really safe? Is it a good place to live?"
"Yeah. It's genuinely safe. First off, it's surrounded by mountains and there's nobody else around. The walls are high, there's barbed wire, and we're monitoring everything 24/7 with CCTV and drones."
"And what else?"
"Like I said, you don't have to worry about food at all. We have a cold storage warehouse with enough food to last 20? 30 years? It's piled up. Plus, we raise chickens and farm in greenhouses and vinyl tunnels. We're even growing fruit trees, you know?"
"Wow..."
"Oppa, then what about the people? What are the people living there like?"
At Ahn Yu-jeong's question, the other members nodded enthusiastically. Partly because of what they had gone through today, but also because as top-tier female idols, they had been plagued by constant threats and dangers ever since the world turned this way.
"You guys know Sunny and Yuna well, so I'll skip them. First, there's Jun-ho hyung's younger brother, Jun-hyeok brother, who you saw earlier? He's a good guy too. Oh, he recently got a girlfriend, and guess who it is... ah."
Park Deok-cheol was excited to explain the people at the shelter, including Jun-hyeok, but suddenly shut his mouth.
"Why, oppa?"
When Ahn Yu-jeong tilted her head, Park Deok-cheol said with an apologetic look, "Uh, well... it's just that it feels a bit wrong to talk about it to outsiders. I'm sorry. I'd love to tell you if it were up to me, but it's just... I'm really sorry."
"No, no. I was the one asking without thinking. Anyway, it's true that they're all kind people, right?"
"For real. They're all good people. Oh, except for one person."
"One person? Wh-who is that?" Ahn Yu-jeong asked with a slightly frightened face.
"Well, he's not a bad person, but he's a bit... strange?"
For some reason, Park Deok-cheol shrugged, thinking of Yun Yeong-su, who would stifle a laugh and turn his head away whenever he saw him or his sister, Park Seon-hui. "He's a nerd. A computer geek. But even that hyung listens to Brother Jun-ho very well. And he's always in the computer room, so I barely see his face except when we eat. Anyway, he's weird, but he's definitely not a bad person."
"I see."
The Blossom members nodded diligently. The "geek" person didn't seem dangerous either, and in any case, it felt like everything would be solved as long as "Brother Jun-ho," whom they had seen earlier, was there.
'He was a bit scary, but he was incredibly cool...'
'He also had such a good impression.'
LD and Kelvin, whose personalities were so foul that even other celebrity seniors avoided them, couldn't move a muscle in front of Jun-ho, like mice before a tiger—no, a cat. Above all, even Kang Baek-ho, the owner of this resort and the person in the highest position, took a humble stance toward him. That was a huge shock to the Blossom members.
And that shock soon turned into a strong attraction toward Jun-ho; it was an instinctive reaction. If this were before the world turned upside down, it probably wouldn't have been the case. They would have just been scared of Jun-ho and avoided him. But now, zombies that eat people roam the streets. It has become a perilous world where you can't guarantee your safety even here, where many people live and even fellow celebrities are present.
In such a world, the thought that sticking close to a "strong existence" is the best way to survive safely is something anyone, regardless of gender, is bound to have. It goes without saying if that "strong existence" is someone whom Park Deok-cheol, whom they know and trust well, sincerely believes in and follows.
'I'm jealous of Ducky oppa.'
'If only we had been with Junix and Psyche Flare back then...'
'I hate it here now. I'm scared. I want to see my mom and dad.'
Just as the Blossom members were feeling depressed and pouting their lips as if they were about to burst into tears, the door suddenly swung open.
"Ah!"
Startled, they soon felt relieved.
"Are you guys okay!?"
The person who ran inside was none other than Kim Young-mi, the girlfriend of the resort representative, Kang Baek-ho, and their great idol senior.
"Somi sunbaenim, you're here."
"Sunbaenim, hello... ah!"
Kim Young-mi, who had grabbed Lee Chae-rin—who was folding her waist with her hands together—hugged her and made a fuss. "Chae-rin, are you really okay? I heard that crazy bastard Kelvin tried to do something? That dog of a bastard! Where does that dirty freak dare to!"
"I, I'm okay, sunbaenim. Thanks to Ducky oppa here, nothing happened."
"Oh, right!"
Kim Young-mi, who was holding Lee Chae-rin's shoulders and checking her up and down with worried eyes, turned her head sharply toward Park Deok-cheol. "You're Ducky from Junix, right? Do you remember me? We met once a long time ago, right?"
"Ah, yes. Of course I remember, sunbaenim. How have you been? I'm glad you're safe."
Because she, a star, recognized him, a "flop idol," Park Deok-cheol was a little moved and bowed his head.
"I'm glad you're safe too. And thank you so, so much. I heard everything from my oppa. Sigh, anyway, because of those crazy bastards... ah, Jun-ho-ssi, I'm sorry. I was just so shocked."
Jun-ho, who had followed her in, shook his head. "It's fine, hyung-su-nim. But if it's alright, could I talk to these people for a moment?"
"Yes, of course. I just came to see if the kids were okay. Kids? Jun-ho-ssi has something to say to you."
"Ah, yes."
The Blossom members, who had been thinking about Jun-ho until just a moment ago, hurriedly straightened their clothes and folded their hands neatly. Although they were 3rd-year idols who had gained great popularity both domestically and abroad before the world turned this way, they felt as if they had returned to their trainee days and were being evaluated. They stood in a line with tense expressions, waiting for Jun-ho to speak.
"Uh, there's no need to be that scared. First, shall we all sit down?"
Thinking that they were scared of him because of the dizzying incident and because they had witnessed a person's face being crushed and fainting right in front of them, Jun-ho said calmly.
The Blossom members were evaluated as kind and diligent by not only fellow idols Park Seon-hui and Jo Yu-na, but even by Yoon Seol-hee, who didn't particularly like the celebrities at the resort. They were perfect candidates for the "Dolsoe's" (hard workers) along with Park Seon-hui. Not only that, but they each had different specialties.
"Lee Chae-rin-ssi, you have a forklift and excavator license? I don't know much about this, but how did you get such a license..."
Although she was 21 years old this year, Jun-ho found it hard to believe that an idol who looked like a high school student had a heavy equipment license.
"Ah, that. When I was a rookie, I was lucky enough to get into an entertainment show where we built houses for viewers. Back then, the director and producer of my agency told me that I had to work really hard to become a regular. So I went to an academy at dawn and learned it? It was fun, too. But you see, I drive forklifts and excavators well, but I can't drive a regular car."
"I see. Anyway, do you drive a forklift here too?"
"Yes, yes. Even today. I came here after working with a forklift."
Lee Chae-rin, whose way of speaking was as unique as the licenses she held, nodded enthusiastically.
"I understand. And Ahn Yu-jeong-ssi, you have a hairdresser's license?"
"Yes! I learned it while filming a NewTube web entertainment show when I was a rookie."
"Jo An-ssi... you rode a fishing boat in Taiwan?"
"Yes. My dad ran a fish farm. Since I was young, I rode boats and went out to sea to catch a lot of fish."
"Ah..."
No wonder he wondered what kind of boat work a 19-year-old foreign idol had as a specialty. Of course, Our Shelter didn't really need anyone whose specialty was fishing. There was no reason to go out to sea on a boat, and if it were fishing, Park Deok-cheol, the "Texas Number One," was enough. However, being accustomed to fish farming and fishing boat work, which even most men find difficult, meant that she had excellent stamina and could work hard at anything.
"All three of you are truly amazing. Anyway, I'm going to propose something to you all. Of course, if you don't like it or don't feel like it, you can refuse. It's not forced."
"Yes..."
The Blossom members looked at Jun-ho, feeling very tense. Could this person also be...?
"I need people to work at the shelter where Deok-cheol and I live. Seon-hui and Yuna from Psyche Flare, whom you all know well, are also living and working there. The main work is farming in vinyl tunnels and in the mountains..."
"We'll go!"
"We'll work hard at anything!"
"We really want to go! Brother!"
"...???"
Jun-ho was dumbfounded by the simultaneous answers.
* * *
Jun-ho, who had secured the "Dolsoe's" candidates much more easily than expected, delivered the results to Kang Baek-ho. Kang Baek-ho, who had wondered if it was okay to sell people as he pleased since they were survivors at his resort even if they were others, was delighted to hear that the Blossom members wanted to go voluntarily.
Above all, there was nothing to worry about because not only the three female idols were going, but four members of the resort's combat team, led by Yoon Seol-hee, were going together. Although the number of skilled combat personnel had decreased, they had decided to support them with air guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition, surveillance drones, and several ground-attack drones that could be controlled by remote control. In addition, they decided to support them with seeds and medicines, so this side actually gained a little bit.
However, in a world of equals, one side cannot unilaterally take advantage. Furthermore, Jun-ho was a younger brother whom Kang Baek-ho cherished, and a person who had helped him first without wanting anything in return. Therefore.
"By now, Inspector Kim Sun-woo and Sergeant Oh Yong-mok should have arrived in Deokso. So we need to prepare immediately as well."
"We should."
Kang Baek-ho naturally agreed with Jun-ho's proposal to strike first for everyone's safety and survival.
"But is about ten people really enough? I heard there are over 50 gangsters there alone, and if you count the guys they scraped together from here and there, it's about 400."
Kang Baek-ho frowned, recalling the information he had obtained from the former and current police officers he had brought to the resort by faking their deaths and from the action leader Lee Woo-jung, whom Jun-ho had kept alive.
"It would be difficult if it were just us. The security of that apartment complex is also at a significant level."
"Golden Heights," a high-end apartment complex where even the smallest unit is 40 pyeong, had thorough security from the beginning. Under building laws, they couldn't make the walls high, but they did so through all sorts of expedients and corruption, and it was said that they had made it like a fortress when the apocalypse broke out. Dozens of gangsters with firearms and hundreds of men who were no different from subordinates were residing there. For about 10 people, it was practically impossible.
"Major Lee Seok-jin's unit will act soon."
"Is that so? But what if they've already caused trouble? Maybe they've already fought and lost."
"No. He's a very cautious person, so that won't happen."
Major Lee Seok-jin was a commander who was thorough about military operations, to the point of securing safety by frequently launching drones even when using mountain paths. Jun-ho was certain that there was no possibility that he had attacked recklessly.
"They don't have much ammunition, so they will plan perfectly and act. Because they have to end it surely at once, no matter what."
"That would be the case. Then we're aiming for the gap when that Major's unit fights the gangsters?"
"Yes. I know that unit's radio channel and frequency. They'll probably welcome it if I intervene too."
Although it was a short time, Major Lee Seok-jin and his unit had formed a kind of "comradeship" while fighting with him, and the soldiers remaining in Yeongho-ri were still getting along well with Our Shelter. They were complete "friendly targets."
"Manager Yoon Seol-hee still needs treatment, so she can't go. Then, as expected..."
At Kang Baek-ho's words, Jun-ho's gaze naturally turned to where he was looking.
"Yes, I'm going."
Park Cheol-woo, a Special Forces Sergeant Major who had participated in several "classified operations" with various special forces and the National Intelligence Service, let his eyes shine.
"Will you be okay?"
When Kang Baek-ho asked, unable to hide his worry, Park Cheol-woo grinned. "Now that I have this, you don't have to worry. Rather, the ones who should be worried are them."
What he was carrying on his shoulder was the K2C1 assault rifle that Jun-ho had received from Major Lee Seok-jin.