The Drill Instructor's New Assignment
"You're a former drill instructor, aren't you?"
"That's ridiculous. Why would I go there? My son and daughter-in-law are here, and all the other elderly folks are here, too."
"Even if we set aside your son and his wife, the elderly people here now aren't the ones who originally lived at the nursing home, are they?"
"That… is true."
The elderly residents who had stayed with Go Jeong-nam at the Hanareum Nursing Home had all passed away. Those who remained were only people from Gahyeon-ri who couldn't adapt to group living or had come here suffering from depression. Since they had no real connection to Go Jeong-nam, they weren't exactly close to him.
"Even if that's the case for those old folks, I can't go because of my Seok-jin. That brat will just get into trouble again if I'm not around. I've finally managed to make a decent human being out of him…."
"How long do you intend to keep coddling him?"
"What…?"
"I'm talking about your son. He'll be forty in a few years, won't he? Do you plan to keep watching over him like this even then?"
"Hmm…."
"I know he's your youngest, born late in life, but you have to let him go now. Besides, I've noticed he's been leading this place quite well in your stead lately, hasn't he?"
Jun-ho already knew everything through the PTZ cameras and CCTV installed at the nursing home, as well as reports from Choi Ui-su's couple and the shelter members who frequently visited. While the elderly Go Jeong-nam handled most of the important matters, Go Seok-jin was now taking responsibility as the second-in-command and leading the group quite diligently.
"Still, that boy might cause trouble if I'm not there…."
"You have me. I'll be watching over this place 24 hours a day."
"……."
"And you know it, too, don't you? Your son is more afraid of me than he is of you."
He had been afraid of Jun-ho since their first meeting, but that fear had intensified after hearing the news that Jun-ho had wiped out hundreds of zombies in the apartment complex parking lot. According to Yun Yeong-su, whenever Go Seok-jin reported to the shelter via radio every night, he would even ask about Jun-ho's intentions, mood, and current state.
"Come live where I live and watch over things. It's not far, anyway."
"R-really?"
"Yes. And look, these are the kids I mentioned."
Jun-ho pulled out a tablet and played a video of Choi Ji-woo and Kim Jun-seo playing with Kkamsuni. The sight of the two children running around with the black dog in the spacious yard of the container residence looked so peaceful and hopeful that it felt as if the apocalypse were a lie.
"The boy's sister takes care of them often, but she has her own work to do, so it's hard for her to watch them constantly. That's why, if you come…."
"I'll go."
"Pardon? Oh, right. You can't take it back, okay?"
Jun-ho was slightly taken aback by the incredibly quick answer, but he tried to secure the confirmation immediately.
"I won't take it back. Why would I back out when these little ones are here? I've gained two grandchildren, haven't I?"
Go Jeong-nam's gaze was fixed not on Jun-ho, but on the tablet screen. Moreover, seeing the corners of his mouth twitching, it seemed he found Choi Ji-woo and Kim Jun-seo quite adorable. As expected, nothing worked better for an elderly person than giving them grandchildren.
"What? Father is?"
At the news that Go Jeong-nam had decided to move to the container residence, not only Go Seok-jin but everyone at the nursing home was greatly surprised. However, they all had to agree when it was pointed out that, considering his health, it would be better to be where the couple Choi Ui-su and Kim Hui-yeong were always on standby. Furthermore:
"It's not that far from here. If anything happens, I can be here within 30 minutes."
In reality, it was possible to get there in 10 minutes, not 30. Since a 30-minute distance was practically right next door in this world, everyone was reassured by Jun-ho's words. The nursing home staff, as well as Lee Seul-gi and the three high school students, had grown quite fond of Go Jeong-nam.
However, the "flaming filial son" Go Seok-jin was a bit different.
"Ah, Father. Even so, you have a son like me here, yet you're choosing to live somewhere else…."
It was understandable that Go Seok-jin would worry and oppose it, considering how hard it had been to reunite with his father, only for him to leave the nursing home now.
But:
"Then do you want to follow along with your wife? This is where this friend lives, are you sure you'll be okay?"
"……!"
As Go Jeong-nam pointed at Jun-ho, Go Seok-jin's face turned pale in an instant.
"S-since you said it's close, please visit often, Father. I'll contact you every day."
Jun-ho inwardly chuckled at Go Seok-jin's sudden change of stance, but he feigned a poker face and said,
"I'm not trying to scare you. Even if your father comes to our side, I will continue to check on the nursing home every day. So, Mr. Go Seok-jin, as long as you keep doing what you've been doing, everything will be fine."
"Y-yes, yes."
Although he said he wasn't trying to scare him, Go Seok-jin nodded with a face that clearly showed he was terrified. Seeing this, Jun-ho decided to throw him a carrot.
"And I'll be sending more support here. First, I'll install two automatic turrets. I'll give you an emergency generator and a drum of diesel. I'll also provide a tofu-making machine, a bean sprout grower, a smoker, and about ten boxes of canned goods."
"Whaaat…!?"
Turning his gaze away from the shocked Go Seok-jin and the nursing home staff, Jun-ho spoke to Lee Seul-gi and the high school students.
"I heard from the doctor that you're short on clothes and personal necessities? I'll bring you several sets of underwear and training suits per person."
Although he wasn't bringing them into the container residence or the main shelter, he decided to provide them with the personal backpacks that shelter members received upon their first entry. In any case, the shelter had enough supplies to last for decades, and the rabbits and chickens they had diligently raised at the nursing home had been a significant help to the shelter.
"And you said your name is Yeong-jun, right? I heard you're still studying even in these circumstances?"
"That… I can't sleep well at night, and if I just sit still, I only have distracting thoughts. I won't do it if you tell me not to. I'm sorry."
Oh Yeong-jun, the bookworm whom Choi Ui-su praised to the skies, lowered his head with a slightly frightened face. But Jun-ho shook his head.
"No. What do you have to be sorry for? It's your freedom to study after your daily work is done."
"Ah…."
Oh Yeong-jun lifted his head in surprise at the unexpected answer.
"And Dr. Choi told me you're very smart? He said he wanted to help you with your studies."
"Oh, no. Not really…."
"Is that so? Then you don't need this?"
Jun-ho accepted Choi Ui-su's cautious request and pulled out a laptop box he had brought. Oh Yeong-jun's eyes widened behind his thick-rimmed glasses.
"……!?"
"Use this when you study at night. With this, you'll be able to wirelessly access a database that contains everything from high school curricula to medical school undergraduate courses. After that, Dr. Choi and Nurse Kim will teach you."
"Ah… T-thank you! Thank you so much!"
Oh Yeong-jun, who was so passionate about studying that he would go to academies from dawn even during holidays with the goal of entering medical school, was deeply moved. Of course, Jun-ho wasn't offering this favor because Oh Yeong-jun was cute or because Choi Ui-su had praised him.
'Even if it takes a few years, if he learns well from Dr. Choi, he can become a doctor, right?'
With the "support" of Jun-ho, Choi Ui-su, and Kim Hui-yeong, he would be achieving his dreams in an apocalyptic world. Naturally, Jun-ho would be gaining a "shelter doctor" far more loyal than any scholarship student raised by a conglomerate from a young age.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Jun-ho decided to provide mattresses, bedding, and even Gore-Tex work clothes for everyone. He immediately put Go Jeong-nam on an electric truck and brought him to the container residence. Since the cargo area had no windows and they traveled through a secret passage next to the industrial road, Go Jeong-nam couldn't possibly figure out the shelter's location. Moreover, he was an outsider who had only stayed at the Hanareum Nursing Home and didn't know the local geography well.
"Welcome, sir. I look forward to working with you."
"Hello, Grandfather."
Receiving polite greetings from Yun Seol-hee, the KJM Brothers, and the Blossom members—who had already been briefed by Jun-ho about Go Jeong-nam—the old man moved into the container house where everything had already been set up.
"Whoa… this is even better than the house I used to live in."
While Go Jeong-nam marveled at the container house, which was perfectly insulated and equipped with facilities on par with a new studio apartment, Kim Jun-seo and Choi Ji-woo entered the yard of the container residence—which they used like a playground for two or three hours every day—along with the dogs. Being young children, they might have been surprised or scared to see a strange grandfather, but:
"Are you my dad's big brother, Grandpa?"
"Uh… y-yes, that's right."
Since the shelter members had already agreed to tell them that Go Jeong-nam was Choi Jeong-woo's older brother, Choi Ji-woo didn't have a shred of doubt that the grandfather she was seeing for the first time was her own grandfather. Not only that:
"Wow! I have a grandpa now! Wowwww!"
Excited by the fact that she had gained grandparents for the first time in her life, she grabbed Kkamsuni's front paws and danced with joy.
"Hello. I'm Kim Jun-seo."
In contrast, Kim Jun-seo, who had a mature side despite being in the second grade of elementary school, seemed to have realized something, but as always, he bowed politely.
Seeing the two children, Go Jeong-nam's mouth stretched from ear to ear. He rummaged through his pocket and held something out.
"Would you like to eat this? It's chocolate."
When he produced chocolate with a near-expired shelf life that he hadn't even opened, Lee Chae-rin of the Blossom members covered her mouth with her hands. She had been crazy about sweets since she was young.
However, the reaction of the two children, especially Choi Ji-woo, was completely different.
"That doesn't taste good! Let's eat this together, Grandpa! Paul-ball, this is delicious!"
A snack better than what Go Jeong-nam had been saving emerged from Choi Ji-woo's adorable Koromi bag.
"I-is that so? Then, shall Grandpa have a taste, too?"
"Yeah!"
Go Jeong-nam felt a bit awkward, but he opened the packaging himself and enjoyed the chocolate snack with the two children. As Lee Chae-rin swallowed her saliva, everyone who had newly joined watched the three "grandparent and grandchildren" with a heartwarming gaze.
"Ah…."
And suddenly, they realized. That outside of this place, it was becoming difficult to see the scene they were witnessing right now. They realized that only here, in the "Our Shelter" they had joined, could they see such a peaceful sight that was no different from the past.
Therefore:
'I'm really going to work hard. I should ask Sunny-unnie a lot and learn well!'
'I think it would be fine to just change jobs entirely instead of being dispatched….'
Their fondness and trust toward "Our Shelter," which could be called the only one in South Korea, deepened even further. And Jun-ho, noticing their reaction, nodded inwardly.
'Good. This is fine.'
Even if it was an obvious show, this was exactly what he had intended by pairing Go Jeong-nam with the two children.
"Could you spare a moment?"
Jun-ho called Yun Seol-hee and the KJM Brothers aside to talk.
"As I told you, I'm going to work on the lower reaches of the North Han River and Paldang Lake in two days. Manager, you and Ji-min can patrol the shelter's safe zone guard posts with my brother."
"Yes. I looked at the aerial map roughly, and the points where the guard posts were built are almost perfect. There are no blind spots for the PTZ cameras."
"I've studied and planned it for quite a long time. Anyway, I'm counting on you while I'm away. If you have any questions about weapons or equipment, you can ask Brother Ha-il or Team Leader Yun. My brother will tell you in detail about the daily routine and precautions when staying at the shelter."
"Yes."
As everyone nodded, Kim Jae-mun cautiously stepped forward.
"But what should I do?"
"Jae-mun, you're a former Marine drill instructor, right? I heard you were trained quite strictly by Manager Park Cheol-woo at the resort, too."
"Oh, yes. That's correct."
"Please train two people. There are two for now, but the number will increase in the future."
He had already recruited experts in agriculture and livestock, and although it would take some time, Oh Yeong-jun had been tapped as the second doctor, to be taught directly by Choi Ui-su. He needed to plan for other combat personnel beyond the current number in advance.
Therefore, Jun-ho intended to entrust the combat training of not only Park Seon-hui and Baek Su-ho—who had to evolve into "all-purpose workers"—but also the people who would enter the container residence later, and even the Gahyeon-ri search and extermination squad, to Kim Jae-mun, who was a professional drill instructor. This was to protect not only Our Shelter but all of his "territories" more firmly.