An Idol's Plight
"If you want to live, answer my questions. Where is Eun Yerin? And what's the situation around the stadium? Tell me everything. Don't leave out a single detail."
I shoved the baton harder.
As the expandable baton in my hand pressed firmly against the tip of O Deoksu's chin, a trickle of blood began to stain his collar.
Seized by terror, he scrambled to speak.
"I-I'll tell you everything! Eun Yerin and Cha Seolah are in the VIP waiting room, the innermost room of the stadium! The private security guards and managers have locked the doors and are guarding them!"
A desperate cry for survival. I checked the map of my Prey Search skill to verify his words.
I didn't know the layout of the stadium, but judging by the position of the red dot representing Eun Yerin, he didn't seem to be lying.
"What about the others?"
O Deoksu adjusted his glasses, his expression turning gloomy.
"The... the other members, we don't know if they're alive or dead. Yeonhwa, Yunseul... we haven't been able to confirm anything..."
"Not the idols, you bastard. The other factions nearby. There must be other groups."
Since there had been a concert here recently, tens of thousands of people must have gathered. There was no way that group of survivors was the only one.
When I poked him with the baton, O Deoksu hurriedly continued.
"M-most of the people turned into zombies. It happened so fast, it was completely out of control. But there are still groups of survivors left. First..."
He rambled on, but he managed to convey all the information he had.
"Over by the parking lot, there's a gang of bikers camping out, waiting for a chance to get to our girls. And near the booths connected to the spectator stands, fans like us have gathered, trying to find a way to rescue Yerin and Seolah. We're in a standoff..."
I pieced O Deoksu's words together and analyzed the situation.
So it's a three-way deadlock, with everyone warily watching each other.
First, there was the group of security guards protecting Eun Yerin and Cha Seolah, who had secured the stadium's waiting room.
Second, the bikers who had come to rape the idols but couldn't make a reckless move for fear of being pincered.
Finally, the fandom group, which had the numbers but lacked actual combat power.
O Deoksu belonged to the third group. He had been captured by the thugs whose heads I had just cracked while he was out scouting.
For now, the inside of the stadium seemed to be in a temporary lull.
Immediately after the world ended, they probably clashed violently to secure territory and food, suffering casualties on all sides.
But after repeated clashes, the attrition was too high, and now no one dared to start an all-out war.
Besides, with thousands of zombies still roaming the stadium, fighting among themselves would only turn them all into zombie chow.
Reflecting on the situation, O Deoksu sniffled.
"Right now, Yerin and Seolah are shivering in fear inside that waiting room, hiding from those terrifying bastards... I can't imagine how hard it must be for them. Sniff."
I snorted and retracted my baton.
"...Worry about your own skin before crying for others."
He was one whim of mine away from death, yet he had the luxury of worrying about someone else.
Deciding I had extracted enough useful information, I let go of O Deoksu's collar.
There's no need to kill this guy.
He didn't seem like a bad person, nor was he any threat. Instead, I could put him to use.
I gestured to him and spoke.
"You said you wanted to save your idols, right? Then follow me."
"Huh? You... you have a way to save them?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. But I'm going to need your help."
O Deoksu knew the layout and factions of the stadium well, and he even possessed a mana support skill.
I had no intention of keeping him around permanently, but for this operation, he would be a highly useful asset.
"Follow me."
I led him back to where Seo Jisu and Lee Jihye were waiting.
The sun dipped below the horizon, and darkness reclaimed the night.
A heavy silence hung over the stadium.
Grrr...
Only the low groans of the zombie horde wandering the vast field echoed through the dark.
The tens of thousands of spectators who had gathered to watch Angelic's concert had now turned into monsters, roaming aimlessly across the turf.
Gurgle...
Some of the zombies strayed from the field, crawling up the spectator stands or shuffling through the corridors, infesting every corner of the stadium.
Rattle, rattle.
The VIP waiting room, where Cha Seolah, Eun Yerin, and their group resided, was no exception.
Although the hallway leading to the waiting room was heavily barricaded with plastic chairs and desks, preventing the zombies from advancing further—
—the beasts constantly clawed and hammered at the barricade, desperately trying to break through to reach the scent of the living.
Meanwhile.
Eun Yerin, the beloved center of Angelic and the nation's sweetheart.
She was panting heavily inside the VIP waiting room.
"Haa... Haa..."
She was kneeling beside a security guard, drenched in sweat.
She was casting her Heal skill over the wounds of a guard who had just returned from a patrol.
Sssss...
Under the soft blue light radiating from her hands, the torn flesh slowly began to knit back together.
In this ruined world where the medical system had completely collapsed, Eun Yerin's healing skill was nothing short of a miracle.
But even miracles came with a price.
Drip.
Having pushed her mana to its absolute limit, a thick drop of crimson blood dripped from Eun Yerin's nose.
Ignoring it, she finished the treatment and asked the guard softly,
"T-the healing is done. Do you feel any better now?"
"...You should've done it faster. It hurt like hell."
Despite his wound being completely closed, the guard grumbled at her.
He swept his eyes up and down Eun Yerin's panting figure, clicked his tongue in annoyance, grabbed his weapon, and walked out of the waiting room.
"Y-yes. I'll try harder next time."
She forced a polite reply to the departing guard.
Since healing was the only thing she could do for those risking their lives outside, she felt she had no right to complain.
I just have to push myself harder.
Eun Yerin offered a gentle smile, showing no sign of resentment.
Right after the guard left, she hurriedly wiped the nosebleed with her sleeve before it could stain the floor.
Click.
The door opened again, and someone stepped inside.
The woman irritably brushed back her disheveled hair.
Her neck was flushed a deep red, as if she had just finished a passionate, messy tryst.
"Ah, Seolah..."
It was Cha Seolah, the eldest member and the sexy icon of Angelic.
She chugged a bottle of mineral water as if parched, then turned to Yerin.
"Is the healing done?"
"Yeah."
"Drink."
Leaning against the doorframe, Cha Seolah tossed the half-empty water bottle to Eun Yerin.
Yerin scrambled to catch it, terrified that a single drop of the precious water might spill onto the floor.
"Hmph."
Cha Seolah let out a soft snort at the sight, then brought up something she had heard.
"By the way, have you been slacking off on the healing lately? Everyone's complaining that the pain isn't going away. Ho-jin said so, and so did Jeong-hyeon."
At Seolah's pointed accusation, Yerin hung her head.
"I didn't do it half-heartedly. It's just... my mana recovery has been slow. I'm sorry."
Cha Seolah shrugged, seemingly accepting the excuse for now.
"Well, if you're out of mana, there's nothing you can do. But you know how hard everyone else is working out there, right? Meanwhile, you get to sit comfortably inside and just heal. You realize how easy you have it, don't you?"
"...Yes."
Under Seolah's scolding, Yerin nodded weakly.
Just a few days ago, she could never have imagined things turning out like this.
A bizarre status window had appeared before their eyes, and people had suddenly transformed into zombies.
All contact with the outside world was severed, and there was no way to know if the government or the military was even doing anything.
Survival was the only thing that mattered now. A safe shelter, food, and water had become more precious than anything else.
For now, they were scraping by on the drinks and snacks stocked in the waiting room, but they couldn't stay here forever.
That was why the managers and security guards risked their lives patrolling the outside, bringing back scraps of food and information.
Compared to those who risked their lives out there, Yerin, who stayed in the safety of the waiting room and only had to heal, indeed had it easy.
And Seolah...
She's... dealing with the men in my stead.
Yerin squeezed her knees together and clenched her fists.
Instead of going outside or handling the healing, Cha Seolah was dealing with the men.
There was no telling what those men, driven mad by lust, might do otherwise.
Furthermore, Seolah was using her unique skill to maintain order within the group.
It was no exaggeration to say that the group was barely holding together thanks to her.
Even if it wasn't out of pure goodwill.
Even if that order was built on a foundation of deceit and abuse.
To survive and stay safe for now, she had no choice but to endure. And that reality only made Yerin feel more miserable.
Yerin bit her lower lip and replied,
"I understand. I'll try harder."
"Good. Since you get it, work harder. Oh, and here's your food for today. Ration it. They said they didn't find much today."
Thud.
Cha Seolah tossed a tiny bag of snack nuts onto the floor and left the room.
The door slammed shut with a loud bang.
"Phew."
Letting out a satisfied sigh, Cha Seolah stepped out of the room.
She sank into the plush sofa in the center of the waiting room.
Then, she began stuffing her mouth with the snacks scattered across the table.
Munch, munch.
Sweet Choco Pies. A bottle of aloe juice.
In this ruined world, there were no luxuries better than these.
It was an incredibly lavish feast compared to the single bag of nuts she had just tossed to Eun Yerin under the pretense of a food shortage.
Ah, this is the life.
As Cha Seolah lay back on the sofa, smiling with satisfaction at the sweetness in her mouth and her overwhelming sense of superiority—
Squeeze.
—a man sat down beside her and began fondling her breast.
It was O Jeonghyeon, the chief of the security team. He gestured toward the small room where Eun Yerin was kept and asked,
"How's the bitch inside? Is the gaslighting going as planned?"
Slap.
Cha Seolah slapped his hand away and snapped,
"What are you talking about? I'm not that bad of a person."
She said that, but in truth, even Cha Seolah knew she was a terrible bitch.
But so what if she was?
She shrugged and sneered inwardly as she looked at the tiny room assigned to Yerin.
You might have been the best back then, but not anymore.
Before the world ended, back when they were active as Angelic.
The spotlight and the public's love had always belonged to the pure, flawless Eun Yerin.
Everyone was enchanted by her bright smile, her genuine eyes, and her honest answers, worshipping her like a goddess.
Despite being the eldest in the group, Cha Seolah had always been overshadowed by Eun Yerin, relegated to second place. The jealousy had eaten her alive.
And it wasn't just about popularity.
Cha Seolah had crawled her way to the top by selling her body to sponsors and high-ranking executives behind the scenes.
She had mobilized online troll armies to tear down rival groups with sexy concepts, driving them to suicide, and then happily shed crocodile tears at their funerals.
Yet that bitch had risen to the absolute peak of popularity without putting in a fraction of the effort she had.
The world couldn't be that unfair.
Consumed by rage, Cha Seolah had targeted Eun Yerin as well.
She had turned the other members of Angelic against her, isolating her, and played political games to win over the managers and agency staff.
As a result, the guards and managers trusted Cha Seolah far more than Eun Yerin.
And she had subtly gaslit Eun Yerin, making her completely dependent on her.
She convinced her that the group's formation and survival were entirely thanks to her.
Yet, despite all her scheming, the public's love had remained stubbornly with Yerin. It had driven Cha Seolah absolutely mad.
But then...
On the day the world ended and the status windows appeared in the sky.
Looking down at the city turning into a screaming hell, Cha Seolah had felt a shiver of pure ecstasy run down her spine.
Finally, my world has arrived.
Cha Seolah smirked.
The public and the fans who used to worship Eun Yerin were now nothing but zombies, and the law was gone.
Only the survival of the fittest remained. Purity and goodwill meant nothing here. It was a world where doing whatever it took to survive was the ultimate virtue.
Using her body and her skills as weapons, Cha Seolah manipulated the men in the group, reigning as their queen.
At least within this VIP waiting room, in this small group of a dozen or so people, she was the undisputed queen.
And she wouldn't stop here. She would expand her influence and eventually rule over this ruined world. A queen with countless men and slaves at her beck and call.
Well... that was still a distant dream, and even maintaining the group right now was no easy task.
The men weren't satisfied with just her body; they constantly licked their lips, eyeing Eun Yerin's virginity. But Cha Seolah kept them in check.
If that bitch starts sleeping around and builds a connection with the men, the value of my own body will drop.
If she couldn't monopolize the men's lust, she would lose her grip on power.
Besides, Eun Yerin is the healer—the most vital asset in this group.
Part of her wanted to let them use her as a cum dumpster, but...
...if she couldn't endure the gang rapes and went mad, or bit her tongue and committed suicide, it would put everyone in danger.
Controlling the men's lust toward Eun Yerin was a rational decision for survival.
Of course, beyond these calculations, there was another, deeper motivation for keeping her a virgin.
The noble, pure girl who used to monopolize the public's love is now groveling at my feet, begging for a single sip of water.
Watching the once-perfect Eun Yerin, still in her pristine, pure state, kneeling at her feet to beg for breadcrumbs...
...gave her a sense of absolute dominance, washing away the complexes and inferiority that had gnawed at her for a lifetime.
At least in this world, she was in a far superior position.
Rather than a broken sex toy, she wanted a sane Eun Yerin to torment slowly, constantly reminding her of their new reality.
To show her who was superior. To prove she was nothing.
"Phew."
Feeling her pussy grow wet from the sheer thrill of superiority, Cha Seolah clung to O Jeonghyeon.
"Jeonghyeon, want to go back inside for another round?"
Seeing O Jeonghyeon, the leader of the guards, casting glances toward Eun Yerin, it seemed her skill's effect was wearing off slightly.
She needed to ride him to refresh her charm skill.
"...Sounds good."
O Jeonghyeon downed an energy drink, grabbed Cha Seolah, and headed back into the room.
