Places to Stop By
This expedition wouldn't turn up much in the way of food. The three houses I'd already claimed had stockpiles more than ample enough.
Even An Suhyeon's group, thinned out as their numbers were, could hold out a long time on the supplies I'd sent them — and they'd rediscovered a supermarket on top of that.
So this time, the priority was weapons. As many as I could carry.
That said, I still brought two crossbows along. Guns were the absolute superior weapon, no question — but in a zombie world, there were situations where a bow simply worked better.
"And bullets are finite."
In my hand sat a pistol with a silver finish. A Desert Eagle — respectable stopping power as far as handguns went. I loaded it full of .50 AE rounds and slid it into the holster.
Then there was my other new toy: the sawed-off shotgun.
But I kept this firmly in mind — powerful as they were, I couldn't afford to fire them carelessly. This world wasn't a game. Twelve pistol rounds and twenty-four shotgun shells. That was everything I had.
I detached the shotgun's magazine, packed the shells into my military rucksack alongside it, and kept the pistol ready. A handgun was faster to draw and far more convenient to carry.
"Hoo."
I loaded the drones onto the cart, then finally pulled out the body armor.
"It connects to the bag, huh."
The armor itself was just a high-performance torso protector, same as always. Heading into Gwangjin-gu, this took priority over the stab-resistant suit.
"Western gear's different. The sizing's generous."
I'd bought it one size up, figuring it was cut for Western builds — and even on a frame thicker than most, it sat comfortably.
"So I connect this here? The leg braces are going to be a pain to put on."
They were assistive devices fitted with sensors designed to aid walking. A peculiar sensation as the units wrapped around my legs. Once the rigid machinery had locked into place, I carefully took a step.
"Oh?"
The mechanism kicked in — as if someone had grabbed my legs and was pushing them forward with each stride.
"Damn. Feels like I'm riding a walker."
Someone was naturally propelling my legs for me. Walking had become far easier than before.
"As for the helmet… against zombies, a full face covering beats a ballistic helmet any day."
Sure, it'd get miserable once the heat set in — but there were multiple factors to weigh.
For reference: given how much longer I'd spent in my original world, this side had already passed into June. Even if the other side had barely advanced a month past the April when I'd first crossed over, the gap was closing.
I was already sweating.
Please, let that full-body powered suit with the cooling function be finished before midsummer hit.
Operating Time: 60 Hours
Sixty hours of runtime on the walking assist unit. In an age when recharging electricity was no simple matter, I couldn't afford to leave it running carelessly — so I switched it off.
"Ugh!"
The moment I did, the foreign weight on my legs became impossible to ignore. My legs felt heavier, too.
"…Guess I'm bringing both."
In the end, I switched back into the stab-resistant suit and loaded up on diesel. I'd need it to keep the generator running. If something was truly essential, this was it.
"Hmm… new bats came in. Should I bring clothes for them too…?"
An Suhyeon's side kept nagging at the back of my mind. Anyone who'd just seized power needed to keep the people fed and comfortable if they wanted to win hearts.
"Thick clothes work fine against zombies, and…"
At the very least, gear like the leg braces would make a real difference.
"Alright. Next expedition, I'll hand out braces and clothes."
This run's objective was Gwangjin-gu, after all. Combat was the likely focus. Protective gear distribution could wait for the sixth expedition.
Not that I'd ever equip them to my own standard — always a tier below. Always.
Suited once more in the stab-resistant gear, I finally stepped through the door into the future.
The view beyond my helmet wasn't the vibrant streets of the past. It was a future choked with zombies. Weeds ran wild across every stretch of road.
"Dark out. Last time I came through was around midnight, wasn't it?"
The hour matched — roughly midnight by this world's clock. Priority order was obvious: Seol-hwa, then Lee Soyeon, then Woohee.
After that, Gwangjin-gu — either for a fight, or to take stock of the situation.
Seol-hwa had definitely been sulking last time. Smoothing that over was a master's job. A boyfriend's job.
Images of how I'd corner her, how I'd torment her, were already forming in my head.
I grabbed the bicycle and tore through the midnight roads, cutting toward the school. In the dead of night, the drones with their lights switched on lifted off in a swarm.
GPS wasn't a concern. I'd already input the geography from the present. They weren't receiving new data — they were flying on existing maps. And for the zombie world, that was more than enough.
Watching the drones buzz away with a modest racket, I turned toward the main event: Seol-hwa's place.
Climbing to the third floor, I spotted the portable toilet I'd installed, squeezed through the gap, and reached for the door.
"Locked?"
She hadn't been locking it lately. Because it was night? Or because she was still sulking?
Either way, it didn't matter. I'd just found good material to use against her.
I opened the door and forced my body through. Candlelight on a stand was all that lit the living room. I stripped out of the stab-resistant suit and reached for Seol-hwa's bedroom door.
"Huh?"
Her door was locked too.
"…You asleep?"
"No."
The prickly voice from the other side of the door told me everything I needed to know about her mood.
"Why?"
"Why don't you go do it with whatever woman you met today?"
Haha. She was sulking because I'd been with someone else. Adorable.
"That couldn't be helped. In this place, I kill zombies and take the women I want. That's the basic policy."
"Go to some other girl! You idiot!"
"I want to hold you. You're my woman."
"…"
No answer. Fine. Then I'd force my way in.
"I'll be here until tomorrow afternoon."
"You'll just screw me senseless again. So predictable."
"We'll be making love. You think I do this with no feelings at all? You're mine, and I will never hand you over to anyone. The women I keep at my side are extremely rare. This is nothing like just blowing off steam."
I meant it. Lee Soyeon, Seol-hwa — every one of them was a woman of the highest caliber, girls who genuinely pleased me. That was why I kept them.
If they hadn't, honestly, I might have simply left them behind. They had to suit my tastes. That was the only rule.
"A husband seeing other women — accept it. You already know that."
"…"
"Truth is, if you want to know — this time there was a woman with a bit of sensuality in her face. Of course I took her however I pleased. But whether she becomes mine, I still don't know. She's on probation. I can discard her whenever I want."
Woohee… well, I'd claimed her for now, but her defiance ran deep. She needed more observation. If she crossed me out there, I'd throw her away no matter how much she'd pleased me. I had no reason to indulge someone who exceeded the limits of my patience.
"But you — I can't discard. You'll live at my side, receiving my love. Coercion? Of course it's coercion. Of course it's force. And the part where I love you is also real."
"Really?"
At last the door opened from inside. There, half-tense in the soft candlelight, stood Seol-hwa — like a kitten caught in the rain, trembling.
"Would I be doing this to you right now if there was no affection? Come here."
"Still… other women…"
Even now she dared to talk back? Fine. It was the whining of a girl, after all. And for still expecting something she had no right to expect — she would pay the price.
With children like this, the fundamentals were simple: corner them, force the confirmation out of them. Rough first. Gentle after. That was how you finished it.
I grabbed Seol-hwa's arm and pulled her in. Just like that first time, I drew her into my arms and whispered against her.
"You're mine. I'll do whatever I want with you."
In that moment, I lightly bit that pitiful little ear.
"Ah—"
Her body was already trembling. The body I'd trained so thoroughly was responding fast. The effect showed the instant my hand cupped her chest — her breasts had gone firm and peaked.
"What's this? Already like this?"
"Wait… Oppa… nh—!"
"Your education's incomplete. Do you have the right to refuse when I decide to do something?"
"…"
That innocent high school girl went still and simply stood there. I'd drilled the lesson into her every time — she learned fast.
"This started before I even touched you, didn't it? You were looking forward to it."
"…Don't say things like that."
"Come on. What did Oppa tell you? Answer."
"…Haa… nn…"
Her moans were already laced with coquettish heat as she surrendered her body.
"So you tried to push your boyfriend away? Looks like I need to torment you properly."
My hand moved to Seol-hwa's most precious place — no resistance left in her. And thanks to all that thorough training, the evidence of how thoroughly she was already feeling it was unmistakable.
"What's this, then?"
Between my fingers, slick with moisture, sticky threads of her arousal stretched and clung.
"You were waiting for it, weren't you?"
"Yes… nh—! Th-th-that's… aah! I really did feel awful, though… nh—! I did—!"
She was working so hard to answer properly. Yes — that was the virtue of the young. They threw themselves into everything.
I undid my pants and brought forward what was already straining, fully ready.
"This little one is angry. So it wants to punish you."
"Um… maybe calm down first… ah… haah—!"
Seol-hwa's awkward little laugh didn't take long to turn into cries of pleasure.
The truth was, Seol-hwa knew perfectly well that her own behavior was greed.
"Haa—! Haa! Nn…!"
This powerful male was invading her depths, dragging waves of pleasure through her with every thrust.
It was hard at first… I'm sure it was… ah! God…!
A body developed so thoroughly, in every corner, now went into heat on its own and delivered pleasure straight to her brain without being asked. Pinned against the wall from behind, the girl could already feel the crest of climax rising.
"Ah… ah…"
But that was her orgasm alone. The male ravaging her was still rolling his hips, still craving her.
Someone she could lean on. Someone devoted to her.
But only other women…
A woman's climax didn't blaze and die — it smoldered, sustained. Of course, Seol-hwa's was currently burning at full intensity and holding there. Meaning even after peaking, the continuous sexual pleasure left her head spinning.
When her arms went weak and she swayed, the man pulled her straight into his embrace and kissed her.
"Mmm… mm…"
Their tongues greeted each other like serpents, and Seol-hwa felt a happiness so complete it nearly undid her.
This is so unfair… In the end he's just going to do whatever he wants. Being this gentle about it is cheating.
The pleasure of sex, and the security that came with it. Feeling both, she climaxed again.
"Haa… haa… Oppa—! Ah! It feels so good… so…"
"I can own you and take you — but you can't do the same to me. Accept it. Devote yourself to receiving my love!"
The man licked her throat as he forced the truth into her heart.
He's right. I belong to Oppa… but… I wish he'd only do this with me…
She was realizing, all over again, that it would never be that way. This was affection. And her partner rejected the idea of exclusivity, doing only as he pleased.
"I've always been selfish. I know that. But I love you, and I think of you as my woman. So even if I go around meeting other girls — you only like me."
"You player…"
In that instant, the powerful thrusting began again, forcing another surrender from the girl's body. And she answered it. Her heart had already tilted long ago. Even if she tried to refuse, calling it coercion — her trained body would never let her give this man up.
But I still like Oppa. This passionately…
Seol-hwa knew her own feelings meant nothing. Even if she desperately refused, the man would do it anyway. And that was fine. Here, he was absolute.
But she could also feel unmistakable love. In the sex directed at her, in the acts, even in the degrading words — affection ran through all of it.
I know all of it… He remade my body like this. There's no escaping.
She couldn't lie to her own emotions. Over these past few days spent with this man, desire had been set fully alight. The shamelessness of wanting other women was real — and so was the affection he held for her.
Bad Oppa. But still… I still like him.
Body and heart both wanted him. She had no right to refuse him seeing other women. She also had no right to refuse his love. And she was following that heart of hers.
An inescapable drug. And so Seol-hwa, climaxing once more, took him deep into her body and accepted everything he gave her.