The Docile Cat Rana (1)
A few days later.
When Kim Jun woke up that morning, he was stunned by the mountain of mushrooms In Ah had harvested.
“Whoa, are these those… mold mushrooms?”
“You said they grow fast, right?”
“This is insane. We should keep growing these.”
Seeing the abundant harvest picked just three days after planting them on the rooftop, he figured they wouldn’t have to worry about side dishes for a while.
Today, Kim Jun pulled tofu, soybean paste, and ssamjang from the fridge specifically for the mushrooms.
“Let’s make mushroom stew.”
“But this tofu in the fridge… is it still safe to eat?”
The expiration date had passed a month ago, so In Ah asked with concern. Kim Jun, however, answered casually.
“Just throw it in~ throw it in~ It’s not stinky tofu or anything.”
“Still, if we eat this and get stomachaches…”
“Tofu doesn’t spoil for up to three months if the package is unopened. I know from experience.”
“Really? Then I’ll start cleaning the mushrooms first.”
In Ah washed the freshly cut mushrooms thoroughly, then chopped up the remaining vegetables and boiled them into a savory stew.
For today’s rice, she finely chopped dried miyeok seaweed, mixed it with the rice, and drizzled a spoonful of sesame oil to make seaweed rice.
The children, drawn by the delicious aroma, washed up with the reserved water and helped prepare the meal.
“Hoo~ I think I need to cut my hair short. Washing with so little water is really stressful.”
“I almost smacked Emily earlier when I saw her trying to blow her nose while washing her face.”
“Hey, it was an accident! An accident!”
Still, the girls were holding up well.
Eight people had to wash using a single basin’s worth of water, shared between two at a time.
The used water was then poured into the toilet set at the lowest water level and used for flushing.
While talking about water conservation over breakfast, Kim Jun thought about the upcoming looting run.
“It’s In Ah’s turn for this looting run, but…”
She was already busy with farming, drying vegetables on the verge of spoiling, and making various preserved foods. It felt awkward to pull her away.
Then the youngest, Rana, who had been quietly eating, raised her hand and looked at Kim Jun.
“Oppa! Then I’ll go today.”
“Hmm?”
“In Ah unnie has so much work to do at home. I’ll handle it!”
Following Gaya and In Ah, the third volunteer was the youngest, Rana.
Kim Jun accepted her offer, had Gaya and In Ah brief her on the handover, and went to the master bedroom to gather weapons.
As he did, he opened the cylinder of the revolver tucked in his waistband and scratched his head.
“Having to hunt down cop zombies one by one just to restock bullets is such a pain…”
Right now, ammunition was the most critical resource.
Lead pellets for the air gun, shotgun shells—everything mattered—but for close-range defense against surprise zombie attacks, a handgun was essential.
After gearing up fully once again, Rana stood outside in full armor, wearing a face mask and arm guards, blinking her big eyes.
“Alright, stay quiet while I’m driving. I’ll tell you what to do when we spot zombies.”
“Yes~ I’m just the support, so I’ll do whatever you tell me.”
“Hmm.”
It had been interesting watching Gaya, who had stepped up responsibly as the oldest but ended up terrified, and In Ah, who turned into a total pro in her area of expertise.
Now he was curious how this girl—the youngest of the eight—would handle things.
Before leaving, Kim Jun checked the surroundings, spotted some zombies, and climbed onto the roof of the camper before driving.
After barely pulling himself up by grabbing the roof box, he looked at the zombies ahead and called out.
“Hold on! Everyone step back.”
“Huh?”
“There are zombies outside. Gotta take them out before we leave.”
“!!!”
At the word “zombies,” the girls scattered in a hurry. Kim Jun calmly loaded a lead pellet and took aim.
Ting—
The air gun made a sharp twang, and the zombie thirty meters away sprayed blood from its head and staggered.
“Damn it, one shot wasn’t enough?”
Clack—
Kim Jun quickly reloaded another pellet and fired again.
Ting—
The second pellet punched cleanly through the zombie’s forehead. Only then did the staggering creature finally collapse.
Kim Jun calmly scanned the area. Three more zombies were visible. He fired five shots total and dropped them all.
Then he lit a cigarette on the roof and waited slowly.
He stayed tense in case any of them got back up.
Even after finishing one cigarette and lighting a second, the zombies showed no signs of movement.
“Hoo—”
After stubbing out the second cigarette, Kim Jun called the girls inside.
“Let’s go! Rana, get in the car!”
At his words, Rana ran over and climbed into the passenger seat. The others saw them off at the automatic gate.
They all hoped this run would bring back plenty of food and survival supplies.
***
“Did Gaya and In Ah give you the rundown?”
“Yes. Feel free to shoot as much as you want. I don’t scare easily.”
“We’ll see.”
Leaving the zombie corpses behind, Kim Jun told Rana to grab the fuel can from the dashboard.
When she pulled out the palm-sized lighter fluid canister used for Zippo refills, Kim Jun got out, took it, and poured the contents on the ground.
Whoosh—
Just to be safe, he set the zombies on fire before driving off. With his eyes closed, he considered which route to take.
“Today we should head toward the university area.”
He drove toward Sosa-beol Technical College, located near the highway toll gate rather than in the city center.
It was a rural school that hadn’t been fully developed yet, but thanks to the college students, there were a decent number of marts and bars in the area.
“Please, let that side be safe…”
“…”
While Kim Jun drove, Rana quietly observed the surroundings.
It was her first time outside in a while, and the scene was nothing short of hell.
Burned-out cars and charred corpses scattered everywhere matched the stories she’d heard from previous looting runs.
But zombies appearing in real time along the roadside were a different story. Watching the slow, crawling figures, Kim Jun made quick decisions—swerve to avoid them, run them over, or stop the car, blast them with the shotgun, and keep moving.
Kill the close ones, hit the accelerator again, repeat. In the middle of that grim routine, Rana spoke softly.
“…This really isn’t like the movies.”
“Hm?”
“I thought hundreds or thousands of zombies would come running and swarm the car.”
“This neighborhood doesn’t have that kind of population.”
“Then by now, Seoul must be…”
Carefully avoiding the zombies in his path, Kim Jun drove as cautiously as possible until they reached the vicinity of Sosa-beol University.
What awaited them, however, was a mart that had been burned to the ground, leaving only faint traces behind.
“Ah, damn it!”
“Oh my god… everything’s burned.”
Not just the mart—every shop in the surrounding commercial area showed signs of a massive fire. The place was completely gutted.
Among the collapsed debris, they could even see what looked like human bone fragments. There was no point searching further.
“We’ll have to look somewhere else.”
With no other choice, they drove around the university district looking for anywhere else that might have supplies.
But no promising stores appeared as they circled.
Entering the campus itself would require clearing out all the zombies wandering the athletic field, so they headed to the one-room rental district behind the university area.
That was when Rana stared intently at one spot and knocked on the acrylic partition in the driver’s seat.
“Oppa! Look over there.”
She pointed while knocking. There, an old neon sign read [Bongrae Jang].
“…A motel?”
“Do you think we can find anything inside?”
“Hmm…”
“Should we go in?”
A beautiful top idol suggesting they visit a motel in broad daylight while driving around.
It sounded strange, but looking at the ruined world outside, the words carried none of their usual connotation.
“They probably have single-use shampoo, soap, and toiletries inside.”
“Hoo, yeah. Let’s check it out.”
Kim Jun scanned the area, parked the car, and got out carefully.
Rana stepped out of the passenger seat first to look inside, then suddenly froze.
“What is it?”
“…!!!”
What Rana pointed at with her staff while backing away was the motel counter.
“[Krrraaaaagh! Kyaaaaagh!]”
An elderly zombie inside the counter let out a savage roar.
Kim Jun immediately raised his gun and fired in the direction where guests would normally pay at the counter.
Ting—
Splat!
The lead pellet fired at close range tore straight through the motel owner zombie’s face, dropping it instantly.
Clack—
Kim Jun reloaded from his pocket and scanned the surroundings.
Luckily, no other zombies were visible. Countless room doors remained tightly shut.
In the meantime, Rana looked at the items visible beyond the blood-splattered glass wall and sighed in disappointment.
“Ah, we can’t use anything in there now.”
A humanoid creature had just had its face blown apart and sprayed blood everywhere, yet instead of screaming in terror, she was only disappointed that they couldn’t take the supplies.
‘Maybe this kind of mentality is actually easier to deal with?’
Kim Jun continued searching the area while keeping an eye on the youngest idol, who possessed an otherworldly mental fortitude.
“There should be a storage room here somewhere. Let’s clear the first floor. If it’s too dangerous, we’ll leave.”
“We can’t check the empty rooms?”
“You’ll die if you do.”
Ending the pointless banter, Kim Jun moved forward while Rana guarded his back. Soon they found a steel door at the end of the hallway.
Kim Jun quietly pressed his ear to the door, listened, then slowly opened it.
Creeeeak—
When he shone the HD lamp inside, the room was filled with the scent of soap.
“Oh!”
“I’ll go in!”
Rana scampered inside to check. The room was packed with boxes of single-use shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, bath towels, and even lotion.
“Grab the soap and toothbrushes!”
Rana ran over and lifted one box while Kim Jun, rifle slung over his shoulder, began gathering them one by one.
After collecting enough toiletries to supply hundreds of guests, they found dozens of 20-liter water jugs for water dispensers.
Any discovery of drinking water was always welcome.
Though heavy, Rana grunted as she carried them and neatly stacked them inside the camper.
“Hoo, let’s head back.”
“Oppa! Wait a second!”
“?”
Rana had found something else inside and came back carrying a big armful.
What she held were walkie-talkies.
And not just one or two.
“What the hell? Why are there so many walkie-talkies in a motel?”
“I think they’re for the front desk?”
“Well, better than nothing.”
Kim Jun decided to take them too and climbed back into the vehicle.
The top stars waiting back at base were disappointed there was no food, but they were relieved to receive new cosmetics and toothbrushes. At least they wouldn’t have to worry about hygiene.
That evening, Kim Jun brought out some soju to comfort the girls and called over the ones who felt like drinking with him.
Excluding those who had gone upstairs claiming they weren’t feeling well, the ones left at the living room table were Gaya, Emily, and Rana.
“Feels like an after-work dinner party.”
“With three gorgeous top stars, no less~”
As usual, Emily stuck close to Kim Jun’s side, radiating her pheromones.
But Kim Jun had grown used to it by now. Even as he downed shots of soju, there wasn’t a single inappropriate touch.
Over their modest drinking table of sliced kimchi and lightly grilled ham, Rana recounted what happened earlier that day.
“I saw him shoot that zombie that used to be the motel owner right in front of me… ugh~”
“This kid really has guts, huh? She watched a zombie’s head get blown off and didn’t even flinch.”
Kim Jun had worried she might scream “Kyaaaa!” and alert every zombie nearby, but Rana had been frighteningly calm.
Unlike Gaya or In Ah, she really hadn’t been scared at all. Her mental steel was on another level.
“Our Rana is better than her unnies? I still flinch every time I hear a gunshot…”
“Well, you have to get used to it. Honestly, the zombie makeup I saw during drama filming was scarier.”
“Oh my~ Girl crush~”
Emily giggled, and Gaya nodded with proud approval.
“By the way, you said you looted a motel. Weren’t there any condoms? Condoms?”
“I tried to find some after Emily unnie kept singing about it, but sorry. The counter was covered in zombie blood~”
Rana’s face had turned red and slightly drunk as she laughed and told the story. The two older girls listened with great interest.
Emily, her own face flushed bright red, leaned against Kim Jun’s shoulder while drinking soju and said,
“Oppa, looks like we’ll have to postpone our big night.”
“I’m curious—do you actually mean that?”
“Hoo~ Now that we’re living together, I realized oppa is actually pretty handsome. Plus there’s nothing else to do in here.”
At first he thought she was joking, but it seemed she genuinely wanted to have a proper, intense session in bed.
Seeing this, Gaya shook her head helplessly.
“She’s always been like this. She just acted super quiet on TV all this time.”
“Unnie, aren’t idols human too? If you like someone, you date them. That’s how love happens!”
With every word from Emily, Kim Jun felt his preconceived notions about celebrities completely shatter.
“How did you hold back in front of the cameras?”
“It’s all business.”
“What about the other girls? Don’t agencies strictly prevent that kind of thing?”
At that moment, Emily smiled brightly and said,
“Aww~ Oppa~ Just because they say that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.”
“This is shocking. It’s like an entertainment industry X-file.”
“Oppa, don’t fall for the idols’ fake images. They act all pure and single in front of the camera, but behind the scenes they’re drinking and fu—”
At that exact moment, both Gaya and Kim Jun reached out at the same time to cover Emily’s mouth.
“Don’t say another word.”
“You crazy bitch. What the hell are you saying?”
Emily gave a mysterious, sly smile in that situation. Gaya declared they were done eating and dragged Emily upstairs to the second floor.
“Guess I need a cigarette.”
Kim Jun scratched his head and was about to head to the master bedroom.
That was when Rana quietly picked up one of the walkie-talkies.
“Since we brought them in, should we test them?”
“Hm? Oh, sure. They looked charged earlier.”
Kim Jun set all the units to the same frequency and tested them between the living room and the master bedroom veranda.
Fortunately, they worked perfectly. They decided that starting tomorrow, they would go in pairs and each carry one so they could call for help immediately if anything happened at night.
After returning, Kim Jun finished the last of his drink. Rana watched him and gave a bright smile.
“What?”
“Must be the alcohol… but you really look so handsome right now.”
“…”
It seemed the strange atmosphere wasn’t limited to Emily.
“Go to bed. I’ll clean up the empty bottles.”
Kim Jun put the snacks in the fridge, stretched, and headed to the master bedroom.
But Rana, while cleaning up, kept holding the walkie-talkie and smiling with an unreadable expression.
***
[Static— Click… Oppa…]
“What the…?”
Just as he was about to sleep, Rana’s voice came through the walkie-talkie.
[…Are you sleeping?]
“I was about to. You woke me up.”
[Static… I wanted to drink a little more.]
“We have to conserve everything.”
[Today… static… the mood was so nice…]
“What mood?”
[You didn’t say anything, but you kept staring at me… Aigoo!]
“!”
Out of nowhere, the green light had turned on. After Gaya and Emily, it seemed the alcohol had suddenly ignited Rana’s desires as well.
Kim Jun chuckled and spoke into the walkie-talkie.
“Honestly, living with beautiful girls I only saw on TV is nice for me too. Let’s think about it once we get some condoms.”
Living in such a cramped house while drinking together seemed to be making them start to catch feelings. Kim Jun laughed it off.
But the walkie-talkie crackled again.
[Static… Oppa, what time is it right now?]
“It’s 10:56.”
[Ah… Then today is still a safe day.]
“????”
The phrase “still a safe day” left him wondering what she meant.
[I’m standing in front of your door right now… Should I knock?]
“Hey.”
[You’re going to have to open the door, right?]
“Are you actually crazy?”
[Static— I’m already here.]
Scratch… Scratch…
Then came the sound of fingernails scratching the wooden door like a cat.
Was it the alcohol? Or was there simply no man alive who could resist such a bold advance?
Kim Jun quietly put the pistol beside his pillow into the wardrobe and locked it. Unable to overcome his desire, he opened the door.