Chapter 24: They're Coming Again
Kim Jun felt his entire body stiffen the moment he woke up that morning.
Waking up with morning wood was one thing—perfectly normal for a guy his age—but the stiffness running through his arms, legs, and even his lower back made him feel like he was going to die.
“Can’t be doing three-ways that often.”
Recalling yesterday’s stamina-draining threesome, he stretched thoroughly to loosen up.
When he stepped out after washing, the girls were all suffering from hangovers after last night’s drinking party, barely able to hold their heads up.
“Aigoo, you kids look exhausted.”
Emily kept nodding off, Do Kyung was pinching her nose and complaining about the alcohol smell, Rana had dark circles under her eyes, and when Nanika accidentally met Kim Jun’s gaze, her face flushed bright red as she quickly looked away.
Kim Jun sat down at the head of the table, his body creaking, and waited for breakfast.
“Here we go~ Nothing beats seaweed soup for a hangover!”
In Ah had prepared tuna seaweed soup. She generously filled everyone’s bowls, setting out a proper breakfast for the day.
As if they’d been waiting for it, everyone started with the steaming seaweed soup. A few let out relieved sighs as it settled their stomachs.
“Now that I think about it, it’s not even anyone’s birthday lately, but we’ve been eating seaweed soup an awful lot.”
The word “birthday” suddenly jogged something in Rana’s memory.
“Oh my, now that you mention it…”
“Hmm?”
“Isn’t this Saturday Eun Ji unnie’s birthday?”
“!”
Even in a ruined world overrun by zombies, time still flowed while they lived together like this.
“For real? Hang on, I’m losing track of what day it is. Saturday… that’s in three days?”
“Oh my god! Happy early birthday, Eun Ji unnie!”
“…Ah, well. It’s nothing… I wasn’t even thinking about it, but someone else brought it up first?”
Eun Ji, whose birthday was approaching, said nothing about it and quietly continued eating her rice.
Kim Jun looked at her and asked, “You’re turning twenty-six this year, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Kim Jun quickly calculated everyone’s ages while living with the eight of them.
Excluding himself, the oldest was big-sister Gaya at twenty-seven. Then Eun Ji at twenty-six, Mari at twenty-five thanks to her early birthday, and Emily also at twenty-five. Do Kyung was twenty-four, In Ah twenty-three, and the maknaes were Nanika at twenty-one and Rana at twenty.
The girls had been following his lead well according to age, but now a birthday had come up…
They were living like family. He couldn’t just let it pass.
“Let’s clear out some space on the second and third floors. We’ll need to go looting for supplies again too.”
“I’ll handle the cleanup after we eat.”
“Good. Sorry for making you work before your birthday.”
Kim Jun silently promised himself he would properly celebrate Eun Ji’s birthday this time and asked her, “Is there anything you need?”
“…I’m fine.”
She was the same as always—quietly organizing supplies and creating space without complaint.
“Then is there anything you want to eat?”
“I’m not picky… The seaweed soup we had today would be enough.”
“Come on, that’s just the baseline.”
“Then that’s plenty.”
The awkward atmosphere lingered. The other girls helping quietly nearby couldn’t quite bring themselves to speak up either.
At least Gaya, the only one older than Eun Ji, offered, “Then let’s leave her out of this looting run.”
“Hmm?”
“We set the order among ourselves. Emily was last, right? Next should’ve been Eun Ji, then Mari.”
“Then should I take Mari?”
Since she was a doctor, she’d be useful searching hospital and pharmaceutical areas for special supplies.
Kim Jun was already preparing to head out with her tomorrow when Eun Ji stepped forward.
“There’s no need.”
“Hey, with your birthday coming up—”
Kim Jun had been trying to be considerate, thinking this wasn’t right, but Eun Ji placed the cleanly washed steamer and basin from the dumplings she’d made earlier onto the shelf, approached him, and said, “The situation right now isn’t one where we can afford to worry about birthdays.”
“It’s fine. You really don’t have to come.”
“Yeah, Eun Ji. Just rest at home instead.”
Gaya tried to back her up, but Eun Ji spoke firmly. “No. If anything, I should learn too so I can pass the knowledge on to the younger ones.”
“Sigh. You thought about the looting rotation separately?”
“I’ll consider it later. Should we start by finding a map of the area first?”
Eun Ji moved to gather information from the members who had accompanied previous looting runs—where they had gone, what they had seen.
When she left, Kim Jun muttered quietly, “There’s definitely a wall there.”
“A bit… yeah?”
Gaya shrugged.
From behind them, Do Kyung grumbled, “Why are you guys acting so surprised? She’s always been like that.”
“…Hey!”
Gaya tried to stop her, but Kim Jun held Gaya back instead and asked both of them to step outside for a moment.
There, he heard the full story.
‘She was like that from the beginning. Even during the early days of Girls Fighting, when they were just starting out on variety shows, she never mixed in. Not once!’
‘I thought maybe it was the agency’s fault, but it was just her keeping her distance.’
‘Still, she never had any scandals. On broadcasts she was always thorough, followed the writers’ scripts perfectly, and had that ace concept.’
‘But refusing to do farm work was crossing the line. That’s why In Ah never assigns her any garden duty.’
‘Don’t be too harsh. She still does everything she’s supposed to. Like fixing all our old clothes so we have things to wear.’
It wasn’t just Emily and Rana whose on-screen images differed from reality.
In the media, Eun Ji had been lively, an attractive idol with an ace concept. In real life, she was extremely quiet and not very approachable.
Even living together every day, she showered alone or at most with Gaya, making them wonder if she had some kind of cleanliness obsession.
“Is it really okay to take her?”
It had been a while since their last looting run. He needed to maintain all the weapons, and since the power had been out for a long time, anywhere with rotting food was off-limits.
“Butcher shops are out, sashimi restaurants are out, bakeries are out. In most restaurants, the only things left would be seasoning and soju, right?”
Kim Jun considered what else they needed and looked around the warehouse outside the house.
They would head out right after lunch.
“Are you really sure about this?”
“No problem.”
Eun Ji had prepared thoroughly.
She wore comfortable training clothes, guards on her ankles and wrists, running shoes, and carried a sturdy cane that could push zombies away if needed.
Kim Jun also geared up after a long time, loaded fresh rounds into the weapons they’d brought back last time, and checked over the camper van.
Until yesterday it had been their “room of love.” Now it returned to its original purpose—an armored vehicle for gathering survival supplies.
After finishing all preparations, Kim Jun started the engine, opened the gate, and stepped hard on the accelerator.
They were lucky today. Not a single zombie appeared as soon as they left.
“I made a list, but water is still the top priority.”
“Since you know all the routes, I’ll get ready to collect it as soon as we arrive.”
“Good. Now that you’re officially out here with me, let’s talk like partners. After water and food, what else do we need most?”
Kim Jun asked casually while checking their surroundings as he drove. Eun Ji thought for a moment before answering.
“Could we stop by a bookstore?”
“A bookstore? Hmm… a bookstore…”
Kim Jun considered it, decided it wasn’t a bad idea, and turned the wheel.
Instead of the usual high-end districts or the bypassed city center, he headed toward the university area on the opposite side from the west coast.
He hadn’t looted that area since going with Rana last time, but there was a decent-sized bookstore in one of the university alleys.
“We’ll be there soon. But before that…”
Kim Jun spotted zombies outside and immediately prepared his weapon.
It was the first zombie group he’d seen since clearing some on the neighboring rooftop last time.
In the passenger seat, Eun Ji quietly pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on.
She watched Kim Jun aim at the zombies visible through the window and said, “The one on the far right looks the fastest.”
“!”
Kim Jun had been deciding which of the four to target first. Through the scope, he spotted the one that was noticeably more agitated than the others and pulled the trigger immediately.
Ting—
Splat!
[GRAAAAAHHH!!!]
Even with a hole through its forehead, the zombie kept coming, charging straight at the camper van.
The other three staggered forward slowly, but this runner was coming at terrifying speed. Kim Jun calmly re-aimed and fired again.
Ting—!
With the crisp sound of the air gun, the zombie that took the second hit pitched forward.
Seeing it still twitching, Kim Jun decided to make sure and fired three more shots, finally putting the runner down.
“Fuck. Has my touch gotten dull?”
It had taken three solid hits to drop the thing. He was starting to worry the zombies were getting stronger.
He began reloading to deal with the remaining three when Eun Ji suddenly shouted.
“Oppa! Runner behind us!!!”
“!?”
[GRRRRAAAAHHH!]
Thud— Thud—
“Ugh! Shit!”
Kim Jun had leaned out the window with his gun when he heard her. He yanked himself back inside just in time. The runner that had charged up behind them slammed against the camper door, its face right outside the glass.
If he had been even ten seconds slower, it would have bitten the back of his neck.
Kim Jun quickly stuck his revolver through the narrow window gap and fired.
Bang— Crunch!
Zombie blood and brain matter splattered across the glass and ran down in thick streaks.
It was a miracle none had sprayed inside the vehicle.
Noticing a bit of blood on the muzzle, Kim Jun pulled out his lighter and immediately burned the spot for emergency disinfection. Then, holding the blackened revolver, he floored the accelerator and rammed the remaining walking zombies.
He finished them off with the pistol.
He had wasted too many bullets right from the start, and the vehicle contamination needed urgent handling.
But more important than any of that was—
“Thanks. I would’ve been dead if not for you.”
He had taken many of the girls out with him before, but Eun Ji was the first to spot a runner coming from behind while he was focused on the front and sides.
Eun Ji bowed her head at his gratitude and pointed toward the rear.
It was the window they had left open at the back of the camper after being trapped with Emily for a day and night last time, making it easier to check behind them.
More zombies were approaching from the rear. Kim Jun stepped on the gas, shook them off, and headed for the university alley.
The bookstore, located on the opposite side from where Rana had gone before, was a fairly large single-story store.
“Whew. Let’s check the surroundings first.”
“This side is clear.”
Eun Ji checked her area first and gave a thumbs-up. Kim Jun confirmed the front and rear as well, then swapped the air gun for the shotgun and stepped out.
He stood guard in front of her and signaled it was safe. As she exited, she immediately went to the rear and carefully opened the camper door.
She’s handling this well on her own.
Seeing her move without needing instructions, Kim Jun nodded and entered the bookstore that had been without power for a long time.
The place reeked of stale blood and oppressive silence.
Kim Jun first fired a shotgun blast into the ceiling.
BOOM!
It was a waste of a shell, but after three full minutes with no reaction, he finally began moving.
“Since we’re at a bookstore, what should we grab?”
“I’ll handle it.”
Eun Ji moved quietly but quickly, scanning the shelves like she was on ice and gathering what they needed one by one.
She ran back and showed him: cookbooks, DIY manuals, specialized living guides on returning to farming and mechanical maintenance. She loaded them first.
When she ran off again, Kim Jun kept watch and spotted a zombie.
[Grrrr… Grrrrrrr…]
A slow-walking zombie shuffled out from the parking alley. Kim Jun calmly aimed and pulled the trigger.
Bang—!
As he scanned for more after dropping the walker in one shot, he noticed dozens of crows perched on the long-dead power lines and poles.
He debated whether to shoot them. If they descended on the fresh corpse and tore into it, splattering blood everywhere, they would become carriers that needed to be eliminated immediately.
Just in case they flew over his head, Kim Jun raised his muzzle toward the sky.
In the old days he could have cleared them in ten minutes. Now he had to avoid them with extreme caution.
That was when Eun Ji returned with another shopping basket loaded to the brim.
“What is all this?”
“Electronics sold inside the bookstore.”
Looking closer, she had gathered twenty smartphone batteries, CD players with earphones, and a good selection of CDs.
Modern bookstores apparently doubled as fancy goods stores. There really was everything here.
Kim Jun nodded. “Next time, grab as many wired earphones as you can.”
“Understood.”
Eun Ji seemed to grasp exactly what he wanted. She ran back and returned with armfuls of radios, speakers, and earphones.
Some of the items made him wonder why a bookstore would even sell them.
“Ha… A bookstore. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?”
Eun Ji also gathered stationery, veranda supplies like flower shovels and mini pots, sawdust, and various flower and vegetable seeds.
Only at the very end did she select actual books—carefully choosing only the easy-to-carry, complete hardcover editions sold in sets.
When she had generously filled the camper, Kim Jun gave her a thumbs-up.
Eun Ji bowed slightly and said, “I think we need to go inside together.”
“Hmm? Is it heavy?”
“There are three water jugs for the purifier…”
“…You should’ve said that earlier!”
Kim Jun followed her inside and found the warehouse marked with a staff-only sign. He spotted the neatly arranged cleaning tools and the water jugs on the floor and let out a cheer.
NO ENTRY EXCEPT AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL
He wanted to carry two jugs in each hand and run, but after the close call last time when a zombie had suddenly appeared, he decided to move slowly even if it took longer.
“Ungh!”
“Don’t push yourself!”
Kim Jun had one jug over his shoulder and his pistol ready. Eun Ji struggled to lift another, eventually tucking her cane under her armpit to manage it.
Her body tilted slightly. For a brief moment, her training top rode up, revealing a glimpse of skin.
“!?”
Kim Jun saw something in that instant but kept his expression neutral as he headed back to the vehicle.
After securing the water and thinking today’s looting run was complete, Eun Ji suddenly shouted.
“Oppa, ahead!”
A group of zombies was slowly shuffling toward them from the distance.
Even though they were slow, they were only about twenty meters away. He couldn’t relax.
“Set the supplies down… and stay inside the car.”
“Ah, yes.”
Eun Ji quickly got back inside and began scanning other directions for more zombies. Kim Jun smiled as he raised the shotgun.
“Perfect role division…”
Bang!
The slug round tore straight through the clustered zombies’ heads.
“And the trigger feel today is excellent too!”