Shelter's Major Construction!

Yesterday's birthday party had been a huge success, and now it was time to get back to work.

"I'm planning some large-scale work," Kim Jun announced.

"Work? Do we have to mess with the electricity again?"

The way the girls flinched at the mere mention of work made Kim Jun wonder whether he was living with top idols or training female army recruits.

"It's construction to secure our water supply. I can't even guarantee when it'll be finished, even if we spend days or weeks on it."

"Oh my!"

Kim Jun's declaration that he would finally solve the water problem that had tormented them for so long left everyone stunned. They wondered if there was really another option besides collecting rainwater or scavenging bottled water.

"Is there actually a way?"

"There is. I didn't want to use it before because it felt too risky."

As he spoke, Kim Jun glanced subtly at Eun Ji. Even under his gaze, she continued eating her rice in silence.

"Starting now, we'll split into two teams. One group will organize the existing food supplies we've gathered since yesterday and sort through the luggage inside. The other group will head out for the construction work."

"So basically, one team ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for indoor chores and one for outdoor work?"

Kim Jun nodded at Eun Ji's summary.

When the silent battle of eyes began, Gaya spoke up first.

"I'll do what I've been doing and follow you outside for the work, oppa."

"Guess I'm semi-forced into it too, huh?"

Both Gaya and Do Kyung had decided they would handle the outdoor labor this time. Anything was better than leaving the fence to hunt zombies for loot. Even if their bodies ached, they would follow his lead.

"Then I'm going outside too!"

When Emily thrust her hand up energetically, only one slot remained. Kim Jun was thinking Eun Ji would be the better choice when Rana slowly raised her hand.

"I'll go out as well."

"Hmm? You've never done anything like this before, have you?"

"That's exactly why I should try it! Honestly, everyone else is learning survival skills from Kim Jun oppa, but all I've done around here is assist with looting, wash dishes, clean, and do laundry."

"Wouldn't you be better at what you're already used to?"

"At least I should try something new. I'll handle the wiring too."

"...You've got a point there."

And so the teams for the next few days were set.

Indoor team: In Ah, Eun Ji, Mari, Nanika

Outdoor team: Gaya, Do Kyung, Rana, Emily

After finishing breakfast, Kim Jun hauled a massive collection of heavy tools out of the warehouse to begin the work. A sledgehammer capable of smashing a zombie's skull in one blow, drills and saws that had been carefully stored away, even a grinder—everything needed for major construction. He also brought out a camping generator to limit electricity usage to exactly what they required.

"Alright everyone, watch your hands and feet. Today's work is especially dangerous."

"Whoa, are we actually breaking and cutting stuff?"

"Yeah. If you can't handle it, just watch the others and learn."

Kim Jun geared up with the same equipment he used for zombie looting and began explaining the plan.

"Right now we're going to tear out that unused commercial space on the first floor."

The first-floor unit that protruded slightly toward the wall had been an unknown area he'd never paid attention to, even when parking beside it.

"You've all seen the 'For Rent Inquiry' sign while passing by, right? The place is completely empty."

"But what are we going to do in there?"

"I'll show you once we're inside."

The real reason they had never used it was because the space was utterly barren—nothing but concrete with no useful features whatsoever.

When they entered through the warehouse's back door on the first floor, they found themselves in a surprisingly spacious commercial unit.

"I've seen plenty of these by the beach. Put up some lighted signs and turn it into a moody bar and it'd be perfect, right?"

Emily snapped her fingers at Rana's casual observation.

"No way. The neighborhood isn't great for that kind of vibe. Plus the entrance feels too tucked away. Better to use it as storage for a shopping service—somewhere to receive orders."

"While we've been moving around, I've noticed this area actually has pretty much everything you need."

"Really? I thought the population was barely a hundred thousand."

"Alright, alright—enough chatter. Follow me!"

Walking across the hard concrete floor, Kim Jun pointed out the makeshift toilet tucked in the corner of the unit. He set down the equipment he'd brought and prepared to start the generator.

"This runs on gasoline. Since Rana wanted to learn, let's start with how to operate the generator."

"Ah, this is what the staff use for night shoots!"

"Exactly. You're going to run it yourself today."

Kim Jun patiently taught her everything from filling it with fuel to starting it up, how to plug the output into an outlet, and how long it could run. While he did, he gave instructions to Do Kyung, Gaya, and Emily.

"You three see that sink? Take it apart."

"What?"

"There's a lower cover under the sink, right? It's not sealed with silicone so it should lift right off. Pull it out and take it outside."

The three idols followed orders, grunting as they wrestled the ceramic cover free.

"Hey, hey! Careful!"

"If you drop that it'll shatter! It'll crush your feet!"

"Wow! Glad I ate that steak yesterday!"

Once they finally managed to remove it, Kim Jun praised their effort, then plugged the wired drill into the running generator.

He began disassembling the pipe connections attached inside the sink one by one.

"We'll use these later, so they need a good cleaning."

Kim Jun ordered the girls to scrub the disassembled pipe parts with brushes, then lifted the heavy sledgehammer.

"Wow~ What are you planning to smash with that..."

To Emily's playful question, Kim Jun answered directly.

"The ceiling."

"Huh?"

Kim Jun swung the hammer upward, striking the toilet ceiling of the commercial unit.

Crack— Boom!

Since he'd already removed the light bulb, there was no danger of glass shards raining down. The ceiling, now webbed with cracks from his blows, began to collapse gradually as gypsum boards showered down.

"Puh— Puff!"

After coughing a few times, Kim Jun put on a mask and tapped the plywood layer beneath the gypsum board to inspect what lay inside.

"Found it."

Once he removed the plywood and revealed the water pipe running through the space, Kim Jun climbed down and helped the girls clear away the fallen debris.

When everything was cleaned up, he looked at the newly opened hole in the ceiling, had them bring a scaffold, and explained the next step.

"This is the water pipe that ran into the commercial unit. It connects to the toilet and sink here, then drains down through the floor."

"So what are we doing with that pipe?"

"We're tearing all of it out to use somewhere else."

"!"

The pipes had been completely empty for days since the water supply was cut off anyway. Kim Jun's plan was to dismantle every unused water pipe in the first-floor commercial space and repurpose them for their new water system.

"Now that we've cleared the area, I'll go up and dismantle everything. You girls need to catch what I drop."

"Whew~ This really feels like a hands-on life experience, doesn't it?"

Emily rolled up her sleeves with a grin while the others arranged the tools exactly as Kim Jun requested.

"Rana, bring the grinder I mentioned earlier."

"Yes!"

He had taught them the name of every tool. When Rana brought the grinder, Kim Jun took it, ordered everyone to step back, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flipped the switch.

Weeeeee— Krrrrrrrrrrrrrk!

Sparks flew amid the deafening noise as he cut through the pipe. Everyone flinched and backed away.

With continuous grinding, the metal pipes were severed one by one and fell.

"Hey, catch the ones that fell below."

When Do Kyung and Gaya hurriedly grabbed them, Kim Jun warned, "Once I cut the other side, it'll drop straight down. Hold it tight."

"Ugh! I've got it!"

Kim Jun cut the opposite side as well. Finally the entire section of water pipe came free and fell.

After cutting several more sections, Kim Jun set down the now-worn grinder and called the four idols over.

"Gather around. I'll teach you how to replace the grinder blade."

He safely unplugged the cord and demonstrated how to use a wrench to remove and replace the blade, then had each of them practice loosening and tightening it once.

"That's it! Good! Hey, you can't just tighten it by hand! Use the wrench like I told you."

"Whoa, won't this cut me?"

"It won't cut you! Touch it. The blade is stone—stone! Don't be scared. Do it calmly."

Kim Jun didn't stop there. He brought out another grinder and taught them how to swap blades again, this time having them attach a wire brush instead of the grinding stone.

"Okay! Done!"

When Emily quickly fitted it and it worked perfectly, she looked surprised at her own success.

"Good. Now strip all the rust off those pipes I set aside."

"Ah~ Make them look brand new? No problem at all."

"You have to hold it really tight... Never mind. I don't trust you. Watch me!"

Kim Jun took Emily's hands in his own, guiding her directly to demonstrate the grinder's dangers. After making sure she wore the face shield properly, he finally let her work. Once he'd roughly dismantled all the commercial unit's water pipes, Kim Jun looked at the growing pile of materials and wiped his sweat. They'd accomplished quite a bit of major construction already this morning.

"Whew, good work every—"

"Kyaaaaaack!"

"!?"

Rana suddenly screamed and collapsed to the floor. When Kim Jun turned, he saw a zombie pressed against the glass wall door.

Thud— Thud!

The zombies had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been drawn by the morning's racket—the grinding, hammering, and generator noise. The idols froze at the sight of the creature plastered against the thick glass door, blood spraying from its mouth. Kim Jun spoke calmly.

"I'll take care of it. Everyone head inside."

"Y-yes!"

"Oh shit!"

Gaya, Do Kyung, and Emily helped the fallen Rana to her feet and bolted. Kim Jun approached, grabbing the scaffold as he moved alongside the glass wall toward the zombie.

He leaned his upper body out through the ventilation window in the wall and pulled the air pistol from his back pocket—just in case.

"Fuck. Good thing I carry a gun even when I'm working."

At point-blank range of four to five meters, Kim Jun extended his arm and fired the air pistol straight into the zombie's head as it pounded on the door.

Crack!

The creature staggered after the first shot. Kim Jun fired two more rounds into its skull in quick succession. The zombie finally crumpled into the corner like a rotten tree falling.

When it stopped moving, Kim Jun considered pouring oil on it to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠burn the corpse but sighed at the sight of the glass door. Instead, he gathered the plywood pieces from the dismantled ceiling, pressed them against the glass door, and stacked the sink cover, gypsum boards, and other debris to create a solid barricade that couldn't be pushed through.

"Whew—"

As he finished securing it and turned to leave, the girls were cautiously making their way back.

"Hey, you didn't run away and—"

"We have to clean up properly."

"Yeah. Cleanup is important."

Rana immediately shut off the generator and gathered the grinder and tools. Emily and Do Kyung picked up the pipes she had polished until they shone.

"Aigoo... So you came back for cleanup duty? That's admirable."

"The zombie's been taken care of, right?"

"Of course! We even built a barricade here, see?"

Gaya calmly finished the cleanup, then helped the others neatly store everything in the warehouse according to Kim Jun's instructions.

Kim Jun felt a warm satisfaction seeing them not just hiding behind him but actively trying to help. At that moment the door opened and In Ah's voice rang out.

"Lunchtime! Everyone come eat!"

"Let's go!"

"Ugh, having to eat after seeing a zombie. I don't think I can handle ketchup anymore."

The girls had grown so used to dealing with zombies that they could laugh off Emily's joke.

Today's lunch was leftover seaweed soup and spam stir-fried with vegetables. The ones who had been working devoured it so quickly it practically counted as overeating.

"Heh."

The same girls who had claimed they couldn't possibly eat after seeing a zombie had completely flipped their attitude. It really drove home that humans were creatures of adaptation.

"Oh right. Isn't today the day we switch rooms?"

At Emily's comment, Rana spoke up.

"I'm coming down from the rooftop now. I want to use the small room on the second floor again. The walls there feel cooler, so I can fall asleep while rubbing against them."

"For me, as long as I can check the crops before morning, second or third floor doesn't matter."

The conversation naturally turned to room arrangements.

"But do we really need to keep switching rooms? We could just assign permanent ones now."

"It's because of the work shifts and looting rotation."

"Is that all? Remember when we woke up on the third floor and found a zombie right away... Ewww, Nanika wet herself that time, didn't she?"

"U-unnie!"

For some reason the third-floor rooftop room was now considered a danger zone. After some discussion among themselves, they had agreed to rotate between the second and third floor rooms.

Kim Jun simply watched quietly. After a bit of bickering, the decision was made: Eun Ji and Gaya would stay on the third floor, In Ah and Do Kyung would move up, and Emily and Rana would move down.

Once the room assignments were settled and lunch was over, Kim Jun took a short rest after his post-meal cigarette before starting work again.

He first ordered Gaya and Emily to continue cleaning the pipes and wipe down the water tank area.

He had Do Kyung take the wires they'd brought back from looting and create long extension lines by connecting them.

"This is called a water pump."

"What do you use it for?"

"It pumps up stagnant water and moves it to another location."

"Hmm~"

Kim Jun took Rana along and gave her step-by-step instructions to assemble it.

"There should be a tarp hose in the back of the warehouse."

"What does it look like?"

"...It's literally a hose that looks like a tarp, rolled up with wire inside. The kind you see in rural rice paddies."

"Hmm~"

Rana listened to the description, rummaged through the warehouse, and surprisingly managed to find it.

"Okay! Good job. Now I'll show you how to attach it."

Having taught them how to operate the generator, grinder, water pump, and more today, Kim Jun figured that in another month they would all be familiar with most common tools.

"Wow~ We're learning so much today."

"Yeah. There's still a lot more ahead."

"Right. How should I repay you for all this?"

When Rana subtly stroked the front of her t-shirt, Kim Jun snorted and brushed it off, refusing to take the bait.

"After last time, I thought she'd calmed down, but it looks like the cat's measuring the stove angle again..."

Leaving the red-faced Rana behind, Kim Jun went outside and chose one of the three water tanks for the pump.

He opened the tank lid slightly and inserted the tarp hose with its weighted end.

Next he attached a 25-meter multi-purpose reel hose to the other side and had the girls secure it tightly with wire.

"Done. Now we need to run this up along the wall to the second floor."

"Where is it going?"

"The second-floor bathroom."

Kim Jun used hose clips to fix it securely as he ran it upward. By the time they finished, it was already getting dark.

Today—aside from dealing with that zombie—they had worked nonstop on the water solution, extending everything up to the second floor.

He sent Do Kyung and Emily up to the second-floor bathroom to hold the line, then had Do Kyung connect the wire to the outlet inside the warehouse.

Kim Jun grabbed some silicone from the warehouse and made the final connection himself in the second-floor bathroom. Seeing the outdoor team moving like professional construction workers on what he'd called a major project, the indoor team finished their cleaning and decided they needed to prepare a proper feast for dinner.

The outdoor team finally finished as darkness fell. They all emerged covered head to toe in sweat and dust.

"Whew, that was rough."

"In Ah! Hurry and get dinner ready!"

"What? It's past eight already and you haven't eaten?"

"We wanted to eat together. Hurry up and wash your hands."

When the table was set with steaming soup, everyone gathered without hesitation.

"Eat plenty. You all worked hard today."

"Wow~ The rice goes down so well. Especially because it's stuff I never did even on variety shows."

Kim Jun opened a bottle of soju, pleased with how well the girls had performed on their very first day.

In that warm atmosphere, the one who had felt the spark again watched Kim Jun closely and smiled.

* * *