Off to Forage
After breakfast, Kim Jun finished the observation well pipe he had left half-done last time.
He had decided to put off the looting until tomorrow and instead take care of all the overdue tasks before leaving.
“Ughhh!”
He had to weld the sections together and attach them to the wall at a height of ten meters.
“Alright, hold it steady from up there!”
Yes! We're ready.
“Tell everyone to get up there!”
Yes, yes~
When he gave the order through the walkie-talkie, Gaya and Emily lowered ropes from the third floor, preparing to hoist the ten-meter pipe.
Of course two people alone wouldn’t be enough, so In Ah, Eun Ji, Rana, and Nanika all climbed up to grab the ropes and help lift.
Below, they firmly tied the pipe that was lying on the ground, then lifted it together with Do Kyung and Mari, who were in charge of heavy labor.
“Okay, lifting now. Pull tight!”
“Let’s go! Lift it!”
“Heave-ho!”
The moment the three of them raised the pipe, the idols above pulled the ropes in perfect sync.
It would have been much easier with a hoist, but here everything had to be done with pure manpower. A single man and a group of delicate entertainers who averaged under fifty kilograms each pooled their strength to stand the pipe upright.
“Hold it right there! I’ll secure it immediately!”
Kim Jun quickly grabbed the electric drill and clamps and began driving in screws.
Whirrr— whirrr—
Starting from the bottom and working his way up, he rapidly fastened the pipe. He even prepared a ladder, climbed the wall, and continued screwing until he reached the middle section.
“Whew~ Good work, everyone. You can let go now.”
Okay, lowering slowly.
When Gaya released the rope from the upper floor, the pipe stood perfectly fixed without the slightest wobble.
At that point, Kim Jun restarted the well pump that had previously only spat out muddy water.
Vrrrrrrrr—
The well pump hummed to life, drawing up groundwater.
And when clear water flowed instead of the tons of muddy sludge from before, everyone cheered and hugged one another.
“Hooray!”
“Water problem solved!”
From now on they could use as much water as they wanted from dozens of meters underground.
Of course, if they drained it all there was the risk of a sinkhole, but by the time that became an issue, decades would have already passed.
All that remained was connecting the pipe to the rooftop water tank on the third floor. They decided to handle the rest after lunch.
For lunch, In Ah prepared a truly generous spread. Everyone who had been working hard came out and emptied their bowls clean.
“It’s been so long since I did any real physical work. Food tastes amazing.”
Emily polished off two full bowls with a satisfied smile.
“You call that exercise? That was labor.”
“Same thing when you’re using your body.”
As always, Do Kyung and Emily bickering during meals had become a mandatory part of the routine.
Kim Jun felt a warm glow seeing them like this; at least during mealtime he could smile. After eating, instead of more labor he hopped on the treadmill for some proper exercise.
He felt he had been neglecting his physical conditioning lately. After going three nights in a row with three different women, he had keenly realized the need for better stamina.
While Kim Jun worked out, Emily, Do Kyung, and the others quietly took turns on the stationary bike behind him. They generated a bit of electricity with each rotation, slowly building up their self-sufficient lifestyle.
By evening, Kim Jun had used hoses to run the line all the way to the bathroom in the third-floor rooftop unit. He rubbed his hands together and lit a cigarette.
“Ready?”
Yes. Should I start the pump right away?
“Okay!”
The moment Kim Jun pulled the hose lever, water gushed out from the dozens of meters of tubing.
“It’s working! Third floor water supply complete!”
“Waaaaah!”
“Oppa, you’re amazing!”
From behind, Rana and Emily threw themselves into his arms. Feeling the two beautiful girls press their soft cheeks against him in a tight hug, his shoulders naturally squared with pride.
With that, the long-drawn-out well construction project was finally over.
Now they could shower like before and even run the washing machine. A much more comfortable life had become possible.
Simply securing a reliable water supply had dramatically lowered the difficulty of survival, especially when there might be other shelters out there they didn’t even know about.
***
The next day, Kim Jun—who had celebrated the successful well project with a few shots of soju—woke with a pounding headache and boiled some ramen.
Thanks to raiding a convenience store two days earlier, he could enjoy a meal rich with that unmistakable MSG flavor. He added bean sprouts and mushrooms, making for a very satisfying breakfast.
“Alright~ Time to get ready.”
Once breakfast was over, Kim Jun began gathering equipment for the looting run as promised.
From the next room came the sound of In Ah and the other girls preparing as well.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve only been outside twice, right?”
“Did I do it on purpose? It’s not like I was getting picked.”
“Hmm~ Then next time volunteer and go yourself. You’ve got good strength, so you’d be great at carrying stuff!”
“Hey, stop talking about my strength!”
“Okay! Cutie girl!”
Just from listening, he could tell exactly who was talking to whom. Kim Jun counted on his fingers the girls who had already gone out on looting runs, then nodded.
“So the only one who hasn’t gone outside yet really is that former volleyball player?”
Her physique alone would be a huge help, though he wasn’t sure about her mental state.
He decided he would definitely pick her next time. For now, he would take In Ah and head out to gather wild greens for kimchi.
After making sure his weapons were secure, Kim Jun got into the car. In Ah, who had packed two duffel bags and a mountain of plastic bags, double-checked her own gear.
From flower trowels and weeding hoes to work gloves and a sun visor—she looked exactly like the neighborhood aunties who went out to dig for herbs.
Of course, she was actually a stunning top idol.
While driving, Kim Jun explained the plan.
“Deokwon Mountain is the biggest hill in this area.”
“Will it take long to climb?”
“It’s the tallest one around, but it’s not even 150 meters above sea level.”
“…That’s basically just a hill.”
Since Sosa-beol City was mostly flatland, even what they called a mountain was only that high.
Still, it was an isolated area with no apartment complexes, and it had been turned into a park. Many elderly people used to visit the mineral spring there.
“In many ways, there shouldn’t be too many zombies in that area…”
“If I see even a single bloodstain, I’ll stop right there. After all, this is about food.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
The plan was simple: Kim Jun would stand guard while In Ah quickly identified and dug up edible wild greens, bagging them as she went.
On the quiet road, they occasionally spotted a few zombies. Kim Jun picked them off one by one with his air gun.
Since they were far from the city center, there were hardly any zombies. All they saw were dry rice paddies and fields stretching in every direction.
At this time of year the golden fields should have been alive with the sound of combines running all night and farmers repairing broken machinery, but the dried-up irrigation ditches meant that sight was nowhere to be seen.
Amid the desolate scenery, In Ah mentally reviewed every type of wild green she used to know, running through image training in her head.
“By the way, when did you learn farming and cooking? You said you were from the countryside, right?”
“Yes, I’m from a mountain village in Gangwon Province.”
“Did you do it since you were little?”
“I lived with my grandmother and helped with the farming until middle school. Then in my first year of high school I got cast by an agency, moved to Seoul, trained for two years, and my debut single came out the day before my college entrance exam…”
As they drove, In Ah quietly shared her past.
Her first debut single had been a massive hit. After that, the company trained her as a multi-entertainer. She appeared on variety shows with the “country girl” image, which made her approachable, and she smoothly landed roles in public broadcast dramas.
But then the disaster struck right before she was supposed to receive her settlement payment… and now she was back to doing what she used to do—handling meals and farming.
“We’re here.”
At the spot where a faded sign reading Deokwon Mountain Neighborhood Park stood, Kim Jun scanned the surroundings before blasting the horn as loudly as he could.
Beeeeeeeeeeep—
He smoked for five full minutes after honking, watching for any zombies that might appear.
When he spotted a zombie slowly crawling out from an alley in the distance, he snapped his fingers and calmly raised his air gun.
Thwack.
Crack.
Thwack.
He dropped two zombies before they could get any closer. Then he stepped out of the car first, checked the area, and gestured for In Ah to gather her tools and get out as well.
Together they slowly walked up the park path that had once been well-maintained but was now overgrown after three months without a single human footstep.
“Oh, now that I think about it.”
“Yes?”
“They planted a ton of oak and ginkgo trees around here a long time ago. There should be plenty of acorns and ginkgo nuts.”
“Wow! Let’s start there.”
“Sure.”
Kim Jun led In Ah up the hiking trail of the 148-meter hill.
As they climbed, he spotted an oak tree halfway up, gave it a couple of firm taps, then rammed it with his protected body. A shower of acorns rained down from above.
“Jackpot! How many is this?”
In Ah scooped up every acorn scattered on the ground and stuffed them into plastic bags.
There were plenty of trees, and with no old people coming to forage anymore, all the ripened fruit remained untouched. It all belonged to In Ah now.
While scanning the surroundings, Kim Jun spotted another tree and smiled.
“In Ah!”
“Yes?”
“Look at this.”
He charged at another tree and slammed into it. This time a different fruit poured down—jujubes.
They were fresh jujubes just beginning to turn from green to red. The moment she saw them, hearts practically sparkled in In Ah’s eyes.
“This is incredible!”
She swept up every last jujube and acorn. The squirrels and chipmunks might be a little sad, but she filled the plastic bags until they were bursting with several trees’ worth of fruit.
After that, every time they climbed higher, they found lush patches of wild greens in the untouched meadows.
Mugwort in particular had taken over entire fields.
She dug with her hoe, harvesting mugwort by herself. There was so much that even working all day wouldn’t be enough to gather it all.
Kim Jun wanted to help but couldn’t let his guard down, so he simply waited while In Ah dug with her small hands until she had gathered as much as she could.
Then she suddenly screamed.
“Kyaaah?!”
“What’s wrong?”
When Kim Jun raised his gun, In Ah—who had fallen on her backside—stood up and brushed off her pants.
“It’s nothing. Just a lizard.”
“Hmm?”
The lizard she pointed at stared at them for a second before darting away.
“It’s a grass lizard.”
“I haven’t seen one of those since I was a kid.”
Coo— coo— coo-koo— coo— coo— coo-koo—
“Ah, that sound…”
“Sounds like there are mountain doves too.”
With humans gone, the small animals that had been so hard to spot before seemed to be thriving everywhere.
Kim Jun kept a constant watch on their surroundings while occasionally glancing at In Ah, who was peacefully digging for greens in the middle of a zombie crisis.
“This is wild garlic, water parsley, bitter dock, dropwort… Darn! If only we had bracken fern, we could make bibimbap in no time.”
Her greed seemed to grow the more she foraged. By the time she finished, one of the duffel bags was completely full.
Despite its volume, it wasn’t actually that heavy, so In Ah could carry it without much trouble.
“Shall we keep going up?”
“Yes. If I find something like deodeok root, I’ll dig it up too.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
They decided to be a little greedy.
They aimed to fill both duffel bags to the brim. Every time they climbed higher, In Ah didn’t miss a single dandelion, plucking every leaf.
If they made it back tonight, he really wanted to try the bibimbap she had mentioned earlier.
They still had plenty of unopened gochujang and sesame oil stored in the large containers, so this would be a wonderful new addition to their menu.
As they continued climbing, In Ah and Kim Jun discovered something.
“Huh?”
“Oh my!”
There was something on the mountainside that definitely shouldn’t have been there.
A plastic greenhouse—and it was completely intact, not a single tear.
“Did someone plant crops here?”
“Should we check it out?”
“Wait a second. Let me scout the area first.”
Kim Jun stayed on high alert as he carefully examined the surroundings.
After five minutes with no sign of anyone, he slowly opened the greenhouse door and stepped inside.
What he found was a whole new world.
“Whoa…!”
“Guess we’re not meant to die just yet!”
The greenhouse was packed with freshly grown, crisp cabbages and radishes.
They had apparently been grown organically; there were a few bug bites on the leaves, but that only meant they were perfectly safe to eat.
In Ah excitedly stepped deeper inside while Kim Jun kept an eye on the door and followed cautiously.
“This solves our kimchi problem completely!”
“We don’t know if anyone’s coming. Harvest quickly.”
“Yesss~”
At this scale, it was clearly something someone had intentionally cultivated.
Or perhaps the seeds had been sown before the zombie outbreak and had grown wild without any human care since then.
In Ah tried pulling up a radish but couldn’t manage it with strength alone, so she used the flower trowel to dig around it. She stuffed the forearm-sized vegetables into the duffel bag.
She swept up a considerable amount of heavy cabbages and radishes. The first bag was now filled with spring greens, jujubes, and acorns, while the second was packed full of radishes and cabbages.
Just as they were focused on harvesting, the door slowly creaked open.
Creeeeak—
“!”
“Oh?”
Click.
Kim Jun instinctively aimed his gun at the opening door.
The two figures standing at the entrance were not zombies.
“People?!”
After the incident with Mari, they had thought they were the only ones left—but here were more survivors.
This time Kim Jun swore he would not let his guard down for even a second. He kept his gun trained on them, tension running high.
“Hmm…”
“So there are still believers alive amidst this great catastrophe?”
The two who had entered the greenhouse were none other than monks.
Now that he thought about it, there was a fairly large temple called Jeongto Temple on this small hill. It seemed the monks had been the ones growing these crops.
They were carrying empty baskets, hoes, and sickles. Just in case, Kim Jun aimed his gun at the head of the sturdier-looking monk.
The young monk and the elderly head monk faced off against Kim Jun and In Ah.
Then, without warning, the old monk threw down the bladed farming tools he was holding.
Clang!
“!”
He turned around smoothly and assumed a meditative posture.
“Great Monk!”
“You sit beside me as well.”
“…”
The two monks turned their backs during the standoff and sat in the lotus position. The old monk slowly opened his mouth.
“Thanks to the Buddha’s grace, there are still living devotees in this world.”
“…Um, we’re not exactly…”
When In Ah tried to speak in confusion, Kim Jun stopped her and kept his gun raised.
But the old monk, as if unconcerned, continued speaking with his back still turned.
“Take as much as you wish. If this humble monk cannot eat them, they will simply return to the soil as fertilizer.”
“R-really?”
“The greenhouse over there is also unlocked, so feel free to go.”
The old monk calmly disarmed himself and told the intruders to take all the survival crops he had been growing during the apocalypse—even though he could get shot at any moment. He spoke with merciful composure.
Kim Jun did not relax his guard for a second. He first shouldered the duffel bags they had already filled and slowly began backing out of the greenhouse.