Feeding All Eight
Kim Jun told Eun Ji he would be right back, then gathered a few useful items from the first-floor storage room and slowly made his way inside.
The top stars, who had been frozen in terror at the sight of Kim Jun returning alone, asked in quiet voices.
“Um… where’s Eun Ji?”
“Yeah. Is Eun Ji unnie okay?”
At Gaya and In Ah’s questions, Kim Jun gave a small nod.
“She’s in the car. She’ll come in soon enough.”
He set down the blankets and pillows he had brought from storage and spoke to the women who had been stuck there for over ten days.
“All right, first things first—go wash up. Soap, shampoo, towels, everything’s inside.”
When Kim Jun pointed toward the bathroom, Gaya stepped forward as their representative and asked politely.
“Um… should we go in turns?”
No matter how large the house was, seven people could not all pile into one bathroom. As they prepared to rotate, Kim Jun spoke again.
“Just three of you, follow me. There’s another bathroom upstairs.”
“Ah, yes…”
Four of them headed into the second-floor bathroom while the remaining three followed Kim Jun down the hallway and up to the third-floor attic room.
He opened the door for them and told the three to wash while the water was still running.
“I’m not sure if there are spare clothes. I’ll find something you can wear.”
“Thank you… thank you so much!”
On the third floor, the youngest, Rana, bowed repeatedly in gratitude on behalf of her older sisters.
Even though these women had projected goddess-like auras on television, after several weeks without bathing they carried a sour smell and their appearances were downright grimy.
While they showered—paying no mind to hot or cold water—Kim Jun headed to the kitchen, thinking about how to feed the girls.
He opened the pantry to see what could feed a group, pulled out powdered soup packets, and filled a large pot with water.
“This will have to do for now.”
He poured far more water than the recommended amount into the oversized pot, thinning the soup to stretch it as far as possible.
While it simmered, Kim Jun went through the kitchen inventory one item at a time.
“Two kimchi refrigerators, one regular fridge here, another upstairs… plus a mini fridge…”
He had swept up supplies from all over while traveling alone and stored everything here. Food was plentiful for one person, but right now the only thing he could safely give the girls was this thin soup.
After starving for over ten days, they had wolfed down candy and chocolate. Giving them rice, kimchi, or meat could cause serious stomach trouble.
“We’ll keep it light for a few days, then check the rest of the supplies…”
Rice sacks waited in the first-floor storage along with bottles of soju. The second-floor kimchi fridge held fermented vegetables, the freezer was packed with meat and fish, and even the third floor—hastily converted into emergency living space during the outbreak—had its own stocked refrigerator.
It was more than enough for Kim Jun alone, but now eight people needed to eat. He ran the numbers.
It would be tight, but since they were all young women—delicate idols at that—he calculated their portions at half the ration of a male soldier.
“Food is manageable. Clothes are the real problem…”
Kim Jun stepped into the sliding-door room beside his master bedroom.
It was the only room on the second floor with traditional sliding doors. In the past it had served as guest quarters, furnished with a closet and a double bed for visiting relatives.
The bathroom door clicked open. One of the top stars emerged, drying herself with a towel, and spotted Kim Jun searching for clothes.
“Hey~”
“Whoa, damn it!”
No matter how open Westerners were, seeing a fully grown woman—and a top idol at that—walking toward him with her breasts swaying freely was something else. She opened the closet like she owned it.
Water droplets slid from her curly blonde hair, tracing down her spine all the way to her hips. Kim Jun felt his face burn.
“Put some clothes on!”
“How am I supposed to wear those filthy rags? Besides, you threw away my panties and bra when you searched me earlier, didn’t you?”
“…”
“Got anything I can wear? Ah! You live alone, right? Don’t you have any women’s underwear?”
Kim Jun sighed and rummaged through the closet until he found a pair of shorts with a drawstring and some work clothes, tossing them over.
“Here. These have elastic—tie them tight.”
“Ooh~ Thanks.”
Emily stood completely naked in front of him without a hint of shame, stepped into the shorts commando, and pulled the t-shirt over her head. Even though the clothes were small for men’s sizes, her cleavage still spilled out from the neckline.
“These are wearable, huh?”
Kim Jun had made her strip earlier for inspection, but watching her behave so naturally made him shake his head. He gathered more clothes for the others and left them outside the bathroom door.
Old 95-size t-shirts from his childhood, baggy sweatpants he had bought in bulk for ventilation but outgrew, and lightweight three-quarter cotton pants.
The idols who emerged opened the door, spotted the clothes, and quickly helped themselves. Kim Jun also left a pile outside the third-floor bathroom so the three still showering would have something to cover themselves.
“Um, excuse me?”
The woman who called out was Mari, the actress who had introduced herself as a doctor.
Her hair had been a greasy, tangled ponytail earlier. Now, freshly washed with damp strands falling around her face, her visuals had improved dramatically.
“Yeah? What is it?”
“We’ve been starving for a long time, so…”
“That’s why I’m preparing food.”
“No, I mean… eating too quickly can cause digestive problems. Something with plenty of broth would be best…”
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I made soup.”
When Kim Jun lifted the pot lid, yellow creamy soup bubbled gently.
“Ah, this is perfect! Thank you for being so thoughtful.”
“Good. Sit over there until it’s ready.”
Mari pulled out the chair Kim Jun indicated and sat down quietly.
He glanced at her. “You said you were a doctor, right?”
“I quit working at a general clinic, but yes.”
“Quitting medicine to become an actress…”
“I can still handle basic care. If any of the girls have health issues, I’ll take care of them immediately. Of course, that old m— I mean, oppa!”
She had almost called him “uncle” and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.
Kim Jun finished the soup, gathered bowls, and said, “It’s fine. Grab the cutlery container from the table and set it.”
“Yes!”
The girls who had finished washing set the table and arranged spoons with practiced care. When Kim Jun brought out the bowls of soup, the top stars who had endured long starvation ate ravenously.
“Hey, slow down. You’ll burn your tongue.”
To them it was the first warm meal in who knew how long. A few began crying as they ate. Kim Jun watched quietly, then refilled their empty bowls.
If he could, he would have given the seven gaunt girls as much as they wanted, but health concerns forced him to stop there.
“Everyone listen up. Let’s start with introductions. I’m Kim Jun, owner of this house. I’m twenty-nine and I work as a hunter around here.”
The girls committed the name to memory.
“I heard you were filming a variety show in the neighborhood, so I came to meet you. Never expected to see all of you like this.”
“…”
While all seven stayed silent, Kim Jun decided to establish order first.
“I know most of you already, but the oldest is Gaya, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“For now, I want you to take charge of the others.”
“Yes… I will.”
Leaving the girls whose stomachs were barely settled by the thin soup, Kim Jun brought the items he had taken from storage and distributed them.
Military blankets, old pillows without covers, cushions.
Each girl took one blanket and pillow. Kim Jun showed them the sleeping arrangements.
“Excluding the room I use, there are two bedrooms here and two more in the third-floor attic. Eight of us total—choose whatever rooms you like.”
“…Yes.”
“Also, from now on we’ll need to drive out whenever we need supplies… but we’ll talk about that later.”
Life from here on would be busy. Kim Jun set a few more ground rules.
“Your original clothes and underwear are in the wash. It’s hard to dry them outside, so unfold the drying rack in the living room and hang them yourselves. The stationary bike and treadmill next to it generate electricity the more you use them. Take turns.”
“Yes, oppa.”
“Put some energy into it!”
“Yes! Oppa!!!”
Seeing the idols shout with full voices, Kim Jun gave a small laugh, slung the shotgun over his shoulder, and prepared to head out.
“Check the washing machine in ten minutes and hang the clothes. There’s a hanger inside—use it if you need to.”
“Yes! I’ll handle that!”
As soon as Kim Jun stood, Gaya—the oldest and the one he had appointed leader—clapped her hands sharply and gathered everyone.
“All right, everyone pay attention! You heard what Kim Jun oppa said. Let’s move! Emily and Nanika, take the bowls and handle the dishes. There’s a broom and mop over there—In Ah and Mari, let’s clean this area. Rana, you showered in the attic room, right? Do Kyung and the rest, let’s get the upper floor ready. Those are the rooms we’ll be using, after all.”
Watching Gaya direct them like a squad leader, Kim Jun chuckled, thinking control would come quickly.
He took the remaining water and soup, headed down to the first floor, and walked toward the camper van.
Beyond the wall, acrid smoke still rose from the Molotov cocktails he had set off earlier. No zombie sounds could be heard.
“Whew…”
The glass and metal shard traps on top of the wall showed no signs of disturbance.
Knock knock—
“…”
When he tapped the passenger window, Eun Ji slowly lifted her head.
“Here. You need to eat something.”
Eun Ji accepted the small bottle of water and the warmed, peppered soup. She stared at it for a long moment before finally lifting a spoonful to her lips.
The moment the warm flavor filled her mouth, her eyes widened and tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Sob…”
“You have to eat if you want to stay strong and survive.”
How long could anyone endure by pretending to be strong in a situation like this?
Kim Jun opened the door for the crying girl.
“Finish that and come inside with me.”
“I… I just… sob.”
“It’s okay. The others have all washed up and the bathroom is free now.”
Only then did Eun Ji finally step into the house.
The seven top stars who had been moving busily inside let out a collective sigh of relief when they saw her.
After washing, Eun Ji changed into the long-sleeved thermal underwear she used to wear as sleepwear. Once everything was organized, the top stars each chose a room, pulled blankets over themselves, and fell into an early, exhausted sleep.
The terror they had lived with for so long, followed by washing and a full stomach, seemed to bring fatigue crashing down all at once.
Four on the second floor, four on the third.
After confirming the idols had gone to bed from early evening, Kim Jun prepared to head out for a while.
That night Kim Jun returned only when dawn was nearly breaking.
Once again, thick sticky blood covered his boots. He had fired five air-gun pellets and two shotgun shells.
But the trip had been worth it.
Ten revolver rounds looted from an infected police zombie, and…
“I’ll use this later.”
His duffel bag was packed full of canned food and bottled water.
Kim Jun wiped away every trace of zombie blood that had splattered onto him, then quietly entered the house.
Inside the dark building, only the soft, even breathing of the idols could be heard.
Seeing them completely out cold, Kim Jun gave a small smile and unlocked the master bedroom with his key.
The room was filled with weapons and survival gear of every kind.
After locking the door behind him, he stepped into the private bathroom attached to the room—the only one with both toilet and sink inside. He had never mentioned it because it was for his personal use.
The next morning.
When mealtime came, Gaya was the first to rise. She had already washed and was cleaning.
“You’re up early.”
“Ah, Jun oppa!”
It had only been a day since they met, yet she greeted him politely as “Jun oppa” while mopping the living room and kitchen thoroughly.
She was older and had good sense. Seeing her take the initiative, Kim Jun began preparing food.
“Today it’s porridge. For the next three days, until your stomachs recover, you’ll only be eating porridge and soup.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Gaya gathered bowls and spoons. Kim Jun emptied all the rice from the cooker into a pot, added plenty of water, dropped in one can of tuna, and let it simmer slowly.
When the porridge developed a sheen of oil on top, he added a touch of sesame oil and salt. As he finished seasoning, Gaya picked up one of the pots.
“Oppa, may I use this?”
“Don’t bang on it.”
“Huh?”
“Try not to make loud noises if possible.”
“Ah, yes!”
Still unaware of the full zombie situation, Gaya abandoned the idea of clanging the pot and instead gently shook the girls awake.
The idols who rose had messy bed hair and barely washed faces, yet their beauty remained undiminished. Suddenly sharing meals with them was, Kim Jun had to admit, a rather pleasant sight.
“All right, eat slowly.”
“Yes~”
“Girls! You should say ‘I will eat well’ first, shouldn’t you?”
Even though it wasn’t strictly necessary, at Gaya’s prompting they all greeted Kim Jun properly before picking up their spoons.
And so the story of surviving alongside eight top stars had just begun.