Are We Doing Alright So Far?
As the sky gradually darkened on the way home after stocking up on plenty of vegetables, Kim Jun switched on the headlights.
Do Kyung, who had been sitting in the back, swapped places with Eun Ji in the passenger seat. Since this was her first time joining a supply run, she kept staring out the window, her eyes growing moist.
“There really isn’t a single light anywhere.”
“You’ll get used to it soon.”
“Oppa, you’ve been going back and forth in this kind of situation for three whole months?”
“Pretty much.”
While driving, Kim Jun stuck a cigarette between his lips and added another flicker of flame to the darkness.
That was when a knock sounded from the back seat.
“What?”
“Oppa, is this all the supplies we’re getting today?”
At Eun Ji’s question, Kim Jun glanced at the sky. The sun hadn’t fully set yet, so he still had a little time.
“Why? Spot something?”
“I saw a convenience store through the scope.”
“Where?”
“Just inside the intersection up ahead.”
“Oh, over there!”
They had taken an alley to avoid zombies instead of their usual route, and there stood a convenience store Kim Jun hadn’t known about.
[GRAND OPENING]
The sign hung half-torn, giving the place a bleak, desolate air. If not for the apocalypse, it would probably be advertising for day and night part-timers in its third month of business. But as things stood now, this was reality.
Kim Jun stopped the vehicle in the alley and scanned the surroundings.
“Timing’s a bit awkward, but…”
“There’s a gym right next door too. Can we grab some exercise equipment while we’re at it?”
Eun Ji might not excel at many things, but her eyes were exceptional. Her ability to read the environment was uncanny.
Do Kyung, now in the passenger seat, swallowed hard at the thought of actually going on a real supply run.
“So we just get out and clean the place out?”
“Hold on. Can’t see much ahead, so first…”
Kim Jun slammed on the horn.
BEEEEEP—!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After the long blast, he told Do Kyung to grab the flashlight from the dashboard in addition to the headlamp he already carried. Then he watched the surroundings carefully.
Crash!
Grooooan!
Sure enough, the glass door of the gym shattered and a zombie came bursting out.
It was a runner. The creature charged at full speed and began slamming into the camper van from every angle.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
GRAAAAAAAHHH!
“Eek!”
Even though she tried to hold it in, Do Kyung let out a reflexive scream. Kim Jun shook his head, then immediately spun the wheel.
Once he had overtaken the running zombie, he spotted several slow walkers shambling in from the opposite direction.
There were four in total. If he took care of the runner first, the rest would be easy targets for his air gun.
“Kyaaaaah!”
The running zombie charged straight at Kim Jun’s vehicle. The front of the camper was fitted with a reinforced steel bumper that had already crushed countless undead.
Vroooooom—
Crunch—CRAAAAASH!
The moment of impact produced a sickening sound of bones shattering. The rampaging zombie was sent flying.
Hit at roughly sixty kilometers per hour, the runner tumbled and rolled across the ground. Both legs were bent at grotesque angles, shards of bone jutting through the skin.
Do Kyung covered her face, unable to watch. Kim Jun calmly raised his air gun and put two quiet pellets into the creature as it flailed on the pavement.
With the annoying runner down, the rest was simple. He switched to close-range shots and picked off the remaining three walkers one by one. After all four zombies were neutralized, Eun Ji called out from the back.
“Oppa, two more behind us!”
Kim Jun checked the rearview mirror, saw the slow-moving figures, and turned the vehicle again.
“Do Kyung! Keep your eyes open and look everywhere!”
“Ah, yes! I’m… sorry!”
It was a gruesome scene, but to survive she forced her eyes wide open, scanning the area while shining the flashlight through the windows.
After clearing the zombies, Kim Jun prepared to head inside and gave instructions.
“All right. Speed is everything on this run. Grab canned food, water, and salt first. Move fast. The second you hear any sound on the wind, tell me immediately.”
“Yes, yes sir!”
“I’ll help Do Kyung.”
Kim Jun stepped out first, sweeping the area with his rifle before heading straight into the convenience store.
He loaded the shopping basket with every can, pack of dried seaweed, wakame, salt, and sauce he could find. They had gone through eighty kilograms of rice today, but he discovered bundles of barley, glutinous rice, and regular rice in six-hundred-gram packs and took them all.
With their group as the only source of light in the area, the three of them moved quickly to gather everything visible before full darkness fell.
If they had more time they could have swept the entire store, but they decided not to push their luck.
Even so, they still cleared out every bottle of wine, whiskey, and soju in sight.
While Kim Jun gathered supplies, Eun Ji took the items from him and loaded them into the vehicle herself.
“Where’s Do Kyung?”
“Over there.”
“What?”
When Kim Jun turned, he saw Do Kyung approaching with an armful of exercise equipment.
“What the hell is all that?”
“Workout gear. Um… should I not have taken it?”
“You went in alone?”
“…I’m sorry! I’m really sorry.”
“Forget it. Load everything you grabbed.”
They took exercise balls, Pilates mats, dumbbells, grip trainers, boxes of gym clothes, and more.
Being a former volleyball player, Do Kyung’s strength was on another level. She carried more than twice what the other girls could manage, enough that even Emily liked to tease her about it.
But what she had done was far too dangerous. The building was pitch black, the outside even darker, yet she had gone in alone with just a flashlight. If a zombie had been hiding in the storage room or behind the counter, today would have been her last.
Kim Jun nearly cursed but swallowed it down. He could lecture her on the drive home.
“Oppa, that’s everything.”
When Eun Ji returned from the convenience store carrying the final load—cosmetics, underwear, socks, shampoo, soap—Kim Jun packed it away and decided it was time to leave.
He put Eun Ji in the cargo area, Do Kyung in the passenger seat, then started driving with another cigarette between his lips.
“Do Kyung.”
“Yes, oppa.”
“Did you tell Eun Ji before you went into the gym?”
“I’m sorry. I just… for a second…”
Seeing her hang her head, eyes growing wet again, Kim Jun decided it wasn’t the right moment to press the issue and simply drove toward home.
“It wasn’t her fault. I told her to go.”
When Eun Ji took the blame, saying she had given the order, Kim Jun clicked his tongue. Both of them had done something incredibly reckless.
It looked like tonight’s events would need to be discussed with Gaya, who had stayed behind. She could give the two of them a proper talk.
That night, seeing they had brought back even more than during the previous vegetable harvest, all eight came down to help carry everything inside.
Kim Jun brought out bleach and scrubbed away the remains of the zombies he had killed, then scraped everything into the waste pit they had dug for the camper toilet. He poured lighter fluid over it and set the whole thing ablaze.
Once everything was unloaded, Kim Jun quietly called Gaya aside.
“Yes, oppa?”
“Those two were pretty dangerous today.”
“!?”
“Eun Ji was wandering around a dangerous area again like last time. Do Kyung saw the gun and the zombies going crazy and went off on her own.”
“Aigoo…”
“You should talk to them properly. Maybe over a drink later.”
“I will. I’ll handle it.”
He couldn’t swear at them like before and comfort them in bed afterward. The most experienced raider and the oldest among them was Gaya, so he left it in her hands.
After quietly sending her back inside, Kim Jun stood with a cigarette in his mouth, gazing at the faint light visible through the curtained window, the moon and stars overhead. In the absolute darkness where nothing was visible except the flame of his lighter, he exhaled a long plume of smoke.
“Huu—”
Feeling that his smoking had been increasing lately, Kim Jun patted his shoulder and stepped back inside.
Emily and Rana were competing on the stationary bike and treadmill. Mari was practicing surgical knots with the medical tools she had brought from the hospital. In Ah and Nanika were sorting the day’s haul in the warehouse and kitchen.
Seeing everyone busy with their own tasks, Kim Jun quietly took a bottle of soju from the fridge, paired it with freshly made kimchi, and fell into thought.
No matter which way he looked, top-star beauties were moving with graceful efficiency. After living together for so long, the sight had become strangely familiar.
As Kim Jun poured himself another glass, Emily quietly climbed off the bike and approached him.
“Want some company?”
“After working out?”
“Hey, when the mood hits, anything tastes good.”
Emily pressed close, carrying the scent of sweat and something far more primal. Rana watched for a moment, then quietly got off her own machine. She returned from the bathroom freshly washed and slid up to Kim Jun’s other side.
“Normally after sweating buckets, nothing beats an ice-cold beer.”
“If we ever get a beer-brewing machine, I’ll think about it.”
“Soju’s not bad either…”
The two idols who had just finished exercising exchanged mysterious smiles. Kim Jun acted uninterested.
“Gaya and the ones who went out today will be down soon.”
“Did the volleyball player do okay? She didn’t go crazy or anything, right?”
“Huu—”
“You brought back a crazy amount today. Did something happen?”
Instead of answering, Kim Jun simply sighed.
“If you’re tired, I could help you unwind.”
“Knock it off.”
Emily chuckled, placed a hand on her chest, and began promoting herself.
“Looks like I’m still the best at outdoor runs, huh?”
She had performed well from the very beginning, and she knew it.
“Sweeping an entire convenience store, supplying the weapons Mister Jun uses, staying calm and using the walkie-talkie even when trapped for a whole day and night. Oh, and I even killed a zombie.”
Rana smiled sweetly. “And who exactly brought back that walkie-talkie, along with the mushrooms and vitamins unnie eats every month~?”
“Between weapons and medicine, everyone knows which is more important when a zombie’s right in front of you, right?”
Emily and Rana subtly competed, each trying to prove she was the best partner for Kim Jun.
Meanwhile, Mari, who had been quietly practicing silk ties in the corner, spoke up.
“There’s also someone here who brought back medical tools and performed surgery inside the house.”
“Oh my, Mari unnie is entering the ring too?”
Coincidentally, the three women who had each spent a passionate night with Kim Jun were now competing openly.
Then the two who had brought food joined in.
“Since I’m the only one who hasn’t gone outside yet, I’ll go next time! I’ll bring back everything we need!”
Nanika made her appeal with enthusiasm.
“I don’t even know what this competition is about. I’d rather not go out if I can help it.”
In Ah, watching the whole thing like a spectator across the river, had brought cabbage pancakes as drinking snacks.
A short while later, after Eun Ji and Do Kyung had finished their counseling session with Gaya, Kim Jun gathered all eight top stars. He raised his glass and spoke.
“Everyone, listen carefully.”
With all eyes on him, Kim Jun drank his soju and went through them one by one.
“You’re all doing your jobs incredibly well. First, Gaya!”
“Y-yes?! Me?”
“You moved with me from the beginning as the oldest, took my swearing, but after that you’ve done a great job leading the others. That deserves praise. And the things you helped gather for Eun Ji’s birthday feast last time were amazing, weren’t they?”
Gaya smiled and nodded.
“Rana volunteered despite being the youngest, gathered all the medicine and daily necessities, and even brought back the walkie-talkie. Emily stayed calm and helped finish the raid even after getting trapped while gathering supplies.”
“That was a full day and night in the camper~”
Rana looked grateful to be mentioned. Emily flashed a V sign.
“In Ah not only cooks well at home, she made sure we could gather all the ingredients too. Thanks to her we have vegetables in abundance. Mari, your work as a doctor was huge in treating Do Kyung. Nanika, even though you don’t go outside, you’ve been handling housework together with Eun Ji.”
Finally he looked at today’s two.
“Eun Ji sometimes acts beyond expectations, but she’s the one who handles all the dirty work both inside and outside. And Do Kyung made some mistakes today because it was her first time. Right?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Kim Jun refilled his glass and continued.
“When I brought all eight of you here, the space and food situation allowed it, so I did. In this situation where we don’t know when it will end, I pushed you all to learn multiple skills so each of you could survive on your own if needed.”
Besides raiding, he had taught them electricity, mechanics, cooking, cleaning, water gathering—everything—so the group could function even if one person was missing.
“Of course things don’t always go smoothly. When you think about what Do Kyung did today, remember how Gaya got scared by the gunshot in the beginning and lost control.”
“Ah, that…”
Recalling that embarrassing memory, Gaya’s face flushed and she scratched her head.
Kim Jun wrapped it up.
“Anyway, what I’m saying is this. It’s hard right now, but I hope everyone becomes versatile enough to handle several skills. We’re still in a transitional phase, so remember I’ll always have your backs.”
“Okay!”
Emily raised her hand. Rana smiled and nodded in agreement. Then Mari, In Ah, Nanika, and Gaya followed. After a moment’s hesitation, Do Kyung nodded too. Only Eun Ji remained.
She met Kim Jun’s eyes, gave a small smile, and bowed her head slightly.
“Please continue… to take care of us.”
Kim Jun had held what might become a milestone check for their future survival. As a commemoration, he prepared glasses and poured a drink for each of them.