Real Survival Starts Now!
Kim Jun woke before anyone else, stretched his muscles until they loosened, and headed for the sink in the master bedroom.
He used the water he had drawn earlier to wash his face, take a quick shower, and even shampoo his hair, squeezing every drop for maximum efficiency. Then he moved to the kitchen and turned on the faucet.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle—
“…”
The stream was weaker than yesterday. It looked like the water supply was about to follow the electricity into oblivion.
“Whew… Fixing all this for real is going to take some time.”
Kim Jun filled a basin in the sink, then pulled disposable containers from the cupboard. From now on, he would wash with the absolute minimum amount of water. Once something got too dirty, he’d simply throw it away and replace it.
Next he went to the bathroom, lifted the toilet tank lid, and found the brick inside. He lowered the float arm to adjust the water level. Finally, he checked the tub full of water he had stored in advance. He would guard every drop from now on.
Over breakfast, Kim Jun broke the news.
“Electricity went out yesterday. Water’s about to follow.”
The table fell into heavy silence. The words carried the weight of despair.
Watching their faces, Kim Jun quietly laid out the plan ahead.
“I worked at a power plant back in the day, so I know how this goes. The reason we still had power until now is because the operators and everyone else at the plant are probably dead or turned. The computers kept running on autopilot until the fuel finally ran dry.”
He explained that once the generators burned through their reserves, the emergency backup systems had drained every last watt to keep the grid alive. That was why both electricity and water had lasted this long.
“From now on we use the LED strips I stuck to the ceiling last night. And when it gets dark, we close every curtain. No exceptions.”
“Yes, oppa.”
“Today we’re going to work with everything we brought back yesterday.”
“Work?”
“Housework.”
Kim Jun intended to begin and end the day with labor. Survival didn’t allow for idle hands.
After the meal, instead of washing dishes the old way, he decided to rinse the day’s disposable containers lightly and set them out to dry. Plastic spoons were cleaned and reused; wooden chopsticks were shaved down with a knife and set aside.
Then he took the drill he had looted from the hardware store and punched holes in the bottoms of two buckets. He placed them on the small veranda next to the kitchen—the old jar-storage room—and began building makeshift water filters.
“First, tear up some old running shirts and layer them at the bottom. Then gravel. After that, split charcoal and spread it out flat. Last, add the clean stones on top.”
“Got it. I’ll try.”
The ones helping him build the filters were Nanika and Mari. A doctor who understood the critical importance of clean water and an obedient Japanese idol who followed every instruction without complaint made the perfect team.
Once the simple purifiers were finished, Kim Jun set flowerpot saucers underneath them.
“When we use rainwater from the tanks or any standing water, run it through these first.”
“Yes!”
“Of course we still have to boil it afterward. The city gas might cut off any day now, so I set up two butane stoves.”
“We’ll boil the water and use the tea bags in the cupboard. No one drinks plain water anymore—green tea, barley tea, whatever we have.”
“That’s a good idea,” Mari added. “At least that way we can kill most of the bacteria.”
Kim Jun nodded and quickly finished assembling the second filter.
Next he called Gaya and Do Kyung over to tackle the electricity problem.
“Electricity is dangerous. Especially when the battery is live—if you touch the wrong thing, it can blow your fingernails clean off.”
“Eek?!”
“And that’s not even the worst part. Your whole hand can burn.”
“Huuu…”
Do Kyung was already trembling, clutching the wire like it might bite her. Kim Jun gave a small chuckle.
“But the power’s off right now, so it’s safe. I’m just warning you to be careful.”
He put on rubber gloves, then work gloves over them, and connected the battery to the outlet.
“Here and here. Twist the wires together like this, then wrap everything tightly with electrical tape.”
“O-oppa… the rubber gloves make it safe, right?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. I didn’t flip the switch, did I? Just connect them.”
For a moment Kim Jun felt like he was back in the military, guiding new recruits through maintenance work. He had never been the type of NCO who beat the soldiers, but he had been very good at chewing them out when they messed up.
“Do Kyung. I told you to be careful. Who said to shake so hard you can’t even touch it?”
“Sorry, oppa!”
“You need to learn how to do this kind of wiring now. That’s how we survive in a zombie world that might never end.”
“L-like this?”
“Yeah! Good. Exactly. Now wrap the tape. Otherwise you’ll get sparks from bad contact.”
Kim Jun alternated between scolding and encouraging the celebrity girls who had never touched electrical work in their lives. In the end he ran long extension cords from the treadmill and stationary bike he had converted into manual generators, so they could charge the batteries whenever they exercised.
“Since I boosted the output, you’ll have to work out even harder from now on. It’s not about keeping your figures anymore—we need the fridge and rice cooker running if we want to live.”
“I’ll run like crazy!”
“It’ll still help with body maintenance, at least,” Gaya said with a small smile.
She was already diligent, but they decided to rotate shifts so the treadmill and bike would run at least two hours every day. It wouldn’t generate massive power, but it should be enough to keep the refrigerator and rice cooker going.
After finishing the second-floor electrical work, Kim Jun headed up to the rooftop utility room on the third floor.
There, In Ah was preparing to start a farm with the supplies they had brought back yesterday.
“Did you mix the soil and sawdust?”
“Yes, but… what is this smell? It literally smells like poop.”
“It’s chemical fertilizer. Yeah, it’s pretty nasty.”
“Ugh—”
The fertilizer from the nursery and the sawdust had been mixed by hand into a thick paste. In Ah pulled out the mold-covered mushrooms they had collected yesterday. The stench made Emily, Rana, and Eun Ji all wrinkle their noses.
“Shit! That is actual shit!”
“Still, this is how you grow them properly.”
The three girls followed In Ah’s instructions and prepared their own food sources without complaint.
“See the stems on these mushrooms?”
“They’re completely rotten. Covered in mold.”
“No, that’s not rot. Those are the spore sections.”
“You’re planting rotten mushrooms and expecting more mushrooms to grow?”
“They grow really, really well.”
In Ah crushed the spoiled mushrooms thoroughly with both hands and spread them over the paste-like soil.
“Mix it well with the fertilizer, then cover the top. That’s it.”
“These are used tea bags?”
“Yep. Nothing’s better for growing mushrooms.”
She tore open the barley-tea bags they had brewed to death and sprinkled the contents over the mushroom beds, then packed everything into Styrofoam boxes. In the cool corner of the rooftop she labeled boxes for enoki, oyster, button, and shimeji mushrooms.
“If we manage them properly, we can grow them endlessly. Just spray them with the mister and keep the humidity up.”
Watching her, Kim Jun let out a soft laugh.
Damn, she really knows how to farm.
The nation’s beloved multi-entertainer little sister might need to add agriculture to her résumé alongside singing, acting, and variety shows.
“Ah, oppa!”
“Oh my! Mister Jun!”
The girls on the rooftop greeted him brightly. Kim Jun joined in, filling more Styrofoam boxes with soil and planting seeds one by one.
“These are garlic, beans, perilla leaves, lettuce… and these! We absolutely need the potatoes and tomatoes.”
Baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes were essential for vitamins and calories. They carefully selected every other crop as well. Soon the entire rooftop under the solar panels had become a full-scale farm.
“We’ll grow them one by one. We have plenty of seeds, and when winter comes we can set up lights on the veranda and grow indoors.”
“I’ll do my best!”
“Don’t worry.”
Leaving the rooftop farm in In Ah’s capable hands, Kim Jun went down to the first floor and opened the water tank alone. The liquid sloshed inside. He lowered a two-meter pipe and listened. The sound was strong. The three rainwater tanks they had filled during the downpour were still full.
“If only we had a proper water-treatment pump…”
He hadn’t managed to find one, but at least they had secured drinking water for the time being. The tap water hadn’t completely stopped either; the flow was just weaker. The real treasure was somewhere else.
Kim Jun looked at the warehouse covered in solar thermal panels on the roof and chuckled at the idols who still had no idea what was inside.
That’s the real jackpot. Just the rice and soju in there alone…
The warehouse was packed with soju, military rations, canned goods, and long-term storage foods. If he were alone, the supplies would easily last him over a year.
“Still, since I made them work, I should reward them.”
Kim Jun brought out boxes of military MREs that a friendly U.S. surplus store owner had sold him wholesale when the shop closed.
Lunch became an unexpected American-style military meal.
“Whoa, this is awesome! So cool!”
“It actually heats up by itself?”
When they poured water into the plastic heating packs, the retort-pouch pasta began to steam and bubble. They heated the food instantly without gas, then seasoned it with salt and pepper.
The main dishes were ordinary, but the real prize was the snacks inside: roll candies, chocolate balls, cheese, dried fruit, and crackers. The girls dug into them before the mains even finished heating, all wearing happy smiles.
“This is the first time chocolate balls have ever moved me this much.”
“Me too! When we get back to normal I’m totally shooting a chocolate commercial!”
For the first time in a while the girls laughed and chattered through the meal. They somehow emptied the entire stack of MREs that had previously been dismissed as tasteless. Lunch was light and cheerful.
Afterward everyone returned to their tasks. The electricity team tested the bikes and treadmill. The water team finished a decent filter, ran a test with tank water, and prepared to boil barley tea. The farming team continued their work, with In Ah at the center explaining each step.
“So right here…”
When she bent at the waist to demonstrate, the line from her calves to her heels was clearly visible through the thin fabric of her pants. Emily noticed immediately.
“Hey, Shine. Behind you?”
“Hm…?!”
In Ah turned and realized Kim Jun had been watching her bend and move while tending the crops. Her face flushed bright red.
“Aish! What are you even saying…”
“Oppa’s been staring at your butt the whole time.”
“I’m watching her farm.”
“Then come closer and watch from the front. Over here.”
Kim Jun scratched his cheek awkwardly and stepped inside. The neatly planted crops came into full view.
“Beans take about two months to grow.”
“That’s too long!”
“Other vegetables are faster. Spinach takes a month, young radish about four weeks. Chicory and lettuce are even quicker. Plenty for side dishes.”
Listening to In Ah’s detailed explanations, Kim Jun remembered his own farming days in the military and smiled softly.
That night, after confirming the electricity and water systems were functioning properly, Kim Jun quietly stepped outside.
Hiss—
He lit a cigarette and made another round of the two warehouses, then checked the water tank one last time.
[Ughhh… Uggghhhhh…]
[Uuuurrrghh…]
In the distance zombies moaned like cats in heat, but none approached the house. They didn’t seem to have detected any living presence here; they were simply wandering, hunting for prey.
“We can’t really be the only ones left… right?”
In every zombie movie he had ever seen, helicopters and armored vehicles should have appeared by now to rescue survivors. Yet nothing had come.
Still, after today’s work securing independent power and water, they could hold out for the time being. How long that would last, no one knew.
“Living with top stars I never asked for. What a fate.”
Sharing one roof had stirred his desires several times, but aside from that one time he had received oral pleasure, nothing further had happened. He had no interest in trading chocolate or ramen for their bodies. Things simply continued as they were.
“Tsk. I hope this ends quickly.”
Somehow he had built the ultimate fortress, secured abundant food, and created a self-sufficient system—yet it was still just a survival shelter. Kim Jun let out a long sigh, longing for the normal life he once had.
At that moment, a woman who had woken up thirsty spotted Kim Jun standing outside. Watching him pace while lost in thought, she gave a small smile and murmured to herself.
Even with all this chaos, he still hasn’t done it with anyone yet, has he?
She figured this was exactly the right time to use her feminine wiles.
Maybe I should go to him next time?