A Calculated Morning Encounter
I ended up inside a zombie apocalypse novel. I’d slept deeply, but I didn’t dream. Or maybe I had and simply couldn’t remember. It was always like that. The dreams that mattered most were the ones that slipped away. Still, this one didn’t feel worth holding onto. So I straightened my headset, stretched inside the room, and picked up Beopbong.
“What time is it now…”
The watch was so battered from rough use that I could barely read it. I’d need to find a new one later. I slipped it back into my pocket. I must have been exhausted yesterday; it looked like I’d slept straight through until five in the morning. No wonder it still felt a little dark outside.
He’s probably out on his morning patrol right about now.
Kang Siwoo had always been diligent. In the original story, he’d declared he would live for my sake, even if it was only in words. Until the very end, he lived for everyone. He’d grown more honest about his desires after regressing, but that was something I could easily tolerate. Heroine-collecting was practically a selling point in novels like this.
Anyway, the story had mentioned that he still followed his pre-regression habits. Leading by example, patrolling the campus first thing in the morning, all of it. If I was lucky, I might run into him as if it had been arranged. Honestly, I was secretly hoping for exactly that. I needed to hear his future plans and tell him I intended to take part. It wasn’t the kind of conversation for an open area. It wasn’t that I lacked social skills, but avoiding awkwardness from the start seemed wiser. At least, that’s what I thought.
Now that I think about it, it’ll be months before we can use water properly.
Once the area around the Hadan 2-dong Community Service Center was cleared, the path to the Nakdong River would open. It wouldn’t be perfectly clean, but we’d at least be able to wash without worry. That was what Kang Siwoo had done in the original story. Materials were plentiful, so we could build something like a giant filtration system.
Well, for now the water should still be running properly.
The tank on the dormitory roof still held water. Of course, according to the original novel, it was only available at set times, and only the combat teams who fought the zombies tooth and nail got to use it. Probably once in the morning and once in the evening. I could ask about the details later.
With my walk prepared, I stepped lightly out of the dormitory and started jogging. I didn’t actually enjoy walking, and I usually preferred doing nothing at all, but Kang Siwoo didn’t know that. I could just treat this as earning points.
The moment I left the building, he appeared as if he’d been waiting. He smiled naturally and spoke first.
“I was on morning patrol. I didn’t expect to run into you, Miss Yeji.”
“Oh, I was just planning to take a walk. What a nice coincidence.”
I knew instinctively. This bastard had been waiting for me. He wanted something, and he’d come on purpose to get it. I couldn’t guess exactly what, but since it was Kang Siwoo, I could assume it benefited the community somehow.
“Would it be all right if I called you Siwoo from now on?”
“If you’re comfortable with it. For the record, I prefer polite speech.”
That was a lie. Having read the entire original story, I knew better. He didn’t prefer polite speech; he just found it less bothersome to use formal address with everyone. I knew perfectly well he switched to casual speech when he was trying to sleep with women. And right now, I was that woman.
It felt ominous, but I told myself nothing would come of it. Since we’d have to cooperate for the next several months, I pretended to know nothing and changed the subject.
“By the way, Siwoo.”
“Yes?”
“You know the Hadan 2-dong Community Service Center? There were a lot of zombies around there.”
“It must have been uncomfortable on your way here.”
Kang Siwoo smiled as though genuinely pleased. I roughly understood why. The original story said he wanted to expand his territory to that center but kept running into opposition. I was the perfect person to scratch that itch. I was living proof that survivors couldn’t gather even when they wanted to.
If not for him, I would have arrived at the university in tatters. My stomach would have been more red than blue, my arms and legs bitten off in chunks. In that state, I obviously wouldn’t have received proper treatment. Kang Siwoo looked after people inside his own circle first. Anyone who looked like they’d die soon but carried valuable supplies? He’d leave them to die and seize the cart. Then he’d use my last words or whatever as an excuse to reveal his pre-regression knowledge. I was certain of it.
Even so, I wasn’t going to blame him. Anyone who wasn’t an idiot like me wouldn’t risk their life for a total stranger.
“Yes. It was incredibly dangerous. Without you, Siwoo, I would have been injured badly enough to die.”
“It must have been quite harrowing. Were you thinking about that just now?”
“Honestly, it’s not something I can forget. In a life-or-death moment, you appeared like ta-da.”
The conversation flowed warmly after that. Whether it was because our goals aligned or because Kang Siwoo had always been sociable, I couldn’t tell. But the time was pleasant, and it was clearly useful for both of us. I was moving closer to my goal of securing a solid position inside this university. Kang Siwoo seemed to be planning to use me to control the campus as he wished for the time being. In the process, he would strengthen his own standing.
“Now that I think about it, Siwoo, how many people are at this university?”
“Hmm. I did my best, but I could only save around sixty.”
“How many were here originally…?”
“The outbreak happened during the semester, so there should have been at least several hundred. We have dormitories, after all…”
“Ah.”
Kang Siwoo’s expression turned slightly gloomy. Even after regressing, he seemed to blame himself for failing to save everyone he could have. The classic protagonist mindset. It pleased me. It really felt like the Kang Siwoo from the novel was breathing and living right in front of me.
But I had no intention of being swept along like a fool. I stayed focused throughout our conversation, careful not to lose control. Fortunately, I finished talking with him without any major mistakes.
After walking for about thirty minutes, we headed down to the cafeteria building together.
“Just so there’s no misunderstanding, the actual cafeteria is that building in the corner.”
“Then what about the library building?”
“That’s the student dining hall, but now it’s used for distribution.”
“I see. Thank you for explaining.”
Pretending not to know things I knew perfectly well was exhausting, but it couldn’t be helped. Acting too familiar with a university I wasn’t even a student of would invite suspicion. If I’d mentioned an acquaintance who attended here during our first meeting, maybe. Adding it now would only earn me wary looks.
“It’s cleaner inside than I expected.”
“Thanks to the students working hard. I didn’t do much.”
“But isn’t it because of your efforts, Siwoo, that it reached this level?”
“You think… I worked hard?”
Kang Siwoo gave a meaningful smile. It honestly made me a little nervous, but I had no choice. I needed to emphasize right here that I was a useful woman. Only then would the interested Kang Siwoo begin using me in earnest. Being a comrade who could keep fighting alongside him was far better than simply handing over pre-regression knowledge and calling it a day.
“Yes. You’re essentially the leader of this university community, Siwoo. It’s obvious at a glance.”
“May I ask why you think so?”
“It’s obvious. That many zombies and variants. If you can handle them easily, it means you’ve been fighting on the front lines.”
“Fighting well doesn’t necessarily mean you can run a community.”
“Even if you try to hide it, the atmosphere of students genuinely following you can’t be concealed.”
“Haha. You’re very observant.”
Kang Siwoo subtly rubbed the sword at his waist. I tensed for a second, but I knew from the original story that it was a habit. He did that whenever he needed time to think deeply. So I simply acted normal, as if nothing was wrong. He would evaluate me however he wished.
“Miss Yeji.”
“Yes?”
“You want something, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“I’m not curious what it is. But remember one thing.”
Kang Siwoo smiled kindly. Only his mouth smiled. His eyes were filled with killing intent that promised he wouldn’t let me die easily if I tried anything foolish. An ordinary person would have been terrified, but I was different. It was fucking scary, sure, but still less frightening than a zombie going berserk.
“If what you desire is to destroy this community, I suggest you leave quietly.”
“Why would I want that? What I want is a place where I can belong.”
“You say that so easily.”
Kang Siwoo nodded as if he would believe me for now. Then his expression shifted into a bright smile, and I knew I could only go this far. Really. If I hadn’t been the battle-hardened ultimate version of Yeji, I would have been crying by now.
For the moment, I was satisfied that Kang Siwoo was watching me closely. It seemed best to stop here. So I smiled as if nothing had happened and walked normally into the building to eat.