The Neighborhood Fool's Rescue Plan
I ended up inside a zombie apocalypse novel. Right after that, I went straight to find Kang Siwoo, wandering all over the campus. Locating him wasn't particularly difficult. All I had to do was head to Hyeonlim-gwan and ask Professor Jeong Changhun. He'd immediately tell me exactly where Siwoo was working that day.
Today, I ran into him the moment I arrived at Hyeonlim-gwan. I was walking down the stairs when our paths crossed perfectly.
"Yeji?"
"Siwoo! I've been looking for you."
"...I don't have any work for you, though?"
"That's a little annoying."
Just how much did this guy see me as free labor? I'd come all this way looking for him, and the first words out of his mouth were that he had nothing for me to do? It was irritating, sure, but since I was the one asking for a favor, I took a deep breath, calmed my emotions, and asked if there was anywhere we could sit.
"There's plenty of empty space around here. We don't have anything like a proper reception room, but I know a relatively clean classroom."
"Then let's talk there."
"It must be something confidential. People approaching you again?"
Kang Siwoo stepped into the classroom, locked the door behind him, and flashed a chilly smile. Then he started spouting nonsense about how he'd already given one warning, but fertilizer supplies were running low. I told him that wasn't why I was here and got straight to the point: I wanted to organize a survivor rescue team.
"A survivor rescue team..."
"Look, Siwoo. Come on. We need more people if we're going to expand the community anyway, right?"
Seeing the intrigued look on his face, I naturally straightened my shoulders. I tensed every muscle and let the words pour out in a rush. The more personnel we had stationed on campus, the more we could accomplish. Simply waiting for survivors to show up wasn't enough. It was time to go out and find them. So why not start by searching for the family of the person who'd contributed the most to the community? It would boost everyone's morale. That was pretty much the core of my pitch.
The expected question came right on cue.
"Starting with family, Yeji?"
"I'm from Seoul."
"Ah."
"Actually... I heard Yeonhwa's family is at Gaya 2-dong or somewhere around there."
"It's certainly not a bad proposal. Our stockpiled food is sufficient for now..."
"Shouldn't we get more people first before doing anything else? We can scout while we're at it!"
"Were you planning to pull a handcart? There was quite a bit of stuff left there."
"Uh... if we're thinking about hauling supplies back on the way, then... probably?"
Kang Siwoo interlaced his fingers and rested his nose on top of them. It was a habit that only appeared when he was concentrating hard. My suggestion must have sounded convincing enough that he was seriously considering it.
From the beginning, the idea was to go rescue families. Or at least bring back mementos. There weren't many things people wanted more. Since they were safe on campus now, they'd start thinking about their families. Learning news about them would create both sorrow and joy. And all the various noises that arose during that process would ultimately strengthen the community.
Of course, people without families or those already with their families might view it with some resentment. Humans naturally become selfish when desperate. If just surviving already felt difficult, the idea of going out to save others would only amplify that selfishness.
That's where food and spiders came in. A spider's web had an incredibly effective ability to preserve food. Food was scarce anyway, and rescuing survivors meant killing zombies along the way. If we stirred up a spider breeding ground, all sorts of delicious preserved goods would come pouring out.
And that wasn't all. Thanks to the generator I'd brought, we had some electricity now. We could heat up those delicious foods. Ah, I really couldn't pass that up.
"As expected, I like this side of you, Yeji."
"Hehet."
"Seeing you come up with these brilliant flashes from time to time makes me think keeping you around was the right choice. Even if it's the complete opposite of how the community perceives you."
"The community's perception is..."
"You already know. The kind of person who solves everything with her body first if possible, and only uses her head afterward... basically the neighborhood's kind idiot big sister."
"Wow, that's harsh treatment."
"But isn't that the treatment you wanted, Yeji?"
Kang Siwoo tapped the hilt of his sword lightly with his fingertips. Yeah, I had wanted that kind of treatment. For me, there was no need to antagonize Kang Siwoo. If anything, I needed to swing my Beopbong at the other bastards trying to antagonize him. So showing a carefree, somewhat dumb side was far better. I had to be the neighborhood idiot big sister. If I hadn't played that role, I probably would've lost a limb to him by now. After all, this was the same guy who'd declared with his own mouth that he wouldn't let me die nicely while going around saving people.
"...Would it be okay if I couldn't even recite the multiplication tables sometimes?"
"Yeji. Did I interrogate you too harshly that time?"
"No, my goal is to live a long, thin life... Ahaha...."
"...Idiocy has its charm, but no. There's no one who can replace you, Yeji. Feel free to act as dumb as you want. That seems better."
"Ah, yes. Understood."
I figured I should intentionally lower my displayed intelligence to high school level. No, middle school. Yeah, let's cap it at middle school. Elementary school would cross into mental illness territory, so I could just say I never studied and only played around. Since idiot charm was attractive too, that approach seemed best. Hmm, hmm.
But one thing suddenly made me curious.
"Um, Siwoo."
"Yes."
"You said you wouldn't kill me nicely. But exactly how 'not nicely' are we talking? In terms of your life... what number would it be?"
"Including before the regression, it's about the third time."
"Huh?"
In the original novel, Kang Siwoo had ground his teeth exactly twice while declaring he absolutely wouldn't let them die nicely. The first was that shit-star general who'd destroyed Captain Han Daewi's forces. The second was the King and Queen. He'd sworn to keep them barely alive and torment them endlessly. Yet in the completed version, for the sake of image management, he'd cut off their heads and displayed them in glass jars. Just imagine it—trapped in glass jars, endlessly opening and closing their mouths, dependent on occasional nutrient drips, unable to die as they wished. Reduced to such miserable zombies, forced to suffer until Kang Siwoo himself died.
So if I pulled any stupid stunts, he wouldn't let me die nicely... But no matter how much I thought about it, I hadn't done anything wrong during our first meeting, had I?
"Relax, Yeji. The current you is a comrade I can fight back-to-back with."
"Come to think of it, middle-school-level knowledge probably isn't needed in this world anyway."
"...You really do want to live a long time. Well, you've always been unusually quick-witted whenever your own life is on the line."
"Isn't that a kind of advantage in its own way? Ahaha.... Haha.... Hah."
"When I told you I was the one who chose your underwear. You were genuinely terrifying then. You went from being angry to suddenly complimenting my taste."
"That just shows how badly I want to live long, right? As long as neither of us crosses one line, everything's fine, isn't it?"
The line I'd drawn was simple: don't let me die. In any moment where it felt like I would definitely die, he had to clearly reach out with a helping hand. The line Kang Siwoo had drawn was: don't create cracks in the community. Keep playing the neighborhood idiot big sister without causing any accidents. Since we both had clear, easy-to-understand boundaries, there was no awkwardness between us. As long as neither crossed that line, we could interact without reserve.
"Which brings me to this, Yeji."
"Yes?"
"I'll give you full authority. Organize the rescue team without me."
"...Pardon?"
Kang Siwoo explained right away. The community had grown large enough that zombie attacks kept coming. To defend against them, we needed a minimum number of commanders to hold the defense. Besides, if the leader kept leaving the base, the community would inevitably become unstable. He couldn't comfortably join the rescue team himself. So I, Lee Yeji, should take people and lead them as I saw fit. That seemed to be the essence of it.
No, what the hell. Hadn't we just talked about this? About how if I did anything stupid, he wouldn't kill me nicely? If you're sending a cat to guard the fish store, you don't leave fish right in front of it. Had I done something weird? Was he creating busywork as an excuse to get rid of me?
By the time I came to my senses, I'd already flattened myself against the desk without realizing it. Part of me wanted to do a naked dogeza, but it didn't seem like things had gotten that bad yet.
"Ah. There are two reasons, so please relax."
"Y-yes..."
"First, you have a good reputation in the community, and there's no one who can replace you. That detection ability and regenerative power of yours."
"Ah, yes. I understand..."
"And one more thing. There will be people approaching you foolishly, won't there? Make a proper list for me."
"What a relief...!"
I'd really been startled. In that brief moment, the worst possible future had flashed through my mind. I'd even imagined being locked in some warehouse, abused, living a life worse than livestock, barely clinging to existence. I'd been so shocked that my heart was still pounding violently, and the desk I'd reflexively grabbed had cracked under my grip. It was proof that I'd felt a threat to my life—adrenaline, not endorphins, was racing through my veins.
"Am I... that scary to you?"
"You're someone who could kill a General in a single strike, yet you're this afraid."
Even that monster Noh Changhun couldn't kill a General with one blow. He had to fight a prolonged battle, then land a powerful punch on a weakened spot. But with Kang Siwoo's opening strike, he could kill nearly any variant at this stage. That was the depth of experience his regressions had given him. Of course I'd be scared.
Besides, I'd read his novel the entire time. He was the protagonist who'd endured to the end and crushed the bastard trying to NTR the heroine using community rules. For such a righteous, ideal hero-like main character to tell me he wouldn't let me die nicely... Yeah, it was completely legitimate for me to fear Kang Siwoo. The guy had left an unforgettable memory etched into one person. Smiling so casually like that, looking that handsome—I genuinely wanted to punch him once.
Even though I wanted to punch him, I held it in until the end and kept asking questions about the rescue team, refining the plan. And three days later, the first rescue team was able to depart for Gaya 2-dong.