So Sweeeet! (4)
“……What? What? What?”
In an instant, the Witch’s face flushed bright red. She covered her mouth with her hand and turned to look at Yubin, her eyes clearly asking, Is what this musclehead just said true?
“Shit-!”
Before Yubin could even answer, the Witch realized the truth and shot to her feet.
Thud-!
The filthy blanket that had been wrapped tightly around her legs like a cocoon fell to the floor, but Hwang Nayeon paid it no mind. Barefoot, she sprinted toward the restroom.
Good god…… She had actually tried to seduce a man while foam from when she fainted was still dried white around her mouth……! How could Hwang Nayeon suffer such humiliation……!
“Wow, you’re something else……. I’ve been bothered by it this whole time too, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it outright.”
Yubin muttered quietly, staring at the Sheriff.
Creak-! Thud-!
The Witch had shoved open the women’s restroom door with force, only to come bolting back out in horror.
“Totally dark! I can’t see a thing!”
“Of course not. There’s no light in there once the door’s closed.”
The Sheriff handed over his headlamp as if he were dealing with the most ridiculous person alive.
“Here, take this! And how were you planning to wash up without wet wipes? You’re seriously hopeless. That’s why I keep telling you to move around. You’ve got to experience it with your own body to adapt and realize that the zombie world is different, that there are things like this you have to worry about!”
“Th-thank you.”
The Witch accepted the headlamp with her head tilted guiltily to the side, then turned to go. The Sheriff grabbed her shoes and clothes and thrust them into her arms.
“Hey! There might be broken glass in there, so don’t go stomping around barefoot—put your shoes on first! And take these too so you can change! Do it all at once, damn it!”
“I got it……”
Clumsily clutching the bundle of clothes and shoes, the Witch gave a small nod. She shoved her feet into the brand-new sneakers without even removing the tags, then dragged her feet as she walked back into the restroom.
“She’s such a mess. How the hell did she ever run Taeyang Group?”
The Sheriff tilted his head in disbelief. Just then, a piercing scream erupted as the Witch came flying back out again.
“Kyaaaaah!”
She tumbled out, still hugging the clothes, trembling violently.
“Th-there’s…… a dead body inside the ladies’ room……”
“What?”
When the Sheriff frowned, not quite understanding, the Witch’s voice shot up an octave higher.
“There’s a dead body in there! Right…… inside!”
“I already told you earlier. There’s a dead zombie in the back stall of the women’s restroom, so don’t use that one.”
Yubin spoke with exasperation. Still, the Witch’s sense of injustice and fear showed no signs of easing.
“Don’t use it? How am I supposed to stay calm after hearing something like that? The moment I walked in, I saw a bloody head straight on! In that pitch-black place, if I just turn my head, that’s the shot I get! The neck twisted like that, on the floor…… Shit! It’s too horrible! Damn it!”
The Witch shuddered in disgust as the image resurfaced in her mind.
“Ugh, this is so annoying! Stop causing such a scene, seriously! Sheesh……!”
The Sheriff sighed and opened the men’s restroom door.
“Use this one! Problem solved. Who told you to use the women’s restroom anyway? You went charging in there yourself, so why are you taking it out on everyone else?”
“Haa……! Haa……! Alright! I get it. This one’s safe, right?”
The Witch, shoulders heaving as she caught her breath, asked in a slightly calmer tone. The Sheriff replied curtly, not bothering to hide his irritation.
“Yeah, it’s safe, you brat. Honestly, the women’s restroom is perfectly safe too. It’s just gross, that’s all. No real problem.”
“……Thank you.”
Clenching her teeth as if steeling herself, the Witch stepped into the men’s restroom. Though the air was thick with the smell of mold and urine from long disuse, there were indeed no corpses here.
Thud-!
Only after closing the door firmly did the Witch feel any relief. Lantern in hand, she faced the mirror.
“Oh my……”
The sight reflected in the cloudy mirror was so horrific that the Witch let out a long sigh and lowered her head. To think that such a filthy, ugly woman was Hwang Nayeon…… She couldn’t believe it.
“Shit-! This is a nightmare.”
Her mascara had melted from sweat and tears, leaving long black streaks from beneath both eyes down to her chin. Her hair was tangled with grime, giving her the look of a madwoman.
But the crowning glory was the dried foam caked around her lips where her lipstick had worn off. The clumped powder, the crushed and cartoonish eyeshadow—everything was unbearable to look at…… but none of it compared to those foam marks. She had no idea how much bodily fluid she had expelled while unconscious, but it looked as though she had been made up to play the fool in some lowbrow slapstick comedy.
“I should’ve stopped at a restroom even if it felt gross……”
The Witch scolded herself. Her biggest mistake had been holding it in out of fear. If she had looked in the mirror back then……
“This is all that bastard Paul’s fault! He should’ve informed me! Son of a bitch!”
Unable to bear the shame, the Witch redirected her anger toward Yubin. They had spent so much time together, and he had gone on and on pretending to give all kinds of advice…… yet he hadn’t told her something this important! He truly was an idiot. A petty, insignificant man, just as his appearance suggested!
Thud-!
The Witch set the bundle down on the sink and pulled out wet wipes first. To think she had tried to act high and mighty and negotiate with people while looking like this…… It was so embarrassing and humiliating that her whole body trembled.
‘……Wait a second.’
Just as she was about to wipe her mouth, the Witch suddenly froze and glared at the mirror.
‘Wouldn’t this actually make me safer? How many men would feel sexual attraction toward such a filthy woman and impulsively try to rape her?’
After hesitating for a moment, wondering if she had oddly found a sense of security, the Witch ultimately spread out a wet wipe and began cleaning her entire face.
“No way!”
She shook her head vigorously and started removing the messy makeup. She had decided that being called filthy and ugly was a more unbearable pain than unwanted sex. As a leader and a celebrity, Hwang Nayeon had to be an object of desire, not contempt, no matter the situation. Besides, enhancing her appearance would be far more advantageous for survival. Especially since she could make good use of that musclehead’s obvious attraction to her. Even in the worst-case scenario where hostage negotiations broke down, the musclehead seemed to have both the ability and authority to protect her from the cruel, scarred knife-wielder.
“Phew……! Hoo……!”
After using countless wet wipes to meticulously clean her face, the Witch also removed the grime clinging to her hair. Once she realized the sticky mucus was likely zombie bodily fluids, brain matter, or their characteristic pitch-black blood, she felt so disgusted that she couldn’t leave it as is.
Thud-!
Only after slapping dozens of used wet wipes onto the floor did the Witch finish her belated face-washing. Now it was time to strip off the torn military skirt.
Ziiip-!
As she unzipped Yubin’s lightweight parka and unbuttoned the military uniform, the Witch glanced at the mirror again and slowly shook her head.
“I was stupid to think I could hide this incredibly sexual appeal just because my face got a little dirty.”
Feeling slightly better after seeing herself in just her underwear, the Witch placed her hands on her hips and struck a light pose. Her firm breasts visible above the bra, her slender waistline, and her fair, smooth skin……
This perfectly sculpted body line was not something that could be hidden. No matter what, the men outside would have no choice but to want her. They probably had from the very first moment they saw her. Smiling at her reflection in the mirror, the Witch murmured to herself.
“Beautiful……”
While the Witch was lost in narcissism inside the dark restroom, her friends were chatting quietly in the waiting area.
“Good grief, how thoughtful. You went out of your way to find that woman’s clothes and shoes even though it was dangerous? I only asked you to bring back some food.”
When Yubin gave him an incredulous look, the Sheriff waved his hands dismissively.
“No, no. I didn’t go out of my way. While I was driving toward Gunja to avoid the zombies, I spotted a dealership on the main road. So I just stopped the car for a second, went in, and grabbed them.”
The Sheriff gave Jinwoo a look that said, Right? I’m not lying. Jinwoo nodded calmly.
“Well, we don’t know what’ll happen later, but if she’s going to keep moving, she at least needs to change her shoes. It’ll be easier for us too that way.”
Even knowing it would bring suffering, simply leaving someone to fend for themselves wasn’t much different from the Taeyang Group bastards who captured the weak and tortured and abused them. Neither Jinwoo nor the Sheriff wanted to treat people that way. Even if the other party was the “Witch of Ruin.”
“The clothes are one thing, but how did you know her shoe size? Don’t tell me you checked the size of the shoes she took off earlier before you left?”
Yubin asked. The Sheriff’s reaction was once again one of disbelief.
“Well…… most women fit into 245. So I just brought that size.”
“Really? I thought you knew the size for sure since you grabbed them without hesitation. You just brought 245? ……You’re joking, right?”
Jinwoo, who had gone shopping with him before, widened his eyes in surprise. Yubin also shook his head in disbelief.
“What do you mean most women fit into that size, Sheriff? None of the three women in our group even wear 245. First of all……”
Yubin lowered his voice after checking that the men’s restroom door was closed.
“Jenny and Terra are much smaller than that……”
“Ah, those two aren’t ordinary people. I’m talking about regular folks.”
“Hyeju wears 255!”
“Hyeju…… she’s not ordinary either. She’s been an athlete her whole life.”
Even as it became increasingly clear that his judgment had been wrong, the Sheriff refused to back down. Yubin figured there was no point in dragging it out any further and changed the subject.
“Fine, let’s say you’re right. So where did you get that car?”
“Ah, the Genesis Coupe! Whoa……”
The Sheriff smiled as if the mere thought of it was amazing and delightful, then began his story.
“There were zombies coming out from behind the supermarket, so I went to block them, and there it was, parked right there. Isn’t that perfect? It’s such a fateful connection!”
“What…… what’s so fateful about it?”
“Ah, this guy has no sense of romance whatsoever. Hey, think about it. If things hadn’t gotten this messed up, we wouldn’t have had any reason to go to Gunja Station. And if that hadn’t happened, even if my dream car, the Genesis Coupe, had been sitting right there, I wouldn’t have had the chance to notice it. Don’t you see? When things are this twisted, it’s fate.”
“You did like that car. Well…… I guess it’s better to drive something you like if you’re going to drive at all.”
Yubin nodded in understanding. It had been the Sheriff’s boastful life philosophy that everyone should drive a high-performance sports car at least once while they were young. Of course, it was a somewhat modest boast, limited to domestic cars for his dream vehicle.
“Heh, a Genesis Coupe, huh……”
Mingu, who had been quietly listening to his friends’ conversation while stroking Samsuk-i’s back, finally spoke up.
“Is it the 380GT?”
“Damn it! Why does everyone keep going on about the 380! The 200 Turbo is great too! It’s got over 270 horsepower! The turbocharger gives it plenty of power! Besides, on roads this damaged, you can’t floor it all the way anyway!”
When the Sheriff jumped up indignantly, Jinwoo explained his friend’s state to Mingu.
“He gets really sensitive whenever someone brings up messing with his car.”
“Heh heh heh, his car?”
Mingu chuckled, finding the man’s endlessly positive mindset admirable even in a situation like this. Just then, the Witch emerged from the restroom and asked,
“A car? Was that engine sound earlier from you guys?”
“Who else would it be?”
The Sheriff looked at the Witch, now changed into new clothes, and said,
“See, you look much better after washing your face. The shoes fit, right?”
“They’re big. A little big, but if I double up on socks and tie the laces tight, it’ll work……. Anyway, thanks.”
The Witch offered a faint smile in gratitude. She intended to actively exploit this musclehead’s attraction to her……. The Sheriff replied with an awkward expression.
“Well, it’s not something you need to thank me for……. But now that you’ve got shoes, stop whining. We’re all exhausted too. We can’t put up with you being rude and throwing tantrums on top of everything.”
“Hey, Sheriff……”
Yubin cut in with a dumbfounded look.
“Look…… no matter how bad of a person she is, it still feels wrong for you to lecture her about manners.”
“Why? What did I do wrong with my manners?”
The Sheriff’s eyes widened in genuine confusion. Yubin sighed and pointed at the Witch.
“I mean, you’ve been calling her ‘this bitch’ and ‘that bitch’ this whole time. Completely ignoring the age difference……”
“Bullshit! How much of an age gap could there even be between us? She’s basically Hyeju’s age anyway, right?”
The Sheriff raised his voice with an utterly serious expression. Jinwoo gaped and shook his head.
“……This guy’s lost it.”
“……Hyeju would kill you if she heard that.”
Yubin muttered weakly as well. Even at the lowest estimate, the Witch was in her late twenties. Comparing her to Hyeju……
“Heh-!”
The Witch snorted and turned her head. She didn’t know who Hyeju was, but judging by how casually these guys referred to her by name, she was probably around the same age. Early twenties, as beautiful as a flower.
Yet this musclehead firmly believed she was in that age group. Not out of flattery, but sincerely! It had to be because of her beautiful skin and glamorous figure……. The moment that thought occurred to her, an overwhelming pleasure she couldn’t possibly hide washed over the Witch’s entire body.
“Ha! Ha! Ha!”
Shoulders shaking as she let out short bursts of laughter, the Witch gently stroked the Sheriff’s chin with her fingertips and said,
“So sweeeet!”