Chapter 13. Farming

Chapter 13. Farming

We decided to stop by the Convenience Store on the first floor first.

Gayoung said she wanted to gather as many supplies as possible and hide at home to weather the storm. Personally, I was skeptical of that idea. I was just as afraid as she was and wanted to stay safe for now. But in the long run, wouldn’t it be better to start practicing fighting zombies and surviving now?

“Should we check the Fitness Center on the way?”

We went down to the second floor, and I asked if there was anything worth taking from the Fitness Center. Gayoung saw the Zombie corpse sprawled in front of the center’s door and refused, saying it was fine. It would probably be extremely uncomfortable, since they were all familiar faces. Perhaps because of our earlier noisy fight, there didn’t seem to be any Zombies left in the building.

We arrived at the Convenience Store without any issues and each started gathering various items. Our carrying capacity was limited, so we focused on food with long shelf lives.

“Still, let’s take all the canned fruit. It might be hard to get later.”

I also packed men’s underwear and socks. The thought of being able to sleep comfortably tonight lifted my spirits.

“Here, take this for now.”

“Huh? Why this… Oh.”

I found a long umbrella in the corner of the Convenience Store and handed it to Gayoung. It was flimsy, but perhaps it could offer some protection against a Zombie’s bite.

The four bags were soon bulging. They weren’t very large to begin with, so the weight wasn’t an issue. If we encountered Zombies, I would have to take the lead in fighting them. So when Gayoung offered to carry the bags, I handed them over without a word.

“From now on, be careful and follow closely. Let’s make it home safely.”

We entered the apartment complex through the opposite entrance of the shopping arcade we’d come from. Normally, I would have walked this path without a second thought, but now it felt like entering a Demon Lord’s Castle in a game. Killing our presence, we moved stealthily. We crouched side-by-side behind parked cars, scanning all the way to the entrance of Building 301. The distance was about 20 meters. It was a distance that would take less than a minute to cross in a straight line. I had no idea how many people or Zombies might be in this apartment building, but the scene before us was eerily silent.

Tap, tap.

Seonyoung tapped my shoulder, and I turned around. She pointed to a building that looked like a guardhouse. A figure in a guard uniform was visible, half-hidden by a tree.

*’If it’s just standing there so still… it can’t be human.’*

The guardhouse wasn’t directly on our path. However, if we walked towards the entrance of Building 301, we’d likely enter the Guard Zombie’s line of sight. I signaled with a hand gesture that I would handle it alone and approached quietly from behind the tree. As I approached, I saw the Zombie’s clothes peeking out from behind the tree and moved to its back. I silently and quietly dealt with the Guard Zombie and returned.

Using the cars parked in a row as cover, we slowly advanced towards the entrance of Building 301. I’d expected to find Zombies still inside the cars, but fortunately, they were all empty.

*’Phew.’*

We entered the apartment building. We decided to avoid the elevator. It made noise, and if there were many Zombies on the floor we stopped at, there’d be nowhere to run. Once inside, I realized this was a well-designed apartment building. That’s because right next to the corridor leading from the entrance, there was a staircase without a door, allowing direct access upstairs. There was no need to feel anxious about opening a door. If I ever had to live in an apartment building again, I’d have to check how many doors it had first.

*’Can’t see well.’*

Before going up, I leaned over the stair railing to look up, but naturally, I couldn’t see much. I’d brought a small hand mirror from the Convenience Store for just such a situation. I hadn’t forgotten the idea I got from Seonyoung’s Cell Phone camera. I fumbled in my pocket, pulled out the mirror wrapped in a handkerchief, and ascended, checking above us. Being able to just peek the mirror around corners sped up our movement considerably.

“Haa… haa.”

When we reached the fifth floor, I heard gasping breaths from behind me. Shouldn’t five floors be fine? I walked casually towards Apartment 501 and pressed my ear against the door. Seonyoung had her ear pressed against the door of Apartment 502. For now, I heard nothing, but I still couldn’t be sure. There could be people, or there could be Zombies.

Gayoung entered the door lock password. Click, click, click, click, click, click! Ding-dong! The door lock sound was louder than I expected. Startled, we gripped our weapons and warily eyed the top of the stairs.

*’Damn… that scared me.’*

Were there no Zombies on the floor directly above us? Grateful for the lack of any reaction, we entered the house. I led the way past the entrance, surveying the situation. The house was quiet. As Seonyoung, the last one in, closed the door, the door lock chimed again. I’d have to remove the batteries first.

“Is anyone here?”

Gayoung had said both her parents were at work, but you never knew. Just to be sure, I made some noise to draw out anything. At most, there’d probably only be two. We waited for a moment, but there was no reaction. Figuring that if there were Zombies inside, they would have burst out by now, I opened all the room doors. With me leading the way, opening doors, and two women following behind, I felt like a real estate agent.

“It’s not my house, but I think you can both make yourselves comfortable.”

I said it lightly, meaning for them to relax now that all the rooms were checked. Perhaps my words eased her tension, as Gayoung started crying again.

*’By the way… it’s incredibly clean.’*

They must be a family that usually lives very neatly. Seonyoung and I just stood there, unable to sit anywhere, worried about getting blood on things.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. *Sniff*… Would you two like to wash up first? Unnie can wear my clothes… and for you, mister, I’ll try to find some of my dad’s clothes.”

“Gayoung, do you happen to have any large bags? Team Leader and I will probably have to throw away what we’re wearing.”

Seonyoung and Gayoung went to the bathroom in the master bedroom, chatting as they went. I went into the living room bathroom and quickly stripped off my clothes. I tossed the blood-stained clothes carelessly onto the floor and turned on the warm water, letting the shower spray over my body. After stripping, I saw that the blood splattered throughout the day had soaked into my skin. I splashed water on the mirror and saw a dark bruise blooming on my side. Even now, taking a deep breath or making certain movements brought a pang of pain.

*’Haa… still, this feels good.’*

After being tense and on the move all day, taking a shower made me hum unconsciously. Feeling good, I leisurely let the water soak into me.

*’Oh? Now that I think about it, my body feels quite… strange.’*

I’d lost weight. The outline of the muscles on my body had become a little more defined. It was absurd for my body to change so noticeably in just one day, but I attributed it to the influence of my abilities. Was this the effect of Body Reinforcement?

*’Whoa.’*

My thoughts about my abilities halted abruptly when I suddenly looked at my manhood. It was… substantial. If someone were to accidentally see my manhood in a place like a public bath, they’d definitely do a double-take and be captivated. It was so outstanding that even another man would be impressed.

*’What the… how is *this* the most noticeable effect of Body Reinforcement?’*

Feeling a mix of absurdity and pleasant surprise, I washed it delicately and thoroughly.

After showering, I put on the new underwear I’d gotten from the Convenience Store and the clothes Gayoung had prepared. It was a comfortable combination: training pants and a cotton t-shirt. Still, since I was on the larger side, they were a bit snug and not entirely comfortable. Despite the slight discomfort, being clean and scent-free made me feel alive again.

Seonyoung was still in the bathroom, and Gayoung was dozing off on the living room sofa, waiting for us.

“Gayoung. You should wash up and rest soon too. By the way, would it be alright if I used the kitchen?”

“Oh, yes. You can use everything. There’s food in the refrigerator and the kimchi refrigerator, and if you look this way…”

When I asked because I was hungry, she led me all the way to the veranda attached to the kitchen. There was a surprising amount of food stored in the house. It seemed they had done a big grocery haul over the weekend. With permission to use all the ingredients and utensils, I began the delightful dilemma of deciding what to eat.

Opening the refrigerator, I found a pot of Doenjang Jjigae. I took out two packs of Chuck Flap Tail from the kimchi refrigerator and scooped rice from the earthenware crocks on the veranda.

*’When you’re exhausted, meat really is the best.’*

With plenty of side dishes, I looked forward to a magnificent meal. I set the rice cooker and sat in the living room to rest, and then Seonyoung emerged.

“You startled me. What happened all of a sudden?”

“It was just inconvenient in many ways. I cut it myself, roughly. Does it look too strange?”

Seonyoung appeared with her long hair, which used to reach her waist, cut so short it didn’t even touch her shoulders. It wasn’t a professional haircut from a Hair Salon, but it didn’t look awkward, and I thought the short hair suited her well. It probably was quite inconvenient, now that I think about it. She’d struggled since the first day with no way to dry it.

“It really suits you. Hmm… anyway, you did a good job cutting it.”

“You could just say I’m pretty, you know. So, I’m not pretty?”

“Of course you’re pretty. What kind of question is that?”

As I fumbled for words, unsure how to respond, Seonyoung chuckled playfully and naturally sat down next to me. She was wearing short dolphin shorts and a tight white t-shirt, clothes I hadn’t seen during our looting, so they must have been Gayoung’s. Seonyoung, feeling refreshed after her shower, kept smiling and chatting. In just two days, the distance between us had significantly closed. She still called me Team Leader, but I felt a bond with Seonyoung that went beyond mere colleagues.

“Anyway, you must be starving, right?”

A pleasant scent wafted from Seonyoung, sitting so close beside me. With her slight exposure and pleasant scent, my body reacted instinctively. Sitting side-by-side like this was practically torture, so I naturally changed the subject. A subtle, flirtatious tension hung in the air, but Gayoung would be out soon.

“Wow~ Team Leader, are you making us food? I’m actually starving to death.”

“Turns out there’s a lot of food in the house. All I can really make is rice and meat, but… anyway, my dear Assistant Manager Choi Seonyoung, who’s worked so hard. I’ll treat you to the finest course.”

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

As I stood up to prepare the meal, Seonyoung clapped like a seal, repeatedly, and stood up with me. She could have rested a bit longer, but she followed me around, seemingly wanting to help with something. I had a feeling that this cute side of Seonyoung, which I was seeing now, was closer to her true personality than the professional demeanor she showed at work.