Chapter 20. Adaptation

Chapter 20. Adaptation

After the first round of Farming, everything went smoothly.

I repeatedly went back and forth between the house and the Convenience Store, performing simple tasks.

When we arrived home after raiding the Convenience Store for the fourth time, the two women collapsed, gasping for breath.

Seonyoung and Gayoung, their bodies flushed with heat, threw off their outer clothes. Their tops, soaked with sweat, clung to their bodies. Looking at her like this, Seonyoung’s figure seemed even more ample.

“Mister, do we really have to carry these Golf Clubs? I don’t think we need them.”

While the two of them caught their breath, Gayoung whined, interrupting my idle thoughts. She complained that the Golf Clubs were a complete nuisance.

That was a dangerous thing to say.

“Think of it as an extension of your body. Of course, you have to carry it.”

Perhaps it was just a simple complaint, as Gayoung picked up the Golf Club she had tossed aside.

We had almost completely cleared out the Convenience Store. There was still a lot of ice cream left, but I was worried because there was no way to store it all even if we brought it back. This house had two refrigerators, but they were already full to capacity.

“It doesn’t seem like much is left. Should we leave Gayoung to organize here and the two of us go?”

Seonyoung, perhaps having better stamina, stood up first. As Seonyoung suggested, we left Gayoung behind and the two of us headed out again.

The sun had now completely set. The sky was completely dark, but lights were on throughout the apartment complex, and with many streetlights, it didn’t feel particularly dim. The shopping area buildings were also empty of people, but all their lights were on.

“Seonyoung, if I carry this whole thing, will there be a place for it?”

I lifted a small freezer containing ice cups. It felt like I could carry it in my arms.

“Wow… Oppa, you’re really overflowing with strength. I guess we could put it on the balcony. Won’t it use a lot of electricity?”

I playfully smacked Seonyoung’s giggling backside and then examined the large freezer packed with ice cream. Chapssaltteok Ice Cream, Psycho Bungeoppang, Fanfare Ice Cream, Segye Cone, Melon Bar, Chestnut Bar, and more. I transferred mainly the ice creams I liked.

“Is this the old man’s pick? Only taking what *you* like!”

Seonyoung brought over a pile of premium ice creams that had been displayed in another freezer. Others might not think so, but to me, they truly were premium ice creams. Even the cheapest stick ice cream cost over 5,000 won each. They were expensive, but I wasn’t sure if they tasted good enough to justify the price difference. Everyone’s tastes are different, so I made sure to grab Seonyoung’s picks too.

We filled the small freezer to the brim with ice cream and also packed two Backpacks full. Finally, we scanned the interior of the Convenience Store together, checking if there was anything else to take. My heart raced, worried the ice cream would melt.

“Oppa, I think this is enough, right? Should we head back?”

I quickly pushed down on Seonyoung’s shoulder as she spoke, forcing her to duck. I had clearly seen the light source of a streetlight, visible a little distance away, flicker. It felt like something had passed in front of it, momentarily obscuring the light.

“Shhh.”

I cautioned a startled Seonyoung and pulled out a hand mirror. I carefully raised the hand mirror just above the display shelf to peer outside the Convenience Store. How much time passed like that? Soon, through the mirror, a pair of blue eyes became visible in the dim shadows.

“A cat?”

My tension immediately dissipated. Was it just a stray cat? Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Seonyoung cautiously peeked her head out to look outside.

“Huh? It’s a ginger cat. But it looks a bit big for a cat, doesn’t it? What amazing growth.”

At Seonyoung’s words, I looked outside with my own eyes and indeed, it was too big for a cat. It wasn’t just plump with fat like some alley cats; its sheer size was enormous. It was almost as big as a car tire. I knew there were some large cat breeds, but I’d never seen a stray cat that big.

“Oh, it’s leaving. Goodbye, kitty. It must be tough for you too, but survive well.”

Indeed, even pets that used to live indoors are now mostly strays. The creature lingered near an abandoned vehicle for a while, then coolly darted off towards the park. Perhaps because of its large size, its running speed was incredibly fast.

“Phew… that thing really startled me.”

As Seonyoung wiped the sweat from her forehead, I calmly stood up and picked up the freezer. Truth be told, I was a little startled myself. It felt like I had actually met Schneider’s Cat.

The living room, which wasn’t small, felt cramped and chaotic due to all the items we had looted from the Convenience Store. The three of us busied ourselves with organizing everything. We were sorting the items from the Convenience Store and the ones already in the house by expiration date and type. Gayoung brought her tablet and started compiling an inventory list.

“Oppa, please stack all the Hetbahn types in one corner. They say you can eat them for quite a while if you freeze them.”

“Six nail clipper sets, ten bundles of wooden chopsticks, five boxes of 003 Condoms, six boxes of 001 Condoms… Wow, we could practically open a store!”

“Right. Let’s open our own store. I’ve always wanted to be a boss, even if it wasn’t in my destiny.”

To organize the supplies, I went to the Convenience Store alone and carried back two display shelves. We moved the sofa to the hallway and set up the display shelves in the living room. Once we filled them with goods, it truly looked like an entire store had been moved into the living room. It was a bit strange, but what else could we do?

We talked as we organized for a long time. If we put in the effort to organize everything well just this once, it would be much easier to sort the supplies we brought back from future Farming runs.

“We really need to go to a pharmacy soon. The only first-aid medicines we have right now are fever reducers and digestive aids.”

“Then tomorrow, let’s try to clear a path to the pharmacy.”

At Seonyoung’s words, I told her the schedule I had in mind. I wasn’t sure what the path would be like. We decided to assess the situation, clear the path as much as possible, and return home to rest in the evening.

We spent even more time organizing than we did Farming, finally finishing the task.

“You all worked hard. Let’s rest now.”

“You too! Good night, both of you!”

After letting the two women shower first, I opened the front door and stepped out. I sat on the sofa we’d moved into the hallway and lit a cigarette. Tomorrow, I plan to only take Seonyoung with me when we go out. Gayoung has some inexperienced aspects, which poses a significant risk. Also, I intend to first increase Seonyoung’s Acquired through Zombie hunting.

‘A clothing store would be nice too.’ All of Gayoung’s father’s clothes are too short. Perhaps because my muscles have grown, even the training clothes I mostly wear feel tight. It’s uncomfortable for me, and it must be uncomfortable for others to see, too.

‘Hmph… I really should reply.’ A forgotten problem came to mind, and I opened my Cell Phone. Yesterday, I sent a text message to Jinsu’s parents. Jinsu’s father replied, saying that they were safe and that I shouldn’t overexert myself and to take care. I didn’t mention Jinsu.

‘I’m sorry.’

I had told them that Jinsu and I were currently separated, and I would look for him when the opportunity arose. I couldn’t bring myself to tell them the truth, so I lied. A reply came, telling me not to recklessly put myself in danger, as I was also someone’s child. After reading that, I couldn’t bring myself to write anything. Feeling a lump in my throat, I smoked another cigarette. The suffocating night was drawing to a close.

“Am I really staying home?”

“Yeah. When I think it’s a bit safer, then we can go together.”

Yesterday, all three of us had fallen asleep as if we’d passed out. I was the first to wake up and prepare breakfast, and a short while later, the two women emerged. We ate together, and now I was getting ready to go out with Seonyoung. I told Gayoung to stay home. At that, she went to do the dishes with a look of relief. Was it because the trauma of the first day was so strong? Gayoung seemed to want to stay home for the rest of her life.

“Oppa, so you mean I should pack a day’s worth of emergency rations, and then separate food for today’s lunch, right?”

“Yeah. I’ve packed an additional three to four days’ worth of emergency rations, so let’s do that.”

“Got it. I’ll go make some rice balls with the leftover rice then.”

I increased the weight of my survival bag to 10kg. I packed more food and water, and also items like a Blanket in case we had to sleep outside. Although there were many Convenience Stores along the way, I packed my Backpack assuming they had all been looted. Actually, I could have increased the weight further without burden, but I left some extra space in case we found anything to Farm. Seonyoung’s Backpack weighed about 4kg. It was less than half the weight of my Backpack, but carrying it all day would still be just as tiring.

‘Weight isn’t the only problem.’

Yesterday, we moved at night. Even then, perhaps because we were wearing Raincoats over our clothes, we got tired faster due to the heat. If it’s like this now, what will summer be like? Even if we get through this moment safely, I’m worried about what lies ahead.

“All done!”

“Oh. That was fast?”

Seonyoung quickly made rice balls and brought them in a plastic pack. The shape looked very familiar. It wasn’t a typical plastic bag, but it felt strangely familiar. I tried to erase the unpleasant memory that surfaced and performed a final equipment check.

Seonyoung and I both donned green poncho Raincoats, put on our Backpacks, and each held a Baseball Bat in one hand. We put on our shoes, looking like a pair of robbers.

“Watch the house carefully. No matter who comes, absolutely do not open the door.”

“Yes, Unnie. Don’t worry. I’ll even make dinner. You both must come back safely.”

“I’m not just saying this, but even if someone screams for help or says people are dying here, absolutely do not open the door. Understand?”

“Ah… Yes. I will. Unnie and Mister, if it gets too dangerous, don’t push yourselves and just come back.”

Gayoung replied with a firm expression to Seonyoung’s earnest warning. Seonyoung was right. In some ways, people might be scarier than Zombies right now. Even neighbors we knew had to be approached with caution. Ah, was it always like this, even before?

“Alright. Let’s go.”

“Okay. I’m ready.”

We emerged onto the four-lane road in front of the apartment complex and headed northeast. Walking along the road, I checked both places where vision was obstructed and inside cars. As I walked, focusing on listening for any sounds the Zombies might make, I became sensitive to even the slightest noise. The fortunate thing was that the probability of encountering Zombies was still relatively low. Across the road was a park, and on our side, there was a small hill densely planted with trees along the path. In short, there were no places for people to hide, like buildings. Of course, there could be Zombies in the park, but wouldn’t their numbers be far fewer compared to buildings where many people originally gathered?

We found bloodstains intermittently on the asphalt road, but there were no Zombies. Perhaps those who turned into Zombies in the middle of the road had followed fleeing survivors. Survivors would have run continuously, searching for places to hide, until they reached a building.

“Team Leader Kim! Team Leader Kim!”

It was just as I was speculating on why there were no Zombies on the road. A faint voice came from somewhere. It was a man’s voice. At the sudden human voice, I gripped my bat tightly and sharply turned my head towards the direction of the sound.