Chapter 24. Encounter

Chapter 24. Encounter

After Seonyoung and I had thoroughly scouted our surroundings at the intersection and cross-verified everything, we crossed the street.

There was a Zombie inside a car abandoned on the side, but we had no quiet way to break the window. We had no choice but to stealthily creep past the back of the car.

‘I should remember that car.’

‘Should I make a map?’

A tactical map, of sorts. Since we’d be moving around this area for a while, it would be good to create a map marking any special features. I couldn’t possibly remember everything.

We arrived at the entrance of the Hana Trade Building and peered inside.

The first and second floors of the building seemed to be leased out, occupied by an N Company store. N Company was a large corporation that produced various outdoor gear and apparel. At one point, N Company’s padded jackets were so popular among students that they became notorious wallet-busters.

This was the very store that had us cheering. My Backpack was good enough for now, but I desperately needed new shoes and clothes. My heart pounded with excitement at the thought of finding various useful tools as well.

Please, I just wanted to get out of these tight pants.

‘Is this the only entrance?’

A glass door situated at the top of a short flight of stairs. The entrance was wide open. A straight corridor stretched from the entrance, leading to an Elevator and stairs at the end. On both sides of the corridor, the stores displayed various N Company branded products. From outside, through the windows, it had looked like the entire first and second floors were N Company stores.

With a flutter of anticipation, we entered the store on the left first. Our plan was to clear out the Zombies before we started Farming.

“I’m back!”

I shouted a line from a gun-slinging character in a game an old colleague had taught me. It was a meaningless phrase, but it was enough to draw the Zombies’ aggro. I felt Seonyoung’s sharp gaze from beside me, and my face flushed slightly, but I had no intention of hiding my excitement right now.

What wouldn’t I do if I could just change my pants? How many indignities had I suffered during this period of endurance?

1.2 z/m.

In other words, we eliminated 1.2 Zombies per minute. We moved without hesitation, clearing all 12 Zombies scattered across the first and second floors in about 10 minutes. I swung the Baseball Bat with careful precision, using minimal force. It took a little longer because I was mindful of the direction to strike the Zombies’ heads. I couldn’t risk splattering Zombie blood on my precious clothes.

“I just… wasn’t paying attention for a second.” Seonyoung grumbled. I had given her a look earlier when she swung the bat a bit too enthusiastically, and she was still sulking about it. But I had a point too. I distinctly saw Seonyoung hesitate before swinging the bat in the women’s clothing section on the first floor. She felt the same way, but she was just being difficult.

“Team Leader. Are we checking the other floors later?” Seonyoung asked in a stiff tone.

“Seonyoung-ah, I’m sorry. I was just in a hurry, so my voice got loud. I wasn’t angry.”

“Hmm… alright. So we’re Farming first?”

“Let’s do that. I don’t think any sound leaked out, but just in case, let’s stick together.”

“Okay. Then let’s look for your clothes here on the second floor, and then go down to the first.”

Perhaps she was just teasing, as Seonyoung quickly brightened up, her eyes sparkling as she surveyed the second-floor store. We started our search right from the shoe section in front of us.

Comfortable, lightweight, durable, and easy to wipe clean if blood splattered on them. And on top of that, well-ventilated. Was there such a shoe anywhere?

Surprisingly, there was. I wasn’t into hiking, so I just picked out a few pairs of expensive shoes, searching for them on my Cell Phone. All of them retailed for over 500,000 won, and I even rummaged through the back storage room to line up shoes that fit my size.

“Oppa! How about these? Are they too dull?”

“They look good on you? Are your feet comfortable?”

Seonyoung also lined up shoes on one side, trying on various pairs and asking me. At first, I paid proper attention and responded, but at some point, my answers became like a macro. My feet were large, so I didn’t have many options to begin with. I quickly picked out five pairs of Hiking Boots. I changed into a black pair, choosing them because blood wouldn’t show much. The description said they had high traction, anti-slip features, waterproofing, breathability, and even antibacterial properties. If the description was accurate, they possessed every performance feature I thought was impossible.

Long live modern technology!

Drrrk, drrrk.

“Ugh. Stop it! Are you a kid, Oppa?”

Moreover, there was no need to tie and untie shoelaces. The biggest reason I chose them was the convenience of putting them on and taking them off by simply turning a round dial. There was an official name for the system, but I quickly forgot it. I went to Seonyoung and boasted about the “drrrk” sound. As I repeatedly tightened and loosened it beside her, she teased me for acting like a child, but then she started looking for similar shoes herself.

Expensive things really are good.

‘Oh? This feels comfortable?’

I even jumped in place. The functionality was satisfying, and I’d have to find out how comfortable, lightweight, and durable they truly were from now on. In fact, just the fact that they fit well was reason enough to keep wearing them. I put three pairs into Ziploc Bags and stored them in my Backpack, and hung one pair on the side of my bag using its laces.

“If you’re having trouble deciding, just take them all.”

“All of them?”

“No… just a few pairs from them. You must have picked out some already, right?”

“Alright. Let me try them on one more time.”

Seonyoung still hadn’t chosen her shoes. After urging her once, I moved aside and roughly picked out some Socks.

And then, I finally encountered various Hiking Pants.

Design? Color? Gore-Tex?

None of that mattered; I just looked at the size. I pulled out pants from one side and held them against my leg.

“Oh!”

There were quite a few pairs that were the right length. The problem was that if the length was right, the waist was a bit too big. Since I couldn’t get them altered, my options rapidly dwindled.

‘Why aren’t there any Zombies who instinctively do alterations?’

Lost in such futile thoughts, I tried on a few pairs and found that a 34-inch waist was about right. Among those, only about 10 pairs were the correct length. I immediately changed into a black pair. Unfortunately, I had to throw away Gayoung’s father’s pants, which I had been relying on until now. With my crotch finally comfortable, I felt like I could truly live. I even felt like I could breathe better. I sat down, stood up, and moved around, reveling in the freedom of my groin.

After choosing shoes and pants, the rest was easy. I just held tops against my body, and if they fit, I put them in my Backpack. Functional Underwear was displayed on a wide counter, so I grabbed a few in the largest size. Before I knew it, my Backpack was bulging, looking like it was about to spit out a few items, begging me to stop.

Even after all I had done, Seonyoung was still stuck in the shoe section. It felt like watching a student who was unusually slow to progress. In my school days, I was usually the one like that, but now I was far ahead.

‘How much reviewing does it take to still be stuck there?’

From now on, I would consider this the Room of Time and Spirit. I brainwashed myself into believing I had entered a space where time flowed incredibly slowly. Furthermore, if Seonyoung occasionally posed Sphinx-like questions, I had to answer them appropriately. Only then could we safely escape this place.

And so, a year passed.

Actually, since it was the Room of Time and Spirit, about two hours passed before we descended to the first floor. On the first floor, the Sphinx’s questions continued.

“Oppa. How about this?”

“That’s pretty too. It suits you well!”

“No, what are you saying? Try this on. It’s for you, Oppa.”

It sounded absurd, but Seonyoung shrieked in a small voice. With glaring eyes, she handed me a Windbreaker. It was a long, black Windbreaker that covered my hips and reached my thighs. There was a white one next to it. It had a hood and was waterproof, which was really great. I told Seonyoung “You’re the best,” and “Thank you” about ten times, then put it on under my Raincoat. I carefully compressed and packed the white one.

“Seonyoung-ah… it’s getting late. Let’s come back tomorrow.”

“Aww… that’s a shame. Gayoung must be waiting, right?”

“Yeah. It’s already late.”

“Oh, right! I need to get stuff for Gayoung too. Oh, what do I do…?”

Seonyoung started to panic, increasingly flustered on her own. I stepped in, roughly putting the clothes she seemed to have picked out into her Backpack and slinging it over her shoulder.

“It’ll be hard to move once the sun completely sets. We can just come back tomorrow, so let’s head back for now.”

She seemed reluctant to leave, lingering in place, but I coaxed her out of the store. Seonyoung had chosen similar shoes and clothes to mine. What I mean is, we both ended up dressed in All-Black. What was she agonizing over for so long, only to choose All-Black in the end?

‘I should keep my mouth shut.’

Asking that question would only yield incomprehensible answers. I knew from experience that there was absolutely no benefit to it. It was a trap, in fact, a negative. Indeed, experience is crucial.

And so, we wisely concluded our store visit… or not. We had to come back tomorrow.

“Mister. How about this?”

“Oh. It suits you well. It’s cute.”

“No? Does it not suit me because I’m a cool tone, Unnie?”

“Try this one on too.”

What was this? Déjà vu?

We returned home safely, but Gayoung scolded me for being so late. That only lasted a moment. After hearing Seonyoung’s story, she quickly got excited and started doing this. Seonyoung told Gayoung that she would bring the clothes that suited her best from what she had packed in her Backpack tomorrow. And so, the events we experienced at the store in the evening, we were now experiencing again at home at night. As if trying on clothes wasn’t enough, Seonyoung teamed up with Gayoung for another fashion show. Similar questions and identical answers went back and forth. It felt like it was time for them to stop asking. Why did they even ask when they were just going to ignore my words anyway?

When on earth were we going to eat?

And so, a day where all the women in the house were happy drew to a close.