Chapter 39. Routine

Chapter 39. Routine

After finishing their meal, Gayoung and Seonyoung began tidying up, while I prepared to head back outside alone.

It would likely take them quite a while to sort through all the medicine and various tools they had acquired through Farming. Not only was there a large quantity of supplies, but the pharmaceuticals also needed to be researched.

Meanwhile, I would go around the Apartment, moving Zombie Corpses. Personally, this was the part of the day I hated the most. The sight of decaying Zombie Corpses and the unbearable stench never failed to get to me. I wasn’t someone who grew up in a pampered environment, and I had a strong stomach, but this task was an entirely different matter.

After a post-meal cigarette, I sprinted all the way up to the 15th floor. By consistently pushing my body and enhancing my Abilities every single day, my physical stamina had improved to an incomparable degree. In truth, I suspected that the improvement from sheer exercise was minimal; most of it likely came from strengthening my Abilities by defeating Zombies.

What struck me as odd was that while I continuously increased Increased Resilience and Body Reinforcement through Acquired points, the actual perceived increase didn’t seem to be directly proportional to the Acquired investment. Without concrete numbers, I couldn’t be 100% certain, but I was almost convinced. It seemed the initial acquisition of an Ability yielded the greatest effect, and thereafter, the efficiency of investing Acquired points diminished exponentially. Still, it was better than not increasing them at all, so I continued to do so steadily. However, I was now contemplating whether I should save my Acquired points in preparation for a new Ability. This was a matter I’d need to discuss later.

“Wow, they’re already skeletons?”

I arrived at the Recycling Area where the corpses were gathered, only to see three white skeletons. I muttered to myself, surprised by the unexpected sight. I hadn’t ventured this far inside before, so I hadn’t checked the first batch of corpses I’d brought. But now, as I came in to place today’s corpses further inside, I saw that not a single shred of flesh remained. For a corpse left on the ground to turn into a skeleton in just about two weeks was definitely strange. However, given they were Zombie Corpses and the world itself had gone bizarre, I simply accepted it. There was nothing to research here anyway, so what else could I do but accept it?

*Click.*

“Seonyoung, Gayoung, are you done?”

After moving all the corpses, I returned home. It seemed they had finished tidying up to some extent, as both of them had changed into their Farming Clothes and were waiting.

“Oppa, you worked hard. Just a moment. We’re almost done.”

“I just need to finish inputting this. We’re almost done now. Just a moment!”

It was time for the three of us to take a walk around the Apartment complex and check for anything unusual. After walking for about 15 minutes, I helped Seonyoung and Gayoung practice using their Shields in front of the Building 301 entrance. There was no systematic training method for Shield usage, but to quickly deploy a Shield in an emergency, they were repeatedly creating Shields of various predetermined shapes and sizes. I also acted as a Zombie, helping them practice defensive tactics and offensive maneuvers.

“Oppa, let’s go. We’re all done.”

“I’m all done too. Let’s go, let’s go!”

*Woof woof woof!*

*Meowww!*

As the three of us stepped out onto the road beside the Apartment, loud barking and cat meows filled the air. Packs of stray dogs and cats seemed to be fighting over territory. For some time now, they had been fighting among themselves every night, emitting shrill sounds that sent shivers down my spine.

“Oppa, where on earth is that coming from? I can’t tell the direction or distance.”

“Exactly. I don’t know either. The sound is so loud, it echoes too much.”

“It’s scary… Do dogs and cats normally bark and meow so chillingly?”

“It’s probably because all the animals have gone wild.”

They could no longer be called pets. Just hearing their sounds, I could sense their ferocity, making me worry about encountering them. Still, they couldn’t be worse than Zombies. They seemed to be a bit far off, but I guessed they were either near the Comprehensive Sports Park or on the other side of the park.

We thoroughly checked the area around the complex, but found nothing unusual. Occasionally, I’d see people looking our way through Apartment windows, but we hadn’t made contact with them yet. Still, just in case, whenever we practiced our Abilities in front of our building, I constantly scanned our surroundings to see if anyone was watching. If I spotted even one person watching, we wouldn’t go home. Instead, we’d hide in the shopping area and wait until they went inside.

“Anyway, Gayoung’s the problem. She practices, but without Acquired points, her Abilities can’t be strengthened.”

“Right… Mister, should I start following you around too? The more I think about it, I realize I need the strength to protect myself.”

“That’s a good idea, Gayoung. Unnie had a really hard time at first too, but now I can handle a few Zombies, you know? And we might run into bad people too. You need to be brave.”

“Are you still exercising? Stamina is absolutely fundamental.”

“Yes, I’m exercising regularly. It’s nowhere near as much as Mister and Unnie, but… at least these days, I don’t tremble like I used to when I go outside.”

Gayoung’s trauma from the first day was so severe that even a short walk would leave her drenched in sweat from the sheer tension. But lately, she seemed to be doing a bit better; she was fine even when we went out together in the evening. I was always willing to help her if she changed her mindset and resolved to fight Zombies, but it took longer than I expected.

“Gayoung, you need to steel yourself. By now, you must realize no one is coming to save you. There are no safe places left. Consider the country ruined. Good public safety is a thing of the past. This is a world where you have to protect yourself.”

“Oppa, why are you talking so seriously? Lighten up a bit. Gayoung knows. Gayoung, Unnie will help you, so let’s try to be brave.”

“This *is* serious. Honestly, I thought Gayoung would ask to come with us much sooner.”

“You’re right… I kept thinking about it, but I just put it off day after day… I guess I’ve been too comfortable. Mister and Unnie are working so hard, *sniff*…”

“Gayoung… Don’t cry. Oppa isn’t trying to scold you.”

While practicing Abilities in front of the Apartment Entrance Door, Gayoung’s Shield quickly dissipated, and I ended up lecturing her. It wouldn’t have mattered if I had kept my distance, but as Gayoung gradually opened up, I found myself nagging her. After speaking, I felt a bit frustrated and might have sounded a little harsh. Did I sound too much like an old fogey? I wondered if I should have phrased it more gently.

“We need to find weapons too. I haven’t seen anything suitable around. Nothing too heavy. Is there anything light and sturdy?”

“Ugh… Oppa, the kid’s crying, and you’re suddenly talking about weapons. You’re impossible.”

“Hehehe… It’s okay, Unnie, I’m not crying anymore. It’s kind of funny, suddenly. Mister, Unnie, thank you. If it weren’t for you two, I would have died long ago.”

“Hmm… That’s true. So, if you’re grateful, let’s make something with chicken tomorrow.”

Laughter softly spread through the quiet Apartment complex. She was just crying, and now she’s suddenly laughing and chatting with Seonyoung. Every day is the same, nothing much happens, yet they always have so much to talk about. Anyway, I really do need to find a weapon, but there’s nothing suitable.

“Oh? Mister, good morning!”

“Yeah, did you sleep well?”

“Yes. But why are you out so early today? Huh, what are you doing…?”

“Making porridge. Seonyoung seems to have caught a cold.”

“Really? Is Unnie sleeping now? Can I go in?”

“Yeah, go on in. She’s awake now.”

“Unnie~”

I woke up to groaning sounds in the early hours, even before our usual wake-up time. Getting up, I checked on Seonyoung and found she had a fever and was sweating profusely. I thought she was fine, but it seemed the accumulated fatigue had finally caught up to her, and her body had given out starting yesterday. In a hurry, I cooked some rice porridge, placed it on a tray with Kimchi, and carried it into the Master Bedroom. With her digestion likely poor, Kimchi probably wasn’t ideal, but for a Korean, it was unavoidable.

Entering the room, I saw Gayoung placing a damp towel on Seonyoung’s forehead.

“Seonyoung, eat a little porridge, take your medicine, and then go back to sleep.”

“Okay, thanks, Oppa. I’m sorry…”

“No, what are you sorry for? You should have told me if you were tired. I did think you were holding up well.”

“No, last night I said let’s just sleep, but Oppa—!”

Seonyoung, who had raised her voice slightly, sounding a bit annoyed, glanced at Gayoung and then closed her mouth again. This was a bit unfair. When she said she just wanted to sleep, I thought she might be a little tired. But when I offered a massage, she showered, brought out oil, and lay naked on the bed. So, I was innocent.

“Ugh… Was it because of Mister? What kind of beast are you, Mister? How can you be like that every day? And what did you even do, and how much, for someone to get so sick?”

“Gayoung. Your Unnie is sick, so keep your voice down. Why are you so loud? The whole building will hear you. And it’s not because of me; isn’t it more likely due to accumulated fatigue every day?”

“Both of you, get out.”

We were kicked out. Since I was already out of the room, I grabbed the medicine Gayoung had found and went back into the Master Bedroom. Anyway, what should I do today? With her sick like that, going out alone felt a bit off. But just staying home felt like wasting the day.

“Did you finish it? Take this medicine too.”

“Yes, thanks, Oppa. But what are you going to do today?”

“I was just thinking about that… I wanted to ask you.”

“Oppa, I’m a bit uneasy about you going out alone. Can’t you just take the day off too?”

“Alright. I was already leaning towards taking a break. I’ve been on the go constantly, so it’s about time I watched some movies and played some games.”

“Mhm. That’s a good idea.”

“Then rest. Call me if you need anything.”

It felt a bit scummy to think this while Seonyoung was sick, but with her hazy eyes and flushed face, she had a certain allure. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to do anything to a sick person, so I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.

But now, what was I going to do all day? I had woken up even earlier than usual, and now that I was supposedly resting, I didn’t know how to relax. Thanks to my unnecessarily robust stamina, I couldn’t sleep, and I couldn’t just start playing games first thing in the morning either… Not knowing how to rest, and thus failing to rest properly—was this the sorrow of modern man?