Chapter 124
“What? Why?”
Sangjin had clearly expected to hear that it was horrible, but he demanded an explanation when Muyoung’s answer differed from his expectation.
“Well… because there are situations where you want to end things nicely but can’t, like what you experienced, Sangjin-ssi.”
Though startled by the intense reaction that made him think Sangjin was angry, Muyoung firmly expressed his opinion.
“Besides, if we look at it that way, among all the survivors, is there anyone who hasn’t killed at least one zombie? We’re all killers…”
“No, I’m saying they were still human at that point?”
“Hmm.”
If this were before zombies appeared, when people only knew normal life, Muyoung would have agreed, saying that no matter what, killing a person is wrong.
But.
“Then I’d be worried about the suffering of the person who had to kill them.”
“What did you say?”
After witnessing the cruel situations unfolding in this city one by one, he realized that the phrase “no matter what” has its limits, and exceptions always exist.
“If there were other people present, that person carried the burden alone for everyone’s sake, and if there were only two of them, then that person would end up alone.”
As he spoke, he recalled the time when he lived alone before meeting Seokjae. Muyoung ended up sincerely sympathizing with this hypothetical person who might exist somewhere.
“That must be hard…”
Watching Muyoung murmur with drooping round eyes, Sangjin let out a forced laugh.
“Wait, are you actually worrying about someone who killed a person?”
“Wouldn’t it be more terrifying to wait until they turn into a zombie…? If I were the one bitten, I would have asked to be killed before that.”
He was sincere. Because when he realized he was a zombie and not a human, the first thing he did was dry heave. Though nothing came out as his stomach was empty. After his mind started functioning a bit more, the next action he chose was to check a mirror.
‘There’s no way a zombie would brush their teeth or wash their face.’
Fortunately, except for some coal-black dirt smudged on his cheeks, his mouth and teeth were all clean. The relief he felt when confirming that fact…
So even though he knew dying was scary and making such a request was selfish, he thought he would beg to be killed as a human rather than becoming a terrifying being that would kill innocent people.
‘Well, if that had happened, I would have died without knowing I could become a different kind of zombie. I was lucky.’
This sudden thought made Muyoung unconsciously smile slightly.
Sangjin, irritated by Muyoung’s moderate attitude toward someone whose identity he didn’t even know, proposed another condition, almost sputtering.
“What if it really was just a different wound?!”
“Hmm… you killed someone without giving them a chance to prove it? Even if they were imprisoned or tied up, they said no?”
“Ah, n-no. It wasn’t like that—”
“Then I think they had their reasons…”
Though it had no effect whatsoever…
And with such detailed scenarios, Muyoung came to one conjecture.
‘Did something like that actually happen?’
Judging from his reaction, it seemed he had rejected someone who made such a choice.
‘That’s unexpected, he seemed like a person who would prioritize survival over morality.’
Muyoung had thought he’d gotten good at reading people while living as a zombie, but apparently not. Feeling a bit embarrassed for possibly judging Sangjin too harshly, he rubbed the back of his neck.
“Ahem, anyway. Let’s say hypothetically…”
Meanwhile, seeing that Muyoung wasn’t following his intentions, Sangjin gave up quickly and moved on to his next approach.
“If he doesn’t make it back, I’ll take good care of you.”
“What? Who?”
“Seokjae, of course.”
Muyoung couldn’t prevent his expression from crumpling. No, he didn’t try to prevent it. The mention of not returning had made him suspicious, and sure enough, Seokjae was the subject.
“Lim Sangjin-ssi.”
He opened his mouth to warn the man making such unpleasant remarks.
“Aw, why so formal with ‘Sangjin-ssi’? Just call me hyung, hyung. Well… since you’re pretty, I’ll even let you call me oppa.”
“…”
His mouth fell open at the nonsense reply.
‘Hyung is one thing, but what? Oppa? P-pretty?’
How could he make such jokes when they’d only met a day ago? As anger rose within him and his lips trembled, a scene flashed through his mind.
That sleazy expression while spewing garbage about being called oppa—it reminded him of a classmate who used to hit on freshmen. He looked exactly like him.
‘Maybe I should have punched him back then instead of just stopping him.’
Even though they weren’t close, whenever his classmate did that, Muyoung would deliberately call the target over as if he had something to say, providing an escape. If he’d known it was this unpleasant, he would have at least slapped the guy’s back.
‘…What is he thinking?’
Though he didn’t understand the intention behind such a low-level joke directed at him, it wasn’t worth responding to. Above all, there was something more important than his discomfort.
“Seokjae hyung will return safely, so stop saying such offensive things.”
“Hey, you’re only saying that because you don’t know how many zombies were there.”
Already barely suppressing the urge to run after Seokjae, Muyoung was angered by these words chosen specifically to make him anxious. He glared and snapped.
“So you sent hyung there to die?”
“No, why do you twist my words like that? I’m just saying probability-wise, he might not come back~ that’s all.”
“No. Hyung will definitely return.”
After making this firm statement, Muyoung bit his lip hard, sensing he might say something harsh if the conversation continued.
“I was just mentioning a remote possibility. Even if something happens, I’ll take good care of you in Seokjae’s place—”
BOOM-!
A huge resonance echoed around them. For a moment, Muyoung thought he had inadvertently damaged something in his anger.
Screech- screeeeech-
But when he turned his head at the piercing sound that followed, he saw a massive figure with blood-covered hands pressed against the glass door.
“Huuk… huuk…”
His pitch-black eyes rolled around as he exhaled roughly with his chest heaving. He checked everything—the expressions and postures of the two people conversing inside, and the distance between them. After confirming all this, he slowly moved his lips.
‘Open. The door.’
Muyoung, who had been staring at the scene like the appearance of a serial killer in a trance, immediately jumped up and unlocked the door as soon as he read those lip movements.
Splash, splash… More than half his body was covered in blood, leaving sticky bloodstains on the floor with each step. Yet Muyoung, without a moment’s hesitation, examined his body and asked.
“H-hyung, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Seokjae, who was staring intently at Muyoung touching his body after a long time, didn’t bother to answer. Instead, he slightly shifted his gaze to Sangjin, whose face had become ghostly, and asked.
“What were you two talking about?”
“H-how did you come back so quickly…”
Sangjin’s face instantly turned pale blue as he muttered in disbelief, and Seokjae slowly turned toward him.
“That’s none of your business. The item… Ah, no. Let’s go talk.”
Then, as he was about to hand over the heavy bag slung over one shoulder, he became aware of Muyoung standing beside him and changed the subject.
“Muyoung.”
Bending his head slightly to bring their faces close, he whispered kindly.
“Could you wait here? I have something important to discuss with that guy.”
“Ah… ah. Yes, yessir…!”
Seokjae’s face so close up had extraordinary power. Muyoung could only nod his head, too busy calming his racing heart to even feel curious or disappointed about what kind of conversation required them to talk alone.
“This is the last time. I’ll resolve everything and come back. Then everything will be fine.”
“Hyung…?”
Without seeking any agreement from Sangjin, who was actually his conversation partner, Seokjae left after saying what sounded like a monologue.
“A-ahem.”
Reluctantly dawdling, Sangjin suddenly glanced at Muyoung, awkwardly cleared his throat once, and followed after Seokjae with slow movements. It was clearly a signal for attention, but Muyoung didn’t notice as he was focused on Sangjin fiddling with his pocket.
‘…Come to think of it, why is he wearing an outer layer in this weather?’
Even with the air conditioning on, there were blankets available. There was no need to wear a hooded zip-up at bedtime. And why such an oversized jacket that didn’t even fit him…
This subtle discrepancy only caught Muyoung’s attention belatedly, as he hadn’t been interested in Sangjin’s appearance at all.
As he pondered this unsettling detail, Muyoung became convinced that there was definitely something other than a hand in that bulging pocket. Especially the part sticking out in an “L” shape, looking like it had a handle and a muzzle…
‘Could it be…?’
When his thoughts reached this point, one specific tool flashed through his mind. A weapon in an “L” shape with a handle. Something an ordinary person in Korea wouldn’t possess, but in a situation like this, where even police stations could be looted, it wasn’t impossible to obtain.
‘A gun?!’
It was a revolver.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
