Chapter 37

The commotion slowly subsided into the quiet air, and thanks to the warm meal settling into their bellies—scant though it was—yesterday’s suffocating despair rapidly dissolved. As the atmosphere lifted with each passing hour, the number of volunteers eager to join the next day’s exploration swelled noticeably.

“Should we divide them into two groups, Senior Attorney? There are quite a few.”

“We’re all heading to the same place, so we may as well gather everyone and move together.” Park Yeongil surveyed the volunteers. “Don’t let your guard down, Attorney Song.”

“Understood.”

Attorney Song stepped forward, arranged the volunteers into two lines, and began recording their names. As Do Muwon rose and lightly stretched his body, Jeong Yu-su poked the back of his hand.

“I’m sorry. I’m just… completely useless, aren’t I?”

“You’re talking nonsense again.”

Yu-su struggled to keep his eyes focused, but his body hung as limp as a soaked rag. To make matters worse, he kept tapping at his ears, obviously tormented by something no one else could perceive. His temperature, which had begun as a mild fever, had risen sharply that morning, leaving the others deeply worried.

“Just rest,” Muwon ordered. “I’ll find something for you to eat, so be ready to swallow it when I get back.” He turned toward Joo Hee-eun. “Are the two of you really going to be all right? Maybe I should leave Sim Gorak behind.”

“Don’t worry about us, Manager Do. I feel great, and you know who I am, don’t you?” Hee-eun flashed a confident smile. “The ball-breaker of the twenty-fourth floor.”

She was referring to the infamous incident in which she had driven her knee directly into the testicles of a superior who sexually harassed her, screaming loudly enough to make the entire hallway ring.

Fortunately for him, only one testicle had ruptured.

At the time, Hee-eun had fully expected to be fired. Instead, Cheonsan Group completed its takeover and Do Muwon arrived soon afterward. The incident was properly investigated, and the decision against her was overturned. The perpetrator had been a manager on Division Head Kim Hyeoktae’s team. Desperate to save himself, Kim Hyeoktae had severed ties with the man at once. The manager eventually resigned, and his marriage ended in divorce.

A faint chuckle escaped Muwon. He searched through his backpack and tossed Hee-eun a hammer.

“Here. If anything happens this time, crack their skulls open.”

“Yes, Manager Do. I’ll do my best.”

“Good.” Muwon looked toward Gorak. “Sim Gorak, let’s go.”

“We’ll be back!”

“Stay safe.”

Gorak, brimming with enthusiasm, grabbed the kitchen knife he had been given as a weapon and hurried after Muwon.

About an hour later, the people who had disappeared like the ebbing tide returned. Three or four of them were covered in blood and had to be supported by the others.

“Hyeonsik, what happened? Are you hurt?”

“Honey, are you all right?”

Families and friends rushed forward to inspect them. Jeong Yu-su and Joo Hee-eun watched anxiously for Do Muwon and Sim Gorak. Gorak’s expression was grim. Of the dozen or so people who had gone out, only a few, including Muwon, appeared to have returned in the same physical and mental state in which they had left.

“Sim Gorak, are you hurt?” Hee-eun asked.

“No, I’m fine, noona…”

Yu-su silently checked Muwon’s arms and back. “What happened?” he asked. “Why does everyone look like this?”

“I’m fine. Nothing happened to me.”

“Did you encounter zombies?”

Before Muwon could answer, Park Yeongil stepped forward, his expression severe.

“Attorney Song, what is the meaning of this?”

“There were so many bodies in the galbi restaurant, and then, ugh…” Attorney Song braced himself against the wall and retched.

Muwon sighed and answered in his place. “The restaurant was full of corpses, and they had naturally begun to decompose. Inside the employee break room…” He glanced at Jeong Yu-su and lowered his voice. “There was a body hanging from the ceiling. Someone collided with it on the way inside, and several people fell and injured themselves. We didn’t fight any zombies.”

The returning volunteers complained to their families that the interior of the restaurant had been horrific.

The problem had not been zombies. It was the sight of human remains that had decomposed into soft, squelching chunks, combined with the fact that they were lying throughout a galbi restaurant. The grotesque setting alone had been enough to overwhelm nearly everyone’s stomach.

Then they had broken down the locked door to the employee break room, only to be greeted by a hanging corpse.

Attorney Song, who had been at the front, panicked when he struck the body and stumbled backward. Several others became tangled with him and fell on top of one another. One person sprained an ankle, while another tore open their skin on sharp shards of glass scattered across the floor.

After rolling through the accumulated gore, they had naturally ended up drenched in blood.

Park Yeongil listened to the explanation before responding.

“At least it is fortunate that you did not encounter zombies. Those who are injured should wait, and I will distribute ointment shortly.” His attention shifted toward the supplies. “What did you bring back?”

Several boxes were placed on the floor. They contained charcoal braziers, portable burners, kitchen knives, beverages, and cup noodles. Although the search party looked utterly miserable, those who had not eaten a filling meal in days brightened at the sight of the instant noodles.

“I think we’ll need to visit the galbi restaurant once more,” Muwon said. “There are still quite a few supplies left behind.”

“Then we will return tomorrow,” Park Yeongil decided. “You’ve worked hard, so rest for now. Once I verify the inventory, I’ll distribute the rations.”

Several blood-soaked survivors headed to the restroom to clean themselves. Muwon was spotless, and only the soles of Gorak’s combat boots had been stained, so the two merely rinsed their hands before returning to the group.

Muwon drained the cup of water offered to him, then lowered his voice, “Any problems?”

“No.”

“The people we gave snacks to yesterday came by to thank us,” Hee-eun added.

“Did they?”

Muwon looked toward her. Smiling, Hee-eun pulled out a worn handkerchief embroidered with trumpet creepers and two packets of liquid vitamins.

“The grandmother gave me the handkerchief, and the man with the injured ankle gave us the vitamins. His name is Han Dongwoo.”

“Oh. Vitamins.”

“He said he’d put them aside because his wife is pregnant. They’re made for women, but he said men can take them too.”

Muwon took one and immediately tried to press it into Yu-su’s hand. Yu-su dodged him.

“I already took one.”

“When?”

“I begged him to eat it,” Hee-eun replied.

“Good work.”

Hee-eun flashed a V-sign. “If I did a good job, does that mean you’ll promote me?”

“Sure. You can be the division head. Division Head Joo Hee-eun.”

“I like the sound of that. Kim Hyeoktae, you’d better watch your back!”

Laughter rippled through the group.

At that same moment, a loud shout erupted near the restroom.

“You shameless bastard! Do you have any idea how much water you wasted? We don’t even know how long it has to last!”

“What are you talking about?”

“What do you think I’m talking about? The moment you went inside, you locked the door and took a full shower!”

“Well, I was covered in blood. Was I supposed to leave it all over me?”

“You think you’re the only one with blood on you? You’re the only dirty person here? We knocked, and you ignored us. You only crawled out after we threatened to break the door down!”

“I’ve listened to enough. Do you think being older gives you the right to throw insults around?”

Apparently, a young man had entered the restroom, locked the door, and spent an excessive amount of time washing himself while ignoring everyone calling from outside. He had emerged only after people threatened to force their way in, provoking widespread outrage.

“This young bastard is talking back now? Do you think anything here belongs to you? It belongs to the community. The water does too!”

“Well, it doesn’t belong to you either!”

“You little… Let go of me! People like this need a beating before they come to their senses. Let go!”

Just as the confrontation threatened to collapse into a fistfight, Park Yeongil arrived with several others.

“Everyone, calm yourselves. What good will come from fighting among ourselves?”

“Attorney, this young bastard started it!”

“Well, well. I understand. I’ve heard the entire story.”

The older man’s forehead bulged with veins, but two people were restraining him, and Park Yeongil had stepped between them. All he could do was huff and release heated breaths of frustration.

Park Yeongil narrowed his eyes as though considering the matter before speaking slowly, “If I remember correctly, Mr. Park Mungye brought back a box of cup noodles today, did he not?”

The older man, Park Mungye, faltered.

Park Yeongil stepped toward the younger man, whose face remained flushed with anger, and patted his shoulder.

“However, Mr. Lee Jeon-yoon carried a great many burners and heavy boxes of drinks for us. It is only natural that you would want to wash after sweating so much.”

“Exactly. I felt so sticky…”

“But, Mr. Jeon-yoon, you must not waste resources like this again.” Park Yeongil tightened his grip slightly around Lee Jeon-yoon’s shoulder. “If this happens another time, you will be subjected to a handicap.”

“Understood…”

Whispers broke out around the room, and the atmosphere turned awkward. Park Yeongil then turned toward Do Muwon and adopted a lighter tone.

“It seems I’ve ruined the mood by interfering unnecessarily. To be truthful, isn’t Do Muwon the person who has contributed the most to our group? Yet he remains so quiet.”

The others stopped talking and looked toward Muwon.

“We are all deeply grateful to him. You agree, don’t you?”

Listening from nearby, Jeong Yu-su frowned.

Bringing Muwon into the conversation without warning was no different from using him as a human shield. Park Yeongil’s meaning was clear: The strongest and most useful person here is keeping quiet, so what gives the rest of you the right to argue?

The change in the way people looked at Muwon was immediately apparent. Unless someone rejected the implication now, the others would continue testing him and creating problems.

Yu-su cleared his throat, but Muwon responded first with a quiet snort.

“Don’t agree to anything. If I get pissed off, I’m going to raise hell.”

“Hmm…”

Park Yeongil appeared briefly taken aback, but he recovered at once and clapped his hands with a smooth smile, pretending they had merely exchanged a joke.

“Yes, of course. Everyone needs to cooperate so that does not happen. I hope none of you will forget to make small concessions for one another.”

No one asked what the proposed “handicap” would entail. No one challenged Park Yeongil’s right to establish the criteria. The matter was effectively settled, and many people were already nodding in agreement.

Park Yeongil offered no opportunity for dissent. He inclined his head and delivered one final decree.

“From now on, we will use the collected rainwater for washing. I trust there are no objections.”

The meal began beneath a sticky, oppressive atmosphere. Predictably, they were served cup noodles, but because everyone received one full container, the room gradually relaxed with relief.

One day passed, then two, then three.

The heavy rain alternated between torrential downpours and lighter showers. Before long, wet sleet began mixing with it.

Apart from the hanging corpse discovered on the second day, no major incidents occurred. Once there were no more locations left to search on the third floor, the scouting parties prepared to ascend to the fourth.

That day, twelve people gathered before the stairs leading upward. Do Muwon led one group that included Han Dongwoo, who no longer limped, and four other men. Attorney Song headed a second group of five.

Someone studying the building directory spoke with quiet excitement.

“There really is a pharmacy. It’s beside the dermatology clinic.”

“That’s such a relief…”

According to the directory, the dermatology clinic and pharmacy occupied the left side of the fourth floor. A coin-operated karaoke room and comic café stood on the right.

Do Muwon, who had been standing motionless with a hardened expression, spoke firmly, “I’m going to the pharmacy.”

His voice sounded grim, but no one could blame him.

Jeong Yu-su’s fever had continued to worsen.

He tried to conceal how ill he had become, but his condition was impossible to hide indefinitely. He woke constantly from nightmares, grimaced through splitting headaches, and barely ate. Even when he merely stood up, he sometimes had to stop and wait for the dizziness to pass.

Forcing food down his throat accomplished nothing. He would keep it down for only a short while before vomiting again.

Does he not want to live?

Yu-su’s body seemed determined to die regardless of what anyone else wanted.

The other injured survivors had also begun to deteriorate. The wounds suffered at the galbi restaurant several days earlier were not healing. They had festered instead, causing relentless agony. Some victims cried from the pain until they lost consciousness, casting the entire restaurant into a state of bleak despair.

Someone familiar with the building had mentioned that a dermatology clinic occupied the fourth floor. They had clung to the hope that a pharmacy might be nearby, and now that their prediction had proven correct, relief spread throughout the group.

Attorney Song glanced at the sign. “Then I’ll check the comic café. They sell food sometimes.”

“Confirm what’s there without making noise, then return to the restaurant on your own.”

“Yes.”

With those brief instructions settled, the search party divided, one group following Do Muwon while the other went with Attorney Song.

Thump, thump.

Led by Muwon, the party crept cautiously along the corridor. Blood and rainwater had soaked the floor, freezing into a thin crust of ice that shattered beneath their feet with every careful step.

As expected, they found a pharmacy.

“Fucking hell.”