Chapter 143

I headed back to the hotel after cleaning up Gwangjang crossroads and burning the dead zombie bodies.

Lee Jeong-Uk gasped as he saw me covered in zombie blood.

“So-yeon’s dad, you should wash up and change your clothes first.”

I just nodded and went along with what he said. There was no way I could attend the meeting with zombie blood all over my body.

As I entered the shower booth, I saw three washbasins, soap and towels had been prepared for me, along with a fresh set of clothes. I felt refreshed after washing the zombie blood off of my body. It had been a while since I’d felt such a sense of tranquility.

Unconsciously, I caught a glimpse of my reflection through the half-shattered glass of the shower booth. Even though I had a zombie body, I was taking a shower, just like any other person.

I wasn’t sure how to express my feelings. There was a deep sense of joy and peace, yet tinged with a sense of bitterness.

When I pressed my lower stomach area, it felt hollow. The internal organs that I’d had when I’d been alive were still missing. They still hadn’t regenerated.

My body was dead, yet undead.

I stared at my face in the mirror as I wiped off the zombie blood that stained my face. I realized that I had changed a lot over the course of six months. My pupils had turned blue, and I’d grown sharp teeth. Along with my appearance, my beliefs also changed slightly.

‘Fight for people who are worthy as human beings.’

At one point, my initial conviction that I would do anything as long as I could save So-Yeon had morphed into the desire to protect the survivors worth saving.

I now believed in coming together and working as a group to strive for communal happiness and stability. I knew this was the kind of mindset that people had to have in order to make it through this damned world, and I was willing to fight for the people who shared such a mindset, because I knew that it would be best for So-Yeon.

When I stepped out from the shower booth, the vividly glowing sun was dipping under the horizon. The purple twilight was perfectly beautiful.

The cool air, the refreshing feeling within me, the beautiful scenery, and the fragrant smell of clothes.. I couldn’t have asked for a more peaceful ending to the day.

I took a deep breath and headed to the second floor of the hotel. When I entered the meeting room, I saw that the leaders had already taken their seats.

All of them had smiles on their faces. It seemed like they’d been able to regain a sense of peace over the past two days. I walked toward the head of the table and flashed a gentle smile as I took a seat.

“Let’s start today’s meeting.”

* * *

We started the meeting by talking about the survivors.

Lee Jeong-Uk and Hwang Ji-Hye told us about the changes the shelter had gone through so far. They informed us that the survivors from Gangnam and those from the medical center were doing their best to integrate into their positions, and were getting along with the existing survivors.

The two of them also added that the existing survivors had welcomed the newcomers and were telling them about the shelter’s history as if they were passing down legends.

Hwang Deok-Rok gave a briefing on the reports that each team had prepared. As I listened to him, I asked him to check on the teams that were lacking manpower, and to make sure that people from other teams that were overstaffed could be transferred over to them.

Hwang Deok-Rok scratched his sideburns.

“As of now, the teams with the most survivors are the kitchen, laundry, and cleaning teams. However, the facility management team is lacking the most manpower.”

“What do you mean?”

“There seems to be more women in teams related to food, clothing, and shelter..”

“Well, even if they can’t help with the manufacturing of equipment since that requires professionals, don’t you think they can take on auxiliary roles?”

“I’ll look into it. If things don't work out, I'll let you know again.”

“Please.”

The need for professionals with practical skills grew more pressing as we gathered more and more survivors. However, finding engineers in these circumstances was like asking for the moon.

I quietly rubbed my chin and looked at Lee Jeong-Uk.

“Mr. Lee Jeong-Uk, what do you think about training professional technicians?”

“That’d be a pretty good idea, he answered immediately.

I nodded slowly and looked over at Kwak Dong-Won.

“Mr. Kwak Dong-Won, could you accompany Mr. Hwang Deok-Rok to visit the teams in charge of food, clothing, and shelter and recruit those who are interested in learning technical skills?”

“Are you trying to train engineers instead of assistants?”

"Yes."

“Well, that won’t be as easy as it sounds. And it’s also dangerous.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“Are you saying that, since facilities management is dangerous, women aren’t suitable for the role? Then are the women in the guard team chosen because they’re fearless?”

Kwak Dong-Won remained silent. I clasped my hands and turned to Lee Jeong-Uk again.

“One more thing, Mr. Lee Jeong-Uk.”

"Yes."

“When was the last time you spoke to the floor leaders?”

“...”

Lee Jeong-wook scratched his head and looked away, as though he had nothing to say. From his mannerisms, it seemed like he hadn’t kept in touch with the floor leaders for the past few days. It made sense, since all his attention had been focused on processing the survivors of Gangnam and the medical center for the past two days.

I pressed my lips together.

“Please take Hwang Ji-Hye and meet with the floor leaders. We need to share essential information with them so that they don’t get nervous about what's going on within the shelter.”

“Yes.”

“If the floor leaders get anxious and nervous, it’ll only be a matter of time before that same feeling spreads to the rest of the survivors. They’re the bridge between us and the survivors. It’s essential for them to stay strong.”

Lee Jeong-Uk gave a small nod and exchanged glances with Hwang Ji-Hye.

After going through the shelter-related agendas, Hwang Ji-Hye looked around at the other leaders as if she was going to say something sensitive. She then brought up the real reason for the meeting that day.

“By the way, Mr. Lee Hyun-Deok..”

"Yes?"

“So, what exactly is happening with Mr. Kim Hyeong-Jun? I heard he went to Gimpo Airport.”

I leaned back into my chair and sighed.

I wasn’t sure how to explain his situation. I knew that Lee Jeong-Uk was aware of this part of the story, so I assumed that the leaders had a rough idea about what was going on. However, I also knew that Hwang Ji-Hye wasn’t just asking about this. I could tell that she and the other leaders wanted to hear my opinion on his situation.

I scratched my forehead.

“We’re going to get ourselves a plane somehow, and go to Jeju Island.”

“Isn’t that too dangerous? According to Choi Kang-Hyun, there could be problems with taking off and landing..”

"You're absolutely correct. We'll discuss that again when Hyeong-Jun returns, since we don’t even know if there’s an operational aircraft at Gimpo Airport.”

“Ultimately, going to Jeju Island is our current objective, right?”

“Yes, I believe that’ll be our best bet to ensure our safety. Even though it won’t be easy, it’s the best thing to do for the sake of our future.”

Hwang Ji-Hye smacked her lips and glanced at the other leaders. They seemed to be pondering over the word ‘future’.

Park Gi-Cheol raised his right hand.

“Well, if there’s going to be a problem with the landing, what’s the point of discussing the future? Didn’t Mr. Choi Kang-Hyun say that it’d be impossible to land if there are zombies on the runway? Besides, I don’t think we should consider an airplane as our only option.”

"You're right. We’re still making plans for that.”

“Could you tell me about this plan of yours? I want to know at least a little bit.”

All eyes fell on me as he finished his question. I took a deep breath and began to lay everything out.

“Okay. I’ll first go over the flight we’ll be taking. When everyone gets on board, we’ll be flying to Gimhae International Airport, not to Jeju Island.”

“Gimhae?”

Park Gi-Cheol tilted his head in confusion. He clearly had no clue why I had mentioned Gimhae International Airport out of the blue.

Lee Jeong-Uk gasped in surprise and asked me a follow-up question.

“Are you saying that we’re going to go by boat? So-Yeon’s dad?”

“Mr. Lee Jeong-Uk, remember that we’re in a meeting right now.”

“Ah, yes. Are you proposing that we go in by boat?”

I wondered how taken aback he was for him to even forget using honorifics. I nodded and continued with my point.

"However, this method will only work if everything aligns together perfectly.”

“What do you mean by everything aligning?”

“I’ll hold off the Family while everyone gets ready to take off. Once you folks succeed in taking off, I’ll leave some of my underlings behind as bait and run to Gimhae.”

Their eyes widened and their mouths fell open when I said I’d be making my way on foot. I continued to speak before anyone could ask any questions.

“Given my current physical abilities, if I sprinted all the way to Gimhae.. I assume it would take about nine hours. I’ll make my way down the highway.”

Lee Jeong-Uk seemed to think my plan was absurd.

“Well if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better for us to go by car?”

I shook my head.

“The highways are probably blocked with vehicles that were trying to get out of Seoul, which, in turn, makes it better to run than to drive,” I responded. “And since I don’t feel fatigue, I’ll be able to make the journey in nine hours if I run nonstop.”

"So you're telling us to circle in the air until you get to Gimhae?”

“Exactly. When I arrive at Gimhae International Airport with the rest of my underlings, I’ll clean up the surrounding zombies. So all in all, this plan will only work if we have the right amount of fuel, and if nobody from the Family chases me down.”

Having heard my plan, Lee Jeong-Uk scratched his forehead and sighed. It seemed plausible, but it was still far from perfect.

The other leaders seemed to share the same feelings as Lee Jeong-Uk, either sucking on their lips or sighing. After a moment, Bae Jeong-Man, who had been sitting still, spoke up.

“And what’s your second plan?”

“Going west. To Incheon.”

“Incheon?”

“We can take a boat down to Jeju Island. It probably seems the safest.. But it’s actually the most dangerous.”

“Heading over to Incheon with the survivors.. That won’t be easy.”

"You're right. There’s no guarantee that there aren’t any black creatures in Incheon, and it’d be a disaster if the Family discovers us along the way.” The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via /n/ov/el/b/in.

Lee Jeong-Uk got lost in thought after hearing my second plan. He then sighed and asked.

“And is there a third plan?”

“The safer way would be to move east to Yangyang. From there, we could either take a boat to Jeju Island or get on a plane at Yangyang Airport.”

“Yangyang? I believe that’s too far. Marching all the way to Yangyang in this weather would be too much to handle. It’ll take at least a couple of months.”

"And that's why I wasn’t considering it as a plan.”

“Then how about we look for cars?”

“I don’t think there are any guarantees that the roads are clear,” I said calmly. “Besides, if we ever end up trapped somewhere, it will be utter chaos. Also, have you thought about what we’d do if zombies came running toward us from both sides of the highway?”

Lee Jeong-Uk grimaced and massaged his temples. The other leaders were quiet. It seemed like no one could think of any other plausible alternatives. I knew that the best thing to do right now was to make sure that the survivors didn’t get more confused than they were right now, and to wait for Kim Hyeong-Jun to return.

"Huh?"

Just then, Do Han-Sol, who had been sitting across from me with his arms folded, widened his eyes as though he had just realized something.

I wondered if he’d come up with something brilliant. I looked at him eagerly.

“Do you have any good ideas?” I asked.

Do Han-Sol strode over to me without saying a word. But, to my surprise, he walked past me and headed to the window. I was expecting him to whisper something to me.

“Mr. Do Han-Sol?” I asked, tilting my head.

Do Han-Sol swallowed and looked out the window. He wet his dry lips.

"Over there.. There’s something over there.”

‘Huh? What was he talking about?’

I looked at him, my head still tilted to one side.

“What do you mean?”

“I just received a signal from my underlings stationed outside the hotel complex.”

"My underlings didn’t send me anything.”

“Where are your underlings?”

“...”

Now that I thought about it, I remembered that I hadn’t brought my forty underlings with me. I realized that they were probably still watching the dead zombie bodies burning at Gwangjang intersection.

I got up and looked out the window.

“What.. What is it? Zombies?” I asked Do Han-Sol.

"Well, that’s the thing.. I can’t tell what it is.”

“What do you mean you can’t tell?”

“The signal cut off midway.”

I couldn’t fathom how that was possible. From what Do Han-Sol was saying, his underling’s head had been chopped off before it had the chance to complete its signal.

Do Han-Sol swallowed.

“I’m assuming.. It’s a black creature,” he said in a low voice.

Realizing that a black creature might be close by, all the leaders in the meeting room stood up at once. All of them knew what they had to do and rushed out of the meeting room to carry out their respective responsibilities.

Lee Jeong-Uk came up to me.

“Leave the survivors to us.”

"Please."

Just as Lee Jeong-Uk was about to leave the meeting room, Bae Jeong-Man, who was still in his seat, stood up awkwardly.

“What should I do?” he asked Lee Jeong-Uk.

“Please help Mr. Park Gi-Cheol.”

“Is Mr. Park Gi-Cheol the guard leader?”

When Lee Jeong-Uk nodded, Bae Jeong-Man unclipped his walkie-talkie from his side and radioed for Park Shin-Jeong.

“Park Shin-Jeong, do you copy?”

- Roger, sir. I’m here.

“Don’t call me sir. Call me hyung-nim from now on.”

- Oh.. Yes, hyung-nim!

“Get everyone to retrieve their weapons and take up positions outside the hotel.”

- Outside the hotel? Got it!

Bae Jeong-Man left the meeting room, his face full of determination. As I watched him leave, I called my mutants at Gwangjang intersection, then looked at Do Han-Sol.

“Han-Sol, bring back all of the underlings you’ve distributed around the outskirts.”

"Pardon?"

“When the guards set up a barricade at the front gate, place your underlings in front of it. Both the Grand Hotel and Walkerhill Hotel.”

“Oh, got it!”

Once I gave Do Han-Sol his instructions, I left the hotel immediately. When I got to the entrance, I saw Kim Hyeong-Jun’s underling, which still looked purple.

I stared at it, wondering if this was the time to give it a nudge.

However, I realized that the immediate priority was to figure out what was going on, and that there was no need to call in Kim Hyeong-Jun right away.

I ran out into the pitch-black darkness that covered Gwangjang-dong, my blue eyes flashing.