Breathing Life into Real Dolls

1.

There was a saying in the world.

The brave won the beauty.

Right now, in Baek Seona’s head, this thought was looming.

‘It seems the brave wins the handsome man…’

Setting aside whether Kim Doha was handsome or not, he appeared good-looking in Baek Seona’s eyes.

‘I lacked courage and missed the opportunity…’

She couldn’t shake off this thought.

‘I was the first to meet Doha oppa, and naturally, I had more chances to get close. But in the end, the one who went as far as sleeping with him and took Doha oppa away was… Jinah unnie…’

Of course, Lee Jinah didn’t “take” Kim Doha.

Lee Jinah had no intention of monopolizing him. She knew from the beginning he had a girlfriend, and her goal was just a night’s memory.

Yet, Baek Seona couldn’t get this thought out of her head.

‘I liked him first… I lacked courage, but Jinah unnie had it…!’

After hearing this shocking news from Serena, Baek Seona was indeed frail in spirit.

The words Serena had said earlier echoed in her mind like an endless echo.

‘Huh? Why are you acting so ambiguously?’

‘Just say you want to sleep with him.’

‘Didn’t Jinah unnie do just that?’

‘So, they’ve already slept together.’

‘I acted ambiguously… I should have been straightforward…’

With her thoughts spiraling out of control, she reached a single conclusion.

‘I need to muster the courage. Now, immediately…!’

Baek Seona didn’t hesitate any longer.

2.

Even D-Mart had its holidays.

Of course, the world had ended, and there were no jobs anymore, so there was no real difference between weekdays and weekends, but we created our own holidays.

From Monday to Friday, everyone did their designated tasks and jobs. Then on Saturday and Sunday, everyone rested.

Just by following this routine, people could obtain slight psychological stability.

It felt as if they were reclaiming their lives from before the zombies appeared.

And tomorrow was Sunday. Everyone’s favorite day.

On Sundays, people from various religions would gather to pray and sing songs to their gods. The lively atmosphere was even contagious to those without any religion, and they all loved it.

In short, Sunday was like a small festival that came every week.

So, by Saturday evening, D-Mart would be bustling with energy.

“Ah, Doha-sshi!”

“Mr. Sangdeok? Hello.”

As I was climbing the stairs of the mart, Mr. Sangdeok’s face was full of brightness.

It was a rare expression in this zombie apocalypse world. This was the power of a D-Mart Saturday evening.

“Thanks to you, Doha, I can sleep peacefully! Isn’t the extermination team’s work tough?”

“I’ve gotten used to it, so it’s not that hard.”

“No matter how used to it you are, how could risking your life not be difficult?”

Mr. Sangdeok held my hand and kept thanking me over and over.

Because of the previous oppression from those with abilities, people in D-Mart often expressed their gratitude whenever they met members of the extermination team.

“By the way, are you planning to attend the church gathering tomorrow? You don’t have to come for worship. I’ll cook something delicious, so how about just having a meal?”

Mr. Sangdeok was a talented chef.

Before the world turned into this, just two blocks away from D-Mart, there was a fine dining restaurant. He was said to be the head chef there.

He specialized in Western cuisine, and every dish was absolutely outstanding.

‘Ah… I want to eat Mr. Sangdeok’s cooking, but I don’t want to go to the gathering…’

I was an atheist.

Noticing my reluctance, Mr. Sangdeok chuckled warmly and said,

“Oh, I wasn’t being considerate. I’ll send the dishes to your room while they’re still warm. Please enjoy them!”

Mr. Sangdeok winked at me and continued down the stairs.

Wow…! Such a cool guy.

But, as I started to climb the stairs, I fell deep into thought.

‘There’s a limited time for enjoying such delicious dishes.’

It wouldn’t be surprising if electricity and water were cut off at any time.

While we still had enough preserved food for now, it would deplete as we increased our rescue activities.

‘We desperately need someone with the ability related to resource supply…’

If we couldn’t find such an individual… our rescue activities might do more harm than good.

Alright.

I decided on our next course of action.

Clearing the zombies around D-Mart and conducting rescue operations can be left to the former special force members and the seven women. They were enough for the task.

Their skills had already improved to an exceptional level with the ongoing extermination activities.

Serena and I should focus on finding someone with the ability to supply resources.

‘And… I also need to find a new Real Doll.’

While I had naturally high overall abilities, my real strength lay in [the power to turn a Real Doll into a human].

I could greatly enhance my strength using this ability.

However, I didn’t want to use this ability on just any Real Doll.

My belief became more solidified as I spent time with Serena.

Serena was no longer just a simple Real Doll. She was a living being, my very precious and lovable woman.

I didn’t want to use this dangerous power, which could bring a being to life, on a crude Real Doll whose mere face evoked disgust.

That Real Doll would only look at me and be loyal, but it would be a great tragedy if I didn’t have affection for that doll.

In other words, I needed a Real Doll of quality that I could at least feel affectionate towards.

‘To do that… I need to go to Paju.’

The company where I ordered Serena, Make Human Company, had its headquarters in Europe, but it also had a small warehouse in Korea.

Each Real Doll was extremely expensive, so they stated that they kept a local presence to conduct final product checks.

Incidentally, this company did not rely on courier services for delivery. They used their own transport vehicles. It was truly an artisanal touch.

So, there was a possibility that dolls that were still undergoing checks might remain in the Make Human Company’s Korean warehouse.

And that warehouse was located in Paju.

‘From the heart of Seoul to Paju is approximately 60-70km. Considering biking that distance and potentially encountering zombies along the way, it would take one to two days.’

As I was making these plans,

“Doha oppa.”

Baek Seona blocked my path.

“Yes?”

When did she come over?

Baek Seona, who stood in front of me, had a determined expression that I had not seen on her face during our recent peaceful days.

“Did something happen? You look serious.”

“No.”

Baek Seona, lowering her head, spoke heavily,

“Do you want to come to my room, watch a movie, and have a beer?”

“……”

…Was that something to be said with such a determined expression?

Seeing my taken-aback expression, Baek Seona added,

“I already told Rena. I said I’d be borrowing you for tonight.”

“Huh? Oh… I see.”

It felt like I heard something similar a few days ago.

As I nodded in response, Baek Seona quickly took my hand and started leading me.

I found myself being led toward her room.

3.

Baek Seona’s room, which I entered for the first time, felt much more lived-in compared to Lee Jina’s empty room.

Right at the entrance were slippers, a gray rug on the floor, three rabbit dolls lined up on the bedside, and even a mood light and scented candles on the adjacent shelf.

It truly felt like a room where a woman lived alone.

I felt a sudden jolt of apprehension.

Only then did I realize the implications of a man and woman, as adults, drinking together and watching a movie in such a private space.

‘Um… It’s probably just my imagination.’

As soon as I entered, Baek Seona spoke,

“Doha oppa. I’ll take a quick shower. Can you wait for me?”

Why would she invite a man into her room and decide to shower now? I had my doubts but chose to ignore them and replied,

“Sure, take your time.”

“I’ll be quick.”

Ssshhh—

As I heard the sound of the shower, I became lost in thought.

As I saw it, this situation seemed typical for two people who might be interested in one another. Did this mean Baek Seona liked me?

The reason Baek Seona was acting this way towards me… If it was genuinely because she liked me, I didn’t particularly have any intention of rejecting her.

Serena even preferred it when I met more women; above all, it pleased me. What man would decline the attention of a beautiful woman?

But what if she was doing this simply out of a sense of obligation?

If she was trying to express gratitude in this manner because I saved her family?

In that case… I would tell her she didn’t need to do this.

Having Serena as a woman in my life was more than enough for me, and now there was also Lee Jinah.

While trying to clear my mind and wait, Baek Seona, who had finished her shower, appeared.

“Did you wait long?”

“No, not really… Huh!?”

Insane.

Baek Seona was wearing dolphin pants with a white short-sleeved tee.

But the issue was something distinctly poking out on the chest area of the t-shirt, giving off a faint pink hue.

There was no doubt; she was clearly not wearing a bra.

‘She’s even bolder than Lee Jinah…!’

“I wore something comfortable since it’s my room. That’s okay, right?”

Baek Seona approached me as if nothing was amiss, but her voice was trembling noticeably.

When she got right next to me, she grabbed the collar of her tee and flapped it. From my viewpoint above, I could almost see her entire chest.

“Phew— It’s hot. It really feels like summer now, doesn’t it?”

“……”

She was trying to act cheeky.

Anyone could see she was forcibly putting on a cheeky act.

A sweet fragrance began to emanate as Baek Seona kept flapping her tee.

‘…She even put on perfume.’

I felt dizzy. She was clearly ready for something.

I could have just pretended not to know and gone along with it, but… I couldn’t help but clarify this time too. After all, just like Lee Jinah, Baek Seona was also a precious colleague to me.

“Seona-ya.”

“Yes, Oppa. What’s the matter?”

Baek Seona gave an awkward smile. I sat her down in front of the table and spoke with a serious expression.

“If by any chance… you’re doing this because you feel indebted to me for saving your family, you really don’t have to.”

“……”

Baek Seona’s face froze.

At this point, I realized I had messed up. I had made the wrong assumption.

As expected, large tears began to stream down from her wide-open eyes.

“Sniff, sob.”

“Wait, I take it back! I’m sorry!”

“Waaaaaaah—!”

She genuinely cried with sorrow.