Breathing Life into Real Dolls

The woman I saved from the convenience store was not of the commonplace appearance you could regularly see on the street. She was so pretty that you would turn around if you passed her.

Judging by her medium-length hair tied neatly into a ponytail, reaching down to her shoulders, and wearing a convenience store vest, it seemed like she had been working part-time during the zombie virus outbreak.

How could I not know if such a woman worked part-time at our apartment convenience store? Was she a new hire?

With that thought, I went into the convenience store storage room.

I naturally didn’t even consider not entering as she might be hiding something.

And what I encountered in the storage room was…

Her feces lay on the floor.

“…Ah.”

I silently raised my hand to cover my nose.

Then, Serena followed me in and said,

“Doha, it smells like poop in here!”

“…….”

Just as I admired Serena’s frankness, I heard a faint groan-like voice from the woman behind.

“I’d rather you kill me…….”

“I’m sorry.”

“…… It’s okay.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“… It’s really okay. There’s no problem at all. It’s actually my fault for stopping you from entering without any explanation. There’s no need for you to apologize.”

She seemed a bit mentally shaken, but she quickly recovered. She was a woman with strong mental fortitude.

I thought to myself that I couldn’t recover as quickly as she did if a woman saw me having defecated on the floor.

Especially if I heard that it smelled… Ugh, let’s stop imagining.

“Thank you once again for saving my life. If you hadn’t helped, I would have been bitten and become a zombie.”

“Don’t mention it. We should help in times of crisis.”

“I will never forget this kindness. Also, to the other person behind you…”

“……Ah.”

Serena, seeing someone other than me for the first time, was staring at the woman and was surprised when she heard her name.

Then, as if a button had been pressed, she introduced herself.

“Ah, ah! I’m Kim Rena! Although I’m half British, I’ve only lived in Korea, so I can’t speak English! Also, I am Kim Doha’s girlfriend! A fully qualified, real girlfriend!”

I sighed deeply inside. Yes, Serena was like a blank slate.

She was so reliable when dealing with zombies that I had momentarily forgotten, but it was natural for her to be this clumsy at first.

The woman was obviously flustered. I interjected at an appropriate time.

“I am Kim Doha. Rena is pleased to meet you.”

“Ah, ah… Yes! Miss Rena, Mr. Doha. So, you two are in a relationship! I’m Baek Seona. I’m 21 years old.”

“Ah, I’m 28 years old. And she’s 20 years old.”

“What? 28? You look much younger than your age. You two really suit each other!”

Baek Seona was 21 years old, but she knew how to socialize.

Passing marks.

But there was someone who was more pleased to hear that than me.

“He, hehe. So, we suit each other, huh? Hehe.”

Suddenly, Serena transformed into a woman laughing ominously by herself. Before Serena could go overboard, I quickly changed the subject.

“But……”

“Yes?”

“It seems like you were continuously holding up in that warehouse; why did you suddenly come out?”

“Ah…….”

“Only a day has passed since the zombies appeared, and you could’ve held up for quite a while inside the warehouse…….”

The expression of the seemingly fine Baek Seona suddenly crumbled again.

Her eyes filled with tears, looking as if she would cry at any moment.

“My, my younger brother… is in a shelter with my parents… Suddenly, I lost contact with them… I’m sure something has happened… I don’t have any special abilities… Surely, my desperation wasn’t enough… Even though I risked my life… I don’t have any abilities… sobs…”

Baek Seona began to pour out her story, tears slowly falling from her eyes.

We decided to return to my home together for the time being.

To the studio apartment on the 12th floor.

Much time had passed; it was already evening, and we still had no idea how zombies would behave when it got dark.

And we had successfully completed our primary goal of the first outing - to gather food. We took a decent amount of food from the convenience store.

Sitting in the room, we listened to the stories Baek Seona told through her sobs.

To summarize, it was like this.

1. Her younger brother and parents were in a shelter.

2. However, she lost contact with them after receiving the last text yesterday.

3. Judging by the content of the text, it seemed like the awakened in the shelter did something.

4. To help, she needed power to fight off the zombies, but she hadn't awakened any special abilities.

5. So, she risked her life to fight the zombies in an attempt to awaken her abilities. But she didn't awaken anything.

That was how she ended up on the brink of being devoured by zombies when I appeared and saved her at the right moment.

As Baek Seona kept thanking me, I was lost in thought.

Contrary to her delicate appearance, she was a woman with exceptional resolve.

Usually, even for the sake of awakening special abilities, a woman would not think of charging at zombies with just a cutter knife.

If she didn’t charge at them, she could be in a situation where she could die. For example, if she had been starving for about a week.

But Seona was in a situation where she was in a warehouse with enough food and water to the point of spoilage. She could have held up there for a month if survival was her goal.

But after only one day, she came out and fought with zombies at the risk of her life. Even in a 3 to 1 fight, she killed one directly.

She truly engaged in a ‘life-risking encounter’, even in a fight where the possibility of her losing was over 90%.

She pushed herself into a desperate situation to awaken her abilities.

Wasn’t there a saying that a lion threw its cub off a cliff to make it stronger?

By that analogy, she threw herself off a cliff. Praying for wings to sprout from her back.

Did she do all this for her family?

Regardless, it was not something a normal human could do.

“Doha Oppa.”

After her declaration, Seona began to call me ‘Oppa’.

“You are an awakened, right? Rena too…….”

“Yes, that’s right. I can’t reveal my abilities, though..”

“Could you two… help me one more time?”

“…….”

“I know. It’s like I’m unashamedly asking for more after being saved from drowning. I’m such a shameless person.”

She struggled to continue her words, her expression in pain.

“But the only people I can ask for help are Doha Oppa and Rena. I am an incapable person without any power or abilities. Please, please save my parents and brother……!!”

It was a desperate plea.

“I don’t have anything to offer in return if you help me… but I can offer myself. I will do whatever you command. Whether you kill or spare me, have me roll in a dunghill, whatever you do with me, I don’t mind. I will live as a slave for the rest of my life.”

‘I will live as a slave for the rest of my life.’

If a girl I had just met said something like this, I would consider her an empty-headed girl. The kind who blurted out words without understanding their meaning.

But Seona was different.

She was a girl who fought a 3 to 1 deathmatch with zombies with a single cutter knife to save her family, even when she could have easily survived on her own in a bountiful environment.

Her resolve to become a slave was real.

“……Hmm.”

I thought to myself.

If helping her seemed dangerous, I could withdraw then.

I had planned to explore the outside world regularly anyway, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to visit the survivors’ shelter at this time.

And above all…… I liked Seona.

She was the type to definitely repay a favor.

“Alright.”

As soon as I finished my words, Rena, who was sitting next to me, promptly raised her hand.

“If Doha likes it, of course, I do too! Because I am Doha’s girlfriend!”

She seemed to quite like her role as a girlfriend.

Seona, in response to our answers, smiled brightly with teary eyes. Her smile was so beautiful it felt like the room had lit up.

“……Thank you! Really, thank you! I will never, ever forget this kindness!”

“Yeah, yeah. I trust you. How about saying that again after we meet your family? You must be tired today, so wash up early and sleep. We’ll leave early tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

Seona expressed her gratitude and went to take a shower.

Since she probably hadn’t been able to wash since yesterday, I suggested she wash first.

Our home was a studio apartment. It was spacious for a studio apartment, but it was still a studio.

The clear sound filled the room as she turned on the water and began to wash.

The sound of brushing teeth, washing hair, and body wash being used.

And just when my imagination started to get the better of me due to these sounds—

Ding- Ding-

I heard the sound of a text message coming in.

The sound came from Seona’s phone.

The lock screen on Seona’s phone was not active, and the contents of the newly received message were displayed directly on the screen.

This was what it said.

-Sis. I've been busy all day and couldn't contact you. Those awakened ones turned out to be really nice people. I must have been misunderstanding them. I'm doing well with Mom and Dad now.

-They said they would take you to the refuge when I told them about you. They are really strong, so you can be rescued within a day. But I can't exactly remember what you told me yesterday. Where did you say the convenience store you are trapped in is located?

As I read the text and frowned, another one came in.

Ding-

-Oh, and I can't call right now. I don't know why, but my calling feature has been broken since yesterday. That's why I couldn't answer. Anyway, send me the location of the convenience store quickly, and I'll go to rescue you soon!

Rena, who read the text with me, spoke with a bright expression.

“Wow, that’s great! They’re coming to rescue Seona! You were so worried, but it seems like nothing happened!”

Rena was fooled, as expected.

However, other than Rena, who was as innocent as a blank slate, it was a clumsy text that no one would likely fall for.

Even the wolf trying to eat Little Red Riding Hood would have made a more earnest attempt than this if he had to send a text.

There were too many suspicious elements in this text.

First, what were his doubts about the awakened ones, and what was his misunderstanding? Why did he gloss over that so quickly?

Second, what was so good about these people that they would make a way for Seona, who had no special abilities, to be rescued?

Third, her brother heard the location of the convenience store where his sister was trapped and even said he would go to rescue her, but he forgot the location in just one day? Was this teenage dementia?

Fourth, all the other features are fine, but the calling feature was broken?

Furthermore, even if he was really busy, he didn’t have time to send a single text all day, and caused his sister to worry? After sending such a meaningful text at the end?

The answer was clear.

These bastards had taken her brother’s phone and were targeting Seona.

They must have seen her picture in the album or something.

“Hmm……”

Now it was time to consider it.

How should I handle these bastards?