I Became a Game Character in the Apocalypse

Chapter 26

I tightened my grip on the LAN cable in my hand.

Killing someone and capturing them alive were two very different challenges.

To capture one zombie, three of us had to team up.

Jin-young and Wan-soo quickly severed the zombie’s arms, while Seol Ye-won, who was behind them, forced a steel pipe into the zombie’s mouth.

I couldn’t understand why Ye-won carried a steel pipe in her bag, but her choice was proving to be effective.

Using the long LAN cable, we secured the steel pipe in the zombie’s mouth to its neck, ensuring it wouldn’t come loose.

There was still some cable left, so we tied its legs as well.

Meanwhile, Ye-won had run to the student union building and left the back door open.

We dragged the bound zombie up to the fifth floor using the LAN cable.

Though we worked together, pulling the heavy zombie up those stairs caused sweat to pour from us like rain.

Perhaps due to the cramped circular stairwell, the heat didn’t dissipate, and it felt like there was a shortage of oxygen.

Finally, when we reached the fifth floor, I spotted Wan-soo waving us over with a beckoning hand.

Come help us you Bastard.

Frowning, I pushed the zombie into the Dance Lovers club room, which was directly across from us.

As soon as I closed the door, I placed my hand on my side and took deep breaths.

Wan-soo, for some reason, had a satisfied smile on his face and patted my back.

With a playful voice, he said, “Wow, Jae-hyung is really strong!”

“Do you want to die?”

Should I seriously just hit him once?

Looking over at Jin-young, I saw him sprawled out on the floor, gasping for breath.

Ye-won took a water bottle from her bag and handed it to Jin-young and me.

When Wan-soo asked for one too, Ye-won shot him a disapproving look and lightly tapped him on the head with a 500ml water bottle.

“Why did you hit me?”

“If you mess around in a dangerous situation again, you’ll get in trouble.”

Though Ye-won’s expression was playful, seriousness crept into her voice.

Wan-soo looked bewildered, and Ye-won shrugged her shoulders, walking ahead into the club room.

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight.

Wan-soo scratched his head, making a sulky face, and mumbled as he followed her into the club room.

Alright, enough of the teasing; I should just be glad we made it here safely.

I helped Jin-young, who was still lying on the floor, to his feet, and we entered the club room together.

“We’re here…”

But what was going on?

Four people were seated at the desk in the club room.

There should normally be Lee Jung-woo, Choi Hyun, and Yoon Hye-ri—three people—but who was that stranger with the back turned to us?

It seemed everyone had the same thought, as Ye-won and Wan-soo, who had entered before us, stared blankly at the unfamiliar presence.

Lee Jung-woo, sitting in a chair, wore a bitter expression as he spoke.

“Come on in. You’ve all had a hard time.”

“Who is that?”

Wan-soo asked cautiously, and the stranger, who had only shown us their back, slowly turned their head.

A disheveled appearance and hollow eyes.

A woman who looked emaciated stared at us while eating a sweet red bean bun.

I reflexively swallowed hard at the sight of her face.

Is she really alive?

There was no spark in her eyes.

When you see a person, you should say something, but the woman merely continued to gaze blankly at us while munching on the bun.

Her body was so thin that I felt like she might break if I poked her.

Lee Jung-woo scratched his eyebrows, looking troubled, and then sighed as he said, “Let’s sit down. We need to talk.”

“Did that woman come here alone?”

This wasn’t the time to calmly sit and chat.

I raised my eyebrows and asked, and Jung-woo, giving up on sitting down, answered.

“She came alone.”

“When did she arrive?”

“Just under ten minutes ago.”

“What weapons did she bring? Did you check her body for bites?”

Noticing my cautious demeanor, this time, Yoon Hye-ri, who was next to Jung-woo, spoke up.

“Oppa, she’s someone I know. Please don’t be too harsh on her.”

“How do you know her?”

I asked, furrowing my brow, and Hye-ri flinched.

Yoon Hye-ri, a freshman in college, couldn’t have many connections.

If she recognized her, it must have been someone from her own department.

Trying to stay calm, I asked, “Hye-ri, are you in the same department as her?”

Hye-ri bit her lower lip, hesitating for a moment, and then after a while, she shrank her shoulders and answered.

“…Yes.”

“Hah…”

A sigh escaped me involuntarily.

Hye-ri was from the Department of Social Sciences.

I burst out of the club room and headed to the rooftop.

I opened the iron door to the rooftop and stared at the Department of Social Sciences building.

In the dusk of evening, it was impossible to see the building with the naked eye.

In a world without electricity, there truly was no way to see even an inch ahead.

I couldn’t tell whether we had been followed or not.

I returned to the club room and asked the woman, who was still eating her sweet red bean bun.

“How did you get here?”

“…”

“Speak. Who did you come with?”

I glared at her, but she just stared back at me blankly with her hollow eyes, not answering at all.

Her apathetic expression only fueled my irritation.

‘Is she ignoring us?’

I frowned and asked again, “Did you know there were survivors here? Do the people at the College of Social Sciences know there are others here?”

“…”

“If you have a mouth, don’t just eat—speak!”

As I raised my voice, Jung-woo, sitting opposite me, frowned and said, “Hey, can you lower your voice? What if the zombies outside hear?”

“Don’t you find it strange? It’s not daytime; how could she come here alone after dark without a weapon?”

“……”

“What about this? This girl looks like she hasn’t eaten anything for almost a month.”

“Hey, isn’t it a bit harsh to say that in front of the person involved?”

“Don’t you know you have to pass the basketball court to get to here from the Departament of Social Science? You know the situation on the basketball court better than anyone else!”

The people around us fell silent, as if they had eaten honey.

Seeing this, Jeong Jin-young cleared his throat and stepped in to mediate.

“Calm down, both of you. Jung-woo, don’t take it too personally. We just came from outside and are a bit on edge.”

“I’m perfectly fine. Am I wrong about something…?”

As I glanced at Jeong Jin-young and countered, he leaned in closer and whispered softly in my ear.

“Hey, tone it down a bit. Can’t you see the expressions on the other kids’ faces?”

“……”

“You should listen to the whole story.”

At the sound of Jeong Jin-young’s low voice, my heightened emotions suddenly extinguished.

I finally noticed the expressions on the faces of our group.

Everyone was looking back and forth between Jung-woo and me with anxious eyes.

I was too worked up.

As I pressed my forehead and tried to avoid their gaze, Jeong Jin-young spoke in a slightly softer tone.

“Still, Jung-woo is older than you, so you shouldn’t act like that.”

“……”

My head was pounding.

I didn’t know how to soothe this indescribable feeling of unease.

How can I trust a woman who remains silent and just eats up our resources?

I wouldn’t mind if she spoke.

As I pressed my temples to calm my anger, Jeong Jin-young patted my shoulder and said.

“I’ll talk to Jung-woo, so you just take a break.”

Jeong Jin-young managed to defuse the tense atmosphere.

I took a deep breath to calm my heightened emotions and spoke to the group.

“If that woman doesn’t open her mouth by tomorrow morning, I can’t agree to keep her here.”

When I glared at the woman, she continued to stare at me with hollow eyes.

Is she a ghost or something?

Even though it felt like I had just delivered a death sentence, how could she be so calm?

Releasing the stale breath stuck in my chest, I walked down the hallway.

Just then, Seol Ye-won, who was by the door, grabbed my arm and asked.

“Where are you going?”

“To the gym.”

I knew I had crossed a line.

But what was I supposed to do if I just couldn’t understand?

I needed to sort my thoughts.

I wanted to calm down first and think clearly again.

“Whew…”

***

I stepped off the treadmill, breathing heavily.

After running non-stop for ten minutes, I could think more clearly.

Sitting down in a chair, I took a moment to collect my thoughts.

Just because the girl in the clubroom is in the same branch as Yoon Hye-ri doesn’t necessarily mean she came from the Department of Social Sciences.

Maybe I overreacted, thinking there could be a murderer in the Department of Social Sciences.

Should I accept her?

I need to be careful about who to accept.

How can I trust someone who doesn’t even speak and entrust my back to them?

Continuing to remain silent would be equivalent to admitting that she came from the Department of Social Sciences.

She must be hiding something, which is why she’s keeping quiet.

I wanted to know the reason she approached us with valid grounds and reasoning.

I didn’t want to handle this clumsily.

With my eyes gently closed, I slowly rubbed my forehead.

“Are you done?”

A voice came from the entrance of the gym.

As I opened my eyes lazily, I saw Seol Ye-won’s face.

I leaned back in the chair and replied.

“For now. We just have to keep doing it.”

“You’re really something. I genuinely hate exercising.”

“Isn’t that what the person who’s working the hardest would say?”

As I joked, Seol Ye-won shrugged her shoulders and replied.

“I’m doing it to survive. I do it because I don’t want to blame anyone.”

“What blame?”

“Because I don’t want to be seen as a burden?”

Physical limits.

While male and female physical abilities are inherent and unavoidable, Seol Ye-won showed her determination to overcome it.

“Why? Don’t want to hear people blaming you?”

“Partly that, and I need to be hard on myself to criticize others.”

“……”

“If I’m doing this much, I should be able to say, ‘Can’t you do that too?’ So I need to build my strength.”

The idea that one must grow stronger to help others grow stronger.

That’s so like Seol Ye-won.

Looking back at her actions until now, she never once blamed others or complained.

She always did her best in her position, and if anything, she did more, never less.

Seol Ye-won sat down next to me and asked.

“Jae-hyung.”

“Yeah?”

Seol Ye-won bit her lip, looking as if she was contemplating something, and soon after, she asked with a faint smile.

“Should we run away together?”

“What’s with that all of a sudden?”

“To be honest, your club members are… too soft.”

When she’s cheerful, she plays around on her own, but when she’s serious, she’s strict.

When I didn’t respond, Seol Ye-won crossed her legs and rested her chin on one arm as she continued.

“This isn’t a world of morals or laws; survival is at stake right now.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s easier for men to survive than women in this world.”

“……That’s true too.”

“I don’t like men weaker than me. I don’t think there’s anyone sharp among your club members.”

“Ha, so does that mean I’m sharp?”

As I asked with a hint of distance, Seol Ye-won gave a warm smile and evaded my question.

What’s that supposed to mean?

A moment of silence fell.

As I scratched my head, feeling her gaze, she cleared her throat and continued.

“The girl in the clubroom is probably a classmate of Yoon Hye-ri, so it was easy for her to get in, right?”

“Yoon Hye-ri probably helped clear the barricade for her, just like she did for us. Jung-woo probably accepted an unknown girl by accident, and we must have surprised him by coming in without him having sorted the situation out.”

“They must know that as well, maybe they would have said something to Jung-woo, right?”

“I didn’t think about that before. I was organizing my thoughts while running on the treadmill.”

I replied with a bitter expression, and Seol Ye-won crossed her arms and spoke.

“So, what’s the logical conclusion?”

“Let’s acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged and not compromise on what we can’t.”

“What are you acknowledging, and what can’t you compromise on?”

“I was wrong to react emotionally, and I can’t compromise on leaving that girl up there as is.”

Seol Ye-won looked intently at my face and soon after said with a pleased smile.

“Groups that can solve conflicts and move forward develop further, while those that can’t fall apart.”

“……”

“I think this situation can be a good stepping stone.”

I had no words in response to Seol Ye-won’s statement.

Earlier, she called the club members soft and suggested we run away together, didn’t she?

Is she testing me?

She probably wanted to gauge the lifespan of this team by seeing how I react emotionally.

A team with long-lasting discord is bound to collapse.

She must want to figure out whether we are a negotiable team or just temporary companions.

Seol Ye-won was… more delicate and intelligent than I had thought.

Feeling taken aback, I couldn’t help but admire her eloquence.