I Became a Game Character in the Apocalypse

Chapter 27

What was I thinking when I said that first line?

When Seol Ye-won praised me while belittling the club members, I wondered how she would have reacted if I had agreed and responded emotionally.

Should I call it cunning, or should I call it maturity? I wasn’t sure.

Feeling a bit awkward, I rubbed the back of my neck and replied, “…I’m sorry.”

“It was a situation that warranted anger. But you seemed to notice. I was wondering how to intervene.”

The mysterious woman had just entered, and we arrived ten minutes later.

Since the woman chose to remain silent, Lee Jung-woo must have found it hard to grasp the situation.

He probably gave her a sweet bun and had her sit at the desk to figure out her identity or intentions.

I was hasty, while Jung-woo remained calm.

The friction arose from our differing speeds.

Speed… I needed to adjust it slowly.

Although there was friction between us today, we usually got along well and communicated effectively.

Jung-woo wasn’t a lone wolf who ignored others.

Moreover, even if a conflict arose, we had Jeong Jin-young to mediate, which would help us move forward without escalating the situation.

We were a good team with good people.

‘When we go up, I’ll have to apologize first.’

It’s always nicer when the younger sibling apologizes first.

As I stood up, Seol Ye-won shook herself off and asked, “Shall we go up?”

“We should. If we leave for too long, the situation will worsen.”

Seol Ye-won nodded once and got up.

I thought I was helping her fit in with the club members, but I ended up receiving help myself.

With a lighter heart, I headed towards the club room with Seol Ye-won.

Upon arriving at the club room, our group seated at the desk began to glance at Jung-woo and me.

Without saying a word, Jung-woo stood up and quietly looked at my face.

I walked over to Jung-woo and sincerely apologized, “I’m sorry about earlier, hyung.”

As I bowed my head in apology, Jung-woo nodded calmly and replied, “It was a situation where you could feel that way. My explanation was lacking too.”

“I’m sorry for yelling recklessly.”

“It’s okay; I’m sorry too.”

Jung-woo gave a slight smile and patted my shoulder.

Apologies are really…

With just a little humility, we could understand and get to know each other better.

But relationships can become strained over trivial pride.

Jeong Jin-young, who had been watching, smiled contentedly and said, “Look at Jae-hyung’s thighs; they’ve gotten thicker. How much have you been running?”

“I’ve run enough to beat up all the zombies.”

When I answered with a light laugh, relief spread across the faces of the group seated at the desk.

They seemed worried I might snap again.

Of course, apologizing to Jung-woo didn’t mean everything was resolved.

I had to address the woman in front of me.

I needed to clarify this woman’s situation.

I looked at her and calmly asked, “Do you still not want to talk?”

She didn’t respond at all.

The sweet bun she had been holding was already eaten, and now she was just staring blankly at a 500ml bottle of water.

Was she mentally disturbed?

She looked like someone who had lost their wits.

I turned to Choi Hyun and asked, “Hyun, doesn’t Denny have telepathy?”

“I’ve already tried. I couldn’t read anything.”

It seemed there was no one up in the house, she must’ve completely checked out.

Jung-woo scrutinized the woman’s face and then stood up, saying, “I couldn’t explain earlier because I was flustered, but a quest was generated when this woman came in. That’s why I couldn’t just kick her out and left her here.”

“What quest?” I asked.

“I’ll share it, so Team B should take the quest. You need to share the quest to get better rewards.”

Jung-woo made motions in the air with his fingers as if accessing something.

Ding—

Soon after, a notification window from Last Ark appeared in front of me.

It seemed that each hologram was visible only to the individual.

Sharing the quest.

[Eliminate the Murderous Fiend: Difficulty C]

Kim Hee-yeon, who escaped the safe house while avoiding the murderous fiend, needs you to eliminate the fiend.

Clear Reward: Diamond-Coated Electric Knife Sharpener or Emergency Kit.

Clear Condition: Kim Hee-yeon must regain her sanity.

Time Limit: You must clear it before the episode ‘Safe House’ ends.

The woman sitting at the desk was named Kim Hee-yeon.

So Jung-woo couldn’t kick her out because of the quest?

I felt even guiltier for getting angry without understanding the situation.

Jung-woo looked at the group and said, “For now, it seems right to keep Kim Hee-yeon here. Let’s talk about heading to the Department of Social Sciences building tomorrow. Everyone’s tired today, so let’s rest.”

After finishing his words, he stood up and walked to the door.

When I asked where he was going, he smiled lightly and replied, “We need a lookout. Team A will take care of that, so Team B can rest.”

Team B had just come back from outside, so it was considerate to let them rest.

As Jung-woo left the club room, Choi Hyun and Yoon Hye-ri, who had been watching him, also stood up.

I grabbed Hye-ri’s arm and said, “You stay here.”

“No, I should work too. I’m in Team A.”

“You need to take care of this friend.”

Pointing to the dazed woman, I watched as Hye-ri frowned and gazed at Kim Hee-yeon’s face.

Hye-ri seemed to hesitate for a moment, lost in thought.

But it didn’t take long before she sat next to Kim Hee-yeon and spoke softly.

“Hee-yeon, can you hear me?”

Yoon Hye-ri gently stroked Kim Hee-yeon’s back and observed her expression.

However, Kim Hee-yeon did not move at all.

Whatever had happened to her, it was clear that she was completely out of it.

Seol Ye-won came up beside me, poked me in the side, and whispered, “It looks like PTSD.”

“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?”

“I’ve never seen someone so spaced out before.”

I agreed.

While I had only heard about it until now, seeing it firsthand was a new experience for me.

Yoon Hye-ri began to recount their memories to bring Kim Hee-yeon back to reality.

She talked about the first time they met in their department, moments spent worrying about assignments while eating lunch together, the pancakes they had during the festival, and feeding the cat on campus while taking photos.

Then, suddenly, she mentioned something that made Kim Hee-yeon’s fingers twitch.

Seeing this, I told Yoon Hye-ri, “Hey, keep talking about what you just said.”

“Huh?”

“The story you just mentioned.”

“Uh, which one?”

“Tell me again about the cat on campus.”

Yoon Hye-ri nodded several times and began telling the story about the stray cat named Choco.

It was about feeding Choco and making a home for her.

I had also heard of Choco.

She was a cat that approached anyone who looked human and acted sweet.

Choco was quite famous around our school.

Despite her haughty demeanor, many students carried cat food in their bags for her.

There was even a social media group called “Choco by Jeong” dedicated to feeding her.

Afterward, Kim Hee-yeon’s previously blank eyes began to regain some focus.

“Choco…”

Kim Hee-yeon opened her mouth.

Surprised, I looked at Seol Ye-won, who was staring wide-eyed at me.

I took a seat at the desk and observed Kim Hee-yeon closely.

Her dilated pupils were contracting, and focus was returning to her eyes.

So this is how a person’s eyes can change.

Then Kim Hee-yeon suddenly straightened up as if startled and looked around with a confused expression.

“Wh-where am I? Who are you?”

“Calm down. You’re safe here.”

“Wh-who are you?”

As Kim Hee-yeon made a frightened expression, Yoon Hye-ri took her hand and spoke.

“It’s me, Hee-yeon. Don’t you remember?”

“H-Hye-ri?”

Kim Hee-yeon recognized Yoon Hye-ri.

In response, Yoon Hye-ri’s eyes quickly filled with tears.

She hugged Kim Hee-yeon tightly, struggling to suppress her urge to cry.

Seeing this, I found myself at a loss for words.

It seemed Kim Hee-yeon hadn’t come here with bad intentions after all.

Had she really lost her mind and ended up here?

Yoon Hye-ri, with glistening eyes, said, “She’s my friend, please don’t chase her away.”

Was it because I had threatened to throw her out if she didn’t speak by morning?

I jumped to conclusions and panicked.

Feeling awkward, I scratched the back of my head and spoke up.

“Has this girl been checked for bites?”

“I checked. I made sure of it. Really. Ask Jeong-woo oppa. I confirmed there were no bite marks, at least.”

Yoon Hye-ri seemed more anxious than Kim Hee-yeon.

I cleared my throat and called out to Kim Hee-yeon.

“Kim Hee-yeon.”

“……”

“Kim Hee-yeon?”

She had been speaking just moments ago, but now she was silent again.

“If you can hear me, Kim Hee-yeon…”

“……I don’t want to.”

In an instant, I heard an unexpected response from Kim Hee-yeon.

Her mumbling voice made it hard to understand her words clearly.

Feeling flustered, I called out to her again, and Kim Hee-yeon’s arms slowly began to rise.

I could see her fingers tightening with tension.

Then, she began to scratch her neck and tremble uncontrollably as if suffering from hypothermia.

Her eyes, which had finally seemed to regain focus, turned panicked once again.

She began to mutter like a deranged person.

“I don’t want to eat. I-I won’t eat. I’m not going to eat! I don’t want to eat!”

Repeating that she didn’t want to eat, she suddenly started having a seizure like an epileptic.

“Hey! What’s wrong with her?”

Jeon Wan-soo, watching the situation unfold, stood up in shock.

I quickly got up from my seat to separate Yoon Hye-ri and Kim Hee-yeon.

“Gah! Cough! Cough!”

Kim Hee-yeon collapsed to the floor, starting to convulse.

She made metallic noises, twisting her head oddly like someone suffering from intense thirst.

The sight of her rolling her eyes back and frothing at the mouth sent chills down my spine.

Seol Ye-won and Jeong Jin-young, witnessing this, quickly grabbed ropes and tied up Kim Hee-yeon.

Jeon Wan-soo drew a katana and anxiously shouted,

“What’s wrong with her? Is she bitten? What do we do, kill her?”

“Wait. Not yet.”

If she were a zombie, her eyes should have turned red and bloodshot.

But Kim Hee-yeon’s eyes… still looked human.

If Kim Hee-yeon were a zombie, the quest we had been given would have changed accordingly.

It would be normal for the quest conditions to state that Kim Hee-yeon needed to return to her senses.

Since that condition existed, it was impossible for her to be a zombie.

This could be a seizure symptom.

A person who had been spaced out due to PTSD had returned to reality.

Given her mental state, it was likely that she had a seizure due to brain dysfunction.

Could it be that unwanted memories overwhelmed her mind as she regained her senses?

For a while, the standoff continued, and after about five minutes, Kim Hee-yeon began to calm down.

At that point, Seol Ye-won finally released the rope and sat on the floor.

Jeon Wan-soo, who had been observing the situation, licked his chapped lips and spoke up.

“Wow, was that a real seizure? She’s not a zombie, right?”

“We’ll have to wait and see. It seems like she fainted, so let’s move her to the next room.”

“Are we not leaving her here?”

“This is a space for survivors.”

The  club room was meant for survivors.

Since I still wasn’t sure, I couldn’t leave Kim Hee-yeon here.

After laying Kim Hee-yeon in the next room, I double-checked the ropes to ensure they wouldn’t come undone.

It used to be a photography club room.

The club had a darkroom, held annual photo exhibitions, and engaged in various volunteer activities.

But now it had become an empty room that no one visited.

I asked my companions to keep an eye on Kim Hee-yeon, then stood up and headed into the hallway.

Just then, Jeon Wan-soo grabbed my sleeve from behind.

“Where are you going now?”

“I need to do something.”

“Like what?”

“I’m going to check the characteristics of the zombies. I need to look into the zombie we put in the Dance Lovers club.”

I couldn’t just sit still and wait for Kim Hee-yeon to wake up.

I needed to do something while I waited.

I left a note saying I would conduct experiments on the fourth floor and stepped into the hallway.

Then Seol Ye-won followed me out and said, “You need a helper.”

A faint smile appeared on my face at her words.