Antisocial Chapter 21

Chapter 21. Human

‘If you come back safely, I’ll treat you the same as him.’

Do-kyung had told Jung-woong, the first to enter the store, that he would treat him the same as Ji-won.

It wasn’t that he broke his promise—it was just that his definition of “equal treatment” differed from Jung-woong’s expectations.

Do-kyung gave them only one gun. Technically, Jung-woong was being treated the same as Ji-won, but that didn’t mean they each got their own weapon.

“We’re supposed to take turns using it? What the hell! How does that make any sense?”

“They said to keep it fair, so what can I do? If you don’t like it, go take it from him yourself.”

Ji-won taunted him, almost as if daring Jung-woong to try.

“Aren’t you scared that I’ll shoot you?”

“Shoot, you idiot.”

Ji-won snickered, taunting Jung-woong.

“……”

“I’m more afraid of that monster than that loudmouth who only spews nonsense.”

Ji-won spat on the floor and walked away, turning his back with an air of indifference, as if completely disregarding Jung-woong.

As Jung-woong began to grumble, Yeong-cheol approached him, offering a few words of consolation.

“Jung-woong, just let it go. I’ve told you before—there’s nothing to gain from us being at odds with each other.”

With only four of them and two acting as watchers, they had no choice but to pair off. A divide between factions was inevitable.

Jung-woong was assigned to oversee Yeong-cheol, while Ji-won took charge of Sung-sik—but he wasn’t happy about it.

That cunning bastard, Choi Sung-sik, completely ignored him and instead took control of Lee Ji-won. Jung-woong, who had secretly looked down on Yeong-cheol for his small stature, felt frustrated when someone so seemingly useless ended up by his side.

“You think we’re on the same level? Huh?”

Jung-woong loaded his gun and aimed it at Yeong-cheol’s head, intending to scare him.

“Why are you acting like this…?”

“You fucking idiot, you’re siding with them. You piece of shit. You still don’t understand the situation?”

The night before, Jung-woong had wanted to name Ji-won as the next bait. However, when Do-kyung told him to choose between Sung-sik and Yeong-cheol, he chose the latter.

With that, Sung-sik automatically followed, and seeing that all three had returned safely, Ji-won felt confident enough to volunteer as well.

Jung-woong, however, believed he was the only one who had truly taken a risk—going in first with no information about what lay inside the store.

Perhaps Do-kyung recognized this, or maybe he had another motive, but in the end, Jung-woong was the only one who received special treatment. The others saw it differently. They had endured the same ordeal, yet only Jung-woong was rewarded. It left a bitter taste.

Hatred and bullying had to be balanced just right. Do-kyung had made the decision, but to them, he was not someone they could openly criticize.

Instead of directing their resentment at Do-kyung, they looked down on Jung-woong. And for Yeong-cheol, who was stuck with Jung-woong, it hurt even more.

Yet, it was Do-kyung who had created this class structure. Now, Jung-woong could no longer tolerate being ignored and bullied—especially by someone younger than him.

Yeong-cheol, who had been looked down on since childhood, knew that showing weakness would only invite more bullying.

In moments like this, he had to be strong—to prove he wasn’t a pushover. Like Ji-won, Yeong-cheol genuinely believed that Jung-woong might actually pull the trigger.

“Yeah, s-shoot…! Shoot, you punk!”

As expected, Jung-woong was flustered.

“You can’t shoot, right? You’re bluffing. You don’t have any guts.”

Yeong-cheol snorted and moved to follow Ji-won. If he sided with Ji-won and the three of them turned against Jung-woong, what could he possibly do on his own?

“That punk…!”

Jung-woong’s vision burned red with fury as Ji-won and Yeong-cheol ignored him.

A punk with a history of reckless crimes, driven by uncontrollable anger, he didn’t stop to consider the true terror of a gun—he simply pulled the trigger.

Bang! A gunshot rang out.

By the time Bo-yeon and Do-kyung arrived, Yeong-cheol was already on the ground, bleeding. Jung-woong stood over him, gun raised, now aiming at Ji-won and Sung-sik.

“What the…?”

Bo-yeon muttered in confusion, struggling to grasp the situation.

At the sound of her voice, Jung-woong spun around, startled, immediately shifting his aim toward Bo-yeon and Do-kyung.

His eyes, burning red with fear and adrenaline, darted wildly.

He had already killed one—what was stopping him from killing another? That guy was human too.

And if he didn’t pull the trigger first… he would be the one to die.

“You, if you didn’t exist…! If you didn’t exist, everything would be fine!”

Jung-woong squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the trigger with trembling hands. 

“Ahhhk!”

A gunshot rang out, blending with Jung-woong’s scream.

Before he even realized what was happening, Do-kyung had twisted his arm. The gun slipped from his weakening grip, and with effortless precision, Do-kyung caught it.

The moment Jung-woong had pointed the weapon their way, Do-kyung had sprung into action. In the military, the first rule when a soldier panicked was to disarm him immediately. Subduing an idiot who fired with his eyes shut? That was almost too easy.

“F-fuck, ahhk…! My arm is broken, ugh… Krrugghh!”

Crack! Jung-woong’s bone twisted, his shoulder joint wrenched unnaturally. His face turned pale as he let out a cracked, agonized scream—a sound so raw it was almost chilling.

Do-kyung remained expressionless, unfazed even as he snapped another man’s arm. He wielded violence with cold efficiency, as if it were nothing more than a necessary task—his face devoid of emotion.

Bam!

With a single slap, the side of his face was left completely disfigured. Covered in blood, Jung-woong staggered back, but Do-kyung grabbed a fistful of his hair and slapped him again. Blood poured from his nose and mouth.

“Wuhm, korrk… Kok! Koheok!”

Jung-woong staggered, his body trembling—whether from his eardrums being ruptured or from the intensity of the pain, it was hard to tell.

After a few more brutal strikes, he lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground. Do-kyung grimaced as he tossed him aside, his trembling legs soaked in blood.

“……”

“……”

Everything happened and ended in an instant. Everyone was so terrified that they couldn’t say anything.

“…S-stop it!”

Bo-yeon, too, lost consciousness halfway through. It wasn’t until the violence had ended that she finally managed to stop Do-kyung. The sight of the yard stained with blood made her head spin, leaving her disoriented and confused.

Despite her own dizziness, she walked over to Yeong-cheol and checked his condition.

“Kurgh, kok! Hoheok…!”

Yeong-cheol was convulsing erratically, struggling to breathe despite being unconscious.

“Uh, what should I do? Should I stop the bleeding first?”

Bo-yeon asked Sung-sik, hoping for guidance. After all, he was the doctor. Sung-sik, who had been standing back, reluctant to get involved, finally approached and examined Yeong-cheol.

“It looks like he’s injured his lung… If the bullet pierced it, there’s no hope unless we get him to the emergency room right away.”

Sung-sik, having finished his quick assessment, shook his head and gently withdrew his hand.

“But… he’s still breathing…”

“What can we do when we don’t have the right medicine or tools?”

Sung-sik wasn’t wrong and Yeong-cheol’s breathing stopped soon after.

“He’s dead.”

The doctor confirmed his death.

“……”

Bo-yeon, who had experienced the death of a person before her eyes, trembled.

“Explain.”

“Kim Jung-woong originally thought Gu Yeong-cheol was small and an easy target. There was a silent rivalry between them, and since Jung-woong happened to have a gun, he just shot Yeong-cheol.”

“Exactly. We probably didn’t even exchange many words. I left less than three minutes ago, and then there was a gunshot? That bastard is a total loser.”

Sung-sik and Ji-won answered Do-kyung’s question earnestly.

“What should we do with Kim Jung-woong?”

“Tie him up.”

“What about the body?”

“Do whatever you want.”

The three spoke casually, as if the situation meant nothing, leaving Bo-yeon behind.

“Help me. Let’s throw him behind.”

Swoosh. Sung-sik dragged Yeong-cheol’s lifeless body, his face contorted in pain. Fear dripped onto Bo-yeon’s face, a grim reminder of the horror that surrounded them.

“Wow, trash… Are you going to let the zombies eat him? Don’t you have any obligation to bury him?”

“You want to do it?”

“Will you?”

Giggle. There was a light laugh.

Bo-yeon suddenly came to her senses when they were really going to throw Yeong-cheol’s body outside.

“I’ll do it…!”

However, instead of looking at Bo-yeon, the two focused on Do-kyung’s expression and teamed up to throw the lifeless body outside the fence. The zombies, drawn by the gunshots, rushed in eagerly.

Munch! Munch! The sounds of gnawing on a still-warm human body echoed loudly. It was the sound of teeth crunching through bones, like someone snacking.

“…….”

The way the death of a person was discarded was far more shocking than the death itself.

At this moment, Bo-yeon realized for the first time that the world had really changed.

“Is a weak personality something you’re born with?”

Do-kyung smiled faintly, pulling Bo-yeon closer to him.

Whoosh!

The groundwater from the winter, as cold as ice, struck Bo-yeon’s hand. Do-kyung dragged her to the yard hose and began washing her hands.

“Ah…”

Bo-yeon flinched, her reddened fingers twitching in pain. Earlier, she had pressed her hands to Yeong-cheol’s chest to try and stop the bleeding. Now, his blood was being rinsed away.

The cold was unbearable. Her hands felt so numb, as if they might fall off at any moment.

Unable to endure it any longer, Bo-yeon quickly pulled her hands from the water.

“Is it cold?”

“Yes…..”

“Come here.”