Antisocial Chapter 4

Chapter 4. Threat

“Hic, haa, nhn… Hm!”

But her breathing sounded a little strange. It wasn’t just crying; it was choking and rough. Her chest was heaving sharply. Bo-yeon stammered as she tried to explain.

“Chest, nhn, asthma… Hn….”

“……”

She was so fragile and pitiful that if he held her roughly, she would shatter into pieces.

“Breathe.”

A cool, soothing voice resonated, sending goosebumps across her skin. He pulled Bo-yeon in and slowly stroked her back, guiding her breathing. Her soft body nestled into his arms like a young animal.

Her breath, which had been shaky and shallow, gradually steadied under his guidance.

“Haa, haa…”

However, her chest was still uncomfortable because it was so stuffy.

“I-It’s so dark,  How can a person… at night…”

Bo-yeon asked confusedly.

“My eyesight is good.”

Do-kyung said, tapping the area under his eyes. Bo-yeon still had a look that said it was hard to understand.

“Even so, your night vision would be a different problem….”

“My night vision is also quite good.”

“.…..”

They say that the maximum limit of human vision is 6.0. Among birds with exceptional eyesight, ostriches are said to have a maximum visibility of 20 km, which is about 25.0 in numerical terms. Bo-yeon, with a vision of about 1.0, had no idea what it meant to have such good eyesight.

However, night vision was a separate issue. Even ostriches, with their incredible vision, had poor night vision.

But Do-kyung had both excellent eyesight and night vision. Does that make sense?

Of course, it makes sense. There were cases among humans where night vision was naturally developed, but the odds of it happening—especially when considering that he was immune—seemed almost impossible.

“Who, has good eyesight, and also has, immunity. Is that…?”

“That’s how it is.”

“…….”

Bo-yeon, who had thought that immunity meant he was safe from zombie attacks except for mutants, felt dizzy. This man in front of her could move around day or night as he pleased, regardless of the zombies swarming the streets.

She wasn’t sure, but it must have been a considerable amount of freedom. Enough for him to live a life similar to before, even in this hellish, post-apocalyptic world.

Bo-yeon felt a mix of jealousy and a little fear. Do-kyung’s expression barely changed, so she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He simply looked at Bo-yeon, who was panting heavily, and asked her what she needed most.

“Inhaler?”

“…No, I ran out of it.”

“What did you use?”

“A powdered bronchodilator…”

Bo-yeon answered blankly when he asked. She felt ashamed for having expected he might try to help her, even though it would be easy for him. It wasn’t something he should have done.

“You probably wouldn’t have been able to endure the symptoms of asthma for long. There’s probably still some left.”

“……”

It was a comment that pointed out Bo-yeon’s difficulty in surviving on her own, but it was also a promise to help her. Thinking of the inhaler, Bo-yeon became anxious, as though experiencing withdrawal symptoms, and she kept biting her lips. Her eyes stung, and her heart wavered weakly.

The inhaler was something one could easily find at a pharmacy. If Do-kyung had been alone, he could have quickly gotten it from a pharmacy or hospital.

However, in the current situation, Bo-yeon was still a ‘burden.’ It would have been easier to leave her behind, but if he abandoned her, her symptoms might worsen.

Do-kyung had no choice but to take Bo-yeon with him.

He stood on the chair and touched the ceiling. Pushing against a relatively thin wall with his hand, he revealed a hidden space where the electric wires ran. After retrieving the necessary items, he came down holding a long gun.

It was surprising to see someone carrying a pistol so openly in Seoul, but now he was holding a machine gun.

“What’s that gun…?”

“K-7.”

“No, not the name. Where did you get the gun? Do people outside carry things like that?”

“There were quite a few armed zombies when Seoul was abandoned.”

“Ah….”

It seemed that the soldiers and weapons, now zombies, had been left behind when the military failed to recapture Seoul and retreated. Did he kill and steal from the zombie soldiers? There were so many bullets—where had they all come from? She was curious, but didn’t ask any questions in detail.

He handed Bo-yeon a backpack and then hoisted her onto his back. Using a rope, he secured her tightly to prevent her from falling off. It would be difficult to respond to an emergency situation with a living human strapped to his back, but the risk was worth it.

“Just hold on for 10 minutes.” 

After calming Bo-yeon down, he went out into the night again. 

The night was still dark, and Bo-yeon couldn’t see clearly ahead. Yet, it felt much more stable than when she had relied on his hands. All she had to do now was lean against his back.

Bo-yeon knew that, as much as she had become comfortable, Do-kyung had become restricted. He was even on his way to find an inhaler for her.

If she hadn’t met him today and had wandered alone in search of an inhaler, there was a good chance she would have died. She needed to adapt properly to this new ecosystem—her ignorance came from having no experience. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as she first thought.

He had spoken harshly, but he had never actually harmed her. He was still helping her, after all. The world must have become so harsh that trusting others had become a luxury no one could afford…

“…….”

Bo-yeon knew she was rationalizing too much. Was it because the warmth of a person she hadn’t felt in a long time was ticklish and warm that her head kept getting dizzy? …No.

No. Bo-yeon was just looking for an excuse to affirm him. To protect her own safety.

‘If you’re not a woman… I don’t need you.’

It wasn’t a mistake.

He’s a bad person. He’s a scary person. Still, if she tries… wouldn’t they be able to get along? Her wet eyes fluttered. It was chaos created by Do-kyung.

***

Fwoosshhh! Flames shot up with a loud crack in the distance.

The dark night was painted in blood-red flames. For a moment, Bo-yeon’s vision cleared, and the zombies swarming in the distance were burned into her retinas. Red, bloodshot eyes, sharp fangs—monsters that had become inhuman. Were they this close? Were there this many? As the reality hit her, goosebumps crawled over her skin like bugs.

The human-sized figures, once standing tall like totem poles, twisted their bones toward the sound. The street immediately turned into hell. They screamed and rushed toward the flames. Sounds of human flesh and bone rippled grotesquely. Grrr! Grrk! The eerie breathing sounded like a swarm of ants.

‘That thing’ saw ‘her.’ The bloodshot eyes seemed to ignore Do-kyung, focusing solely on Bo-yeon. Am I going to die? In an instant, just like this. Bo-yeon felt as if she were about to be trampled by the angry zombies—or eaten. She was that out of her mind.

Swoosh! A black figure rushed past Bo-yeon.

“…….!”

“If you scream, you’ll get bitten.”

A calm voice cut through the chaos.

Bo-yeon realized, in a daze, that she was looking down on the zombies from above. Several of them stretched their arms toward her, swearing eerily, but it was futile.

Do-kyung was climbing the outer wall of the building with Bo-yeon on his back. A zombie, having jumped through the window, was falling toward them from above.

“W-when…?”

While Bo-yeon was still disoriented, he had already climbed up swiftly as soon as the flames erupted. His quick thinking allowed him to avoid being swept away by the chaos, staying one step ahead of the zombies’ reactions.