ZFS Chapter 20
by horum“According to the address, it’s that building. We need to hurry.”
Zombies sprawled along the roadside began to stir under the faint rays of dawn. Those that had spent the night hanging from the street trees also started to move, one by one.
The two quickly checked the address. Tae Yujun squinted in the dim sunlight, reading the numbers on the wall.
“Number 1, 37th Street! This is it.”
He quickly spotted the villa building. Fortunately, no zombies lurked in front of Kim Eun-jin’s building, allowing them to slip inside by entering the door code. The building was eerily quiet, as if the automatic locking system had done its job too well—there was no sign of life anywhere.
“It’s unit 101.”
Tae Yujun cautiously approached the door and knocked. No response.
“I’m opening it.”
He keyed in the code, and the lock clicked open.
“Is anyone here? We’re friends of Kim Eun-jin.”
“…looks like no one’s home.”
“That seems to be the case. Let’s take a quick look around.”
They searched every corner of the house but found nothing unusual. It was simply an ordinary home—the first thing that greeted them was a living room with a TV and sofa, and to the left, a kitchen with a refrigerator. Tae Yujun stepped forward and pulled open the fridge.
It was still running.
The faint orange glow from inside felt strangely warm, almost human. Tae Yujun couldn’t help but feel a pang of melancholy. Though it was just a machine pumping out cold air, the spoiled side dishes, the sour smell of kimchi, and the wilted vegetables inside were undeniable proof that someone had lived here. A reminder of human presence. It had only been a month, yet life before the zombies already felt impossibly distant, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.
He shook himself out of his thoughts. His eyes landed on a small note stuck to the microwave beside the fridge.
Eun-jin,
We couldn’t reach you, so we’re leaving this note behind. We all lost our phones in the chaos.
We waited at home, hoping you’d return, but it’s no longer safe—we couldn’t stay any longer.
We’re heading to the bunker at Sinyongsan Station.
Let’s find each other again when this is all over.
—Mom, Dad, and Oppa
“There’s a note.”
“You’re right. Her family must have left it behind.”
“We need to deliver this news quickly.”
After reading the note, Tae Yujun reached for his phone—but there was no signal.
“What’s wrong?”
“My phone’s acting up again.”
“Again?”
“It’s been happening more and more lately… even after that outage a few days ago.”
Tae Yujun furrowed his brow. He made a mental note to inform Kim Eun-jin once the signal was restored. For now, he took a photo of the note and placed the original back where he found it. Feeling drained, he sank into a chair at the dining table.
“Hungry?”
“Sorry?”
“You sat down because you’re out of energy, didn’t you?”
“Oh… no, not really. Just feeling a bit worn out.”
“Hmm….”
Won Hyuk studied him for a moment before speaking.
“Shall we eat, Father?”
“Eat?”
“Let’s make something. I’ll cook.”
With a grin, Won Hyuk pointed at the rice cooker. Then, like a commercial model, he struck a playful pose, holding a rice paddle in one hand.
They found the rice, stored in an airtight container, and cooked it. Most of the side dishes had spoiled and were inedible, so they had to look for alternatives. Just then, they spotted a Chuseok gift set. Inside were carefully preserved cans of tuna and luncheon ham. There was even a pack of seaweed, still well within its expiration date.
Won Hyuk moved through the kitchen as if it were his own, handling everything with practiced ease. He even searched through the pantry and used pasta sauce as a substitute for ketchup.
“All done. Father.”
In the dimly lit corner of the kitchen, two flashlights rested on someone else’s table space, casting a glow over their meal. After dishing out two bowls of rice and setting the utensils, Tae Yujun picked up his spoon—only to pause, feeling strangely awkward.
“It’s been so long since I’ve had a meal like this.”
“Same here.”
Tae Yujun took the first bite. The rice was warm, cooked just right, and tasted better than expected. After eating only cold rice in the bunker, the heat and freshness made all the difference.
“It’s really good.”
“My cooking skills aren’t too bad, huh?”
“Yeah. It’s delicious. Thank you.”
As Tae Yujun spoke, Won Hyuk chuckled softly. Reaching out, he brushed away a speck of seaweed from Tae Yujun’s mouth. Startled, Tae Yujun jerked back. Won Hyuk retracted his hand awkwardly, scratching his chin.
“By the way, Father, since it’s just the two of us, how about a little chat?”
“Huh?”
“The last time we were chased by zombies and crashed at that TOEIC academy, we were too busy standing watch to talk. But this time, we’re full and relatively safe. Let’s chat.”
Stretching with a playful wink, Won Hyuk leaned back. With a full stomach and the warmth of the meal settling in, Tae Yujun nodded.
“Sure thing, that sounds good. Come to think of it, we haven’t had a real conversation in a while. What should we talk about?”
As soon as he asked, Won Hyuk rested his chin on his hand and posed a question.
“What’s your type?”
“My type? Why are you asking that?”
Tae Yujun frowned at the unexpected question.
“Why not?”
“Why bring that up in a situation like this…?”
“What’s this? You can’t even answer a simple question?”
Gulp. Tae Yujun swallowed a sip of water, feeling cornered.
“I don’t have a specific type per se. I can’t date or marry anyway, so even if someone beautiful appeared, I wouldn’t pay attention.”
“Is that so? Then, next question. Hmm… what made you decide to become a priest?”
He couldn’t say he had been abandoned because of his strange powers, nor that the monastery was the only place he could return to. Naturally, he had come to rely on God. But explaining how he sought comfort in prayer and eventually found his calling was too complicated. It wasn’t a story just anyone would believe, so he settled on a simpler answer.
“I knew… from a young age that this was my path.”
He kept his voice calm.
“Never wavered? You must’ve known worldly life is more fun, right?”
“Never.”
That, too, was a lie. His faith had been riddled with doubt and uncertainty. Ever since his powers manifested and made him an object of fear and resentment to his adoptive parents, he had questioned God.
Is God really on my side? Does He love and care for me? If so, why give me these powers? For what reason? Just why?
“Really? Not even once?”
Tae Yujun remained silent. Won Hyuk shrugged.
“Well, if you don’t want to answer, that’s fine. I was just curious. I wondered how someone with a face like yours ended up as a priest.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Frowning, Tae Yujun lifted his head and studied Won Hyuk. Even in the dim light, the flashlight illuminated the sharp angles of his face, the scar below his eye, and the smirk tugging at his lips.
“You really don’t know?”
Tae Yujun rubbed his cheek, blinking.
“What’s wrong with how I look?”
“You look sexy, Father.”
“M-Me? Sexy?”
Flustered, Tae Yujun dropped his spoon. Won Hyuk, resting his face on his hand, replied casually.
“Yeah. Incredibly so.”
“I… I’ve never heard that before.”
“Oh, everyone thinks so. They just don’t say it because of your job.”
“That can’t be true.”
Embarrassed, Tae Yujun shook his head. Finding his reaction adorable, Won Hyuk chuckled.
“You must’ve been living without looking in the mirror.”
“No… That’s not it. I just don’t look like that.”
Unable to handle the absurd conversation any longer, Tae Yujun abruptly stood. He’d eaten enough anyway, and it was time to do the dishes.
As he hurried to clear the table, busily moving the dishes to the sink, Won Hyuk approached him and suddenly slipped his arms around him from behind, as if hugging him. If someone had seen the scene, it might have looked like a romantic gesture between lovers.
“What’s with this pose? I’m leaving. Please move.”
“If we ate together, we should do the dishes together.”
“Not like this.”
Annoyed, Tae Yujun smacked Won Hyuk’s arm—hard.
“Ow! That hurt.”
Feigning pain, Won Hyuk pulled back. Tae Yujun, choosing to ignore him, silently cleared the seaweed packet off the table.
While Won Hyuk washed his dishes, Tae Yujun stepped into a small room and glanced around. It appeared to belong to Kim Eun-jin’s older brother.
The space reflected the tastes of a young man. Photos of athletes were pinned to the walls, and an expensive-looking computer, along with its peripherals, caught his eye.
Noticing the large clothes in the closet, Tae Yujun figured her brother must have been a big guy. He grabbed a loose-fitting T-shirt and pants before heading into the bathroom.
Using someone else’s bathroom felt a little awkward. But in a ruined world where even stealing rice and side dishes had become necessary, borrowing some clothes and soap didn’t seem like much to dwell on.
“Hoo…”
Opening the bathroom cabinet, he found unused soap and shampoo, along with new toothbrushes and toothpaste. He took them out and began washing himself.
After his first proper shower in a long time, Tae Yujun dried his hair with a towel. His reflection in the mirror revealed his wet body.
“…Hmm.”
What’s so sexy about this face? Pretending to be serious, Tae Yujun objectively evaluated his own face.
Translator’s Note: Chuseok gift set, traditional gift given during Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), one of Korea’s biggest holidays. These gift sets are typically exchanged among family, friends, and business associates as a gesture of gratitude and goodwill.