ZFS Chapter 16

Baldy screamed at the top of his lungs as he fell onto his butt, the sound waking the zombies and signaling their presence. Despite not having eyes, Baldy could sense they were coming to life—evident from the swift descent of their forms from the tree.

 

“Help! Somebody, help me!”

 

His legs trembled, barely able to support him. Still, he scrambled up, running for his life. He had no idea which direction led to the bunker, so he dashed blindly in desperation. Then, Tae Yujun’s voice sliced through the chaos.

 

“This way!”

 

Tae Yujun stood by the tunnel entrance to the bunker, calling out. Baldy quickly darted toward him and immediately hid behind him.

 

“Hey! Do something about that monster!”

 

He shouted, shoving Tae Yujun forward.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Tae Yujun froze in shock at the unexpected push. At this rate, he would collide head-on with the charging zombie.

 

Instinct kicked in, and he stretched out his hand, trying to signal the monster to stop. But such a gesture was futile against a zombie. If anything, it only gave the monster something to target.

 

“Ahh…”

 

Just as the zombie’s jaws neared his outstretched hand, everything spun. Tae Yujun felt himself being pulled into an embrace—it was Won Hyuk.

 

“You bastard!”

 

Won Hyuk’s furious voice boomed beside Tae Yujun’s ear. Swearing with extreme anger, he jammed a rock, larger than his fist, into the zombie’s gaping mouth. Crunch! The sound of shattering teeth echoed as the zombie flailed in agony.

 

Even amidst the chaos, Won Hyuk’s hand stayed in the zombie’s mouth, clutching the rock. Tae Yujun’s heart raced with fear, terrified that one wrong move would cost Won Hyuk his hand to be bitten.

 

“Brother! It’s too dangerous! Pull your hand out!”

 

“Father, hide behind me. Quickly!”

 

With his free arm, Won Hyuk dragged Tae Yujun behind him and then pushed forward with brute force. The zombie, overpowered by Won Hyuk’s strength, stumbled backward uncontrollably.

 

Crack. The back of the zombie’s head struck a tree, and it slumped motionless. Only then did Won Hyuk cautiously retrieve his hand from its mouth. Tae Yujun rushed over, anxiously inspecting his hand.

 

“Brother!”

 

“I’m fine. I didn’t get bitten.”

 

“Are you really okay… Brother… oh, what do I do…”

 

“Haa… calm down. It’s over now. And, you.”

 

Won Hyuk pointed to Baldy, who was trembling atop a roadside tree.

 

“Me… me?”

 

“Yes, you. Just now, when the zombie charged, you shoved Father, didn’t you?”

 

“Ah, t-that… that. I panicked! I didn’t mean to. Honestly…”

 

“Fine. Let’s say that was an accident. But what are you doing out here? Why are you outside the bunker alone at six in the morning?”

 

Baldy froze, unable to answer.

 

“Should I guess? It’s probably one of these two reasons. First, you wanted to be zombie food. Second, you were up to no good toward us. Which is it?”

 

“I-I swear! It’s not like that… I didn’t mean any harm…! It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.”

 

Won Hyuk sneered at the sight of Baldy trembling like an aspen tree. He crouched and picked up an awl from the ground.

 

“Then why were you sneaking around our truck with this awl?”

 

“Gasp.”

 

Spinning the awl in his fingers, Won Hyuk glared up at the man atop the roadside tree.

 

“You were probably trying to puncture the tires of our truck. I’ve heard your rustling noises since three in the morning. Good thing I followed you out.”

 

“I… I didn’t mean to…”

 

“That may be a stolen truck, but it’s mine now. And I don’t forgive anyone who messes with my things.”

 

Crack. Won Hyuk flexed his knuckles, popping them. Baldy dropped to his knees, pleading desperately.

 

“I’m really sorry! I was wrong! Punish me however you like, but please forgive me!”

 

“Fine, but… Baldy, you.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“You should probably look behind you.”

 

Baldy turned his head to look back. Before he knew it, a zombie in a business suit had crept up silently behind him, perched like a monkey with its mouth wide open.

 

“Ahhhhh!”

 

Won Hyuk grabbed Tae Yujun’s wrist and ran toward the bunker.

 

“Father, let’s move quickly.”

 

“Brother.”

 

“The sun’s coming up. Hurry.”

 

The rising sun illuminated behind them as Won Hyuk and Tae Yujun dashed into the tunnel, dodging the approaching zombies that were stirring awake one by one from utility poles and trees. Once inside, they secured the bunker door. But as they stepped further in, Won Hyuk clutched his head and staggered.

 

“Brother, are you okay?”

 

Tae Yujun, pale and alarmed, helped him sit down on the stairs.

 

“I’m not okay.”

 

“Where…? Don’t tell me you got hurt earlier?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then what’s wrong?”

 

“My head hurts a little.”

 

“…What?”

 

Won Hyuk, on the verge of tears, pointed to his own head.

 

“This damn annoying headache. Rub my head for me.”

 

“You’re joking around in this situation…?”

 

“I’m not joking. I’m serious. I can’t live without your hands now—what am I supposed to do?”

 

Won Hyuk exaggerated as though he had sustained a life-threatening injury. Tae Yujun hesitated. Was his head really hurting? It seemed like a joke, no matter how he looked at it. Yet, Won Hyuk continued to put on a pitiful expression, pleading for him to touch his forehead. Despite the inconsistency with his usual fierce demeanor, Tae Yujun couldn’t find an excuse to refuse. He placed his hand on Won Hyuk’s forehead.

 

“Ah, now I feel alive.”

 

Won Hyuk said, relaxing his expression. The throbbing pain seemed to fade instantly.

 

“Why did you do that? It was so dangerous.”

 

Tae Yujun couldn’t understand Won Hyuk’s actions. The situation just now had been excessively dangerous. He could have ignored Tae Yujun completely.

 

“Father was about to become zombie food. How could I just ignore that?”

 

“…wasn’t it because you needed me to find Dr. Jang?”

 

“What? That’s such a cold thing to say, Father. Sure, it helped in finding Dr. Jang, but that’s not why I saved you.”

 

“Then why?”

 

“Because you’re beautiful.”

 

Won Hyuk spoke as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

 

“Ha?”

 

“No matter how many times I say it, you still don’t get it. Are you pretending not to understand?”

 

As Won Hyuk added a few nonchalant remarks, Tae Yujun, dumbfounded, let out a hollow laugh. The soft laughter spilled out uncontrollably.

 

Then, amidst the empty laughter, a surge of hot emotion overwhelmed him. Tae Yujun’s eyes turned red.

 

Someone had protected me. Someone had stood in front of me, ready to get hurt. It was the first time in my life I had experienced anything like this.

 

“Father, are you crying?”

 

“No.”

 

“Don’t lie. Your eyes are red.”

 

“I’m not crying. Absolutely not.”

 

Brushing it off, Tae Yujun moved his hand from Won Hyuk’s forehead to playfully ruffle his hair, smiling faintly. Won Hyuk scolded him for his lack of sincerity.

 

It was the first time the two of them had shared such a conversation so comfortably.

 

---

 

A few days had passed since Baldy disappeared, and the bunker had grown peaceful. However, as the days of evacuation dragged on, people were beginning to wear down.

 

“Grandma, please eat some porridge.”

 

“How can I keep imposing on you like this? Thank you so much.”

 

“Make sure your grandson eats too. Just add cold water to the powder and stir it well.”

 

“We’re only surviving thanks to Father. I’m so grateful.”

 

The old woman clasped Tae Yujun’s hand tightly. Seeing her weathered hands, he almost sighed in pity but stopped himself when he noticed the child clinging to her waist, his eyes wide with innocence.

 

“When can we go outside?”

 

“I’ve told you not to ask that. How many times do I have to say we’ll leave when the time is right?”

 

The grandmother scolded her grandson in response to his innocent question. Tae Yujun found himself at a loss for words. After carefully choosing his response several times in his mind, he finally spoke.

 

“When the time comes, the door will open. Don’t worry too much—just wait patiently.”

 

“And when will that be?”

 

“Honestly, I’m not sure either. But if we endure and wait patiently, it will definitely open. I promise.”

 

Even Noah’s Ark, which seemed destined to drift endlessly at sea, eventually found land. God’s wrath, which had aimed to destroy the world, came to an end, and the rain that had flooded the earth eventually stopped.

 

Surely, the zombies pouring down from the sky would cease someday, too. Tae Yujun believed this with all his heart.

 

“When that day comes, we can have fun sword fights with this.”

 

He gestured to the toy sword the child clutched tightly. It seemed to be the child’s most cherished possession—despite its broken tip and the scratches here and there, the child carried it everywhere in the bunker. It was the only and most precious thing he had brought from the world before.

 

“So hang in there a little longer, and listen to your grandmother. Got it?”

 

“Got it.”

 

The child smiled innocently. Tae Yujun patted him on the head once and turned to survey the others.

 

With group structures now gone, people gathered freely in small groups of three or five to eat their meals. There were no protests about the food distribution, which was seen as fair, prioritizing the elderly and the weak.

 

Tae Yujun wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and began organizing the food supply boxes. But when he opened one, he found it empty. Someone must have miscounted, and it seemed the porridge he had just given to the old woman and her grandson was the last of it.

 

“Looks like I won’t have anything to eat…”

 

What should I do? He couldn’t take back what he had already given. Yet helping himself to the next meal’s rations felt like a breach of conscience.

 

As Tae Yujun stood there, lost in thought, someone suddenly appeared behind him, making their presence known. He turned around to find Won Hyuk.

 

“Brother.”

 

“Father, come here.”

 

Won Hyuk grabbed Tae Yujun’s wrist and led him to a small room next to the storage area. It was an unused space where no one slept.

 

“Why did you bring me here all of a sudden…?”

 

 

“Sit down.”

 

Tae Yujun glanced around the dim room and was surprised to see a clean blanket on the floor, as if recently placed, along with a piece of bread, some porridge, and a bottle of water.