Chapter 2 - Intimidation (2)

By chance, a man taking shelter in a nearby house noticed Boyeon's drone. He had clearly seen it depart from her residence and was knowledgeable enough to identify it as a combat drone.

As Boyeon peered at the screen, the man entered the house, checked inside, and traced the drone back to the study, managing to elude its sensors by momentarily concealing himself behind a door. The sight of a young woman operating a military drone caught him off guard. Upon laying eyes on Boyeon, he aimed his gun at her.

"I-I'll do anything you ask... please don't kill me..." Boyeon pleaded, terrified, as if the gun might discharge at any second.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, he soon realized her usefulness.

"If you weren't a woman... I'd have no use for you."

"I-I'm... hic, an adult, so please..."

He didn't kill Boyeon.

In exchange for her being his 'woman'.

---

The man who had menacingly held her at gunpoint now appeared as tranquil as could be. Boyeon, previously teetering on the brink of collapse, slowly regained her composure with time. Nothing seemed imminent, prompting her to strategize an escape from the predicament.

Her once submissive eyes, reminiscent of a puppy's, began to cast off fear and sharpen in awareness. With 'vigilance' seemingly inscribed in her gaze, she watched the man survey the bunker. It was unmistakably Boyeon's home, yet he roamed as if he owned the place.

Neither the man nor Boyeon, lacking the courage to initiate conversation, broke the enduring silence.

As the day turned to evening, Boyeon, usually indifferent to food when alone, felt hunger pangs, likely from her drained energy. She recognized that in times of crisis, food becomes a valuable commodity, and by accommodating the man, she might prove herself useful in other ways.

"Excuse me... did you... eat yet?"

Boyeon gathered courage and spoke out.

"Is there anything you'd like me to cook...?"

"Are you an alien?"

Cool eyes stared at Boyeon. There was no change in his facial expression, so she was confused as to whether it was a joke or not.

"No, I'm just flustered...."

Boyeon excused herself and brought out some food. Although there were no fresh products, there were many types of convenience foods. There was a freezer and access to fire and electricity, so she was able to prepare it quite nicely just by heating it.

The man sat across from Boyeon, silent, then took a spoonful of her fried rice.

“…….”

Boyeon felt an odd sensation; it was her first shared meal since descending into the bunker. The absence of human contact had been profound—no sight, speech, or shared meals.

Despite his intimidating presence, he was human, and that fact alone was significant.

Boyeon found herself stealing glances, her lips quivering, words teetering on the edge of escape. The man was struck by her naivete; Boyeon stood out among Seoul's survivors. Her three months in the bunker had preserved more than her safety; her demeanor remained untouched by the chaos outside. She was reminiscent of a skittish dog, one that recoils from a stranger's harsh step but soon returns, tail wagging, seeking closeness. Had it been pretense, he would have been disinterested.

"Excuse me..." she uttered at last.

Finally speaking, he regarded Boyeon with an indifferent expression and corrected her.

"Joo Dokyung."

Boyeon pondered the newly learned name. Joo Dokyung's name, which resonated with a kind-hearted aura, seemed at odds with her impression of him.

"Ah, my name is Moon Boyeon..."

He had introduced himself first, and Boyeon followed suit, but his expression remained cold, almost as if to say, 'So what?'

"What's it like outside...?"

Hesitant to address him by name, Boyeon instead inquired about the outside world. She was eager for news and needed information. Regrettably, the only source available was the man before her, Joo Dokyung, who appeared to be perpetually wandering Seoul, fully armed.

"Didn't your drone just show you?"

"I saw it... but it's odd that the zombies are stationary, and there were no humans in sight..."

Despite being irritated by Boyeon's apparent lack of essential survival knowledge, he patiently explained to her.

"People aren't active during daylight. That's when those creatures take over."

"Why is that?"

"Typical zombies lack intelligence, and their hearing is inferior to humans', but they're afflicted with night blindness. Their brute strength makes them difficult to confront unarmed. At night, if you conceal your presence, it's safer."

"But... didn't I just see you running around in broad daylight?"

"It seems you've really been out of the loop."

He uttered it with a sigh, his gaze on her tinged with pity.

"Because I'm immune."

"Oh..."

He's immune.

It all clicked into place. Boyeon understood what it meant to be immune. She couldn't help but envy the man who, at the very least, didn't have to fear turning into a zombie.

"I saw it on the news. There's a significant number of immune individuals..."

"They estimate about 1%."

1%. That's one in a hundred. A small percentage, yet still a considerable number. Boyeon couldn't help but wonder if she might be one of those rare few.

"Do you need to be bitten by a zombie to determine if you're immune?"

"Only if there's no other way to test it," he replied nonchalantly.

So, has he been bitten by a zombie too?

"Usually, they seek more to infect. If they believe you're infected and one of them, they'll suppress their hunger and hunt for new prey. The foolish ones won't attack those immune they've bitten before, thinking they're already infected."

"Are you implying there are different types of zombies?"

"Aren't you aware of the mutants?"

"Mutants...?"

He seemed like someone burdened with a tedious chore.

"Mutants are those who will attack and consume both zombies and humans to grow and heal. Some possess intelligence, others have extraordinary strength, and some appear bizarre. They vary greatly."

“…….”

Does that mean that they are constantly evolving?

In an ecosystem, 'selection pressure' is a concept where, in the face of a crisis threatening survival, species may evolve to endure, although this process typically requires a vast amount of time. Yet, zombies seem to disregard this entirely.

Boyeon, unable to ensure victory even against a single ordinary zombie, struggled to fathom the extent of the world's descent into chaos.

"Even ordinary zombies consume and regenerate."

"Ah..."

Reflecting on it, she recalled observing through the drone that some zombies, despite having their clothing ripped off in large pieces, retained their intact limbs.

Zombies, medically dead due to the cessation of their cardiopulmonary functions, did not decay or stiffen, and instead grew stronger, seemingly possessing alternative methods of recovery, akin to resurrection.

"They roam the streets, consuming every corpse in sight. The absence of decay in Seoul is due to their efficiency in leaving no remains."

Boyeon gazed at him, her expression one of disapproval for his choice of words. Yet, it was evident that this conversation had alleviated her fear of Dokyung. So captivated was she by his narrative that she remained oblivious to her own reactions.

---

Please read at toralatte.wixsite.com/translations