“Don’t like the combat team?”

“No, I’m fine with it.”

“Then why are you acting like that?”

“I don’t know. Just wanted to stir things up a bit.”

Seol Yeo-won narrowed her eyes and looked at him with a displeased expression, and seeing this, Choi Hyun sighed and spoke up.

“Sorry, this guy is like that. He just does whatever he feels like.”

Even in the midst of all this, Jeon Wan-soo was laughing to himself, finding something amusing.

Before the others got irritated, I clapped my hands to gather everyone’s attention.

“Alright, this is just a formality. Just know that things may change depending on the situation.”

Right after, Yoon Hye-ri checked the cans in her hands and asked me.

“Oppa, should we eat lunch first?”

“Yeah, let’s have a meal first.”

Then, Kim Hee-yeon, who was next to Yoon Hye-ri, pointed toward the back and said.

“Oh, there’s some butane gas over there. I’ll bring it all.”

Although the food had been completely wiped out, many other miscellaneous items were still intact.

I wandered over to the kitchenware section, wondering if there might still be a decent kitchen knife left.

It seemed that many survivors had already cleared out the kitchen tools, leaving the knives, frying pans, and cutting boards all gone.

The survivors had only taken what they needed.

Where could they have gone?

---

After cleaning up the center of the supermarket, we set up the burner and bowls and sat down.

Yoon Hye-ri and Kim Hee-yeon worked hard, sweating as they prepared food.

The food they made had a strange color, but it smelled savory.

It looked like soybean paste soup, but there were no solid ingredients in it.

I took a spoonful and tasted it, and the peculiar texture made my mouth feel dry.

It had a familiar taste and smell, but mixed in was a sweet sugar flavor.

But what kind of taste was this?

“What’s this?”

I asked, re-adjusting my taste, and Yoon Hye-ri gave an awkward smile as she replied.

“It’s hardtack porridge. Does it taste weird?”

“It’s not weird, but it’s… interesting.”

Yoon Hye-ri pouted slightly as I didn’t quite seem to like the expression “interesting.”

It wasn’t that it tasted bad… but I couldn’t pinpoint the flavor.

It was just strange.

At that moment, Park Jae-woo coughed and spoke.

“Well, it tastes good, that’s all.”

“Right? It’s not bad, is it?”

Yoon Hye-ri asked, her face brightening, and Park Jae-woo nodded indifferently, giving a thumbs-up.

Choi Hyun glanced back and forth between Yoon Hye-ri and Park Jae-woo, squinting his eyes, then leaned toward me.

“Jae-hyung.”

“Ah, you scared me. What’s up?”

The sudden whisper sent a chill down my spine.

Maybe it was just the way he spoke, deep and low, but it felt like something crawling in my ear.

Choi Hyun gave me a sly grin, covered his mouth with one hand, and whispered.

“Don’t you think those two have something going on?”

“……”

Hearing Choi Hyun’s words, I looked closely at Yoon Hye-ri and Park Jae-woo.

They were glancing at each other, smiling shyly or scratching their heads in embarrassment.

Could it be…?

The thought was so absurd that I let out a small snort.

Then I looked at Choi Hyun and spoke in a quiet voice.

“Does everyone else know?”

“Probably not?”

“Don’t tell the others. Let’s keep it low-key.”

“Why? Isn’t that the fun part? …Ah!”

Seol Yeo-won suddenly pinched Choi Hyun’s cheek.

Choi Hyun rubbed his sore cheek and glared at Seol Yeo-won.

At that, Seol Yeo-won motioned for him to follow and said.

“Both of you, follow me. Even General Goon needs to eat.”

“You could’ve just said it. I thought I was gonna starve to death.”

Choi Hyun grumbled as he got up.

Could it be that Seol Yeo-won noticed the strange tension between Yoon Hye-ri and Park Jae-woo?

Was I the only one who didn’t notice?

I scratched my sideburns awkwardly and got up.

When I opened the bus’s cargo hold to take out the dog food, Seol Yeo-won called me.

“Jae-hyung.”

I turned around, and Seol Yeo-won pointed toward the supermarket with her chin.

“What are you going to do about those two?”

“What do you mean? Just leave them be.”

“I don’t know. Are you sure it’s fine to leave them like that?”

Seol Yeo-won crossed her arms and gave a rather serious expression.

No dating between the team members.

Is that what she was worried about?

I shrugged my shoulders and said.

“There’s no need to interfere, is there?”

“This isn’t something to take lightly. It could muddy the waters.”

“Why would them dating cause any trouble?”

“If a life-or-death situation arises, do you think they’ll be worried about their voices? Or will they be looking out for each other?”

At Seol Yeo-won’s question, I rested my chin and thought for a moment.

Indeed… that could become an issue.

For the team to move as one, everyone has to fill in each other’s weaknesses.

If those two get distracted by their personal feelings and only care about each other…

There’s bound to be a gap.

Knowing what Seol Yeo-won was worried about, I cleared my throat and said.

“I know what you’re worried about, Yeo-won. You and I, both of us are the type to think ahead, so I understand.”

“……”

“But we can’t control people’s personal emotions, can we? You should know this better than anyone since you mentioned it yourself.”

“……I did?”

“You said it before, that we should see whether the team stays together or falls apart.”

Seol Yeo-won fell silent for a moment after hearing what I said.

Not long after, she let out a sigh and spoke.

“I think… I’m starting to become more like you.”

I tilted my head curiously, looking at her. Seol Yeo-won brushed her bangs aside with another sigh and followed it with a bitter smile.

“I feel like… I’m turning into someone without much humanity.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I didn’t have any humanity?”

“Back when Jang-goon first came, wasn’t that the case?”

Thinking back, I had been a bit… rigid at the time.

It was Jung Jin-woo and Seol Yeo-won who had softened me.

I smiled faintly and replied, “Then I guess I should become more like you. That way, we’ll balance each other out.”

Seol Yeo-won stared at me with a displeased expression, sighed repeatedly, and shook her head.

Then, stuffing her hands into her pockets, she spoke.

“So, we’re just going to watch over those two for now, trusting that they understand the situation well enough?”

“Exactly.”

Rather than interfere and create unnecessary friction, our role was to step in and mediate only if what we were worried about actually happened.

Eventually, Seol Yeo-won nodded, indicating her agreement.

Tap-tap! Tap-tap!

Suddenly, we noticed Jang-goon pawing at the bus door and jumping excitedly. He must have smelled the snacks and gotten worked up.

As soon as I opened the door, Jang-goon sprinted over and clung to my calf.

Woof! Huff-huff!

I picked him up, cradling him in my arms, and asked Seol Yeo-won, “Should we bring Jang-goon inside?”

“Yeah, let’s do that. It’ll be safe since we’re eating indoors.”

Once we’d more or less settled the issue, Choi Hyun, who had been quietly listening to the discussion, pouted and said, “If you two were going to decide everything, why’d you even call me over?”

“So you’d know what’s going on.”

Seol Yeo-won smiled faintly and grabbed both Choi Hyun and me by the arms, leading us back to the supermarket.

---

After a simple lunch, we returned to the bus to allocate everyone’s roles.

While the solar panels charged, we needed to establish a defensive perimeter.

Jung Jin-woo looked around and pointed to a five-story villa across from the supermarket.

“What about there? That used to be a study café.”

Though the building’s exterior was obscured by mist, I could clearly recall its appearance.

The first floor housed restaurants, the second floor was the study café, and the third to fifth floors were residential spaces.

With no nearby buildings blocking sunlight and no zombies in the vicinity, it was an ideal location for recharging.

I nodded and turned to the group.

“Bring the solar panels and follow me.”

Everyone, regardless of gender, helped move the panels to the building’s front. I went ahead to check the interior.

The building seemed recently abandoned, with little dust and none of the musty smell characteristic of derelict spaces.

After ensuring safety on each floor, we moved the solar panels inside together.

Park Jae-woo and Hwang Deok-rok set up the panels, while Yoon Hye-ri and Kim Hee-yeon washed used dishes in the first-floor restaurant.

Jung Jin-woo and Jung Jin-young began setting up barricades inside the building, with assistance from the search team.

Once the defensive position was mostly established, I called over Choi Hyun to ask about the location of the next supermarket.

He walked to the window and pointed diagonally.

“It’s about 700 meters in that direction.”

“That’s quite far.”

“Not if we take the car.”

“You’re thinking of using a car?”

I had assumed we’d walk, but Choi Hyun responded as if it were obvious.

“How else are we supposed to carry food back? You think we can fight zombies while lugging supplies with both hands?”

“I was planning to secure the path first and carry the supplies by hand. How do you expect a car to fit in there? The alleyways in the one-room apartment complex are notoriously narrow.”

“A mid-sized car should be fine, don’t you think?”

“We have to account for the modifications we’ve made, too. The sides are packed with attachments.”

“Wan-soo could drive. He’s got better visibility.”

“It’s not about visibility!”

As the discussion escalated, Seol Yeo-won stepped in, mediating with a calm voice.

“Walking is the better option. Those alleys are already narrow, and if zombies surround the car, we’d lose our escape route.”

Jeon Wan-soo, standing behind her, nodded in agreement.

“I agree. Judging by the corpses and debris we passed on the way here, the survivors who used to be here likely set up barricades. Driving a car in there would be risky.”

Seol Yeo-won gave Wan-soo a surprised look.

Feeling self-conscious under her gaze, Wan-soo scratched his head awkwardly.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m just surprised you’re making sense for once.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? When have I ever said anything that didn’t make sense?”

“Maybe not nonsense, but you’ve said plenty of unnecessary things.”

“…….”

The two stared each other down, locking eyes in a wordless battle.

Wan-soo raised an eyebrow at me and asked, “Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult? Why does it feel weird?”

“It’s a compliment.”

“Ha… What a strange way to compliment someone.”

Wan-soo chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

I turned back to Choi Hyun, who sighed and said, “Guess I’ll go along with the majority opinion. Not like I have much of a choice.”

I patted his shoulder and walked over to Jung Jin-woo and Jung Jin-young.

“Hyung, we’re heading out now.”

“To the supermarket? Got your walkie-talkie?”

“Yes, it’s right here.”

“Let us know if anything happens, and don’t take unnecessary risks.”

After reassuring them, I called out to the rest of the group.

“Let’s go.”

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