[ Chapter 20 ]
“Yes!”
Hastily running through the hallway at the sound coming from the 5th floor, the men who had lost interest started working again. Ian and Deon. Only the two men persistently stared at my departing back.
Ian might be insane, but why is Deon acting like that? I knew he hated me, but his gaze this time seemed twisted in some way.
I went to the restaurant with a slightly excited feeling that I had something to do.
The restaurant in Building C was a wide hall in the shape of a dome, as befitting a space where nobles gathered. Passing through several branches of marble dining tables, the kitchen came out when I opened the back door.
“You really come?”
The man who was busy chopping onions widened his eyes. His name was Martin, if I recall correctly. He appeared to be around my age and was the only one among the group of survivors who looked similar to me, so I remembered his name.
“Yes, I felt like I couldn’t just take advantage of the situation. I had to do something not to be a burden.”
“If you put it that way, our rescue efforts would become meaningless.”
A playful smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. Seeing his efforts to respect me as much as possible, I feel a newfound enthusiasm.
“What can I help you with?”
“I would appreciate it if you could keep me company and talk with me.”
“Keep you company and talk with you?”
Feeling helpless, I looked around.
Although everyone turned their heads once at the appearance of a guest, they all seemed busy. They were washing dishes, grilling meat, or doing something else, such as watering scallions instead of flowers in an extravagant pot.
Do you mean there is nothing for me to do among all these tasks? I shrugged my shoulders.
“I have to do something to cover for my accommodation.”
“The price of the accommodation will be solved.”
“Well, Miss Lemony has something to do. It’s something that only Miss Lemony can do.”
“What would that be?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. In order for a group to form even in this hellish place, people need to fulfill their roles.”
What the hell does that mean?
“Okay? Then can I focus on cooking?”
Thud, he briskly finished the conversation while wiping his washed hands on the apron.
“…I’m sorry for disturbing you.”
Although I couldn’t understand the exact meaning, all I could do was smile and nod my head. Group. That was the word I wanted most right now, because if I wanted to be a part of their group, listening to their words would be the wisest choice.
“Then, I’ll be going now.”
I greeted him with a bright tone and left the restaurant, heading up to the 6th floor. The red carpet laid on the ivory-colored marble floor, the elongated arched glass windows, and even the chandeliers reflecting the sunlight were all beautiful. However, the corridor that I thought was beautiful suddenly felt overwhelming. I was the only one here who wasn’t busy.
Martin said that I had something to do, but he could have surrounded me to separate me from my inquiries.
Hmm. What should I do about this?
I was wandering around the hallway with nothing to do, when suddenly someone walked down the hallway and entered the room.
A woman?
My neck stiffened as I stopped in my tracks. Come to think of it, I was the only woman in that place.
◆
When the men who were fighting against the monsters came back, the dinner preparations began in earnest. The people who were on guard on the 4th floor carried the prepared medicine boxes and treated the injured, while those who were not injured went to their respective rooms to wash up and change into clean clothes.
“What’s for dinner tonight?”
“Rosemary-infused roasted chicken and corn soup. Fortunately, we still have plenty of ingredients for the food.”
“Wow, tonight is meaty.”
I feel like a lost child in the bustling atmosphere. The only place I could go to without hesitation was the restaurant. As soon as I entered, I looked around for that woman, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Who was that woman?
As I thought about it, the only ones who had been resting and doing nothing during the daytime were that woman and me. Is the awareness of gender equality still low in this world? But if that were the case, they probably wouldn’t have treated me like a princess like this.
I must ask today. This place was unfamiliar, so I had to do my part to be recognized by others.
I clenched my fist on my knee, suppressing my restless heart. As I looked around for Rob, a low chuckle echoed above my forehead.
It was Deon.
An indifferent gaze rose up to my forehead. He nonchalantly took my side as he towel-dried his hair, naturally occupying the seat next to me.
Thanks to him, I felt the stark height difference between us.
I wanted to avoid him for no reason, so I slightly turned my thigh to avoid him, but a strange scent came from his nose. It wasn’t bad.
If I had to judge, it was a good scent that made you turn your head while walking on the street. So when I hesitantly looked at the side I had been avoiding, water droplets were hanging from the end of his neatly combed hair.
Perhaps he had just taken a bath.
As Soon lowered his gaze with his thick face, his watery red eyes had a particularly thick humidity in contrast to other spaces. When the scent of soap mixed with the distinct smell of the wind, goosebumps ran down my spine. Then, shamelessly occupying the seat next to me, he swept his wet hair back and drank water. The large neck that shook as he swallowed, exposed by the wind, was swaying up and down.
It was both scary and attractive to see him like that.
“….Deon. If you’re greeting me,”
I tried to hold it in until the end, but the sound of me swallowing involuntarily was heard particularly loudly. Enough for Deon to notice.
“I’ll move to a different seat.”
Suddenly feeling embarrassed, I tried to get up from my seat, but a firm grip grabbed my wrist and forced me back down.
“Where are you going?”
He whispered without even looking at me, holding onto my wrist.
“I’ll leave here around 1 a.m. today. Stand in front of the door at the same time.”
“Pardon?”
I thought I had misheard. I opened my eyes wide and looked at him, but Deon’s gaze was still elsewhere.
“Are you leaving this place? Why?”
The original work was already distorted, and I didn’t even know what kind of situation would arise in the future. Leaving this safe house right now was like a suicidal act.
But a smirk crossed his indifferent expression.
“It seems like you haven’t seen these guys doing things.”
I frowned.
“No. I saw it. I’ve seen people struggling hard to survive.”
“Yeah. They are like idiots who only dig holes without thinking about escaping.”
What?
As stubborn words silenced me, an uncomfortable silence settled between Deon and me for a moment. He must be frustrated because he had gone to the trouble of chaining me up in order to take revenge on me, but things didn’t go his way.
“….Then you go alone. I’ll stay here.”
Then finally, the person who had been sighing lightly at my response turned their gaze to me.
“Does this sound like a suggestion?”
As expected, he was scary. My face turned pale at his chilling question that made me feel like my whole body was freezing, but I forced my voice and recognized the people entering the restaurant.
“Deon. I have a whistle, and now I have fellow officers. If you want to get out, go by yourself. I’ll stay here.”
“Fellow prison officers.”
I wonder what he didn’t like. The tone of his response became deeper as if he were criticizing my words.
For a moment, he looked at the pumpkin I had grabbed with an annoyed expression, then let out a sigh as if giving up, and burst into a breezy laugh before getting up from his seat.
“Well, it’s better for you to be with your fellow officers than with a prisoner like me. You’ll have a good time today.”
After ending the conversation, he moved to another seat.
As other men started to gather around him and become friendlier, Deon, who still looked emotionless, didn’t give me a single glance and continued talking without acknowledging my presence.
Why the hell he’s acting like that toward me?
I finally let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I knew he didn’t like me from the beginning, but today it felt different and more frustrating.
“Are you adjusting well?”
However, I had no time to entertain any negative thoughts as people kept coming up to me one after another.
“Mr. Rob.”
“Why are you calling me ‘Mr. Rob’, fellow first-class officer?”
“Oh, you must be the new one.”
When Rob, who had a kind smile, sat down across from me, his colleagues who had been following him sat around me one by one.
“Hello.”
Now is my chance. I’m definitely going to ask today.
“You seemed a bit reserved when we first met, but it seems like you’re eating and sleeping well now. You seem to be getting used to us.”
“Thanks to you.”
I responded with an awkward smile, Rob who was tearing the distributed chicken with his hands widened his eyes.
“Can you see that? She still feel stiff.”
“Rob, it looks like that to your stiff eyes.”
“What I meant was that Lemony should relax a little more. Lemony, are familiar with military?”
“It’s a place similar to military. You have to survive, you know.”
As the tension dissipated, there was laughter at the table.
“Lemony. No matter how desolate we are to survive, but I didn’t want that, so I saved the survivors and formed a group. We’ll take care of the soldiers, so I want you to be a good citizen.”
“What?”
“It means this is a social group, not an army. There’s a soldier, there’s a cook, there’s a doctor, there’s a place like that.”
I responded to his words with a polite smile, and then I entered the full-fledged question.
“What about me?”
“You? You can be a decent citizen.”
“That’s not what I mean. What can I do to be recognized as a member of this group?”
“Why are you so curious about it?”
“…. I want to be acknowledged as a member of this group.”
Laughter burst out again. The man next to me even put his arm on my shoulder, saying that it was cute. Amidst the noisy chatter, I felt a gaze from a man not far away. It was Deon.
“Has Rose not told you yet?”
“Rose can’t speak, so she can’t tell her anything, Rob.”
“Ah, right.”
Smirk, Rob leaned back against the backrest. He pointed his head in a playful face that comes out when comfortable with people and then stood up from his seat.
“If you’re curious, go ask Rose. Anyway, I’ll let you know what you’ll be doing soon, so see you then.”
He got up from his seat before I even had a chance to greet him, and went back to his serious expression as he held a meeting with the officers. Feeling a bit disappointed, I tried to get up and leave the food behind, but as I looked into the distance, I met eyes with someone who had a sharp gaze. It was Deon again.
As he stared at me with an indifferent look, he smirked and muttered something with a mocking expression.
It’s better to confide in me rather than that guy.
Feeling embarrassed by the awkward conversation, I got up from my seat.
◆
Thank you for reading!
