Chapter 23
Ah, there’s a saying that goes—if you wake up feeling refreshed in the morning, you should check something.
Yongcheol opened his eyes. Strangely, he felt incredibly refreshed. The unusually peaceful morning was suspicious.
It felt like stepping into a fairy tale, with birds chirping and the warm sunlight streaming through the window. Despite the lingering traces of deep sleep, comforting sounds like the wind outside the thin door greeted him pleasantly.
A leisurely morning. For Yongcheol, this was perhaps the best morning he had woken up to in the past few years.
The bed was just right for him. Yongcheol blinked as he turned his body on the bed.
Despite the peace, a strange sense of unease gradually grew. Yongcheol was no Snow White. Such a peaceful morning didn’t suit him.
‘How long has it been since I had a morning like this? Surely, just yesterday….’
As he reminisced about the not-so-distant past, his body suddenly stiffened.
“Ah! What time is it now!”
Today was the day he was supposed to meet the informant from the Incheon area. That guy was a pain, quick to throw a fit if Yongcheol was even a minute late.
Yongcheol jumped out of bed and grabbed the clock on the bedside table. Even amidst his thoughts of “Arriving at work in five minutes,”—of course, he’d never actually been to work—and considering whether to skip shaving, wear yesterday’s T-shirt for one more day, or skip washing his face altogether, Yongcheol’s desperate brainstorming quickly faded. It was because what caught his eye was the shorthand of the clock, which was close to the number 9.
It was 8:40 in the morning.
“Huh? I’m not late?”
Yongcheol’s eyes, darting around in a panic, finally settled. He gradually began to realize the situation he was in and how terrifyingly cruel this world had become.
Damn. Late, my ass.
Though it may be short, to him, it felt like an eternity had passed. He had forgotten about the excessively peaceful morning that had come because of the long absence of such experiences.
Since the appearance of the infected, “being late” has disappeared from this world.
No, it’s more accurate to say that the definition of being late has changed. It’s not just being late that has changed. Yongcheol looked back on what had disappeared and how his life had changed because of it.
His friends who used to scold him without mercy for being late to appointments, the small club stage where he used to perform as an underground rapper, his fellow rappers, and the few loyal audience members who used to cheer him on as he performed together, and even his mother who used to nag him about whether he would ever grow out of his hip-hop phase or his rap phase—all of them no longer existed.
Because the moment someone is late, a punishment unlike any other, far beyond a mere scolding, awaits.
One day, in an instant, the virus spread. The city, once filled with people, is now only populated by infected. Once human, these infected now only have one goal: to devour humans.
In a world where such creatures roam, being late, or being one step behind others, only meant death. The concept of time, down to the minute and the second, had disappeared long ago.
However, if that’s the case…
Yongcheol quickly shook off the sudden melancholy and sadness. He wasn’t the type to dwell on sadness for too long. Instead, Yongcheol pondered his sudden peace.
What was this strange, refreshing, and subtly unsettling feeling?
Did he sleep too deeply?
Did he sleep without washing up yesterday?
But even if that were the case, it was too refreshing, wasn’t it?
Refreshing and…?
“Why… why do I feel so refreshed?”
Yongcheol got out of bed and looked around.
His own secret base he built in this ruined world. Whether it was Seoul or Incheon, it was his own paradise where people would come without fail to exchange information.
Of course, such a place shouldn’t feel uneasy. It should always be bustling with people. Yongcheol tilted his head.
Was his brain sending him signals to get to work quickly, warning him that he’d starve if it stayed this quiet?
No, that’s not it.
Yongcheol muttered to himself. He contemplated. And finally, as he opened the door and stepped out, the answer became clear to him.
“Ah shit…”
The space where he always parked his Jeep was completely empty.
Spotlessly clean.
Choi Yongcheol quickly identified the culprit.
“Agh, Min Ahyeon!”
Grrrr. The invisible dragon, or rather, Choi Yongcheol, roared.
After the appearance of the infected, the greatest virtue in human society was silence. Even during the day, there could be infected nearby, so making noise without reason was a perfect way to invite criticism from those nearby. Sometimes, you’d even get chased away.
Of course, seeing Choi Yongcheol making noise for no reason, some people passing by couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
Among them, some thought, ‘Has that bastard finally gone crazy?’ and opened their eyes wide in disbelief.
Normally, Yongcheol would have quickly bowed and apologized, “Oh, I’m so sorry.” But this was a different matter. The furious Yongcheol stomped his feet.
“You said you wouldn’t borrow it! You said you won’t!”
His neighbors knew that Choi Yongcheol wasn’t exactly the most patient person. But seeing him lose his temper like this was a rare sight to behold, so curious onlookers quickly gathered.
“What’s going on?”
“Ah! My Jeep! Min Ahyeon!”
It wasn’t the most polite explanation. But in this ruined world, events tended to have similar outcomes, and with just a few words from Yongcheol, people immediately understood what mischief Min Ahyeon had done.
Everyone started offering sympathetic words to Choi Yongcheol.
“I knew it since he started hanging around with Min Ahyeon.”
“You got played, huh?”
“She cleaned you out completely, didn’t she?”
No, they eagerly started cursing Ahyeon. Ahyeon, who would ignore them completely if they couldn’t pay her properly, even when begging, was the black sheep here as well.
Yongcheol knew it. They weren’t taking his side. they just wanted to badmouth Ahyeon. Yongcheol’s already disgruntled expression darkened further.
If my kid misbehaves, it’s my job to discipline them. Of course, if Yongcheol referred to Min Ahyeon as “my kid,” Min Ahyeon would be the first to object. But for now, she was his kid.
My precious Jeep… taken by my kid.
Ah. My Jeep is my kid too.
In summary, my kid took my kid. Isn’t it right to curse her then? Isn’t Ahyeon deserving of some cursing?
But Yongcheol immediately concluded. Even if I curse, I’ll do it. After all, I’m the only one allowed to curse at Min Ahyeon right now. With that in mind, he growled at the spectators who were badmouthing Ahyeon.
“What are you all gawking at? Seen someone get their stuff stolen by Ahyeon for the first time?! And I wasn’t even robbed, I lent it to her! Huh!”
Someone snickered at Yongcheol’s indistinct rant.
“You wouldn’t trade that jeep for a fortune, would you?”
He raised his voice with a grunt.
“Ah, of course! That’s why I lent it, like a generous person!”
Trying to save face, even though Ahyeon had taken it. Someone let out a mocking chuckle.
Yongcheol flailed around, insisting it wasn’t true, but hardly anyone believed him outright.
Argh! Yongcheol wildly flailed his arms and legs. People started to lose interest one by one, leaving Yongcheol in chaos. Thanks to the commotion he caused, his temper finally subsided. Yongcheol went back into the shop. And as soon as he saw his empty shop, he screamed again.
“She really has lost it. She’s gone crazy!”
Clenching his fists as he plopped down on an empty table, Yongcheol muttered.
That Jeep was no ordinary Jeep! I told her about it just yesterday!
But she didn’t even listen to a word I said!
“Anyway, when she comes back, I’ll…”
The anger wasn’t subsiding at all. Yet, he couldn’t simply lash out and break things, as everyone here was Choi Yongcheol’s precious ‘kid’. Eventually, just as he was about to strike the table with a force that would make the bones ache, something caught Choi Yongcheol’s eye.
[Mutant Infected]
🕂
Thank you for reading! ♡
