By Zephyria 
“Haha… I didn’t know Chief Kim was in charge of medical affairs.”
“Ah, I’m in charge today. I think they said I’d be in charge of the barn tomorrow… It seems to change every day.”
“You haven’t been here long either, have you, Chief?”
“Yeah. I came three days ago. I’m still adjusting, so I’m a bit out of it.”
Eden listened quietly to Ha-jin and the man’s conversation. As expected, Chief Kim wasn’t Lieutenant Colonel So’s man. You could tell just by the fact that he was the only one wearing a police uniform in this place full of soldiers.
‘No, I’m confirming… I will!’
‘I haven’t heard… anything from Lieutenant Colonel So. Please leave now.’
‘If you keep doing this… I won’t stand… for it… either.’
Recalling the commotion outside the warehouse last night, it was clear that Chief Kim also harbored some resentment towards the system here. So did his subtle power struggle with Lieutenant Colonel So.
Eden, feeling less wary, actively inquired about the whereabouts of the person who killed Chun-beom.
“Chief Kim, have you seen anyone who’s a little under 170cm tall, stocky, and limps on their left leg?”
“Pardon?”
Chief Kim rolled his eyes at the sudden question and shook his head.
“I haven’t seen anyone like that. Is there something… By any chance, are you looking for the man in the black raincoat who harmed your colleague?”
“Yes. He’s definitely here.”
The man’s head tilted further to the side as if he was troubled.
“Haa. If it’s someone here and not a Rioter… Well, at least I haven’t encountered anyone like that since I arrived.”
“I see.”
Eden nodded and put the ointment in his pocket.
“Did you hand over the police car you came in to this place too?”
Chief Kim’s eyes widened at the sharp question that followed.
“How did you know that?”
“I saw soldiers driving around in a police car, so I was curious and asked.”
“Ah… Yes. Lieutenant Colonel So asked me. He said his Retona was acting up and asked if he could borrow my car for a while.”
Eden and Ha-jin exchanged meaningful glances. It was necessary to check Lieutenant Colonel So’s Retona, which was supposedly acting up. If they were lucky, they might be able to steal a Tactical Vehicle and escape when they left this place.
The tires of military vehicles were different from ordinary tires, so they could easily drive on damaged roads. An Armored Vehicle would also be perfect for blocking zombie attacks.
After finishing the treatment, Eden and Ha-jin left the convenience store. They kept an eye out for Corporal Shin, who might be watching them, and checked the ticket booth at the main gate right below. Two soldiers with long rifles were guarding the front.
After looking around for anything unusual, the two turned back towards the dormitory.
❖ ❖ ❖
When they woke up after catching up on sleep, it was just past 6 PM.
“Dinner’s ready.”
Following Corporal Shin’s guidance, the two headed to the cafeteria and received the same rice balls they had seen earlier that day.
Before eating, Eden excused himself to go to the restroom. In his absence, the men sitting in groups whispered about Ha-jin. Harsh words like ‘dirty,’ ‘gay,’ and ‘faggot’ struck his eardrums.
Annoyance surged to the top of his head, but he chewed the rice ball thoroughly, engraving the word ‘patience’ in his mind. He even cherished the one egg that came out as a special treat.
It was ironic that he was accepting the enemy’s food to avenge Chun-beom, but he decided not to think about it too deeply.
“You’ll choke. Eat slowly.”
Eden, who had returned to his seat, kindly brought water and placed it in front of Ha-jin. As soon as he returned, the accusatory whispers stopped as if they were a lie.
‘They only curse when they know they can get away with it, these sneaky bastards…’
Ha-jin swallowed his sorrow, realizing the vast difference in their status once again.
Perhaps because he couldn’t bear to see two men clinging to each other on the bed, Corporal Shin brought in another cot just before bedtime with a frustrated expression. He probably brought it from another sector where they had extras.
“Just sleep separately. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Ha-jin had been wondering how they were going to sleep together in the cramped bed, so this was an unexpected stroke of luck. He cheered inwardly. He had been sitting with his back against the hard wall when he took a nap earlier, so Corporal Shin’s unintentional kindness was actually welcome.
“Oh, thank you.”
The man frowned at him as if he had seen all sorts of strange people, but Ha-jin was just relieved that he could sleep comfortably without being separated from Eden, even though the constant contempt wasn’t pleasant.
“Aren’t you being too obvious about liking it? It makes holding hands feel pointless.”
Eden secretly chided him for being so cheerful. Ha-jin smiled and sorted the messily mixed cards into order. The lights went out while he was organizing the ten Card Decks on the bed.
His fingers were stiff because he hadn’t practiced for almost two days. Sitting with his back against the wall, he practiced the False Shuffle in the dark.
“What are you planning to do now?”
Ha-jin asked. Krrr- Hrrr-! Thanks to the loud snoring of the soldiers lying on the nearby beds, their conversation didn’t leak outside.
“First, I need to find solid evidence that proves Park Chun-beom was killed.”
“The man in the black raincoat? If it’s Lieutenant Colonel So, wouldn’t he have gotten rid of that person a long time ago?”
“There’s no need to get rid of a subordinate when manpower is already lacking. He probably assumed that we didn’t see his face because his body was covered by the raincoat and just left him alone.”
“What if you can’t find him?”
“I’ll forget about revenge and just steal an Armored Vehicle.”
“…Then, while we’re at it, should we steal some weapons too?”
Eden chuckled silently, shaking his shoulders at Ha-jin’s boastful voice.
“Do Ha-jin, you’ve become very brave.”
“It’s all or nothing, I guess. There’s nothing more to lose when I’m being treated with contempt for pretending to be gay.”
“Do you hate it that much?”
The fingers flying over the cards slipped. Clatter-. Ha-jin, momentarily flustered, awkwardly picked up the cards that had fallen on the pad. Eden, who had been watching quietly, muttered in a lowered voice.
“It seems like you hate it a lot.”
“No, it’s not that I hate it, it’s just that my hands get too sweaty, and I’m worried Jeong Tae-geon will feel uncomfortable if we hold hands.”
“Excuses.”
“……”
At the voice that sounded somehow sulky, Ha-jin dropped the cards again.
…Sulky?
For the Jeong Tae-geon to be sulking, it was as unrealistic as the story that the earth was square.
He raised his head slightly and met Eden’s eyes, who was sitting on the bed and looking at him with a fierce gaze. He felt a slight chill, but he dismissed it as a figment of his imagination and hurriedly brought up another topic.
“Do you believe the story that the zombies in the metropolitan area will be caught soon? Or that they can contact the higher-ups?”
“I don’t believe it. You don’t believe it either, do you, Do Ha-jin?”
“How did you know?”
“I figured you’d notice the disconnected phone line quickly.”
As Eden said, Ha-jin had noticed the ivory-colored telephone in the Lieutenant Colonel’s room and the charger that was half pulled out of the wall. There was no need to talk about it further. He sighed heavily and muttered.
“I miss Byeol. And Mi-so, and Jeffrey too.”
“They’re probably doing well on their own.”
“…But I’m still worried.”
“Even though he often says silly things, Jeffrey is quite capable. Not to mention Yun Mi-so. It won’t be easy for her because she has a child, but Byeol isn’t clueless, so he’ll follow along well.”
He felt a sense of relief at the firm voice that didn’t contain even a hint of doubt. Ha-jin tried to calm his chaotic mind.
“Then that’s a relief. Now I just need to do well.”
“You’re doing well enough.”
He casually complimented him and lay down on the bed. Feeling embarrassed for no reason, Ha-jin hurriedly said goodnight.
“Sleep well.”
The okay sign with the index finger and thumb touching returned.
Not long after, Ha-jin also laid his tired body on the bed.
“Take one more cold medicine and sleep.”
Eden, who he thought was asleep, handed him the water bottle he had prepared.
“Thank you.”
Ha-jin pressed the back of his hand against his face, which was heating up again, and swallowed the pill.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Jeong Tae-geon, it seems the Lieutenant Colonel is looking for you, so you can go that way. Do Ha-jin, you can go to the hay warehouse and take care of feeding the sheep. Private Gu will show you.”
The day at Misan Ranch started at 6 AM. After eating an early breakfast, the two, along with the soldiers gathered on the left side of the campsite, were assigned tasks by Corporal Shin.
Ha-jin rubbed his eyes with a face that still hadn’t shaken off the sleepiness. When he woke up, his wrist, which had been treated with ointment again, was already glistening. Eden whispered in his ear.
“I’m going to see if there’s anything I can salvage from the residence, so you should go to the feeding Experience Zone below the hay warehouse.”
“I was going to go anyway because I keep hearing zombie noises. It seems like there’s an electricity generation facility down there too, so I’ll check it out while I’m there.”
“It seems like you’ve memorized the map.”
“It’s a piece of cake.”
He stroked the top of Ha-jin’s head as if he was proud of him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end for a moment, and his shoulders curled inward. As expected, the faces of the soldiers who had been glancing at them intermittently were fiercely contorted.
‘So what, you narrow-minded homophobic bastards.’
He, who had become spiteful after pretending to be a gay couple in the midst of a love affair of the century for just one day, leaned his head slightly on Eden’s shoulder as if to show off. Some of the soldiers made vomiting gestures.
Meanwhile, Eden looked at Ha-jin, who had suddenly leaned his face on his shoulder, with a puzzled expression before turning his gaze in the direction he was looking at.
The soldiers, who had been contorting their faces, reflexively averted their eyes.
“We’ll gather at the cafeteria at exactly 12 o’clock, dismissed.”
Corporal Shin, who had resolved the chaotic situation, shouted dismissal. Ha-jin followed Private Gu, who had a buzz cut, and moved his steps.
*False Shuffle: A technique of pretending to shuffle a deck of cards while maintaining the original order of the cards