## Chapter 42 – (10)
The two of us headed towards Minhyuk and Soyoon, who had finished packing.
Minhyuk was doing a final check of the luggage, making sure nothing was missing.
Next to him, Soyoon was sorting her things while also glancing at me with a flushed face.
“Minhyuk, Soyoon, how would you feel about staying at Oppa’s apartment for a while?”
“Hyung’s? Well, I’m fine with it, but what about you, Sua? Weren’t you against it?”
“…We don’t have anywhere else to go right now, and Oppa said he’d teach us how to survive.”
“Survive as in, like that swordsmanship?”
Minhyuk looked at me with an expectant expression.
Honestly, teaching weapon skills would be difficult.
Even I didn’t know how I became so good at handling weapons.
But I could teach them how to survive.
“I’ll try my best.”
If I could teach these three about skills and give them the real weapons hanging on my wall.
That alone would be enough for them to survive in this world.
Because they are the protagonists of this novel.
Minhyuk nodded, as if he sensed my sincerity.
“Soyoon, what about you?”
“Huh? Me, me?! Ah… I, I’m good with it! Oppa is so, dependable.”
Soyoon nodded, visibly flustered.
Then, when our eyes met, she quickly looked away.
She really did see it.
The door to the piano academy had a semi-transparent glass panel in the center.
If you focused and looked closely, you could see inside.
Originally, it seemed to be there so the teachers could walk around and check if the students were practicing properly.
She must have seen it through that door.
Soyoon’s cheeks flushed every time she made eye contact with me.
Sua was even starting to worry.
A little later, we all finished packing our things.
Even though my Strength level had increased, making me stronger and capable of carrying most of the luggage, the three of them strongly insisted that we divide it up fairly, saying it might hinder me in combat.
I could always help them if they had trouble.
I had lured the zombies to another building beforehand and cleared the zombies on the way to the apartment, so we moved forward without much interference.
If a zombie occasionally came towards us, I would approach it first and take it down.
I didn’t want to wait for them to get close and risk making noise near the three of them, which could put them in danger.
While I was taking care of the zombies, the three of them continued on.
“The apartment…”
“It’s almost here. This way.”
The apartment was located not far from the commercial district.
Now that only a few shops, not enough to call it a commercial district, were visible, the apartment building came into view.
“I feel like I’m going to cry a little.”
Soyoon looked at the apartment with teary eyes.
We hadn’t walked far.
Only about 10 minutes.
It was so close.
It only took 10 minutes to escape the commercial district that had seemed impossible to get out of.
Soyoon teared up, overwhelmed with emotion.
If she could make noise, she probably would have burst into tears.
Minhyuk also looked a little dumbfounded, saying he didn’t realize the apartment was so close.
Sua simply put her hand on Soyoon’s shoulder and comforted her.
“…”
The three of them reacted differently, but they all seemed to be feeling down.
It made me feel sorry for them.
Even though they were the protagonists of this novel, they were only in their early twenties.
They were still too young to overcome something like this.
“…Let’s go.”
“Yeah, I want to take a shower soon.”
Minhyuk spoke, overcoming the gloomy atmosphere.
Soyoon nodded and held back her tears.
Overcoming sadness was typical of them.
Once we entered the apartment complex, there weren’t many zombies, so we walked around a bit more leisurely, looking around.
We even put down the heavy luggage for a moment.
“There should be a lot of people in the apartment complex, just like in the commercial district, but there aren’t many zombies.”
“Maybe they all went out to buy food or supplies needed for survival? And the people who came back… were few.”
Minhyuk answered Sua’s question.
I thought similarly.
A significant number of the zombies in that commercial district were likely from this apartment complex.
Otherwise, it would be hard to account for such a large number.
Perhaps reminded of the zombies in the commercial district, the conversation between us abruptly died down.
I quietly led the way, guiding the three of them to my apartment.
The three of them followed me closely, occasionally letting out exclamations of admiration.
“Is this it?”
Soyoon said excitedly.
She was bouncing on her feet, eager to finally arrive at the place she had been looking forward to.
My apartment.
They would all be surprised, for sure.
I was the same way at first.
I climbed the stairs and opened the front door to my apartment. I stepped inside first, gazing at the unique scenery of the living room that I had seen so many times but still couldn’t get used to, and the other three followed cautiously.
“E, excuse me. Huh?”
“What, what is all this, Hyung?”
“…Wow…”
Each of them reacted with a different kind of surprise, looking around the living room.
One wall of the living room was covered with weapons and tools, and the other wall had shelves filled with canned goods.
It was only natural to be surprised by the sight of the living room, as if I had been preparing for this situation in advance.
“With this much, we didn’t even need to bring our own food, did we?”
Minhyuk picked up a giant can of tuna from the shelf and laughed in disbelief.
I chuckled lightly and said, “The more food, the better. Alright, everyone, unpack your things.”
There were many rooms.
Everyone conceded that the master bedroom was the owner’s, so Minhyuk and I decided to sleep there.
The women decided to use the smaller room, but it wasn’t much different from the master bedroom.
The only difference was the presence of a bathroom.
“The floor isn’t cold…”
“It’s a blanket.”
“I can’t hear the windows rattling.”
Perhaps because of their experience at the academy.
The three of them were grateful for even the smallest things.
I understood their feelings when I saw the blanket.
How could it be so fluffy and warm?
It was comforting just to look at it.
We were all a little tired from moving our luggage, and Minhyuk was the first to go into the bathroom to shower.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
Minhyuk called me as I was lingering in front of the bathroom door, planning to shower after him.
Minhyuk’s voice was calm, but it seemed to be trembling slightly, or maybe it was just my imagination.
“There’s no water.”
“Oh, the sink is the same.”
It finally happened.
The electricity was still working, but it was probably only a matter of time.
Day 1 of the escape.
The power and water had started to go out.
It was time to buy the [Residence Setting] item in the store for 50 points.
50 points.
It was definitely expensive, but it was cheaper than the benefits of having electricity and water.
[Residence has been selected.]
[Safe zone is being set.]
[Electricity and water are supplied indefinitely.]
[Duration: 6 days 23 hours…]
“Oh? It’s coming out again.”
I still had some points left.
Since I had the store open, I spent 100 points to buy a skill.
[Purchasing a random skill.]
[Acquired the skill: Dexterity.]
Dexterity.
“…What is this?”
I had acquired a skill, but it was the first time I felt so bewildered.
I had no idea what it was used for or what its effects were.
I felt like I had wasted 100 points.
I should have saved them.
“Hyung, I’m done showering.”
“Oh, okay…”
Minhyuk looked at me with a puzzled expression as I entered with a gloomy face.
Perhaps because of the comfortable sleeping arrangements, Minhyuk and Sua fell asleep early.
I understood.
Minhyuk had used a lot of energy building the ladder, and Sua was already exhausted from what happened at the piano academy before the zombie hunt.
Plus, they had taken a hot shower for the first time in a while.
And they had seen a comfortable bed with blankets, so it was only natural that they would lie down.
That meant that only Soyoon and I, who had finished showering, were sitting in the living room.
“Well, doesn’t it feel like it’s the first time we’ve been alone like this…?
“Ah… I guess so.”
I had been sticking with Sua to win her over, so it was rare for me to be alone with Soyoon.
“A, are you and Sua… in a relationship?”
“Huh? No? Sua and Minhyuk are dating.”
“I, is that so? Well, I knew that, but then why…”
Soyoon was stuttering in confusion.
Her lips were just moving like a broken doll.
“Did you… see it?”
I already knew she had seen it, but I asked casually.
Soyoon’s face turned red and she nodded.
“I, I saw it…”
“Sigh…”
I sighed and covered my face with both hands.
I looked up at Soyoon cautiously with a look of regret and said, “…Please keep it a secret from Minhyuk… I’m begging you. I’ll do anything…”
“…A, anything?”
Soyoon’s eyes widened at my words.
I don’t know what she was imagining, but Soyoon’s cheeks turned even redder.
It reminded me of when I first revealed my true colors to Sua.
I think Sua told me I could do anything back then too.
Except for kissing and raw sex.
“P, please give me some time to think.”
Soyoon ran into her room as if she were escaping.
“Hmm…”
I knew because I had the same desires.
Soyoon’s capture was not far off.
