RE: Survival - Chapter 8

In truth, Yohan was confident.

It wasn’t recklessness—just confidence grounded in objective reasoning. Gangsters. How many people could they have killed in their lives? Ten? Twenty?

In contrast, Yohan had killed thousands in his previous life to survive. His resolve toward life and death was fundamentally different from theirs. They wouldn’t stand a chance against him. However, one question remained:

“Do they have guns?”

That was the real concern.

“I didn’t see any,” Seri replied. “Anyway, let me get to the point.”

That was a relief.

While Yohan was lost in thought, he sensed movement from Seri. When he looked her way, she was taking off her coat.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m offering myself to you.”

“This isn’t the time for jokes. Put your clothes back on.”

“I’m not joking. I need someone on my side—someone who will save my sister and protect me. After watching you fight, I’m sure of it. Right now, you’re my only option.”

“I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken. I don’t save or protect people. I only kill. You should try Gun instead.”

“Not a chance. He’s way too soft,” she scoffed.

Yohan ran a hand over his face, exasperated and parched.

“Love can come later. I like you, and it’s not a bad deal for you either, is it?” she said with unshaken confidence, a reflection of her good looks.

It was a ridiculous situation, yet not entirely unfamiliar.

Sadly, in an apocalyptic world, sex was both the strongest weapon a woman could wield and the most dangerous vulnerability. As time passed, it only became worse.

Yohan had experienced this many times before—women trying to seduce him to secure the most powerful man in camp. It was an instinct for survival.

In fact, Yohan didn’t usually reject advances unless the woman posed a threat. Satisfying sexual desire was, if not as crucial as eating or sleeping, still an important way to manage stress.

But love had no place in any of it.

Perhaps Seri had grasped this faster than others.

Yet, as she said, this was not a good deal for Yohan.

“Let’s just pretend I didn’t hear that. I can’t promise to rescue your sister or take responsibility for you.”

“Shame. I was starting to get excited,” Seri murmured, half pulling down her leather pants with a provocative grin.

This mischievous little brat…

It was maddening, but Yohan detested owing anyone a favor.

He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. “Fine. One life for each time. That’s the usual kind of deal, right?”

Seri smiled, clearly satisfied with the suggestion.

“Alright. Shall we get started?”

Yohan returned her smile, but his eyes gleamed with cold humor.

“No.”

“…Why not?”

Yohan lit a cigarette, more irritated by the situation that had pushed this girl to act this way than by her actual offer.

“First, I’m not dumb or reckless enough to jump at the first suspicious woman throwing herself at me in the middle of all this chaos. Second, I’m not enough of a scumbag to touch a girl who’s clearly scared. And lastly…”

Yohan’s gaze dropped to Seri’s hand, which was trembling ever so slightly. No one else would have noticed, but not Yohan.

No matter how bold she acted, she was still just a kid—one who had clearly gone through great lengths to put on this facade.

“You’re not even my type. I don’t like kids. Now get dressed and focus.”

Seri’s expression twisted slightly in frustration.

Yohan exhaled a cloud of smoke, amused at the absurdity of the situation.

He hadn’t expected to have such a conversation, especially since he hadn’t even decided whether to settle in this camp yet.

When he glanced back at Seri, she was smiling brightly, as if she found the situation amusing regardless of the outcome.

Yohan let out a dry laugh. For a moment, he even entertained the absurd thought that she might have approached him just for the fun of it.

He couldn’t remember ever being particularly popular. Oh well. It didn’t matter.

Snuffing out his cigarette, he turned to Seri.

“Why do you look upset? Did I offend you?”

Seri clicked her tongue and shrugged as she put her jacket back on. “Nah, just thinking.”

She eyed him closely. “Is that a bulletproof vest?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. You’re thorough,” she said, her eyes wide with surprise.

Her reaction made sense. Yohan was dressed like a soldier heading into battle—his entire body covered. His face and neck were wrapped in a scarf, he wore leather gloves, a bulletproof vest, and combat boots.

What Seri couldn’t see was even more extreme. Hidden weapons were strapped to places no one would imagine. Knives were tucked in garter-style holsters on the outside of both thighs, and a small razor blade was taped between his legs. His boots contained emergency escape tools.

“So you really won’t save my sister?” Seri asked.

“Maybe. I can’t promise anything. If I end up staying here and killing those bastards, I might save her. But did those guys hurt anyone? How many of them were there?”

“No, they didn’t hurt anyone. There were six of them. Gun and Hyuk got roughed up a bit, though. Gun tried to stop them from taking people, and Hyuk lost it when he saw his brother get hurt.”

“You’re telling me six unarmed guys overpowered you all? And the others just stood there?”

“They were holding bloody hammers. Everyone was too busy crying.”

Seri hesitated before adding quietly, “…Including me.”

Yohan let out a dry cough, more out of pity than anything else.

“Help me with the cleanup. If we don’t secure this place, none of us will last long.”

“Let’s be clear about the deal. Will you save my sister?”

“Don’t count on it. If things get too hard, I’ll just leave.”

“Are you scared of those people too?” Seri asked.

“I wouldn’t say scared. If necessary, I’ll eliminate them all. I just haven’t made up my mind yet.”

“Made up your mind about what?”

“Which camp deserves to survive—this one or theirs.”

“What? Those people kidnapped my sister!”

“But they didn’t hurt anyone, right? Not that it justifies their actions,” Yohan replied calmly. “If they become a threat, I won’t hesitate to kill them. But aside from you, Jung-hwan, and the Gun-Hyuk brothers, the rest of the people here…”

Yohan added nonchalantly, “They seem pretty useless. I’m even thinking about taking a few capable ones and leaving. Securing the whole mart is too much work—escaping would be far easier. I’ve already scouted a few camps that could support a small group.” (TL Note: I like how you think! )

This camp had survived so far through sheer luck and the efforts of a few individuals. It wasn’t suitable as a long-term base.

Yohan held no grudge against these people; fear of death was a natural response. But time was running out, and realistically, only those with the right mindset would survive.

“You’re scary, you know that?” Seri muttered.

“Enough with the nonsense. I need to talk to Gun.”

Yohan decided to abandon any attempt to persuade the camp members. They couldn’t even stand up to humans, let alone zombies.

But he had a backup plan. He intended to use Gun’s influence. It wasn’t yet time for Yohan to assert control, and Gun needed to remain the group’s leader.

When Yohan found Gun, the man was grinning knowingly, scratching his head.

Did he overhear everything?

“How did it go? Talk to the people?” Gun asked.

“Yeah. Made me want to quit halfway through,” Yohan said bluntly.

Gun burst out laughing. He was being honest—it was hard to care whether these people lived or died. Yohan wondered if these were even the same people he had met in his past life.

Maybe it was all about timing.

Given enough trials, these people would eventually grow into reliable survivors. But for now, it was too soon.

“Gun.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re not thinking of abandoning this camp, are you?”

“What do you mean by abandoning it?”

“Just that. Securing the entire mart looks difficult. What if we leave? We could take a few people with us and find a better camp.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” Gun said, smiling brightly.

Seeing his face, Yohan knew he couldn’t voice his genuine intentions. He even considered leaving the camp alone, but Gun was too valuable to abandon.

“There are too many people here. Do we really have to take them all?” Yohan asked.

“Of course.”

Yohan groaned softly.

“Alright, let’s try this.”

He laid out his plan step by step.

When Yohan finished, Gun’s expression darkened.

“Isn’t this a bit… too harsh?”

“Not at all. Get real. You’re not their guardian or leader. And there’s no way you can save everyone in this state. Everyone has to protect themselves.”

Gun couldn’t argue with the logic. With Yohan’s urging gaze pressing him, Gun finally relented, calling over his brother.

“Hyuk, gather everyone.”

Before long, all the survivors were assembled in one place.

Yohan silently counted. **There are way too many people here,** he thought.

As the group gathered, Gun stepped forward to speak. Yohan, observing from the back, quietly slipped out of sight.

“What’s this about?” one person asked.

“I need to talk to you about our plans moving forward,” Gun announced.

The murmuring died down as everyone focused on him.

“According to Yohan, the government and military are no longer functioning properly. We can’t just sit around waiting for rescue. We need a long-term plan. Our water supply won’t last much longer, and we only have about a month’s worth of food.”

“So, what are you going to do?” someone in the crowd asked.

“We’re going to block the main entrance and kill all the zombies inside the mart.”

The murmurs grew louder. Someone shouted, “That’s impossible!”

“I’m calling for volunteers,” Gun continued. “And after this mission….”

He hesitated for a moment—it was hard to say what came next.

“We’ll divide all future supplies only among those who participate.”

“That’s unfair!”

The grumbling turned into an uproar, and someone yelled angrily. Gun flinched—he wasn’t used to anyone shouting at him.

“Gun, that’s not right. Are you saying those who can’t fight should just die?”

“I’m sorry, but if we don’t do it this way, no one will volunteer, and we’ll all end up dead. Those who can’t participate will need to trade with the participants for food later.”

“This is insane…”

“I’m not finished yet.”

The room fell silent again.

“If the mart runs out of supplies or we get attacked and need to relocate, anyone who doesn’t participate won’t be taken with us.”

The groans and jeers that followed hit Gun hard.

**I risked my life to fight for these people.**

Now, when he asked them to fight by his side, they responded with cold rejection—through their words and their eyes. (TL Note: Well, that’s human nature.)