Infected - Chapter 480



Only Noblemtl

Episode 479

Behind the village.

Chanyeol looks around as he arrives at the solar panels formed along the mountain ridge.

This place, where the trees were cut down and the modules were laid down, was just like a power plant.

While Chanyeol stood there, dumbfounded by the scale of the place.

Someone appeared between the pitch-black panels.

A middle-aged man with a bushy beard and long hair reminiscent of a homeless person.

He was Mr. Kim, who managed all the facilities in Paradise.

“Are you here?”

“Yes, sir. I thought you called me.”

“I?”

“Uh… Daewoong hyung said that.”

“A fool is talking nonsense.”

Chanyeol, unable to find the right words, followed him with a forced smile.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

Instead of answering, Kim threw a long-handled brush.

Then he gestured towards the panels that were as dense as a forest.

“Wipe it.”

“yes.”

While Chanyeol was cleaning the panel, Mr. Kim checked to see if there was any damage from the strong wind.

How much time has passed like that?

Chanyeol, who was sweeping the panel over like he was cleaning a window with a roller, glanced at me and asked.

“mister.”

“why?”

Kim, crouching under the panel, answers curtly.

“There’s a lot of glass cleaner in the warehouse. Wouldn’t it be better to clean it with that?”

“Damn, who said that?”

“No. It’s not that anyone else did that, it’s just my thoughts… … .”

“Does this just look like a plate to you?”

Mr. Kim asked, tapping the panel with his fingertips.

“sure?”

“It has a special coating, so if you use a detergent, it will all come off, Inma. You always have to be careful until you are ready to maintain it for a long time.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I’m going to freeze to death.”

“But why are you here, sir? You’d probably get much better treatment if you went to Myeonggyo Bridge or Nambu Terminal. It’s bigger and there are more people there.”

“This is my home, where are you going?”

“Huh? Home?”

“Yeah. The gray roof over there is my house.”

Mr. Kim’s fingertips pointed to a house in the center of the village.

“Have you lived here before?”

“How many times do you ask the same question?”

“Oh, I thought you came in later like me.”

“You bastard, you came in here after being kidnapped.”

“… You know.”

“Stop talking nonsense and just clean up properly. What was your rank when you were in the military?”

“I was promoted one rank from corporal to sergeant.”

“From now on, just call me Sergeant.”

“why?”

“How do I know you got promoted or killed someone to steal their uniform?”

Mr. Kim was the type of person who blurted out everything.

Still, I didn’t feel bad because I didn’t sense any malice.

Of course, it didn’t matter even if I felt malicious intent.

Isn’t it Chanyeol who was known to be picky in the company and was manipulating Choi Hoon to his liking?

I could easily accept this much.

“Hey, would I lie about something like that? But why did you call me?”

“I told you I didn’t call you?”

“Really? Then I’ll go back?”

Instead of answering, Mr. Kim coughed and tightened the screw.

“Why did you call me?”

“Just shut up and wait. Man, these days, people… … .”

Eventually, Chanyeol gave up on talking.

First of all, I decided to clean the panel as he told me to.

After about an hour of silence.

As I cleaned up frantically with my shoulders soaked from digging, I started to feel a little queasy.

“mister.”

“Why again?”

“Can I just smoke one cigarette?”

“Are you a kid? Why are you even asking that?”

“… Yes, then I’ll go and smoke it.”

Chanyeol sat on a pile of snow that had been pushed to the side of the road by snow removal work.

The solar panels are located at the top of the village.

I didn’t notice it before, but when you get to a high place, paradise has quite a charm.

With the unobstructed view, the entire city center can be seen at a glance.

While I was smoking a cigarette and thinking about this and that.

Mr. Kim approached.

“Is it delicious?”

“Do you burn cigarettes for the taste or just smoke them?”

“Give me one.”

“What about the old man’s things?”

“This kid is so petty.”

“Yes, here it is. Would you like some fire?”

Mr. Kim did not smoke the cigarette he was handed, but put it behind his ear.

Then he sat down on a cardboard box placed on top of a snowdrift.

“The weather is really annoying. There aren’t many zombies left to kill anymore, so isn’t it time for the cold wave to go away?”

“I don’t know. It might snow again if we keep doing this.”

“Words become seeds, you.”

At that moment, a white lump fell onto the bridge of Chanyeol’s nose.

It was snowing like a lie.

A laugh escapes Chanyeol’s mouth as he looks up at the sky.

“…Wow, this is ridiculous.”

Whatever.

When Mr. Kim saw the snowflakes, he started laughing like a crazy person.

I don’t know if it was because it was fun that things turned out the way I said, or because of Chanyeol’s reaction.

Anyway, he laughed like crazy.

“Oh my, it’s been a while since I’ve laughed like this. That’s why you should have been careful with what you said.”

The snow that had been falling intermittently had now turned into thick sleet and was falling.

“Oh, I wiped it for nothing. It’s not good if snow piles up here.”

“What’s wrong with that? We can just clean it up again when it melts. For now, let’s just… go and look at the snow.”

Mr. Kim couldn’t help but smile after seeing the snowflakes.

“No, sir, aren’t you feeling wronged?”

“what?”

“We’ve been clearing snow for days. If we don’t stop, we’ll have to do it again.”

“What the hell is a young man worried about?”

Chanyeol, who was about to say something, closed his mouth.

He was someone I couldn’t communicate with at all.

But seeing Mr. Kim, who had been frowning all day, so happy made me feel good.

Under the sky where heavy, calm snow falls.

The two people watched the snow pile up little by little and each lost themselves in their own thoughts.

Many people were watching the falling snowflakes all over town, including at the workshop.

While some people are busy with the tiresome snow removal work, others are savoring the romance contained in snowflakes.

Mr. Kim took off his gloves and muttered while exhaling white breath.

“Daewoong said that. He said you’re good at handling machines. He said you’re good with your hands.”

“I’m good at a lot of things.”

“Anyway, whenever I get the chance, I just… … .”

“It’s true.”

“Okay, you go learn something from me.”

“What’s going on?”

“The amount of work to do is increasing, but there is no one with the skills, so I am planning to hire an assistant.”

“There’s also Daewoong hyung.”

“He’s no good because his hands are thick and clumsy. He also walks slowly. Thanks to his kindness and quick wit, he’s able to manage the workshop.”

“I see… … .”

“So are you going to do it or not?”

“What will you teach me?”

“Air conditioners, heaters, boilers, plumbing, water, generators… It’s hard to count them all. Anyway, if you want to learn, I’ll teach you everything I know.”

“What on earth were you doing, sir?”

“What could it have been? Just a maintenance worker.”

“Hey, how does a regular installer assemble a solar grounding system?”

“I know about modules because I run my own business. Oh, so what are you going to do?”

Chanyeol couldn’t answer right away.

When I saw Mr. Kim hanging out at the facility all day, I knew that if I followed him around, I wouldn’t have any time to spare.

And when evening comes, I can’t go out, so I don’t have time to meet Joshua.

Simply put, there were several problems that arose in making an escape plan.

However, there was another reason why I couldn’t reject it outright.

Where else can you learn these skills if not now?

In a world where there are not many living people.

That was holding Chanyeol’s ankle.

“Do I have to decide right now?”

“What are you worrying about that’s so great? Are you just going to sit around in your boring workplace all day?”

“That’s not so bad… … .”

“A young man should learn skills, skills. Technicians will become more valuable in the future. It’s definitely good to learn. Don’t complain and do as you’re told. There will be chaos without doctors and technicians. Unless you do something really crazy, you won’t die at the hands of anyone.”

“What is that? I didn’t have a choice in the first place.”

“If you don’t like it, come up with a reason why you can refuse. If you’re going to talk nonsense, then at least think about studying hard.”

“… Since when do you start doing it?”

“From now on. I will blow away all the distracting thoughts that are filling your head. Follow me.”

Chanyeol, who couldn’t think of anything to say in return, followed Kim.

It was an afternoon when heavy snow was falling.

* * *

Late afternoon.

It was time for dinner, but Chanyeol couldn’t leave Kim’s personal workshop.

Because Mr. Kim asked people to distribute food, he had no choice but to eat here.

Chanyeol puts down his spoon and slowly looks around the workshop.

It was a very small space compared to a public workshop, but it had everything, as if a hardware store had been moved there.

Chanyeol was startled when he felt dust on his hands after touching the dusty workbench.

“Sir, when was the last time you cleaned?”

“Why is that?”

“No, there’s so much dust here. Are you actually working here?”

“You have to eat some dust and inhale some mold to be healthy, Inma. If you stay clean, you’ll be ready to die.”

“… How could that be?”

“Even if it’s real?”

“Yes. Well, I guess that’s true.”

“Tsk tsk, what a talking bastard.”

Mr. Kim, who had finished the remaining porridge in one go, clicked his tongue as he looked at Chanyeol’s back.

“So what do you want to learn first?”

“First of all, today is a theoretical training session.”

“Huh? Theory?”

Chanyeol’s head, which had been caressing the tool, suddenly turned around.

“You need to know something to do the work. Let’s start with the basics. I’ll do it for you with the attributes.”

“How long will it take to learn everything?”

“You seem determined to end this before it even starts.”

“I have to meet Sua twice a day.”

“Why? Why do we have to meet?”

Chanyeol felt suffocated.

There was nothing to say, and it was impossible to talk about escape out of the blue.

If I say anything, he threatens to tell Raon.

“It’s just… he’s my regimental leader, and we’ve known each other since before I came here. So I rely on him.”

“The will is frozen to death. Go outside. Is there a place as good as paradise? Here, just feel alive and be grateful. That’s right.”

“Can’t you comfortably meet the person you want to meet?”

“Why don’t you just start a household?”

“I can’t prepare it because of you.”

“But this little bastard won’t say a word… …!”

Mr. Kim bit his lip and stood up holding a long stick.

It was a shoehorn you might see in the front porch of a home.

“Huh? Put that down. You’re not going to hit me with that, are you?”

“I promised Raon that I would make you a technician. I convinced the people who were against it, so shouldn’t I show some results?”

“No… Why are you making the decision among yourselves without even listening to the parties involved? And then you talk as if you’re doing something great?”

“It’s right to give something great. There are people lining up to learn skills from me. If you learn this, you’ll be recognized and live wherever you go.”

Chanyeol, who was about to refute, was dumbfounded.

Even if it was not my intention, there was nothing wrong with what Mr. Kim said.

The question is, why are you suddenly showing him this kind of generosity?

“So why me?”

“I told you. Daewoong recommended it.”

“ha…….”

Chanyeol dropped his gaze while holding his forehead.

If we continue like this, won’t we really be able to put down roots in paradise?

I have a burning desire to return to my group as soon as possible.

I want to see Joshua happy to see his father.

At this point, Kim couldn’t just keep crying.

“Okay, fine. I apologize for not asking your opinion. Then you decide for yourself. What do you want to do? Do you want to learn something from me, or do you want to sit around all day and mess with parts that you don’t even know where they go?”

“How long… How long will it take? Please be specific. You must have a plan.”

“One month.”

One of Chanyeol’s eyebrows twitched.

“It’s too long.”

“No. I can’t give in any more than that. Do you think it’s possible to teach that many things in one month? Since it’s me, I’ll at least try.”

Maybe there’s another reason.

Chanyeol, who had been deep in thought, eventually had no choice but to nod.

I was too curious about Mr. Kim’s intentions to just reject him and turn away.

“… Okay. I will do it.”

“Okay. Good idea. I’ll teach you the skills, and this shoehorn will help you overcome your limits.”

Mr. Kim approached me with a shoe horn and said with sparkling eyes.

Right then.

Someone knocked on the workshop door.

Infected people