Infected - Chapter 495



Only Noblemtl

Episode 494

Yeonhee climbed up onto the step installed on the western fence.

As I looked out at the city center spread out under the cloudy blue sky, many thoughts crossed my mind.

Events before and after the virus outbreak passed before my eyes like a panorama.

Clearly, the zombie virus has taken a lot of things.

The things I had lost were so numerous that it was hard to even count what I had.

But people survived, and as in the past, they were competing with each other to take what they had.

A world where the fence called law has disappeared.

Inhumane acts committed in the name of survival will only increase.

Yeonhee tied her hair back up as it was blowing in the wind.

And I thought.

What can one do in a world like this?

No, about what to do.

When I was lucky enough to enter a safe zone, I didn’t think about fate or give life much meaning.

I was just breathing to stay alive.

Then she met Il-dang, and Yeon-hee’s life entered a new phase.

It is a change of direction from a life of asking questions to a life of doing something.

Of course, the beginning wasn’t easy.

Living one’s life as the subject may be natural to some people, but at least that wasn’t the case for Yeonhee.

Then suddenly I realized.

That at some point I became extremely obsessed with survival.

It was a kind of attachment.

She didn’t have much to begin with, and she was just wandering around with no place to go.

I was pouring all my emotions of possession and obsession into survival.

As a result, all thoughts and choices became focused solely on survival.

Human life, the friendship that should be had between colleagues, and the love between the opposite sex.

To Yeonhee, they had become meaningless objects, like floating objects on the river.

Then one day.

He ended up killing an old woman, which led to his past murders being revealed and he was abandoned by his colleagues.

That incident shook Yeonhee’s life upside down.

I realized too late that I had been relying on my group more than I had imagined, and that I had felt a deep affection for them as if they were my family.

It was the moment when the solid wall that stood between her and the world collapsed.

But the whirlwind of fate would not leave her alone.

The shadow of death looming before our eyes, and an unexpected helping hand.

The appearance of the researcher was truly a shocking incident that shook Yeon-hee’s dying soul.

If only I hadn’t followed the finances and taken the train down to the countryside, and if only it hadn’t rained when I left the archery range.

There would have been no chance of finding a letter in the Hanok built across the road.

In fact, Yeonhee did nothing during that process.

But the countless choices the group made ultimately ended up saving Yeonhee from the abyss of death.

Could it be because of my obsession with survival?

The shock of approaching death was as intense as the size of the obsession.

After that incident, Yeonhee changed completely.

I finally had a purpose in life.

In the past, when she was crawling on the bottom of the world, Yeonhee had no interest in the lives of others.

I didn’t have the luxury of doing that, nor did I feel the need to do so.

But now it was different.

The strong obsession with survival melted away like snow, and I began to eagerly await the reunion with my companions.

Now he pledges that he will help them.

On her journey like that, Yeonhee once again experienced an unexpected encounter.

That was my connection with Kay.

And that’s not all.

Yoo Kyung and Han Shin, whom I saved with my own hands, and Oh Se Yoon, who I reunited with after becoming the leader of Gangbuk.

As the saying goes, if you wish for it earnestly, it will come true.

Wherever she went, there was nothing that was not connected to her group, and everything surrounding her began to help her.

I used to think like that a lot.

She didn’t want to be born, so why does the world always demand something from her?

If you approach life with that kind of mindset, it is impossible for the things happening around you to look good.

And then eventually I came to the worst conclusion.

Countless pains that followed me like shadows throughout my life.

Yes, existence is suffering.

This was true both before the virus and after it spread.

So I tried to survive even more desperately.

Because I was curious about what would be at the end of that suffering.

Could it be because of that past?

One night, Yoo-kyung was lying alone in bed, sobbing.

It wasn’t just because he felt sorry for Yu-gyeong that he wrapped his arms around her trembling, delicate shoulders.

I was afraid that the pain of losing my parents would change Yu-kyung’s perspective on the world.

Just like his past self.

I am afraid that I will try to find the cause of the misfortunes that are coming one after another outside of me.

I wanted to teach them how to remain unshaken by the storms of the world.

The attitude with which I accept a situation is more important than the situation itself.

Only I can decide whether I will live in heaven or hell.

That’s what I wanted to teach you.

Whew!

A cold wind brushes the tip of my chin.

Yeonhee, who was looking at the rising sun, thought about checking it out through the remaining life that she didn’t know how long it would be.

That her sinful life might sometimes shine for someone.

And at the end of it, I had the expectation that someone would be laughing.

As if life is valuable because it is finite.

I believed that the suffering that inevitably accompanies existence would increase the value of happiness.

It was a change from a life of denying everything to a life of realizing the value of precious things.

The suffering that is prevalent throughout the world is the stepping stone to happiness.

So, no one can easily get it.

It is a sanctuary that cannot be reached even with the tip of your finger unless you make an effort and try to overcome it.

If someone were to ask why one must go that far to find happiness, Yeonhee would like to answer like this.

There is no such reason, there is only the inheritance of countless footsteps.

And it is thanks to that legacy that we can continue to move forward.

“Phew… … .”

Yeonhee took a deep breath as she inhaled the refreshing morning air.

The only thing I liked after the zombie outbreak was the clean air.

I can’t believe I can breathe this kind of air in Seoul.

No, maybe no matter where you go in South Korea, it won’t be this comfortable.

As I was looking at the wide open sky, I heard footsteps behind me.

It was Chanyeol.

He, who had not been seen for a long time since he infiltrated Paradise, was walking with a tired face.

Likewise, as he stood on the stepping stone, Yeonhee looked at him and asked.

“Where did you go and why are you here now?”

“I was in the basement the whole time.”

“Basement? What did you do there?”

“I came back to do some things I couldn’t do because I was in a hurry to escape.”

Chanyeol’s eyes darkened as he recalled something.

“Is it okay to ask more?”

“No, it’s okay. Actually… I killed two people in that basement. Me.”

Yeonhee was dumbfounded by the unexpected answer.

I don’t know about other people, but Chanyeol killed someone.

The Chanyeol she knew was pure, passionate, and someone who knew how to resist negativity.

He was never the type of person who would take someone else’s life so carelessly.

“… How did that happen?”

“Raon gave me a choice. Should I prove my worth and survive through murder, or should I protect myself to the end and die with dignity? But… in the end, I am just an ordinary human being.”

Yeonhee stared blankly at Chanyeol, who continued speaking calmly.

“So I came to apologize to the people who died by my hand. The funny thing is, both of them nodded their heads at me at the last moment. Why did they do that? I don’t know. Maybe they thought it would be better to die by my hand than by Raon.”

“I would have been the same way. Just by looking at your eyes, I can tell you’re not a bad person.”

Chanyeol smiled bitterly.

“Ha… Well, at first, I was out of my mind. It was because I had to live with Sister Su-ah, and everything in paradise felt so unfamiliar, so funny, I got over it quickly. But the second time was different. Sister, do you remember Captain Jeong I-jin?”

“Remember. He’s one of the few real men I know.”

“He’s the kind of person who would think that way.”

“Why that person all of a sudden?”

“He passed away.”

“…what?”

Chanyeol, who had been standing there blankly, explained to Jeong Yijin what had happened step by step.

Everything that happened after Yeonhee left.

The North Korean military, the 7th Fleet, and the death of Jeong I-jin and his relationship with Zhang Liming.

“… Hyung Jae-yi also had a hard time. While he sent Yeon-hee away like that, he had to take Captain Jeong on an operation against the Missile Command and the 7th Fleet. It may seem obvious to others, but Hyung couldn’t think that way. I think he thought he could only use it according to the situation without any exact standards. And I think he felt guilty that Captain Jeong died because of that decision.”

“So that happened… … .”

“At that time, I treated Captain Jeong really badly. He was so far away from being able to disobey orders in terms of rank, but I was so angry that he drove so many soldiers to their deaths for his own benefit. I think I was even angrier because he was someone I always respected. I thought that at least Captain Jeong would stand up to injustice.”

Yeonhee nodded.

“That may be true. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. Human consciousness is much more complex and complicated than you might think.”

“Yes, that’s right. But I didn’t know it then. I was just filled with evil. I couldn’t sleep properly because of the betrayal. Anyway, when I committed my second murder, I thought of Captain Jeong. Then, all of a sudden, I realized how hypocritical I was. In the end, I had to kill someone to survive. I pretended to be clean and righteous all by myself.”

Chanyeol bowed his head like a sinner.

Then Yeonhee, who had been staring at him intently, patted his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Inma. People are naturally hypocritical. It’s natural. There is no perfect person in the world. There are only people like you who recognize it and try not to make the same mistakes, and those who make crooked judgments that even hypocrisy is right. Bamtol, what’s done in the past can’t be undone? It’s okay to regret, but don’t dwell on the past. If you do, you’ll die. Do you understand what I mean?”

“… It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

Large tears fell from Chanyeol’s eyes as he lowered his gaze.

Yeonhee, who saw the tears, felt a sting in her nose for no reason.

Words that came out of Chanyeol’s mouth.

Because all those stories were not things that could be handled at that age.

“You’ve grown up so much, kid. It hasn’t been that long since I last saw you. Even your speech has become much softer.”

Chanyeol wipes away his tears and forces a smile.

“You’ve changed a lot, too. I really thought you were a different person.”

“If you cry and laugh, hair grows on your butt?”

“Not the butt… No, this isn’t the time to be talking about that.”

“So what? The hair will probably still grow by now.”

“Haha, really… … .”

“Is that funny?”

“It’s funny. I’m laughing because it’s so absurd.”

“So what are you going to do now?”

“Huh? What are you talking about out of the blue?”

Chanyeol asked back with a puzzled face.

“What are you surprised about? I asked what you were going to do next.”

“What choice do I have? I have to be with you.”

“Your girlfriend’s father is alive.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Where on earth did this little thing lie… … .”

“Well, we are close, but we haven’t decided to date yet.”

“… You do everything even though you’re willing to die. That’s amazing.”

“Ahem, anyway, why are you asking that?”

“I’ll send you if you want. It’s okay if you take your girlfriend back to the vaccination center. I’m sure everyone’s waiting for you.”

“I just want to hang out with you. If we keep going like this, we’ll meet soon.”

Yeonhee asked with a sinister smile.

“Are you worried that you’ll be separated from your girlfriend if you go to the center? Because I have to take her to the bunker?”

“Hey, what do you think of people… … .”

“You two slept? You two.”

“Huh? Oh, no!”

Chanyeol waved his hands with a frightened face.

“Why are you so surprised? It’s normal for grown men and women to have sex.”

“Oh, no, that’s not true. That kind of thing.”

“You said you were in the same house.”

“But that doesn’t necessarily mean that something like that will happen.”

“Hey kid, what’s wrong with you?”

“Ha… I really can’t keep up with the conversation. Anyway, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I would have died in the mountains without being able to do anything. Thank you so much for saving my life.”

“What the… … all of a sudden.”

Yeonhee looked away and coughed in vain, perhaps feeling uncomfortable hearing such words.

But judging by the smile that never left his lips, he seemed to be proud of having saved Chanyeol at the right moment.

The two of them began to unravel the bundle of stories they had been building up.

In the process, they regained peace of mind by enjoying the fact that each other was alive.

Since they were both missing their group, just having each other’s presence was a great comfort to them.

Infected people