Even Zombies Have Fandoms

Chapter 40

“Um… I’m Kang Muyoung. I’m 25 years old.”

Momentarily flustered by the sudden attention, Muyoung said with a shy smile.

“I’m Lee Kyungho. I’m 19.”

“I’m Park Junwoo. I’m the same age as him. And I heard you’re our benefactor. For everything up until now, and for saving us yesterday too. It’s late, but thank you so much.”

Junwoo, his eyes still hazy from the lingering fever, bowed his head in gratitude.

“Ah, no. No. Please don’t bow. The thanks are enough. And now that you know my name, can we stop with the ‘benefactor’ thing?”

Muyoung frantically stopped him, afraid he might collapse.

Just like that, three of the four had finished their introductions, with only one person’s introduction remaining. Strangely, silence fell over the living room.

“…”

“Hyung?”

“It’s your turn now, hyung.”

When there was no sign of him starting, Junwoo and Kyungho gave puzzled looks. Only then did Seokjae, who had been silent, open his mouth.

“I don’t need to do it.”

Sitting alone in a single sofa, he somehow looked triumphant. Watching this from right beside him, Muyoung unconsciously gripped the cushion in his lap tightly.

“Why not?”

“Because you already know.”

“Huh? Were you two acquainted?”

Junwoo pressed, but Seokjae just lifted the corners of his mouth without answering.

“…”

Seokjae, who had asked for Muyoung’s name separately before dawn, had now returned to his usual self as if nothing had happened. Fascinated by this contrast, Muyoung found himself glancing at him repeatedly.

‘I guess asking early in the morning is our secret?’

It had been shocking when Seokjae asked why Muyoung called him hyung, but even now, he felt happy remembering how Seokjae had patted his head and wished him goodnight, using his name. 

Though it was a small thing, the fact that they now had a memory just between them brought back the impulse he had felt at dawn. The cushion in Muyoung’s hands was gradually losing its original shape.

“Muyoung hyung, did you know Seokjae hyung before?”

Having given up on getting an answer from Seokjae, Junwoo changed his target to Muyoung and asked eagerly.

“Huh?”

At that moment, the cushion that could no longer withstand the pressure made a small tearing sound as if crying out in its final moments. Muyoung snapped back to reality and loosened his grip. It was a difficult situation – saying yes would be a lie, but saying no would mean bringing up yesterday’s events.

As he hesitated, wondering how to answer, Seokjae casually threw out a comment.

“Didn’t you say you had a lot of questions for Muyoung?”

“What?”

“You were curious if he was a legendary mercenary, right?”

“Legendary mercenary…?”

Who on earth is that? I never imagined there could be something beyond ‘benefactor’. It was so baffling, I couldn’t even guess how that title came about.

Unsure if they really meant him, Muyoung just blinked his eyes. The two sitting next to him started to show an unnervingly excited gleam in their eyes.

“Hyung, are you perhaps an athlete?”

“No, I’m just an ordinary college student.”

“Then what’s your major? Military science? Or maybe police or firefighting?”

“Korean literature.”

“Korean literature? Then maybe… you defeat zombies with poetry?”

“That’s impossible, you idiot. Maybe with a Korean dictionary, but not poetry.”

“It’s neither, guys.”

Muyoung’s past was thoroughly wrung out like laundry in a spin cycle, buried under the curiosity of the spirited 19-year-old boys. Meanwhile, Seokjae listened to his story comfortably, like someone watching a radio show.

“So in the end, survival skills are innate, huh.”

“I guess so…”

The seemingly endless questions finally came to an end. The two who had hoped to learn some survival skills from Muyoung couldn’t hide their disappointment upon realizing that he had simply resolved everything with brute strength all along.

“How can you be so strong when you’re smaller than me?”

“Well… I’m not sure.”

Muyoung awkwardly laughed, glancing at Junwoo who seemed shocked after seeing him easily lift a glass table with one hand. You get stronger when you become a zombie. He silently shared the truth he couldn’t speak aloud.

“Hyung, isn’t there anything you’re curious about us?”

Whether they had run out of steam or satisfied their curiosity, Kyungho passed the opportunity to ask questions to Muyoung.

‘If I’m curious about anything? Of course…’

Muyoung’s gaze unconsciously turned towards Seokjae. Their eyes met immediately, as if Seokjae had been watching him all along. Startled, Muyoung quickly averted his eyes, pretending it was coincidental.

“Oh, well, I guess I’m curious about what everyone did before.”

“We’re just ordinary high school students.”

“Seniors about to take the college entrance exam, though.”

Junwoo chuckled, nudging Kyungho’s arm next to him.

“Hey, I just thought of something. When we go back, don’t you think they’ll go easy on us even if we mess up the exam?”

“That might be true, but if I had to choose between the college entrance exam and zombies, I’d still take the exam.”

“It’s a first to hear a high school senior say they want to take the exam. But I agree. When we get out, I won’t even watch zombie movies. I never want to see them again for the rest of my life.”

While he completely understood their dislike of zombies, Muyoung felt a bit stung and rubbed the back of his neck. He then looked at Seokjae, who hadn’t answered yet.

“I’m just an ordinary job seeker too.”

This time, Seokjae smiled as he spoke, staring intently at Muyoung as if checking that he wasn’t avoiding eye contact.

“…A job seeker?”

He was 26, one year older than Muyoung. While it wasn’t strange at all since most people that age were job seekers, somehow it didn’t seem to fit him at all.

Why had the entertainment industry left him alone? If it were me, I would have followed him around begging him to sign a contract.

“Hyung.”

Muyoung, who had been imagining a scene where he was dragged away by the police for stalking Seokjae in an attempt to cast him, snapped back to reality at the whisper-like call.

“You just thought it doesn’t suit Seokjae hyung at all, right?”

“Huh?”

“We told him not to lie when we first heard it too.”

Surprised by Junwoo’s words, Muyoung’s eyes widened, and Junwoo smiled as he elaborated.

“There’s no such thing as suiting or not suiting a job seeker.”

“Well, it’s because hyung has a certain noble air about him.”

“You’re talking nonsense again.”

Seokjae chuckled and stood up from the sofa.

“We’ll have plenty of time to talk in the future, so shall we wrap it up for today?”

“Okay. Ah, Junwoo needs to take his medicine too. Should we prepare a meal now?”

“Let’s do that. In the meantime, I’ll check inside and outside to see if there are any openings.”

As Kyungho also stood up to find his task, Muyoung raised his hand high, feeling like he should do something too.

“I’ll go with you!”

Seokjae looked at the arm stretched straight up like a child trying to get a chance to present, and naturally interlocked his fingers with Muyoung’s hand, gently shaking it.

‘This is soft too.’

He liked the cool feeling from the small hand. He rubbed their palms together slightly before letting go and shaking his head.

“It’s fine. I can manage alone. Instead, please take good care of Junwoo here.”

“It’s not like I’m a little kid…”

“Who else but a kid would collapse trying to endure being sick?”

“Ugh.”

“Don’t think about wandering around just because you feel a bit better. Stay put and rest.”

After giving this final warning to Junwoo, Seokjae left the living room, and Kyungho immediately went to the kitchen. Left in the living room were just one zombie preciously hugging the hand that had held his favorite person’s, and one bored high school senior.

‘We held hands again.’

Next to Muyoung, who was silently grinning, Junwoo was zoning out with his feverish head when he suddenly turned to Muyoung as if he’d thought of something interesting.

“Hyung, you know what? I think Seokjae hyung really is rich.”

“Huh? Why do you think that?”

His ears perked up at the mention of Seokjae.

“Well, you see…”

“Yeah?”

“Seokjae hyung is really bad at opening things like triangle kimbap or ramen lids.”

Huh?

“That could happen, right? Hyung has big hands after all.”

“It’s not just that. He insists on only using rainfall showerheads. I’ve been drenched several times because he didn’t turn it back. Be careful when you use the shower after him, hyung.”

“Ah, I see. That must have been inconvenient. But couldn’t that happen even if he’s not rich?”

The sparkle in Muyoung’s eyes quickly faded at Junwoo’s far-fetched speculation. Especially not understanding the correlation between rainfall showerheads and being rich, he was about to respond perfunctorily and move on.

“Above all! Once when we stopped by a department store, we accidentally found a card that could access the VIP lounge.”

Suddenly hearing a topic completely different from the previous conversation, Muyoung immediately dropped his suspicions and listened intently.