“...Really? Your brother is seriously amazing.”
“Right? Anyway, thanks to our boss Junho, not just me, Sunny, and Yuna, but everyone else at our shelter was able to survive too.”
At some point, Park Deokcheol had started attaching the modifier our whenever he referred to Junho, and he went on proudly.
“Honestly, when I first met him, he scared the hell out of me too. Right in front of me, he was hacking up those punk gangsters with a knife, and it was horrifying. But when I think about it, if our boss Junho hadn’t saved us back then, I would’ve died, and Sunny and Yuna would’ve... whew....”
Park Deokcheol shuddered, unable to finish the sentence.
“Ugh....”
Including Cherry—Ahn Yujeong—the three Blossom members all went pale as if it were something that had happened to them personally.
As women and idols themselves, they could easily imagine what would have happened.
Lee Chaerin in particular, who had nearly gone through something similar today, wrapped both arms around herself and shivered. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she hurriedly asked Park Deokcheol,
“But Ducky... the place where you, Sunny, and Yuna are living. Your shelter. Is it really safe there? Is it a good place to live?”
“Yeah. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, it’s safe. First off, it’s surrounded by mountains, and we’re the only ones there. The walls are high, there’s barbed wire, and we monitor the place twenty-four seven with CCTV and drones.”
“And what else?”
“Like I said, you don’t have to worry about food at all. There’s enough food piled up in the freezer warehouse to last, like, twenty years? Thirty years? A crazy long time. We also raise chickens and farm in a greenhouse and vinyl greenhouses. We’re even growing fruit trees.”
“Woooow....”
“Then what about the people? What are the people living there like?”
At Ahn Yujeong’s question, the other members all nodded eagerly at the same time.
What had happened today was part of it, but as top female idols at the peak of their popularity, they had been under constant threat and danger ever since the world had turned into this.
“Well, you already know Sunny and Yuna, so I’ll skip them. First off, there’s Junhyeok—Boss Junho’s actual younger brother, the one you saw earlier. He’s a good guy too. Ah, and these days he’s got a girlfriend, and that is... ah.”
Park Deokcheol had been enthusiastically explaining the shelter people, including Junhyeok, when he suddenly clamped his mouth shut.
“Why, Ducky?” Ahn Yujeong tilted her head.
Looking apologetic, Park Deokcheol said, “Well... I mean, even so, it doesn’t feel right telling an outsider. I’m sorry. If it were up to me, I’d tell you, but... yeah. I’m really sorry.”
“No, no. I’m the one who asked without thinking. Anyway, they’re all nice people, right?”
“For real. They’re all good people. Ah, except for one person.”
“One person? W-who is it?”
Ahn Yujeong asked with a slightly frightened look.
“He’s not a bad person, just... kind of weird?”
For some reason, Park Deokcheol thought of Yoon Youngsu, who, whenever he saw him and his younger sister Park Sunhee, had to struggle not to laugh before abruptly turning his head away. Deokcheol shrugged.
“He’s a nerd. A nerd. Total computer geek. But he listens to Boss Junho really well. And he’s always in the computer room, so other than mealtimes you barely even see his face. Anyway, he’s weird, but he’s definitely not a bad guy.”
“I see....”
The Blossom members nodded hard.
A geek did not sound particularly dangerous, and anyway, with that “Brother Junho” they had seen earlier around, it felt like ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) everything would somehow work out.
'He was kind of scary, but so cool....'
'He even looked really handsome.'
Even LD and Kelvin—whose personalities were so rotten that the other entertainers avoided them—had been completely helpless in front of Junho, not like cats, but like mice in front of a tiger.
More than that, even Kang Baekho—the owner of this resort and the man at the very top here—had taken a deferential posture with him.
That had been a major shock to the Blossom members.
And that shock quickly turned into strong favor toward Junho, which was only natural.
If the world had not turned out like this, maybe it would have been different. They probably would have just been afraid of him and avoided him.
But now there were zombies roaming around eating people.
And this had become a terrifying world where safety could not be guaranteed even in a place like this, where large numbers of people lived together—including fellow entertainers.
In a world like this, the thought that the best way to survive safely was to stick close to someone strong was something anyone would have, regardless of gender.
And if that “strong someone” was a person Park Deokcheol—someone they knew and trusted well—followed with absolute sincerity, then there was even less to say.
'I’m jealous of Ducky....'
'If only we’d been with Junix and Psyche Flare back then....'
'I hate this place now. I’m scared. I want to see Mom and Dad.'
The Blossom members were all drooping gloomily, lips pushed out as if they might burst into tears at any second, when suddenly the door flew open.
“Ah!”
They all jumped in alarm, then relaxed.
“Girls, are you okay!?”
The person who practically ran inside was Kim Youngmi, Kang Baekho’s girlfriend and their superstar senior from the entertainment industry.
“Senior Somi’s here.”
“Hello, senio— ah!”
Lee Chaerin had barely managed to clasp her hands and bow at the waist when Kim Youngmi pulled her into a tight hug and made a huge fuss.
“Chaerin, are you really okay? I heard that crazy bastard Kelvin tried to pull something on you. That son of a bitch! That filthy psycho—how dare he!”
“I-I’m okay, Senior. Nothing happened thanks to Ducky.”
“Oh, right!”
Kim Youngmi, who had been holding Chaerin by the shoulders and anxiously looking her up and down, whipped her head toward Park Deokcheol.
“You’re Ducky from Junix, right? You remember me? We met once a long time ago.”
“Ah, yes, of course I remember, ma’am. Have you been well? I’m glad you’re safe.”
The fact that a star like her recognized him—a washed-up nobody idol—moved Park Deokcheol a little, and he bowed his head.
“I’m glad you’re safe too, kid. And seriously, seriously, thank you. My boyfriend told me everything. Ugh, because of those crazy bastards... ah, Mr. Junho, I’m sorry. I got too upset.”
Junho, who had entered after her, shook his head.
“It’s fine, ma’am. But if you don’t mind, could I talk with them for a bit?”
“Of course, of course. I just came to check whether the girls were alright. Girls? Mr. Junho says he has something he wants to tell you.”
“Ah, yes.”
The Blossom members, who had been thinking about Junho just moments earlier, hurriedly straightened their clothes and folded their hands neatly.
They were already in the third year since debut, top-tier idols who had been hugely popular not only in Korea but overseas before the world fell apart.
And yet they felt as if they had been sent back to their trainee days to be evaluated. Lining up side by side with tense expressions, they waited for Junho to speak.
“You really don’t need to be that scared. Why don’t we all sit down first?”
Thinking they were afraid of him because of the horrifying incident and because they had just watched a man’s face get smashed in until he passed out right in front of them, Junho spoke calmly.
Even Yoon Seolhee, who did not particularly like the entertainers at the resort, had judged the Blossom members—along with Park Sunhee and Jo Yuna, who were idols themselves—to be kind and hardworking.
That made them excellent candidates for the Dolswe’s lineup together with Park Sunhee.
On top of that, each of them had a different specialty.
“Ms. Lee Chaerin, you have licenses for a forklift and an excavator? I don’t know much about that sort of thing, but how did you end up getting those...?”
Junho found it hard to believe that an idol who looked like a high school student, even though she was twenty-one this year, could hold heavy equipment licenses.
“Ah, well. When I was a rookie, I got really lucky and landed a variety show where we built houses for viewers, right? And then one of the company directors and the PD told me that if I wanted to become a regular, I had to work really, really hard. So I started going to lessons at dawn and learned. It was fun too. But, like, I’m good at driving forklifts and excavators, but I can’t drive a normal car.”
“I see. And you still operate forklifts here too?”
“Yes, yes. I did today too. I was working with a forklift.”
Lee Chaerin, whose manner of speaking was as distinctive as the licenses she held, nodded vigorously.
“Understood. And Ms. Ahn Yujeong, you have a cosmetology license?”
“Yes! I learned that too while filming a NewTube web variety show when I was still a rookie.”
“And Joan... you worked on a fishing boat in Taiwan?”
“Yes. My father ran a fish farm. Since I was little, I went out on boats and caught a lot of fish.”
“Ah....”
No wonder he had wondered what kind of maritime work a foreign idol who was only nineteen could possibly be good at.
Of course, their shelter did not particularly need someone whose specialty was fishing.
There was no reason for them to be taking a boat out to sea, and as far as fishing itself went, Park Deokcheol—“Texas Number One”—was more than enough.
Still, being used to fish-farm work and fishing-boat labor, which was hard even for most men, meant she had excellent stamina and the ability to work hard at almost anything.
“All three of you are pretty impressive. Anyway, I’d like to make you an offer. Of course, if you don’t want to or you don’t feel like it, you can refuse. It’s not forced.”
“Yes....”
The Blossom members stared at Junho, nerves wound tight.
Could it be that this man also wanted to—
“My shelter needs people to work there. As you know, Seonhee and Yuna from Psyche Flare are living and working there too. The main work is farming in the vinyl greenhouse and up in the mou—”
“We’ll go!”
“We’ll work hard at anything!”
“We really want to go, brother!”
“...???”
The answers exploded out all at once, and Junho was left dumbfounded.
***
Far more easily than he had expected, Junho secured his Dolswe’s candidates and relayed the result to Kang Baekho.
Even though they were outsiders, they were still people who had survived at his resort, so Kang Baekho had wondered whether it was really okay to hand people over however he pleased. But the moment he heard that the Blossom members themselves strongly wanted to go of their own free will, he lit up.
More than anything, it was not just the three female idols going alone. Four members of the resort combat unit, led by Yoon Seolhee, would be going with them, so there was not much to worry about.
It was true that this would reduce the number of experienced combat personnel on his side.
But in exchange, Junho had agreed to provide air guns and tens of thousands of pellets, surveillance drones and several remote-controlled ground attack drones, along with seeds and medicine. If anything, that made the deal slightly favorable for Kang Baekho’s side.
Still, between equal parties in this world, it was impossible for only one side to profit unilaterally.
More than that, Junho was a younger brother Kang Baekho cherished, and the one who had stepped in to help Kangho Resort first without asking for anything in return.
That was why—
“By now, Lieutenant Kim Sunwoo and Sergeant Oh Yongmok should have reached Deokso. So we need to get ready right away too.”
“We should.”
Kang Baekho naturally agreed with Junho’s proposal that they should deal with the Daeseong syndicate first, for the sake of everyone’s safety and survival.
“But are about ten people really enough? You said there are still over fifty gangsters there, and if you add in the men they scraped together from all over the place, it’s what—around four hundred?”
Kang Baekho frowned as he recalled the information they had gotten from the former and current police officers they had smuggled into the resort disguised as corpses, as well as from Lee Ujung, the Daeseong syndicate action leader whom Junho had left barely alive.
“It’d be difficult with just us, yes. The apartment complex security over there is on a pretty serious level too.”
Golden Heights, a luxury apartment complex where even the smallest units were over forty pyeong, had been strict about security from the start.
Legally, they should not have been able to build the perimeter the way they did, but through every workaround and shady favor imaginable, it had ended up that way—and then the apocalypse hit, and they had basically turned it into a fortress.
And now, dozens of gun-carrying gangsters and several hundred men who were practically their subordinates were stationed there.
With only around ten people, it would be close to impossible.
“Major Lee Seokjin’s unit will move soon.”
“Really? But what if they’ve already started something? They might’ve gotten into it already and lost.”
“No. He’s an extremely cautious man. I don’t think that happened.”
Even when moving through mountain trails, Major Lee Seokjin was the kind of commander who secured safety first by sending up drones at every stage before advancing. When it came to military operations, he was meticulous.
Junho was sure a man like that would not have launched an attack recklessly.
“They’re not exactly flush with ammo either, so they’ll make a complete plan before they act. They’ll have to end it decisively in one shot, no matter what.”
“That makes sense. So we’re going to look for an opening while that major’s unit is fighting the gangsters?”
“Yes. I know that unit’s radio channel and frequency. They’ll probably welcome it if I cut in.”
Though it had only been for a short time, Major Lee Seokjin and his unit had fought alongside him, and a kind of comradeship had formed between them. The soldiers still stationed in Yeongho 2-ri also remained on good terms with the shelter.
They were, in every sense, fully friendly forces.
“Manager Yoon Seolhee still needs treatment, so she’s out. Then I guess it has to be...”
At Kang Baekho’s words, Junho’s eyes naturally shifted in the direction he was looking.
“Yes, I’ll go.”
As he spoke, Park Cheolwoo—formerly a Special Forces master sergeant who had participated multiple times in “operations whose details still haven’t been declassified” alongside several special units and the National Intelligence Service—met their gaze with steady eyes.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
Still worried, Kang Baekho asked the question, and Park Cheolwoo grinned.
“Now that I’ve got this, there’s no need to worry. If anything, they’re the ones who should be worried.”
Slung over his shoulder was the K2C1 assault rifle Junho had received from Major Lee Seokjin.
