“The bulgogi?”
“I just packed it.”
Looking over the lunch containers Park Sunhee had packed, Choi Haneul’s mouth fell open.
“I told you to put about five servings in two containers for Junho’s portion. Big portions, nice and generous... huh? What is this? This isn’t five servings, it’s more than ten. How’d you even cram all this in there? Is this physically possible?”
Park Sunhee hurriedly tried to explain herself.
“It’s not ten servings, more like eight. Junho oppa eats a lot.”
“Aigoo, this cute little thing... Still, good job.”
Reading the situation instantly, Choi Haneul shot Park Sunhee a sideways glance before lightly pinching her shoulder.
At the moment, the two of them were preparing packed meals for Junho and the other two before they left on their long journey.
Compared to the amount of time they would be away from the shelter, the amount of luggage they could bring was limited, but Junho had said it would be fine to carry extra things at least until they reached Deokso, their actual departure point.
And because of that, they wanted to make sure the three of them ate a proper meal before leaving.
“If it were up to me, I’d make all three meals for him every day. Sigh... He said it’d take a week, right?”
“Yes... maybe even longer than that. That’s why they’re bringing tons of combat rations and energy bars.”
He’d also said they would make up for missing nutrients with the multivitamins everyone in the shelter already took daily.
Kim Jimin—who had been selected to accompany Junho—had joked that even that alone would count as an “emperor’s diet” in today’s world.
But for Choi Haneul, who handled the shelter residents’ meals, it wasn’t something she could take lightly.
Especially because the shelter already possessed enough supplies to live comfortably for more than a decade without worry.
And yet the person constantly running himself ragged trying to secure fresher and better ingredients for the even more distant future—
was Junho himself.
Clomp. Clomp.
At the sound of combat boots approaching, both Park Sunhee and Choi Haneul turned simultaneously.
“You’re here? Sit over here.”
“Yes, noona.”
Junho, Yoon Seolhee, and Kim Jimin entered the dining hall wearing tactical uniforms with gray camouflage patterns slightly different from their usual gear, and Choi Haneul guided them inside.
“Holy crap? Why’s there so much food? Wow, you seriously went all out.”
Kim Jimin stared at the table in amazement.
Ever since being dispatched to the shelter, he had already felt that the food here was somehow even better than before the apocalypse.
But today’s breakfast surpassed even that.
“You’re leaving on a long trip. You need to eat properly before you go.”
“Still, this is way too much.”
“We just combined breakfast and lunch for our people into one meal, so don’t feel pressured. Hurry and eat before it gets cold.”
“Thank you.”
“Thanks for the meal.”
Yoon Seolhee and Kim Jimin bowed their heads to Choi Haneul, whose warm smile and considerate way of speaking constantly put people at ease.
“I prepared yours separately, oppa.”
Ever since some time ago, Junho—who normally consumed at least five servings and sometimes eight to ten after physically demanding days—always received his own table setting.
But even considering that, the amount of food was excessive enough that Junho let out a small laugh.
“You made this? Hey, at this rate won’t we run out of food before ten years pass?”
“No problem. Most of this is beef, chicken, and eggs. The cattle are growing well, and we’ve got a lot more chickens now too. Eat the greens too. I seasoned them myself. Everything was gathered from the mountains near the shelter.”
“Oh really?”
Looking over the mountain greens seasoned with sesame oil and various other condiments, Junho nodded.
He had only chosen this place as the shelter site because it seemed ideal overall, but all around the shelter safe zone there were surprisingly large patches of edible mountain plants and wild vegetables.
And the person who discovered most of them—
was Park Sunhee.
Thanks to growing up in America while never losing her Korean palate, she had spent years following around her grandmother, who constantly dragged her children and grandchildren into the mountains to gather mugwort, bracken fern, wild chives, gondre greens, and other edible plants.
Just like her older brother Park Deokcheol—whose fishing skills more than justified the nickname “Texas Number One”—
Park Sunhee truly was a “wild idol” and “survival idol.”
“It’s good. Thanks for the meal.”
“Yes....”
As Junho finally began eating in earnest, Park Sunhee sat beside him and quietly ate her own early breakfast.
The only sounds in the dining hall were utensils and dishes clinking softly as everyone finished the meal in silence.
“.......”
Of course, Park Sunhee had countless things she wanted to say to Junho.
But she simply sat quietly beside him and ate.
It just felt like she should.
Before, because she had grown up in America, she probably would have started talking out of frustration at the silence.
But she had changed too.
Now she understood that sometimes, saying nothing at all could itself be a form of consideration and care.
And Junho—whose instincts for reading people were sharper than average—noticed that change in her.
“Sunhee.”
“Yes?”
She instantly lifted her head as if she had been waiting for him to speak.
Every time he looked at her, Junho found himself thinking, She seriously looks born to be a celebrity.
Looking at Park Sunhee’s bright, strikingly pretty face, he spoke calmly.
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“...Huh?”
“I heard you’ve been trying to do everything lately.”
“Th-that’s....”
As Park Sunhee visibly flustered, Junho continued in a calm voice.
“You’re already helping the shelter and our people more than enough. Even these mountain greens—nobody else would’ve found them if not for you.”
“.......”
“And the Blossom girls too. I heard they decided to keep living in the container village because of you?”
“Huh? Ah, that’s...”
“I know. Not because you pressured them. Because you treated them too well. They figured there wasn’t much difference between living there and moving in here, so they just stayed.”
“...Yeah.”
Even Junho hadn’t expected that strange outcome.
There were still a few empty rooms in the shelter, and after finishing their probationary period they could have officially moved in.
But instead, the girls chose to remain in the container village.
After hearing the full story, Junho approved it.
After all, whether they stayed there or here, it was equally safe.
The safe zone boundaries had already been fully secured, and the territory had essentially become a domain under their control, so there was no longer much need for strict separation.
They simply opened and closed the automatic gates at designated hours every morning and evening to move between areas.
“You don’t need to be good at everything. Park Sunhee, you’re already doing more than enough. Honestly, you’ve done far better than I ever expected.”
He wasn’t praising her out of politeness.
It was simply true.
Not only Baek Hail and Choi Jeongwoo from the technical side, but even Dr. Choi Uisu and Kim Heeyoung constantly praised Park Sunhee.
That went without saying for Choi Haneul as well.
Even Kim Jaemun—who rarely complimented anyone and handled combat training for both the shelter and Gahyeon-ri residents—evaluated her extremely highly.
And when even Yoon Seolhee, who was notoriously stingy with praise, described her as:
“She looks like an idol, but her true calling is being a soldier,”
that said everything.
“N-no. I just... want to work harder... do better.”
Seeing ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Park Sunhee lower her head while the back of her neck turned red, Junho found himself smiling for some reason.
Without really thinking, he lightly patted her shoulder.
“You’re fine just the way you are. You don’t need to do more than this. I trust you. We all do.”
“...Okay. Understood.”
Park Sunhee flinched slightly, then answered quietly before suddenly grabbing her dishes and standing up.
“Then I’ll go wash these. And Junho oppa.”
“Yeah.”
“You’ll come back safely, right?”
“Huh? Ah, yeah. Of course.”
“Then that’s enough. I trust you too.”
Her expression slightly stiff, Park Sunhee spoke like she wanted to say more.
But somehow she held herself back, bowed her head politely, and headed into the kitchen.
“Hm?”
Junho shrugged, completely confused.
But at the opposite table, where she had just finished eating, Yoon Seolhee watched the entire scene with meaningful eyes while quietly nodding to herself.
***
The multipurpose electric vehicle carrying Junho, Yoon Seolhee, and Kim Jimin quietly departed from the shelter.
The cargo compartment was packed with every kind of equipment imaginable.
In addition to the standard gear they always carried outside the shelter, there were also brand-new items they had never used before.
These were supplies Junho had specifically prepared in advance for entering true urban areas like Bucheon or Seoul someday.
Wheeeeeee—
With the 500-kilogram cargo bed filled to capacity, the two multipurpose electric vehicles quietly traveled through mountain roads and highways.
An hour later, without stopping at the leisure sports center, they arrived at Ungilsan Station.
Ordinarily, from there they would have needed to continue on foot.
Instead, Junho unloaded the equipment first, then casually lifted the absurdly heavy electric vehicles one by one onto the train tracks before reloading the gear.
Every time they saw it, Yoon Seolhee and Kim Jimin wondered if he was really human.
But by now they had half given up trying to make sense of it and simply helped him.
Using the secured Gyeongui-Jungang Line tracks, the electric vehicles continued toward Deokso.
And by the time the batteries were nearly depleted, the three of them finally passed through Deokso Station—which Major Lee Seokjin’s unit had largely secured—
then linked up with soldiers waiting between there and Yangjeong Station after receiving prior notice.
***
“You’re really leaving without seeing him?”
“Yeah. The major’s probably busy, and we don’t exactly have time to spare either.”
“Well, can’t be helped then. You guys done?”
“Yes, sir. Finished.”
At the question from one of the sergeants who had grown close to Junho, the soldiers working at the Sampae District Han River Park in Namyangju responded immediately.
“So? Pretty convincing, right?”
“It is. Good work.”
“Heh, it’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for us, hyungnim.”
The soldiers in Deokso had camouflaged the boat Junho and the others would ride almost perfectly.
They attached reeds and brush all over it and painted it so that from a distance it no longer looked like a boat at all—
just a clump of floating trash tangled in vegetation.
Of course, anyone up close would still realize it was a boat.
But the Han River was a gigantic waterway—normally seven to eight hundred meters wide, and in some areas over a kilometer across.
Almost nobody watching from the riverbanks would recognize it for what it really was.
“Then good luck out there, hyungnim.”
“Yeah.”
Receiving the soldiers’ salutes as naturally as breathing, Junho, Yoon Seolhee, and Kim Jimin crouched low inside the boat and activated the electric motor.
The boat glided silently across the Han River like it was sliding over glass.
And the soldiers watched until the boat carrying the three of them disappeared into a tiny speck in the distance.
***
The plan to travel through Seoul to Bucheon via the Han River wasn’t improvised.
Ever since constructing the shelter, Junho had believed this was the only safe way to cross Seoul—a megacity considered one of the largest in the world.
And before regression, many people really had traveled between Gangbuk and Gangnam—or even from Ilsan to Yeouido—using jet skis, boats, and even duck boats.
That was why Junho had considered the possibility that something like this might happen on the way to Bucheon.
Swaaaaaaah!
Youuuuuuu motherfuuuuuuckers!
Freeze riiiiiight thereeee!
Two motorboats filled with looters were cutting violently across the river toward them.
