The Apocalypse Regressor's All-Purpose Shelter

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The moment Park Sunhee opened her eyes, she turned off the alarm clock first.

The LED clock attached above the head of the super-single bed frame didn’t just display the time and date—it also had an alarm function, which made it convenient.

Hiiiiing... Pshuu, hiiiiing... Pshuu.

Jo Yuna, who shared the room with her, was still fast asleep, softly snoring away.

Like always, she had kicked off {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} the blanket in her sleep and was sprawled out in a giant starfish position with her stomach exposed. Park Sunhee carefully pulled the blanket back over her before drinking a cup of water and quietly heading into the bathroom.

Click. Fwoooosh...!

The moment she pressed the pedal down with her foot, purified underground water—heated overnight by the electric boiler to the perfect temperature—poured out from the showerhead.

At first, the pedal-operated shower that only ran for ten seconds per press had been inconvenient, but by now she was completely used to it.

Park Sunhee finished her shower quickly using only water, without touching the solid shower bar or solid shampoo.

In their shelter, using scented soap, shampoo, or shower bars was only allowed in the evening after finishing the day’s work.

That rule had felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable at first too, but now it no longer bothered her.

Most of the cosmetics distributed inside the shelter were oil-based products.

Compared to regular cosmetics, they had dramatically longer shelf lives and could be stored long-term.

Even those products had extremely faint scents, and at most people only used basic skincare and sunscreen.

In other words, almost bare-faced.

“It’d be nice if we could at least wear base makeup....”

Compared to outside survivors who couldn’t even properly wash themselves, this was luxury beyond luxury.

Still, wanting to look good for someone who had safely returned, Park Sunhee unconsciously muttered to herself as she carefully finished applying sunscreen.

Though she would probably spend almost the entire day wearing a mask or head covering anyway.

After washing up and tidying her hair and face, Park Sunhee changed into the multi-pattern work-and-combat uniform that changed with the seasons.

Since it was spring, this version emphasized green tones more heavily.

After putting on mid-top hiking boots designed to prevent snake bites and ankle injuries, she hurried downstairs toward the cafeteria.

“You’re up?”

Kim Hayoon, today’s kitchen-helper duty assisting Choi Haneul with meal prep, greeted her brightly.

Kim Hayoon, who would have been in her third year of middle school this year, had grown a little taller and noticeably more feminine compared to when they first met.

More than anything, Park Sunhee thought Hayoon looked unbelievably pretty now that she had become so bright and cheerful compared to before.

“Yeah. Sleep well? Pasta for breakfast today? Smells amazing.”

“Hehe. Mushroom pasta. Tastes freaking incredible.”

Some of the mushrooms eaten by the shelter members came from the massive stock Junho had prepared and sealed away in the kitchen freezer and ultra-low-temperature warehouse outside.

But others had been wild mushrooms gathered inside the shelter safe zone.

And Park Sunhee—who had learned “survival” from following her grandparents around since childhood—had personally found and picked a huge number of those herself.

'Being called Mushroom Master....'

The weird nickname that resulted from that was a little embarrassing, but everyone praised her and felt happy about it, so it still made her feel good.

“Want eggs first? I boiled them myself for all the soft-boiled egg fans.”

“Oh really? Thanks, I’ll eat well.”

The meat chickens were raised in Gahyeon-ri, while the shelter itself only kept egg-laying hens.

The hens still had more than ten years of lifespan left, and instead of being trapped inside cramped cages, they freely roamed every day inside one of the greenhouses built over a fallow field within the shelter. Because of that, they laid eggs constantly, and the eggs tasted excellent too.

Thanks to that, shelter members could eat an average of two to three eggs every day, whether fried, boiled, or mixed into soup and stew.

And apparently, that alone covered around thirty percent of the recommended daily protein intake.

“Sunhee, you heading out for dawn shift duty today?”

“Yes.”

Always smiling, Choi Haneul emerged from the kitchen carrying the giant metal basin she and Baek Hail called a “darae.” Park Sunhee quickly bowed her head.

“Here, eat up while it’s hot.”

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

“Good.”

Scooping up a huge serving of pasta with tongs, Park Sunhee added two boiled eggs and small portions of four side dishes onto her metal tray.

'No matter how I think about it, I eat better now than when I was an idol.'

Meals were served three times a day at fixed times, and Choi Haneul built the menus by referencing downloaded cafeteria meal schedules from several middle and high schools.

Of course, Choi Haneul was not a nutritionist, so the meals probably weren’t perfectly balanced.

But Kim Heeyoung—who had worked as a nurse at a major hospital for many years alongside her husband Choi Uisu—had praised the menu as excellent, so it was definitely healthy.

More importantly—

'It’s ridiculously delicious again today!'

Park Sunhee devoured the pasta in the blink of an eye, then efficiently finished both boiled eggs before carrying her spotless tray toward the return counter.

“...Huh?”

She thought she was the first one done eating, but there was already another tray on the return counter cleaned just as thoroughly as hers. Park Sunhee tilted her head.

Kim Hayoon, peeling a boiled egg, grinned mischievously.

“Someone ate about ten minutes before you did.”

“Oh really? Who? Wait, was it Youngsu?”

“Nope. Junho Mister.”

“Khk...!”

Park Sunhee nearly choked on the water she was drinking with her multivitamins.

“Junho Mister said he’s doing patrol rounds together with you today, so once you finish eating, he wants you to come to his room. Hehe.”

“R-right.”

“Woooow, dawn-date vibes? Jealous. Mega jealous.”

“I-I should get going. Thanks for the meal.”

Looking like she had committed some terrible crime, Park Sunhee hurriedly fled the cafeteria while Kim Hayoon and Choi Haneul watched her with amused smiles.

***

Vrrrrr....

The multipurpose electric cart moved along the mountain road with its headlights on.

Ahead of it, Purdy happily ran along the path, panting excitedly.

Maybe because he was exercising at dawn with his owner again after so long, the dog seemed incredibly happy.

Driving the cart while looking over the shelter’s walking trails and bypass routes, Junho spoke.

“They’ve grown even more already. We should set aside a day to pull weeds and trim branches.”

“Y-yes.”

“Hm? What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you fell asleep?”

Junho glanced sideways at Park Sunhee, who startled violently in the passenger seat.

“N-no! I wasn’t sleeping!”

“Oh, alright then.”

He had only been joking.

He wondered if it was really something worth reacting that dramatically over, but Junho merely shrugged.

“Anyway, I heard you and the Blossom girls finished building all the greenhouse farms while I was gone. You worked hard.”

“N-not at all. It was something we obviously had to do. And it was way easier than when Yuna, Ducky, and I built greenhouses for the first time before.”

“Oh right. That happened.”

Thinking back to when Park Sunhee, Park Deokcheol, and Jo Yuna first arrived at the container housing area, Junho let out a quiet laugh.

The three of them had been terrified and tense back then, yet true to their nickname of survival idols, they built greenhouses exactly as instructed without complaint.

Now, all three had become true members of the shelter family.

And at this point, every one of them had become indispensable manpower.

“Come to think of it, I heard your and Deokcheol’s training results are insanely good?”

Last night, the KJM Brothers had told him that the Texas-born Park siblings were outperforming even the Gahyeon-ri extermination squad.

Especially Park Sunhee.

Even though she still handled every unpleasant task imaginable around the shelter—and despite being a woman—

her persistence, stamina, and shooting ability reportedly exceeded the average level of the fully military-trained Gahyeon-ri search-and-destruction squad.

“That’s because everyone teaches us well. And Ducky and I also... really want to be useful to you and the shelter....”

“Yeah. I appreciate it, but don’t overdo it. Both you and Deokcheol are already doing more than enough. Same with Yuna and the Blossom members.”

“Yes.”

Feeling happy at Junho’s words, Park Sunhee cautiously glanced at him before carefully continuing.

“But. That person you brought back from Bucheon. Han Areum.”

“Yeah? Areum. What about her?”

“Umm... how did you two know each other?”

“She worked part-time at the gym I used to go to back when I lived in Bucheon.”

“Ohh. I see. But Areum is doing the whole laborer thing too, right?”

“Probably? She used to do track and field and majored in sports, so her stamina’s great. She’s smart with work too, and she’s done all kinds of part-time jobs.”

Junho had heard things from Choi Hyunwoo and Kim Taeyoung, but even during their time together in Bucheon, Han Areum had fully pulled her own weight in his eyes.

Physically capable, quick-witted, and highly responsible—he liked her quite a lot.

Of course, in the past, Han Areum had also been a somewhat bold kid who openly flirted with him.

“And besides, I think Areum and Hyunwoo are probably going to end up together.”

A man and woman surviving through repeated life-and-death situations together and developing strong feelings for each other.

Choi Hyunwoo and Han Areum had perfectly fulfilled that cliché.

“Those brats, seriously. In times like these too....”

Though Junho clicked his tongue like he disapproved, honestly, he was happy about it.

But then—

“Seriously?! No wonder they looked perfect together the first time I saw them! Waaah, I really hope it works out! No, wait—I’ll work super hard to help them get together! Wow! Waaah!”

“Huh? Uh... sure....”

Seeing Park Sunhee become even more excited than the people involved and genuinely celebrate for them despite barely knowing them, Junho tilted his head.

'Sunhee really is a kind kid.'

That was simply the conclusion he came to.

***

Woof, woof.

“Hyung, you’re here? Morning, Sunhee.”

“Yes.”

“Yeah.”

At the most important guard post overlooking the industrial road connected to Gahyeon-ri, Junhyeok—standing guard together with Kkamsoonie—nodded at Junho.

“Anything happen?”

“No. Nothing much. Zombies don’t really move around at this hour anyway.”

There were still about ten minutes left before sunrise.

In cities where many survivors still remained, zombies sometimes wandered around even at this hour, but in rural areas and outskirts like this, zombies rarely moved at night.

“Good work. Go eat breakfast and get some rest. The pasta was good.”

“Okay. Good luck, Sunhee.”

“Yes.”

For some reason, Park Sunhee seemed unusually happy, making Junhyeok tilt his head.

Both the older brother and younger brother clearly lacked anything resembling social awareness in their genes.

Vrrrrr.

Accompanied by Kkamsoonie and a G1 drone, Junhyeok’s electric cart gradually disappeared into the distance.

Because the shelter lacked combat personnel, the standard for guard duty was one person paired with two drones.

Junho checked the battery on the A1 attack drone stationed at the guard post.

The G1 drones followed personnel directly, but the shorter-operating-time A1 drones always remained on standby at the outposts.

If an emergency happened, they would mobilize alongside the turrets.

“The turret and cameras are all functioning fine.”

Park Sunhee returned after personally checking the turret and PTZ camera installed outside the outpost.

AI Akina monitored and tracked their status already, but people still needed to physically inspect things and clear away spiderwebs and debris.

“Good. Then—hm?”

Just as Junho was about to issue instructions according to routine, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Movement had appeared on the monitor displaying footage from the outpost PTZ camera.

- Western industrial road sector. Approximate distance from outpost: 910 meters. Approximate distance from bypass-route hidden gate: 530 meters. Recon Drone 002 moving to corresponding airspace. PTZ camera initiating first-stage behavioral analysis.

At the same time, Akina’s emotionless voice sounded through the earpiece in place of the still-sleeping Yoon Youngsu. Hearing the same report, Park Sunhee flinched and stepped closer.

- Human targets detected. Five adult individuals. All traveling via electric bicycles. All armed with melee weapons. Two targets possess firearms presumed to be air rifles.

“...Estimated direction of origin?”

- Calculating.

- Probability of originating from Jinjeop-eup: approximately 55 percent. Probability of originating from the Cheongpyeong sector: approximately 38 percent.

Junho’s eyes turned cold.

Adult men riding electric bicycles—one of the most practical and mobile tools in the apocalypse—while armed with guns and blades.

And the areas they likely came from were Jinjeop-eup, Cheongpyeong, and Gapyeong, the exact places Junho had heard were becoming the most dangerous while he was in Bucheon.

“Sunhee, stay here with Purdy. Keep watch on the surroundings. Be ready to back me up at any moment.”

“Yes.”

There was tension in Park Sunhee’s reply, but not fear.

Hearing that, Junho—

Click.

—locked the bolt of the AR-15 to the rear for the first time in a while, already certain that these outsiders had not come with good intentions.