Walking Daddy

I wasn’t surprised that he had fallen to my stage-one mutants. Even I had a hard time dealing with dong leaders when pushed to my limit. If he’d had to deal with multiple stage-one mutants… He probably wouldn’t have lasted long.

It seemed like the black creature had expended all of its energy fighting the officer and had probably come into the city as it tried to finish off the officer. And in the process, Ji-Eun had killed it after eating the officer’s brain.

I wondered if it was right to say that I was lucky. Perhaps it was better to say that everything had lined up perfectly, one after another.

Although the entire process had been grueling and miserable, in the end, we were able to hit two birds with one stone, since we’d gotten rid of both the black creature and an officer.

I sighed in relief, offering up a prayer.

\'Thank you.’

I wasn’t sure if there was a God, but at the moment, I couldn’t help but thank Him.

Kim Hyeong-Jun and I had made it alive through this grueling fight, and the gang members had lost a valuable member. Plus, I now had a stage-three mutant under command, so I couldn’t ask for more. I had lost three stage-one mutants, but comparing the gains and losses, I had obviously gained a lot more.

Now, the question that remained was how to deal with the black creature’s head. It would be a waste to throw it away, but at the same time, I couldn’t eat it. I also felt uneasy giving it to either Ji-Eun or Mood Swinger, who were already stage-three mutants.

The only option I seemed to have was to give it to a stage-one mutant. But I wasn’t sure if a stage-one mutant would be able to handle a black creature’s brain. A stage-two mutant would probably be okay, but I wasn’t certain about stage-one mutants.

I grabbed the black creature’s head on the floor and looked at the stage-one mutants.

“Who wants to eat this?”

Two mutants came forward. I took a breath and let it out.

“You two, go outside and fight each other. The winner gets this.”

KIAAA!!!

The two mutants screamed and went outside. I watched the two of them fight from a distance. If the winner still remained under my command after eating the brain and turning into a stage-two mutant, I could safely mutate it into a stage-three mutant later on.

After about ten minutes, only one mutant remained standing, and the winner ate the loser’s brain. However, the winner didn’t mutate into a stage-two mutant. I assumed that their desires didn’t match.

I couldn’t imagine what would happen if I fed a stage-one mutant a black creature’s brain. The black creature’s brain was almost like a sacred object to a stage-one mutant, something that it could never get its hands on.

\'Let\'s just feed it to the mutant and see what happens.’

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

I gave the winner the black creature’s brain. The mutant’s eyes glittered as it fished the creature’s brain from its skull. Without hesitation, it bit into the brain, and in moments, it had morphed into a sphere.

I couldn\'t imagine the results of this mutation. I forced down my nervousness and watched the mutation process. I had Mood-Swinger and Ji-Eun with me, and I was going to take care of it if it lost its subordinate status when it emerged.

After about five minutes, the sphere began to wiggle.

This was way too fast. Even the fastest mutations so far had taken at least ten minutes. Soon, a thick arm broke its way out the egg.

KWAAA!!!

Half of its body was out of the shell. Its upper body was convulsing, like someone drowning. Chills ran down my entire body as I looked at it

Its cry was similar to the black creature. The being that made its way out of the egg began to scream and wiggle its body. Flesh and red blood trickled down its body like candle wax. It seemed like it was wailing in pain.

I wondered if its body wasn’t able to withstand the pain. I could clearly see its white bones underneath its melted flesh. It trembled and fell to the ground. It was acting just like a premature chick that hatched early, dying the moment it came into the world.

I swallowed and licked my parched lips.

I wasn’t sure if what I was seeing could be considered disgusting. I wasn’t sure if I should have been feeling pity toward it. A wave of emotions swirled within me. I cautiously walked over to stand in front of it.

Even its bones had begun to melt, as if it had been covered in hydrochloric acid. I could see its brain beating like a heart. Its brain wriggled a couple of times, then the right hemisphere burst, spraying thick liquid all over the place. After a moment, the left hemisphere burst as well, leaving the skull a hollow cavity.

The stage-one mutant hadn’t been able to handle the black creature’s brain.

‘Hmm… I don’t even think a stage-two mutant would be able to handle one…’

The scene had been as horrifying as it could’ve been. Up till now, all of the unsuccessful mutations had either come out frantic, or had broken the chain of command. But none of them had died from the fact that they couldn’t handle the power that they had eaten. I wondered if this indicated the power held within the brains of a black creature, or specifically, the brain of a creature with black eyes.

The musty smell stung my nose, causing my eyes to narrow. I took a step backward. The disgusting smell lingered, picked up by the cold, piercing wind. The stench permeated the area, like a room filled with the smell of rotten milk.

I gathered up some soil around me and sprinkled it over the melted stage-one mutant. After that, I looked at Ji-Eun and the remaining mutants and gave them orders.

‘We’re going back to the shelter. Stage-one mutants, carry Hyeong-jun. He’s sleeping, so be careful.’

Since Kim Hyeong-Jun had eaten two brains, it would be at least three more hours before he awoke, and I knew I couldn’t wait around for him to wake up. The ones back at the shelter—the guards, leaders, and Do Han-Sol—were probably still on alert. Besides, I’d said I’d be back before sunrise. I had to hurry back to everyone at the shelter and inform them that the situation was over.

I also had to go back and begin planning for the future, since one of the officers of the Family had died. I had no clue what strategy the Family would employ against us next.

\'Let\'s go.\'

I led the mutants and headed back to Gwangjang-dong. One of the stage-one mutants carried Kim Hyung-Jun on its back, and Mood-Swinger got up and followed me too.

* * *

The guards—who had been staring into the darkness while shivering in the cold—called Lee Jeong-Uk the moment they sensed a presence approaching the entrance to Gwangjang-dong.

“Leader, leader!”

As Lee Jeong-Uk approached them, the guards let out the breaths they had been holding, and pointed to the entrance to Gwangjang-dong.

“It seems like someone’s coming.”

Lee Jeong-Uk squinted and looked at where the guards were pointing. He tilted his head, feeling slightly unsure, and called Do Han-Sol over.

“Mr. Do Han-Sol, Do Han-Sol, are you there?”

"What’s happening?”

Do Han-Sol, who was on the other side of the barricade, came inside at once. Lee Jeong-Uk pointed at the entrance to Gwangjang-dong.

“Can you make out those people approaching with your eyes?”

Lee Jeong-Uk had called Do Han-Sol, since he could distinguish friend and foe by color. Do Han-Sol looked carefully at where Lee Jeong-Uk was pointing, and his eyes immediately went wide.

“It’s Mr. Lee Hyun-Deok!” he exclaimed. “Mr. Lee Hyun-Deok is coming!”

Do Han-Sol hurried to the entrance to Gwangjang-dong. The guards inside let out a collective sigh of relief. Lee Jeong-Uk shared their relief as well. He rubbed his stiff neck and took out his walkie-talkie.

“Mr. Bae Jeong-Man, Mr. Bae Jeong-Man, do you hear me?”

Chsuuhh…

“Do you hear me, Mr. Bae Jeong-Man?”

- I hear you. Please, go ahead.

“The situation is over. Mr. Lee Hyun-Deok is returning. You can stand down.”

- Got it.

Lee Jeong-Uk’s face belied his exhaustion, and he blinked his tired eyes. Hwang Ji-Hye, who was wrapped in a blanket, came over and put a hand on his shoulder. Only then did his lips part in a gentle smile.

He had been waiting in the cold for several hours, standing motionless despite the piercing wind blowing in from Han River. He felt a sudden rush of exhaustion as he released the tension he’d been holding for the past couple of hours.

He addressed the guard around him in a loud voice.

“Situation’s over!”

All the guards broke into smiles. Even though some of them had blue lips because of the cold, they were beaming with joy. Lee Hyun-Deok’s return meant a lot of things to the survivors.

Relief and stability.

A ray of hope.

That was what Lee Hyun-Deok was.

* * *

As soon as I arrived at the shelter, I took a quick shower and headed to the meeting room on the second floor. The leaders who were gathered in the meeting room were all dozing off in their chairs. All of them looked exhausted. I understood that they would feel dizzy and their muscles would be sore from staying up all night and being on watch.

When I knocked gently on the desk, the leaders who had their eyes closed opened their eyes and smacked their lips. I looked at the leaders and chuckled.

“I’ll fill you all in with the details tomorrow when Kim Hyeong-Jun wakes up. For now, I’ll give a brief summary of what happened.”

"Yes."

The leaders straightened their backs and tried to concentrate. After I briefly explained the incidents that had happened in Gangbyeonbuk-ro, they all let out sighs of relief. They offered up various comments: what a relief it was, how good of a job we did, and that we owed it to God.

Bae Jeong-Man, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

“I think this is the right time to attack the Family.”

Bae Jeong-Man\'s sudden suggestion drew the suspicion of all the other leaders. I found his opinion interesting, so I asked Bae Jeong-Man to elaborate.

“Why do you think so?”

"Didn\'t you say that the one who died today had blue eyes?"

“Yes, I did.”

“I only saw two blue-eyed ones in Gangnam. If one of them died today, and a lot of the so-called dong leaders died as well… There probably aren’t that many forces left defending Gangnam.”

My eyebrows twitched reflexively.

He was right.

I didn’t even think about striking first since I had gotten used to defending. Now that the Family’s forces had been thinned out, it was the perfect time for us to take over.

Nothing good could come of letting this drag out. We had a fairly good chance against the Family if we attacked before they could fully recover. I looked around at the leaders. They were nodding at Bae Jeong-Man’s proposal, apparently impressed by it.

This was the peace we’d spent such a long time searching for.

The possibility of achieving this peace was gradually increasing. With just a little bit more effort, we would be able to reach our goal. Once we got rid of the boss, there would be no one left in Seoul who could challenge us.

Hwang Ji-Hye, who had been keeping an eye on the other leaders’ reactions, took a sip of warm water and spoke up.

"Then… What’s going to happen to our plan?”

“What plan are you talking about?” I asked, tilting my head.

Hwang Ji-Hye put down the cup she was holding.

“The plan to go to Jeju Island.”

Lee Jeong-Uk, who was next to me, responded to Hwang Ji-Hye\'s question.

“All the black creatures are dead, and once we take care of the boss, there will no longer be a reason to go to Jeju Island.”

“No, I beg to differ. I believe a situation will arise that will compel us to go.”

Hwang Ji-Hye’s statement elicited a frown from Lee Jeong-Uk.

"What do you mean?"

“I’m talking about zombie instincts.”

Her sentence hung in the air. I could hear people shifting in their seats. I wondered if they were feeling uneasy at the uncomfortable topic that Hwang Ji-Hye had just brought up.

I rested my chin on my hands quietly and thought about it.

Hwang Ji-Hye was right.

Me, Kim Hyeong-Jun, and Do Han-Sol would be the next issue, after we took care of all the threats that faced us, because we were zombies. Having no threats meant that there wouldn’t be any zombies for us to eat. This would lead to us being overwhelmed by our zombie instincts and losing our sanity. The survivors would begin to grow nervous at that, not knowing when we would turn our backs on them.

I sighed and spoke up.

“Let’s take care of the gang members in Gangnam, and get Gimpo Airport cleaned up.”

“What are you going to do about the issues we face regarding takeoff and landing?”

I interlaced my fingers before responding to her.

“When everything’s ready, I’ll run to Gimhae and get the airport set up. Everyone can wait on the aircraft until after being prepared.”

“How do we know if Gimhae is safe?”

“When I leave for Gimhae, please prepare for takeoff in ten hours. I will do whatever it takes to clean up Gimhae International Airport, so please depart once the ten hours is up.”

“And what if zombies gather up at Gimpo Airport…?”

“Hyeong-Jun and Han-Sol will protect Gimpo Airport.”

Hwang Ji-Hye listened to my plan, then quietly rubbed her chin as she considered it. After a while, she sighed and spoke up.

“That seems like the best option as of now.”

“I’ll look for a ferry after I clean up Gimhae International Airport. I’ll get everything prepared so that, once everyone arrives, everyone can get on right away.”

Hwang Ji-Hye nodded. “All right.”

Lee Jeong-Uk, who was next to her, tilted his head.

“Mr. Lee Hyun-Deok, when we’re done cleaning up Jeju Island… What do you plan on doing afterward?” he asked.

Everyone’s eyes turned to me. I took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling of the meeting room.

‘Afterward…?’

Suddenly, everything I had gone through to get to where I was right then flashed through my mind. The reason I’d been able to come this far… It was because I had So-Yeon’s safety, stability, and happiness in mind, and the desire to obtain peace for the rest of the survivors.

All this had been possible thanks to the survivors who looked after So-Yeon, people who were like family to me now.

I smiled gently as I recalled the past. There was a lot I wanted to say, but I knew the meeting would go on forever if I started right then.

I let out a deep sigh and looked at everyone’s faces, one by one. I smiled gently.

“Please… Continue to take good care of So-Yeon for me.”

I only wished for one thing from the leaders, which, in turn, was everything to me.