Chapter 46: Life

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Xiao Guang knew that he smelled wonderful—in the literal sense. His body smelled wonderful.

That was why Minju would always sneak a lick of him with her little tongue at night. Sometimes she could not resist giving him a gentle bite, only to be smacked by Bae Joo-hyun and look utterly aggrieved.

Xiao Guang had once asked Bae Joo-hyun why she never felt like biting him. Her answer was simple.

“You’re human, and so am I.”

Xiao Guang wanted to tell her that, judging by the way she looked now, she perhaps no longer belonged within the category of human beings. But he did not say it. Bae Joo-hyun believed herself to be human, and perhaps that belief was a kind of happiness. He had no right to shatter it.

As for the broadcast stimulating her memories, or the vague commands she seemed to have received, Xiao Guang did not want to ask too many questions. Sitting alone atop the car behind the manor, he did not even know what he ought to think about.

Perhaps the news Bae Joo-hyun had delivered so casually had shocked him too deeply. Perhaps his ability to bear things was simply too weak. The disaster had not even arrived, yet he was already losing his composure.

His first reaction had been to run—to flee as far away as possible, to some remote place where human beings were rarely seen.

With the abilities he possessed now, Xiao Guang felt that he could survive. He might not live well, but he could stay alive.

Yet Bae Joo-hyun’s news filled him with despair—a despair born of the human race itself. Six months had passed since the end of the world. Even the slowest-responding organization should have found some way to deal with the virus by now.

Should they not have begun sending out signals through satellites or something similar? With humanity in a state of panic, even a broadcast containing nothing but empty promises could have given people a little more courage.

Perhaps that was what the outside world was like. But Xiao Guang truly did not dare think about Seoul, because every time he tried, all that remained for him was despair.

He refused to think about it. He did his best to live happily with the three zombie girls. Yet Bae Joo-hyun’s news made him grieve for humanity. If the three zombie girls were not by his side, what would become of those people?

So what was he supposed to do now? Should he run? And if he did, how long would he keep running?

Xiao Guang never arrived at an answer. As the sky darkened, he climbed down from the car. It was time for dinner. If he did not eat, the three zombie girls were certainly hungry too.

“Oppa~”

When he returned to the living room, Minju came over first. The cautious look on her face made Xiao Guang reach out and stroke her little cheek.

“I’m not going to bite you.”

“Not bite you,” Minju said.

It should have been a happy thing to hear, but Xiao Guang did not quite understand. What did she mean, not bite him?

“She says she won’t listen to that, so she won’t bite you.”

Bae Joo-hyun helped explain. Xiao Guang glanced at the walkie-talkie she was pointing at and understood what Minju meant.

Still, he looked at Minju. When you put it that way, had you actually been thinking about biting me?

Xiao Guang looked from Minju to Bae Joo-hyun. Bae Joo-hyun raised one foot.

“I’ll beat her.”

Xiao Guang remembered the kick with which Bae Joo-hyun had sent Minju tumbling off the sofa. So perhaps some things could not be trusted to the evidence of one’s eyes. What he had taken for bullying was actually Bae Joo-hyun correcting Minju’s mistaken ideas.

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Kim Minju, after all the kindness I’ve shown you, you still wanted to bite me?

Unable to help himself, Xiao Guang reached over and pinched both of Minju’s cheeks.

“You idiot. If you bite me, who’s going to cook for you?”

“Won’t bite. Won’t bite. Won’t bite.”

Whether she was frightened by him pinching her cheeks or by Bae Joo-hyun, Minju’s lips suddenly became remarkably cooperative. Not only did she speak, she even waved her hands to show how determined she was.

Seeing the timid look in Minju’s eyes, Xiao Guang could not resist patting her head. He really was hopeless. She had not even begun using her beauty as a weapon, and he had already forgiven her in his heart.

He kissed Minju on the forehead, then turned and kissed Bae Joo-hyun on the forehead as well.

That was enough. Some things were better unknown than known. With the little ability he possessed, thinking too much would not help. For now, he would eat.

“Pet me, drink milk~”

The two little round figures hopped out and gave themselves a shake. Xiao Guang looked at Hye Won’s delighted expression, unsure whether he ought to laugh. He reached out and straightened her costume.

“Milk is fine for dinner, but you still have to eat some food.”

Ah, what a sin. He had somehow turned a perfectly good Kang Hye Won into someone with this strange habit. He probably deserved to die.

The rice-eating portion of the meal was not especially joyful, but all three obediently tilted up their heads. Hye Won would occasionally glance at the amount of rice left in her little bowl. Perhaps, in her eyes, this was an ordeal she had no choice but to endure. Once the bowl was empty, she could drink her milk.

Seeing the three zombie girls drink milk was one of Xiao Guang’s favorite sights. He could feel how happy they were, and because he had made them happy, he was happy too. He could not help remembering the verdict an old Korean woman had once given him.

“If you go on living like this, you’ll suffer for it.”

Koreans liked to weave references to life and death, or other exaggerated expressions, into ordinary conversation. It was simply their way of speaking. In the past, Xiao Guang had always felt that such words sounded rather unrestrained, contrary to the virtue of moderation. His own culture prized the gentleman who was like jade—calm and composed, remaining unchanged even when Mount Tai collapsed before him.

But looking at things now, he realized that this too was the influence of the culture in which he had grown up. He looked at the three zombie girls before him and wanted to laugh, so he did.

Minju was always sneaking glances at the other two girls’ cups. She drank the slowest and had begun to grow anxious. As a result, she started spitting up her milk again.

The evening was no different from any other. The weather was a little cool, and they were accustomed to sitting close together on the sofa. Xiao Guang did not know whether they felt cold, but at that moment he preferred holding the fully clothed Bae Joo-hyun. Her naked body was certainly tempting, but today he seemed to be a little afraid of the cold.

***

Xiao Guang dreamed a great deal, most of it involving escape. Sometimes he was running alone; sometimes he was racing away with Bae Joo-hyun or Minju.

He was exhausted in his dreams. He was always counting heads. There were clearly only four of them, yet he could never count them correctly. This made him terribly anxious. Danger had already arrived—who had disappeared?

Perhaps he had caught a chill. His head felt heavy and foggy. When he touched his forehead, it felt warm, and his throat was dry as well.

He lifted the quilt to look. All three girls were inside. Bae Joo-hyun and Hye Won were curled up, while only Minju’s long legs had stretched out. Poor Minju could not sleep with his body on both sides of her, so he had to spread his legs apart to make a little room for her.

Although they would certainly turn over and change positions throughout the night, by morning they were usually arranged like this.

He tried breathing through his nose and felt heat inside his nasal passages. He had definitely caught a chill. This was the first time he had fallen ill since the end of the world. Xiao Guang knew where he had stored the medicine kit. He did not want to rely on his immune system to fight it off; he needed to ease his discomfort as quickly as possible.

The three zombie girls stood beside the dining table, staring in bewilderment at the little metal basin and the cups filled with milk powder. They looked at the powder on the table, then turned to look at Xiao Guang.

Wrapped in a quilt, Xiao Guang sat on the sofa with a rolled-up piece of paper stuffed into one nostril.

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“Just have milk this morning. I’m too lazy to cook.”

The three zombie girls looked at Xiao Guang. In the end, it was Bae Joo-hyun who asked,

“We can drink milk right now?”

Xiao Guang nodded, but none of the three moved. Minju cautiously touched her cup, then looked at Bae Joo-hyun. Xiao Guang had no idea how they communicated, but Bae Joo-hyun looked at him and asked softly,

“Our last meal?”

Xiao Guang burst out laughing. What did she mean, their last meal? He was merely feeling unwell. Why did they make it sound so tragic?

He had not given them milk in the mornings because he wanted them to eat some proper food. Had he somehow given them another strange habit?

Kang Hye Won’s gaze kept moving between Xiao Guang and the milk powder, while Minju stared fixedly at Bae Joo-hyun. Bae Joo-hyun stared at Xiao Guang. It seemed to take her nearly ten seconds to understand what he meant. Then she turned to Minju and Hye Won.

“Drink~!”

With a thump, all three dropped to their knees, tilted back their heads, raised their cups to their lips, and drank.

Watching their perfectly synchronized movements, Xiao Guang sniffed. He wanted to laugh, but his throat felt terrible, and even swallowing hurt.

Clang. Clang.

Xiao Guang looked at the cup before him, then raised his head to look at Minju.

You’re really willing to give this up?

Half the milk was still in the cup. Minju had not finished it; instead, she had brought it over and set it in front of him. Xiao Guang could tell how reluctant she was. Her deep-blue eyes remained fixed on the cup, avoiding his gaze, yet she still pushed it toward him.

“I’m not drinking it. You drink.”

Xiao Guang pushed the cup back. Minju’s deep-blue eyes moved from the cup to him, and then she pushed it toward him again.

Xiao Guang reached out. Minju obediently lowered her head, and he kissed her forehead.

“Be good. Drink it before it gets cold.”

This time Minju took the cup back. She looked at Xiao Guang, then turned and knelt on the floor to finish her breakfast.

Clang.

Xiao Guang watched as the three empty cups were placed together.

Very good. Full of energy. Even the sound of the cups striking the dining table was so loud.

It filled Xiao Guang with satisfaction.

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