Magic on the Dead Chapter 21

Knock, knock.

Another knock echoed through the room.

[What’s that?]

Jeffrey whispered softly, pointing toward the door. There was no chance it was Misona or Byeol. For safety, they had already established a code, and besides, they could easily meet by opening the connecting room’s door.

Eden peeled his back off the wall and trudged toward the door. There wasn’t even a peephole to check the situation outside. After a moment of hesitation, he picked up Hajin’s hammer, which had been left on the shoe rack.

A zombie wouldn’t politely knock, so it had to be a person. Jeffrey and Park Choonbum, who had been sitting on the bed, quietly stood and positioned themselves behind Eden. Park Choonbum whispered in an anxious tone.

“Director, be careful.”

Instead of responding, Eden spread his fingers to count down the seconds. Three, two, one… Gulp. In the brief moment someone swallowed hard, the door swung open. At the same time, Eden raised the hammer in his hand.

Whoosh!

Park Choonbum and Jeffrey squeezed their eyes shut.

“Ugh.”

But even with their shoulders hunched and eyes closed, no commotion broke out. Choonbum cautiously opened his eyes. Eden stood frozen, still gripping the hammer.

A puzzled silence followed.

“Who is it?”

A short warning of “Shh…” came from Eden, signaling for quiet.

Eden, who had opened the door just enough for a child to slip through, stared at the young man standing in front of it. Slowly lowering the hammer, he furrowed his brow.

“Who are you?”

The man before him, sporting a scratch on his eyebrow, had a unique hairstyle—short with a half-up tie. He looked to be in his early twenties at most and licked his lips before speaking.

“Oh, there’s actually someone here? This place was supposed to be vacant. When did you move in?”

Eden slowly twirled the hammer in his hand and gestured toward the man’s chest.

“What are you filming right now?”

The young man followed Eden’s gaze and looked down at his chest. An action camera strapped to him was blinking red.

“Oh, this? It’s no big deal. I do some YouTube stuff. Ever heard of the channel ‘Aggro TV’?”

When Eden didn’t respond, the man continued as if he expected Eden wouldn’t know.

“Oh, it’s mostly popular among young people. Anyway, the situation’s pretty freaking wild right now, isn’t it? I’m just collecting some footage in case. Don’t worry, I’ll edit it so your faces don’t show.”

Eden, looking unimpressed as if even cursing would be a waste, asked with a weary expression.

“So. Why are you here?”

“Well, if you put it like that, I don’t really have much to say, but… I was just bored being alone, and I wondered if there was anyone my age around?”

He hasn’t grasped the situation at all. The man seemed to think this whole ordeal was just some fleeting incident. Judging by his slick appearance, he’d probably been holed up in the motel since the chaos broke out yesterday.

Eden, barely suppressing the urge to click his tongue, covered the man’s camera with his palm.

“If you’re bored, why don’t you step outside the motel for a bit? And maybe use that damn camera more selectively.”

Startled by Eden’s fierce warning, the man stammered and took a step back.

“Whoa… thought you were gonna hit me for a second.”

The man awkwardly rolled his eyes, then, as if his pride was hurt, muttered, “Damn, so sensitive,” before retreating to Room 205 across the hall. Eden noted the room number and closed the door.

Back in the room, Eden knocked on the connecting door, and it opened quickly. Byeol came rushing out and clung to Eden’s thigh.

“Uncle, was that you knocking earlier?”

It seemed the man from Room 205 had knocked on their door too. Eden shook his head and lowered his voice.

“No. So, never open the door unless it’s the agreed signal.”

Hajin, who had just woken up, looked bewildered at the group gathered in the room with serious expressions.

“What’s going on?”

“Someone knocked. Seems it was someone from another room,” Park Choonbum answered, addressing Hajin’s dazed face. Hajin scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Not long ago, he’d been whining about being anxious, yet he felt embarrassed for sleeping soundly through the commotion. Eden wasn’t even looking his way, though.

“By the way, aren’t we going to eat?”

At that moment, Byeol cautiously raised her voice. In their current situation, the only food available was the box of snacks Hajin had brought, but the child, clearly hungry, mumbled, “I want kimchi jjigae…” Gulp. The mere mention of kimchi jjigae made everyone’s eyes shake with longing.

Hajin quietly stood and walked over to the snack box. Seven bags of chips, one pack of five jelly pouches, and a total of six chocolate and energy bars. How long could they last with this? After some thought, Hajin grabbed a portion and turned to the group.

🃏

Starting with the tactless young man who visited on the first day, strangers knocked on their door several times a day. Two men who seemed like friends, a middle-aged couple handing out religious pamphlets, a college couple wearing matching shirts, and so on…

Most of them wanted to check if there was any spare food, while some deranged individuals even asked if there were any women around.

A few days ago, an argument over boxes of aloe and tangerine juice in the motel’s storage room had escalated, nearly attracting zombies and breaking the glass door.

Four days had passed like this. Water and electricity hadn’t been cut off, but the water pressure had weakened considerably, and the room’s lights had completely gone out due to burnt-out bulbs. The zombies reacting to the sound of the air conditioner meant they couldn’t use it freely, so they sprawled on the floor to cope with the heat, enduring all sorts of hardships.

As expected, no new updates came from the news. No reports of the virus being eradicated in certain areas or instructions to gather at designated locations. Instead of the hopeful news they’d anticipated, the announcer’s lifeless voice only repeated to stay in a safe place.

The remaining food consisted of one chocolate bar and one energy bar, and people had begun filling their stomachs with tap water to stave off hunger.

But they hadn’t just sat idly waiting for things to improve. Eden organized pairs to scout nearby grocery stores, hardware shops, or restaurants in the morning and afternoon. This morning, they’d made significant progress by locating a supermarket, though its doors were firmly locked, preventing them from entering.

If they’d been desperate, they could’ve risked their lives to secure food, but Eden chose caution. In truth, for him, these scouting missions were merely groundwork for heading to the maintenance depot. The one-week deadline he’d set as his final line was fast approaching.

Of course, Hajin, unaware of this plan, could only lower his brows in gratitude each time Eden returned to the motel with minimal food, thanking him for his efforts.

🃏

After taking care of business and washing his face, Hajin stared at his gaunt cheeks in the mirror. Today, unusually, Park Choonbum, Jeffrey, and Eden had all gone out together to find food. Hajin had offered to join, but Eden refused, saying he’d repay his debt, leaving Hajin alone.

Should he visit Misona’s room? If he did, Byeol would likely pester him to show her some cool magic tricks. Performing anywhere from a few to dozens of tricks in the stuffy room would inevitably drain him. As he pondered what magic to show today, Hajin brushed back his wet bangs.

While practicing expressions in the mirror, he heard Park Choonbum calling him from beyond the door.

“Mr. Hajin!”

The cheerful tone suggested they’d returned safely with food. Clutching his hungry stomach, Hajin started toward the door when he heard:

“Huh. Looks like he went to the next room.”

[Maybe he went to Ms. Miso’s.]

The conversation continued. As Hajin waited, planning to surprise them, the discussion took an unexpected turn.

“When I checked inside the hardware store’s glass door earlier, it didn’t seem like there were any zombies. Didn’t look like anything was looted either.”

“…so it should be fine.”

“When are we leaving for the maintenance depot… Yongwoon, you said?”

“I’m thinking two days from now.”

“Not much time left… We need to get to Yongwoon safely…”

“If we stick to the plan, we should be able to pack a survival bag and leave…”

What? Hajin’s hand tightened on the doorknob. Maintenance depot? Yongwoon? His ears perked up at the familiar terms. It seemed they’d entered the room, as the voices whispering by the shoe rack stopped.

‘What’s that…?’

From the conversation, it sounded like Eden had set a destination. Hajin recalled the news channel where he’d first seen Eden. His polished face and a massive structure straight out of a futuristic city flashed through his mind. It was definitely Blueworks’ maintenance depot, nearing completion.

Hajin’s expression darkened instantly. Over the past few days, he’d constantly highlighted his strengths, practically begging to join Eden. Every time Hajin suggested teaming up, Eden dodged, saying he hadn’t decided on a destination, and Hajin had no choice but to take his words at face value.

When did he decide on a destination? And leaving in two days? A stinging sense of betrayal, its cause unclear, made Hajin’s breathing grow ragged.