Magic on the Dead Chapter 33

“…….”

Flustered by the sudden suggestion, Lee Changyeol stood up from his spot. He prided himself on never having been physically outmatched anywhere, but the sense of intimidation from Eden, who stood facing him, was considerable.

He had felt it when he first saw him at the mart, but the man before him, who appeared to be the leader of the group, was certainly no ordinary person.

In the sudden confrontation, only Hajin, caught in the middle, had his eyes wide open. Hajin stealthily got up from where he had been sitting between the two men’s legs and moved back. Before he knew it, a ghost-like smoke was creeping into the abandoned factory.

Swallowing hard, Lee Changyeol mustered the courage to retort.

“I only said something because the situation is different from what we promised. Telling me I can go separately, using the feelings of someone who is in a hurry, sounds like a threat and is unpleasant.”

Eden, who he expected would have a vertical line etched between his brows, was surprisingly expressionless. He merely spoke with an impassive face and a voice no different from usual.

“Was there such a clause in the promise we made? That we would escort you to the police station without stopping at any other location along the way?”

“…It wasn’t exactly like that, but morally….”

“Using the feelings of someone in a hurry to threaten, you say….”

Every time Eden spoke, it felt as if the surrounding temperature dropped by more than five degrees. As usual, there was no rise or fall in his tone, but it was a voice that was particularly chilling to the bone.

Hajin looked at Lee Changyeol’s profile, unable to move a muscle, and recalled himself begging for companionship in the warehouse sometime ago. Back then, too, Eden had put Hajin’s mental state into a thresher with merciless logic and sharp reason, completely tearing it to shreds.

Recalling that time, he could understand the feelings of Lee Changyeol, who was like a fish speared on a grille, flapping his tail meaninglessly.

“You were clearly the one who persuaded us by saying you would give us a car and guns, so it is also you who can retract that offer. Who are you to point fingers and say who is threatening whom.”

A sharp blade was embedded in the end of his consistently calm words.

“If you spout nonsense one more time, then we will really be torn apart. So just quietly shut your mouth and let’s go.”

It was an ambiguous expression, making it unclear whether he meant they would split ways, or he would rip his body apart. A chill went down Hajin’s spine. The bastard-like nature of Jung Taegeon, which he had forgotten, popped out before his eyes after a long time, making him realize once again that insults like ‘newborn giraffe calf’ were nothing.

He had with difficulty succeeded in accompanying Eden, but it was obvious that on a day like this when things went wrong, he too would hear words like “Shall we go separately?”

Lee Changyeol looked dazed, like a person who had been hit with an uppercut. He looked around as if seeking an ally, but Jeffrey, Park Chunbeom, Miso, and Byeol, whose eyes he met, were all slowly shaking their heads.

Dejected, Lee Changyeol looked back at Hajin with a final glimmer of hope.

“When we go to the pharmacy, sh-should we also get some bug bite lotion? For some reason, mosquitoes keep….”

Hajin awkwardly tried to smooth over the situation and got up. They had to move before the smoke got worse.

Eden simply slung his bag over his shoulder again as if nothing had happened.

*

Just as Lee Changyeol had said, after passing the main shopping district, a park hidden in the dense bushes appeared.

Thanks to the mart, which had burned down, tragically and heroically gathering the zombies, the path forward was not difficult. They did encounter some monsters along the way, but not in threatening numbers, and there was no trouble in dealing with them.

And now, the group of seven, including Lee Changyeol whom they had met at the mart, was just passing through the park entrance in two lines. Lee Changyeol and Do Hajin were in the lead, followed by Park Chunbeom and Jeong Byeol, Jeffrey and Miso, and finally Eden, all maintaining their formation in order.

Everything was going smoothly. Except for the fact that the expression of Lee Changyeol, who was acting as their guide, was very dark.

Hajin, who was walking alongside him, glanced back at Lee Changyeol’s face, which was plastered with gloom. The corners of his sulky mouth were particularly noticeable, as if he was quite resentful about being scolded by Eden.

Hajin quietly recalled the first few numbers written on his ID card.

‘Come to think of it, he’s only twenty-seven.’

The young man before him, who had given up the safety of his home with the sole purpose of going to save his girlfriend, and was now heading directly to the police station after wandering from place to place. For some reason, his reckless devotion and passion seemed particularly poignant.

“Are you okay?”

At Hajin’s question, Lee Changyeol, who was fiddling with a portable hammer, lifted his head.

“He tends to speak a bit harshly, but he probably… didn’t have any bad intentions. Don’t take it too much to heart.”

Although Hajin didn’t mention the subject, Jung Taegeon, Lee Changyeol understood immediately and let out a small laugh.

“Yes, I was upset… but honestly, he only said things that were right, so I had nothing to say.”

Hajin found himself feeling a sense of kinship with him and ended up laughing like a fool.

“Isn’t that the most infuriating thing? The fact that he’s always right.”

Hajin whispered. Lee Changyeol held back a laugh that was spreading like a contagion.

“Yes, I’m not one to lose with words anywhere I go, but earlier, I really couldn’t talk back. But I was being selfish too….”

Hajin nodded, listening attentively to the man’s words.

“For me, as long as I can meet my girlfriend safely, that’s all that matters.”

“You must like her a lot.”

Hajin felt embarrassed for asking such an obvious question. Of course he likes her a lot if he’s risking his life to go to the police station. But the man, as if he had been waiting, smiled brightly and eagerly began to boast about his girlfriend.

“Yes, of course. She’s probably the prettiest among all the police officers in our country, and the bob cut suits her the best.”

Looking at his bright face, he was suddenly reminded of his younger brother, Junseok. His brother was the same age as Lee Changyeol. Because of his rather rugged build and face, he didn’t particularly feel like Lee Changyeol was like his brother, but seeing him like this, he was exactly like someone his age.

While they were moving their feet and continuing their idle conversation, they had already finished half of the walking trail.

Pausing his steps for a moment, Lee Changyeol gathered the group and explained the route once again.

“It’s called a neighborhood park, but you can think of it as a low-peaked mountain. If we walk about 200 more meters, there’s a path that branches off to the left, and from there the uphill slope gets a little steep. Please follow carefully.”

“My feet hurt. Can you hold me for a little bit?”

Byeol whined to Eden, who was standing behind him, as he tapped his small knees. Without any sign of annoyance, Eden handed the bag he was wearing to Park Chunbeom and picked up Jeong Byeol.

Park Chunbeom naturally moved to the very back, where Eden had been.

“Let’s get going.”

Hajin glanced back at Eden, who was walking right behind him while holding Jeong Byeol. When their eyes met, only an indifferent gesture of his chin, as if telling him to look forward, came back.

Pat-pat-pat…! The moment he straightened his body again, a stray cat quickly crossed the path and jumped into the leafy bushes. Hajin came to an abrupt halt and reflexively gripped his hand axe. Come to think of it, this was the first time he had encountered an animal since the zombie outbreak began.

Do animals also go crazy in the same way if they are bitten by zombies? It was a moment when a question he hadn’t thought of before was newly added to his mind. Hajin cast his gaze towards the bushes where the cat had disappeared and slowly swallowed his saliva, which had become sticky with tension.

“We’ll have to wait and see whether it’s a zoonotic disease or not, but for the time being, let’s be careful of animals too.”

As if he had read his thoughts, Eden spoke from behind him. Hajin answered with a nod and resumed his halted steps.

Before long, the morning sun had passed, and the hot afternoon sun rose above their heads. Thanks to the cool trees casting shade, it wasn’t too difficult, but Hajin was tense the whole time because of the threat that could strike at any moment from anywhere.

Hajin, who was habitually fumbling with his bare chest to find peace of mind, soon went “Ah,” and lowered his hand into his pants pocket. The deck of cards he cherished like a talisman was in his hand. As he fiddled with the surface of the case with his thumb, the tension that had been suffocating his chest began to slowly release.

“Stomach ache, no, no. Hungry. Stomach hungry.”

“Oh, you’re not getting it wrong anymore. Your Korean has improved a lot, hasn’t it?”

“I always do. Diligently. Study with K-Drama.”

“What. You learned Korean from dramas? That’s so not like you.”

“///Boys Over Flowers///. It’s a masterpiece.”

“Wow, damn, that’s crazy.”

At the very back, Jeffrey and Miso were giggling and conversing. Lee Changyeol eavesdropped on the witty exchange between the curly-haired foreigner and the woman with a curious expression. Finding it amusing, he even turned his head completely around.

The mountain, masquerading as a park, was quiet. Even as they passed by an outdoor gym where rusty exercise equipment was clustered together, there was no sign of anyone. At this rate, it seemed they could proceed to the park exit without any trouble.

While Lee Changyeol was distracted, Hajin secretly took out the cards from his pocket and loosened his stiff fingers.

Tucking the hand axe into his side, he shuffled the cards with one hand, and then demonstrated a thumb fan technique, spreading the cards out in a fan shape. For all the chaos that had happened, his white fingers, which were being maintained quite cleanly, danced over the cards.

“I was wondering, but I didn’t know you were a real magician, sir.”

At the sudden words, Hajin’s hand movements, which had been intently loosening his fingers, came to an abrupt stop.