Magic on the Dead Chapter 52

Despite Miso’s polite refusal, the woman with the bob cut did not move from her position blocking the entrance. The atmosphere gradually grew cold. After a short while, Eden brought up a question that sounded somewhat familiar.

“Have you ever killed a zombie?”

The bob-haired woman’s eyes wavered for a moment, as if flustered. Eden pressed on again without holding back.

“To survive, you have to smash a zombie’s skull with a hammer until its brains spill out, or tear its skin with a knife. Can you do that?”

“Th-That… No, you all said yesterday that you’d never killed one either.”

“And you believed that?”

A cynical smile spread across Eden’s lips, as if to say she was utterly naive.

“I will give you one piece of advice in return for your hospitality last night.”

Hoisting his heavier backpack onto his shoulders, he continued in a low voice.

“You should not let strangers in so carelessly. The only reason you are all still alive and well this morning is because we are leaving quietly without having done anything to you.”

“……”

The bob-haired woman’s open mouth clamped shut. For a moment, the light in her eyes died like a snuffed-out flame. After finishing what he had to say, Eden opened the door without a second thought, and her body, which had been standing firm, was pushed aside helplessly.

Hajin felt as if his own heart was stinging from Eden’s merciless remarks. Park Chun-beom’s face also turned pale in an instant, as if he felt the same. Chun-beom, glancing around, bowed his head and passed by the woman. Following him, Miso, Jeffrey, Hajin, and Byeol also left the place.

The glass door swung back and forth and then closed. Eden led the group and hid in the bushes next to the parking lot, avoiding the zombies’ eyes.

🃏

“…Maybe we should have just gone with them to the ranch. Should I try to persuade Mr. Jung Taegeon, even now?”

Miso whispered to Jeffrey, who was walking silently beside her. Jeffrey shook his head as if it were out of the question.

“No.”

“What do you mean, no? That it’s no use?”

When he answered with a confident nod, Miso muttered as if she didn’t understand.

“Why is Mr. Jung Taegeon so sensitive about having companions? He was like that with me and Hajin, too… Seeing how he is with other people, it seems like a miracle that we’re even together like this now.”

“But Eden, not bad person.”

“I know that, too. I know, but it just seems like he’s being a bit excessive sometimes, that’s all.”

A question gradually bloomed on Hajin’s face as well, as he held Byeol’s hand and kept pace with Miso at the very back. He had thought that Jung Taegeon, who acted as if he had a human allergy, must have his reasons, but there was no way of knowing what he had seen in him to choose him as a comrade.

To say that he was repaying a debt to him for providing food and lodging at the motel seemed too simple, given the conditions and meaning he had attached to being a comrade.

Hajin could feel this all the more keenly because even in the world of magicians, ‘comrades’ were something he had failed to secure more than a few of. A ticklish sense of wonder, like the fizz of a carbonated drink, bubbled up in his chest.

It felt like a court lady who had only ever served at the king’s feet had, for some reason, been chosen over others and received the king’s favor. He himself found the analogy a bit damaging to his pride, but looking only at Eden’s actions, he couldn’t deny the fact that he had been chosen by him.

He felt the urge to casually ask Eden about it once today’s march was over. It wasn’t a particularly important issue, but it wasn’t a topic he wasn’t curious about either. Perhaps he might be able to have a deeper conversation with him. Having resolved to talk, Hajin supported the bottom of his heavy backpack with one hand and continued walking.

“There are few zombies on this expressway.”

【There weren’t many cars to begin with, right?】

“I know, right. We could probably run.”

The group members, who would normally have kept their mouths shut and walked in silence, were for some reason talking nonstop. Whether it was because they had slept comfortably the night before, or because they had washed their bodies and clothes cleanly for the first time in days, a rather energetic vibe melted into the air.

Even Jeffrey’s mischievous act of placing his not-yet-dry laundry on his head like a hat led to small laughs.

Their blood ran cold when they heard the rough howl of a wild dog, but fortunately, the number of zombies that flocked onto the road after hearing the sound was not large, and they were able to take shelter inside an abandoned sedan for a brief rest.

Inside the sedan where they hid, a car key lay뒹굴고 있었다 in a tempting manner. However, due to large vehicles blocking the road horizontally, the remnants of collision accidents, and the collapsed road conditions, traveling by vehicle was, as expected, not feasible. The group decided to be content with a short break, though it was a shame.

“Whoo. I really feel alive after just one night of good sleep. Right?”

Miso, placing her hand on Hajin’s shoulder, let out a relieved sigh. The two of them were sitting side by side in the back seat.

“But don’t you have energy to spare even without resting?”

“What are you talking about, Do Hajin. What am I, a cyborg?”

“It was a compliment, you know?”

While they bickered, Eden, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, stared at Hajin through the rearview mirror. When Hajin, sensing the gaze, looked up, Eden’s eyes were already looking elsewhere.

Did I see it wrong? Hajin stared at the back of Eden’s head for a while before getting out of the car first. As he lifted his head toward the hot, blazing sunlight, a familiar set of letters caught his eye. It was a large outdoor billboard erected on the expressway.

‘Magic Sparkle Sparkle, The Natural Bleach That Wipes Clean!’

Hajin looked at the letters styled with rainbow colors on a white background. The word ‘Magic’ was stamped in large, red Myeongjo font.

“Magic….”

The words ‘Do Hajin’s Time Travel Magic Show!’ were naturally superimposed over the billboard’s text.

Hajin recalled his first magic show, which he had prepared for day and night for over half a year. Although it was a performance that had come to an empty end at the same time as the opening, the cheers of the people still occasionally stuck in his ears like auditory hallucinations.

‘You’re not dead yet. Nothing is over.’

Eden’s voice followed, saying it was still too early to regret, that he must survive and stand on stage again.

Staring at the letters on the billboard that were gradually getting closer, Hajin slowly took a deep breath. When he thought of that day, only guilt, self-loathing, and regret filled his chest tightly, but now, all that remained was an unexplainable doubt toward himself and a small, tickling bit of hope.

Perhaps the fact that his conversation partner last night was Jung Taegeon had played a large part. Could it be because he had received unexpected comfort from someone who views the world with a merciless gaze rather than an optimistic one?

Strangely, the words that came from his mouth did not feel like a pipe dream, but like a reality that could be fully achieved and a self-evident truth. That strange belief had made Hajin quite free from worldly cares since yesterday.

Hajin, who rarely opened up, twitched his cheek as he recalled himself pouring out his true feelings to Eden.

In the midst of his awkward, self-deprecating smile, a zombie crawled up the billboard. Dirty blood smeared thickly over the red letters of the word ‘Magic’.

The zombie, bent in half and hanging precariously on the billboard, was constantly growling at the group walking on the road below.

“Guhhh-uh-uh—!”

It was a cry that felt somewhat mournful.

He felt as if someone had thrown cold water on his mind, which had been consumed by a shabby hope. Hajin, who was looking at the cross-section of the ruined world with a bitter expression, soon turned his gaze back to the road.

🃏

“Let’s unpack here for today.”

Below the road, next to a stream hidden by a large vine, Eden sat down and took a spot. The water quality was not good enough to be used for drinking or showering, but the sound of the rather strong current served its purpose as a protective shield.

Lying their tired bodies under a willow tree, the group members took a rest, each in their own way, watching the sun slowly set.

Eden, holding a hatchet, cleared the bushes within a 1-meter radius and removed the topsoil.

“Shall I help you?”

He was bent over, but he rolled only his eyes to look at Hajin’s calves. Eden tossed the dry vines he would use for kindling to the side indifferently and ordered.

“Could you find seven stones with a diameter of about 20cm. If there aren’t any nearby, you do not need to go far.”

Hajin, who nodded at the simple command, took a step. Whine— He swatted away a mosquito hovering around his ear in alarm and walked on the uneven ground. The stones were mostly near the stream. Their surfaces, splashed with water, were damp.

A short while later, Hajin returned, waddling, having made a basket with his shirt so as not to drop them and carrying an armful of stones inside.

“I found the stones here.”

Then, rumble, he poured the pile of stones next to Eden. However, Eden, who was sitting with his knees bent, calmly observed the state of the stones and quietly shook his head.

“Why?”

“Wet stones are dangerous when making a fire. There’s a possibility they could crack or explode.”

Eden ignored the stones he had gone to the trouble of finding and turned his head to the other side to call Jeffrey.

【Jeffrey! Give me the shovel.】

Receiving the folding shovel from Jeffrey, he began to dig a hole in the dirt. Hajin stood idly by his side.

Perhaps thinking that he was feeling awkward, Eden suddenly raised his head and met his gaze.

“The stones are my fault for not mentioning it beforehand. Instead of building a firebreak with stones, let’s change the plan to digging a pit and building a fire inside. There is a large tree next to us, so it will be perfect for dispersing the smoke, too.”

Even though he was doing all this work by himself anyway, Eden took the trouble to add an explanation for Hajin.

Hajin observed the man before him with a renewed sense of wonder. Was he a surprisingly considerate person? His way of speaking was a bit of a turn-off, but as the leader of this motley crew, he was demonstrating a spirit of sacrifice and consideration…

“What are you doing. If you’re going to keep standing there blankly, come over here and dig the pit.”

…Or not. Hajin, who frowned with a puzzled look, plopped down into a sitting position.