Magic on the Dead Chapter 70

“Haha… I didn’t know you were the medical officer, Officer Kim.”

“Ah, I’m in charge today. I think they said I’m in charge of the livestock shed tomorrow… it seems to change every day.”

“It seems you haven’t been here long either, Officer Kim.”

“Yes. I came here three days ago. I’m just getting adjusted myself, so I’m still a bit disoriented.”

Eden listened silently to the conversation between Hajin and the man. As expected, Officer Kim was not one of Lieutenant Colonel So’s men. One could tell just by looking at the fact that he was the only one wearing a police uniform in this place full of soldiers.

‘No, I’m just trying to confirm… right now!’

‘I have not heard any reports from Lieutenant Colonel So… Please go back now.’

‘If you keep acting like this… I won’t just stand by… either….’

Recalling the commotion outside the warehouse last night, it was certain that Officer Kim also harbored at least a slight aversion to the system here. His attitude, which showed a subtle power struggle with Lieutenant Colonel So, also suggested as much.

Eden, letting his guard down a bit, actively began to probe for the whereabouts of the culprit who killed Chunbeom.

“Officer Kim, have you by any chance seen a man who is a little under 170cm tall, has a stocky build, and limps on his left leg?”

“Pardon?”

Officer Kim’s eyes darted around at the sudden question before he shook his head.

“I have not seen such a person. Is there a reason you’re asking…? Don’t tell me, are you looking for the man in the black raincoat who is said to have harmed your colleague?”

“Yes. He must be here.”

The man’s head tilted more and more to the side, as if he were in a difficult position.

“Haaah. If he’s a person here and not a rioter… well. At least since I’ve been here, I haven’t encountered anyone like that.”

“Is that so.”

Eden nodded and put the ointment in his pocket.

“Did you also hand over the police car you drove here?”

At the sharp follow-up question, Officer Kim’s eyes widened.

“How did you know that?”

“I saw the soldiers driving a police car, so I asked out of curiosity.”

“Ah… yes. Lieutenant Colonel So requested it. He said the Retona he was using was giving him trouble and asked to borrow my car for a while.”

Eden and Hajin exchanged a silent look. They needed to check out Lieutenant Colonel So’s problematic Retona as well. If they were lucky, they might be able to steal a tactical vehicle and escape when they left this place.

The tires on military vehicles were different from ordinary tires and could run over damaged roads without much difficulty. An armored vehicle would also be perfect for fending off zombie attacks.

After finishing the treatment, Eden and Hajin left the commissary. Wary of Sergeant Shin, who could be watching from anywhere, they observed the main gate ticket booth right below. Two soldiers holding long guns were guarding the front.

After looking around to see if there was anything unusual, the two turned their steps back toward their quarters.

🃏

When he woke up after catching up on much-needed sleep, it was just past 6 in the evening.

“Time to eat.”

Following Sergeant Shin’s guidance to the cafeteria, the two were served the same food they had seen earlier in the day: rice balls.

Before the meal, Eden excused himself for a moment, saying he needed to use the restroom. In his absence, the men who were sitting in a group started whispering about Hajin. Aggressive words like ‘filthy’, ‘gay’, and ‘faggot’ pierced his eardrums.

Annoyance shot to the top of his head, but he engraved the character for ‘patience’ in his mind and chewed the rice ball thoroughly. He even carefully savored the single egg that was served as a special dish.

The situation of eating the enemy’s food for the sake of Chunbeom’s revenge was ironic, but he decided not to think about it too deeply.

“You’ll give yourself indigestion. Eat a little more slowly.”

Eden, who had returned to his seat, kindly fetched water and presented it before Hajin. As soon as he returned, the accusatory whispers stopped as if by magic.

‘These cowardly bastards, only running their mouths when they can pick on someone…’

Hajin keenly felt the vast difference in hierarchy between himself and Eden, and swallowed down his sorrow.

Perhaps unable to bear the sight of two men getting intimate on a bed, Sergeant Shin brought in an extra cot with an annoyed face just before bedtime. It seemed he had gone to the trouble of getting a spare from another building.

“Just sleep separately. And don’t try any funny business.”

It was an unexpected stroke of luck when he had been worrying about how they would manage to sleep together in the narrow bed. Hajin rejoiced inwardly. When he had napped earlier, he had slept sitting up with his back against the hard wall, so he was actually grateful for Sergeant Shin’s unintentional kindness.

“Oh, thank you.”

Toward him, who offered his thanks so readily, the man furrowed his brow as if he had just seen the strangest person. The persistent contempt was not at all pleasant, but he was just relieved that thanks to it, he could sleep comfortably without being separated from Eden.

“Aren’t you being a little too obvious about how happy you are? It makes holding your hand feel pointless.”

Eden secretly chided him for his much brighter demeanor. Grinning, Hajin began to sort the jumbled mess of cards according to their suits. The lights went out while he was organizing the ten decks of cards on the bed.

His fingers had become quite stiff from not being able to practice for nearly two days. Sitting with his back against the wall, he practiced a false shuffle in the pitch-dark.

“What’s your plan now?”

Hajin asked. Snorrre— Grrr—! Thanks to the resounding snores of the soldiers lying in nearby beds, the sound of their conversation did not leak outside.

“First, we need to find definitive physical evidence that he killed Mr. Park Chunbeom.”

“The man in the black raincoat? Don’t you think Lieutenant Colonel So would have gotten rid of him a long time ago?”

“There’s no need to kick out a subordinate when he’s already short on manpower. He probably figures we didn’t see the face since the body was covered by the raincoat and just left him be. The probability is high.”

“What if we can’t find him?”

“Then we’ll ditch the revenge and just try to make off with an armored vehicle.”

“…In that case, while we’re at it, should we try to make off with some weapons, too?”

Eden’s shoulders shook as he laughed silently at Hajin’s bluff-filled voice.

“You’ve become very brave, Mr. Do Hajin.”

“It’s a do-or-die situation, isn’t it? I have nothing more to lose now that I’m being despised for pretending to be gay.”

“Do you dislike it that much?”

The finger that had been flying over the cards fumbled. Shuffle—. Startled for a moment, Hajin clumsily picked up the cards that had fallen onto the pad. Eden, who had been watching quietly, muttered in a lowered voice.

“It seems you dislike it a lot.”

“No, it’s not that I dislike it, but my hands get so sweaty, I was worried you might feel unpleasant holding my hand.”

“That’s an excuse.”

“…”

At the voice that sounded somewhat sulky, Hajin dropped the cards once again.

…Sulky?

The idea of the great Jung Taegeon sulking was a premise as unrealistic as the earth being square.

When he cautiously raised his head, his eyes met Eden’s, who was sitting on the bed and watching him with a sharp gaze. He felt a slight chill but dismissed it as just a feeling and hurriedly brought up another topic.

“Do you believe what he said about the zombies in the capital region being contained soon? And about being in contact with the higher-ups?”

“I don’t. You don’t believe it either, Mr. Do Hajin.”

“How did you know?”

“I figured someone like you would have noticed the phone line was unplugged right away.”

As Eden said, Hajin had noticed the ivory-colored telephone in the lieutenant colonel’s room and the charger that was halfway pulled out of the wall. It was an issue that required no further discussion. He let out a weary sigh, foooh—, and muttered.

“I miss Byeol. Miso and Jeffrey, too.”

“They’ll be doing just fine on their own.”

“…But I still worry.”

“He says nonsensical things from time to time, but Jeffrey is a pretty useful guy. And Ms. Yoon Miso is, needless to say, capable. The journey won’t be easy since there’s a child, but Byeol isn’t a clueless kid either, so she’ll follow along well.”

A sense of relief washed over him at the firm voice, which held not a trace of doubt. Hajin did his best to compose his unsettled heart.

“Well, that’s a relief. Now all I have to do is do my part well.”

“You are doing well enough, Mr. Do Hajin.”

After offering the casual compliment, he got into bed and lay down. Feeling needlessly embarrassed, Hajin quickly bid him good night.

“Good night.”

An okay sign, made by touching his index finger and thumb together, was returned.

Not long after, Hajin also laid his weary body down on the bed.

“Take another dose of cold medicine before you sleep.”

Eden, whom he thought was asleep, handed him the water bottle he had set aside.

“Thank you.”

Hajin pressed the back of his hand against his face, which was growing hot again, and swallowed the pill down his throat.

🃏

“Mr. Jung Taegeon, the lieutenant colonel is looking for you, so you can head over there, and Mr. Do Hajin, you can go to the hay warehouse and take care of feeding the flock of sheep. Private Goo will show you.”

The day at Misan Ranch began at 6 in the morning. After an early breakfast, the two men were assigned tasks by Sergeant Shin, along with the other soldiers gathered on the left side of the campground.

Hajin rubbed his eyes, his face still heavy with sleep. When he woke up, his wrist, which had had ointment applied to it again at some point, was glistening. Eden whispered in his ear.

“I’ll go to the quarters and see if there’s anything I can salvage. You should try going to the feeding experience zone below the hay warehouse, Mr. Do Hajin.”

“I was thinking I should go anyway since I keep hearing zombie sounds. I think the power generation facility is under there too, so I’ll check that out at the same time.”

“It seems you’ve memorized the entire map.”

“It’s a piece of cake.”

He stroked the top of Hajin’s head as if he were proud. For a moment, the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and his shoulders curled inward. Sure enough, the faces of the soldiers who had been intermittently glancing their way contorted fiercely.

‘What are you going to do about it, you narrow-minded homophobic bastards.’

Having developed a sense of defiance after just one day of acting as the gay couple in a love for the ages, he defiantly leaned his head slightly on Eden’s shoulder. Some of the soldiers made a gagging gesture.

Meanwhile, Eden looked quizzically at Hajin, who had suddenly leaned his face on his shoulder, then followed his gaze to the direction he was looking.

The soldiers, who had been scowling, reflexively averted their eyes.

“Everyone will gather at the cafeteria at 12 o’clock sharp. Dismissed.”

Sergeant Shin, having brought the chaotic situation under control, shouted for dismissal. Hajin moved his feet, following a private with a buzz cut named Goo.