Magic on the Dead Chapter 76

In the awkward atmosphere, Hajin waved his hands and explained.

“Haha. That’s not it, it’s not like I don’t want to go with you specifically for that reason. It’s just that he and I aren’t really… like that,”

“No. I understand. I was being too dense.”

Corporal Kim consoled him, as if to say it was all right. Hajin felt like he was about to cry for some reason and looked back at Eden, but he was only patting his shoulder nonchalantly.

A sigh escaped him. In any case, since they were parting ways without anyone getting hurt, was it a good outcome in the end?

Having finally given up on explaining, Hajin let out an awkward smile toward the child who was still covering his mouth. Sensing the separation, the child’s eyes turned red.

“Hajin hyung… thank you.”

His voice was dripping with reluctance. Stepping away from Eden, he steeled his weakening heart and held the child’s shoulders.

“You have to survive. For your father’s sake, if nothing else, you need to be strong.”

“Sob… I’m sorry my dad spilled juice on your cards back then and was so mean.”

Flustered, Hajin bent at the waist toward the child, who was a little shorter than him.

“Hey, you punk. Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?”

“I don’t believe in that Wonsin-nim or whatever. That was all my dad’s wild delusion. I knew it all, too. Sob… But my dad… no matter how strange my dad was, for him to die like that is just too….”

The child, who had been rambling, ended up burying his face in Hajin’s chest. Hajin awkwardly patted the back of the child who was sobbing sorrowfully. His heart ached with a sharp pang.

“Actually, sob…! Ever since I saw you at the rest stop, I really wanted to be friends with you, hyung. Your magic was so amazing, and I liked how you smiled so coolly. Hooo-euk…. When you have a magic show later, I’ll definitely go. You have to recognize me when we meet then.”

The child’s heartfelt confession continued. Only after Eden, who could no longer bear to watch, pulled the two apart did the sobbing subside.

“If you cry, you’ll lose moisture and it’ll be hard on you. Stop crying now and get a grip. Listen to the police hyung, and don’t get sick. Got it?”

Hajin patted the child’s flushed cheeks, offering words of comfort and encouragement.

After the commotion, the child finished saying his goodbyes and left with Corporal Kim. Hajin remained rooted to the spot until they disappeared from sight.

In truth, the advice he had given the child was no different from a promise he was making to himself. To survive and live to the fullest, for the deceased Chunbeom’s sake as well. And not to cry.

Hajin glanced back at the mountain, from which smoke was still rising, and bid Chunbeom a final farewell.

🃏

“Why did you do that earlier? Did you get a kick out of it?”

Hajin chided Eden, who was walking ahead of him.

“What are you talking about?”

“The boyfriend act. I was so embarrassed in front of the kid I could have died…. And why were you fiddling with my shoulder?”

Eden, swinging the dagger in his hand, laughed shortly, “Haha.”

“That kind of prank doesn’t suit you, Mr. Jung Taegeon.”

“My way was the best way. Was there a better way to refuse than to make the excuse that I wanted to be alone with my boyfriend?”

“…”

“And here you are, not even realizing that I went out of my way to be considerate of you, when you were at a loss over feeling sorry for him.”

Unable to find a retort, Hajin kept his mouth shut. Thanks to Eden’s improvisation, they were able to go their separate ways safely without any emotional toll, so technically, he was right about everything.

Still, couldn’t he do something about that damn condescending tone?

Hajin, looking completely exhausted, washed his face with his dry hands and then silently moved his feet. Having been up since dawn and having encountered a horde of zombies along with a full-blown gunfight, his whole body felt as heavy as lead.

“By the way, what time is it now?”

“It’s almost 4 o’clock.”

“…It’s hot.”

“Let’s hurry and find a place to rest. We can recover some stamina and leave early tomorrow morning.”

The two walked aimlessly along the winding dirt road. After walking for about 30 minutes past empty rice paddies and roads, Hajin, who was dragging his feet, picked up a faded receipt that he had kicked.

On the paper, the business name ‘Misan Garden’ and a payment record for a roast duck set meal were written. Growl…. Hajin clutched his hungry stomach and looked around. Judging by the street name, it seemed there was a restaurant not too far from here.

Come to think of it, most places at the foot of a mountain had restaurants that served health food. 10 minutes later, his eyes, which were scanning the surroundings like a hawk, caught sight of a promotional sign.

←100m Left turn, Misan Garden, Roast Duck & Chicken Soup Specialty Restaurant

On the old, tilted sign, the name ‘Misan Garden’ that Hajin was looking for was written.

“Mr. Jung Taegeon, come over here.”

Eden, who was tucking his worn dagger into his belt, turned around at the call. The two left the road and walked onto a path dense with vegetation.

“Where are you going?”

“I found a restaurant. If it’s all right, I think it’d be a good place to rest today.”

Eden’s head lifted to follow the direction Hajin was pointing. Where his gaze landed, Misan Garden’s yellow standing sign was erected. Lushly grown weeds had half-wrapped themselves around the sign, and above it, small, unlit light bulbs drooped eerily.

“You did well to find it. Let’s go.”

Eden patted Hajin’s shoulder as if to say he had done a good job.

The entrance to the restaurant was so overgrown with knee-high weeds that there was no room to step. Eden, taking the lead, cut down the grass with his dagger to clear a path.

Passing the parking lot, the two reached the front of the restaurant and checked for any signs of people inside the glass door. There was no discernible movement in the dark interior.

“Is anyone there?”

As Eden knocked on the door and shouted, a mountain bird that had been hiding somewhere flew up into the sky with a flutter. After that, a quiet silence followed.

Hajin whispered out of habit.

“I guess no one’s here? I mean, the road to the restaurant is blocked, so it must have been hard for anyone to get here.”

“Let’s go in.”

Eden placed the sharp tip of his dagger on the lock at the top of the glass door. Click. The door opened without much difficulty.

“I saw Jeffrey was good at picking locks at the mart last time, do they really teach you this stuff in Delta Force?”

As curious eyes followed him, Eden smirked.

“Are you, a person who performs magic like it’s real sorcery, amazed by something as simple as picking a lock?”

“People are always amazed by things they can’t do themselves. If you get a chance, teach me how to pick locks, too.”

“All right. In return, you’ll have to teach me a magic trick, Mr. Do Hajin.”

“…You were serious about that at the police station, weren’t you?”

Eden answered with a smile and opened the door to enter first. Since the sun was still shining brightly, the inside of the restaurant wasn’t very dark.

It seemed no one had visited since the outbreak, as the stuffy, musty smell of dust tickled the tip of his nose. Hajin, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand, quickly scanned the surroundings. Eight long, floor-seating tables were placed on the linoleum floor, and in front of them was a spacious kitchen.

Hajin’s mouth slowly opened when he spotted the menu. Roast duck, pork belly, chicken soup…. Just scanning the menu made his mouth water.

“Mr. Jung Taegeon… shall we eat first? I’m starving to death.”

“There’s bound to be something left. Let’s take a look.”

Hajin followed Eden into the kitchen. Commercial-grade sauces, canned goods, and six multi-packs of 2L water bottles were neatly placed next to the refrigerator.

‘Saved.’

While Hajin took out a bottle of water and gulped it down frantically, Eden opened the refrigerator door. A rotten smell wafted out, and Hajin, who was chugging water, immediately gagged.

Eden, also pinching his nose, carefully inspected the inside of the refrigerator. As expected, there was no edible food. In the yard connected to the back door, there were only the carcasses of chickens that had starved to death.

Making do, he used the ingredients at room temperature to make a simple porridge. An onion that was slightly spoiled on the outside, a green onion with a still-firm core, a carrot, tuna, and rice grains from the rice container were all boiled together in a pot on a portable gas burner.

Sesame oil and soy sauce were drizzled over the porridge, from which a savory aroma was gently rising. Eden placed the pot in front of Hajin, who was sitting at a table holding a spoon, his eyes sparkling like a child’s.

“Wow…”

“Enjoy your meal.”

Before he could even finish speaking, Hajin devoured the porridge in the blink of an eye. After scraping the pot clean to the very last bite, he let out a long sigh—po-ok—and patted his stomach.

“You’re a good cook too, Mr. Jung Taegeon. That’s unexpected.”

“I don’t cook well, but I do cook often. What about you, Mr. Do Hajin?”

“I can’t cook.”

When he confidently denied his cooking skills, Eden cast him a questioning look.

“Then what did you usually eat?”

“Delivery…?”

As he answered, scratching his blood-stained cheek, a tsking sound immediately followed. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Hajin averted his gaze.

Just then, Eden’s scolding flew at him.

“Mr. Do Hajin, why do you let such good dexterity go to waste?”

“Magic and cooking have nothing to do with each other.”

“…”

“…Probably?”

After bickering about cooking for a while, the two, clutching their full stomachs, lay their tired bodies down on the floor.

Except for the ticking of an old clock and the occasional chirping of mountain birds, the surroundings were eerily silent. The earlier situation, with its loud shouts and gunshots, felt as if it had been a dream.

Tick, tock, tick, tock…. The hour hand of the clock was now pointing to 6 in the evening.