The Only Woman in a Zombie Apocalypse Vol. 2 Chapter 39 - Humans Are Scarier Than Zombies (2)

Dayoung picked up the backpack she had brought when she first arrived here, then put it back down. 

 

It seemed pointless to take it with her. The thought that this might be the end crossed her mind, so she wrote a short note on a desk memo pad.

 

『Thank you all for being so kind to me.

 

No matter what happens, I’ll never forget you.

 

Thank you, and I love you.』

 

Though the message was brief, Dayoung poured her heart into it. She neatly placed it on the desk and headed downstairs to the first floor. 

 

Jiseok and Minshik were waiting for her, ready to leave. 

 

Seeing Dayoung, the group spoke up with uneasy voices.

 

“Dayoung…”

 

“Noona…”

 

Dayoung hugged each of the remaining members one by one. The thought that this might be their last embrace made her eyes sting, but she forced a smile.

 

“Why so gloomy? I’ll be careful and come back safely. We still have a fun party to throw this week, right?”

 

“True. Our noona is tougher than she looks. She’s stronger than you’d think—getting hit by her hurts.”

“Dayoung, be careful and don’t get hurt, okay?”

 

“Yeah! I’ll be back!”

 

With a bright smile, Dayoung waved her hand. 

 

The walk following Jiseok and Minshik was eerily quiet. The path to the gymnasium was longer than expected. 

 

After about two hours of walking, Dayoung was starting to tire. But since they were already moving slowly, they couldn’t afford to stop. She took a quick sip of water and kept going.

 

“Dayoung, you okay? Let’s rest for a bit. You look like you’re about to collapse.”

 

“Oppa, I’m fine.”

 

“We’re almost there anyway. See that? The gymnasium.”

 

Minshik pointed to a large building in the distance. 

 

Dayoung felt an odd sense of familiarity with it, even though she was sure she’d never seen it before.

 

“That’s the gymnasium?”

 

“Yeah. So let’s take a short break.”

 

Jiseok cast a shadow over Dayoung’s head as he spoke. 

 

Dayoung’s face, pale as a sheet, was even whiter than when she had faced the zombies. Suddenly, she felt as if a cold sweat had broken out. Her head throbbed, and the world spun around her. 

 

As Dayoung staggered, Jiseok steadied her so she wouldn’t fall.

 

“Look at you. It’s already scorching out. You pushed yourself too hard.”

 

“Haa, no. It’s not that… My head… Ugh.”

 

Dayoung clutched her head and slumped to the ground. 

 

Seeing this, Jiseok, who had been holding her up, sat down with her, and Minshik approached with a worried expression.

 

“Ugh!! My head—it hurts so much!”

 

Dayoung felt like she was dying. 

 

The pain in her head was so intense she gritted her teeth to keep from screaming. And then, moments later, she realized the reason for her headache. 

 

Twenty-four years’ worth of someone else’s memories flooded her mind all at once. The agony was indescribable.

 

“Dayoung, snap out of it. What’s wrong with you? You’re even bleeding from your nose!”

 

Minshik panicked at the sudden nosebleed. He quickly pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it to Dayoung’s nose. 

 

This didn’t seem like ordinary heatstroke—both their faces stiffened. Her brain must have been overloaded by the sudden influx of memories. 

 

The headache and nosebleed didn’t stop until the memories slowly settled and took root in Dayoung’s mind.

 

By the time Minshik’s handkerchief was soaked with blood, ten minutes had passed, and Dayoung’s body was drenched in sweat. 

 

The blood had dripped everywhere, staining her clothes.

 

When Dayoung’s closed eyes finally fluttered open, she gave a faint smile at the two men’s worried faces, as if to reassure them. 

 

Propped up in Jiseok’s arms, she straightened her upper body.

 

“Oppas. Cover your ears for a sec.”

 

“Huh? Okay.”

 

Seeing the two men obediently cover their ears at her words, Dayoung cursed out loud. She couldn’t possibly contain her frustration with just silent swearing.

 

“Fuck. If it was gonna hurt this much, they should’ve fed it to me little by little. What kind of brain can handle 24 years of memories dumped all at once, huh? Huh? No fucking book said it’d hurt this bad. What kind of bullshit is this? Ugh, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. If you’re gonna possess someone, at least clean up properly afterward. Did they even consider how it feels to wake up possessed one day without a damn clue? Ugh.”

 

The more Dayoung thought about it, the angrier she got. 

 

No—she was properly pissed. Muttering curses under her breath, she eventually began to calm herself down. The two men watched her warily as she mumbled. 

 

What on earth was she muttering about? 

 

Then, Dayoung turned her head and smiled, gesturing that they could take their hands off their ears.

 

“Surprised? I’m not in pain. I just got my lost memories back.”

 

“You remember?”

 

“Yeah. All of it. Thanks to that gymnasium.”

 

“Gymnasium?”

 

“I was with the group inside there. I was that leader’s little plaything. After the initial chaos from the zombie virus, I got caught by them. The bastard who left scars on my waist and thighs was their leader. Tsk.”

 

At Dayoung’s words, the two men’s faces darkened. While they were glad she had regained her memories, the fact that they weren’t good ones made it hard for them to offer any easy words of comfort.

 

“Seriously? Dayoung, are you… okay?”

 

“Yeah. I’m fine. If anything, it’s good that I know about that group inside. They’re soldiers. Well, not professional ones—all they know how to do is dig with shovels.”

 

“So… that’s why you said they all have guns.”

 

“Yeah. But you know what’s even crazier?? I’m better with a gun than that whole group out there. Who knew I had this kind of talent? Me.”

 

“A gun??”

 

“Yeah! I was a live-fire shooting athlete. That means I handle guns better than anyone in there.”

 

At Dayoung’s words, the two men widened their eyes and stared at her. Though she claimed to have regained her memories, the way she spoke made it seem like she was recounting someone else’s past. 

 

To them, it looked as if she were escaping reality.

 

“There are roughly ten people in there. It probably won’t come to this, but just in case—if they offer to trade me for the kids, you take them and get out. Don’t worry about me at all. And if I don’t come out within an hour at the latest, head back to the shopping mall first. Got it? No matter what sounds you hear, don’t come back.”

 

“How can you say that? We can’t do that. Let’s find another way. Okay?”

 

“No. I’ve been through this—there is no other way. Everyone in there is ruthless. They’re not good people like you, who can’t stand injustice. If they don’t agree to the trade, we’ll have to find a way to escape. It’ll get dark soon, so they’ll turn on the lights inside. There are only two in there, right? I’ll find a way to grab a gun and shoot out the lights, so you two locate the kids and rescue them first. Don’t worry about me.”

 

“Dayoung…”

 

“I’m the one who survived that group. Don’t worry. I’ll make it back to you both.”

 

Dayoung hugged the two men tightly. In their warm embrace, she steeled her resolve. 

 

The real Dayoung might not have been able to do this, but the Dayoung here felt like she could. She decided to believe in herself.

 

The three of them headed toward the gymnasium. 

 

A man standing guard outside aimed his gun at them, and the three entered. Among the people in military uniforms stood the two men who had been chased out of the mall. 

 

And in the middle of them, bound and restrained, were their four companions. 

 

Their faces were bruised and swollen in places, and Dayoung’s heart ached at the sight. If only she hadn’t been there, they wouldn’t have had to go through this. 

 

Guilt washed over her.

 

“Ha. So it really was you, Kim Dayoung? Do you get beaten up even over there? If you ran away, you should’ve at least found decent people to stick with.”

 

The group’s leader sneered as he took in the bloodstains on Dayoung’s face and clothes.

 

“It’s not like that, so let them go first.”

 

“Tsk. There’s an order to things. First, let’s make sure our Dayoung’s still in one piece. Strip.”

 

He really was the lowest of the low. If even the men who carved up a woman’s body were monsters, this guy was worse. 

 

At his words, Jiseok and Minshik reacted first, stepping in front of Dayoung as if to shield her.

 

“Cut the bullshit. You brought her here for a trade anyway. Just stay slumped in the back and watch.”

 

At the leader’s words, the man aiming his gun at the three shoved it closer. 

 

Dayoung grabbed the arms of the two men, and they looked at her with concern. 

 

All she could do was tell them not to worry. She took a step forward and took off her clothes. After removing her T-shirt and pants, she stared at the leader, who let out a snicker.

 

“Your body’s still clean. Even the scars I gave you settled in nicely. Take off the rest and show me. Let these guys see just how pretty you are before they go. Ah, or do they already know? Strip and come here. Then I’ll send these bastards off nicely.”

 

At his words, the four bound men and the two who had no choice but to watch clenched their teeth in fury.