Chapter 92
There are, sometimes, truly unusual people in the apocalypse. Some were unusual to begin with, and some continue to live their daily lives even after the world has fallen apart. People who still go out to clean because they like cleaning or who keep tending mountains just like before.
In truth, even with luck, it’s difficult to maintain your previous way of life. And yet, those who do are connected to a certain kind of diligence.
This work also featured many such unusual people. Of course, there were plenty of crazy ones too… guys like Do Yoseol. Among those who maintained their daily lives, the most famous was…
‘Kim Jaeyeon.’
More than her real name…
—
“Yeah~ I run a loach soup restaurant.”
“Yep, I’m the loach-soup restaurant owner.”
“Me? The loach soup place owner up on that mountain.”
—
She was better known as “the loach soup restaurant owner.”
What she did wasn’t anything special. Just like she always introduced herself, she was really just a restaurant owner.
From the mid-apocalypse onward, she appeared and created Korean-style dishes using bizarre ingredients. Of course, her cooking itself had buffs, so even Sa Jaeheon would occasionally buy food from her.
‘By the mid-to-late stages, ingredients become extremely scarce.’
At that point, you either trade gallstones to story merchants, eat what little could be called “ingredients” (like animal mutants), or survive on canned food.
Eating mutant animals didn’t turn you into one. It just tasted awful and was tough.
And the “loach soup restaurant owner” turned those ingredients into perfect Korean cuisine.
To a quality that people would line up for, even if the apocalypse hadn’t happened.
—
[Kim Jaeyeon (□□ Chef) from “The Ruined World”]
Importance: 1.5/5
???: 0.3/5
<Records>
A character whose appearances are only confirmed in certain chapters.
Search the chapters below to track her appearances.
—
Her greatest defining trait, however, was that she was a good person.
By her principle that the food business is built on trust, she had never once tampered with food or harmed anyone.
Well… she did harm people sometimes.
But only for one reason: bad manners.
Not for dine-and-dash. Just for being rude.
That alone, she would not tolerate.
Rather than trying to build rapport to get free meals later, I was thinking: if I follow her, at least I won’t get torn apart and killed.
***
“Hoya, carry the sleeping kid. Let’s head up. The mountain path’s a bit rough, so follow well~.”
As I opened the backseat door, her son Sungho quietly lifted Lee Hoin in his arms.
Had Lee Hoin ever been carried princess-style in his life?
He must’ve completely shut down; he didn’t wake up at all.
I followed quietly and asked.
“How long will it take?”
“Hmm, about 40 minutes~? You’re young; you can walk that, right?”
“……”
I should’ve been the one asleep.
Anyway, I followed silently.
The mountain path was just as rough as she said. I couldn’t even tell if we were on the right track. People always say never to follow someone into the mountains at night, even if you’re paid.
The silence of the mountain was unnerving.
Were we even going the right way?
At the very least, this didn’t seem like a proper trail.
The path wasn’t smooth or cleared. Yet she just kept moving forward, occasionally turning her flashlight on and off.
“…Um, ma’am.”
“Yeah, kid~ what is it?”
“Are we going the right way?”
“I’ve lived on this mountain for 30 years. You think I’d get lost?”
“Ah…”
I stepped back.
Too late to turn back now anyway.
All I could do was trust her.
“…Is it always this quiet around here?”
We were making this much noise, yet not a single mutant sound.
She chuckled.
“Oh, it used to be noisy every night. Couldn’t sleep at all. And at my age, sleep doesn’t come easy. Those screeching noises all night… But my son’s a good boy. Cleans things up so his mother can sleep.”
I suddenly felt the presence of the large man following behind me.
“But he’s got no moderation. Cleared them out completely… can’t even hear a single cry now.”
“…”
Despite the faint scolding tone, the man simply carried Lee Hoin silently and kept walking.
What the hell, this feels like a horror movie.
Are we really following the right people?
She’s not one of those characters who was originally evil and later repented, right?
‘There’s not much known about her in the story.’
And the biggest issue…
That man behind us.
Kim Sungho. Her son.
‘As far as I know, she didn’t have someone like that with her.’
The loach soup owner herself was formidable.
She roamed the apocalypse with a food truck, hunted animal mutants herself, and handled Chinese cleavers and sashimi knives with ease.
She wasn’t particularly huge or muscular.
Just… someone you’d see anywhere.
Even now, she looked like a typical hiking enthusiast, with a windbreaker and black hiking pants, moving steadily.
And behind me…
“……”
“…Thank you.”
Every time I stumbled, that massive hand steadied and pushed me forward.
‘Everyone has a story.’
Apocalypse or not.
That’s what makes it terrifying.
At this moment, I finally understood Sa Jaeheon.
When something deviates from the rules I know…
The fear is overwhelming.
‘I definitely know this.’
But I don’t.
It feels like I know the middle of the path, but I’m standing at the starting point.
—
[How strange.]
[You could’ve just not followed them.]
[Our narrator is unnecessarily verbose. If you chose it, either accept it or push through.]
[Instead of being afraid, why not ask questions? That “owner” doesn’t seem like someone who lies.]
—
Eventually, further ahead…
A loach soup restaurant came into view.
The windows were boarded up, and it sat halfway up the mountain. Bigger than expected.
Instead of the front entrance, she led us around the back.
Behind the restaurant was a small house.
Crunch, crunch
The sound of stepping on stone.
She opened the door.
“Hoya~ take them to the second floor. I’ll get some porridge. Kid, eat before you sleep, okay?”
“Ah, yes.”
I bowed politely. She laughed and patted my shoulder.
The man nodded and stepped inside.
The house was quiet.
Several doors, but all closed.
As I followed him inside, he said:
“Everyone’s sleeping. Be quiet.”
He spoke softly and went upstairs.
“Everyone” means more than one or two people.
We entered a room on the second floor.
Probably a guest room… simple layout, not very large.
“…Um, how many people are here?”
As I asked, he laid Lee Hoin on the bed and pulled out blankets.
“About ten.”
“Ten? Then… the owner feeds and takes care of all of them?”
He paused.
Then said:
“Lots of patients. And kids.”
Like you.
That’s how his glance felt.
He handed me blankets… One was tossed over Lee Hoin, and one was laid on the floor.
He gave a few more instructions.
Blunt. Mechanical.
But that actually reassured me.
If he sounded more “human,” it might’ve been scarier.
“Solar power on the roof. Still, don’t turn on the lights.”
So electricity works.
“Bathroom at the end of the hall. Water works. We use groundwater.”
So we can wash.
“Don’t go into the mountain. If you leave, use the trail.”
I nodded.
“Need clothes?”
“Ah… clothes.”
Our uniforms were already in tatters.
I nodded.
He said he’d bring some and left.
I rummaged through my things, pulled out a charger I had buried deep, and plugged it in.
My dead phone vibrated…
And turned on.
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