FRAP 105

Chapter 105

Seojeong’s face, as she looked at Daesik, was as hard and rigid as a plaster cast.

‘It must be a joke… What on earth does he want to borrow so badly that he went this far?’

It was only natural that there would be casualties when apprehending nearly thirty gang members. Especially if those gang members were Awakeners with supernatural abilities, there was nothing more to say.

There must have been deaths, and the fighting could easily have lasted for days.

Since they had paid such a heavy price, the price they would demand in return would also be substantial.

Of course, the truth was a little — no, a lot — different.

The Daesik Group had suffered no losses at all.

When Minho’s Team 2 was hit from behind, there were injuries, but after Daesik himself stepped in, there wasn’t even anyone with a notable injury.

From catching thirty “dried herrings” (criminals) to completing a gift set and delivering it — half a day.

For those who had been struggling against the gang for nearly a month, it was an unimaginable, lightning-fast resolution.

“What exactly do you want to borrow?”

As she asked the question, Seojeong felt her throat going dry.

Regardless of the truth, in her mind, Daesik had already paid a significant price for this deal.

It was natural for her to worry about what they might demand after making such an enormous sacrifice, and what would happen if they didn’t comply willingly.

Perhaps bringing these thirty people in alive was also a silent form of pressure: If you don’t meet our demands, we can’t guarantee what happens next.

That was when it happened.

“Are they your friends?”

Daesik gestured with his chin and asked.

“Excuse me?”

Startled, Seojeong instinctively turned her head.

Then, two figures rushing down from a distance came into her view.

“Y-you…!”

Feeling a sharp pain at the back of her head, Seojeong inadvertently let out a yelp.

“I told you not to come, so why do you keep crawling back?!”

In contrast, Daesik watched the scene with a pleased smile.

“What’s wrong with that? It seems like they’re worried and came down.”

Following the two who ran until their palms sweated, people began pouring out from various buildings on campus.

From where they were originally standing, the school entrance wasn’t visible.

But seeing Seojeong suddenly run down, they thought something had happened and rushed out late.

“Let’s discuss the details once those people have all gathered.”

Seeing how slightly clumsy yet pure the scene was, not only Daesik but also his companions chuckled softly.

“Why did everyone come running out?!”
“Huh?”
“We thought something happened and bolted out!”
“Aw, c’mon, line up, line up!”
“Isn’t this a fight?”
“Oh, quiet! A big shot came to see the chief!”

The people who had swarmed out showed various reactions.

Some looked bewildered, still not understanding the situation. Others, full of fear, were gauging Daesik’s group and Seojeong. Still others gripped their weapons tightly, ready to leap into action at any moment.

Then, someone pointed at the prisoners kneeling in the distance.

“Huh!? Those bastards…!”
“That’s them! The ones who tried to raid the food storage the other day!”
“You sons of bitches!”

Spotting the ones who had been tormenting them, curses and shouts burst endlessly from their mouths.

“Argh, enough! Be quiet! I’m trying to sort out the situation here!”

The marketplace-like uproar only subsided a little after Seojeong shouted again.

“I’m Park Jingyu. May I ask what brings you here?”

Once the commotion had settled somewhat, Jingyu politely greeted Daesik.

Through this brief interaction, Daesik had already inferred a great deal.

‘A decisive second-in-command supports a kind-hearted leader.’

First, Seojeong, who risked being the first to show herself. Then, Jingyu, who hurried after her. Finally, the scene where the real power scolded the leader.

Their dynamic somehow made Daesik feel a sense of nostalgia.

‘Groups like this tend to survive for quite a while.’

A leader who is cold and rational, with a warm, humane second-in-command or de facto leader, or the opposite. A group that is neither purely calculating nor soaked in soft sentimentality.

In Daesik’s experience, groups that survived long in the ruined world generally had such traits.

Pulling himself out of his brief reverie, Daesik cut to the chase.

“Instead of handing over these guys to you, there’s something I’d like in return.”

His purpose in catching this gang was neither volunteer work nor justice.

It was simply to inform the owners of this treasure trove — who had locked the doors to stop the robbers — that it was okay to open them.

Now that he had met the owners of the treasure trove, it was time to confidently demand his price.

“Go ahead.”

Jingyu spoke with a noticeably tense expression.

They hadn’t received the gang yet. And the other side had said “instead of handing over.” That implied that without payment, they might let the bastards loose again. Jingyu wasn’t so oblivious as to miss that.

Of course, Daesik had deliberately chosen that phrasing knowing the other party would take it that way.

‘He understood. Not stupid.’

Confirming the other’s expression, Daesik clicked his tongue lightly and spoke again.

“First, I’d like to get some meat.”

“Excuse me?”

“Meat, meat. Pork, beef, chicken. Anything.”

“So that wasn’t a joke?”

Seojeong asked back incredulously, and Daesik answered with an unprecedentedly serious expression.

“I don’t joke about food.”

His attitude carried such an eerie intensity that the people present instinctively flinched. Even a hint of madness gleamed in Daesik’s eyes — several times darker and more intense than the madness seen in the eyes of the gangsters who had raided the campus.

“O-okay, I understand.”

Pressed down by that madness and intensity, Jingyu hurriedly nodded.

This was the first request from the other side, who had already made great sacrifices. Of course, he couldn’t refuse it. Moreover, seeing those terrifying eyes, Jingyu was convinced that if he answered wrong, something serious might actually happen.

“Do you have any?”

“Yes, we have smoked pork… and chicken.”

At the single character for chicken, Daesik’s eyes widened as if about to pop out.

If one were asked to name the most beautiful single-syllable word in the world, it would probably be chicken. At least, Daesik believed so.

And there was chicken here? That meant maybe, just maybe, he could taste real chicken this time, not just imitation chicken.

“Wait, what did you just say…?”
“Smoked, and chicken…?”
“Did you say you have chicken?”

Daesik, now not even noticing that the other party was frightened, strode up to Jingyu.

“Y-yes, we do.”

Meanwhile, Jingyu felt a terror as if all the hair on his body was standing on end.

In this world full of zombies, the scariest thing was a crazy bastard who was good at fighting. And in his eyes, the person in front of him was exactly that: a crazy bastard good at fighting. He had caught thirty, so clearly good at fighting, and judging by that face, he was at least half-crazy.

“A-and what did you mean by ‘borrow’?”

Just then, Seojeong’s voice brought Daesik’s half-derailed mind back.

“Ah…”

Coming to his senses, Daesik wiped away the saliva that had pooled and was about to spill out, then stated his business.

“Books.”

Again, an answer that defied expectations. Not only Seojeong and Jingyu, but even Minho looked somewhat surprised. But Daesik’s expression didn’t waver one bit.

“This is a university, right? You must have plenty of all kinds of books.”

“Th-that’s true.”

“Not just one, but whenever I need something, I’d like to borrow a few.”

What meaning do books have in the apocalypse?

They do. No, precisely because it’s the apocalypse, books become even more valuable.

At least, that was Daesik’s thought.

Jingyu’s group also knew this from experience. In a world without smartphones or the internet, it was no exaggeration to say that the library, not supernatural abilities, was their greatest source of strength.

Even with abilities, they alone had limits in extending food preservation.

But books contained all sorts of knowledge about how to store food to prevent spoilage. The kimchi underground storage built at the foot of the mountain, the smoked meat, the chicken — all were products of that knowledge.

An ordinary college student wouldn’t know how to make a kimchi cellar, smoke meat, or raise chickens.

And as a result of combining supernatural abilities with knowledge… they were able to preserve food for as long as — no, longer than — in the days when refrigerators existed.

“Here it is.”

At Seojeong’s instruction, one student brought a chunk of smoked meat and handed it to Daesik.

“This is a sample. Please check it.”

Their action of not handing over the goods all at once brought a faint smile to Daesik’s lips.

‘Smart. They didn’t survive by luck alone.’

Having had their food storage raided several times by five different gangs. They had probably moved their existing food storage elsewhere or divided and stored a significant amount of food.

And showing only this small amount of meat first… was likely an unspoken message: Hand over the gang first.

“Mr. Minho.”

At Daesik’s signal, Minho, who had been standing beside him, immediately nodded.

“Then I’ll bring them over.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the school gate.

“By the way, how do you plan to deal with them?”

Daesik asked, looking at Jingyu and Seojeong.

A large number of prisoners becomes a burden in itself. They consume food, and if a rebellion broke out, it wouldn’t just be a headache.

The problem was that killing them all was not an easy decision, either. For modern people, killing thirty — not even three — would provoke considerable revulsion.

That was also one reason Daesik had brought them here. The first group had attacked him, so killing them on the spot would have been fine. But the rest?

If he slaughtered people who had no direct conflict with him, simply because they might be dangerous, some would surely object. Moreover, Daesik couldn’t judge exactly what crimes they had committed, how much damage they had inflicted, or how they had acted.

In this situation, the best course was to leave the judgment to those who had actually suffered harm.

“Senior, you’re not going to kill them all, are you?”

Sure enough, someone from Jingyu’s side immediately expressed reluctance.

“Then should we let them live?”

Someone else’s eyes turned bloodshot as they raised their voice.

“That bastard killed Hyoyeon!”
“Stealing food is one thing, but how can we let those who killed people live?!”

Who killed whom? Who stole food?

“But still, that person… When they ran into me, they just ran away.”
“That woman tried to stop them from killing, saying murder was too much.”

Was someone simply unable to leave the group and remained mixed in, just trying to survive?

The weight of guilt, which Daesik could not judge, began to reveal itself in detail.

“Hoho, so this is why you kept them all alive?”

An older man (aje) approached Daesik with a look mixed with admiration and bitterness, asking casually.

“Because I’m not a god,” Daesik replied calmly.

Just then.

“Um… Daesik-ssi? May I propose something on our side?”

Jingyu approached Daesik hesitantly.

“What kind of proposal?”

“I have a way to manage those people, but… I think I might need some help.”