Chapter 4 Part 5

Suddenly sensing danger, I roughly began pulling off the clothes of Yoo Min-ho, who was sitting collapsed on the floor. Yoo Min-ho, flustered, recoiled in shock.

“Hey, fuck, what are you doing?”

“Take it off. I need to check if you’re scratched anywhere.”

“…You crazy, are you crying? Hey—wait, wait. How far are you going to go…!”

“When you kicked the zombie back there, didn’t your leg get scratched?”

“Stop crying your ass off. Why are you acting like this while crying, like some maniac?”

“…Haa, damn it. Did we really make it? I can’t believe it…”

Finally satisfied that Yoo Min-ho’s body was unharmed, I collapsed onto the floor. The ceiling spun around. 

Just as I was wishing I could fall asleep right there, Yoo Min-ho, clad only in a pair of underwear, muttered in a vexed voice, “Hey, it’s too early to relax. You need to check yourself too.”

“……”

He had a point. There was a chance I could have been scratched too during the scuffle in the cramped elevator. Thinking of that, I sprang up and started taking off my top. I threw off my sweat-soaked knit shirt and running shirt together, first scanning my flat chest down to my abdomen with my eyes. Thankfully, no visible wounds appeared.

“You check my back for me.”

“…You crazy–”

The sudden curse made my heart sink. It was because I immediately suspected I might have been scratched on the back.

“What? Did I get scratched on my back? But I didn’t feel anything?”

“No, you’re fine. Just pale.”

“Then why are you calling me crazy?”

“…Dunno.”

Yoo Min-ho looked confused. Then again, anyone who wasn’t confused in this situation would be the strange one. I finished taking off my blood-soaked trousers and tossed them onto the floor. Since the zombie virus could also be transmitted through blood, it seemed best to change everything. I would have to borrow Yoo Min-ho’s clothes, of course.

As I thought this and swept the grime-covered goggles and clothes into a corner near the entrance, I felt Yoo Min-ho’s gaze linger on my underwear. I felt a flash of awkwardness, but the hesitation didn’t last long. I reasoned that staying in a confined space together while harboring suspicion was impossible. Especially now, with the zombie virus rampant, it seemed better for both of us to clear the air. I hooked my thumb through the elastic waistband and spoke.

“…Should I take them off?”

“W-What?”

“You kept staring, so if you need to check inside to be reassured, I’ll let you look.”

“……”

I could have just pulled them off without asking, but considering my current position as a stalker, I asked politely to avoid being mistaken for a pervert. Yoo Min-ho seemed flustered and couldn’t continue speaking. Seeing his pale face, completely smeared with blood except for the area where his goggles had been, made me uneasy. I decided it wasn’t the place to deal with this; he should probably wash up quickly first.

“…Y-You. Do you always just strip off your clothes anywhere like that?”

“…What?”

“I mean, you seem completely uninhibited about taking off your underwear in front of people.”

“…What are you talking about? I thought you were staring so intensely because you wanted to check. Never mind that, let’s wash up first.”

Saying that, I tried to pull Yoo Min-ho’s arm, but he stood planted by the entrance, refusing to budge. With such a large man standing firm, I couldn’t push him with sheer force. Moreover, now that he was undressed, I could see that Yoo Min-ho’s body was packed with small, well-defined muscles everywhere. It was clear where that monstrous strength came from despite his slim build.

“What? Let’s wash up. What if sweat gets into your eyes and the blood gets in?”

“Let’s talk first.”

“Then after you wash up—”

“How did you know?”

“……”

“…How did you know that my apartment was on the forty-ninth floor? Okay, fine, I’ll grant you that you knew because you’re my stalker. But how did you know in advance that the elevator stopped once on the second floor and once on the twenty-second floor? You really are… strange, you know that? No matter how much I think about it, you are genuinely weird. The fact that you even brought a fire extinguisher and a mop handle in that situation…”

“……”

“But you know what the strangest part is? It’s that I’m starting to not know who you are anymore… Why did I ever think you were Lee Chae-eun until now?”

Yoo Min-ho picked up the long umbrella leaning against the entrance hall and aimed it at my throat as he spoke.

“…Who the hell are you?”

At Yoo Min-ho’s serious expression, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. It wasn’t the first time I had heard that question. I thought this was probably around the fifteenth time. Whether he had good instincts or had genuinely recalled something, Yoo Min-ho was always full of certainty when he asked this question.

But while I genuinely wanted to satisfy his curiosity, I had no way to do so. Only scattered situations, scenes, and feelings would surge through my mind in a confusing jumble; I couldn’t recall anything concrete. The uncooperative fragments of memory were always bleak, sad, and miserable. Honestly, I didn’t feel like digging them up at all.

One thing was clear: I thought of him as someone incredibly special. I wrapped my hand around the tip of the umbrella, which was trembling slightly, and continued speaking.

“Are you going to use this… to kill me, like you did to that zombie earlier?”

“…..”

“I managed to escape all the way here; I don’t want to die so pointlessly this time.”

“…This time?”

“And that thing… oh, right, Gamgyul. You said you wanted to show me something about Gamgyul, didn’t you? I guess I can finally see it now.”

“How could you know that—”

Yoo Min-ho was now completely pale. The way he looked at me was as if he were staring at an alien from the future. Up until now, I hadn’t even had the chance to think about explaining anything because I was constantly being chased by time and zombies, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have a serious conversation just this once. He didn’t notice, but with each cycle, his mind was also becoming a chaotic mess. It meant he hadn’t entirely forgotten the things I had said. But before that.

“First, let’s wash up. I’ll tell you everything after we clean up. And lend me some clothes too.”

I wanted to get rid of the stench clinging to my entire body somehow.

 ***

I pumped the hand sanitizer and scrubbed my hands vigorously several times, even getting between my fingernails. In the bathroom mirror stood a man with a pale face, his expression blank. Seeing the blood flowing down from my hair dripping from my chin made me involuntarily grimace. Furthermore, there was a piece of flesh of unknown origin stuck to one of my cheeks. I felt nauseous. Realizing I needed to wash my hair first, I shouted toward the shower stall.

“Hey, Yoo Min-ho. When you’re done washing up, come out and rinse my hair for me.”

“…Damn it, I told you to wait. Why did you follow me in here and make a fuss?”

“I need to wash my hands before I touch anything. Besides… I cut my forearm with a utility knife. If blood gets in my eyes while I’m washing my hair, it’ll be a problem for both of us.”

“…Don’t turn on the water, just wait.”

Yoo Min-ho seemed to be surprisingly shy. In my memory, he worked at a host bar in Gangnam. It made me feel sorry for him—how could a guy so reserved even with other men think of working in a place like that? Was it because of his father’s debt? I thought perhaps it would be better for him if those memories never surfaced. However, despite telling me to wait, Yoo Min-ho dawdled and didn’t come out for a long time. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, I coaxed him.

“Are you shy? Want me to give you my underwear? You can wear that out?”

Soon, a long sigh followed by a request for a towel came from inside the shower stall. When I handed him the towel by sticking my hand in, he scolded me, telling me not to look. Yoo Min-ho had a surprisingly endearing side. After a while, he emerged looking freshly dried, scowling as he pulled on a T-shirt, and spoke in a blunt voice.

“Lower your head and kneel down.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t open your eyes, or you’ll get blood in them.”

Yoo Min-ho’s touch was unexpectedly careful and gentle. After the guy diligently washed my hair, he dashed out as if fleeing, finally leaving me alone in the bathroom. In the quiet silence, free from strange breathing sounds, running footsteps, or screams, only the rhythmic sound of water dripping from the shower head reached me, bringing a sense of ease. It truly was a rare moment of rest. I savored that brief respite, washing myself clean from head to toe before putting on the clothes Yoo Min-ho had prepared.

The clothes were loose on me since the guy was much taller, but they were wearable. The dry, light blue t-shirt still smelled of Yoo Min-ho.