The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

073 – Z Apocalypse #1

073 – Z Apocalypse #1

8 PM.

In the heart of Seoul.

“Step back! Step back!”

“Nam Tae-geon, step down!”

As the lights from the phones of the crowd gathered for the protest against the president and his impeachment lit up the surroundings, everything became as bright as day.

“Let there be light─.”

It was when the opposition leader Yoo Do-gwan, satisfied with the scene, muttered a verse from the Bible.

Seeing some bringing candles, he had to step in quickly.

“Isn’t this a place to mourn the victims of the N-Mart arson who died unjustly! Refrain from using flames. The light from the phones is enough. Did you understand what I asked for?”

At Yoo Do-gwan’s question, the generous glances exchanged.

Then, they spoke to Yoo Do-gwan in very small voices.

“Sir, no matter what, isn’t it a problem to fabricate evidence and manipulate the case? The wind is already blowing in our favor…”

“Oh, these people still don’t get it! The real problem is that a murderous dictator like Nam Tae-geon is still sitting in the president’s seat! This is no time to be picky about means and methods!”

The number of people gathering for the impeachment protest was increasing every day.

100,000, 200,000─.

But to Yoo Do-gwan, these citizens were not much help.

They were just numbers, and in today’s South Korea, ordinary citizens had no real value or power.

‘To bring down that madman Nam Tae-gun, ordinary means won’t suffice. We need a more certain blow. A decisive blow. As it stands, it’s still not enough.’

Yoo Do-kwan looked at the armed state of the police controlling the protesters.

The black straps of the submachine guns slung over their shoulders were quite dazzling.

‘How violent does the protest need to be for Nam Tae-gun to issue a shooting order?’

Just one shot.

If they would just fire a single bullet first, everything would fall into place.

Ideally, it would be a scene where innocent civilian civilians are mercilessly massacred by the military and police forces.

If the journalists and foreign media gathered to report on the protest captured that scene on camera, all the advantage would shift to Yoo Do-kwan.

With that thought, Yoo Do-kwan felt it was time to execute the planned operation.

“Ahem.”

Swoosh-.

As Yoo Do-kwan cleared his throat and adjusted his collar, someone in the protest raised a fist and shouted.

“Let’s not stay here, let’s go to the Presidential Office! Let’s show the power of democracy!”

“Let’s go! To the Presidential Office!”

“Nam Tae-gun, step down!”

Soon, responses erupted from all around as if they had been waiting for this moment.

And so, over 100,000 protesters began marching towards the Presidential Office.

Seeing this, the young rookie lawmaker Kim Min-se was flustered and asked.

“Representative, the people seem too excited! Shouldn’t you step in and stop them? If this continues, something really bad will happen! “What if the military guarding the Presidential Office opens fire?”

The young and righteous lawmaker Kim Min-se was terrified, imagining the people who might get hurt or killed.

Thus, he couldn’t realize that Representative Yoo Do-kwan had deliberately started the march to get people hurt and killed.

It was a time when the angry swarm of protesters was heading to Yongsan to change the fate of the era.

When everyone was prepared to confront the armed forces, contrary to everyone’s expectations, there was only one man standing guard at the entrance of the Presidential Office instead of police or soldiers.

Just one man.

The sight of a man with a black military uniform draped with the Taegeukgi like a cape made the excited protesters stop their actions and steps.

“… Isn’t that ‘Supernova’?”

“It’s real, it’s my first time seeing him in person!”

“The number one ranked Awakened?”

From noble mtl dot com

“Well, that ranking isn’t exactly official, but… !”

The protesters’ boiling excitement turned into a different kind of excitement.

In today’s Korea, there was no one who didn’t know the man called “Supernova.”

The hero who infiltrated North Korea’s nuclear facilities, destroyed them entirely, and saved the Korean Peninsula from nuclear threats.

The hope of the 21st century.

He shouted.

“Protesters, please disperse now!”

Flaaash-!

From the body of the man called “Supernova,” a light befitting his name burst forth.

The light was so intense that all the citizens had to close their eyes, incomparable to the lights from the protesters’ phones, and they could not advance a single step further.

Step, step-.

In that situation, someone approached Yudogwan and whispered in his ear.

“Representative Yudogwan. Would you please withdraw for today? If this continues, we will have no choice but to release the recordings and videos we have.”

“…….”

Grit-.

In this situation, Yudogwan ground his teeth.

To think that a single awakened one could ruin the plan.

This “Supernova” was truly the real power of President Nam Taegun, incomparable to mere gathered citizens.

‘Yuyeoreum! ‘If only that girl was here!’

Of course, even Yuyeoreum couldn’t have faced the veteran “Supernova” head-on, but it wasn’t entirely without a way.

“Concept Stone.”

They say that anyone who consumes it gains enormous power?

He had heard there were very deadly side effects, but it didn’t matter.

After all, she was a daughter not even related by blood.

Yudogwan thought he had to find his daughter as soon as possible.

‘Yuyeoreum, if you are hiding to avoid the experiment, I will make you come out on your own.’

# # #

“The one who blocked the protesters marching towards the presidential office was the one called [Supernova]─”

“Under the persuasion of Representative Yudogwan, who was concerned about the escalation into violence, and the voluntary cooperation of the citizens, no clashes occurred, and the protesters also dispersed safely.”

“In this situation, foreign media did not spare their praise, calling it a rare peaceful protest in world history─.”

“An incident occurred where a few excited witnesses bit and each other injured. The victims were transported to the hospital─.”

The convenience store part-timer was watching the news on his phone, and the volume was so loud that it felt like the TV was on.

The thing was that the guy who fortunately looked like a college student was only interested in his phone and showed no interest in us.

Thanks to that, Seo Ga-eul had been able to wander around the convenience store for ten minutes, lost in thought.

With her face deeply hidden under a hat and hood, she wasn’t worried about being recognized, but if she kept stalling like this, the part-timer watching the news might start to find us suspicious.

“Hey, are you done yet? You were the one who wanted to come to the convenience store.”

“I don’t know what to choose! It’s been a while since I’ve been to a convenience store because of someone!”

Seo Ga-eul had suggested that we visited two places since she was being cooperative about going out. One of those places was the convenience store, which is why we were wandering around it like this.

“Ah, everything looks delicious.”

Seo Ga-eul was hesitating in front of the cup noodles.

She seemed to be torn between the most expensive cup noodle priced at 4800 won and another one priced at 4200 won.

Spending 4800 won on a single cup noodle.

Why would she do that?

Because Seo Ga-eul is bourgeois? Because she’s buying it with my money anyway?

No, both are wrong.

“You’re so clumsy, clumsy! You’re clumsy at liberating your desires. Since you’re out, you think it’s a loss if you don’t eat the most expensive one─. That’s what you’re thinking, right? “

“What?”

“Do you really think your body wants that 4800 won cup noodle? No. I think differently. You’re Korean, and all Koreans love kimchi. When was the last time you had kimchi?”

Swoosh-.

Seo Ga-eul’s eyes turned to a small bowl of noodles.

“Kimchi Bowl Noodles.”

The price was around a thousand won.

Gulp-.

Seo Ga-eul swallowed.

She put down the expensive cup noodle and picked up the “Kimchi Bowl Noodles.”

“Hehe, right. Kimchi-based cup noodles have the best refreshing broth. Now it’s time to choose a triangular kimbap. Since you have a refreshing broth, a mildly flavored triangular kimbap will do.”

Listening to me, Seo Ga-eul chose the less spicy “Tuna Mayo.”

It was a plain flavor, but there was a reason it had survived for so long.

The convenience store was like the ecosystem of a post-apocalypse, a world where the strong survive.

If it had survived for a long time, it meant it was strong.

Now it was time to choose the main dish.

I generously picked a smoked chicken drumstick from the convenience store and handed it to Seo Ga-eul.

Up to the thighs, thick and large.

The feeling of indulging in luxury at a convenience store, to the point of feeling ‘guilty’.

Seo Ga-eul’s gaze wavered.

“Something this big…!?”

“Releasing your desires without hiding them is like this.”

Kimchi cup noodles, tuna mayonnaise triangle kimbap, and even a smoked chicken drumstick.

After finishing the payment, Seo Ga-eul sat at the convenience store table, poured hot water into the ramen, and ate the triangle kimbap during that time.

As soon as the cool kimchi-based cup noodles were ready, Seo Ga-eul slurped up the cup noodles and tore into the large chicken drumstick with his mouth.

A truly devilish set menu.

Even Seo Ga-eul’s attitude, which had always been annoyed whenever he saw me, melted into this luxurious menu, becoming as soft as the smoked chicken drumstick heated in the microwave.

“So, what is this weakness of mine that only you know? Why do you think I won’t run away and report you to the police after filling my stomach?”

Yes, Seo Ga-eul had a weakness.

This weakness was more dangerous than a “peanut allergy,” and in this roughly destroyed world, everyone with this weakness had died.

At least, all the ones I knew had.

Shall I show you the evidence?

“Seo Ga-eul, if you run away, I can’t guarantee what will happen to Yoo Yeoreum left alone.”

“What? Are you threatening me with Yoo Yeoreum now? That’s funny. What if I ignore it and run away? Do you think I would care what happens to Yoo Yeoreum?”

“No, you can’t do that. I can assure you. And even if you run away, I’ll catch you again within 10 seconds. From then on, you won’t even have the chance to go out like this. “

“…Crazy b*stard!”

There were many things I wanted to say, but it seemed better to start getting up.

The part-timer started glancing over here after hearing Seo Ga-eul’s swearing.

Seo Ga-eul’s voice was like a nightingale.

As we left the convenience store, the world was getting dark.

Shall we achieve the purpose of going out with Seo Ga-eul now?

As I was thinking that, Seo Ga-eul spoke first.

“I’ll think about not running away.

Seo Ga-eul stood among the many photos hanging on the wall.

She touched a smiling photo of a woman who looked like her with her palm.

“That’s my mom. Pretty, right? A few days ago was her death anniversary. But what is this?”

Seo Ga-eul’s expression suddenly turned cold as she looked at the photo.

Is she going to suddenly freak out and run away?

I wondered if I should take out the “Cage of Reduction” from my bag.

“This….”

Seo Ga-eul removed something taped next to the photo.

It was a ring. A gold ring with a maple leaf design, but it was blackened.

“What is that?”

“This is my mom’s engagement ring. Nam San-ho took it away without permission and never returned it…. Why is it here? Why…?”

Nam San-ho. It was a familiar name.

Who was it?

“Nam San-ho, wasn’t he the one who went missing at N Mart that day?”

A third-grade awakened one who got swept up in a fire and whose body was never found-.

Wasn’t he the adopted son of President Nam Tae-gun?

Of course, now didn’t seem like the time to talk about him.

“Ugh, ugh-.”

“Crack, crack.”

People with arms and legs dangling and skin rotting appeared behind us.

Are there people hastily cremated in this columbarium?

“Seo Ga-eul, get behind me.”

“What are these things! Ugh, the smell-. Ugh-.”

“Never get bitten or scratched. If you get bitten or scratched by them, you’ll catch a disease and turn into one of them in three days. Of course, for awakened ones, it takes a bit longer.”

“What are those!”

What are those? Can’t you see? They’re living corpses, “zombies.”

You could call them the seasoning of destruction.

According to my memory, it should have been at least half a year before these things appeared.

Suddenly, I remembered the news I heard at the convenience store earlier.

“A few excited protesters bit each other, causing injuries. The victims were taken to the hospital─.”

Maybe that too?

Oh no, it looks like the plan for Seo Ga-eul’s assistantship is falling apart in every possible way.

But!

For me, someone who knew what the infection treatment was through future knowledge, this situation wasn’t all that bad.

In fact, it’s better.

I’ll just think of it as getting an early access preview of the ruined world.

“Seo Ga-eul, since it’s a rare chance, why don’t you try taking them down? You need to crush their head.”

This was the perfect opportunity to overcome Seo Ga-eul’s most fatal weakness.

Of course, Seo Ga-eul was very flustered.

“Hey! “What do you expect me to do?!”

Even though it was a dead body, maybe it was hard to unleash an attack on something that still had the ‘shape of a human.’

It was the expected result.

“Seo Ga-eul, one day that weakness of yours is going to strangle your own neck. A world is coming where those who aren’t prepared to kill first won’t survive.”

In the ruined world, the most dangerous thing wasn’t peanut allergies, nor itchiness, nor even evil monsters or villains—it was one’s own selflessness.