As night slowly crept in—surrounded by walls composed solely of corpses—Kafil was cooking food all by himself using a pot he unintentionally found left on the ground, and ingredients he discovered in plastic bags inside one of the collapsed supermarkets—on top of an open flames he ignited using wood that were doused in gasoline.

Meanwhile, Takashi was nowhere to be seen, as he had been tasked by Park Jeongeun to gather any useful resources that would increase the chances of their survival rate. The scent of the unfinished dish causes Kafil to subconsciously drool as his stomach grumbled.

'Relax yourself, Kafil.' He began meditating as if to distract himself from his worldly desires.

However, his concentration was shattered to pieces only after a few minutes as the sound of footsteps coming around the corner invaded his eardrums. Fearing for the worst—he immediately took a fighting stance—only to be greeted by none other than his boss, Park Jeongeun, and his colleague, Park Sungah.

"No need to be so wary. It's just us." Jeongeun announced as he handed Sungah over to him.

"Take care of her now, will you?" He said as he waved at them and disappeared in the maze of lifeless bodies.

As Kafil looked at Sungah—he was a tad bit shocked by her current state. Her clothes were tattered and she felt awkward as she did her best to prevent any more skin from being shown. Noticing her discomfort—Kafil offered her his jacket, which she gratefully accepted.

Silence ensued as Sungah observed the dish Kafil was in the middle of making. Her mind still plagued by the scene of her cold-blooded boss mercilessly cleaving the monster that was once a child into multiple segments. That memory simply kept replaying over and over again in her head.

Why would such a capable man go so far to recruit her if she had no redeeming qualities in scenarios that required her to fight and kill? Doubts infected her thoughts as the fear she possessed for Park Jeongeun expanded. Was he planning to use her as a mere bait in the near future? Is he using her as a mere puppet in a grand scheme? What purpose did she serve during these godforsaken times?

As her thoughts gradually worsen overtime—the silence along with her engrossment were instantaneously broken as Kafil opened his mouth.

"So…are you…well?" He asked—attempting to dispose of the suffocating silent atmosphere encircling them.

"Oh…yes…I am…" She replied indecisively—her mind still wandering to another place unfamiliar to Kafil.

Their conversation ended there as another long, stifling quietness ensued but was yet again broken by Kafil.

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"I see…I'm sorry if I'm intruding your privacy but…you seem to have a lot on your mind. Maybe you can lend me a piece and I can help you with it?" He suggested.

Albeit being hesitant at first—her interest had reached its peak and could no longer contain her thoughts all to herself.

"What do you…think of sir?" She inquired.

"...What?" He responded—perplexed by her words.

"Sorry. Let me correct myself. When you see sir…what is your opinion of him? Reliable? Suspicious? Things such as the examples I have given."

"Oh…well, he's competent for sure. Reliable too and… well, he is a tad bit suspicious but is overall a trustworthy leader." He answered truthfully.

Sungah felt a bit disappointed by his response but perhaps Kafil simply had never seen Park Jeongeun's method of fighting before. Although it is only a mere suspicion with no proof.

"I guess that's true…Say, Kafil. For you and Takashi, who have worked with sir for a few years before I entered the company…how does sir…behave?"

"That's a bit of a rude question, isn't it? And first of all, why are you asking questions about him?"

Kafil's words caused Sungah to be put into a tight situation as she was forced to reveal the reason for her inquiries.

"...I saw it. I…witnessed him murder a monster…The monster was previously a little child calling out to his dead parents, must I tell you…Even though he transformed into a monster…sir's eyes…they were devoid of any…remorse.

"He did not show a sign of pity, nor did he cower in fear. It made me start questioning the man I had long worked for. Which side did he stand by? What's the reason for his indifferent disposition? I wanted to ask him directly but…I was afraid.

"After seeing how cold-hearted he could become, my courage was in shambles. I'm scared that if I ever ask him about it…my head would go flying somewhere and…my existence would be forgotten."

"...I'm not entirely sure what exactly you are feeling right now, but I can say this one fact for certain. After me and Takashi rushed down the staircase and outside, we saw him fighting a horde of zombie-like creatures all alone.

"Well, maybe they are actually zombies now that I think about it, but nevertheless, he faced off against all of them by himself. The aftermath? Corpses surrounded him and green blood stained his clothes.

"By the time he noticed us, he immediately asked where you were and we reported to him that the part of the building you were standing on fell and came crashing down. When he heard that, he immediately sprinted towards the location we pointed at.

"Of course, we also followed him and came across more powerful, gigantic creatures that were in hordes and blocked our path. Even though we were outnumbered, with the katana he grabbed earlier today, he slashed through the wave of monsters, even going as far as sacrificing his left arm and the katana in the process."

Hearing the last words that Kafil spoke caught Sungah off guard.

"He…what?"

"He sacrificed his left arm to save you. Did he not tell you? Did you not even notice how he never showed his left arm?"

"N-no I…I was too focused on his actions that…I didn't…"

"...Anyways, it's hard to exactly describe the monsters he cut down since there were many variants, but I'll say this: a few had a humanoid lower half and an animal's upper half, while the rest were plant-like creatures. Yet he still killed all of them, just for a chance to save you who could've already died after falling along with the building.

"Again, like I've said, while I may not be able to give you a definitive answer for your concerns, just know this. Sir…is a very selfish, self-centered and impulsive man. Him going as far as to lose a limb means that he values you more than himself. So, for the time being, have a little bit of faith in him."

"I'll try…" Sungah mumbled as she reconsidered changing the image she had for Jeongeun.

A few minutes later, Takashi and Jeongeun returned at last with useful resources—successful with their expedition. Once the four people had all gathered—it was now time to feast.

Everyone, except for Jeongeun, consumed the delectable dish like wild animals until not a single drop of broth was left behind. As darkness fully replaced the sunlight—the only source of light left was the campfire but that too had a finite lifespan.

As the embers died out—everyone had fallen asleep in their respective sleeping bags Takashi had unintentionally discovered during his lonely voyage.

…

"...Still no reception." Sungah complained.

The sun had already risen and she was the second member to awaken. Her phone's screen had cracks on it but was still functional. The other person aside from her who was already conscious was none other than Jeongeun.

"That's to be expected. In any case, we shouldn't stay here for too long. There might still be monsters lukring around. Wake them up, and let's get going. I have a feeling that we will cross paths with something more unbelievable…"

…