Walking Daddy

Kim Hyeong-Jun, Do Han-Sol and I were organizing the preparations, arranging our underlings around the survivors.

I ordered my underlings to pull the carts loaded with heavy, bulky items, so that the survivors would be able to travel as lightly as they could.

Hwang Ji-Hye, Lee Jeong-Uk, and Hwang Deok-Rok reassured the survivors and let me know that we were ready to depart.

Kang Eun-Jung was laughing with Kang Ji-Suk and the other members of Shelter Hae-Young. She seemed to have recovered.

So-Yeon, standing next to me, looked up at me curiously.

“Daddy, where are we going?”

I smiled happily and held her in my arms.

“We’re moving to a new home.”

“A new home? Like the time you brought the principal over?”

Her question brought up some memories.

I remembered the early days when I’d been fighting desperately, not yet able to speak, and too weak to take care of the black creature in order to save the principal, the elder, and the teens from the high school. Back then, I’d told So-Yeon that we would be moving to a new place so that she wouldn’t have to be nervous even when I wasn\'t around.

To me, these memories were in the past, but it seemed like they held a special place in her heart.

So-Yeon remembered everything I’d said.

I realized why people always said that one had to be careful of what one said in front of children.

I smiled warmly back at her.

“So-Yeon’s right. It\'s just like when Daddy brought the principal over.”

“Then will there be more friends to play with, and more aunts and uncles?”

"Well, I think we’ll know once we move!”

“Hehe, I like moving to new places.”

“My So-Yeon likes moving to a new place?”

“Yeah! My heart races when I think of moving to a new place!”

So-Yeon giggled and buried her face in my chest. Her cuteness melted away the anxiety that I felt regarding this move.

While I was beaming at So-Yeon, Kim Hyeong-Jun, who had just seen me laughing like a fool, spoke up.

“Ahjussi, you’re also a fool for your daughter.”

“Fool? Watch what you say in front of children!”

“A fool isn’t necessarily a bad thing, is it?”

“Well, it’s not a compliment either.”

Kim Hyeong-Jun jutted out his lower lip and shrugged. Do Han-Sol, who was next to Kim Hyeong-Jun, smiled broadly.

“You have a cute charming daughter. A smart one too.”

“Right?”

“What’s your name, sweetheart?”

I looked at So-Yeon.

“So-Yeon, it seems like Do Han-Sol ahjussi is asking for your name. Can you go ahead and tell Do Han-Sol ahjussi your name?”

“Is he a nice ahjussi?”

“He’s daddy’s friend.”

So-Yeon hesitated for a while, then glanced at Do Han-So and answered with the tiniest voice, “Lee So-Yeon…”

“So-Yeon? What a pretty name.”

Do Han-Sol chuckled and went through his pockets. After a moment, he took out a green grape-flavored candy and handed it to So-Yeon.

Her eyes lit up as she saw the candy, but then she quickly looked at me.

“It’s alright sweetie. Go ahead and take it.”

As I let her go for the candy, So-Yeon bit her lower lip and reached for the candy, as if she was embarrassed.

As So-Yeon tore off the wrapping with her cute, tiny hands and popped the candy in her mouth, she puffed her cheeks. Do Han-Sol looked at her puffy cheeks and laughed heartily, the way a child would.

After I sent So-Yeon to Lee Jeong-Uk, I looked over at Do Han-Sol.

“You seem to be good with children.”

“Oh, I used to volunteer to read to children.”

“I didn’t know they had that kind of volunteer work.”

“If you look around, you can find all sorts of volunteer work. Daycare teachers used to look for volunteers when they had more children to take care of.”

“I didn’t think they would’ve accepted anyone to do that. Especially men.”

Do Han-Sol smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.

“It’s probably because I majored in early childhood education.”

I realized once again that one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

At first, I thought Do Han-Sol had an attitude problem, but after getting to know him, he was polite and kind-hearted. He strongly believed in protecting his own people, and he knew how to distinguish between enemies and allies, and treat them differently.

I realized how fortunate it was for me to have formed an alliance with Do Han-Sol.

Kim Hyeong-Jun squeezed himself between us and spoke up.

“Hey ahjussis, shouldn’t we get going?”

I nodded and headed for the first line of defense.

At the first line of defense, thousands of zombies were gathered, surrounding the almost three hundred survivors. They were huddled together, with no gaps in between.

I looked over the formation one last time, then took a deep breath and shouted, “We’re moving out!”

The survivors looked at me nervously.

I looked at them one by one.

“There are some rules to follow when we begin to move. Firstly, no screaming, no matter what happens. Second, don’t break formation. Third, trust each other.”

None of the survivors said anything. They looked at me with eyes filled with determination. I continued to scan the group as I spoke.

“As long as you follow these three rules, we’ll all make it safely to our new home!”

A woman in the group of survivors spoke up.

“Is the new home safe?”

I looked in the direction where the voice had come from, and saw a woman quaking in fear. The woman held a boy in her arms, similar to So-Yeon in age. I gave her a vigorous nod.

“It’s safe. Kim Hyeong-Jun, Do Han-Sol and I will make sure to protect you at all costs.”

“...”

“My daughter and family are part of the crowd here. And those that are trying to survive together with my family… Are no different from my family.”

I pointed at Lee Jeong-Uk, who was carrying So-Yeon in his arms. All eyes turned to face them. Lee Jeong-Uk must have felt embarrassed by the sudden attention; he smiled shyly and offered everyone a slight bow.

I continued to speak.

“We’ve made it this far together, and we will continue to do so in the future. So don\'t lose hope. If we combine forces, we can look forward to a better tomorrow.”

“Right on!”

My proclamation was met by a sea of nods, and cheers that matched my energy. However, some still seemed unconvinced.

I looked at those who were still doubtful.

“Who was responsible for everything we\'ve built so far? Was it God? No. Everyone here has a share in that responsibility. You’ve created everything with your own hands. I believe in every single one of you. I believe that each and every one of you has the potential to do greater things.”

Many survivors nodded along with me, their faces alight. I nodded slowly, taking in their determination.

“So, I ask you to put faith in me too. Let\'s get through this together. Let’s trust each other and keep moving forward.”

“Let’s go!”

A thunderous roar filled the air, coming from the survivors. I gave them a final nod, then gave an order to my underlings.

\'Let’s go.’

GRRR!!!

The zombies surrounding the survivors began to move as one, filling the air with their throat-rending cries. The survivors started walking to match their pace.

Kim Hyeong-Jun was in charge of the rear, Do Han-Sol was in charge of the left flank, and the guards were in charge of the right flank.

Over five thousand beings, including all the zombies and survivors, began to advance along Achasan-ro, moving toward their destination.

* * *

After walking for a couple of hours, I heard Do Han-Sol shout from the left, “I hear howling from the left!”

My eyes flared as I heightened my senses.

Just as Do Han-Sol had said, the zombie howling from the left spread outward like an echo.

Even though we had put the survivors in the center, the smell of flesh was strong, and every breath the three hundred survivors let out filled the air around us with the scent of life. Their scent would undoubtedly attract other zombies.

Clearly, zombies had taken notice of us and were moving toward us.

I ascended to the roof of a tall building nearby and gave orders to my underlings.

‘All platoons, get in position.\'

The first, second, third companies surrounded the survivors, while the fourth company got ready to go into combat.

After a moment, I spotted a wave of zombies rolling toward us.

‘Fourth company, hold off the zombies coming from the left.’

At my order, the underlings in the fourth company charged toward the zombies, letting out their throat-rending cries.

An ordinary street zombie didn’t stand a chance against one of my underlings. However, their numbers were overwhelming.

The size of a zombie wave usually depended on the number of survivors.

In the past, there were at most a few hundred of them. Now, though, it seemed like every zombie in the neighborhood was charging toward us.

“Second wave incoming from the rear!”

I heard Kim Hyeong-Jun call out and rushed to the railing on the opposite side to see what was going on. A thousand zombies were making their way toward us, their bodies bent in a grotesque manner.

Kim Hyeong-Jun looked at me.

\'Leave this area to me.\'

Kim Hyeong-Jun opted to communicate telepathically instead of verbally, perhaps because of the distance. I nodded back at him, and Kim Hyeong-Jun rushed at them in a flash.

Thud, thud, thud.

I heard zombie footsteps approaching from the front.

I looked at the slope in front of us and issued an order to my underlings.

‘Mutants, move to secure the front.’

KIAAA!!!

The stage-one mutants used their long arms as scythes, mercilessly tearing through the zombies that were trying to make it up the steep slope.

I’d assumed that we would be able to make it to our destination before the day was over, but if zombies kept coming at us like this, it would take more than a couple of days to reach our objective.

We had children and the elderly with us, which meant that we had to move slowly. The anxiousness that the survivors were feeling also took a toll on their stamina.

The guard in charge of the right flank cried out in alarm, “A group of zombies approaching from the right as well!”

I leaped down at once, my blue eyes flashing. I made my blood circulate more quickly, and hot steam spewed from my mouth.

I clenched my fists and spoke to the guards behind me.

“Leave this area to me. Deal with the zombies that make it through the sides.”

“Yes, yes!”

The guards took a step back and got into a defensive formation.

Crack!!!

I sprung from the ground and charged toward the zombies. I tore off zombie limbs and broke their skulls, thinking only about the route we still had to take before we reached our destination.

‘I don’t think we’ll make it before the end of the day. We need to find a place where three hundred people can set up camp.’

It was impossible to tell what would happen if we crammed three hundred survivors into small buildings, only for zombies that were hidden in it to ambush them. It was far better to camp out in a flat, open area where we could watch over all the survivors at once.

We would probably have to fight zombies all night long, but that was the safest option we had, given the current situation.

* * *

“I think it would be best to camp here for the night and move again tomorrow.”

I was speaking to Hwang Ji-Hye, Lee Jeong-Uk, and Hwang Deok-Rok as I wiped the zombie blood off of my face. Hwang Ji-Hye spoke up, her expression difficult to read.

“This is Grand Children\'s Park. There’s no place to hide.”

“That makes it easier to spot the enemy\'s movements. If a zombie appears inside a building, it’d be difficult to pinpoint their exact location, and it would be difficult for me, Hyeong-Jun, and Han-Sol to react immediately.”

“But camping outside in this weather… Some folks might suffer from hypothermia. I\'d rather sleep in the university across the street...”

“I also feel the same way. However, this is the safest way to protect ourselves from the street zombies.”

“Do you think the attacks will continue throughout the night?”

“Zombies were constantly attacking us while we were on the move. It’s because there’s no way of hiding the survivor’s scent.” “But…”

Hwang Ji-Hye trailed off, grimacing. I placed my head in my hands.

“If we go into the university building, the street zombies will gather around the building all night long and surround it. It\'ll be a bit safer to camp here, where there are a lot of trees.”

“I’m just worried about the cold.”

“I’ll try to get whatever I can from the nearby convenience store. I\'ll try to find as many hand warmers as possible. I’ll also try to uproot a couple of trees so that we can use them as firewood.”

“You’re going to uproot some trees?”

Hwang Ji-Hye looked at me as if she had no clue what I was saying.

I called Kim Hyeong-Jun, who was playing with his son a distance away. He let his wife take their son, who hadn’t yet learned to walk, and quickly came to my side.

“What’s the matter?”

“Can you get Mood-Swinger to pull out some trees?”

"Trees? How many are we talking about?”

“Six, just to be on the safe side.”

“Okay.”

Kim Hyeong-Jun walked over to Mood-Swinger and ordered it to uproot the trees. Hwang Ji-Hye clicked her tongue while she saw Mood-Swinger at work.

"How in the world is it going to uproot a tree that big with brute force…”

Crack, crack!

Before she knew it, a tree was uprooted with a dull crack. Hwang Ji-Hye shook her head. She seemed to have had her fill of these impossible occurrences. She was at a loss for words as well.

After a moment, Lee Jeong-Uk asked me what he and the others could do.

“While I go look for hand warmers, help Hyeong-Jun. We need to find a large area for a campfire.”

"Okay."

Lee Jeong-Uk, Hwang Ji-Hye, and Hwang Deok-Rok went straight to Kim Hyeong-Jun.

Mood-Swinger seemed scary on the outside… But it was completely loyal, and had never disobeyed Kim Hyeong-Jun.

Do Han-Sol came back a moment later, having finished scouting the surrounding area.

“It’s quiet for now. I didn’t see any zombie movements.”

“That’s a relief. Is Grand Children\'s Park part of Neung-dong?”

"Yes. I cleared out the zombies here and in Gunja-dong a while back, so I think it’ll be safe tonight.”

I nodded slowly.

“Strengthen the number of guards, just in case. I’m going to go around the nearby convenience stores to look for hand warmers.”

“Got it. We’ll be waiting for you.”

I told him to keep up the good work, then headed toward the entrance of the Grand Children’s Park.