Chapter 91 - The Girl Wants to Be M*rdered

### Chapter 91: The Chapter of the Zombie and the Girl (3) * * * ** "─Eat as much as you want here!" "....Wow." "This is amazing. All of this must be worth a fortune." After a bout of tears and a display of unbecoming behavior in front of a child. Following Hee-ah, who promised to show us something, we ended up in what could only be described as a storage room stockpiled with food. Was there a reason why a young child had managed to survive alone in this crazy world? The place was filled with fresh, though somewhat wilted, vegetables and fruits, non-perishable goods like curry powder, and even varieties of smoked and cured meats. Most of the temperature control and ventilation equipment was unfortunately non-functional, likely due to the power outage. However, the basement's shaded position meant the inside was naturally chilled. Thanks to the early spring season and the low temperatures still lingering, even foods that would normally spoil at room temperature remained intact. While some items showed signs of moisture and crushing with prolonged storage, they were safe to eat without any risk of harm. Thus, we found ourselves gaping at the mountain of food heaped before us. It was as if a giant supermarket was right here. "....Um, Hee-ah, are you sure we can eat all of this?" (T.N: I’ll change name for Hia to Hee-ah) "Yes, Yeon-yi unni! I can't eat it all by myself anyway... Hehe. And there are things I don’t like." Yeon-yi spoke hesitantly to Hee-ah. If we hadn't felt guilt or remorse, it would have been a lie. It wasn't just because of us; anyone with normal values would feel the same hesitation. No matter how much food it was for little Hee-ah to eat alone or how it might spoil if left unused, the fact that we, high school students, would be taking a child's food remained unchanged. With nothing but tasteless canned food to offer in return, we weren't in a position to repay her generosity. So Yeon-yi repeatedly asked Hee-ah if it really was okay for us to eat, but... "If you eat it, I’m happy!" "........" The child assured us, even asking us to partake of it with her. Well, what choice did we have? "...Thanks, Hee-ah. We'll eat well." "Thank you... really, thank you." In the end, tired of the endless cans and instant meals, it was us who were more relieved. Thinking it would be rude to keep refusing, we moved with grateful and wry smiles towards the fresh food we hadn’t seen in ages. Thus. With the fresh scent of vegetables in our noses, we were brimming with excitement, contemplating whether we should make curry for dinner since we could use plenty of vegetables── Ah. "──Hey, does anyone here know how to cook?" "".......Ah."" ─Clunk. It was as if the pause button had been pressed on a video. Watching two people freeze mid-step, I thought. Perhaps, the crisis wasn’t quite over yet. "........" ...What should we do? I’ve never cooked before either. A cool breeze blew through the basement, chilling the space between us. ** ─Clunk. "Sisters! Enjoy your meal!" """...........""" Mother. Today, I have committed a hideous crime. We’ve committed an unforgivable, grave sin—what should we do? Does salvation truly exist? I’m not sure. "Jeong-eun. I think, perhaps I'm trash..." "....I agree, Hwa-min. Humans can devolve to such a degree." "Hwa-min senior, please open your eyes! Jeong-eun senior, stand up! It’s okay! We may have cried and sniffled in front of a child, begging her to cook because we couldn't, but... surely, there must still be a reason to live... right? Right?" Even Yeon-yi, who tried to remain hopeful, eventually succumbed. Faced with the golden, beautifully cooked curry the child had made, the three of us bowed our heads respectfully over the table. The cook herself, Hee-ah, seemed entirely oblivious to the gravity of the situation, her head tilted in confusion as she gazed at us, her face full of questions. It’s nothing, Hee-ah. Just feeling a bit existentially reflective, that’s all. In any case. Who would have thought, among three high school girls, none knew how to cook? Was it a pitfall of modern education, which focuses on specialized knowledge to the neglect of practical skills? Schools might need to reduce the emphasis on academic subjects and increase the importance of home economics, particularly cooking. While humans shouldn't be valued solely for their utility... A complete lack of usefulness seems like a disqualification on a fundamental human level. "...Still, I can cook ramen, Hwa-min senior." "That's something even my puppy Poppy can do, Yeon-yi." Yeon-yi’s weak excuse was met with a dismissive response. Claiming to need a scale and measuring tools for cooking—what nonsense is that? That sounds more like chemistry than cooking. Yeon-yi’s brain, it seems, might have been consumed by academics to its roots. Yet, being able to cook ramen at least made Yeon-yi a grade above. The real issue lay right beside us. ".....What are you looking at, Hwa-min?" "Oh, just amazed." How can someone think like that? Even when exposed to heat, the thought that plastic wrap wouldn’t melt or that broth became more diluted the longer it simmered were just a few of the remarkably incorrect ideas Jeong-eun blurted out when I casually inquired about her cooking knowledge. Hoping it was a joke, I glanced at her face, but she remained more serious than I had ever seen. I realized then that she was genuinely clueless. Amused yet baffled, I asked when she had last handled kitchen utensils in real life, only to receive the incredible revelation that she had "handled" them through a dumpling-making game on a flash game website. With a sigh, I covered my face with my hands. Today, I might have witnessed the extent of how distorted human character could become. Oh well. Given our circumstances, perhaps I could take solace in being the only one who could make soy sauce egg rice. "─Ah. Isn’t that a bit too much, senior?" "Hey, just quit talking and pass the side dishes." ".....Yes, ma'am." The clatter of plates accompanied our dinner, filling the table. How harsh things have become. On a side note, the curry the child made was astonishingly delicious. If only it hadn’t been tasty, it might have been better; its tantalizing aroma seemed to boast of its lovingly cooked ingredients, which made everyone at the table reconsider their cooking skills. Later, a debate ensued over who would claim the remaining ladles of curry, but we can leave that aside. "Hehe. Thanks for enjoying the meal! There are more ingredients, so should I make more for you?" "...No, we're the ones who should apologize, truly. Please, Hee-ah, don't say that again..." "?? Okay, Hwa-min unni!" A battle that left wounds in everyone’s hearts. A truly harrowing conflict. ** "Goodnight~! Unnis!" "Right. Sleep well, Hee-ah." "Hee-ah, dream of—oof!?" Warm and delicious food carries a peculiar magic. It encourages laughter and conversation, helping to ease the burdens of sorrow and pain within the heart. With a small click, the flashlight that had brightened the darkness flickered out. All of us lay in a line in the now darkened room, smiles on our faces as we tried to sleep away our fatigue. I remembered. The mountain of supplies, seemingly enough for the four of us to survive for weeks. The soft, cozy mats now replaced the cacophony of zombie screams. And. "........" The three of us falling asleep, waiting for tomorrow’s sun to rise. In the pitch-black darkness, we discovered a single thread of light. Amid an uncertain future, we found the hope to move forward. Thanks entirely to the one child who extended her hand to us. Initially, we may not have known what lay beneath us. We might have stumbled over unseen objects or bumped into invisible walls, clutching our foreheads in pain. No doubt, that’s exactly what happened. "......." But, if we don’t give up, if we keep our eyes open and continue to look at the world, We’d notice the faint rays of light streaming in through the window, illuminating the pitch-black room. And, gradually, our eyes would adjust to the darkness, allowing us to distinguish the shapes of objects in the room. "....I’m getting sleepy." I let out a small yawn and closed my eyes. Sleep descended more easily than expected. 18 days since the zombie outbreak. The day we met a child who introduced herself as Hee-ah. That memorable first day. ** * * *