Chapter 48: Hunting Season (1)

YuWon was surprised to see Minho waiting for him outside their door. At first, he thought Minho got to know about their discovery and wanted to talk about that, but that wasn't the case.

"Did you sleep well?" Minho asked.

"Pretty well, considering the situation we're in," YuWon replied as the two walked around the base.

"It seems you already know what I wanted to talk about."

Minho smiled nervously. YuWon had to be blind or dumb to not know what he wanted to talk about. Minho said nothing, probably because he wanted to act like a desperate, yet thoughtful leader.

Nah, it's more like he wants a sacrificial lamb to do the dirty work for him.

"Things... have not been great," Minho finally spoke. "We have some food and water for now, but it'll only last a few days. Things won't be this bad if only—"

"You had people capable of fighting the monsters outside."

"...that's right," Minho mumbled.

They had a few patrolling parties, but other than the soldiers, no one was willing to step a foot outside. At first, the soldiers obeyed, as it was their duty to protect others.

However, as the people kept refusing to go outside, the soldiers were getting frustrated. They were taking all the risks and receiving a little reward in exchange.

At the same time, the entitlement of the refugees was increasing, adding fuel to the fire. If they let things be, it was only a matter of time before fights started breaking out within their ranks.

"You're carrying too much deadweight," YuWon mumbled, looking at the people idling around.

YuWon only said what Minho wanted him to say, even then he made an expression as if YuWon had cursed ten generations of Minho's family.

Tone down your acting a bit. Your sister was much better at it than you.

YuWon thought, but kept a straight face.

"Please, Mr. YuWon. Don't call them deadweights. Everyone here is trying to do their best."

"Look around," YuWon scoffed. "There are no kids who need to be spoonfed. They are adults, most of them are older than I am, for fuck's sake."

Minho said nothing. It was probably because YuWon was saying the exact things he wanted to hear. Still, Minho had to act his part, at least in front of the rest.

YuWon smiled before asking her what was happening there. Before Yuna could say anything, the man interrupted.

"This... little boy stole two food cans from us and now he's refusing to tell us where he hid them," he said.

"I didn't steal anything!" the boy replied, before hiding her face in Yuna's arms. "Those were mine to begin with!"

"Alright, that's enough," YuWon interrupted, looking at Yuna. "Give them two food cans from our share and be done with this."

"But YuWon—"

"It's fine," YuWon interrupted Yuna. "We're leaving anyway, so we can grab something to eat outside."

YuWon already knew it was a ploy for the siblings. Minho might have told Yuna about the earlier incident and now the sister was trying to put them in a spot.

It can't be a coincidence she just happened to be quarreling in front of the garage. She is up to something, but what?

"No, I can't allow it!" Yuna replied, stomping her feet. "I can't reimburse the food, but I can pay you back... physically."

"Sorry, not interested."

YuWon turned to enter the car when Yuna came rushing towards him.

"I didn't mean it that way, of course!" she exclaimed. "I meant I can help you with the hunt."

Hearing her, the three soldiers with her also jumped up, agreeing to go on the scavenging hunt together. YuWon took a deep breath, finally realizing what she was after.

Eavesdropping isn't enough for her, so now she wants to check our skills? Fine, let's put on a show then.

"Do as you wish," YuWon shrugged, getting in the car. "Try not to slow us down."

The soldiers already were fond of YuWon and thought it was an excellent opportunity to put him in place. But even then, his words triggered them more. Unfortunately, Yuna's words were about to sting them even more.

"Alright, I'll ride with YuWon," she said, jumping into the passenger seat.

Gina almost lost it right there, but Yeji held her back, forcing her into the backseat.

This will be fun.