1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 20



Only Krnovel

Episode 20

Finding a pharmacy in the middle of a city with ten million people isn’t that difficult.

There were many hospitals, large and small, in Seoul, and there were also many pharmacies.

But on the other hand, that common trait made it a perfect target for survivors.

“This is also a waste of time.”

“Wow, you didn’t leave a single vitamin behind.”

I started from the nearest pharmacy and searched the area within a 2km radius.

I feel like I’ve been to more than ten places, but I can’t find a decent pharmacy.

Since the government took control, hoarding and looting have depleted all medicines in the city.

The time was now 5:30 PM, and as expected of a short winter day, the sky was already getting dark.

“Should we go to another area?

“Well, I guess it’s the same for you too.”

If the downtown area where many shops are located is like this, there is no way other areas would be better.

Even if we gave up and went back, Private Lee Hyeon-su’s condition was getting worse.

My safety or the lives of my companions.

It was an all too familiar dilemma.

“Let’s go to one last place. There was a large pharmacy next to Deungchon Station.”

“Isn’t it a bit dangerous there?”

“There’s nothing we can do for now. If you don’t feel like it, you can go back first.”

“No, what do you think of me as… … .”

At the words, “Let’s take the risk at all costs,” Kim Jin-kyung got up and put her motorcycle helmet back on.

This time we walked towards the road where the subway station was instead of towards the city center.

At that moment, Jin-kyung Kim, who had been quietly following me, discovered a group of infected people in the distance.

“Aren’t they acting a little strange today?”

“I told you, that’s what happens when a blizzard blows. It should be safe up to about 50 meters.”

“Was that real?”

“Why would I lie?”

Right now, Mokdong is experiencing a snowstorm so heavy that it’s hard to tell if you’re in Seoul or Antarctica.

This time too, the infected people are just looking up at the sky and waving their arms.

Thanks to that, we were able to get out of the alley and walk down the middle of the street without any problems.

Sabak, sabak.

Unlike the past when I had to hide, now the cityscape fills my field of vision.

The sight of countless vehicles and buildings, and the gray snow piled on top of them, was beyond description.

How much time has passed like that, the twilight that was hanging on so precariously disappears between the buildings.

The world became dark as if it had never been like that, and the streetlights began to come on one by one.

A quiet road.

The wandering infected.

The city atmosphere becomes more and more gloomy.

Jin-kyung Kim and I swallowed our saliva and slowly approached the shopping mall where we could see the pharmacy sign.

CLANG!

Unlike other pharmacies whose doors have been broken down, this one is firmly locked with a shutter.

In addition, it was not moved even with a reasonable amount of tension, as if it had some other locking device attached to it.

That means it hasn’t been shaved yet.

Jin-kyung Kim and I exchanged glances and looked around to find another entrance.

“Stop.”

But at that moment, something popped out through the artificial shutter gap.

When I realized it was a crossbow, I quickly stepped back and raised my hand.

“Calm down. I didn’t know you had an owner.”

“Do you carry your eyes around as decoration? It’s obvious that the door is locked. If you don’t want to get a hole in your head, go back quietly. I have nothing to give you.”

In the middle of the city, where the infected and survivors were teeming, the man was standing there for a long time.

Kim Jin-kyung frowned in displeasure at the sarcastic remark, but I answered calmly.

“My colleague was stabbed in the thigh. He has a fever and is unconscious and needs medical attention.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“I’m not asking for it for free. Let’s trade. Don’t you need something?”

The man quietly put away the crossbow he had been aiming at us, as if he was tempted.

And through the gap in the shutter, he blinked his eyes and looked at me and Kim Jin-kyung alternately.

“Is that a real gun?”

“you’re right.”

“I’ll trade you for that. What do you think?”

At that moment, Kim Jin-kyung appears dumbfounded and starts growling at the man.

“Are you kidding me? What kind of crazy guy would trade drugs for a gun?”

“Then let’s just quit.”

“Aside from guns, there are also food and drinking water.”

“Unfortunately, there are plenty of those here. All I need now is a gun and some bullets.”

Kim Jin-kyung started shaking her head desperately at me, asking if I was making any sense.

But even in the midst of all that, I was trying to have a conversation while focusing on what the man was saying.

“Why do you need a gun?”

“Why should I tell you that?”

“None. But I can guess why a gun would be needed.”

It was only for a moment, but I saw the man’s eyes in the shutter shake once.

This time I took a step further and started to guess the reasons for it.

“A crossbow is more than enough for self-defense. There are plenty of supplies inside, and it also has a sturdy locking mechanism, so you should be able to deal with one or two infected on your own.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“But if the opponent is a large number of people, it would be a different story. A lock of this size can easily be cut with a cutter. Aren’t you worried about that situation? No, maybe it has already happened.”

What is a safe haven for one person may seem like a tasty treat to another.

Especially if you are guarding the building alone like this man, there is a 90% chance that this will happen.

“Someone’s after this place, right?”

“… … … .”

“And you have no other alternative.”

The man who had been quietly listening to my story soon disappeared through the gap in the shutter.

And then a moment later, another hidden window opened and he revealed his true form.

“So, do you have it?”

“yes.”

“Can you guarantee that?”

The man guarding the pharmacy was, contrary to expectations, a middle-aged pharmacist with a small build.

As I nodded silently, he put away the crossbow he was holding and said.

“… … Come in and talk.”

Likewise, I put the gun away and went into the pharmacy with Kim Jin-kyung.

Kim Jin-kyung, who had not expected the door to open so easily, muttered with a puzzled look on her face.

“I’ve seen this scene before.”

It seems like she still doesn’t remember that she came this far.

* * *

The interior of the pharmacy, which is about 30 pyeong in size, was very clean and had been renovated to be practical.

In particular, the equipment visible here and there had details that surprised me even when I saw them.

Is this gentleman a pharmacist?

When I glanced at him, the man shook his head as if he had expected it.

“It’s just a hobby.”

“Are you a survivalist or something?”

“Let’s say it’s something similar. Of course, I never imagined I would actually use it.”

“Then that crossbow… … .”

“Do you think you’re the only one with a hunting license?”

“Isn’t the pulley method illegal?”

“If you keep bugging me, you should report it to the police.”

It was a wise choice not to fight the man.

If I had been careless, my head would have been blown off by a bolt fired from a crossbow.

I chuckled at the joke telling me to report him and followed the man inside the counter.

“You don’t need anything to drink?”

“I don’t want to drink the water the pharmacist gives me.”

“It’s a wise choice.”

We talked about whether it was serious or a joke, and decided to get to the point quickly.

“Was my guess correct?”

“Unfortunately.”

“How many opponents are there?”

“There were 12 of them. But this morning, there were only 8. I was really angry, but I don’t know why they came all the way here and started making a fuss.”

From 12 to 8? That’s exactly four fewer people.

It’s too coincidental to be a coincidence.

As I thought deeply, I recalled the existence of the attackers in my memories and asked the man.

“Were they wearing gas masks?”

“Huh? How did you know? They were all wearing the same outfit, like they wanted to cosplay or something.”

“They seem like guys we know.”

“what?”

The number of attackers killed at the school was four in total, all of whom were wearing gas masks.

I thought I had taken care of everything, but it seems there were still some thugs left.

The man looked visibly embarrassed when I told him that we were acquaintances and asked me:

“Surely… … you were the one who killed those four people?”

“yes.”

“With a gun?”

“Then you wouldn’t have been able to come here.”

The pharmacist looked me in the eye for a while, trying to determine if what I was saying was true or false.

But that didn’t last long, as he brought something from behind and quietly placed it on the desk.

“Your colleague, you said you were stabbed in the thigh?”

“you’re right.”

“If he’s still breathing, the bleeding must have stopped. Keep giving him this medicine, and when he regains his strength, give him an IV. If it gets worse, come see me.”

“There are too many sheep.”

“I hope you find it useful in the future.”

A man who provides ample medicine, including spare parts, and tells her to come to him if anything goes wrong.

It was a truly groundbreaking proposal, 180 degrees different from the attitude I had when I first aimed at the crossbow.

But the basic common sense in trading is that if you give one hundred, you get one hundred in return.

“What do you want?”

“A thorough cleanup.”

As expected, what the men wanted was the certain death of the gas mask looters who attacked the pharmacy.

“They said if we didn’t vacate the pharmacy by night, they’d kill us all. It was going to be a blizzard, so they thought today was their last chance.”

“Do you know the opposing force?”

“First of all, there’s no gun. But the problem is that there seems to be a device that can penetrate the shutter.”

The time is tonight, and they will come here directly, and the number is eight in total.

I was feeling uneasy at the thought that there were still remnants of the looters left, so I thought this might be a good opportunity.

As I was organizing the information in my head, a question suddenly occurred to me and I asked him.

“But why did you suddenly change your mind? You knew you couldn’t shoot a gun.”

If we are trusting and entrusting ourselves with the guns we hold, we are making a really stupid choice.

I looked back and forth between the bag of medicine and the man, making this fact clear.

“If you do this job for a long time, you develop an eye for people. The kind of life a person has lived is all written on their face. That person is a punk. That guy is just a punk. But sometimes, when someone like you comes along, I can’t see their face, and I just get goosebumps.”

He lowered his voice, caressing his wrinkles, which were drawn like night vision.

“Have you ever killed someone?”

I closed my eyes without confirming or denying the heavy tension that suddenly settled on me.

“If that’s the reason, then it’s not reasonable.”

“Because it’s not a rational situation.”

“I could kill you, right?”

“I didn’t think he was the kind of person who would do that.”

There is no need for further explanation.

I stood up from my seat, carefully putting the envelope of medicine the man had handed me into my bag.

“Please tell me all the possible entrances, windows, and the layout of the first floor of the building. I will deal with them as soon as they get inside.”

The man and I, who had already understood each other, shook hands without saying a word.

Kim Jin-kyung, who had been blankly watching from the side, looks at Coco, wondering what is going on.

Swish swish!

Of course, Coco, who only knew hunting and dog food, kept licking the soles of her feet.

“Honey, who’s here?”

But at that moment, someone staggers out from behind the space blocked by the partition.

The man looked visibly embarrassed and quickly approached his wife, supporting her by the arm.

“A familiar guest has arrived. He lost his way home and is stopping by for a short rest before leaving.”

“Oh my, you’ve had a hard time. You came all this way, so you should at least have some food before you go.”

The man’s eyes, which had been shining coldly just a moment ago, had turned warm.

“We ate at home.”

“I’m full, ma’am.”

Jin-kyung Kim and I, who got up from our seats, responded to this with skillful acting.

He was also a man who loved someone, and a father who had to protect his family.

We ended up understanding each other’s situation by exchanging silent eye contact.

He was just as desperate as I was.