Vacation (2)
Kim Dabin was flustered by the sudden break.
"There's a mountain of things I still need to do..."
She had heard that Yoo Hyerin would be covering for her, but even someone like Yoo Hyerin couldn't possibly know everything about her tasks.
She felt an overwhelming urge to send a telepathic message right then and there, giving instructions and receiving reports. But Kim Jaehyun had explicitly ordered her not to go to the office, so she couldn't act on it.
"Should I ask them to send me my laptop?"
There was a way.
All the work-related materials were saved on a USB plugged into her office laptop.
She could ask a team member to bring it to her or even use a delivery service to receive it in real time.
"Just checking on progress should be fine, right? That's not really working-it's just like... taking a break.
"
Kim Dabin's mind was so steeped in work that she equated checking in on work status with light reading.
"Yeah. That'll work."
Workaholic to the core, Kim Dabin couldn't help but smile at the thought of doing something even slightly related to work.
Having reached a conclusion, she sent a telepathic message to Yoo Hyerin, the teammate she trusted most.
[Hyerin, if you have time, could you bring my office laptop with you when you leave work? I'd really appreciate it.]
It was a personal request unrelated to work, but they were close enough that this kind of favor wasn't a big deal.
Or so she thought—until a familiar voice echoed in her head a short while later. It was Kim Jaehyun.
[Dabin, why do you need your laptop?]
Kim Dabin responded cautiously.
[I was just thinking of going through some work-related documents in my spare time...]
She tried to justify it, but deep down, she knew this was just an extension of work, so she couldn't really stand her ground.
[That's not allowed.]
The firm response was more or less expected, so she let out a small sigh and accepted it.
[Understood.]
Kim Dabin lay down on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"A whole week... what am I supposed to do?"
A week without work felt unbearably long.
To be more accurate-
"How do I even relax?"
She had forgotten how to rest.
All that came to mind when she thought of "taking a break" was lying in bed trying to sleep.
After tossing and turning in bed for a while, she came to a conclusion-she had to do something.
"Maybe I'll do some chores."
She felt too restless to just sit still.
As she picked up the vacuum cleaner, her mom asked,
"Dabin? Why? Did you spill something?"
"No, just thought I'd do a bit of cleaning."
"Cleaning? Out of nowhere?"
"I'm just bored."
Vrrrmmmm-
But it turned out there wasn't much to clean.
Her mother, Mrs. Park Sangmi, prized her collection of robot vacuums, which kept the house clean on a regular basis.
After sucking up a few stray hairs, the floor was spotless.
"Hmmm..."
The only truly dirty spot was her younger brother Kim Minho's room.
"Ugh, the smell.
No matter when she walked in, it always had that stale bachelor scent.
She opened the window and was about to start vacuuming when her eyes fell on the computer on his desk.
"Maybe I'll just take a quick look."
Recently, she'd discovered an intranet limited to this apartment complex.
That's why she was convinced the person who created the server lived nearby.
Kim Dabin logged into the community and checked a post she had written.
She had left a message saying she wanted to meet the server admin, but hadn't received any reply from anyone who seemed to be the admin yet.
"Too bad."
If the person or people-who created the server would join her communications project, it would be a huge breakthrough. But they showed no signs of revealing themselves, which was frustrating.
At first, the community had been filled with useless posts, but by now there were quite a few with genuinely helpful information.
Such posts would get upvoted and become "Best" posts, making them more visible to others.
[{BEST} Reasons You Should Use the Gym (123)]
[{BEST} Complete Goblin Dungeon Guide (87)]
[{BEST} Pro Tips for Using the Marketplace (66)]
Among the many best-rated posts, one particular post caught Kim Dabin's
eye.
[{BEST} Recommended Dessert Cafes in Seomyeon (33)]
"Desserts?"
Before the world went to ruin, Kim Dabin used to be crazy about desserts.
Even now, one side of her office desk was piled high with candy and chocolate-she still had a serious sweet tooth.
She loved desserts so much, she was willing to exercise two hours a day just to enjoy tasty treats guilt-free.
But ever since the monsters appeared, all the charming cafes that sold delightful desserts had long since shut down.
Sure, you could still get candy, chocolate, and snacks at stores-but how could those compare to a slice of cake savored in a cozy café?
Kim Dabin had been craving real desserts for a while now, and the title of that mysterious post hit her right in the heart.
[{BEST} Recommended Dessert Cafes in Seomyeon (33)]
Only three places still open are recommended.
Knockout ★★★★✩
Variety of desserts. Overall, top tier.
Coffee and drinks are all worth trying too.
Kanew
Fresh strawberries are better than the bread or desserts.
Mollet ★★★★★
Freakin' delicious... The only one of the three selling on the marketplace. But they only have cakes, so it's best to eat them fresh at the café.
The post included detailed locations, highlights, and recommended menu items for all three cafés.
Two of them were places she knew very well.
"Knockout and Mollet!"
Hearing the names of her old favorite cafés filled her with joy.
"They're selling it on the marketplace?"
She immediately activated the marketplace and searched for Mollet's cake. She watched in real-time as the remaining 8 cakes quickly disappeared one by one.
"P-purchase!"
Just before they sold out, she miraculously snagged the last one.
Ziiiing-
As the purchase was confirmed, a beautifully boxed slice of cake materialized in mid-air.
"Whoa.
"
It was so touching to see a cake that looked exactly like the ones she remembered from before the world changed.
She picked up the plastic fork placed inside the paper box and took a small bite.
፡፡
""
She could feel the dopamine flooding her brain.
"Ah."
"
Smiling with happiness at every bite, Kim Dabin trembled with joy—and in that moment, she realized how she wanted to spend her day off.
After finishing the cake, she took a quick shower and changed clothes in under ten minutes. Her damp hair still dripped onto her shirt, but she didn't
care.
"Starting with the closest one.
"
Wearing comfy clothes and sneakers, Kim Dabin lightly jogged out of the apartment complex.
And then-
"Ah...?"
She froze in place.
"This is..."
Before her was the sight of a perfectly normal, everyday life.
Traffic lights were working, cars were driving smoothly along well-maintained roads. In the distance, shops were open and people were going in and out.
It was a scene straight out of life before the monsters came.
Over the past few months, Kim Dabin hadn't left the apartment complex at all.
Since her office was located inside the complex, it wouldn't be wrong to say she hadn't truly gone "outside" in recent months.
The last time she had seen the world beyond was when the Cyclops had appeared.
That massive giant had stomped through the city, destroying everything in its path and she still remembered vividly the chaos and destruction it left behind.
And yet―
"There's no trace of it.
"
The crushed buildings, the massive footprints gouged into the roads, the corpses of monsters and humans left scattered around—
All of it was gone, as if it had only been a nightmare. In front of her stood a perfectly normal, untouched city.
"Things have changed this much, huh.
"
She had noticed changes were happening. But not like this.
While handling her duties and reviewing the numbers on paper, she had a sense of how much things had improved.
But knowing it through words and figures and truly realizing it when the scene unfolded before her eyes were two very different experiences.
"It's beautiful.'
"J
She hadn't realized it before the world fell apart, but this ordinary scenery was incredibly beautiful.
Beautiful enough to make her want to come outside occasionally and just stare at it in a daze.
In that moment-entranced by the everyday view and even forgetting her beloved dessert-
"Do you know what kind of expression you have right now, Dabin?"
"...Huh?"
She turned to find Kim Jaehyun standing there, smiling.
"It's the same expression people have when they first arrive here after earning citizenship, after struggling so much outside."
"Oh..."
"The kind of look people have when they first come here after spending every day like it's a war."
"These days, it's rare to see that kind of expression. I didn't expect to see it from you, Dabin."
Kim Dabin slowly mulled over Jaehyun's words.
War...
Yes.
She had been living every single day as if it were a war.
Since when?
Why did it have to be that way?
What had driven her to push herself so relentlessly?
Perhaps it was thanks to finally eating a satisfying dessert—she was able to look back at her abnormal daily life with some objectivity.
"..."
She hated seeing people die.
Once she was in a position where every report came to her, she learned about the cruelty of this world.
Through running the relief team, she realized just how many people were dying.
Through reports from those who came from outside, she learned that the number of deaths was far beyond what she could have imagined.
People dying to monsters, dying because there was no food, dying because there was no water.
If she didn't work, if she didn't work faster, if she didn't work more-people
somewhere would die.
She couldn't bear that guilt, so she kept pushing herself... and that's how she ended up here.
After the world ended, she had been living in a battlefield.
Once she realized that, the tears she had kept inside for so long finally began to fall.
"Hhng."
"...Dabin?"
Kim Dabin, crying, turned to the startled Kim Jaehyun and asked,
"Jaehyun... It's all okay now, right?"
'...What?"
"Everyone's okay now, right? There aren't... people dying because of me anymore, right?"
As her sobbing grew rougher, Jaehyun suddenly spoke in a firm voice.
"No one died because of you, Dabin."
She wiped her tears and looked at him.
He continued,
"On the contrary, you've directly saved hundreds, thousands of lives. You're the one who created this peaceful everyday scenery."
To Dabin, who couldn't say anything and just continued crying, Jaehyun spoke with certainty.
"You did your best. I'm always grateful to you."
That made her cry even harder.
Because he was someone who recognized all the hard work she had put in, his words felt even warmer.
And then-
"You want to keep seeing this view you protected, right? Then you have to stay healthy. I'm so thankful for how hard you work, but I'd love it if you'd take some breaks and keep working for a long time."
At those sincere words, a soft smile appeared on her tear-streaked face.
"So basically, you're saying you sent me on vacation because you want to
keep exploiting me for as long as possible?"
፡፡
...That's right. If I could, I'd love to have you work for me forever. Think that's possible?"
Dabin let out a small laugh and replied,
"Sure, gladly."
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]