A Monster's Seed

The girl’s hesitant answer made a chilling frost flicker through Dokyung’s eyes for a split second.

“I-I meant… overall characteristics, things like that…”

Boyeon quickly corrected herself.

“They’re different enough that you can tell at a glance.”

Dokyung, as expected, sounded thoroughly annoyed, yet he began explaining in that slow, dragging tone of his.

“They’re the kind that cram in any human bone or muscle they can get their hands on. The more they eat, the bigger and tougher they get. Some are so stupidly thick that bullets don’t even sink in properly.”

“Th-then… what do you do?”

“I shove it in their eyeballs and pull the trigger.”

“……”

“Or feed them a grenade.”

“……”

Even though she had asked, Boyeon trembled like she’d just watched a horror movie. Just imagining it was terrifying and grotesque.

“But you said mutants attack immunes too. Does that mean getting bitten doesn’t infect them either?”

“The stories vary, and I’ve never seen it myself. But I’ve watched about three idiots who bragged about being immune only to get chewed up and swallowed.”

“……”

That meant they died before they could even be infected. The thought of monsters that ate people made her stomach churn.

Still, if he had never seen a case of someone turning after being bitten by a mutant, did that mean he had been bitten by a normal zombie and realized he was an immune that way? Having watched him slaughter zombies one-sidedly, Boyeon couldn’t picture him ever being on the receiving end. If he hadn’t known he was immune, he probably would have approached more cautiously.

“How did you… end up getting bitten?”

“Who knows.”

For the first time, he didn’t give her a proper answer. It wasn’t so much that he was avoiding it as that he simply found it bothersome and brushed it aside. It didn’t seem like there was some heavy story behind it, so why hide it? Boyeon couldn’t understand, but she didn’t press any further.

“Ahh…!”

While she was off guard, he spread her legs and thrust straight in. The very fact that he would do something so underhanded meant he was at least listening to some of what she said.

“Ha…”

He crushed her still-open, tight hole with wet, filthy sounds and let out a breath thick with satisfaction. When a trace of warmth finally touched his icy face, Boyeon gathered her courage and grabbed his arm.

“O-outside… ngh, you can’t… come inside, right…?”

“What?”

He asked again even though he knew perfectly well. Boyeon bit down hard on her lip.

“Your… cum…”

“Depends on how you behave.”

He really was a tyrant. Boyeon shot him a resentful glare, her eyes glistening with tears.

“Even if I take the pill, haa, I still have to be careful for a week… ngh, what if I get pregnant… what then…!”

Even as she said it, Boyeon was skeptical about the possibility of pregnancy. The fact that she hadn’t had her period in three months meant her body already knew this wasn’t a time when she could conceive. In reality, extreme stress from disasters often caused periods to stop and drastically lowered the chance of pregnancy. Since she had told him herself that her period had stopped, Dokyung had apparently decided to finish inside without much worry.

“So what if you get pregnant?”

“Hup, huu…”

But when Dokyung sneered and answered like that, Boyeon—foolishly—looked hurt. After chattering so innocently, she began to sob miserably, and soon fat tears rolled down her cheeks. Her hole was still deliciously tight, but the way she wailed as if he had done something terrible put Dokyung in a foul mood.

“Ha… I’ll take responsibility, so shut up.”

He stopped moving and warned her.

“……”

For a moment, Boyeon felt an emotion she couldn’t even name.

She told herself it was just something he said to avoid responsibility, yet on the other hand, given his tyrannical nature, he didn’t seem like the type to lie about it either. The contradiction left her feeling strange.

What did he mean by taking responsibility? How?

“No… I-I won’t get pregnant… My period hasn’t come at all lately…”

Still confused, Boyeon stopped crying and mumbled.

“……”

Fuck. What the hell does she want from me?

Dokyung’s eyes as he looked down at her were ice-cold. Her flushed face twitched with embarrassment. He couldn’t tell if she was genuinely clueless or just playing innocent, but he swallowed the curse rising in his throat.

Without a word, he slammed his hips upward. The bright red nipples he had been sucking on moments ago swayed enticingly. He captured one in his mouth and fucked her violently, as if delivering punishment.

“Haa, hu… uhh!”

“Just whine from down there. Don’t bother me.”

Dokyung licked and sucked on her swollen nipples while pouring out harsh scolding.

Dokyung had taken quite an interest in the act. He had planned to keep her trapped in the bunker for three or four days, thoroughly inspecting and taming every pretty corner of the woman’s body.

But his plan went awry from the very first day. The moment he finished his second round that night, Boyeon had fallen asleep, exhausted. He had no choice but to let her sleep until morning, but even after waking she couldn’t move because of muscle pain. When he gave her painkillers, the medicine knocked her out and she spent the next two days in a daze. Afraid he might damage her if he used her too roughly, he had no choice but to let her rest.

He stared at Boyeon with clear displeasure as she sat there weakly, barely picking at her food. The moment she finished her half-hearted meal, his gaze turned savage.

“Chew and swallow.”

He tore open a high-calorie chocolate bar, shoved it into her mouth, and ordered her.

“Mmph!”

Boyeon’s eyes widened at the rough treatment, but she had no choice but to chew. Sweet caramel melted stickily inside her mouth. Whether she actually liked sweets or was simply perked up by the sugar, the slightly resentful look in her eyes gradually melted into a dazed haze.

“Come out.”

Dokyung dragged her outside even though it took her what felt like forever to finish a single chocolate bar.

“Wh-where are we going?”

“I put up a fence. Walking around the yard should be fine.”

It was the second time she had climbed the underground stairs since meeting him.

“Ah…”

The familiar sight of the house came into view. Boyeon stood dazed in the living room where sunlight poured in fiercely and stared at the family photo. Light reflected blindingly off the glass frame. Her retinas, which had spent so long underground, couldn’t adjust to the bright light and shimmered. Her eyes stung as if tears might fall.

“Um… I’d like to pack a few things…”

Boyeon spoke while looking at the family photo, almost as if making a request. He showed no particular reaction. It meant she could do as she pleased.

Boyeon pulled out a suitcase and packed several items. She flipped through a photo album and found a copy of the same family picture that hung on the wall. This one was much smaller. The beloved faces she might never see again were crowded together on a palm-sized photo. That was the only thing she showed any lingering attachment to. She didn’t bother taking any other pictures. Just in case, she grabbed her passport and ID, then focused mainly on practical daily necessities.

When she tried to pack some comfortable, active clothes, she noticed the closet was empty in several places. It looked like someone else had already taken them. Since Boyeon herself had stolen medicine from the pharmacy, she didn’t pay it much mind. She simply hoped the items had gone to people who needed them.

It happened while she was cautiously glancing at Dokyung—who had been watching her from behind the entire time—and opened a drawer.

“Kyaa—mmph…!”

Startled by the scream that escaped her own lips, Boyeon clapped a hand over her mouth. A wet, gurgling sound like phlegm rose in her ears like a hallucination. But she had covered her mouth quickly, and fortunately the room was deep inside the house, so outside remained quiet.

“……”

Dokyung’s gaze stayed fixed on the open drawer. It was the compartment where she had neatly stored her underwear. But someone had clearly rummaged through it for a long time; everything was a mess. Boyeon’s student ID and photos were scattered everywhere. What made it truly disgusting was the way white, dried crusts were smeared all over the crumpled underwear and pictures. The photo part of her student ID was so badly stained that her face was unrecognizable.

At least the text on the student ID was still legible, so it was clear whose it was. Right beside it, stuck stickily in place, was a four-panel photo of Boyeon wearing a rabbit ear headband and smiling brightly—as if to replace the blurred image.

“Wh-who would do something like this…”

“Some bastard who got hard looking at your pictures.”

He spoke in a chilling voice, as if the sight had soured his mood, and kicked the drawer shut with his foot.