Chapter 15 : Interview of the Dead

After the mantis fight, we didn’t say much. We just walked back—limping, aching, bleeding.

No one complained.

Not even Ye-Rin, who had a cracked rib and an entire encyclopedia of insults ready for every monster we fought. She just dragged her feet in silence, like the rest of us.

Mi-Sun was the one who whispered, “We rest today.”

So we did.

Just rest.

We cleaned ourselves, bandaged our cuts, and passed out on whatever soft surface we could find. Floor, couch, blanket—it didn’t matter.

Day 4. Before Dinner. Ye-Rin in the kitchen.

Ye-Rin stirred a pan of marinated beef and vegetables over a low flame, humming softly, her cheeks slightly red.

The aroma of sizzling garlic and soy filled the air. For the first time in days, the kitchen wasn’t just a place to ration out dried meat—it felt like home.

Mother was lying down, recovering, and the others were tending to wounds or resting. But Ye-Rin had volunteered to cook.

Seo-Yeon Park.

The real one. The one from her favorite dramas.The one who made Ye-Rin scream at the TV every weekend for two years straight.

Now that Seo-Yeon was just… sitting in the corner with a towel around her shoulders, eating canned peaches out of a dented tin—it all felt surreal.

Ye-Rin plated the food with shaky hands and carried it over.

“Here,” she said, holding out the dish. “I know it’s not a five-star spread or whatever—but I tried.”

Seo-Yeon blinked. “Did you cook all this?”

“Yeah.” Ye-Rin scratched the back of her neck. “It’s nothing fancy. Just bulgogi, some steamed rice, and whatever I could find that didn’t expire.”

Seo-Yeon Chewed slowly.

“...This is amazing,” she said, her voice warm with genuine surprise.

Ye-Rin tried not to explode on the spot. “Y-You think so?”

Seo-Yeon looked up, smiling. “Absolutely. Best thing I’ve had in days.”

Ye-Rin grinned. Then laughed. Then turned red. “Oh my god.”

Seo-Yeon tilted her head. “What?”

Ye-Rin bit her lip. Then couldn’t hold it anymore.

“Okay—I’m just gonna say it. I’ve been watching you since I was like thirteen. Glass Sword made me cry. Like, ugly cry. And you were so badass in Cicada Winter. I—You were one of the reasons I started going to stunt school.”

Seo-Yeon blinked, startled. Then a light chuckle escaped her lips.

“You’re… a fan?” she asked gently.

Ye-Rin hid her face behind her arm. “Don’t say it like that! I’m trying to be cool.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Seo-Yeon laughed again, this time louder. “You’re doing fine.”

“I mean,” Ye-Rin peeked through her fingers, “I didn’t think I’d ever actually meet you. Let alone cook for you. Let alone… save you from a demon horse.”

They both burst into laughter.

Seo-Yeon scooted over, patting the floor beside her. “Then I should return the favor someday. Maybe cook for you when this is over.”

Ye-Rin sat beside her, still flustered, still glowing. “You’re on.”

"Someone's feeling alive," I muttered, as I enter the dinning room.

" shut up" Ye-Rin hisses at me.

Ye-Rin had officially gone full fan-girl mode.

Day 5 arrived with no warning.

No alarms. No dreams. Just the rising sun spilling over cracked windows, and the sound of birds that definitely weren’t birds.

By now, we’d grown used to the idea of death with breakfast.

But today… we hunted it first.

[MONTAGE STARTS]

Scene 1: The Three-Headed

It burst out of the old train tunnel like a nightmare from mythology—thick leathery hide, three goat-like heads fused to a single neck stump, all screeching with different pitches.

Ye-Rin charged first, axe raised, laughing like a lunatic. “Three heads? Three targets!”

In-Ji dove to the side, already pulling ingredients out of his satchel. “I need five minutes!”

Seo-Yeon’s telekinesis slammed one of the heads into the tunnel wall, cracking brick and bone. She turned and grinned at Ye-Rin. “Like playing Whac-A-Mole.”

I beastified on instinct—my legs stretching, tail twitching. I dashed through its legs, landing on its back and webbing two heads together before getting thrown off like an unwanted tick.

“False Healing!” Mi-Sun’s voice rang out, black aura pulsing across the group.

[HP Restored – 20%]

One head bit Ye-Rin’s shoulder. She tore it off like it was a rubber chicken.

I exploded a web under the creature’s foot to trip it—In-Ji launched a freshly-made piercing bullet right between the center head’s eyes.

It dropped like a broken puppet.

[EXP Gained. Level Up!]

Ye-Jun, Ye-Rin, Mi-Sun → Level 11

Seo-Yeon, In-Ji → Level 9

[Scene 2: Razor-Winged Crows]

We thought they were just birds—until one swooped past and sliced In-Ji’s jacket clean open.

“Okay—those are not birds!” he shouted.

They came in swarms. Dozens. Their wings glittered like obsidian knives, slicing through air and skin alike.

Mi-Sun used her Curse of Slowness to delay them midair. The birds glitched, like a scratched video. Ye-Rin swung her axe like a windmill, slashing feathers and fury.

Seo-Yeon raised her hand, brow furrowed.

A mental voice echoed in my head—not my own.

(“Duck, left.”)

I obeyed. A crow who would’ve sliced my neck flew past harmlessly.

“...Was that you?” I asked, turning to Seo-Yeon.

She nodded, smirking. “Telepathy. Kinda cool, right?”

[New Skill Unlocked – Park Seo-Yeon: Telepathic Link]

Allows mental communication with party members within a 30-meter radius.

Meanwhile, In-Ji squinted at the incoming crows, eyes glowing faintly.

“Upper wing joint—4 centimeters left of the socket. That’s the weak point.”

[New Skill Unlocked – Seong In-Ji: Weakpoint Analysis]

Highlights critical structural flaws in enemies. Increases team damage output by 25% for 10 seconds when called out.

He called out coordinates, and I swear Ye-Rin hit every one of them with surgical rage.

Feathers rained like snow.

~[EXP Gained. Level Up!]

~Ye-Jun, Ye-Rin, Mi-Sun → Level 12

~Seo-Yeon, In-Ji → Level 10

We stood among scattered feathers and steaming crow corpses. The air stank of cooked flesh and charred wings. The Dohr’s body was half-buried in rubble behind us, a tombstone to our progress.

But there was something different in our eyes now. Something sharper.

Not just power.

Precision.

We weren’t just surviving anymore.

We were adapting.

[Day 5. Back in the studio cabin. By the dinning table]

“Now that we’re all here,” I said after pushing my bowl aside, “We need to talk about what’s next.”

Everyone turned toward me.

“We’re heading for the dragon zone tomorrow. We’re going to tame it. Or die trying.”

Silence.

“But,” I continued, “you two—” I nodded to Seo-Yeon and In-Ji, “—don’t have to come. You’re strong enough now. You can go your own way. Survive.We won't hold it against you.”

Seo-yeon looked at In-Ji. Then back at me.

“No,” she said firmly. “We’re with you.”

In-Ji nodded. “Besides… you’d die without me.”

I smirked. “Fair.”

[After some time.]

We were cleaning up the kitchen when In-Ji suddenly asked, “You still have cameras here, right?”

I paused. “Yeah… Why?”

“We should shoot something. A podcast. An interview. Something that’ll last. Just in case we don’t make it back.”

A long silence.

Then I nodded. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

We set up the camera. Cleaned up the table. Adjusted the lights. I even tossed on a button-up shirt from my streamer days.

When the red light blinked on, I smiled and leaned forward.

“Good morning, apocalypse survivors! Welcome to the first and probably last episode of The End Show. I’m your host, Shin Ye-Jun—full-time streamer, part-time monster bait—and today we have two special guests!”

The camera panned to Seo-Yeon and In-Ji.

“This is Seo-Yeon,” I said, “actress, fighter, and the scariest person I've seen go Berserk. And next to her is In-Ji, survivalist, sniper, and apparently bullet alchemist.”

They both chuckled.

“So,” I said, “tell us about the show you were working on before the world went to hell.”

Seo-Yeon smiled. “It was called 'Hopeless witch'. I was the lead. In-Ji was my co-star there. It was… fine. I guess.”

I grinned. “That’s a rave review. So.In-ji! How was it working with Seo-yeon for the very first time?"

"We actually know each since we were fourteen." In-ji continued, " We both actually went to the same academy. So we were friends before the shoot."

"Let's move to the interesting topic"I spoke in a different manner."Internet rumors say you two were dating before the apocalypse. Truth?”

In-Ji blushed. If it was before the reality bent, they would have rejected it but now, times were different.

Seo-Yeon answered. “We’ve been together since we were sixteen. We just kept it private.”

Ye-Rin squealed behind the camera. Fangirl meltdown.

"Tell us more about you! Ye-Jun. How was your journey before reaching here." Seo-yeon unexpectedly asked me this question.

"It's my first time that my guests are asking me things. Well I should give my answer then."

"I never applied for university. My CSAT results were terrible. But I had a decent face and a solid physique thanks to military service. So I turned to the internet.

Started with short videos—reactions, memes, gaming compilations. The follower count grew. Eventually, I started streaming: gaming, mukbang, casual chats with viewers, commentary on trending news.

The sponsors came in. By the time I turned 24, I got invited to a modeling show. After a decent debut, small acting roles followed. Not everyone liked that a YouTuber was suddenly acting. But my fans stuck with me because I never abandoned my roots—I kept streaming, even if less frequently.

Later, I started something new: celeb interviews and collabs. If it was a famous guest, my channel benefited. If it was a rising star, they got exposure. Win-win."

"It's wonderful to hear that. Now," she paused before asking me. "Tell us more about your family."

"I have a Mother, who is divorced now. A sister who used to attend a university and" I paused for a second and remembers her instructions

"Don't talk about it with your family yet until we make things official" I continued,"A fiance who is an established writer in Seoul."

Behind the camera, My mother spoke.

"What? Fiance? Han ji-a is your fiance?"