One day, four intruders showed up.
It was a meeting I never wanted, and since they had no interest in me either, it should have been a connection that simply passed by and disappeared.
They were strange men I did not want to get entangled with even in my dreams….
I stared blankly at the system window floating in front of my eyes.
[The game scenario has changed from ‘Disaster Simulation’ to ‘(Adults Only / 19+) Dating Simulation’.]
[Due to the scenario change, the individuals currently located in the bunker have been designated as ‘capture targets’.]
[Survive the disaster together with the capture targets who have come to find you!]
Th-this damn system bastard…!
[All capture targets have been encountered! Upon completion of the conditions, the main scenario will proceed automatically.]
[Main Scenario ‘1 – Encounter’ Start]
[Game progress has been updated for the first time! Congratulations!]
Congratulations my ass, you piece of trash.
The cursed system had started spinning the story however it pleased.
***
<Part 1>
I woke up to the racket of footsteps pounding across the ceiling above.
There were several of them running.
–Hey, Hyeon Jaeyul, get a grip! His eyes are totally rolled back, man.
–Ah, you dumb bastard. I knew this would happen if he kept showing off like that.
It sounded like someone in their group was badly injured, voices urgently trying to wake someone up.
The one who was supposed to wake up didn’t, and instead, an innocent bystander me ended up waking.
“Ugh, so noisy.”
Looks like today, too, someone upstairs had started being chased by ‘something’.
Not my problem.
You protect your own life yourself.
Yeah, exactly.
“The owner of this place definitely got scammed in real estate. Who in their right mind would build a bunker in a place this loud?”
I muttered while stuffing a pillow over both ears to block out the noise.
If it weren’t for my monster-level sensitive hearing, I wouldn’t even have heard it, but I complained anyway, out of pure irritation.
This bunker wasn’t prepared for me in the first place, but at this point, what did it matter who had prepared it?
The owner should be grateful that a living person was using it at all.
Thanks to me, the existence of this bunker actually had meaning.
–We’re almost there.
Almost where…?
And yet, today felt wrong.
The entrance to this bunker leading underground was hidden extremely discreetly.
Even if you passed right over it, unless you already knew the location, you would never notice it.
You’d just step on it and move on without realizing.
There was nowhere nearby to hide, so anyone passing through the area was always focused on getting out of it as quickly as possible.
That was exactly why I had stayed here so long.
No one ever discovered this bunker.
It was the perfect refuge for a woman surviving alone.
So today should have been the same….
–It’s here. The entrance is this way.
I threw off the pillow covering my ears and jumped to my feet.
Damn it.
Up until now, I had heard three voices.
…All of them were men.
If the person who collapsed was also a man, then this was the worst-case scenario.
They definitely knew about this place.
‘So the bunker was their destination from the start!’
My plan to leisurely wake up and enjoy preserved food was scrapped immediately.
Today’s plan was changed to dealing with those intruders.
Three men running around fine, one person down and unresponsive.
The person who knew the inside of the bunker best was undeniably me.
If I took them out one by one, even three men weren’t impossible.
Making people lower their guard was my specialty.
I just hoped they were sloppy amateurs, but the solidity in their voices made me tense.
Strong people carried a certain presence even in their voices, and every voice I had heard so far had that strength.
I bit my lip and took a small, steady breath.
I might get pretty badly hurt today.
–I don’t see anything. Are you sure this is the place?
–You can’t even read a map properly. Stop making noise and just shut up. You’d be more helpful. Take care of Jaeyul properly, at least.
–Wow, so polite with your words. Seriously, this bastard’s heavy. He’s not waking up for days at this rate…. Who’s gonna look after him? Just saying now, I’m definitely not doing it.
–He’ll wake up on his own.
–I knew it the moment he started acting like he’d be helpful. New guys always worry about getting dumped behind.
–Still, be nicer to him. Even if we haven’t known him long, I’ve never seen someone as kind as Jaeyul. He’s useful, too.
The conversation continued, light in tone, but I pressed my throbbing temple.
Hyeon Jaeyul.
They’re calling him heavy.
Judging by the flow of conversation, the odds of him being a man went up even more.
But wait….
He’s unconscious, and they haven’t been together that long?
“…That’s not bad.”
I began piecing together the information I’d gathered from outside.
Maybe….
Maybe I could gain the upper hand over these would-be intruders without fighting.
And secure both my body and my mind in the process.
I hurriedly looked down at myself.
“My condition is way too… good. Even I have to admit it. I’ve been eating well and living well.”
Even in this disaster, I had adapted almost too well, maintaining a cleaner state than anyone else.
My mental health was excellent too. I’d never once fallen into despair or self-harm.
Naturally, my eyes still held a clear, lively spark.
Clear skin, clean clothes without a single tear, lively eyes, and a soft, healthy appearance.
It almost felt like I even smelled nice.
I needed to act, and that was one of my proudest skills.
“Well, even if they know the location, finding it won’t be easy.
And opening the entrance is even harder. I’ve got some time until they get inside, right?”
First, I stripped off all my clothes and changed into the dirty, frayed outfit I only wore when going outside.
There were even more pitiful clothes, full of holes, but I couldn’t wear those.
I’d learned long ago that smooth, uninjured skin visible through torn fabric was an extreme stimulus to someone who’d been starving for a long time.
Humans overflowing with lust would go into heat from just a glimpse of skin between collars.
Even so, this was more than enough to make me look miserable.
I wrapped myself up tightly so not a bit of skin showed, and heat started to build under the layers.
‘It’s hot, but I don’t have a choice.’
I also tied my softly loosened hair into a messy knot.
This hair I’d been growing out for winter never got damaged, which was a constant headache.
After roughly ruining my appearance, I slowly began checking the bunker….
–We’re here. This is it.
…Sharp eyes, huh.
It seemed they had found the entrance immediately, one that had taken me several minutes even with guidance.
I heard a light thud as someone nudged the bunker door leading underground with their foot.
–The entrance? Where? I don’t see anything.
–I don’t care where it is, just hurry up and get inside. How long do you plan on making me carry him?
The man carrying ‘Hyeon Jaeyul’ let out an irritated sigh.
That impatience made me anxious too.
‘No way his hands are fast too, right?’
Since it’s their first time, opening the entrance should take at least dozens of minutes….
Oh, it’ll open soon. The lock’s sloppier than I expected. I should fix this later.
‘No way. No way. Is that guy a technician or what?’
I’d struggled all day just to unlock it.
And he opens it just like that?
It wasn’t bluster either.
I could clearly hear the calm, continuous sounds of the lock being undone.
‘At this speed, I don’t even have time to mess up the bunker!’
It was almost a relief that there was another way to survive besides attacking them.
Even while carrying someone, their footsteps were steady.
Their eyes found the bunker instantly.
Their voices were monotonous, without a trace of panic or excitement despite the situation outside.
Listening to them, I became certain.
‘Even if I face them one by one, even if I know this bunker better than anyone else, I can’t win.’
I roughly tossed my clean bedding into a corner and grabbed a filthy blanket, heading for the edge of the bunker.
I hid my usual weapon in my arms and deliberately placed another weapon on the floor where it could be seen.
That finished the first stage of preparation to make the intruders underestimate me.
‘Good. From now on, I’m a very weak survivor who got lucky, found a bunker, and barely lived.’
The concept was that I was leaning against the wall, exhausted, sleeping lightly.
The moment I set that concept, the bunker door burst open.
I froze with my eyes closed.
If I’d been even a little later, the plan would’ve fallen apart.
Thud.
Without even using the ladder, someone jumped straight down into the bunker.
I flinched and trembled.
I hadn’t expected them to jump like that, so this wasn’t acting.
I was genuinely startled and opened my eyes wide, staring at the man.
“Ah, finally somewhere livable….”
The man who had been carrying Hyeon Jaeyul roughly dropped him onto the floor and locked eyes with me.
The moment I saw him, I was glad I’d decided not to attack them.
He was tall, with a lean body covered in practical muscle.
His exposed forearms looked solid at a glance.
The man blinked when our eyes met, then spoke in a slightly dazed tone.
“…There’s a woman here?”
“What?”
“What are you talking about? There’s no way anyone else knows this place….”
The other two men followed, landing lightly inside.
…There’s a ladder right there. Why is no one using it?
The men who had come down quickly frowned when they saw me.
Before they could attack, I decided to strike first.
“W-who are you?”
I clumsily gripped the blunt knife I’d placed in front of me with both hands and pointed it at them.