A Korean Office Worker Who Became a Nuisance Villainess in a Zombie Story - Chapter 103
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Menstruation in this situation?
Ah…
‘Right. She came to ask for help.’
I looked down at the child, whose panic was written all over her face.
Now that I looked closely, it was her—the girl who’d nearly gotten chased away by Lime after suggesting we light a signal fire.
“Is this your first time menstruating?”
The child gave a small nod to my question. Looking at her skirt, it seemed blood had already seeped through and stained it.
Of all things, it had to be white. This is ridiculous.
“Do you have a change of clothes? Underwear?”
She shook her head.
“Is there another friend you could borrow clothes from?”
“…No, everyone only has one set of clothes.”
“Oh dear.”
“I’m so sorry… I didn’t know anything about it at all, but when I stood up, something suddenly felt wrong, so I looked and…”
“Don’t apologize. There’s nothing to be sorry about.”
Everyone’s the same when they get their first period.
It’s only natural she wasn’t prepared since this was her first time.
Zombies suddenly appearing on the Island was beyond her expectations, and so was menstruation happening to her while everyone was trapped together.
‘And there’s no adult to help her.’
I could picture the child’s bewilderment—she hadn’t even thought about it, then suddenly saw blood and panicked.
“It’s alright. It’s completely natural that you weren’t prepared.”
But I was prepared.
Very prepared.
Extremely prepared.
I placed a hand on the child’s shoulder reassuringly.
“I’ll help you. Let’s go.”
“Your Highness!”
“Oh, Muffin and Pickle are back!”
“Um, but that girl is…?”
I returned to the Kitchen where the others were, linking arms with the hesitant child.
Tangerine and Yujein, who had been dipping dry bread into the remaining stew broth and scraping it clean, looked up at us with wide eyes.
Praha, who had been rummaging through the cupboard beside them looking for something useful, also glanced over at us.
I turned my head toward the women and mouthed the words silently.
‘Menstruation.’
“Ah.”
“I see.”
Yujein and Tangerine, who immediately understood the situation, turned their eyes toward Praha. So did Muffin, Pickle, and the child whose name I still hadn’t asked.
Praha, suddenly the focus of six women’s gazes while holding a ladle, looked flustered.
Yujein declared solemnly.
“Your Majesty! I apologize, but… please leave.”
“…I understand.”
She didn’t even ask why she had to leave.
I still couldn’t tell if she had a strong personality or a gentle one.
After receiving Yujein’s polite request to leave, Praha departed, and I retrieved the bag I’d tossed into the corner and rummaged through it. Tangerine prepared warm, damp cloths so the child could wipe her legs clean.
“What about her clothes? They’re white, and…”
“When the Grand Duke returns, I’ll apologize and ask him to find just one outfit from outside. For now… couldn’t we simply wash away the blood and let her dry before putting them back on?”
“Will they dry that quickly, though?”
“Or, since Yujein is small in stature, she could borrow clothes from Yujein for a bit… ah, here it is.”
I pulled a sanitary pad from the inner pocket of my bag.
I handed the pads stored in a cotton pouch to the child, who still seemed frightened.
Let me think. She’d probably be reluctant to keep coming to a scary older sister like me asking for pads every time, so I’d give her plenty… about thirty?
“My lady, how many sanitary pads do you carry with you?”
Tangerine approached and peered into my bag, her mouth falling open.
“I prepare for situations like this. If you need any, Tangerine, just let me know.”
I’d always wondered whenever I watched zombie stories. How do women handle their periods? What happens if menstruation suddenly strikes in a situation with no nearby mart or convenience store? What about my dignity?
So when I packed my supplies, I made sure to prioritize sanitary pads to prevent such misfortune from befalling me.
They’re magical sanitary pads I bought from Mascarpone’s shop—they prevent blood from leaking to the sides when applied. They’re compact too.
‘The quality of sanitary pads here is better than on Earth.’
Since Mascarpone is a woman, she understood exactly what another woman needs most while traveling and prepared accordingly. The finest merchant, anticipating her customers’ needs.
Anyway, that’s not the important part.
“There’s a warehouse over there. Go change your clothes and clean up, then come back out. I’ll wash your clothes and give them to Muffin and Pickle once they’re dry.”
I told the still-hesitant child. She nodded quietly and whispered a small “thank you.”
“If you’re grateful, then after you survive here, lend sanitary pads to another friend.”
“…Yes.”
The child who entered the warehouse only emerged after we’d tidied up and finished washing the dishes. When I asked if there was anything else I could help with, she shook her head, bowed respectfully, and disappeared.
“Sister!”
Pickle followed after her.
“Come with me!”
Muffin, who was about to follow, suddenly turned back to me.
Why? I raised my eyebrows questioningly.
“Sister.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m sorry for calling you a bad woman. I was wrong about you. You’re a good person.”
“Oh.”
“And even if you really were a bad woman, it was wrong of me to say such things to your face.”
“It’s fine. Just don’t do it again next time.”
She knows how to admit her mistakes and apologize. She’ll grow up well.
I waved my hand dismissively, sending the children off.
“Phew…”
“That child must have been quite frightened…”
“I hope Lime doesn’t scold us too harshly for accepting his help.”
“Then I’ll beat him for you!”
“Yes, please. Drain him of every tear and drop until he becomes Dry Lime.”
This is exhausting.
‘I want to be alone.’
It’s not that I dislike the people around me—I simply crave solitude.
[The hardships of a zombie apocalypse as experienced by an introvert]
Think about it…
You spend the entire day having fun with friends, then return home…
Only to have those friends follow you inside.
They won’t leave.
Normally, at least after work, I can retreat to my own space, my own room, and enjoy solitude.
I can keep quiet and have time to myself in peace.
But in a situation like this, with zombies roaming outside, I’m forced to be around others constantly… eating together, sleeping together, attached at the hip for twenty-four hours straight.
Privacy (nonexistent).
To those of you with MBTI type ‘I’: please take special care never to encounter a zombie in your lifetime. It’s truly unbearable.
As for those with ‘E’ types… well, congratulations.
What a woman truly needs is…
“A room of her own…”
This won’t do.
“I’m just going to take one quick walk around.”
I grabbed my weapon and stood.
“You’re not going anywhere dangerous, are you, Miss?”
“No. I’m just going to look around inside this building.”
While I’m at it, I’ll find somewhere quiet and do some physical training.
* * *
I only just learned this.
‘This building was once the Temple that the Emperor destroyed.’
So that’s why it’s built at such a high elevation.
They said the Temple was demolished and another structure built in its place, but traces of the old Temple still lingered here and there.
Most notably, the Bell Tower.
Standing atop the Bell Tower, which required climbing far beyond the building’s highest floor, a cold wind whistled past. The view opened in all directions.
“Wow.”
It’s like an observation deck.
An enormous golden bell, larger than the Great Bell of King Seongdeok, enclosed within a tower shaped like a birdcage. Beside it stood a small chamber—the bell keeper’s quarters, it seemed.
I considered striking the bell once, but thought better of it, deciding not to draw unwanted attention.
‘If zombies swarm, it’ll be a nightmare.’
There’s a staircase connected directly to the Village Square beside here.
Instead, I leaned against the railing and gazed outward. Despite the darkness already settling in, I could see the entire Island and even the Sea beyond in one sweeping view.
“Oh, there’s Cyprus.”
That’s when I noticed Cyprus leisurely descending the sloped path in the distance.
His hands were empty—he’d already used up all the papers he’d brought. The man walked elegantly with both hands tucked in his pockets, his demeanor utterly carefree. He looked like he’d simply stepped out for a stroll.
Looking closer, it seemed he was shouting something.
Surely he wasn’t searching for General and the children by yelling like that?
“But still…”
Regardless, shouldn’t he at least be carrying a weapon?
I watched Cyprus’s absurd figure with a dumbfounded expression—he walked as though treading a runway rather than streets crawling with zombies.
As he strolled leisurely, inhaling the scent of withered flowers on the window frame and brushing his hair back in the breeze, a zombie approached his side.
Groaning, the zombie reached out its arm, but Cyprus merely watched it with an expressionless face.
Without thinking, I gripped the railing tightly in tension.
“Why isn’t he doing anything…”
Dodge! Even if you’re not being attacked, at least—!
But my concern proved unnecessary.
Cyprus, who had merely been watching the zombie approach, suddenly extended his hand. He grabbed the zombie’s head and twisted it without hesitation.
Cyprus, who had snapped a human head 180 degrees with his bare hands, looked down at the collapsed zombie and clicked his tongue in displeasure.
He casually kicked it behind a wall to hide it, then continued on his way.
All while shouting again. When zombies emerged hearing the noise, he crushed their bones with his bare hands.
Several zombies were disposed of by Cyprus in this manner.
I stood there with my mouth agape in disbelief.
“What kind of personality is that…”
And here I thought he was actually frightened…
“Well, I’ll be.”
Now he was even kicking down other people’s doors with his feet.
“So all that talk about being scared was just an act.”
I shook my head in resignation.
“What are you doing here?”
Praha climbed up to the Bell Tower carrying a bundle of blankets. His hands were reddened from washing the blankets by hand.
Praha glanced around, then looked down at the spot where my gaze had been fixed moments before.
Praha’s eyes narrowed.
“Were you coming up here to watch Cyprus?”
“What? No, that’s not it.”
I just came up, and he happened to be visible.
“I see.”
“…”
He doesn’t seem to believe me.
[Inhabited Island]
– Yusara, Praha, Cyprus, Yujein, Tangerine, Muffin, Pickle (Surviving)
– General (Separated)
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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