A Korean Office Worker Who Became a Nuisance Villainess in a Zombie Story - Chapter 195
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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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“They probably won’t be able to see us.”
Zombies detect people through hearing and smell, not sight.
“Just pass by quietly.”
Remove your shoes. Cover your mouth. Don’t make a sound.
“Especially you, Manager.”
I pointed at the Manager, who made quite the racket with his heavy breathing at his desk during normal hours.
“Use this opportunity to learn how to breathe quietly.”
I said something I’d never dare say in reality, then glanced at the zombie crouching right beside the corridor we needed to pass through.
“….”
If this were reality, Praha or Cyprus could simply draw the swords at their waists and slice through the zombie’s neck as we passed.
‘Unfortunately, this dream is a K-zombie office thriller. That’s not an option.’
If someone showed up to the Company with a sword…
‘That would be grounds for a police report….’
If someone from our Company suddenly arrived with a sword, everyone would think “Finally, someone’s snapped and come to kill us all” and probably hide in the Bathroom.
Wouldn’t they?
Or maybe not?
Am I the only one working at a Company like this?
Anyway, even Praha and Cyprus can’t conjure swords out of thin air to behead zombies.
So the conclusion is.
“Let’s pass quietly. Quietly.”
In the end, we decided to cover our mouths one by one and slip past the zombie.
Praha went first.
Fearless as ever, Praha approached the zombie, waved his hand above its head, then gestured as he slipped past it.
Then came Team Member 1, 2, 3….
I watched sweat trickle down the Manager’s nape as he stood in front of me, my mind racing.
‘This dream really does seem like a modern version of what happened on the Artificial Island at the beginning.’
The clothes I’m wearing, for one.
The zombie from the adjacent team that stumbled in out of nowhere.
And the chocolate bar Yujein shared with me earlier.
Isn’t that all a blessing from the chocolate bar?
If that’s the case.
If that’s the case!
“Grrrrgh….”
“…Ugh!”
“Shh.”
I quickly caught Yujein with one arm as she stumbled in shock at the zombie’s sudden sound.
‘Yujein was supposed to fall here.’
Startled by the zombie. She was wearing those unnecessarily high heels.
I ended up falling with her and even sprained my ankle.
This time, that won’t happen.
Let me say this once more: the advantage of experienced hires.
=They’ve already made every mistake possible, so the probability of erring is minimal.
I spun Yujein, who had tumbled into my arms, and set her upright.
‘Heh.’
I was chuckling to myself and feeling quite pleased with the moment.
Then, without warning, a ballad began pouring from the ceiling.
White cherry blossoms scattered through the sealed indoor space, and time itself seemed to slow.
Yujein rose to her feet slowly, very slowly, and turned to face me.
Her cheeks flushed, Yujein spoke.
“Yusara, do you know what that means?”
No?
“If you catch someone falling from above, the two of you have to get married. That’s the rule.”
“What?”
What country’s rule is that?
Is that some law of the Island?
Flustered, I looked at the people around us.
The eyes of my teammates surrounding Yujein and me had gone perfectly round.
I’d seen this somewhere before….
The composition….
The archetypal scene from a romance drama….
“No…!”
No! No! No! This can’t happen!
I’m married!
I hastily put distance between myself and Yujein.
I waved my hands frantically at the petals still drifting through the air, but instead of disappearing, they now poured down in torrents.
The music grew loud enough to assault the ears.
And somehow, the world seemed to spin in a complete circle around Yujein and me.
Like a camera pan in a pivotal K-drama scene….
“No…! No!”
Make it stop!
What is this nonsense, dragging a married person into this?!
Is the author out of their mind?!
Wait, this is my dream!
Am I out of my mind?!
I’m against romance suddenly appearing in zombie stories!
Is it okay for a courtroom story to be about romance in the Imperial Court? Sure, that works!
Is it okay for a medical story to be about romance in the hospital? Sure, that works!
Is it okay for a zombie story to be about romance between zombies? I absolutely cannot accept that!
If it’s a zombie story, I’m asking for zombies only!
“No… No…!”
I was still waving my hand in denial.
That’s when Praha interjected.
“We need to go.”
His gaze was ice-cold. Nothing like when we’d crossed paths in the elevator moments ago.
Others might say Praha always wears the same expressionless face, but I know better.
That’s his annoyed expression.
Praha turned away after giving me a warning look.
At the same moment, the background music and flower petals stopped abruptly.
The Manager brushed off the petal stuck to his neck, and Yujein, glancing back at me one last time, crossed over.
“Let’s go, Yusara.”
“Okay.”
Cyprus and I crossed over as well.
As the group began climbing the Staircase again, Cyprus whispered from the very back.
“Earlier, I asked what kind of relationship you and Praha have, remember?”
Normally, it would feel unnatural for me to explain this myself.
But since I’m basically an exposition bot straight out of a poorly-written novel, I’ll tell you.
“You two met through a company matchmaking event, had a contract marriage, and then got divorced.”
“What?”
“You two met through a company matchmaking event, had a contract marriage, and then….”
“No….”
I raised my hand to stop Cyprus mid-sentence.
I glanced back.
The off-shoulder zombie, who moments ago seemed ready to jump up at the slightest sound, shows no reaction despite Cyprus speaking so loudly.
“So the bottom line is you got divorced?”
“That’s right.”
“What….”
Divorce? I didn’t want to get divorced.
And a company matchmaking event, a contract marriage, a divorce? What kind of setting is this?
“Why did you get divorced?”
“When it rains, you and Praha swap souls. Last time, when you were in Praha’s body, someone tried to hit Praha with a car?”
“So you got divorced to save me?”
“That’s right.”
“…Is this drama script a rough draft?”
“What script?”
“Never mind. It’s nothing.”
This is ridiculous.
“The path is blocked.”
We’d passed through the off-shoulder zombie and climbed two more floors.
By the time the sedentary office workers, who normally take the elevator for even a single floor, began complaining of thigh pain.
Praha, leading the way at the front, spoke.
The path is blocked.
I stepped aside so others could see for themselves. Sure enough, office chairs, boxes, and cabinets were piled haphazardly in front of Praha.
“Something must have happened on the 19th Floor.”
“What do we do?”
What else could we do?
“Let’s head back down to the 18th Floor and take the emergency staircase on the opposite side.”
I suggested this to the group.
“What if that staircase is blocked too?”
“Then we could just take the elevator up one floor to the 20th Floor… but we can figure that out when we get there, right?”
Standing here accomplishing nothing wouldn’t help anyone. At my suggestion, the Manager’s lips pouted.
He’d grown accustomed to barking casual orders at his subordinates, and now, suddenly rendered useless, he seemed unable to bear his own irrelevance.
I watched the Manager’s discomfort with keen interest.
‘This is about the time the Troublemaker would cause an accident.’
In the original timeline, the Troublemaker had punched the wall around now, and the zombies came pouring out.
But since the Troublemaker isn’t here, it’ll probably be the Manager instead…
With that thought, I tugged at Cyprus’s shirt sleeve.
I whispered to Cyprus, who was being dragged along—the intern, Praha’s cousin, and my brother in this strange narrative—in his ear.
“Keep an eye on the Manager. If he starts shouting or does something reckless, immediately—”
I didn’t get to finish before a large hand wedged itself between Cyprus and me.
It was Praha, wearing a familiar ring on the fourth finger of his left hand.
Praha appeared between Cyprus and me, blocking our path—I hadn’t even noticed him come down—and spoke.
“Office romances are prohibited.”
“…”
So office dating is forbidden, but blind dates, marriage, and divorce are fine?
But before I could retort, Praha had already returned to his position.
“Let’s head down one floor.”
I found myself walking at the front and asked Cyprus.
“Does Praha not know that you and I are siblings?”
“Your ex-husband? No.”
“Why?!”
He’s your cousin and my ex-husband—why wouldn’t he know?
“Because it’s a secret of my birth.”
If you spread a secret around everywhere, it’s not a secret anymore. I was left speechless by Cyprus’s confident response.
“I see…”
Let’s see how far this script of his will go.
“So that was jealousy just now.”
“Probably.”
“That’s not good.”
“What isn’t?”
“This situation right now.”
The male protagonist’s death probability increases whenever he’s misunderstanding something.
Usually, death occurs the moment the misunderstanding is cleared up….
‘This won’t do.’
I need to clear up this misunderstanding quickly.
With that resolve, I pushed open the emergency stairwell door heading to the 18th Floor.
“Ah!”
Just then, the Manager clapped his hands behind me.
“Ah! Ah!”
He was making loud noises repeatedly, as if trying to gather all the zombies on this floor.
The trouble was starting! I spun around in panic.
But the Manager’s gaze wasn’t directed at me.
Pushing past the people, the Manager rushed forward and grabbed a canned coffee sitting on top of the water cooler.
“I can’t take it anymore!”
“What!”
“That taste I kept craving even while running from the zombies!”
“…Huh?”
“The taste I wanted to have the managers eat first before the subordinates!”
The most efficient way to fight off the drowsiness that crashes over you during work hours-
“Seraphina Coffee.”
….
Could this actually be product placement right now?
[Characteristics of Korean Dramas Watched by Korean Office Workers (4)]
Product placement that appears as naturally as breathing.
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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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