Chapter 3: The Rejuvenated Pei Zhuyuan

After stuffing the rubber ball into her mouth, Xiao Guang saw that the tip of Bae Joo-hyun’s tongue was still red and her teeth showed no signs of falling out. He patted her head, and she lifted it, her crimson eyes fixed on him.

"Maybe you should just spit it out. I don't think it’s doing much; I’ll just use a towel instead."

Xiao Guang realized he had started talking quite a bit. Perhaps he had been silent for too long over the past three months. Looking at Bae Joo-hyun, who was pale as snow, he offered a bitter smile, wrapped a towel around her mouth, and tied a knot behind her head.

Oh no, he had forgotten to take the ball out. Would she choke on it? Xiao Guang quickly reached out to pinch her cheeks, only to discover she had shifted the ball to one side, causing her cheek to bulge in a strangely adorable way.

Dragging her small, bound fists, he led her into the bathroom. Technically, this apartment wasn't his, but since the entire family who lived here had turned into zombies, Xiao Guang had kindly pushed them off the balcony—better to die early and be reincarnated.

He tested the water temperature. It was fine, not too cold. He touched Bae Joo-hyun’s skin; the temperature seemed to match the water. How much of a difference there actually was, he didn't think it mattered.

What mattered was that she didn't pull away. Ever since he had reduced her to this primitive state, she had stopped struggling.

As the water streamed over her head, Xiao Guang poured on plenty of shampoo.

"Close your eyes, or it will sting."

After saying this, he couldn't help but shake his head. Had he lost his mind? He was rambling incessantly.

He reached out to cup her chin and looked—she really had closed her eyes. It seemed she must have loved taking baths; such instinctive habits remained.

Xiao Guang had never had a girlfriend, but he understood the female anatomy, thanks to those instructors from Japan. Thinking of Japan, he felt a twinge of melancholy—no more manga, no more uncensored videos, no chance to seek personal revenge.

Since Bae Joo-hyun’s hands were tied into little fists, Xiao Guang had to wash her himself. As for whether it was appropriate or not, he couldn't afford to care. She didn't voice any objections.

It was strange; she stood under the showerhead without moving an inch, regardless of how roughly he scrubbed her hair or used the loofah to slough off dead skin.

Even when he carefully cleaned her body or frowned and went to fetch a razor, she remained motionless, like a statue. Yet, Xiao Guang knew she could feel things. Her bound hands would occasionally lift slightly, only to fall back to her sides as if held down by an invisible weight.

"You might think I’m taking advantage of you, and in fact, it certainly looks that way. But aside from a little curiosity, I truly have no other intentions. You don't realize how cold you are, do you?"

"Come to think of it, I’ve never had a girlfriend. If you hadn’t kept your eyes closed, I wouldn't have had the courage to wash you. It’s only because you’re a zombie; honestly, I feel quite embarrassed. I’m even too shy to look at dolls."

"I don't know how those photographers managed to take your pictures. Your legs aren't even that long. They looked so beautiful on TV, but now they seem quite ordinary—though the shape is nice."

"They say lazy people have dirty heels. I didn't believe it before, but it seems the old sayings are mostly true. Look at you, an artist, and the texture of the loofah has worn down from scrubbing. You don't say a word; it must hurt, but you all seem to have a high tolerance for pain. That young lady with the broken leg in the hallway never cries."

The sound of the shower hitting her helmet sounded like rain. Xiao Guang’s words were hidden within the noise, falling away with the water and disappearing into the drain.

Even though Bae Joo-hyun didn't make a sound, Xiao Guang felt a bit happy, as if she had heard him and was just choosing to ignore him due to his rudeness. Girls get angry, he reasoned; she would be fine in a while.

Finally, she was thoroughly cleaned, from head to toe, inside and out. Xiao Guang even untied the towel from her mouth and used a toothbrush to brush her teeth.

She tried to bite him again, so he simply pinched her cheeks with one hand. He saw the rubber ball being nudged by her tongue. He didn't want to risk using his fingers to take it out; she seemed to like the ball, which was another strange feeling.

After brushing her teeth, she seemed to have swallowed quite a bit of water. He tied the towel back on, then had to untie her hands, which he had also taped up—a total waste of effort. He was inexperienced at bringing gifts home for the first time.

Bae Joo-hyun was beautiful without makeup. Xiao Guang looked at his handiwork with satisfaction. Birthdays should be like this, he thought. In this apocalypse, resources were limited, so he had to do his best.

"Two months and ten days. I haven't received another call from home. If my mother knew I was treating a girl like this, she would definitely beat me. By the way, how old are you?"

Bae Joo-hyun was tied to a chair while Xiao Guang combed her hair.

"Your hair is too long. If I woke up in the middle of the night, I’d think Sadako had crawled in. I’m going to trim it. You agree, right?"

"I wonder what you went through. Did your manager suddenly fall ill, and you had no choice but to hide in a bakery? I didn't see a phone near you. I remember when the virus first infected humans, you were all still performing. The internet was full of vitriol back then; Yoona even had to apologize for attending a party. By the way, do you know where Yoona is?"

Xiao Guang didn't know how to cut hair, but shortening long hair wasn't difficult. Just past the shoulders—not reaching the waist—was the look he liked.

When Xiao Guang finally sat on the floor, exhausted, to admire his work, the light outside the window had dimmed considerably.

"If only you didn't bite people, how nice that would be. I’m going to cook. If you... wait, I need to change the bedsheets."

He tore the dirty sheets and blankets off the bed and threw them off the balcony. He didn't care what happened to them; some zombie would surely take them, or perhaps they would end up draped over another walking corpse the next day.

Watching Bae Joo-hyun tied to the chair, Xiao Guang hesitated before taking off his helmet, his fur coat, and then his shoes and pants.

"If it's airborne, then so be it. Three whole months—do you know what it feels like to be the only person left in the world?"

Bae Joo-hyun still didn't answer and didn't struggle. She was tied to the chair, facing the window. The sky outside, now visible because Xiao Guang had moved things aside to change, caught her attention.

She watched it intently, her crimson eyes fixed on the view. If not for the occasional movement in her mouth, where Xiao Guang could see her cheek bulging, he would have thought she was a wax figure.

"You’ve been a zombie for so long, yet you still have such great skin. Your cosmetics must have been very expensive."

He didn't know why he felt the need to comment on that. He went to wash his hands with his stockpiled water. The electricity supply was mostly gone, but surprisingly, the gas was still on.

Xiao Guang kept using it because he had a strange wish: he hoped that someone would still come to collect the gas bill. That way, he would be found, instead of being like a lonely, abandoned dog.

"Woo-woo-woo..."

Xiao Guang followed the sound back to the living room. She had been fine a moment ago; why was she unhappy now?

Returning from the kitchen, he couldn't help but laugh. The setting sun was casting a brilliant beam of light into the room, and Bae Joo-hyun was caught in the Tyndall effect. How to put it—she looked a bit like a blessed saint from an animation.

Though, the essence of this saint might be a vampire. Xiao Guang pulled the back of the chair to move her out of the light, and sure enough, she quieted down.

"Let me guess, you aren't afraid of the light; you're afraid of getting a tan, right? Tsk, tsk, Korean women—can't live without your makeup, can you?"

Xiao Guang walked back into the kitchen. He hadn't had steamed buns in a long time. How did he make them again? Flour first, then water... did it need to ferment?

Xiao Guang didn't know that Bae Joo-hyun on the chair was still staring intently out the window, her red eyes moving occasionally, as if she were deep in thought.