Zombie Apocalypse: I Have Safe Zone Superpower

The thought that he had even considered having a substitute made her jaw tighten.

Kael, meanwhile, felt his anxiety spike. Compared to what everyone assumed, he had never harbored malicious intentions toward the substitute.

He had only ever seen her from afar, only because she resembled Martha. He gifted her things, yes, but never once did he think of becoming intimate.

What no one knew was that Janet, the substitute, had nearly accepted him.

She had even tried to cross that line. It was Kael who stopped her, insisting on distance, warning her that he would lose interest otherwise. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

That rejection was why Janet eventually grew bold enough to ignore him completely and even pursue marriage with someone else.

Kael, on the other hand, had grown accustomed to seeing her face from a distance, convincing himself that as long as he could imagine Martha, it was enough.

During the time Martha was away, regret gnawed at him relentlessly. He didn’t even have her photo. All he could do was look at someone who vaguely resembled her.

Now, with Martha standing right there, that substitute had turned into nothing more than a thorn from a past mistake.

Taking a deep breath, Kael walked toward Martha.

The moment she noticed him approaching, Martha turned calmly to leave. Kael quickened his steps and moved in front of her. His sudden stop made her pause.

"What are you doing?" she asked, clearly startled.

Kael swallowed. "I know I was wrong. I’m here to apologize."

Martha frowned. "For what exactly?"

"I shouldn’t have taken a substitute," he admitted. "Not when I loved you."

Martha let out a cool chuckle. "It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to give you another chance."

Her gaze hardened. "If you could have a substitute once, you can have one again. What happens if we break up someday? Will you just turn around and find another replacement?"

Kael shook his head immediately. "You’re misunderstanding. I never got close to her. I only saw her from a distance, because from a distance, she looked like you."

His voice tightened. "I won’t romanticize it. It was wrong because it was cheating."

He took a step closer. "I’m begging for a second chance."

"I don’t need you anymore," Martha replied calmly and walked away.

Kael followed closely. "If you give me another chance, I’ll fulfill any wish you have."

Martha stopped.

She turned slowly, arching a brow. "Any wish?"

Kael nodded without hesitation.

She chuckled softly. "Then act as my assistant for the next two months."

Kael’s eyes lit up. "I accept."

Martha smiled faintly. ’Sometimes,’ she thought, ’people need to taste bitter medicine to understand how bitter it was for others.’

The next morning, Kael woke up early. Properly dressed, he logged in on time and arrived outside Martha’s office holding a strawberry milkshake.

When he realized she wasn’t there yet, he quietly entered, placed the milkshake on her desk, and left.

A while later, Martha arrived.

"Good morning," Kael greeted.

She paused, surprise flickering across her face.

She had always known him as someone who slept in.

Back in college, when she had a crush on him, she had noticed his schedule more than she cared to admit.

Seeing him punctual now, she couldn’t help but acknowledge the effort, though that was all it earned.

As they entered the office, her gaze landed on the strawberry milkshake. She frowned slightly.

’When did I miss Arnold placing it?’ the thought crossed her mind.

Noticing her expression, Kael smiled.

"What happened? Do you not like it?"

Martha stared at the milkshake. "This one?"

"I put it there," Kael replied easily.

She looked at him, confused. "Since when did you have this habit?"

Kael only smiled, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Martha was momentarily confused, but she chose to ignore the strawberry milkshake and calmly began assigning tasks to Kael.

At first, Kael put on a serious face, completing every task with meticulous efficiency.

As time passed, however, he realized the work was almost laughably easy for him. Without hesitation, he finished each assignment smoothly, leaving him far too much free time.

And he used that time shamelessly.

He would stroll up to Martha with a file in hand, sigh dramatically, and murmur,

"These tasks are incredibly difficult. Could you explain them to me?"

Whenever Martha reached out to take the file, Kael would step closer, slipping behind her, leaning in from the side just enough for his presence to be impossible to ignore.

Martha’s heart began to race uncontrollably.

’Since when did he become this shameless?’ she wondered, her fingers tightening around the papers.

In her memory, Kael had always been distant and cold.

’Did something change while I was angry?’ she thought, convincing herself that perhaps he had simply learned a few tricks.

But the moment she felt his breath brush dangerously close to her neck, a shiver ran down her spine. She pushed him away without hesitation.

"Maintain your distance in the office."

Kael lifted his hands innocently.

"I want to," he replied lightly. "But how am I supposed to learn if you keep teaching me from so far away?"

Martha shot him a glare.

"You know very well you’re doing this on purpose."

Kael chuckled softly.

"If I were really doing it on purpose, I’d have kissed you already."

Her eyes flashed.

"For that atrocity, I’m docking your pay."

He nodded solemnly. "That’s fine. Go ahead."

His casual acceptance only fueled her irritation.

She knew he often went on night hunts, returning with enough earnings to cover an entire soldier’s monthly salary.

He was one of the military’s best fighters, capable, fearless, and frighteningly efficient.

If Ivy hadn’t been the base leader, he probably wouldn’t have joined the army at all. Docking his salary was practically meaningless to him.

Martha pointed at him sharply, her voice firm. "Don’t act so fearless. I could dock your entire pay."

Instead of panic, Kael’s eyes lit up.

’This,’ he thought, ’this is the opportunity Silas talked about.’