episode_0013

Around the time Seonghan was excitedly piling up meat.

Meanwhile, there were people trapped and growing exhausted in a space within Yeongdeungpo Times Square.

It was a psychologically stifling space, with only one small interior window instead of an exterior one.

In the cramped area, several people, visibly exhausted, leaned against the wall, passively passing the time.

The room, which appeared to be used as both a storage and staff lounge, was haphazardly piled with miscellaneous items, whether they were supplies or inventory. Furthermore, it lacked even a common hot and cold water dispenser, despite being called a lounge. The sofa blocking the door might not even be for resting, but scrap. While the environment indicated poor welfare, no one complained or pointed it out.

No, they couldn’t.

Their peaceful, routine day had been shattered by the sudden zombie outbreak.

They had witnessed people, especially their acquaintances, being torn apart and dying.

Each incident felt like something out of the news, far removed from their own lives.

But the events had happened, and now their own lives were in peril.

They were holding out, hidden for now, but for how long could they endure?

“Is there any water left?

The middle-aged man, in his mid-40s, who had tried to break through Kim Jihyeok to get outside.

He had an oily physique and an ordinary face, but his words and actions had a knack for making him seem vulgar, even his simple request for water coming across as obnoxious.

“There’s none left… What we shared earlier was the last of it…”

Said the brawny man, who carried a large bag and followed Kim Jihyeok.

He looked like he’d worked out, solid and robust, but his voice was deeply subdued as he replied.

“Don’t be like that, just open your bag. Let me see if there’s any water.”

“Mister, I said there’s none. Can’t you see?”

The brawny man opened his bag and curtly showed it to the insistent oily man.

“If there’s none, there’s none! Why are you getting angry? Honestly.”

“What kind of…”

“Young-cheol, that’s enough. You too, sir, please stop.”

“But hyung! Even after hearing what he said…”

“……”

Kim Jihyeok quietly held back his manager, who was about to explode.

Even he found the attitude disrespectful and unpleasant, but he couldn’t afford to waste energy unnecessarily. Kim Jihyeok thought it was better not to engage at all.

“You should rein in your actor-nim’s manager. His attitude is completely off, isn’t it?”

The oily man, whose speech reeked of the vulgarity of a neighborhood thug, also had a knack for inciting anger in real-time, making him seem like he was just asking to get punched.

He kept goading, but when people didn’t even pay attention, he finally shut up.

The elderly couple leaned silently against the wall, simply stroking each other’s hands.

Isia, a petite woman, and a young man who appeared to be a manager, were quietly looking at their smartphones.

『Currently, a large-scale violent outbreak has occurred due to a virus of unknown origin, causing people to indiscriminately attack others. We strongly advise all citizens to remain in a safe place. Please do not leave your shelters or homes. If you see anyone exhibiting symptoms such as severe fever, coughing up blood, or foaming at the mouth, please distance yourselves as much as possible or isolate them. We repeat, please refrain from going outside and hide yourselves in a safe place or your homes.』

The government’s announcement was playing on the smartphone.

「Isn’t this more than just a violent incident, considering people are being bitten to death?」

Even in such a situation, the reporter was doing their job, or perhaps their duty, but lacked tact.

No, perhaps it was the very question people truly wanted answered.

The reporter’s informal question cast a chilling atmosphere over the press conference.

Within that, the spokesperson calmly opened their mouth.

『…As you said, it is understood to be more than just simple violence.』

「People are calling it a zombie virus; do you agree?」

『There is no clear evidence yet.』

「Are there shelters or rescue teams?」

『As we are facing a sudden situation, preparations are currently underway.』

The press conference instantly grew noisy.

People were dying, yet there were no prepared countermeasures.

「Isn’t that statement too irresponsible? People are…」

『The government is doing its best.』

The reporter who asked the question was speechless at the calm, shameless answer, delivered without hesitation.

Perhaps those watching this video felt the same way.

People were dying, yet there were no countermeasures.

Shelters and rescue teams were still pending.

They didn’t even know the cause.

The spokesperson merely repeated phrases that even an elementary school student could say.

Just as curses began to rise from people’s mouths—

「Are you aware that the exact same situation occurred three days ago at Taesong Hospital in Gangnam?」

!!!!!

Everyone looked, shocked, at the reporter who had dropped the bombshell.

Some quick-witted individuals recalled the videos that had been constantly deleted a few days ago.

「Soon after, the hospital was placed under lockdown, and it remained locked down until just yesterday. Wasn’t that a measure implemented by the government?」

『We will look into that.』

The spokesperson, who had maintained composure throughout, finally lost their expression at the reporter’s next question.

「Just yesterday! The same situation occurred almost simultaneously in major cities across the nation. At first, it was thought to be a simple violent incident! Just a hospital being locked down! But now it’s different! This is a large-scale crisis! Is the government truly claiming they didn’t know?」

It was momentary, but the spokesperson’s expression clearly crumbled.

Instantly, the air in the conference hall grew heavy.

Everyone’s gaze converged on the spokesperson’s mouth.

Everyone watching the video held their breath.

The spokesperson, silent for a moment…

『……This concludes our briefing.』

Whether it was a lie or government incompetence, they chose silence.

The government spokesperson, their lips tightly sealed, hastily left the podium.

The few reporters, pushing past guards, clung to them.

The video ended with the press conference descending into chaos.

Even after the video ended, Isia and her companions remained silent.

For a government announcement broadcast on public television, it was incredibly crude.

If anything, the reporter’s questions felt sharp.

Not only the conference hall, but also the room where the group was staying, had a heavy atmosphere.

They had gone a full day and several more hours without eating or properly drinking.

They had survived by slightly alleviating their hunger with one or two 500ml water bottles and a few snacks from the managers’ bags.

Thirst and hunger were agonizing.

But they endured, believing that rescue teams, whether police or fire department, would eventually come.

Just yesterday, 112 or 119 had connected, and they had given their location.

But still, no one had arrived.

All their repeated attempts to connect calls were now impossible.

To the group, who had been holding onto hope, the recent government announcement was a crushing blow to even that faint hope. The frustrating and absurd content ignited anger in their exhausted and sensitive emotions.

The oily man pointed his finger into the air, half-losing his mind.

The elderly couple simply closed their eyes tightly.

Isia hugged her long legs and buried her face.

Young-cheol’s manager and Isia’s manager exchanged a glance.

But no words were exchanged.

And they could do nothing.

All they could do was endure in that cramped room until they died.

However, Kim Jihyeok was a little different.

He remained seated in the same posture, quietly listening to the video’s sounds.

He looked visibly exhausted. But.

Kim Jihyeok’s deeply sunken eyes did not hold an expression of surrender.

Not yet….

***

As soon as he pushed the door open, he lunged at the zombies.

Thwack! Crack!

As he took down two zombies that were close by, the others rushed in simultaneously.

Zombies appeared from under the large stainless steel counter, which seemed to be part of a freezer and kitchen area.

There were six of them.

He finished off the zombies he could see and then faced the ones rushing towards him.

“A shriek!”

Perhaps excited after being bored, they shrieked powerfully as they charged.

The zombies moved quickly and seemed powerful.

“…No intelligence… They truly are stupid.”

Unable to think of jumping over the counter, the zombies simply moved with their gaze fixed solely on him, charging only in the direction they could see.

If they had jumped onto the counter and charged, it would have been troublesome.

Grateful for their stupidity, he personally approached and crushed their heads.

After meticulously dealing with each one, he looked around and saw no more zombies.

The fight ended anticlimactically.

“Were these bastards sleeping? Why were they lying down?”

Only four had been visible beyond the door, but suddenly six more popped out. He wondered what they had been doing, but couldn’t figure out why. The floor was empty of anything else, simply splattered with zombie blood.

After confirming that, he approached the freezer—

“Ughhh…”

“……”

One zombie remained, its lower body and one arm torn, pinned down by its own lower half, helplessly thrashing. Judging by its attire, it seemed to be a Holy Sale employee.

Splat!

After properly smashing its head, he subtly pushed the corpse into a corner.

Just before opening the tightly shut freezer door.

“Whew… Please!”

He worried about the zombies that had been in the room.

Worried that the inside of the freezer might have been ruined.

Creak!

Opening the door and stepping inside, the enormous freezer was filled with meat.

It was packed with products from the display cases, and large cuts of meat for wholesale.

It was truly a jackpot, and he let out a cheer.

“Huuuh-aaaaah!!! …Huh?”

As soon as he sensed something awkwardly wrong…

“Damn it, what is this? Why is it so lukewarm?”

The freezer wasn’t cold; it was at room temperature, as if its power had been cut.

The floor was flooded with water, as if frost had melted.

“Oh, come on!”

All the meat had thawed, but it still looked alright.

It had almost completely thawed, but the color was still reddish, which reassured him.

“Huuugh… Thankfully—”

Cough, cough.

Startled, he sought the direction of the coughing sound.

Now he saw human legs a few meters inside, in the corner.

“Is anyone there?”

“H-Help, me…”

He hurried towards the voice, which was so drawn out it sounded utterly exhausted.

The young man he found in the corner was not in good condition.

He seemed injured somewhere, and the floor was soaked with red blood.

His bloodless, pale, and bluish lips looked dangerous.

“Are you all right— no, where are you hurt?”

“Th-Thigh.”

He looked down to see blood slowly seeping from his thigh, which was tightly bound with a towel, and the towel itself was already saturated with blood. It was a considerable amount of bleeding.

Just as he thought he needed to do something immediately, he stepped closer.

“…Were you bitten?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. I don’t remember, but while trying to esca—”

“That…”

“By any chance… did you see our… team leader outside? He’s wearing the same clothes as me…”

The young man’s hand, though small, clearly had a bite mark.

And he was certain. This man would die soon.

Black veins had risen on his exposed skin, as he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt.

Seeing them reach up to his neck, he could predict what lay below his neck as well.

The man gasped for breath, searching for someone he called his team leader.

He seemed out of his mind, muttering to himself.

“Huuugh… The team leader, he, he put me inside and turned the power… huugh huugh.”

His coughing and increasingly strained breaths showed that his time was running out.

Even the gasps he managed were fading.

“P-Please save me… I don’t want to d—”

Along with his unfinished plea, the man’s movements ceased.

His breathing stopped, and so did the tears flowing from his eyes.

As soon as the man died, he slowly stood up.

‘1… 2… 3…’

Approximately 10 seconds later, the dead man’s body twitched violently.

“Grrooooooan—”

The painful groan of a living person transformed into the monstrous roar of a zombie.

Snap! Crack! Crunch!

As soon as the uncomfortable sound of joints twisting stopped, the man stood up in his awkward posture. His face twisted into a grotesque expression, a smile or bared teeth, it was hard to tell.

His eyes, no longer those of a fading human, but of the dead, glistened.

“Aargh! Gaaah!?”

Thud—!!

The bastard man was letting out strange screams, so he instinctively kicked him.

The zombie, though feeling no pain, thrashed about on the ground, seemingly affected by the impact.

“…Rest in peace.”

From the display case right beside him, he grabbed a whole leg cut of meat, bone and all, and swung it.

Thwack!

He swung it once more to finish it completely, then looked down at the corpse.

The exploded head and chunks of meat were mixed together, creating a messy sight.

A dark blue liquid flowed from the exploded zombie’s head.

“Does the brain melt away during the quick transformation…?”

It had died right before his eyes and zombified in just 10 seconds, then attacked.

The brain of the person who had just been speaking had liquefied in that short time.

It seemed correct to assume that being bitten meant the end.

A thought briefly crossed his mind: Was he being too harsh? But he quickly brushed it off.

“He was already on the verge of death, and he had been bitten too.”

Most importantly, it had tried to kill him, so there was no real issue.

“Anyway, the meat… I guess I’ll have to give up on it.”

The large quantity of meat in the massive freezer was a waste, but he didn’t know how long it had been in there, and the meat and the person who had slowly been turning into a zombie had been trapped for a long time.

It might be contaminated…

He clicked his tongue, turned his back, and left the freezer.

“Ah… so this was him.”

The zombie seemed to be the team leader the young man had mentioned before he died.

The same clothes. An older man.

This man, whose lower body was torn and must have been in agony, seemed to have put the young man in the freezer and cut the power, attempting to save him.

“He must have resisted while guarding the door and ended up like this.”

Upon a belated closer inspection, traces of resistance were evident near the freezer.

He sacrificed himself to save one person, but the result was failure.

He became a zombie and was finished off by his hand.

He didn’t feel any particular regret or guilt.

“It’s not much of a trade, but I will kill as many zombies as I can in your stead.”

He was attacked by a zombie, so he’d kill zombies instead.

And I will live.

Clunk—

The head, smashed and twisted to the side, dropped forward.

As if bowing.

He looked at the corpse for a moment, then quietly slipped out.

He had witnessed a living person’s death, seen them turn into a zombie, and then finished them off himself.

It was a complicated feeling; he didn’t feel good at all.

He also regretted missing out on the jackpot; it felt like too great a loss.

It seemed he needed to shake this off quickly and find a safe place to hide.

They said it was dangerous outside the house, and it seems that wasn’t wrong.

It really does seem that way.