episode_0033

In black water. The bottom of the water tank is full of amulets.

“……”

A scream rings in my ears.

“Oberis! This way!”

“Send the children inside first! No time!”

The sound of dozens of people gathered together and making noise.

As I sank below the surface, the hallucinations and visual hallucinations became more severe, and I came into contact with memories of the past.

The background is an old apartment. The time appears to be in the evening when the sunset is setting.

The sky was a dull orange, but here and there it had turned indigo blue, as if there were bruises.

People are gathered in the hallway.

A man groaning while clutching his broken arm.

A crying child.

Some of the group seemed to have some kind of medical technology, so they wandered around looking for people who needed treatment.

It is large enough to fill the hallway, with a line of people extending all the way to the stairs.

They look like people fleeing from something.

Meanwhile.

The people split into two sides, and a woman in a suit came to the front of the group.

“Ah, ah. Hello.”

Although there is no device, the voice rings out as if a microphone is used.

“My name is Shim Ji-hee, and I am an executive at KOO, an organization under the Korean Association.”

The woman who introduced herself as Shim Ji-hee looked like a middle school student at most. However, there is a feeling of elegance that does not match the appearance.

The sound of speaking in an unknown language for a moment.

An Arab man approached and said something, and Shim Ji-hee nodded.

“Ah. Is there anyone who can interpret? Is there anyone skilled in language? thank you Then, I would like you to interpret.”

Shim Ji-hee held the hand of the man with a bushy beard, and it seemed that the words would be automatically interpreted this way.

I could see the facial expressions of people who seemed to have no idea what they were talking about change at once.

“Well, let me tell you this first. Thank you all for your hard work in surviving the worst situation.”

Each person was injured and groaning in pain, but as soon as they finished speaking, a sigh of relief spread through the crowd.

Shim Ji-hee lifted her tiptoes and looked at the people gathered in the apartment for a moment.

White people with blue eyes, old people with dark skin, and people who look Asian.

People from all over the world are gathered in this small space.

After taking a deep breath for a moment, Shim Ji-hee raised her voice as loud as possible.

“From now on, I will tell you the current situation. First of all, I am only an executive of one branch, but I could not find anyone with a higher position than me. So, they are people from the central association. From what I saw, it looks like they all died while preparing to escape.”

“Ah…”

This time, sighs come from all over.

“So now we have to get through this situation on our own. We somehow succeeded in escaping, but you all know that a problem has arisen. First of all, you can get the answer just by looking at what this facility looks like right now.”

Shim Ji-hee hardened her expression.

Although she had a young face, her will seemed to be evident.

“To survive, we must combine our individual abilities.”

“We will become your new leadership and lead you.”

Another memory.

There is something lying in the middle of the parking lot floor, and people are sitting around it.

The man speaks with a heavy expression.

“The situation has become too bad for me to live sanely here. I had no idea it would become such a terrible place.”

“So? What should we do now? Are you going to lose your mind and just wander around? Or should we all die here together?”

When the woman questioned in a watery voice, the man frowned. A gray scar appeared between his shaggy blond hair.

“No. It meant giving up what I had to give up.”

Something is stirring among the people.

The thing that twists and groans occasionally is like an airport carrier that has come to life for some reason. It looked like a wounded, furry animal.

The blond man picked it up with a somber expression.

“This. Even now, we have the ability to purify simple substances.”

“Don’t call it this.”

“Tasha. I told you I had to give up what I had to give up. Claire is now…”

As the blonde man spoke calmly, the woman named Tasha started screaming wildly.

“No! No!”

“won. Tasha, please help me calm down.”

“……Okay.”

Another man called Won grabbed Tasha’s shoulders.

Tasha fainted after sobbing for a while. Won quietly asked the man.

“By the way. What do you plan on doing with it? Until now, that is, the people who have been like that. You made everything comfortable. No?”

“I told you so.”

“……”

“We need clean water. The water purification device can’t work properly here. So.”

“Is that what you were thinking?”

“Yes.”

Won closed his eyes tightly, but that was all.

“Okay. I’ll get some rope. If you want to drag it, you’ll have to tie it up.”

“Thank you.”

“Others, please prepare too. There needs to be three people to get there safely. We also need carts, so please bring them one at a time.”

At Won’s words, the rest of the people got up from their seats and started moving.

The only people left were the blonde man, Tasha sobbing on the floor, and a girl trying to comfort her.

Won then stands up from his seat. The blonde man raises his head and looks at him.

“My daughter. Don’t you take care of it?”

“It’ll be soon. You’re holding me for a while.”

Before leaving to get the rope, Won bent down and made eye contact with the girl.

“Dad, I’ll be back for a moment?”

“……”

Just quietly look into the eyes. A child who has no answer.

“Choi Se-rim. I am listening carefully to what you say. Going.”

Choi Won left with a sigh.

“Ugh, Ugh!!!”

A woman tied tightly with rope is sobbing.

no.

He had such a look that he could no longer be considered human.

His face, fingers, and toes were all melted, and his limbs were crushed under his own weight. Now, it is impossible to even tell where the limbs are located. Only the hair grew long, adding to the bizarre atmosphere.

Then, three men carried her away.

From the parking lot to the elevator and the stairs to the rooftop.

“That’s it. Throw it!”

with a splash-

The sound of water echoes repeatedly inside the dark water tank.

slam!

“Oppa! Wake up!”

“Ah…uh…”

My head hurts a lot.

When I slowly opened my eyes, Da-ju Yoon was lying on top of me, pressing my chest.

“Oppa!!! Are you awake?”

“……Yes.”

“I guess artificial respiration is effective! One more time…!”

“It’s okay, just get out of the way.”

Artificial respiration performance is solid.

I stood up and looked around.

Apartment rooftop.

In the distance, I can see the water tank I just entered.

“Sister! Oppa, you’ve come to your senses!”

“Thank goodness! Dabin! It’s okay, right?”

“Yes! They say it’s okay!!!”

With a long distance between them, Da-ju Yoon and Yoon Heo are shouting and talking.

Looking over there, I saw Heo Yoon and Seok Hyeon-min preparing something on the rooftop railing.

Pieces of boxes, old clothes, etc. Looking at all the combustible trash they have collected, it looks like they are trying to start a fire.

“I told you to burn your hair like my brother said. That will work, right?”

“Yes. Well done.”

Then, the rain stopped.

The sky cleared up brightly as if it had never happened before, which made me feel a little better.

“Hey. Seok Hyeon-min. Try to do it right.”

“No, it’s so humid that it doesn’t catch fire easily.”

“Oh, give it to me.”

Soon, smoke rises from the drum.

With my wet clothes thrown away, I watched something that was once human meet death.

Toad!

Uhhhh-

“IC.”

Quack!

Seok Hyeon-min hits the ‘thing’ struggling in the fire with a wooden palu.

“Die gracefully, dude.”

puck! puck!

Seok Hyeon-min hits the clump of hair in the fire, and Heo Yoon hits Seok Hyeon-min.

“Oh, if you swing it from above, the light goes out!”

“Ah. okay. I’ll stop.”

“Welcome, aren’t you doing anything right?”

“…You can’t do that.”

“Yes? Why?”

“No. I just feel sorry for you.”

My whole body was wet.

I want to go back and wash right away. I guess I won’t be able to use tap water from now on.

I sat leaning against the rooftop wall and watched the smoke rise into the sky.

[I will give you guidance. The water supply inspection has been completed. If you turn on the faucet right away, rust may come out, so you can let the water run for a while before using it.]

For some reason, Da-ju Yoon just sits quietly next to her.

“……It was difficult. This time.”

“Sure.”

“We all almost died.”

“Yes…”

“If it weren’t for Serim unnie…”

“You’ll probably be safe.”

“Yes?”

With tears streaming down her face, Da-ju Yoon turns her head in this direction.

“It just feels that way.”

“How? Um, did you see anything that was fine? That…”

“No. It’s not just a feeling, it’s just a certainty, so go to the 7th floor and check it out later.”

After patting Daju’s dumb-faced shoulder, he got up and looked up at the sky.

Smoke rises high and mixes in the rainbow-filled sky.

Bye. Claire.

……

“Ugh!”

I bowed my back due to the stinging pain I felt momentarily.

“Huh? Oppa, why are you like this?”

I didn’t realize it until a little while ago, but something was strange with my body.

“You…did something strange.”

“Yes? No?”

“Don’t lie… ugh.”

Every time I rub against clothes, my chest hurts. Even if I move just a little, I can feel it right away.

It looks like something hard was pressed inside the soft flesh, leaving bruises here and there.

“Ah. that…! That’s because I was doing artificial respiration earlier!”

“Did you do it?”

“No? Yuni unnie.”

“……”

“Then that’s enough.”

They say that if artificial respiration is done properly, a few ribs may come out, but I’m glad it’s not that bad.

I hugged my chest with both arms to prevent my skin from shaking even slightly, and carefully raised my back again.

“Phew…it hurts.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. It’s not like I’m dying. I’ll have to thank my sister later.”

Seok Hyeon-min supports my body, and Heo Yoon runs over to check my condition.

I can’t say thank you right away. Because I’m so tired now. After some rest.

The hallways and stairs, which were once full of hair, have become deceptively clean.

The slimy slime remaining on the floor has completely disappeared.

I loaded my heavy body into the elevator and headed back to the 7th floor.

Return to the 7th floor.

This is a space that was once full of hair, but is now fine.

The door was blown off, the window was broken, and the furniture was smashed and rolling around, but I guess you could say it was pretty good.

Above all, Choi Se-rim is alive and well.

“Dabin. Are you here?”

“Yes, sister.”

Before I can say anything more, Da-ju Yoon throws me away and runs to Se-rim Choi to hug me.

“Sister!!!”

“Daju looks fine too. Thank goodness.”

Seok Hyun-min looks like he’s about to cry, and Heo Yoon even stutters.

“Jin, I’m really glad…what happened?”

“Just. It was curled up in my hair.”

“What?”

“Aren’t you out of breath?”

“Okay.”

Carefully stroking Da-joo’s head, Choi Se-rim looks at her in silence.

There is a calm atmosphere in those eyes, unlike any other time.

“Dabin.”

“……Yes.”

Choi Se-rim slowly whispers in a quiet voice.

“The two of us later. Would you like some coffee?”

With a faint smile on his face.

The lively pink lips barely move.

“I’m tired today, so tomorrow. See you at the warehouse.”

So that only I can hear it.