episode_0074

Second Coming (1) – Safety zone in Guro-gu, Seoul

[Rescue Day 1]

Kim Ji-ho wrote that in an unknown notebook.

“Structure… Rescue.”

Can this situation be called a rescue?

So what kidnapped me, and who rescued me?

Everything was unclear.

Just one blink.

Just once, I closed my eyes and found myself sitting in a strange room.

A man appeared in a field of vision that was not easily calmed down.

White clothes with a religious design.

A face that is strangely blurred and hard to see.

“W, where am I?”

I asked, holding back my fear, but there was no answer.

At that time, the woman next door, whom I only knew, screamed.

A strange white corpse hung at the end of her gaze.

The black blood flowing from the ball-shaped skin was soaking the floor.

“What, what are you doing! Blood, it’s blood!”

The red blood flowing from a slightly cut finger was qualitatively different.

There was something about the black color that gave me goosebumps just by looking at it that I couldn’t fathom.

An incomprehensible man and an incomprehensible situation.

Kim Ji-ho’s instincts urged him to run away.

Kim Ji-ho half accepted that instinct and half rejected it.

He confronted an unidentified man and hid the woman behind his back.

Only then did she hear the screams of the woman next door who noticed the man’s presence and offered him a negotiation.

They mentioned the system that supported society and protected them.

The man didn’t answer.

With an eerie smile, he simply opened the way outside.

‘… ‘Now!’

Jiho Kim ran.

As soon as the side road opens, run at full speed without looking back.

After passing the shoe rack, I pass through a hallway with open front doors in each house.

I could hear the crying of the woman next door following me in the strangely quiet hallway.

The sound of footsteps following behind them very leisurely, as if taking a walk.

I increased my speed, conscious of the sound not getting farther or closer no matter how much I ran.

“Ugh!”

Soon, I sat down at the shocking scene that greeted me.

A feast of corpses with their necks and torsos separated.

I felt dizzy, as if I was about to vomit due to the rapidly shaking vision.

But I couldn’t stop.

Trap – plod –

Probably 100% because he is coming and related to this scene.

Jiho Kim ran screaming.

Avoiding the voice of a woman asking to go with you, avoiding tall apartments over 40 stories high.

With a gasping breath, I crossed Building 101 and reached the main gate of the Pressian Apartments.

“… … Huh?”

I was reunited with the city that had fallen asleep like that.

Everything that matches his memories is just a shell.

The convenience store he frequented, and the restaurant where he bought snacks every evening.

The cars on the road made me grumble about why there were so many crosswalks on such a short road.

A world of emptiness where everything has disappeared.

The world he lived in fell asleep.

A familiar color illuminated his retinas as he was left speechless.

The black blood seen from the rolled-up corpse covered the sky.

It is a “ statement. But it’s a door that doesn’t open.”

I heard the man’s voice for the first time.

Ji-ho Kim slowly turned his head, and before he knew it, the man was standing side by side, looking at the black curtain.

In a city where everyone is asleep and there is silence.

The only person who couldn’t sleep.

“Oh, who are you?”

Kim Ji-ho, perhaps naturally, asked who he was.

He smiled at himself.

He said with a benevolent smile that did not fit the image of a cold-blooded killer.

He is our protector and guide.

He is the leader of the One Mind Salvation Church.

‘… ‘He’s crazy.’

After all, the people who remain are such pseudo-religious people.

Since there was no answer to this sudden cloud, Kim Ji-ho let out a long sigh in his heart.

However, he did not show any unpleasant expression.

If he was the one who created the cruel scene he had passed through, it was clear that he would die without being able to resist.

After a meaningless question and answer, the leader started walking somewhere.

For the first time, they were walking forward instead of following them.

There was no choice.

He nodded to the woman next door who was looking at him with very confused eyes.

If that cult had tried to kill us, they would have done so a long time ago.

‘For now, let’s follow that person.’

In order to survive, the most important thing was to obtain information.

Thus began the awkward companionship of the religious leader walking far in front and the man and woman following him from a distance.

The footsteps of three people awakened a city where not even the sound of passing ants could be heard.

A man and a woman awkwardly looked at each other and laughed on a sidewalk with no one passing by, and then began belatedly shouting loudly.

“Ha, haha― Joe, it’s quiet.”

“Rather than that… hmm… ”

“Oh, my name is Jiho Kim.”

“Ah! nice to meet you. My name is Lee Ji-woo. Rather than that, would it be okay if I followed that guy?”

Lee Ji-woo.

Kim Ji-ho repeated the name of the woman next door and stared at the leader.

There was no hesitation in his steps as he walked somewhere earlier.

“What you’re saying just sounds like a pseudonym… . I have never even heard of the One Mind Salvation Church.”

Thanks to Lee Ji-woo, who suddenly came up to me and whispered in my ear, my whole body got all fluffy.

I was very embarrassed, but I didn’t really deny the question.

Even in my opinion, that man seemed like a man who had lost his mind.

still.

“For now, let’s follow along. I think he’s the only man who knows what’s going on right now.”

“Ugh― I feel uneasy. Did you see those corpses earlier?”

“Yeah, right?”

“In times like this, the remaining people should work together better. I will only trust Jiho. Is that okay? Yes?”

Lee Ji-woo, who was already close by, leaned down slightly and asked Kim Ji-ho.

His face turned as red as an apple as his cleavage was slightly exposed, visible only to Jiho Kim.

Lee Ji-woo, smiling brightly as he nodded quickly as if he was broken, opened his mouth again.

“Anyway, where are we going? If I walked like this, it would have been Hangdong, right?”

“That’s right. There are many residential-commercial apartment complexes nearby.”

That’s why I can’t help but remember this place because the land price is so expensive.

As they expected, the man’s steps led to Hangdong.

Luxury apartments that everyone looked at with envy lined up one after another.

“… What is that? Is the ground red?”

Certainly, as Lee Ji-woo said, the man was walking to a place where the ground itself was dyed red.

First, they slowly followed the man.

Tung-!

“Uhm!”

As soon as he stepped into the red area, Jiho Kim’s body bounced off something.

The man who had been walking in front of me was also turning around due to the ugly sound of rolling on the floor.

“Gwae, are you okay, Jiho?”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

Kim Ji-ho, smiling shyly at Lee Ji-woo’s concern, stared at the man.

The eyes of the man who was staring into space instead of at them were busy moving here and there.

As his pupils returned to their original positions, the red area subtly turned green.

Exquisitely?

no.

Kim Ji-ho’s eyes flashed as he looked at the man walking in front of him again indifferently.

‘That man…’ There is something we cannot see.’

Kim Ji-ho, who treasured the first clue he obtained in his mind, stepped into the green area.

This time, it didn’t bounce back like before.

I quickly followed behind the man again and carefully looked at his back.

It was more accurate to collect the pieces of clues that might be dropped.

The man entered a residential-commercial apartment complex covered with glass windows.

The door opened and closed automatically as they followed in.

Trap – plod –

The luxurious marble inside amplified their steps.

However, their steps had no choice but to soon stop.

The man who was walking in front of them stopped in the center of the lobby for the first time.

“Hey, mister! Where have all the people gone? Gu, what about the rescue team?”

Lee Ji-woo asked the man in a much more frightened voice than when he spoke to himself.

Feeling some sort of pride, Kim Ji-ho also waited for the man’s answer.

“You are the only people. There will be a little more from tomorrow.”

“Yes? that… Is there a place where people gather? Well, a shelter or something… ”

“Look outside, Jiwoo Lee.”

The man called Lee Ji-woo by a name she had not even told him.

Lee Ji-woo, surprised, followed the man’s finger pointing outside.

A city where nothing remains.

“In Guro-gu, it’s only you and me.”

“Well, then the rescue team, when will the rescue team come? Police, military, etc… .”

“Look outside, Jiwoo Lee.”

His fingers point a little higher.

An unidentifiable film as black as blood.

And repeated the same thing.

“In Guro-gu, it’s only you and me.”

“Oh, you know something, right? So you can be so calm? Can’t we get to know each other?”

“You seem to have a lot of questions.”

“Of course. that… Are you angry?”

Lee Ji-woo’s voice trembled violently, as if recalling the tragic scene from earlier.

The man chuckled at Lee Ji-woo and slowly backed away, as if comforting a puppy.

“Not at all. Rather, asking is a very good way to realize the truth. Because the truth will set you free.”

“Uh… Ha, haha―.”

Lee Ji-woo, who was smiling awkwardly, sent a helping look to Kim Ji-ho.

Kim Ji-ho, who immediately recognized the rescue signal, took a step forward.

“Why did you bring us here?!”

I intentionally put a lot of pressure on my shoulders and asked in a voice that came from my stomach.

When I saw the man’s eyes quietly looking at me, my shoulders automatically relaxed.

He said as he looked at Kim Ji-ho, who stuttered and took a step back.

“Didn’t I tell you? I am your protector and guide.”

“… … Yes?”

“We are a family now, and this is our home.”

In a calm voice, the man gave a crazy answer that they could not possibly understand.

The man smiled brightly as he looked at them unable to do either this or that.

Then he pointed his finger at the ceiling again and spoke softly.

“Enjoy safety and find your shelter. If you’re hungry, come here. I’ll stay here.”

With those words, he sat down on the bench behind him.

Ji-woo Lee led Kim Ji-ho, who was tilting his head at the somewhat absurd congratulatory message, with a tap.

“Go, let’s go. I don’t know what will happen if we stay together any longer.”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

Kim Ji-ho, who was dragged for a moment, walked side by side with Lee Ji-woo.

Lee Ji-woo passed through the lobby and arrived at the elevator, naturally pressing the button.

Neither the up button nor the down button lit up.

“… … Did the electricity go out?”

Kim Ji-ho also had nothing to say in response to the question, which was filled with embarrassment.

They turned to the emergency stairs right next to the elevator, which didn’t work despite pressing the button several times.

As they opened the emergency door, they heard the man’s voice.

“Enjoy safety.”

“… What are you talking about, really.”

Kim Ji-ho caught a glimpse of Lee Ji-woo, who was grumbling slightly, and looked back.

The sight of the man’s face smiling softly at them did not escape his mind for quite a long time.

“That guy really must be crazy! Since he is a cult leader, he is a pseudo cult leader, right?”

Lee Ji-woo loudly asked Kim Ji-ho, who was climbing the stairs in a daze.

I was quite worried that as soon as the man was out of sight, his voice became louder.

“Me, Jiwoo. Just a little voice… .”

“It’s okay! If it’s this far away, I’ll never be able to hear it.”

“Still… You knew Ji-woo even without hearing his name. I think he was listening to everything we said… ”

“Ah… … .”

Lee Ji-woo, whose face showed 100% embarrassment, increased the speed at which he climbed the stairs.

Kim Ji-ho said as he followed Lee Ji-woo, who was climbing the stairs two or three at a time.

“Ji, Mr. Jiwoo. If you were going to kill me, wouldn’t you have killed me a long time ago?”

“There’s really nothing you can’t say! Rain, is the emergency door open?”

“Uh… … No.”

“Ha… I really don’t understand this day at all!”

Lee Ji-woo, very irritated, opened the door to the fourth floor where the apartment complex began.

As they entered the 4th floor, Kim Ji-ho and Lee Ji-woo were greeted by luxury apartments with their front doors wide open.

“First of all, all the doors are open. In case of an unexpected situation, why don’t you rest here instead of going too far from the first floor?”

“Yes, that’s a good idea.”

“First, I have to call my mom and younger siblings. Now that I think about it, I don’t even have a smartphone. Haha – I heard there are a lot of houses these days that don’t use home phones, so I guess I’ll stay inside.”

Jiwoo Lee entered the first apartment with the front door wide open.

As she was taking off her shoes at the shoe cabinet, she saw Kim Ji-ho trying to follow her in and glared at her with an axe-eyed look.

“Jiho. There are a lot of houses next door that are open to the public, so you’re not really trying to come in here, are you?”

“… … yes? ah! Of course not! I’m sorry! ”

“We’re not in that kind of relationship yet, are we? Right?”

“Ahaha – Yes, that’s right. Not yet.”

Phew – that would have been a big problem.

If you report something like this to the police, won’t you get arrested?

thud-!

The quickly closing front door shook Kim Ji-ho’s bangs as he hurried out of the house.

Slam! Tiri-ring-!

Kim Ji-ho, who was heartbroken as he looked at the door that was clearly locked, entered the house next door and closed the door himself.

Only after hearing the electronic sound of the door closing completely did he look around the living room.

“… … Wow.”

A luxurious exterior, completely different from the apartment he lived in.

I slowly looked around the space starting from the living room.

“Ha… … .”

The sense of reality that had been pushed away came to light when I saw someone else’s house instead of my own.

What really happened?

It was a puzzle so big that he couldn’t put it together with the pieces he had.

Even when I pressed the button, the light did not come on.

Of course the TV didn’t work.

“… … Power outage.”

The same thing happened when I turned on the faucet in the bathroom.

“… … Singular.”

There was no good news at all.

Everything I touched only added confidence to the anxiety that was creeping out.

After examining the bathroom and kitchen, Kim Ji-ho opened the innermost door.

A bookshelf and desk in a room the size of your living room.

It seemed like the owner of this house used the space as a study.

He was tapping and examining a bookshelf full of books whose names he did not know, then sat down on a chair that looked expensive from the outside.

“Wow- it’s so fluffy.”

Kim Ji-ho thought carefully, taking advantage of the comfort provided by the chair.

First of all, I had to realize what I was doing when I opened my eyes.

therefore-

I definitely received disaster text messages, and the ones shown on the news… What a spectacle it was.

I watched an old minister go out with soldiers while mumbling something about a riot.

The moment you turn on the internet on your smartphone, wondering if there are all these bastards-

‘okay. ‘It starts from here.’

From that moment on, I had no memory.

From then on, the moment he blinked, he found himself with the woman next door and a strange man.

‘Record it first. ‘Let’s start by recording it.’

Grabbing the notebook and pen in front of the desk, he slowly began to write down the clues he had obtained today.

[One. There is nothing left in the city. Did they evacuate somewhere?]

[2. A strange man was into a cult. Why was that man alone here?]

[3. The man saw something I couldn’t see.]

[4. If you think so, what does the red area mean?]

“Aaagh! I really don’t know anything!”

thud-! thud-!

Kim Ji-ho pounded the desk with his fist and brought the pen to the horse’s head.

Still, since it was a form of record, it was important to share the date.

He rolled his eyes for a moment, then used a ballpoint pen to write down the criteria.

[Rescue Day 1]

“Structure… Rescue.”

Can this situation be called a rescue?

So what kidnapped me, and who rescued me?

Kim Ji-ho hit his head on the desk due to the unclearness that was messing with his head.

I needed time to cool my pounding head.

Just a moment, just a moment and think again… again…

***

Kkkk!

“Huh!”

Kim Ji-ho, startled, hurriedly raised his head.

The study room was dark enough to barely make out the surroundings and the creepy sound I had just heard.

thud-!

“Ahh!”

Kim Ji-ho, who touched his knee while standing up in a hurry, jumped up and opened the door to the study.

Kkkk!

I heard it again and again.

A scratching sound that makes you feel bad just listening to it.

It gave me more goosebumps than scratching a blackboard with my fingernails.

“Aaaagh!”

At that moment, Ji-ho Kim started running when he heard a clear scream coming from the house next door.

It seemed like something had happened to Mr. Jiwoo.

As I hurriedly opened the front door and went out into the hallway, a figure that appeared to be Lee Ji-woo had already opened the emergency door and was running quickly.

“Jiwoo!”

Jiho Kim quickly started chasing her.

I opened the emergency door that was almost closed and went downstairs, following the candle that I didn’t know who had placed there.

I heard Lee Ji-woo stomping down the stairs and opening the door on the first floor.

“Jiwoo! Wait a minute!”

Kim Ji-ho, who had almost caught up with her, put his shoulder against the closing emergency door.

Coo!

I passed the wide open emergency door and entered the lobby where the man was.

Doo doo doo doo doo!

“Kkisss—!”

As soon as you enter the first floor, you can hear the roar of some people and the sound of the ground more clearly.

Kim Ji-ho’s gaze, slightly trembling with anxiety, found the man standing in front of the glass window.

Even Lee Ji-woo, who was looking outside blankly next to the man.

“Ji, Mr. Jiwoo!”

The flash light also follows Kim Ji-ho as he walks towards them, comforting his shocked heart.

Kim Ji-ho looked up with a frown and saw a floating flashlight.

“… … Huh?”

He looked blankly at the flashlight floating in the air and walked along as it began to move.

And the flashlight that guided him to the window slowly illuminated the outside.

Doo doo doo doo doo-

“… … .”

People were running down the road.

Waves of human bodies, easily tens or hundreds in number, ran down the sleeping road.

I could feel the glass window shaking with their steps.

Krraaa!

Massive chunks of muscle were running together in the middle of the waves.

People were flying through the air as if the man was swinging his arm.

Especially without one of the arms I used to run so hard…

“Wait a minute… … .”

Kim Ji-ho’s eyes trembled violently as he faced the unknown.

People with missing arms, people with amputated legs, people with crumpled shoulders and faces.

no… Is that a person?

People who were unable to run were moving somewhere like a wave.

“Kkisss—!”

The roar that came out of their mouths made all the fur on their bodies stand up.

“Zombie.”

I turned my head at the sudden sound of the man speaking.

Kim Ji-ho and Lee Ji-woo, who had been staring blankly at the strange sight, looked at him.

zombie.

“They are our predators who destroyed the world of humans.”

What a predator.

A predator of humans.

“Well, that kind of thing… ”

The man called out to them in a calm voice, shaking and unable to continue speaking.

“Kim Ji-ho and Lee Ji-woo.”

He asked them with eyes that were pure white light.

“Did you enjoy the safety I gave you?”