Red Dot - 10

Chapter 10

As the sound of unbuckling a belt reached their ears, Junseong finally realized that there were two women in the room. He quickly covered Do Hanseo’s hand to stop him. Junseong glanced at Chaeyi and the other two, then gestured toward the partition near the classroom desk.

“I’ll check the lower part separately over there.”

“Oh, sure.”

Chaeyi nodded, and Junseong grabbed Do Hanseo’s wrist, leading him toward the partition. Hanseo was still following along peacefully with a calm expression.

The partition appeared to be about 180 cm in height, and although Hanseo’s lower body was just barely hidden, his upper body was exposed as if it protruded beyond the partition. Since they only needed to check for any bite marks on Hanseo’s body, the exposed parts didn’t matter.

Hanseo looked at the three people behind the partition. He assessed the distance between the desk and the sofa with his eyes, then spoke softly to Junseong.

“Aren’t you a student at this school?”

“No, I’m not.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“We’re the same age.”

“You answered diligently, so how about a little hand movement?”

In a tone colder than ice, Junseong made the request. Hanseo obediently began to unzip his belt and pants.

While Hanseo started to take off his pants, Junseong examined every inch of his upper body. It was spotlessly clean, just like his outer clothing, without a single mark.

“Why did you come here?”

As Hanseo was removing his pants, he asked another question. Junseong continued to watch as Hanseo lowered his pants.

“To find my little sister.”

“Who’s your little sister?”

“I have a younger sister who looks like me. She’s over there.”

Junseong nodded toward Chaeyi, who was clearly his sibling. They not only looked alike but also shared a very similar atmosphere. As a result, when they were together, it was common for people to assume they were siblings, rather than asking, “Is he your boyfriend?”

While Hanseo looked at the three people behind the partition, Junseong focused on inspecting his legs.

His exposed legs were well-muscled, just like his upper body. They looked strong, and it was evident that he could excel in any kind of physical activity. Even though Junseong occasionally attempted exercise, he wasn’t enthusiastic about it, and he found it hard to build any muscles. Spending long hours in front of a computer for work and hobbies contributed to his lack of motivation for physical fitness.

Nevertheless, as he observed Hanseo’s well-developed muscles, he couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. Although Junseong knew it was absurd, he found himself envying Hanseo’s physique.

Without realizing it, Junseong stared openly at Hanseo’s lower body. When he saw the thickness and length of what was concealed in Hanseo’s underwear, he shivered.

“Are you insane?”

Junseong was certain that the object hidden in Hanseo’s underwear was a lethal weapon, and he couldn’t help but shiver.

“But… honestly, it’s impressive.”

Junseong had always considered himself to be an average-sized Korean, but it was impossible not to be envious of such a significant feature.

While Hanseo was in the middle of taking off his pants, Junseong commented, “Enough,” and quickly turned his head away. He picked up Hanseo’s fallen pants from the floor and handed them to him.

“We’ve finished the inspection. You can put these back on now.”

Without hesitation, Hanseo put on his pants and said, “There’s no one who looks like you over there.”

“What are you talking about? There’s a girl who’s a complete clone of me.”

Junseong pointed to Chaeyi, who had a bob haircut. “That’s her. She’s my sister.”

“Oh… I see.”

As Hanseo tightened his belt, he gave Chaeyi a cold stare. Junseong, who was right next to them, muttered so quietly that even Hanseo didn’t hear.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing, I didn’t say anything.”

Smiling, Hanseo put on his turtleneck and jacket. Junseong, who wanted to leave the partition, was suddenly stopped as Hanseo firmly gripped his arm from behind.

“I’ve been wanting to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

Just as Junseong was about to reply, he sensed a sudden change in Hanseo’s gaze. The fake smile that had been hanging on his lips disappeared. It felt as if a sharp dagger was piercing his throat with a cold, piercing sensation.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Feeling a strange pressure, Junseong asked instead.

“What… how am I looking at you?”

Hanseo remained silent and continued to gaze at Junseong. Then, he revealed that fake smile he had been wearing.

“Let’s go.”

Hanseo released Junseong’s arm and gently ruffled his hair before walking out from behind the partition.

“The inspection is over.”

With his arms slightly spread, Hanseo confidently announced to the others. Although all three of them visibly breathed sighs of relief, Chaeyi was the most relieved. She had been the one who initially suggested checking for bite marks on Hanseo, and she had been the one to open the door to let him in. If Hanseo had turned out to be infected, she would have felt a significant sense of guilt.

Junseong looked at Hanseo, who was now sipping the canned coffee provided by Jiwoo, and briefly contemplated.

“Did I give myself away?”

Despite his efforts to hide his emotions, it seemed like he might have inadvertently revealed something.

In truth, Junseong was quite suspicious of Hanseo. His immaculate clothing and the complete absence of any injuries on his body contrasted sharply with the strong smell of fresh blood emanating from him. After removing his clothes, Junseong was certain that the overpowering scent of blood wasn’t coming from his clothes but from Hanseo himself.

In the world he had encountered in his dreams, he remembered one person who, like Hanseo, exuded a strong smell of fresh, untainted blood. This person wasn’t a zombie but a ruthless killer who reveled in hunting survivors in this hellish world.

“…This is the situation.”

“Quite the detective, aren’t you?” Hanseo leaned his chin on his hand and looked at Junseong, who had taken a seat beside him. He had expressed pure curiosity in response to Junseong’s explanation of the current situation.

“How do you know all this? Whether it’s about the report or the rescue.”

Not only Hanseo, but also the three people sitting on the opposite sofa, shared the same inquisitive gaze. Chaeyi’s stare, in particular, was intense, given that she had already tried to interrogate Junseong before Hanseo entered the classroom. Her eyes were particularly intimidating.

Junseong pondered for a moment.

Should he be honest and reveal everything?

He had already been open with Chaeyi and her friends, and he had confided in people he would meet in the future. Although many of them initially regarded him with disbelief, some even treated him like a lunatic and tried to isolate him, most eventually looked at him with either incredulous eyes or deep reverence when what he said began to come true.

However, the problem lay beyond that.

Junseong had witnessed the “worst” in a living person, someone he couldn’t possibly consider as one of his own kind. Even thinking about it made his face turn pale, and he shivered with fear.

Should he confess, reveal the truth to them all, and let them know what would inevitably happen?

But he decided against it.

“They’ll know everything anyway. What will happen if I reveal it?”

He hadn’t always kept secrets in his dreams.

He had been honest with Chaeyi and her friends before, and he had revealed things to people he would meet later. They didn’t believe him, or they looked at him with disbelief. Some even tried to isolate him, thinking he was crazy.

However, one by one, as Junseong’s words came true, people started to look at him with fearful or deeply respectful eyes. That much had been fine.

But then came the issue.

Junseong had seen the “worst” in a living person, someone he couldn’t consider part of their group. He remembered the terrifying experience, which still haunted him, when he had encountered that person in his dreams.

For this reason, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“There’s someone I know who has a military background. I heard the information from that person just before the internet was cut off.”

The others seemed to accept his explanation without question. They didn’t know much about him, and they had just met, and since it was his friend’s older brother speaking, their first reaction was acceptance rather than doubt.

Intentionally avoiding Chaeyi’s suspicious gaze, Junseong took out his smartphone.

While communication was impossible, he could still use the map even in offline mode. He had installed a Korean map app that could be used offline because he knew GPS-enabled apps wouldn’t work correctly.

Junseong displayed the map and pointed to a section that resembled a schematic map. The location he pointed to was “Inhan University,” where they currently were.

“This is our current location.”

He moved his finger across the map, scrolling until he pointed to a specific spot.

“This is the shelter the person mentioned, and it’s also the designated rescue location.”

The spot Junseong pointed to on the map was “Inhan Hospital.”