Red Dot - 105

Right after Junseong shook off Hanseo’s persistent hug under the pretext of ‘disinfection.’

Seo Changmin, who had gone to wake him up before Kyungo went to take a shower, came out of the hospital room with a worried expression.

“Junseong, are you okay now?”

“Yes, I’m sorry for causing you worry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.

If I were you, I would have charged out of here, even if I had to knock everyone down.”

“That’s a bit scary, hyung.”

Changmin, with a calm smile, patted Junseong’s shoulder and sincerely said, “You’ve been through a lot.”

Changmin was also deeply concerned about his family because the zombie virus was spreading outside.

However, it wasn’t just a matter of not knowing whether his family was alive or dead for Junseong.

There was a possibility that his brother was in the hands of the insane murderer, Nam Ki-hyuk, whom Junseong had encountered directly in his dream.

Although Hanseo conveyed Junseong’s words and said the video left by Nam Ki-hyuk would be a ‘fake,’ even if that were the case, he couldn’t guarantee his brother’s safety 100%.

There would inevitably remain a slight anxiety until he confirmed with his own eyes that his younger sister was safe.

Given that state, it was entirely understandable that his eyes were bloodshot and fatigue was evident around them.

Thinking that he clearly hadn’t slept properly, Changmin gave Junseong a proud look.

Meanwhile, Jian, who had tidied herself up in the hospital room, came out with a face mixed with worry and relief and asked about Junseong’s condition.

She then comforted him by empathizing with his feelings, saying something like, “If I were your older sister, I would have acted similarly.”

Changmin chimed in.

“Hey, I said something similar.”

“People’s feelings are all the same, aren’t they?”

With a shrug of her shoulders and a smile, Jian stretched comfortably.

“Um—! I’m hungry.

Is it just me?”

“I’m a bit hungry too.”

Just then, Kyungo, who had finished his shower, called out casually as he came out.

“Guys, I’m hungry!”

Even though he couldn’t have heard Changmin and Jian’s conversation, Kyungo timed his entrance perfectly with the same words.

Changmin and Jian exchanged playful, surprised looks before bursting into laughter.

Seeing the three of them in such a relaxed state made Junseong smile slightly too.

They were naturally comforting Junseong’s feelings.

Even though they seemed carefree, the warm, family-like atmosphere they exuded helped ease the slightest anxiety that Junseong held.

Whether it was intentional or simply the result of their well-matched hearts, Junseong felt encouraged because of them.

“Let’s eat something first.

I’ll talk about my younger sister while we eat.”

Junseong planned to share stories about his younger sister, Kang Chaeyi, whom the group was curious about, while also preparing for when they would enter Inhan Hospital.

He also intended to mention Jang Daewook, who would be with Chaeyi, to the group in advance.

Jang Daewook, who had skills rivaling Seo Changmin and was quite intelligent, would surely be a great help, but he was also a significant source of worry for Junseong.

In his dream, whenever Jang Daewook met Junseong, something terrible would happen right in front of him.

Even if he sent him away afterward, the outcome was always the same, so Junseong couldn’t help but feel anxious again this time.

However, he couldn’t tell him not to come since Chaeyi would be there and he had no means of contact.

‘Still…’

Junseong turned his head to look at Hanseo, who was quietly standing next to him.

Sensing his gaze, Hanseo also turned to look at him.

‘This time might be different.’

He couldn’t guarantee that it would lead to a different outcome.

But for the present, he had ‘Do Hanseo’ by his side.

A singular point that offered the opportunity to change the rigid routes he had to repeat endlessly in his dreams and provided all kinds of variables.

The vaccine for this world that he must protect at all costs.

He thought that if Hanseo was there, Jang Daewook’s route might also change from what it had been in his dreams.

Around 1:30 PM.

The heavy rain, which had seemed as though it wouldn’t stop, began to gradually weaken.

As far as Junseong remembered, the rain that had poured for nearly seven days had only stopped significantly three times, aside from very brief moments of respite or when it became a light drizzle.

From 2:01 PM to 2:47 PM.

From 5:21 PM to 6:35 PM.

From 10:52 PM to 11:40 PM.

The person Junseong had been determined to meet on the seventh day in his dreams, known as the ‘Bald Uncle,’ appeared almost exactly at 6 PM during the second time frame.

According to what he had asked him previously, it seemed that the time it took him to go around all the nearby shelters was around 4 PM.

However, since he had to travel on foot without a vehicle, he needed to avoid moving recklessly in the rain.

Right now, he didn’t even have the luxury of washing his soaked clothes, and if those who had sought refuge at the shelter caught the rain and their body temperatures dropped suddenly, they could find themselves in a state that made it difficult to move.

So, it would be reasonable to assume he would appear again at 6 PM, just as he had done in his dreams.

But Junseong anticipated he would show up between 2 PM and 2:47 PM.

“Originally, we should have rescued the survivors from the subway shelter where my sister was and moved together.”

The group gathered in the hospital room where Junseong had spent the day with Hanseo had serious expressions on their faces.

Today, what they had to do was help the new companions safely enter Inhan Hospital.

According to Junseong, if the people inside Inhan Hospital didn’t help at all, everyone in the group led by the ‘Bald Uncle,’ including him, would become zombie food.

Since it was a briefing about such an important matter, they had to pay close attention.

Changmin, who was listening to the story, asked for confirmation.

“The shelter must be devastated, just like in the video, right?

There wouldn’t be any survivors.”

“That’s right.

So, there won’t be about ten people who were originally supposed to join from the subway shelter, and there won’t be any delays in the travel time that naturally occur as the group grows.”

The travel time for ten people moving together was clearly different from that for thirty.

Since the subway shelter had the highest number of survivors, the number of joiners would be zero, meaning that excluding them, the Bald Uncle’s group would have fewer than twenty people.

Changmin recalled the subway shelter that Hanseo had independently checked on the first night of the incident.

Although he had never been there himself, Nam Ki-hyuk had filmed the inside so well that he could estimate how much it had been devastated.

As he suppressed the anger boiling inside him while chewing on Nam Ki-hyuk’s smiling face in the video, Junseong said to him, “Considering the time spent in the subway shelter and the delays in travel time, they must have saved some time passing through the two shelters they visited afterward.”

“So, that means they’ll aim to enter here between 2:00 PM and 2:47 PM?”

Junseong nodded.

In terms of timing, they would be waiting not far from here.

Once they confirmed the rain had stopped, they would start moving right away, taking about 40 minutes to walk here.

Assuming their speed of movement had increased a bit compared to before, it could be thought that it would take them about 30 minutes to reach this place.

Since Inhan Hospital was practically their final destination, they likely wouldn’t delay their movements on purpose.

This place was the last shelter the Bald Uncle’s group needed to check, and it was a comfortable hideout where they could catch their breath.

Junseong believed that the Bald Uncle, who had maintained enough vigilance and command until the very end, would move swiftly within the range of his expectations.

“When the rain completely stops at 2:01 PM, please move according to your assignments.

However, I’ll categorize the ‘supplies’ into three bundles to be used in case of uncertainty regarding the expected time frames.

If it seems certain that the Bald Uncle’s group will enter during this time, we’ll add half of one bundle as well.”

There were supplies that they had prepared with the group in the container office for moments like this.

If things went as they had in his dreams, they would definitely be able to safely guide the Bald Uncle and his group into the hospital.

It took considerable time to prepare, and it was soon 2:01 PM.

The light rain had completely stopped.

“Jian, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, oppa!”

Jian, confidently nodding her head, took the binoculars that originally belonged to Kyungo and kept a watchful eye on the open window.

Although she had vaguely guessed it when she had to keep an eye on the apartment to rescue Kyungo, Jian had good observational skills and a broad field of vision.

Even when looking at the same place, she could pinpoint important details and didn’t miss small movements, becoming truly eagle-eyed when keeping watch.

According to Kyungo, it seemed to be because she was young, but it also seemed to stem from her experience with hidden object games and spot-the-difference puzzles that she had played every day since she was very young.

Perhaps that’s why she said she didn’t get tired even after using her eyes for a long time.

While the sharp-eyed Jian was keeping watch of the surroundings, the group was placing the supplies at the locations designated by Junseong.

Time passed quickly, and it soon became 2:31 PM.

“Oppa, they really came!”

Jian exclaimed to Junseong with a look of amazement.

She was watching the distinctive Bald Uncle, who had appeared exactly 30 minutes after the rain stopped, when she suddenly tilted her head in confusion.

“But it’s strange.”

“What is?”

“Didn’t you say the Bald Uncle’s group would be 24 people?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

That number was accurate, excluding the people they should have met at the subway shelter.

Jian took her eyes off the moving people reflected in the binoculars and looked back at Junseong, who was approaching her.

Her expression seemed quite troubled.

“But… there are only three?”

Seeing the number of people reduced by a whopping eightfold, Junseong quickly took Jian’s binoculars.