Red Dot - 12

Chapter 12

“Chaeyi, can you go down?”

Chaeyi held the loop Junseong had given her and looked at him intently.

Chaeyi was astonished by Junseong’s calmness and preparedness to the point that she found it hard to believe.

She thought he was just a person who only knew how to play games, but was he really such a dependable older brother?

These days, it was said that games were so realistic, maybe he had immersed himself in a disaster game like this.

In any case, it was clear that he was the most trustworthy person at the moment.

Chaeyi wordlessly placed her leg inside the loop. Seeing this, Jiwoo clapped her hands.

“Ooh, you’re really doing it?”

“Of course. It’s not much different from the rope devices used for climbing.”

“But those had safety measures! This is on a completely different level, isn’t it?”

Having experienced climbing as part of her physical education classes, Chaeyi looked at Jiwoo, who was loudly expressing her reluctance, with disdain.

“Well, then, stay here alone and starve to death with the zombies.”

“What are you saying?!”

While Jiwoo was shouting, Chaeyi inserted her legs into the loops, one on each side. With Junseong’s help, she pulled up the rope to her waist.

“Since there are no other safety measures, you have to hold the knot part of the rope with your hands. Otherwise, you might flip and fall.”

“Okay, don’t worry.”

Chaeyi obediently nodded in response to Junseong’s words. She gripped the round knot on the rope that rose up to her chest.

Junseong’s gloved hand was placed on top of Chaeyi’s head.

“It’s okay, we’ll descend safely.”

Because it had been the same in his dreams.

Junseong checked the strength of the loop that was placed around Chaeyi’s waist. He then approached the window and looked outside. Even from the third floor, there were still a lot of zombies below.

“It doesn’t look too safe here either.”

To Hanseo’s comment, Junseong replied.

“We can make it safe for a moment.”

Junseong pulled out a handheld alarm device from his pocket.

“I’ll use this to lure the zombies.”

It was the same method they had used on the second floor to gather the sound-sensitive zombies in one place. There was nothing better for this purpose.

Upon seeing it, Hanseo laughed briefly, as if finding it interesting.

“Is this like a crazy dream? You’ve got everything you need.”

It seemed he was reminded of a blue, earless, all-purpose cat robot from an anime.

Junseong was amazed by how Hanseo could be so carefree even though they were about to go outside, where they would most likely encounter zombies. How could he be so relaxed in a situation like this? Now, Junseong even envied him.

In addition to the window facing the hill, there was another window next to it in the classroom. It wasn’t strange for the classroom’s location at the end of a single floor to have a window on the side.

Junseong took the alarm device and removed the loop part that served as a switch. He threw the main body out of the window in a hurry.

Beep-beep-beep-beep!

As the alarm device rang loudly in a short rhythm, zombies rushed from all directions.

The time it took for the alarm device to turn off automatically was 10 minutes.

They had to escape from this place within that time.

Thanks to the loud alarm sound, the zombies in the hill direction were all drawn away, and the area had become quite clear. Junseong looked outside the window and confirmed that there was no sign of zombies approaching from this side.

“You can come down now.”

“I got it.”

Chaeyi responded briefly to Junseong’s words and placed her foot on the windowsill. Jiwoo and Soyeon were getting even more nervous due to her unhesitating actions.

Sitting on the windowsill with her feet outside and both legs in the loops, Chaeyi suddenly looked back at Junseong. Junseong had wrapped one arm around the rope to secure it and was holding the middle part firmly with both hands. To avoid being pulled in by one leg and crashing, he was pressing against the wall with his other leg.

“What about you, Oppa?”

“I’ll be the last one to descend.”

Chaeyi furrowed her brows.

“The last person down won’t have anyone to hold them like you do, Oppa. You just have to grab the rope and jump.”

“It’s okay, I’d rather be the last one to go down. I haven’t done anything like this before, and I might get injured while coming down.”

“Kang Chaeyi.”

Junseong called her firmly with unwavering eyes.

“Listen to what your brother says, okay?”

“…”

Chaeyi, who had been fidgeting to get back into the classroom, finally nodded. However, Junseong still seemed anxious, and he kept turning to look at her.

The first descent was a success.

Junseong lowered Chaeyi, who was hanging from the rope, as slowly as possible, thanks in part to Hanseo, who had come to help with the rope to ensure a smooth descent. It was also because of the trial and error he had experienced in his dreams.

Chaeyi descended safely without any injuries, and Jiwoo and Soyeon, who had also been a bit anxious, were relieved. Even though Chaeyi trembled as she placed her legs in the loops, she was able to descend without any problems.

After lowering the three of them, Junseong quickly pulled up the long rope. He threw down the toilet brush that Soyeon had wanted to keep as a weapon and the 30cm spanner Jiwoo had found in the classroom.

The only ones left were Junseong, who was carrying a sturdy backpack, and Hanseo, who had a wooden stick hanging from his waist.

The process went smoothly, just as it had in the dream, with no unexpected variables. However, Junseong was in a difficult state.

“My arm feels numb.”

In his dreams, he could still sense things, but he couldn’t feel pain. So, even when he had carried three people on the rope like this, he had only felt a slight discomfort in his arms, but in reality, it was different. His arm felt numb to the point where he thought it might break. It was only natural, considering he was supporting the weight by wrapping the rope around his arm.

Junseong looked at Hanseo with concern, wondering if he should be worried about a dislocated shoulder. He was the one who had helped raise the rope.

“I hope my arm doesn’t break or dislocate.”

Junseong glanced at Hanseo, who was checking the rope he had pulled up.

“Should I tell you to prepare for the descent without showing any concern?”

“What’s your name?”

Hanseo suddenly asked while staring at the rope. It was strange that he asked so quickly, and Junseong wondered why he was asking at a time like this when they had to escape in a hurry.

“Kang Junseong. Just get ready to put your leg in.”

“Kang Junseong. Kang Junseong…”

Hanseo repeated Junseong’s name several times and smiled.

“Junseong, go down first. I’ll hold you.”

Calling Junseong by his name affectionately, Hanseo lightly tapped the windowsill.

Junseong had never thought that someone calling his name would be so unsettling. It wasn’t so much that it made him feel bad, but it was more of a fear and uneasiness that just being called by his name would make him a target.

“What a strange guy.”

Whether it was due to his personality, fearlessness, or perhaps he was just unflappable in such situations, Hanseo’s composure and light-heartedness in this situation felt odd. Junseong couldn’t help but find it somewhat alien. It seemed like he was getting on Junseong’s nerves.

Junseong didn’t show any emotions and tugged at the rope.

“Alright, you can come down now.”

“Hmm, you have to call my name if you want me to do it.”

“What?”

It was hard to read the atmosphere.

When Junseong’s eyes twitched, Hanseo leaned closer to him and smiled even more intensely.

“Do you know my name?”

While the corners of his mouth deepened, his eyes remained devoid of any curves. Even though it was evident that he was forcing a smile, this face still seemed attractive, probably because he was good-looking.

“What an unlucky guy.”

Suppressing the urge to say those words aloud, Junseong sighed.

“It’s Do Hanseo. You called my name, so that’s it, right? Get ready quickly; we don’t have much time.”

Since he had remembered the name Chaeyi had called, he answered easily. Only then did Hanseo’s previously unsmiling eyes show some emotion.

Suddenly, Hanseo grabbed Junseong’s waist and lifted him up. Then, he unceremoniously sat him on the windowsill. Not only that, he made him sit with his legs inside, so Junseong was taken by surprise and had to hold onto the windowsill with both hands. If he slipped, he could easily fall to the ground due to the weight of the backpack.

Seemingly unapologetic for the risky move, Hanseo proceeded to attach the rope to Junseong’s waist.

“What are you doing? I said I’d come down if you called my name.”

Junseong, who had his heart in his mouth due to the surprise, opened his eyes wide. Hanseo attached the loop to Junseong’s waist around his lower abdomen and then grabbed his arms, pulling him up. He was pulled up with more force than expected, and Junseong found himself almost falling, so he held onto the windowsill with both hands.

“Hey.”

“Just stay still.”

In an awkward posture, Junseong tried to push Hanseo away, but he ended up embracing Junseong tightly, wrapping his arms around his waist. Meanwhile, with his other hand, he pulled the rope all the way up to just below Junseong’s buttocks.

Regardless of the situation, the sensation of a man holding him, hugging him, and unintentionally touching below his buttocks was quite embarrassing.