Red Dot - 153

Chapter 153

“Who?”

Junseong saw a man for the first time.

The man had confident eyes and a relaxed mouth without distortion, exuding a kind atmosphere.

“Sorry for pushing you. Can you get up?”

His calm voice showed no trace of fear.

Junseong stared tensely at the man who extended a hand to help him up.

On the surface, Junseong thought, “He seems like a good person,” but he did not believe it outright.

Repeating the same dream and meeting various people for days within it, the total time amounted to over a month.

Junseong realized that many people had appearances completely different from their true intentions, and that time was not short.

Junseong stood up from the spot without the man’s help and bowed his head.

“Thank you. You saved me.”

Regardless of the man’s true intentions, he clearly helped, so expressing gratitude was natural.

The man lowered his awkward hand but kept a gentle smile on his face.

“You don’t seem hurt, which is a relief. But… are you alone?”

“My younger sibling was with me originally, but we got separated.”

“Oh no… I’m sorry.”

The man apologized with a bitter expression, likely thinking Junseong was forcibly separated from his sibling due to zombies.

Junseong observed the man’s reaction and expression closely and answered without enthusiasm.

“You don’t need to feel sorry. I sent my sibling out safely.”

“That’s a relief then.”

The man smiled brightly and extended his hand again, not to help but to properly introduce himself.

“I’m Nam Ki-hyuk. Meeting a living person after seeing only zombies feels great.”

“…I’m Kang Junseong.”

Junseong did not shake the man’s hand this time either. He only bowed his head slightly again and stated his name.

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly. He lowered his hand, which experienced awkwardness twice, but kept the smile on his lips.

“How long have you been here, hyung?”

“Since this morning. I ended up here while being chased.”

“I see.”

While conversing, Junseong’s eyes scanned the rooftop instead of Ki-hyuk.

One side had a bench for office-tel users to rest, surrounded by a flowerbed, and there were ventilation ducts and several air conditioner outdoor units that did not ruin the aesthetics.

Unlike the well-decorated side, the opposite side had wooden beams, iron pipes, and some construction materials like cement, likely used during the building’s construction. Some items, unsuitable for long-term outdoor exposure, suggested recent repairs in the office-tel.

“Don’t you have any belongings, hyung? Like food to last until rescue or a blanket?”

“No, I was too busy escaping to bring anything. Just a lighter, maybe?”

“That’s not something to say proudly.”

“Haha.”

Junseong glared at Ki-hyuk, who answered too cheerfully, and headed toward the rooftop railing. Holding the railing, Junseong slowly scanned the surroundings, and Ki-hyuk quietly approached him. Without speaking or touching, Ki-hyuk just stared at Junseong.

While Junseong thoroughly checked the surroundings and the rooftop, Ki-hyuk followed him closely like a goldfish’s tail.

Finally, Junseong listened at the rooftop entrance and let out a short sigh.

“Getting out through here seems impossible.”

When Junseong first arrived at the rooftop, zombies banged on the iron door and roared as if they would break it. Now, the noise had quieted significantly, but that did not mean the zombies had left. Countless dazed groans from zombies that lost their target came from beyond the door.

“They’re wandering in a group, so they won’t spread far even with time. The seventh-floor hallway must be almost full.”

Somehow, Junseong ended up isolated on the rooftop.

But there was no need to feel discouraged or anxious.

Anticipating this possibility, Junseong deliberately brought plenty of rope today. It filled half his bag, which said enough.

“The problem is…”

Junseong finally turned his eyes to look at Ki-hyuk.

Ki-hyuk, who had been following with a smiling face, still smiled kindly.

“What’s next for you, hyung… You are hyung, right? I’m twenty-seven.”

“Yeah, I’m two years older.”

“You’re hyung, then. What are you going to do?”

“What?”

“You’re not going to stay here with nothing, right?”

“That’s true.”

There was no food or shelter from the rain. To endure the chilly autumn breeze, all Ki-hyuk had was an expensive trench coat.

One day, or maybe two.

That was probably the longest someone could stay sane, trapped alone on this empty rooftop with nothing.

Yet, Ki-hyuk remained cheerful.

“If I wait, won’t I get rescued somehow? For now, there’s nothing I can do.”

Most people would think his bright smile meant his head was full of flowers.

“But that’s not true, probably.”

Junseong did not think Ki-hyuk was simply cheerful, empty-headed, or careless. It was fundamentally different.

Junseong looked out from the rooftop and asked.

“You said you’ve been here since morning, hyung? Did you sleep at all?”

“No, I couldn’t. It’s colder up here than I thought.”

Ki-hyuk hugged himself with both arms, playfully squinting and shivering.

Junseong sharply scanned Ki-hyuk.

“Then you didn’t sleep and just stared at the sky. You must have enjoyed some untimely scenery.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

The rooftop’s four sides only had waist-high railings, offering an unobstructed view. No matter where one stood, it was perfect for admiring the surrounding scenery.

That’s why there were so many “strange things.”

Junseong pointed at the rooftop door he had been listening to and said.

“You’re impressive, hyung. Even now, there seem to be many zombies outside the door, but you opened it to save me in this situation.”

“How could I leave someone in danger?”

“Is that really all?”

Junseong’s sharp words pierced Ki-hyuk’s endlessly kind statement. Ki-hyuk’s eyes seemed to turn cold for a moment.

“That’s all. Does there need to be another reason?”

“Rather than needing one, I think there’s about a 99% chance there is one.”

Junseong’s wariness and cold gaze began to pressure Ki-hyuk.

“I tried turning the doorknob to open the rooftop door, but that’s it. I didn’t make a sound. Since it was locked, the knob didn’t turn much, so any rattling could have been a zombie, not a person. In fact, zombies were surrounding me with my back to the door.”

“Zombies were screaming, weren’t they? Zombies always rush and yell when they spot a person, so I naturally thought someone was there.”

“You couldn’t be sure someone was near the rooftop door. You weren’t clearly looking outside, so how could you move so fearlessly? Like… someone who isn’t scared of zombies at all.”

Thinking back, it was really dangerous. Given the number of zombies, a moment’s carelessness could have led to limbs being grabbed and torn off. If Ki-hyuk had opened the door a few seconds later, Junseong would have been bitten without a doubt.

That meant opening the door was equally risky for Ki-hyuk. If there had been any hesitation or fear in his quick movements of kicking zombies and closing the door, both would have died.

Yet, Ki-hyuk remained calm and composed, like someone who had never faced danger. Junseong wondered if Ki-hyuk had many contingency plans to be so relaxed, but upon inspection, he had nothing.

No, it “looked” like he had nothing.

“No way.”

Nothing he could do?

Not at all.

“And you said earlier, didn’t you? That you might get rescued somehow.”

“I did. What’s wrong with that?”

“That’s wrong from the start.”

Ki-hyuk’s smiling face tilted in confusion.

His innocent expression seemed to ask what he said wrong. Looking at that bright, almost childlike face, Junseong intensified his wary gaze.

“You never even thought about being rescued from the beginning.”

At those words, Ki-hyuk’s smile seemed to make a clattering sound for a moment.

His kind eyes curved strangely, and his mouth stretched as if about to burst into an eerie laugh.

“Caught me?”

A sudden, dangerous feeling made Junseong step back instinctively. But Ki-hyuk’s face stopped right in front of Junseong’s nose, much faster.

“How did you know, our Junseong?”

Though Junseong had just shared his name, Ki-hyuk whispered it menacingly, as if he had been chanting it for a long time.

If Ki-hyuk’s arm wrapped around Junseong’s waist felt as cold as ice, his breath, uttering Junseong’s name, was as hot as if all the body’s heat had gathered there.