Red Dot - 27

– Chapter 27

“Where did the car key come from?”

“It was at the counter. Maybe someone asked for parking? It could even belong to the owner.”

“Is that so?”

Junseong tilted his head.

‘I didn’t see anything like a car key when I went to the counter.’

He thought he might have missed it since there was no such experience yesterday.

Hanseo, seated in the driver’s seat, started the engine as if it were his own car.

Zombies, staggering as they walked down the street, turned their heads at the sound of the car starting and rushed around the front of the parking lot. The sound was audible right next to them, but since no humans came into their sight, it seemed like they were aimlessly wandering around, following the sound.

Hanseo saw two pairs of blood-soaked legs frantically moving left and right under the parking lot curtain. Regardless of whether there were zombies or not, they headed out of the parking lot without concern.

Just as they were about to leave the parking lot, unexpectedly, a car rushed out, throwing away the two zombies that were running in front of it.

Crash!

Thunk!

Due to the car’s sudden charge, the two zombies that had fallen back as if thrown into the air quickly got up. Unable to feel pain, one zombie, with one arm broken from the recent impact, shook its entire body and rushed towards the car.

Before the zombies could cling to the car, Hanseo drove off the road to increase speed.

Junseong, who was observing the zombies through the side mirror, looked at Hanseo with a relieved expression. Holding the steering wheel with one hand, he used the other hand to check various things in the car as if he had a lot of experience in driving.

“Should I just go straight here?”

“Yeah. I’ll guide you through the way.”

Junseong, taking out his phone, showed Hanseo the offline map he had saved earlier and guided him through the route by estimating the distance and buildings with his own eyes.

He worried about what would happen if the road was blocked soon, but fortunately, there were only a few stopped cars along the road, and it didn’t seem difficult to pass through.

Among the cars parked on the road, there was a vehicle with the driver’s seat door wide open.

Inside, the driver had already turned into a raging zombie, bouncing around. The body was securely fixed to the driver’s seat by a seatbelt, making it impossible to come out. Whether he became a zombie by getting off the driver’s seat and got bitten or whether he intentionally fastened the seatbelt knowing he would turn into a zombie, the pitiful scene remained unchanged.

Nearby, there was a child zombie crawling on the ground with one arm and one leg. Because it was inside the car and there was a distance, the screams it made were not audible. In reality, it might be a scream, but due to its pitiful and helpless appearance, it looked more like a cry for help.

A little further away on the road, the car’s window was completely covered in red paint as if it had been poured. Through the slightly open window, the eyes covered in a bloody film seemed to be watching the outside like a vigilant observer. Although it was probably a scream, it looked more like a cry for help.

In addition, there were various other zombies on the road.

Junseong, looking out the window, realized once again that this was not a dream but reality, feeling a bitter sense of reality.

As Junseong carefully observed the horrifying appearance of the zombies, he finally asked Hanseo a question that he had not easily brought up until now.

“Where is your family?”

Instead of an answer, Hanseo silently looked at Junseong.

“Are they… okay?”

“I wish they were.”

“I wish… that’s…”

Could they be in Inhansi?

Fortunately, Hanseo mentioned it with indifferent eyes.

“I don’t have siblings, and my parents are in Cheongmu City. I live alone near Wimyeon-dong, not far from the university.”

“Wimyeon-dong? Wasn’t that the place where there were occasional missing person cases? I heard there were also murder cases.”

“That’s why the rent is cheap. It’s good to have it cheap when you’re living alone.”

“Well, that’s true.”

He smelled like he would go around in luxury, but in reality, he was a student who liked cheap housing.

Junseong felt an unexpected humanity from Hanseo.

“By the way, in Cheongmu City, there is a temporary shelter and a vaccine research facility managed by the military.”

The smile that had spread across Hanseo’s lips at Junseong’s words gradually faded.

“Today, the rescue helicopter that will arrive at the hospital will also go there.”

“A research facility….”

Hanseo’s eyes briefly changed, showing a momentary displeasure. Junseong didn’t notice as it was a fleeting moment.

“If things go well, you might meet your family right away. I’m relieved.”

Although Hanseo replied with a yes, he seemed uninterested in the story. It appeared as if he had no interest in whether his parents were safe or not.

In contrast, Hanseo, who seemed indifferent to his own story, changed his expression and asked Junseong.

“How about your parents?”

“They’re not around.”

Junseong’s answer showed no hesitation. It felt like he was answering, “They’re not here right now,” as if asked whether his parents were currently at home.

“Both of them passed away in a plane crash.”

“I see.”

Hanseo was secretly smiling at the fact that Junseong’s precious ones were few.

Without knowing Hanseo’s thoughts, Junseong briefly shared his story.

“Now I’m alone with my younger sister. My sister is in the dormitory, and I’m living alone a bit far away.”

Hanseo showed a smiling eye.

“We can live together later. It’s good to save on rent.”

“You’re thriftier than you look.”

“Am I?”

A comfortable smile exchanged between the two. However, Junseong didn’t realize that Hanseo had been looking at him as if analyzing himself.

“Seems like you’re quite close to your younger sister.”

“Us? Not really.”

Junseong, like most siblings, denied it at first. He smiled wryly.

“If there’s something to say, we send a few texts back and forth. If not, we don’t even contact each other. Just ordinary.”

“For being ordinary, your sister seems to follow you quite well.”

“Is that so?”

Junseong, remembering Chaeyi’s face with lowered eyes, smiled softly. Hanseo looked at him with an expressionless face but asked with an affectionate voice.

“How about you?”

“Huh?”

“Younger sister, what do you think?”

“What do I think…”

Junseong, who hesitated while organizing his thoughts, uttered a few words.

“She’s nice. Takes care of people well, and she’s smart. Although she pretends not to, her heart is gentle. But still, after seeing her yesterday…”

“Leave that aside.”

For Hanseo, it didn’t matter what kind of person Junseong’s younger sister, Kang Chaeyi, was.

The important thing was how much she meant to Junseong.

“What kind of person is your younger sister to you?”

Although the question seemed odd, Junseong thought about it seriously.

“She’s important. She’s the only family I have.”

Junseong’s face, which had been distant from various expressions, suddenly warmed up.

“Aren’t all older brothers like that? Whatever happens, you want to protect your younger sister because she’s your only family.”

Not all firstborns might think that way, but the important thing was that Junseong thought that way about Kang Chaeyi.

Without Junseong’s knowledge, Hanseo looked out the window. Hanseo’s face, reflected in the window, was shrouded in a veil-like chill.

It was a few minutes later, as they continued driving on the road.

Junseong informed Hanseo to turn right soon, calculating the remaining distance.

Squeak!

Suddenly, Hanseo hit the brakes. Junseong felt his body lurch forward due to the unexpected stop, but fortunately, he was unharmed. Hanseo, who was wearing a seatbelt and had anticipated the forward motion, reached out and acted as a barrier, preventing any harm.

“Is the road blocked?”

Junseong, who thought they stopped abruptly due to a blocked road and looked disappointed, raised his head to find a white car that had stopped just like them. A somewhat familiar man was sitting in the driver’s seat.

‘Who is he? Have I seen him in a dream?’

His memory was not clear. The man had an unremarkable face, perhaps forgettable.

The surprised man soon rolled down the window with a flushed face. Then, he stretched out his head and left arm, eagerly shaking hands as if glad to see them.

“I might park it because it’s a hassle.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

Hanseo, who did not catch the small muttering, smiled at Junseong with a disappointed expression.

“Well, I thought we should greet them too.”

At that moment, the man, who had unbuckled his seatbelt and quickly got out of the car, rushed towards them and urgently knocked on the window. Up close, Junseong recognized the man, whose eyes were bloodshot and lips were dry.

‘Who is he? Have I seen him in a dream?’

Junseong tried to remember, but he couldn’t recall clearly. The man ran to the driver’s seat and urgently knocked on the window. For some reason, Hanseo, who had lowered the window just enough to see her eyes, shouted.

“Zombies! Quickly run away! Oh, please take me with you! Save me! The door! The back door!”

The man was desperately pulling the handle as if it was terrifyingly close to them.

Hanseo did not want to include him in their plans, whether the man was in an odd state or perfectly fine.

But just then, as Junseong was about to tell Hanseo that he remembered who the man was, the man grabbed Hanseo’s arm, and, reaching towards the back door, urgently asked her to open it.

From the direction the man had come from, an enormous horde of zombies was approaching rapidly.