Red Dot - 3

Chapter 3

It hurts.

It hurt so much that I wondered why I hit it so hard.

I couldn’t believe it with just one hit, so I slammed my fist on the desk again. The pain was just as real as before.

Junseong’s face quickly turned pale.

This wasn’t a dream. It was clearly reality.

At the same time, the situation was so absurd that he couldn’t believe it. Thinking that someone might be playing a prank, he quickly checked other news programs online.

The news was filled with reports about riots, just like in his dream. Even the order of the news stories was exactly the same.

Staring at the news list with a tense face, Junseong checked his phone again. There were several missed calls and worried text messages from a friend living near Inhan City. His mobile messenger was also flooded with open chat rooms discussing the riots in Inhan City.

Even this was exactly the same as in his dream.

He was confused. The sharp pain told him that this was real, but since everything was just like his dream, he didn’t know how to accept it.

But he knew one thing.

Right now, what he had to do was no different from what he did in the dream.

Without much thought, Junseong opened his messaging app.

[Hide in the TA office after class.]

It was a message for his younger sibling, who was probably attending a university lecture at that moment. The university was in Inhan City, not too far from here, so soon enough, it would be filled with zombies too.

But he wasn’t too worried.

If this ‘reality’ was just like his dream, his sibling would definitely be safe.

No matter how many times it repeated, his sibling had never died even once.

To confirm the ‘pain,’ Junseong kept slapping his thigh or pinching his arm. In the end, he accepted that this was reality.

Thinking that way made his mind even calmer than it was in the dream. He instinctively knew that staying rational would increase his chances of survival.

About twenty minutes had passed since he accepted reality.

Ignoring the emergency alert’s instructions, Junseong was actively moving around outside.

“The riot group will be here soon. You need to get ready and escape quickly.”

“What nonsense is that? Are you crazy?”

Instead of saying ‘zombie,’ he used the word ‘riot,’ just like the news reports. But as expected, no one listened seriously. Even the friendly neighbor lady, who treated him like a son, looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

He had seen this reaction in his dream, so he wasn’t surprised. He already knew what they would do next and what their fate would be.

He knew it, but he still had to warn them. Even though he barely had enough time to prepare, knowing that this was ‘reality’ made it impossible for him to just ignore them.

Leaving behind the people who treated him like a lunatic, Junseong stepped out of his apartment building with a bitter expression.

Carrying a backpack he rarely used, the first place he headed was a hardware store not far from his apartment.

The store was so old and run-down that it was hard to believe it was still in business. But just like in his dream, it was a hidden treasure trove.

He bought a flashlight, rope, hammer, pliers, batteries, and even a lightweight camping machete. The machete was especially valuable—it was sturdy and sharp, something Junseong had relied on throughout his dream.

Without asking the puzzled store owner for prices, Junseong handed over the exact amount in cash and checked the digital watch on his left wrist. It was a gift from his younger sibling a year ago, celebrating his retirement as a professional gamer.

“Mister, in 16 minutes, zombies… No, a group of crazy people will come here. The door here is weak, so even if you lock it, they’ll break in quickly. You should escape to the restaurant next door before that happens. It’s safer there.”

The store owner laughed, thinking it was a ridiculous joke. It was the same reaction as in the dream.

‘It’s okay. This is enough.’

Junseong left the store after checking the owner’s reaction.

Even if he thought it was a joke now, the owner would end up running to the restaurant in time and survive. But if Junseong hadn’t warned him, he would have been bitten and turned into a zombie in this very store.

Knowing that, Junseong had to say something no matter what.

The next place he went was a nearby convenience store.

Behind the counter stood a young man around the same age as Junseong. Even though the store’s small PC was repeatedly playing emergency broadcasts, the employee didn’t seem to care at all. He was casually playing a game on his phone as if it had nothing to do with him.

Recognizing Junseong, the young man smiled and greeted him.

“Hello. Are you going on a trip or something?”

Junseong nodded slightly at the friendly young man but didn’t say anything. Instead, he walked further into the store. He knew from experience that if he responded, the guy would keep talking nonstop. And right now, he had no time to waste on small talk.

Already considering the limited space in his heavy bag filled with various items, he packed four 500ml bottles of water and one bottle of an ion drink. Thinking about the long and uncertain situation ahead, he knew he should pack more, but carrying too much weight would slow him down, so this amount was just right.

Instead, he grabbed all the calorie bars available in the convenience store. Whether they were cheap ones made of just flour and cheese or expensive ones packed with various grains, he didn’t care. He also took two handfuls of high-calorie chocolate bars.

He picked up a few other useful items and placed them on the counter.

“Are you really buying all this?”

Since the most he usually bought at the store was a convenience store meal or canned coffee, it wasn’t surprising that the cashier was shocked.

While the cashier scanned the barcodes, occasionally glancing at him, Junseong pointed at the colorful lighters on display at the counter. Instead of the cheap ones with flint wheels, he chose the more expensive, button-operated lighters.

“Give me ten of these. No, actually, twenty.”

“What are you gonna do with twenty? You don’t even smoke.”

“I just need them.”

The cashier’s expression grew even more puzzled. Still, he couldn’t refuse to sell the products, especially when they were in stock. He gathered all the lighters from the counter and even opened a new box to make up the count.

As Junseong adjusted his heavy backpack and was about to leave, he spoke to the cashier, who kept asking where he was going.

“I know you won’t believe me, but I’ll say it anyway.”

Junseong knew exactly what would happen to this convenience store cashier. He had seen it happen over and over in his dream for the past two months. And yet, just like every time before, he still told him the same thing.

“In eight minutes, a man with bl00d streaming from his eyes will come in. No matter how much he begs for help, you must push him out and lock the door immediately. If possible, hide inside the room behind the counter. That’s the safest place in here.”

The cashier glanced at the door behind the counter and tilted his head.

“Bl00d from his eyes? What are you even talking about?”

“Just remember it. If you want to live.”

Feeling the cashier’s increasingly wary gaze, Junseong stepped out of the store. He could only hope that this time, the guy would actually listen.

‘Tools and food are mostly ready.’

He had packed only the essentials, following the same route from the loop where he survived the longest. He knew exactly what would happen next, so as long as he stayed calm and handled things properly, he could reach the point where he found a solution to the nightmare. His goal was to survive until that day.

He pulled out his phone and checked the time.

[11:54 AM]

‘Six minutes…’

He was already much later than he had been in his best dream loop. Telling everyone he met to run had slowed him down too much.

It felt like watching a countdown on a time bomb. In the dream, he hadn’t been this tense, but now that it was real, his heart was racing.

He took a deep breath to shake off his fear and nerves. His stiff body finally felt slightly looser.

‘Next, the pharmacy.’

In the six minutes left, he had to grab as many necessities as he could from a nearby pharmacy.

[12:00 PM]

At exactly noon, Inhan City became a world of zombies.

As if Junseong’s dream was playing out in reality.