Red Dot - 34

Episode 034 –

“Don’t worry about it. I won’t pull it out right away, sir. I just want to check the eye condition for a moment, so relax a bit…!”

Clang!

Suddenly, a loud noise echoed from somewhere, and the three people, along with Taeju, looked in that direction. However, since it was a surgical room, it was difficult to determine what the sound was despite staring at it.

The playful atmosphere from a moment ago disappeared, and the three people exchanged cold glances, becoming stern. The man closest to the entrance of the operating room grabbed a scalpel displayed on a tray and went outside.

The man who came out of the operating room wandered through the empty corridor. Although the 7th-floor residents believed that the emergency power only ran on the 7th floor, in reality, they were supplying power to the 5th floor for surgeries, making the corridor brightly lit, even though it was difficult to see anything under the bright lights. However, there was nothing visible under the light.

Thinking that he might have misheard due to the loud noise, he walked down the corridor to confirm. Passing by the dark surgery rooms on both sides through the windows, he glanced inside.

When he reached the end of the long corridor, turning the right corner towards the lobby, it happened.

Suddenly, an arm reached out from behind.

“Crack!”

Instantly, his throat was constricted so strongly that he couldn’t breathe. Wrapped tightly in the strong arm, he couldn’t even produce a proper voice.

While desperately struggling, he noticed a silver cylinder about 1 meter high rolling on the floor. It was a stainless steel trash can placed in the lobby for remodeling, containing nothing inside. Judging by the dented side, it seemed like someone intended to swing it against the corner wall.

To release the arm strangling his neck, the man reached for the scalpel. He had intended to thrust it into the side of the person behind him, but instead, his wrist was tightly grabbed, causing him to drop the scalpel. Unable to breathe to the point where he could only make cracking sounds, he felt his strength draining away, and his vision darkening.

A captivating voice with envy-inducing tones echoed.

“I have something even better.”

With those words, the strength in the arm strangling his neck suddenly loosened. Coughing due to the sudden return of breath, he felt a searing pain in his side, accompanied by the sensation of flesh tearing apart.

“Ugh! Uaaaah!”

“Scream louder.”

Someone with a low voice laughed as the man, who had been screaming as if he were about to lose his mind, suddenly turned his eyes, along with the sound of his breath. Soon, the man’s two arms drooped, and his body lost strength.

As he collapsed, just when the two men in black turned the corner and saw Dohanseo, they stopped abruptly.

Only for a moment.

The two men with knives rushed towards Hanseo. A deep smile played on Hanseo’s lips as he faced them.

Behind the scenes, the desperate screams reached far beyond the closed dark warehouse.

‘What did they do to make such screams?’
The screams were so desperate that just hearing them sent shivers down the spine.

After shivering once, Junseong, who had just recovered his composure, pressed his ear against the door when he heard the footsteps of the two men getting closer. Hastily approaching, the footsteps quickly became close, and just as quickly, they faded away.

‘They left…!’

Junseong, who had been hiding in the dark storage room halfway down the corridor where the surgical room was, stood up from his crouched position near the door. He thought that anyone hearing such screams would react, so by now, he assumed Taeju would be alone in the operating room.

He slowly opened the door and peeked outside. Voices of other men were heard from the direction where the loud scream had come earlier.

Worriedly glancing at the end of the corridor where the sound was coming from, Junseong turned and ran towards the operating room. Although he was concerned about Hanseo, considering Hanseo’s position as the top student in Kendo and the fact that only the screams of others were heard so far, it seemed somewhat reassuring.

Still, he needed to rescue Taeju quickly and help out.

With these thoughts in mind, he rushed towards the operating room at the end of the corridor. Opening the door vigorously, he saw Taeju under the focused lights, tied up with leather straps on both wrists, ankles, and even the head, lying on the surgical table.

“Ugh! Ugh! Hnggh!”

Taeju, with bulging eyes that seemed terrifying, desperately made sounds directed towards Junseong. Understanding that someone screaming so intensely might be a savior of life, Junseong noticed that Taeju’s pupils kept shifting between different directions.

Following the direction of Taeju’s gaze, he saw Park Hyunje, whom he hadn’t noticed due to the door he pushed open. Hyunje rushed towards him with a syringe in hand.

In response to the sudden attack, Junseong quickly stepped back. His chin and the tray of surgical tools collided with a thud. Unable to move farther back, he caught Hyunje’s arm attempting to thrust the syringe downward just in time. With the other hand, he restrained the arm trying to strangle him.

Droplets of transparent liquid dripped from the pointed end of the sharp syringe. Hyunje, with his face distorted, was exerting all his strength to push Junseong.

Although Junseong wasn’t sure what kind of substance was in the syringe, it seemed undoubtedly dangerous.

Both Hyunje and Junseong were unable to use their arms because they were pushing against each other. Especially, Junseong couldn’t kick Hyunje even if he wanted to, as their lower bodies were too close. Hyunje was in a similar situation.

Since Hyunje’s arm strength was stronger, the syringe gradually approached Junseong’s neck. Moreover, Junseong’s position, lying on the tray of surgical tools, made it possible for Hyunje to press his weight down on him. Even with pure arm strength, Junseong couldn’t resist, and if he yielded to Hyunje’s pressure, the pointed needle would undoubtedly pierce Junseong’s neck.

Seeing Junseong’s body tilting backward, Hyunje, sensing victory, grinned viciously.

“Be still and wait for me to work on you when you wake up, my pretty.”

In an instant, Junseong’s eyes sparkled.

‘Work on me when I wake up…’

Reflecting on part of what Hyunje said, Junseong suddenly released the hand that held the wrist with the syringe. Hyunje’s hand, pressed tightly against Junseong’s throat, rushed forward.

Junseong felt a deep stinging sensation in his neck.

But the painful sound came not from Junseong but from Hyunje.

“Ugh…! Aaah!”

Hyunje staggered backward. Glittering between his right chest and right shoulder was a shining knife.

“You, you…!”

Unable to avoid making painful sounds from the excruciating pain every time he breathed, Hyunje, using his trembling hand, pulled out the knife. The spot where the knife had been pulled out spurted blood, staining the white fabric of his clothing with red.

“Ugh, this bastard…!”

Sharpening the knife, Hyunje tried to rush towards him again. However, it was a more passive movement than when smashing zombie heads.

He didn’t aim for vital spots like the head or neck. He swung the blade horizontally, targeting the chest. Considering the distance, he believed the attack would be limited to a shallow cut. He thought it would be more surprising for Junseong if he inflicted deeper wounds.

Aiming a weapon at a person was never an easy task. Doing in reality what he hesitated even in his dreams was a difficult thing. However, he had to make a threatening level of attack, so he tried to avoid the vital areas and attack.

Contrary to calculations, Hyunje made a foolish move. Rather than pulling back his body when he saw the machete, he suddenly raised his arm to block the attack. This unexpected move caused him significant injury. Not just a torn sleeve or a minor cut, but the blade embedded deeply in his forearm, as if it had been driven into a zombie’s head.

Junseong was also shocked and quickly pulled out the machete, causing the wound to worsen, resulting in immense pain.

“Uaaah!”

In excruciating pain he hadn’t imagined, Hyunje screamed.

Perturbed, Junseong seized the opportunity.

While Hyunje was focused on his own injury, Junseong swiftly removed the syringe that had been lodged in his neck and rushed towards Taeju.