Red Dot - 49

Boom!

A deafening explosion and vibration made everyone huddle, feeling a chill down their spines. Changmin, startled, instinctively pulled Jian down and covered her with his body. The tall man who had entered last turned his back towards the metal door and embraced Junseong tightly.

Through the tightly shut metal door, dust rushed in like an exploding storm. However, that was all; the sturdy metal door remained intact even in the face of an explosion that shook the ground.

No more explosive sounds echoed.

Junseong, embraced by Do Hanseo, patted his back to signal that everything was okay now.

Even after receiving the signal, Hanseo, who had let go of Junseong, took hold of the door handle.

Creak.

When the metal door opened, a sound of friction was heard, which hadn’t been audible when the door was closed. It indicated that there was still a significant impact, even if they hadn’t been directly engulfed by the explosion.

As they went outside, glass shards and various debris had scattered in front of the metal door, along the corridor, and right in front of the descending stairs. The surroundings were filled with dust, as if someone had released powder all around.

The four of them ascended the stairs nervously. Hanseo, who seemed not to have any tension, stood at the front. Following him were Junseong, Changmin, and Jian.

The shops they checked after climbing the stairs were in terrible condition. Regardless of how the explosion occurred, most of the glass was shattered, and various items from unknown shops were crumpled and cracked in every direction.

Hanseo, leaving a message to wait while he looked around, vanished unexpectedly. Changmin seemed confused as he watched him leave alone, but seeing Junseong’s calm face, he remained silent.

Observing the scorched and dusty interior of the mall, Junseong, after a brief cough, habitually glanced down at his watch.

‘We made it.’

It was fortunate that things were resolved as he had thought.

Even in his dreams, he had attempted several times to rescue Seo Changmin and Lee Jian. He had even formed a team with a helpful companion and tried dual operations. However, the result was always the death of Seo Changmin and Lee Jian.

If he managed to save them from the zombies, they died in a gas explosion.

If he tried to adjust things to prevent the gas explosion, they died from being bitten during the journey.

Even if he somehow managed to save them from the zombies, they ended up in another life-or-death struggle and died.

‘What would have happened if there was no Do Hanseo?’

A zombie trapped in a restaurant caused chaos inside and resulted in a gas explosion. Even if one side prevented the gas explosion, the other side, where Seo Changmin and Lee Jian fled, was quite far away. Even if he sent someone to rescue them from there, the zombies targeting them remained unscathed. The side that prevented the gas explosion also had to hide somewhere due to the many zombies. In the end, there was no resolution.

But thanks to Do Hanseo, it was possible.

He chose Do Hanseo to lead the way through the zombies to the side of the gas explosion. Since he was safe even in the midst of a zombie horde, he was the most suitable candidate. Sending him to rescue Changmin and Jian would have highlighted his safety in the midst of many zombies. However, he couldn’t go that way.

When entering the mall, Junseong handed over the ‘vaccine’ to Do Hanseo. Instead of preventing the planned gas explosion, Do Hanseo decided to lure the zombies to that side.

Junseong provided his phone for the purpose of luring the zombies out. During a previous dream when he had moved to prevent the gas explosion, he witnessed that there was a wired speaker in the nail art shop next to the restaurant. He planned to use that as well.

The effect of using the phone’s ringtone through the speaker was significant. In addition to the zombies chasing Changmin, all the zombies scattered throughout the mall gathered towards Do Hanseo.

Do Hanseo, who was keeping an eye on the time with the phone, turned off the music according to Junseong’s instructions and calmly walked through the zombies. Once the zombies had gathered, they were all engulfed in the explosion.

Junseong could only breathe a sigh of relief after Hanseo returned and assured him that all the zombies were dead. Only then did he feel pure relief. The thought that they had really succeeded finally dawned on him. Considering the numerous failures and deaths he had experienced in trying to save Seo Changmin and Lee Jian in his dreams, this success felt even more significant.

Junseong, now relaxed, turned to Changmin and Jian and greeted them.

“I’m Kang Junseong. This is my friend, Do Hanseo.”

As Hanseo joined the introduction, Changmin, who had been awkwardly huddled under his hat, raised his head with his hand and respectfully bowed.

“I’m Seo Changmin.”

“I’m Lee Jian. But what happened? Did you come from outside? Aren’t the guys who were in the mall here? And…”

As soon as she finished her introduction, Jian bombarded them with questions. After wiping away the tears that had welled up in the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, she finally spoke the words she had been holding back for three days.

“I’m hungry.”

Junseong and Hanseo, who successfully rescued Seo Changmin and Lee Jian, headed towards a nearby construction site. The building, which had progressed only to the frame stage, was so early in construction that it couldn’t even properly block the chilly wind. However, it was not the place they intended to stay.

“Come inside.”

Junseong invited them into the container box in the construction site as if it were his own home. Changmin, with proper courtesy, said, “Excuse me,” and looked somewhat awkward.

Before going to rescue them, Junseong had visited this place first. Going all the way to the hospital was not an option since it was too far, and more importantly, there were still too many zombies in that area. If it were just him and Hanseo, they could either get the vaccine or break through by embracing each other, but it was impossible with these two. Hanseo’s abilities had to be kept hidden for emergencies.

He expected to return to the hospital on the 7th day or the day before. Until then, they needed a few more people, so he planned to rescue them and join forces before moving.

The place stamped as a temporary residence was this office inside the container box at the construction site.

Though cramped, it had a bathroom, a sink, and even a showerhead hanging haphazardly next to it. Thanks to the installed generator, there seemed to be enough electricity for a while, and the boiler was still in good condition. The only downside was that it was a one-pipe system, so even though there was a water purifier, no water came out.

If the water and food issues were resolved, it wasn’t a bad place to stay for a while.

The problem was that since it was used as an office, the tables, desks, and chairs were packed so tightly that only one or two people could barely move. Therefore, the team decided to temporarily move all the useless furniture outside.

“Since there are no zombies nearby, you can comfortably put them out. Hurry up, take a break.”

Junseong, removing his cumbersome coat and rolling up his sleeves, picked up the glass table in front of him as if it were nothing. Despite its appearance, it was surprisingly heavy.

“Give it here, and watch your back.”

Two hands that suddenly slipped in from the side swiftly took away the glass table. Unlike Junseong, Hanseo picked up the table as if it were light and carried it outside the container office. Junseong saw them off, and Hanseo effortlessly carried the table out as if it were his own. If he hadn’t seen them showing off their strength, Junseong might have had something else to show outside.

Changmin, suddenly intervening, took two folding chairs and folded them neatly, holding them together. Hudaak! His arms emerged from the side and effortlessly carried away both folded chairs.

“I’ll handle this. Just rest since you’re injured.”

Afterwards, he picked up all eight folding chairs at once and took them outside. Even though they were folding chairs, they had iron poles, so they must have been quite heavy. Changmin, without showing any signs of difficulty, carried them away effortlessly.

Seeing the contrasting displays of strength between the two men, Junseong, feeling the need to contribute something, approached the computer on the desk and unplugged all the connecting cables.

As soon as he picked up the monitor, it was taken away again.

“I’ll do it, Oppa. I’m stronger than I look.”

Jian, with a bashful smile, embraced the monitor and left the office with light steps. While Hanseo and Jian were coming in and out, Changmin rushed over alarmed when he saw Junseong trying to lift the computer case, saying he hurt his hand, and took it away again.

‘These people…’

Junseong sighed, wondering how weak he must look for everyone to act like this. He was unaware that his slender body, exposed without a coat, might be the reason for their reactions.

After bringing out all the scattered furniture and meticulously cleaning the floor with wet wipes brought from the hospital, the group gathered in the warm room heated by the boiler. They sat in a circle.

Junseong opened his backpack for Changmin and Jian, who probably couldn’t drink water properly. Two energy bars and two bottles of water protruded from the bag. As the two accepted them with bright faces, Junseong took out a blanket from the backpack and draped it over Jian’s shoulders. The boiler had just started running, so her shoulders still looked cold.

With a bashful smile, Jian, appreciating Junseong’s consideration, asked quietly, “By the way, do you know what happened to the rescue team? We’ve been waiting for them, but they haven’t shown up…”

“It’ll be hard to expect them for a while.”

“Ah…”

Jian’s face quickly turned gloomy.

“By the way, I’m planning to meet someone who can find out the situation outside of Inhansi tomorrow.”

“Really?”

Changmin, who had been silently eating the energy bar, suddenly looked up, his eyes gleaming. Being trapped in the shopping mall, unable to get any information, must have been frustrating for him, so it was a natural reaction.

Junseong, hinting at an answer, asked as if leading the conversation.

“By the way, you fought against the zombies quite well earlier. Are you skilled in martial arts?”

“Rather than martial arts…”

Changmin scratched his head and chuckled.

“I belong to the 707 Special Mission Unit. I’m on vacation right now, though.”