Red Dot - 55

[Please land for a moment.]

Gyeong-oh found the request strange.

“Land? What for?”

If they wanted ordinary people to notice their message, they wouldn’t have written it like that. It didn’t make sense for them to stand there holding a paper, asking to be landed from a cloud bridge with stairs so prominently if they wanted someone to see them. And if they were scared of zombies, wouldn’t “Help us” be more appropriate than “Land”?

As Gyeong-oh puzzled over this, he noticed the man shaking the paper as if telling him something. It was only then that he realized the man was asking him to land the drone.

He wasn’t sure where they saw and wrote down such a request, but it was suspicious enough not to ignore. These were survivors with whom communication was finally possible.

Despite his doubts, Gyeong-oh decided to go along with it for now. He landed the drone in front of them, with the intention of activating the drone’s built-in warning sound if they tried to steal it.

However, instead of taking the drone, they seemed to be doing something with it. The young man who had first held the paper now showed another message written on it: “Check the note.”

His heart raced.

A note from a survivor.

Even receiving a love letter, which he had never received in his entire life, wouldn’t make his heart flutter like this.

Gyeong-oh, unable to contain his excitement at the thought that they might be able to help him, jumped around right there. Sending the drone at this moment truly felt like a divine move.

As Gyeong-oh flew the drone in front of them, he noticed the body wobbling, unable to maintain balance. It was a process that occurred as the center of gravity was adjusted due to the additional weight on the drone’s body.

In other words, they had attached something other than the note—a very light emergency ration, perhaps.

Though suspicious, since the flight was possible without any issues, Gyeong-oh controlled it to return with a tense expression.

The moment the camera captured his balcony as the drone returned, Gyeong-oh couldn’t resist and clung to the railing as if hanging on. He wondered what was attached other than the note. If it could fly like this, it couldn’t be something excessively heavy—perhaps a light emergency ration.

Sure enough, there was something on the drone. It was difficult to discern exactly what it was because it was wrapped tightly with white bandages around the drone’s body.

With trembling hands, Gyeong-oh tried to unwrap the bandages on the drone. Then, his eyes widened.

Inside, there was something resembling an eyeball.

A palm-sized inhaler with a familiar design, a small and lightweight black walkie-talkie, and the note they mentioned.

Seeing the inhaler, Gyeong-oh was surprised more than anything.

For healthy people, it was a medicine they would never use in their entire lives. For Gyeong-oh himself, it was currently the most essential item, even more critical than food or water.

How could they send something like this so accurately, as if reading his mind?

Gyeong-oh unknowingly rummaged through his house. Did he install a CCTV to monitor an ordinary security system guard from some security company? Why?

While absurdly considering such things, Gyeong-oh, with a nervous expression, picked up the inhaler and the walkie-talkie.

“Drone… Walkie-talkie…”

Gyeong-oh’s eyes twinkled without him realizing it.

“This feels like something out of a movie.”

A few months ago, a university friend had comforted him after a breakup by suggesting they watch the Korean zombie movie “#Alive.”

He would probably refuse if someone suggested going to watch a zombie movie now, but back then, it was a story with a background that didn’t concern him, and there was nothing better than a stimulating movie to relieve stress.

Although he found it entertaining, the only thing that remained in his memory was the drone. At that time, his interest was piqued, and it led to the purchase and modification of the current inhaler.

In the movie, the method of delivering the walkie-talkie was a bit different, but anyway, they sent something like this attached to a drone.

This was undoubtedly a signal to communicate.

Due to the nature of his profession, Gyeong-oh occasionally used a walkie-talkie. So, even without someone explaining, he knew well how to turn on the power and communicate using this device.

Before turning on the power, he opened the note.

[The frequency is set, just speak when you’re ready.]

No common greetings, just a brief message.

Whether it was an urgent situation or not, Gyeong-oh, who always preferred to keep things simple, liked the fact that the petite young man who handed him the note was straightforward.

Rotating the protruding part at the head of the walkie-talkie clockwise to turn on the power, Gyeong-oh pressed the button on the machine’s side firmly. Confirming the machine sound, he opened his mouth with a tense expression.

“I-Is it working?”

As soon as he spoke, he quickly released the finger that was holding down the button. Being a novice, he was anxious that if he kept pressing the button on this side, he wouldn’t be able to hear the other side’s response.

The same machine sound was heard when he pressed the button to speak.

– Yes, I can hear you well.

Hearing the clear voice of a young man, Gyeong-oh burst into a wide smile. He was calling out in joy as if performing a jump that he hadn’t dared to try due to the floor noise. Even the sagging belly, which had been powerless, swayed as if celebrating.

Meanwhile, a voice came from the other side of the walkie-talkie.

– Sir, we’ll help you get out of there, so please prepare the things we mentioned starting now. We’ll be there in 20 minutes.

“Yes? Um, what should I prepare? Just so you know, I don’t have anything to eat right now.”

– I know. Don’t worry; we’ll only call for things you already have.

The young man’s words made Gyeong-oh make a strange expression.

‘Among the things I have?’

How did they know what he had and call for it?

‘Come to think of it, it’s quite strange.’

Gyeong-oh thought of the four men and women he had met with the drone.

People who were waiting as if they knew the drone would head there.

The inhaler, the most important and urgent item for him at the moment.

Now they were saying they would call for things he had. He didn’t even know what was in his house.

Gyeong-oh looked down at the walkie-talkie in his hand.

If it were an ordinary person, they would need instructions on how to use it. However, the young man on the other side of the walkie-talkie already knew that he could handle it.

‘Do they know me too well? Could it be a stalker?! …No, that’s not possible.’

There was no reason for someone to stalk him, especially in times like these.

“What should I prepare, and how should I prepare it?”

– We’re going to help you escape from there.

Gyeong-oh’s eyes twinkled.

“Escape?! Uh, how? There are a lot of zombies outside here.”

– I know. The first thing you need to prepare is…

* * *

On the cloud bridge with a clear view of Gyeong-oh’s apartment.

Perhaps because all the zombies around the cloud bridge had been dealt with on the way here, it was unusually quiet.

‘I’d rather hear zombies screaming.’

As if feeling that the surroundings were too quiet, Jian, who had been pursing her lips in a tense manner, blinked her eyes a few times. The area had become so quiet that she felt her ears becoming sensitive.

Perhaps that’s why.

A crisp sound—

“Yikes….”

Startled by the sound from beside her, Jian swallowed her breath, never dreaming that the sound of someone grinding teeth could be so terrifying.

“If someone hears this, they might think we’re gnawing on human bones…”

Jian was too scared to even glance at the person next to her.

“Let’s pretend we don’t know. We have to act subtly, Jian.”

In terms of atmosphere, if she even slightly disturbed the mood of the person next to her, she might end up being abandoned without anyone noticing. Where? Into the zombie horde visible below her legs.

“Please, quickly! Mr. Drone, hurry!”

Gyeong-oh prayed for the drone to fly to him quickly. There must be items attached to the drone to perform the mission he received. If he completes the assigned mission, perhaps this chilly air might ease a bit.

Jian was far more afraid of Hanseo, who, unlike when she was with Jun-seong and Chang-min, was blowing freezing air to the point of creating a freezer.

When she was with Jun-seong and Chang-min, they didn’t notice, but she clearly saw it.

When Jun-seong said he would move with Chang-min, Hanseo had swiftly taken something out of his jacket pocket and put it back.

“I don’t know. I didn’t see anything. Really, I saw nothing….”

“What did you say his name was?”

“I really didn’t see anything…!”

At the sudden sound of Hanseo’s voice, Jian stopped herself from spitting out the words she had in her mind. Unlike a little while ago, she could see Hanseo smiling with a smile on his lips.

‘Is he feeling better…?’

Puzzled, Jian looked at him for a moment, then quickly recalled Hanseo’s question.

“What’s my name?”

For the seventh time, they were asking my name, but she couldn’t bring herself to give a sarcastic answer. Even now, the surrounding air felt so cold that she thought she might freeze to death.

“Yes, Jian!”

Although it was the seventh time, Jian quickly said her name in response to Hanseo’s question.