Red Dot - 63

“Dangerous. If you’re going, take me with you,” Changmin said with concern, but Junseong shook his head.

“I’ve only passed by this office once in my dreams, so I can’t predict when the zombies will come. It’s still risky to move to a hiding place I know well.”

Junseong’s hiding place was Inhan Hospital.

Zombies still roamed there. It would probably be the same until around the seventh day when they planned to return.

There were ways to drive away the countless zombies, but the problem was that there was one more person they needed to bring before returning to that place. Considering the condition of Inhan Hospital, it wasn’t easy to come and go freely, so they had to wait until the last person joined them before moving.

Moreover, a construction site with a large open space like this was much better suited for testing the modified drone than the hospital. The only place usable in Inhan Hospital was the rooftop, so if the drone went awry there, it would be impossible to retrieve it.

Junseong looked at Changmin and the other two who still seemed worried.

“We’re not going far. There’s a department store nearby, and from what I remember, there weren’t many zombies inside.”

Junseong’s gaze turned to Gyeong-oh.

“And we’ll probably need more battery packs for the drone.”

“Oh, right. We’re a bit short on spare battery packs.”

Gyeong-oh nodded in agreement. He was already anxious because he thought they might use up more than half of the batteries installed on the modified drone during practice.

“I’ll bring extra food and change of clothes when I go to get the battery packs.”

“Wow! Really?!”

Jian exclaimed, smiling broadly. She felt delighted at the thought of finally getting rid of her dirty school uniform.

“Is that also a place you’ve seen in your dreams?”

“Yes. So, I know which direction to go for safety.”

While listening to Junseong’s words, Changmin, who had been contemplating, looked at Hanseo.

When they rescued Gyeong-oh and came out with Junseong through the cloud bridge, Changmin recalled the piles of bodies Hanseo had stacked. Amidst the chaos when Jian was busy checking the condition of the apartment with binoculars, he had quietly dealt with so many zombies alone. Even without undressing, one could easily tell how well-trained Hanseo’s body was.

Moreover, Hanseo had lured in numerous zombies even at the shopping mall where they rescued themselves and Jian, then calmly escaped from there. Although he hadn’t directly witnessed it, his excellent skills and boldness were undeniable.

Since such a person was going with them, Changmin felt somewhat relieved.

“Besides, Hanseo seems to be a very close friend of Junseong’s…”

Although they had only known each other for just two days, Changmin was aware that despite Hanseo’s constant smile, his eyes were as cold and sharp as ice. It didn’t seem so pleasant to see the unfamiliar and eerie Hanseo, who seemed to be wearing a mask only around his mouth. It was true that even in Junseong’s stories about dreams, Hanseo never properly appeared like himself or Jian, so there was enough reason to be suspicious.

However, Junseong seemed to trust Hanseo, and Hanseo, in turn, looked at him with great warmth, so Changmin dispelled his doubts. Seeing their occasional conversations and the strong bond that seemed different from a chance encounter, he felt relieved.

“Got it. Wear minimal clothing but something comfortable. It’s better to avoid bulky outerwear because of the volume.”

Junseong nodded at Changmin’s advice, considering the winter season.

“Yes, I’ll do that. I’ll share memo pads with you, so if you need anything, write it down. If you write down anything unreasonable, I’ll naturally skip it, so keep that in mind.”

Although it was a comment intended for Hanseo, he didn’t seem to care much.

After distributing memo pads to everyone and collecting them back immediately after.

Junseong gave Hanseo a stern look.

Unlike the other memo pads, which had various small items listed, Hanseo’s only had the two letters ‘condoms’ written on it.

That dawn.

Junseong, who had fallen asleep with a tired body, had thought that he wouldn’t dream again this time.

In fact, for the past two months, all the dreams he had were nothing but nightmares of this zombie situation, endlessly repeating. Except for the pain, it was an extreme experience no different from reality.

Having dreamed only such things for two months, Junseong didn’t quite grasp what everyone commonly referred to as ‘dreams.’

So, after the zombie outbreak, not dreaming at all was so relieving.

For Junseong, dreams were akin to experiencing nightmares consciously, so rather than dreaming anything, sleeping soundly and waking up was like heaven.

But that was only until yesterday.

Today, Junseong found himself dreaming again.

The dream he had after a long time didn’t start in the studio apartment like before.

The starting point was an abandoned factory.

There wasn’t enough light because electricity didn’t come in. It was so eerie that it could be believed even in reality. The disturbing smell filled the air, and eerie moans from somewhere stimulated Junseong’s senses.

‘What’s this? A dream?’

As soon as he thought of the word ‘dream,’ he was convinced.

This was a dream.

Moreover, it was a dream with such a realistic feeling, like the ones he had for the past two months, that it sent shivers down his spine.

Although he was taken aback, wondering if it was a premonition like the previous dreams, he realized the background was different. Whenever the dream started, he always began in the center of his studio apartment, but now he was standing alone in a strange abandoned factory.

Junseong looked around and clenched his fists.

He clearly felt his fingernails digging into his palms, but he didn’t feel any pain. It was as if only his palms were anesthetized.

‘Surely it’s a dream.’

Although he knew it, confirming it with pain made him more certain.

But the problem started from here.

He woke up with the same sensations as the dreams he had for two months. Was this also a premonition, or was it a dream unrelated to the previous ones? He didn’t even know how to wake up from this dream.

Feeling confused by suddenly dreaming again, Junseong got up from his seat.

No, he tried to get up.

Clank-!

The sound of chains being pulled against a metal pole was quite loud. Junseong, who was trying to get up, couldn’t even get up properly due to the pressure on his stomach, and just hesitated to sit down.

Only then, in the dim darkness, did Junseong notice that a rope was tied around his waist. Both of his hands were shackled in front of him, he realized.

Perplexed, Junseong turned his waist and stretched his hands backward to feel the rope. The knot was tied around his lower back, and about 1 meter of short chains tied to the ring were fastened to the metal pole behind him.

Junseong pondered as he pulled the chain a few times.

‘This is… this can’t be…’

The current situation.

It wasn’t the first time he had experienced it.

From somewhere far away, the sound of many people’s footsteps could be heard. The sound of countless people walking came closer and closer, and light bulbs gradually entered from the end of the abandoned factory where they entered.

Every time the footsteps and light bulbs approached, Junseong shivered in cold sweat. Before he knew it, he retreated in fear, pressing his back against the metal pole.

Among the approaching footsteps, ‘that person’s’ voice could be heard. Even in a world full of zombies, his cheerful laughter was unforgettable. So, Junseong couldn’t help but know who this dream was showing him, even though he didn’t want to.

‘Crazy dream, crazy mind…!’

Even when showing a dream after such a long time, Junseong felt resentful about why his mind had to show him such nonsense.

“Don’t come…”

Junseong murmured incessantly without being able to swallow his words emerging from his throat. In the meantime, he clenched his fists tightly, desperately wanting to wake up from this dream.

During this, the light bulbs were suddenly illuminating right in front of Junseong.

Then, with his head still bowed deeply, Junseong felt the light hitting the spot where he had been sitting.

Amidst the approaching footsteps, an unforgettable voice could be heard.

“Our Junseong, are you awake?”

As soon as he heard the man’s voice, a creepy sensation washes over Junseong’s entire body, causing him to tremble uncontrollably. A fear he never wanted to recall again engulfed his entire being.

Among the many footsteps, the cheerful sound of someone’s boots approached right in front of Junseong. Nevertheless, Junseong just kept murmuring “Don’t come,” with his head bowed deeply.

“Junseong.”

It was a gentle and warm voice. Instead of lifting his head at that voice, Junseong involuntarily hunched his body even more.

Seemingly not pleased with this, the man grabbed Junseong’s hair firmly, forcing him to look up. A chilling voice pierced through Junseong’s tightly closed eyes and ears.

“If the master had come, you should wag your tail from the start.”