Red Dot - 8

– Chapter 8 –

Desperately pushing the zombie’s head away with the stick and her other foot to avoid being bitten, Chaeyi saw the bloodied teeth getting closer to her ankle.

She closed her eyes, imagining the impending pain.

*Thud-!*

Suddenly, a switchblade appeared from the side and pierced the zombie’s head as if it were going to split it in half. The zombie, which was about to bite Chaeyi’s ankle, stopped abruptly with a yelp.

“I told you, it’s not a good time to close your eyes when I’m in danger.”

Chaeyi, frozen in shock, turned her head following the familiar voice that carried a rough breath.

“Are you okay?”

Chaeyi’s brother, Kang Junseong, had a calmer and more composed voice than her. He was pulling the machete out of the zombie’s head.

Seeing Junseong, Chaeyi’s tension seemed to dissipate without her realizing it. Even though he was usually just a guy who played games in his room, he felt remarkably dependable right now.

Junseong waved the machete to shake off the crimson blood on its surface and then held Chaeyi’s arm, helping her to stand steadily.

“Are you hurt?”

“…No.”

Chaeyi nodded and stood up straight. Junseong lightly patted her head, assuring her that the blood on her clothes wasn’t hers. Chaeyi looked at Junseong with a strange expression.

She couldn’t fathom why he was here at this time. He was usually just a shut-in who played games. Junseong was likely thinking that the reason they were in the corridor until now was because of some time discrepancy. If the alarm had gone off at 2 o’clock sharp, they would have dashed straight into the TA’s office without encountering zombies, and he would have joined them a few minutes later.

Junseong looked down at Chaeyi’s grabbed ankle. Clear traces of where the zombie had gripped her white ankle were vividly visible.

If they had been even a bit later, Chaeyi, who had never died in her dreams, might have been bitten and turned into a zombie. Thinking this way, he was more angry with himself, who had caused this variable, than afraid.

“There should be no more variables.”

Chewing on the inside of her cheek as she calmed her mind, Junseong, who had been lost in thought, looked at Soyeon, who had a bewildered expression. He then grabbed her and led her to the TA’s office.

In his haste, Junseong couldn’t open the TA’s office door until the third try. He waved his hand, urging Chaeyi and Soyeon to hurry inside.

“Quick! Come on!”

As the three entered the TA’s office, they could hear the hurried sound of the door being closed behind them.

“Ugh…”

Soyeon, who had been panting heavily, now sat down on the floor as if all her tension had been released. Chaeyi, who had slid down to sit with her back against the door, was no different.

Junseong, who was catching his breath, quickly scanned the inside of the TA’s office.

It was exactly the same as the TA’s office he had seen in his dream. Not a single sheet of paper on the desk had changed, and even the two cozy-looking two-seater sofas and the wooden table were all the same. Even the canned coffee in the refrigerator that Jiwoo had opened was in the same place.

Looking at the inside of the TA’s office that was exactly as he had seen it in his dream for two months, Junseong felt a sense of wonder. He couldn’t help but wonder how he knew about Chaeyi’s university structure and the interior of this TA’s office, as if he had visited it before.

“Is this a premonition or something?”

He had never experienced a recurring premonition that lasted for two months.

While Junseong was lost in thought about the dream he had been having for the past two months, a feeling of someone tugging on his sleeve made him turn his gaze.

Chaeyi, who had regained some color unlike earlier, looked up at Junseong and asked, “What happened to you, oppa? Why are you here?”

“Because I came to save you.”

Junseong, nonchalantly, extended his hand towards Chaeyi’s cheek. There was a slight smear of blood on her cheek from when he hit the zombie attacking Soyeon.

Chaeyi swatted away Junseong’s hand, which was trying to wipe off the blood, and furrowed her brow.

“How did you know where I was and come to save me? And how did you know about the TA’s office?”

“Even if I tell you, you won’t believe it.”

“Tell me. I’ll believe anything.”

“Can you let me catch my breath first?”

“…”

Chaeyi still had a dissatisfied expression but didn’t press further. They were in a safe place now, and once Junseong caught his breath, he would explain gradually.

“Um…”

Suddenly, Jiwoo approached, holding out a can of coffee to Junseong, and gave him an uncertain look.

“You’re Chaeyi’s older brother, right?”

“Yes. Are both of you Chaeyi’s friends?”

Jiwoo initially answered “yes” but then suddenly hesitated and teared up. Junseong sensed that, just like in the dream, Jiwoo was also timid and prone to crying in reality. Despite being a sturdy guy, he was someone who cries easily.

“Sob, oppa, what… Sob, what’s going on with us? What is all this… Sob…”

Seeing Jiwoo’s tears, Junseong didn’t panic and, without saying anything, patted his shoulder to console him. He knew that comforting Jiwoo with words would only make him cry more.

After a few sobs and with Junseong’s comforting, Jiwoo wiped his tears away with the back of his hand.

“Now that you’ve calmed down, would you like to sit for a moment?”

Following Junseong’s words, Jiwoo obediently nodded and sat down on the opposite sofa. Soyeon, who had also sat down on the floor, moved to sit on the same sofa as Jiwoo, ready to hear what Junseong had to say. Junseong, who had put his backpack down, took a seat next to Chaeyi.

After downing half of the cool canned coffee in one gulp, Junseong addressed Jiwoo and Soyeon.

“Do you guys know the current situation?”

It seemed like now he was ready to explain, and Chaeyi raised an eyebrow.

“I saw news about a riot. We all knew about that, but then zombies suddenly appeared… No, before that…”

Taking a breath, Chaeyi’s voice trembled slightly as she asked, “Did we see the zombies?”

“Yes.”

The brief response to Chaeyi’s trembling question was light, but it injected an eerie tension into all three of them.

“There’s no time, so I’ll give a brief explanation.”

Without any time for questions, Junseong continued.

“As you’ve seen, zombies are everywhere. Inhan City is already closed off by the military, and as you know, all communication and the internet are completely cut off. In other areas, large-scale riots have broken out, but they have no idea about this zombie situation.”

Junseong provided an abbreviated explanation of the current situation, focusing on the most critical details he had gathered through his dreams. It included information that couldn’t be obtained through the internet due to the government’s intervention.

As they listened to the explanation, Jiwoo was deep in thought, trembling lips.

“With zombies roaming around like this, how can people not know? We even reported the appearance of zombies!”

“The police authorities have already issued an official notice. Communication is cut off, so even if we reported it before, all zombie-related reports would have been ignored.”

“That can’t be true! It can’t be!”

Jiwoo protested desperately with a quivering voice. Soyeon, who was comforting him, also looked just as shocked.

The rapid response and isolation were surprising.

The government took this situation extremely seriously. They acknowledged the existence of ‘zombies’ swiftly, imposed a lockdown on Inhan City, and did everything they could to contain the situation within its borders.

The response was as if their lives depended on it.

If citizens outside of Inhan City were to become aware of the existence of ‘zombies,’ it would lead to chaos in Korea and potentially worldwide. South Korea would be ostracized in politics, economy, diplomacy, and all aspects of society, carrying the label of the ‘zombie virus outbreak site’ and becoming the scapegoat.

Above all, to prevent interference from other countries, it had to be resolved before it escalated. As one of the isolated people within Inhan City, Junseong understood the high-ranking officials’ intentions well, and he could only feel bitter about it.

Listening quietly to the conversation, Chaeyi looked at Junseong with a puzzled expression.

“How do you know all that?”

Sensing something peculiar, Chaeyi questioned Junseong.

“The information I just shared, how are you so certain about it? You’ve been cooped up at home all this time, how did you…!”

Knock, knock.

Chaeyi’s words were abruptly cut off. Everyone, including her, turned their tense faces towards the door, alarmed by the unexpected sound.