Episode 10: A Weird Guy

[TV NEWS PLAYS]

(On-screen subtitle) Government blames North Korea—public doubt intensifies

"This morning, the government placed all of Gangneung under military lockdown, prohibiting civilian and vehicle movement in or out. The Ministry of National Defense continues to claim it's due to 'unusual activity from the North,' but social media is exploding with reports that the military is either indiscriminately controlling or outright abandoning civilians. Meanwhile, there is still no official word on reports of infected individuals..."

**

What the hell is going on now?

The refreshing taste of the coke disappeared instantly.

She just hung up on me like that.

Looks like I need to go check in on Room 401.

I meant to talk to Doyoon, but this is going to have to come first.

Might as well bring the charger while I'm at it. I've got to return it anyway.

Knock knock—

No answer.

Instead, a sharp voice lashed out from behind the door.

"Just go away!"

What the hell?

"…Could you at least tell me why?"

There's no end to this.

"I don't trust you! Just leave us alone!"

I didn't go back to my room.

Instead, I sat down on the floor in front of Room 401.

This was clearly a conversation that needed to happen—and it was going to be a long one.

"…"

What should I even say?

Start with the basics.

"…First of all, I'm not that old."

"…"

No response.

"My name's Kang Ji-hoo… Could you please tell me why you're acting like this?"

For some reason, telling someone your name shortens the distance between you.

Just my opinion.

Should've done a proper introduction earlier.

I was trying to help them without even knowing their names.

No reply from inside.

Seems like she's not ready to talk yet.

So I laid my body down right there in the hallway.

Waiting was probably the only thing I could do now.

"I'll be right here. If there's anything you want to say, just call me anytime."

Using my arm as a pillow, I rested my head against the floor.

Hard and cold, but not as bad as I thought.

I stared blankly at the ceiling, thinking about how we might escape.

Silence passed for a while.

Then—

Clack!

The door opened suddenly.

But the chain lock was still on.

"…Were you seriously just lying there this whole time?"

It wasn't that angry voice from earlier.

It was the voice that had shouted over the phone—not out of anger, but fear.

I sat up and replied, "It's been a long day. Lying down just felt right."

She didn't seem emotionally agitated anymore.

"This is your charger. Thanks."

I stood up slowly and held the charger through the narrow gap.

She carefully took it and let out a small breath.

"…You're kind of a weird guy."

She hesitated, then asked again.

"Kang Ji-hoo, was it? Can I trust you?"

I paused for a second to think how to respond—what should I call her?

Miss? Student? Lady?

Madam? That'd end the conversation right there.

"That's not for me to decide, my lady. That's your choice."

I figured "my lady" was safe and respectful enough.

…I just wish she'd tell me why her friends were acting like that.

"I'm not a lady either… My name is Yoon Seo-young."

Seo-young, huh.

"Then... Seo-young? Why were you all so upset? Did I do something wrong?"

I didn't sugarcoat anything.

The sudden shift in attitude had thrown me off too, even if I didn't show it.

"…We saw you leave. From the window."

I stayed silent, prompting her to explain further.

"…It scared us. We thought maybe you were infected too, and then you came back with a whole group of them."

Ah.

Now it makes sense.

They must have already been uneasy because of Ji-won.

"Later we realized they were chasing you, but Yoon-ah got really scared."

Seo-young let out a small sigh.

Then the door closed quietly.

I was about to think, "What the hell was that?" when—

"Don't open it!"

a voice shouted from inside.

But click—the chain came off.

The door opened again.

"I'll apologize on their behalf. I'm sorry."

I bowed my head slightly in return.

Come to think of it, I must've looked terrifying.

A guy who said no one should go out suddenly comes back dragging zombies with him.

No wonder they freaked out.

I didn't try to explain or justify anything.

"I'm sorry," I said.

And I bowed deeply.

It was the only thing I could do.

"…So, are we good now?"

The tension had noticeably eased.

"Yes," she answered.

Oddly enough, her voice sounded beautiful in that moment.

I quickly turned around.

"Well then, I'll head back. If you need anything, I'm in Room 403."

I walked off before I could show... whatever it was I didn't want to show.

Back in my room, I thought of Seo-young.

…I have to survive. No matter what.

But I couldn't only think about her.

I had to consider what we'd learned about the infected—like the fact that they sleep.

Could we use that for an escape plan?

They also drank water, responded to sound, reacted to visual cues—even coughed sometimes.

They weren't like the zombies from movies at all.

Still…

Could I really kill someone who used to be one of my men?

Could I kill other infected, just because they were attacking?

All the ones I'd seen so far still looked human.

That's why I don't call them zombies.

It's not just a technicality—it's emotional.

I glanced at Ji-won.

What if he attacked someone again?

Me, one of the men, or... Seo-young's group?

He was fast asleep.

No need to assign him guard duty.

A dumb thought, but I let it distract me as I reviewed possible escape plans.

The idea of using their sleep didn't really lead to anything concrete.

Maybe there'd be fewer of them active at night?

Even if so, it's not like we're fighting them head-on. We're avoiding them.

So maybe that's not a huge advantage.

...Damn it. I don't know.

Still have to talk to Doyoon.

But I was so tired.

Whenever I had overnight duty in the army, the fatigue hit from morning.

And today wasn't exactly a normal day.

My eyelids felt impossibly heavy.

I remembered what the corps commander once asked me—

"Why did you join the army?"

Right, I used to be his aide.

I told him I started because of my parents' recommendation.

It turned out I had a knack for it, and over time, I began to feel I was doing meaningful work.

When he asked how far I planned to go, I said, "All the way to the top, sir. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs."

He laughed at the boldness of a junior officer.

Then cut to: I'm fighting in a trench during unit training.

Oh yeah, this was during field exercise.

Our battery had lost every stupid competition that day.

Now it was the final match: officers vs. officers.

Best-of-three, elimination format. If your "king" lost, your team lost.

Naturally, each battery's commander was the king.

And theirs had Yoo Young-min—a powerhouse.

I agonized over strategy, came up with something clever, and we won two straight.

Our soldiers roared in celebration.

"HUAAA!!" I shouted, rallying even louder cheers.

Afterward, I was doing a routine inspection of the supply shed.

The closer I got, the farther away it felt.

Then suddenly I was inside the shed.

…It wasn't locked.

Who the hell left it open?

I didn't think twice and opened the door.

Too late.

There was no saving him.

He stood before me—tongue dangling out, pain etched all over his face.

He was a person… but didn't feel human anymore.

The grief of losing someone hit me hard.

If this is what it feels like,

Then never again—

Never again will I let someone die.

The memory sent a chill down my spine.

When I woke up, I felt oddly refreshed.

Which sounds absurd, given the situation—but like food tastes better when you're starving, sometimes pure exhaustion brings the best sleep.

I checked my phone.

5:17 AM.

Still early. I could sleep a bit more.

…Grrrrrgle.

Maybe I woke up because I was hungry.

My roommate, who'd claimed the bathroom as his personal space, was still sleeping.

I really needed to pee.

Guess I'll head downstairs.

Maybe grab some ramen.

Though I probably won't.

Once downstairs, I instinctively peered outside from a hiding spot.

Fewer infected than when I'd run around barefoot yesterday.

…Are they morning people? Or have they been up all night?

Whatever the reason, the threat was still real.

Relying on them sleeping to make an escape would need more refinement.

As expected, I didn't make ramen.

I thought about taking a couple boxes upstairs—but I didn't.

Too much effort.

I just wanted to sleep more.

Then I thought, maybe I should've gone to one of the empty rooms on the 5th floor.

…Waking up always makes thinking harder.

Since I was up, I went to the rooftop.

Dong-hoon and Hyung-seok were on watch.

They were doing their job well, but jumped a little when they saw me.

"You two talking trash about me?"

Just a little joke.

I'll let the smoking slide.

After patrol, I realized another issue.

We can't charge the radios.

Mine had gone dead.

So that's why it'd been quiet.

At least it worked yesterday.

But now, maintaining communication was going to be tough.

Great.

I went back to the rooftop and checked their radios.

Same result.

When morning comes, we'll all need to eat together.

I need to share these issues with the team.

Figure out how to feed Ji-won, too.

Not many options besides force-feeding him.

We should also talk about what we've observed from the infected.

Today is going to be busy again.

No way I'm falling back asleep now.

Too much to think about.

All of it important.

And I have to deal with Doyoon today.

The issue with the team can't wait.