Chapter 2 Part 9

Yoo Min-ho stood there with the pouring rain hitting his entire body. It was night, on the street, and very cold. As I thought about how the dim light of the street lamp above him seemed particularly desolate, Yoo Min-ho opened his mouth like he was standing at the edge of the world. Despite the loud downpour from all directions, his small voice surprisingly resonated in my ears.

‘Hyung, I… Sometimes, I wish the world would just end. A natural disaster, a nuclear bomb… anything that would just wipe everything out. The successful bastards, the broke losers like me who have nothing but debt… everyone, equally… Don’t you think… maybe my crappy life… would be a little less sad then?’

Looking closely, Yoo Min-ho’s face wasn’t wet with rain but tears. I couldn’t remember the exact situation, but hearing these words caused my heart to be painfully torn apart. 

It was then that I remembered the ending of this godforsaken zombie movie. How could I have forgotten? I was the one who wrote the original screenplay it was based on. It was almost laughable that I hadn’t remembered until now.

…Yes. That’s right.

Lee Chae-eun, Do Ji-hyuk… and even Cha Min-jae… would all die miserably in the end. This harsh disaster film lacked any hope or romance. From beginning to end, it was just a cycle of despair that culminated in an undeniably tragic ending. Among them, I put the most effort into writing the scenes where the three main characters died.

One would turn into a zombie after being bitten, fated to wander the ruined world.

Another would be torn to shreds, their death so brutal they couldn’t even turn.

And the last, unable to bear the despair, would choose to end their own life. 

The three main characters in the movie had everything people would envy: wealth, fame, and dazzling appearances. I couldn’t forgive Do Ji-hyuk’s perfection, nor did I like Cha Min-jae who thought everyone’s love for him was natural. Furthermore… I despised Lee Chae-eun for her irrational obsession with love.

The words Yoo Min-ho spoke to me in my memories were the very purpose of this scenario’s writing. As he said, I wished for the world to be destroyed. It was because I couldn’t forgive them. I couldn’t forgive the sun that continued to rise and set unchanged over time, nor could I forgive the people who calmly lived each day just like yesterday. But above all else, what I couldn’t forgive the most…

…was myself, still persistently living day by day.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Amidst the pouring rain, loud banging sounds echoed fiercely, gradually bringing me back to consciousness. Struggling to lift my heavy eyelids, I saw Yoo Min-ho striking the shutter with a fire extinguisher. He seemed determined to break the shutter and escape outside somehow.

…Yes, there was nothing like a fire extinguisher. As I had this pathetic thought, my phone vibrated from my pocket. With slow movements, I barely managed to take out the cell phone and saw that a message had arrived:

[Finally remembered?] 20:02

[I thought it would take about ten more deaths for you to figure it out.] 20:02

“Keuk, keup!”

At that moment, vomiting occurred, and rotten blood poured onto the floor. It seemed like I really didn’t have much time left. Completely drained of strength, I collapsed with my head hitting the store’s floor when I heard Yoo Min-ho calling my name as he ran over. The blood-stained screen lit up one last time, displaying a final message:

[So, why did you write such a fucked up story?] 20:03 

After reading that message, my time reset once again to the beginning.

***

The fog of the zombie infection that had clouded my mind vanished as if it were a lie the moment the clock struck 19:21. For a while, I couldn’t shake off the shock.  How could a screenplay I wrote manifest into an actual, breathing world? It was beyond comprehension. Especially unsettling was the unconcealed malice directed at me in that last message.  But I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of injustice. 

It was just a story. A fictional tale woven from the thoughts in my head. What writer felt genuine guilt over their characters?  If I had to endure this torment just because I wrote a single screenplay, then every author in the world would be scared to death. Who knew if they’d find their own creations waiting for them at the gates of hell, ready for a little reunion?  To put it simply, this was absolute madness. 

Bzzzt– 

I was startled by the vibration and checked my phone to find another message had arrived:

[Well then, I’ll give you your mission now.] 19:21

[From now on, destroy everything that you intended for this world.] 19:21

[Completely and perfectly.] 19:22

[This time, please do well. We need to break free from this goddamn time loop. Both you and me.] 19:22

My throat felt dry. While I couldn’t fully comprehend the content of these messages, it seemed clear that following the instructions would help us break free from the repeating time loop. There was no reason to hesitate. I left the cafe promptly and headed straight for the convenience store. Now that I could vividly recall the novel’s plot, my next steps became crystal clear.

I opened the back door of the convenience store and headed straight to the stationery corner. Moving towards the counter, I hastily tore open the packaging of a cutter knife. The man behind the counter looked to be around 20 years old with a youthful face, engrossed in his cellphone. He belatedly noticed my presence and seemed flustered.

“Welco–”

However, I didn’t wait for him to finish speaking. In one swift motion, I leaped over the counter, approached him from inside, pressed the cutter blade firmly against his neck, and whispered in a low voice:

“Let’s go. We’re heading to the real estate office.”

“W-Why are you doing this?”

“Shut up, we don’t have time. We’ll talk later.”

I threatened him with an empty threat and led him across the corridor to the real estate office. Fortunately, Hyeon-ho, who was supposedly the son of the real estate agent, didn’t resist much on the way there. Just before opening the back door marked ‘Heavenly Sky Real Estate’, I wrapped my arm around his neck from behind. With the cutter knife held against his throat, anyone would’ve recognized me as a textbook example of a criminal.

Taking a deep breath, I kicked open the back door with force, causing it to slam loudly and drawing everyone’s attention inside the office. As soon as I assessed the scene within the real estate office, I issued a command in a low voice:

“All three of you come out to the corridor immediately. Otherwise, I will… haa, cut this man’s throat.”

I felt unfamiliar with myself as I spoke like a petty villain. Anyway, I had to instill fear in them now so I couldn’t help but maintain the most expressionless face possible. It was pathetic how my circumstances had fallen to this point.

“H-Hyeon-ho-ya!” Along with the real estate agent’s screaming voice, I also heard the voices of Do Ji-hyuk and Yoo Min-ho.

“Who the fuck is that crazy bastard… Lee Chae-eun? Have you gone mad?”

“Who is it? Someone you know?”

“Fuck, that stalker bastard. I swear, this time I’m putting you behind bars.”

I didn’t want to deal with them individually, so I put the cutter blade against Hyeon-ho’s neck and warned him again, “Sorry, but I’m… in a bit of a hurry. So, why don’t you all just come out here? Ah… Do Ji-hyuk-ssi, there is no use taking out your phone. Emergency calls aren’t working, and all the shutters are down… God, how many times have I said this shit? Ugh. Point is, nobody’s coming to save you, so listen up.” 

“You crazy bastard…”

“Yoo Min… no, Cha Min-jae. Keep your mouth shut until you remember my name.”

“You crazy… Lee Chae-eun, have you gone mad? Are you on drugs?”

That damn drug, fuck… I would’ve asked for some if there were. There was no way I could endure this while sober. With my mouth tightly closed, I pressed the cutter blade closer to Hyeon-ho’s neck and moved his chin slightly. It meant that they should quickly get out of here. We didn’t know when zombies would break through the cafe glass wall. This corridor would be hell on earth in less than ten minutes.

The completely frightened real estate agent was the first one to emerge, followed by Do Ji-hyuk. Then Yoo Min-ho walked out last with a swaggering gait. He seemed convinced that I wouldn’t cut the part-time worker’s throat. And he was right, which only forced me to double down on my act.

“…We’re going to the management office. If even one of you tries to run, this guy’s dead. Especially you, Cha Min-jae. Don’t even think about coming near me. And if you see a fire extinguisher out in the hallway, don’t even look at it. The moment you touch it, this guy’s a goner.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? This bastard has gone crazy.”

I had to warn him in advance, knowing full well how strong he was. If luck wasn’t on my side, I could easily become the first victim of his fire extinguisher. However, he laughed incredulously and started walking towards me. Knowing I didn’t stand a chance if he tried to overpower me, I tightened my grip on the cutter and dragged it across my skin in one swift motion. In an instant, shock filled the faces of all three individuals, causing Yoo Min-ho to abruptly stop.

Naturally, I couldn’t cut at the hostage’s neck so I made a long tear on my own forearm instead. The wound was deeper than I thought, and I could feel blood flowing down from the gash, past my elbow onto the floor. There was a warm sensation due to the injury but it didn’t bother me much, perhaps because of all the times zombies had bitten me before. However, the three people in front of me seemed to think differently. They now believed that I had completely gone insane. Well, there is nothing more frightening than a madman. This worked out well for me.

It was a somewhat reckless plan but somehow, I managed to drag four people, including Hyeon-ho, towards the management office. Suppressing my anxiety, we finally arrived at the door of the management office when I heard the sound of glass breaking from the end of the corridor. There was no more time to delay. I pressed the cutter blade against Hyeon-ho’s neck and ordered him:

“Open the door.”

“…What?”

“I said open the door immediately, you crazy bastard. I already know you were the one who pulled the shutters down.”

“…..”

Hyeon-ho, who had been silent until now, slowly turned to face me, a chilling grin spreading across his face. It was somehow creepy.