Chapter 1 Part 5

Inside the real estate agency, the atmosphere was calm and relaxed, as if the zombies roaming outside were a lie. Although I could sporadically hear the sound of zombies hitting the glass door of the store that I had just entered, it quickly quieted down when I pulled a bookshelf to block my line of sight. My hypothesis was confirmed when I saw the zombies that couldn’t open the back door. It seemed that their intelligence deteriorated to a level below that of birds when they turned into zombies. 

After letting out a sigh of relief, I scanned the inside of the real estate agency and saw three people sitting around a large, round table that seemed to be in the middle of a contract. The middle-aged woman sitting in the center appeared to be a licensed real estate agent, and there were two handsome men with a strong presence sitting on either side of her.

Among them, the first person that caught my eye was a young man sitting on the left. He must have been around twenty years old. I couldn’t take my eyes off this handsome young man for a while. Of course, his dazzling appearance also attracted attention, but there was another reason. 

…He was definitely someone I had seen somewhere before. Could he be the man who exists in my lost memories? I couldn’t tell. Without realizing it, I was staring at the man intently, when another man sitting on the right approached with a surprised expression and spoke. 

“Where are you hurt?” 

“…Excuse me?” 

Only then did I realize the state I was in. It was because of the fight I had just had with the zombie in a school uniform, which left my body covered in blood. The man who was looking at me with a worried expression appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with a gentle and refined appearance. Wearing a sophisticated suit, he maintained his manners even in the midst of an intrusion by an unwelcome guest during the contract. The man cautiously approached and gently held my blood-stained shoulder. At the same time, a harsh remark came from the young man sitting behind. 

“…What the hell are you doing here, Lee Chae-eun?” 

But I couldn’t react to the man’s aggressive tone for a while. It was only when I realized that the Lee Chae-eun he mentioned referred to me that a chilling sensation ran through my spine from my lower back to the inside of my scalp.

Because of the current situation, it was difficult to explain the feeling of déjà vu. Suddenly, my heart pounded wildly, drowning out all the sounds of the world. My legs trembled, making it difficult to stand properly. Why did this situation feel so familiar? It was definitely a scene I had seen somewhere before. 

A newly built commercial complex. 

A business called Heavenly Sky Real Estate. 

And the two men in front of me. 

Today, Do Ji-hyuk and Yoo Min-ho met at this building’s real estate office for a property transaction. However, the contract would never be completed. Because inside the cafe in the same building, the first person infected with the zombie virus appeared, and the world was about to collapse. 

…This was unbelievable. I was certain that I had seen a zombie movie that started like this. 

As my legs completely gave out and I sat down on the floor, Do Ji-hyuk quickly approached and supported me. What was going on? I couldn’t remember anything else, not even the ending of the movie, but only information about the main characters came to mind vividly. 

Do Ji-hyuk, a 36-year-old successful businessman. 

Yoo Min-ho, a 21-year-old top star. 

…And Lee Chae-eun, the only daughter of a chaebol family and Yoo Min-ho’s stalker, who was 27 years old.

I frantically took out my wallet and checked my identification again. Lee Chae-eun—it was clearly engraved on it. But no matter how much my memories were erased, even if I was thrown into this absurd world teeming with zombies, I was certain that I was not Lee Chae-eun. In the midst of my confused thoughts, I was trying to organize the current situation when Yoo Min-ho walked towards me and aggressively confronted me. 

“How did you know I was here and follow me? And what’s with that red paint? Did you come from a Halloween party or something?” 

Yoo Min-ho’s eyes were filled with a smile, but irritation was clearly evident. His disrespectful tone that scratched at people’s nerves seemed to come naturally to him, as if he was born with it. However, I couldn’t just curse at his provocation without any reason. After all, Lee Chae-eun had relentlessly pursued this man six years younger than her. She didn’t hesitate to use the money and power she had to possess Yoo Min-ho. It was enough to make my teeth gnash. The problem was that I, who stood before him, was not the real ‘Lee Chae-eun’. 

I unconsciously looked around. I was hopeful that maybe there was a camera somewhere. But of course, it was highly unlikely. From the beginning, if this was a movie, the nauseating sensation that felt like my flesh being torn apart until I died was inexplicable. Then what was it? Was it not a movie but a whole different world? Could this incessantly repeating situation itself be hell? Damn it, how many sins did I commit to end up like this? It felt like I was going crazy. 

“…Do you know this person?” 

“Do I look like I know? I didn’t expect the stalker brat to follow me all the way here. Annoying bastard.”

“No matter how big of a mistake he’s made, isn’t it rude to speak like that in front of someone?” 

“What the hell does it have to do with you? I stamped the contract, so now you know where to go, right?” 

The sound of the two men arguing echoed in my ears. As if possessed, I walked towards the entrance of the real estate office and lifted the blinds. To my surprise, the shutters were tightly closed, just like the cafe. It seemed that they had closed the blinds to block any outside gazes, as Yoo Min-ho was a public figure. 

Both the entrance of the building and the cafe were in the same situation, which meant that there was a high possibility that the entire building was closed. I leaned my head against the shop window, lost in thought. 

Do Ji-hyuk, Yoo Min-ho, Lee Chae-eun, Do Ji-hyuk, Yoo Min-ho, Lee Chae-eun, Do Ji-hyuk, Yoo Min-ho, Lee Chae-eun, Do Ji-hyuk, Yoo Min-ho, Lee Chae-eun… 

…So what happened to Lee Chae-eun in the end? Is this zombie situation going to be resolved? No matter how much I ransacked my empty mind, nothing came to mind. Thump, thump, thump. Unable to overcome the restless feeling, I repeatedly hit my head against the glass door and pressed my forehead against it, when suddenly, a gentle hand wrapped around my head. With a puzzled feeling, I turned my head and saw Do Ji-hyuk. 

He looked at me with furrowed brows, glanced outside the window, and let out a low sigh. 

“Miss Agent, why are the shutters down? What’s the situation right now?” 

“…What? That can’t be. The shutters can only be lowered from the outside.” 

The startled real estate agent tried to check the situation by pushing the entrance glass door, but the door didn’t open because it was caught on the shutter. At the same time, my shoulders twisted abruptly, and my body was forcibly turned around.

“No way, is this your doing?”