Chapter 1 Part 8

As soon as I left the cafe, I thought about how to block the back door, but unfortunately, there was no suitable method. The back door of the shopping complex was designed to be locked only from the inside of the cafe. Moreover, there was no noticeable object to block the dim corridor. Frustrated by the constant time pressure in this damn world, I quickly gave up and started searching for the management office somewhere in the building, as I had initially planned. I believed that there must be a way to raise all the shutters at once once I reached there.

…Of course, if I were to open the shutters, the zombies would spread throughout Seoul. But I decided to worry about that later. From the beginning, it was unclear whether this place was the real world I imagined, just a movie, or even hell itself. 

From 19:21 to 20:04. 

I had only 43 minutes given to me. I had to make progress within that time, no matter what. Unfortunately, although I thoroughly searched the first floor and managed to find the management office, the thick fireproof door was firmly closed. Without time to despair, I heard the sound of glass shattering from the corridor near the cafe. I sensed that the zombies were breaking through the glass doors of the shopping complex and pouring out. I checked the time. It was 19:49. I had to quickly decide on my next destination. 

I thought about going to the real estate office, but it seemed like I wouldn’t have time to have a conversation before the reset. As soon as I noticed a zombie popping out at the end of the corridor in the distance, I quickly hid behind the back door of the convenience store across from the management office. Of course, I didn’t forget to lock the upper part of the glass door as soon as I entered. 

The inside of the convenience store was quiet, with no customers. The part-time worker, who looked like a college student, had his head buried in his phone and didn’t seem to notice me entering. He only realized my presence belatedly and greeted me with a customary greeting, urging me to come over. He then walked out from behind the cash register. Whether he said it or not, he checked if there was anything in the household goods section that could be used as a weapon. The part-time worker, who had come close to me, asked cautiously. 

“…Um, do you happen to have a working phone right now?” 

“No, I don’t. It doesn’t even make emergency calls.”

Responding in a dry tone, I rummaged through the items and found a utility knife for stationery. There were four in stock, but it was uncertain whether it would be enough to inflict damage on the rampaging zombies. They were zombies that would continue to run at me even if their skin tore and flesh hung loose. It seemed like I would need at least an axe to stand a chance, but it was unlikely that a convenience store would have such a thing. In the end, it meant that I had no means of defense. Sighing heavily, I wondered if I should drink some carbonated water. Suddenly, my stomach felt queasy. 

“Well… do you happen to know why the shutters are closed?” 

“…I’m not sure. Maybe it’s to prevent the zombie bastards from getting out, or maybe… someone who wants us all to die here did it.” 

“…What?”

Letting out a long sigh, I muttered to the part-time worker who was staring at me with a bewildered expression, as if talking to myself. I felt the need to pour out and organize the thoughts that were filling my mind. 

“But, the intention behind the writing… it’s usually interpreted as the intention of writing something, right? So, in the case of movies, would it be interpreted as the intention of writing a screenplay? Do you happen to enjoy zombie movies? What could be the intention or purpose of disaster movies like this? The tension that makes your palms sweat, the thrill and all that? But the endings of most zombie movies are unsettling, aren’t they? The world is destroyed, or surviving in a ruined world… haa, it’s driving me crazy.” 

Speaking to a stranger as if talking to myself, I rambled on incoherently. The part-time worker, seemingly not much different from me in thoughts, didn’t bother to respond and disappeared behind the counter. I was slowly going insane, but in this situation, it was easier not to be sane. 

19:59.

Now there are 5 minutes left. It was more mentally beneficial to reset through a timeout rather than being killed by zombies, so I decided to wait for time to pass. The time was too short to take any action in the first place. However, not taking action didn’t mean that my thoughts would stop. I had to think a little more before the reset. There was no time to think when I returned to the cafe where the zombies appeared. 

The intention behind the writing… 

Does it mean the intention behind the production of the movie, like the main storyline? But no matter how much I thought, I couldn’t come up with even a rough plot. On the other hand, I could remember information about the main characters vividly. 

First, among the three main characters, Yoo Min-ho was a visually perfect character who received love from everyone with his boyish looks. As a child actor, he had never been ordinary for a single moment. He always lived a glamorous life in the public eye. Because of that, he developed an arrogant personality, but even that was portrayed as part of his charm in the movie. 

And there was Do Ji-hyuk. He was a typical self-made character. If Yoo Min-ho was born with everything in his hands and achieved success from the beginning, Do Ji-hyuk’s success was the result of his own efforts from one to ten. While Yoo Min-ho, who succeeded as an actor without any major setbacks, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Do Ji-hyuk, who came from an orphanage, achieved dramatic success from nothing in a barren land. Moreover, he was flawless even in his personality.

Yoo Min-ho’s father, who runs a company, used to praise Do Ji-hyuk, his business partner, as a habit. Every time his father praised Do Ji-hyuk and compared his success to his achievements, it made Yoo Min-ho’s high self-esteem feel threatened. As a result, Yoo Min-ho felt a slight curiosity and inferiority complex towards Do Ji-hyuk. Naturally, there was no room for positive emotions to arise. 

The reason why he called Do Ji-hyuk himself to stamp the contract for the building sale, which could have been done perfectly fine by a representative, was also because of this. Of course, Do Ji-hyuk was not a perfect character. He had a significant secret that he couldn’t tell anyone, that he was gay. 

Lastly, there was Lee Chae-eun, who was also a bourgeoisie among the bourgeoisie. With her beautiful appearance and being a famous cellist, she lived a life that could be envied by everyone. Except for her unhealthy obsession with Yoo Min-ho, who was six years younger than her… everything else was perfect enough to say that she had a perfect life. 

A glamorous movie actor, a successful businessman, a famous cellist. They were all wealthy, beautiful, and perfect individuals. 

It was ironic that I couldn’t recall anything about myself, but I could remember the occupations of the characters in the movie in such detail. It seemed like time was slowly running out. With a complicated mind, I was thinking about things to try in the next episode when suddenly I heard a familiar voice from behind the convenience store’s back door. 

“Ah, fuck. Why is the shutter closed and all that shit?”

“Can’t a celebrity like you speak politely?” 

“I don’t have anything to hide about my dirty personality. All Koreans know about it. Or should I pretend in front of Mr. Do Ji-hyuk?” 

“…Let’s stop, let’s stop.” 

…It was Do Ji-hyuk and Yoo Min-ho. They were on their way home after finishing the contract and heading towards the elevator. But of course, they wouldn’t be able to return home safely. They had to pass by the cafe to get to the elevator. Of course, before that, time would reset. It was already 20:02. Only 2 minutes left.