BOW Chapter 1 (Part 2)

Sitting across from each other at a round table, Jiyeon sent messages asking when the others would arrive. No one even read them. Feeling awkward, he kept sipping his coffee until there was more ice than coffee left.

“Huff… Huff. I’m sorry I’m late. I commute from Sanghyeon City, and the buses were backed up.”

A girl, whose name Jiyeon didn’t even remember now, sat down, out of breath.

“You must’ve waited a long time.”

“No, it’s fine. Catch your breath and get something to drink. Use my card.”

Even though she was twenty minutes late, Suhyeong didn’t frown even once. He even handed her his card.

What is he, a saint?

Jiyeon, who had been fully prepared to be annoyed, just chewed awkwardly on the ice in his cup.

“Um… Jaeseok said he had his grandmother’s memorial service today, so he gave me the research he’d done beforehand.”

The girl returned with her drink and pulled some printed documents from her bag, materials gathered by the missing group member.

“You don’t suddenly get a memorial service. He didn’t say a word when we planned the meeting, and now he’s not coming? What is that supposed to be.”

“It’s okay, Jiyeon. We can do it ourselves.”

Seeing Jiyeon talking to himself in frustration, Suhyeong gently reassured him.

Does nothing about this situation annoy him?

The two absent members always apologized and tried to freeload. Their lies were obvious, but Suhyeong never called them out. Instead, he silently did their share of the work. Jiyeon couldn’t understand someone like that at all.

---

The morning after they killed the mutated Manager Park, 6:30 a.m.

Jiyeon woke at his usual time, dragging his unbearably heavy body out of bed. After shaking off sleep, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. His movements were robotic, as if his body had commands programmed into it.

“Don’t worry. Just act normal. I’ll take responsibility.”

That’s what Suhyeong had said last night after driving him home. Jiyeon didn’t know why he was so calm or how he planned to “take responsibility,” but those words were the only reason he managed to prepare for work at all.

Beeep… Beeep…

Just as he was stepping out the front door, his phone vibrated loudly in his coat pocket. The alert wasn’t for a call or message, it was a different tone entirely. Alarmed, Jiyeon stopped walking and checked his phone.

It was an emergency alert from the government.

[Emergency Disaster Message]
Twenty-four mutants detected at Haseong City Cultural Center.
For your safety, please refrain from leaving your homes.

Since it was mid-January, he expected a cold wave alert or a snow warning. But the content was nothing he could have predicted,
and shockingly severe.

“……”

At the word ‘mutant,’ Jiyeon couldn’t help but recall yesterday’s memories, and he bit down hard on his lip. His chronic headache began creeping in again. He had forced himself to get ready for work as if nothing had happened, but the message he had just received reminded him once more that yesterday wasn’t a dream but reality.

It wasn’t surprising. The Haseong City Cultural Center was less than five kilometers from the company building. Meaning the mutants he’d only seen on the news and media had appeared practically right next door.

“Isn’t it spreading somewhere we don’t know about?”

Jang Joohee’s words, which he’d brushed off as nonsense yesterday, had ended up becoming reality.

Bzzt…

He was about to slip his phone into his pocket when it vibrated again, this time a call. The screen showed “Mom.” She was definitely calling because of the message from moments ago.

“Yeah.”

— I heard Haseong is in chaos right now! Are you okay?

Of course. As soon as Jiyeon picked up, his mother asked after him. With his head throbbing, he barely managed to answer.

“Yeah. I’m fine……”

He wasn’t fine at all. But if he told her the truth, she would rush to Haseong immediately, so he lied. After divorcing his father, his mother had lived devoted only to her late-born son, Jiyeon.

He didn’t want to give her unnecessary worry. Not for her sake, but for his own. He couldn’t handle the attention that bordered on obsession.

— Don’t go wandering around anywhere.

“Where would I even go? I’m always either at work or at home.”

— Well, that’s good. But what’s wrong with your voice? Are you sick? Did you finish the herbal medicine I sent you?

“Ah, Mom. I’m on my way to work. I have to go.”

— Jiyeon-ah! I can’t live without you. You know that, right?

“Seriously, I’m late. Hanging up!”

Before her dragging words could continue, Jiyeon hurriedly ended the call. If he kept listening, her simple check-in would surely turn into worry and complaints. His mental exhaustion was already enormous, and he didn’t want a fresh load of stress.

“Still, I’m really something for going to work like this……”

Letting out a bitter laugh, Jiyeon put his phone into his coat pocket. He had survived a horrific night, yet another day had started. Unless the world ended, someone like him still had to return to daily life.

Two more emergency alerts arrived on his way to work. Sixty-four additional people had mutated, so citizens were told to be cautious. Despite the shocking alerts, the bus was full of people commuting to work or school. The news of mutants appearing in the White Zone had startled everyone briefly, but they still started their day no differently from usual.

Jiyeon was the same. Even knowing their old-fashioned Team Manager Park would never show up again, he still arrived at the office ten minutes early, just like always. His mind was so heavy that he couldn’t even answer his coworkers’ greetings as he sat down. And once again, lively Jang Joohee broke the dry morning silence of the office.

“I mean, how can they tell us to come in like normal? Shouldn’t they give us a temporary holiday or at least let us work from home?”

Rising from her seat in frustration, Joohee looked over the partition toward Jiyeon, asking, “Don’t you think so, Assistant Manager?” Jiyeon forced an awkward smile and avoided her eyes.

“They said more than twenty mutants appeared just near the company. What are they thinking, making us come in when something serious could happen?”

“Right…… Coming in today was so scary.”

Even Choi Sunghwa, who usually scolded Joohee for talking too much, agreed with her, still unsettled by the disaster alert she’d received that morning.

“But Manager Park is late again today.”

With only two minutes left until nine, Park’s seat was still empty. Clicking her tongue, Joohee commented on it. Jiyeon’s heart dropped.

“He’s not… not coming today, right?”

“No way. He’s probably just late again.”

Cold sweat slid down Jiyeon’s neck as he listened to the two talk.

“……”

His gaze drifted to the spot where Manager Park had collapsed. The place had been thoroughly cleaned, leaving no trace of yesterday, but seeing coworkers casually walk past the spot made a chill run down his back.

“Hyeyeong isn’t here either. Must be because of yesterday…? Sigh.”

The only one who had comforted the youngest member yesterday, Joohee let out a bitter sigh as she finally turned on her computer.

When the conversation died down, the office filled with its usual white noise, keyboard tapping, occasional phone rings, and tired sighs.

Jiyeon stared blankly at his monitor’s desktop. He had come to work hoping to maintain some sense of normalcy, but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything.

Who knew how long he sat like that, when a small popup flashed at the bottom of his screen. Automatically, he moved the mouse and clicked it.

Sales Team Leader Yoon: Let’s have lunch together today. I made a reservation already.

The message was from Suhyeong, the man rumored to have a ghost following him because he always ate alone.

“Why again……”

Jiyeon, who had been spaced out all morning, finally snapped back to awareness when he saw the message. But with his thoughts tangled, he hesitated for several long minutes before replying.

[Me]: Sorry. My stomach’s not great. I don’t think I can eat.

He felt bad refusing, especially since the man had made a reservation, but he rejected him anyway. Truthfully, he wasn’t in the mental state to eat. After experiencing something like yesterday, there was no way he could swallow food. And more than anything, he didn’t want to sit across from Suhyeong, who had helped him deal with Manager Park, and pretend everything was normal.

“I guess our Manager Park really isn’t coming in today.”

Someone in the office muttered in a mocking tone. Seeing that Park still hadn’t shown up long after work started, everyone reacted with a predictable “of course.” They seemed to assume he had taken a spontaneous personal day because of the infection incident near the company.

“Haa……”

Watching everyone act so unaffected by Park’s empty seat, Jiyeon sighed and tried to start his morning tasks in earnest.

When lunchtime came, the previously lifeless employees brightened a little. The quiet office quickly filled with chatter. As the saying goes, Koreans live on their meal strength, most conversations revolved around “what’s for lunch today.”

“Assistant Manager. Want to go out for lunch today? Since it’s cold, how about pho?”

“Uh, hmm……”

Kim Hyungseok from the Design Team, who usually ate lunch with Jiyeon, subtly hinted that he wanted pho today. But Jiyeon awkwardly opened his mouth as he set his computer to sleep mode.

“I’m not feeling well today, so I’m going to skip lunch.”

“Ah…… Today too? Assistant Manager, you didn’t eat lunch yesterday either.”

“Sorry. I think you should eat with someone else today.”

At Jiyeon’s words, Hyungseok made an embarrassed face. Since his Design Team was made up entirely of women, he was closer to Jiyeon from Planning than he was to his own teammates. Meaning, just like yesterday, he’d be eating alone again today.

“Huh? Then Assistant Manager Kim, do you not have anyone to eat with today?”

Hearing their conversation, Jang Joohee, who was heading out with Choi Sunghwa, asked from the door. Somewhat shy by nature, Hyungseok answered in a small voice, “Y-yes.”

“Then come eat with us.”

The usually quiet Sunghwa made an unexpected offer. Apparently even Hyungseok hadn’t expected her of all people to invite him, and his eyes widened as he frantically waved his hands.

“O-oh, no, no. I can eat by myself.”

“Come on. Eat with us.”

Unable to refuse properly, he flustered, and to make matters worse, Joohee grabbed his arm and tugged. Whether Joohee was strong or Hyungseok was weak, he wobbled helplessly as she pulled him along.

“Then we’ll head down for lunch! Assistant Manager, get some good rest!”

“Huh? Oh, uh?”

With a cheerful shout, Joohee dragged Hyungseok away. Watching him get pulled along in a daze, Jiyeon gave a small wave.

At first glance, Sunghwa’s cold and cynical personality didn’t seem to match Joohee’s bright and lively nature, but in reality, the two were fairly close seniors and juniors at work. As far as Jiyeon knew, they ate lunch together every day and occasionally had beer after work too. But imagining the timid Hyungseok squeezed between the two, he worried he might not be able to finish his lunch in peace.

“……”

But then Jiyeon spotted Suhyeong standing by the office door and immediately shook his head.

“Look at me worrying about other people.”

Jiyeon let out a sigh as he realized Suhyeong had clearly come looking for him, then stepped out of the office.

“Jiyeon!”

The automatic door slid open, and Suhyeong greeted him brightly. Unlike Jiyeon, whose face was pale and dull from a sleepless, fear-filled night, Suhyeong was glowing as usual. Seeing how unfazed he was, even after ripping off Manager Park’s head, made Jiyeon wonder if last night had been a dream. Someone who was already difficult to face had somehow become even harder to deal with.

“You said your stomach was upset. Is it bad?”

“Ah…… It’s better now. Thank you for worrying.”

Avoiding Suhyeong’s worried gaze, Jiyeon replied. His stomach was upset, but not enough to trouble anyone else, so the lie felt strange.

“I should go rest at my desk now. Team Leader, enjoy your lun…”

“Wait, Jiyeon.”

As he hurried back inside, Suhyeong grabbed his arm. Only then did Jiyeon notice the branded takeout bag in his hand, one from a well-known porridge shop quite far from the office.

“I bought porridge. Let’s eat in the break room.”

“When did you…?”

“I stepped out earlier and bought it. I was worried.”

“What? You didn’t have to go that far…… But thank you.”

Why is he doing all this? The thought crossed his mind, but since the food was for him, Jiyeon bowed slightly and accepted the bag. Just as he was about to step back inside…

“Jiyeon!”

Through the opening automatic door, Suhyeong reached out to stop him again. Smiling, he lifted his other hand. A convenience store bag hung from it.

“You’re eating with me. I didn’t buy porridge for you just so you’d eat it alone, right?”

“Ah.”

“I bought something for myself too, so let’s eat together in the break room.”

Before Jiyeon could respond, Suhyeong was already walking toward the break room. Watching him lead the way, Jiyeon let out a hollow laugh. He had only just barely refused a lunch invitation, and this was how it ended anyway. With exhaustion rushing over him, he didn’t have the energy to pull his hand free from Suhyeong’s grip.

“Looks like everyone went out for lunch. It’s pretty empty.”

Arriving at the break room, Suhyeong glanced around and sat in a corner seat. As he said, most people had gone out to eat. The spacious break room, about 50 square meters, held a large table, a few beanbags for resting, and an island counter stocked with a capsule coffee machine and a variety of herbal teas.

To an outsider, it might look like excellent employee welfare, but in reality it meant something else: lots of overtime. If people left work on time, they wouldn’t need a place to rest in the office in the first place.

“Okay, let’s eat.”

Hovering awkwardly beside the table, Jiyeon reluctantly sat down. Watching Suhyeong take out the containers and utensils and arrange them neatly made it impossible to refuse. Meeting the urging look in Suhyeong’s eyes, he finally picked up his spoon. The porridge was still steaming, clearly bought very recently.

“Team Leader. About last night……”

Before tasting the food, Jiyeon began carefully. Now that things had come to this, he felt he should talk about Manager Park, something that had been glossed over in chaos yesterday. Even if Suhyeong said he’d take full responsibility, Jiyeon still shared the blame. He couldn’t pretend last night hadn’t happened. If there was going to be an investigation, they needed to coordinate their story.

But before Jiyeon could finish, Suhyeong spoke first.

“Aren’t you eating? Eat while it’s hot. Porridge isn’t good once it cools.”

“……”

Seeing how he kept waiting for him to take a bite, Jiyeon swallowed a sigh. He had no choice but to stop talking and take a spoonful.

“It’s good, right? Honestly, I didn’t think porridge could taste like anything, but some places are really good.”

Jiyeon quietly nodded. He could taste buttery, savory abalone pieces and a mild, comforting umami. When he added some soy-braised beef from the side container, his appetite returned as if by magic.

He kept spooning the porridge into his mouth. In his distress, he hadn’t realized just how hungry he was; the porridge slid down his throat easily. Because of that, he completely lost the chance to continue the conversation about last night. Jiyeon decided he’d finish eating first and bring it up again afterward as he continued eating.

Then he noticed Suhyeong opening three triangle kimbap from the convenience store.

“It’s lunchtime… are you sure that’s enough?”

Feeling awkward eating expensive abalone porridge alone while his superior ate nothing but triangle kimbap, Jiyeon asked hesitantly. Suhyeong shrugged as he tore open the wrapper.

“If it’s not enough, I’ll just steal some snacks from the break room.”

At his casual response, Jiyeon’s spoon slowed slightly.

“Um, Team Leader.”

Feeling uneasy, Jiyeon called him, intending to suggest they go down to the cafeteria instead.

Clatter!

“…?”

A sudden loud crash sounded from outside the break room. Instinctively, both of them turned toward the direction of the noise.

“Team Leader, did you hear that?”

“I heard it.”

“What was that? It was pretty loud.”

“Sounds like something fell? Maybe one of the janitors dropped something.”

Brushing it off, Suhyeong opened the triangle kimbap filled with spicy pork. Jiyeon resumed eating the porridge he’d paused on. But just a few seconds later…

“Aaaargh!”

At the scream, Jiyeon set his spoon down midair. It was a scream straight out of a horror movie. Even Suhyeong’s eyes widened in surprise. The other employees in the break room also froze. They exchanged silent, uneasy looks as they tried to grasp what was happening. The small, once-quiet space filled with a suffocating tension.

“That was a scream… right?”

“I’ll go check.”

With a hardened expression, Suhyeong stood. Jiyeon stared anxiously toward the door. The hallway that the scream had echoed through was now silent. Maybe it was nothing, but after yesterday, the scream felt far too ominous. Remembering what happened last night, Jiyeon instinctively grabbed hold of Suhyeong’s sleeve.

“Jiyeon?”

About to walk to the door, Suhyeong turned back with a puzzled look.

“S-sorry.”

Realizing what he’d done, Jiyeon flinched and quickly let go, stepping back. The once perfectly smooth sleeve of Suhyeong’s shirt was creased where he’d grabbed it.

“I got startled and didn’t even notice…”

He tried to hide it, but his emotions were always written plainly on his face. Looking down at Jiyeon’s flushed, apple-red cheeks, Suhyeong stared at him quietly. The unreadable look only made Jiyeon’s ears burn hotter. Embarrassed and flustered, he hurried to sit back down.

“…!”

Another loud thud, this time right outside the door.

“I should really check.”

Saying it as if to reassure him, Suhyeong gently patted Jiyeon’s shoulder and walked toward the door.

“Team Leader!”

Sensing something terribly wrong outside, Jiyeon called out, but Suhyeong already had his hand on the doorknob. Slowly, he pushed the break room door open.

And then…

“Aaaaaargh!”

Someone screamed and charged straight toward him.

“Team Leader Yoon Suhyeong!”

“──!”

Startled, Jiyeon shouted his name at the same moment Suhyeong twisted his body aside. The man barreling toward him tumbled through the gap and, unable to stop himself, rolled forward across the floor. It was a male employee from the Accounting Team, a man Jiyeon occasionally bumped into in the elevator before work.

“Are you okay?”

Jiyeon approached cautiously. The man jerked his head up and, with a face drained to a ghostly blue-white, screamed at him.

“W-what are you doing! Lock the door! Hurry!”

“Wha… oh, yes!”

He didn’t even try to stand, only shouted desperately. Driven by panic, Jiyeon rushed to the door and locked it.

“Hhhh… hrrgh…”

“Hey! Get a hold of yourself!”

While Jiyeon locked the door, Suhyeong lifted the trembling man, shaking like a leaf, and helped him onto a beanbag chair. The man stared blankly at the ceiling, then squeezed his eyes shut as shaky breaths escaped him.

Jiyeon moved beside Suhyeong and faced the man.

〈Accounting Team – Employee Kim Oyun〉

He confirmed the name on the man’s ID hanging around his neck… and then noticed a smear of dark red blood on the edge of the card. A cold shiver crawled down Jiyeon’s spine.

“Hic… hrrk…”

“Here, drink some water first. Calm down.”

Another employee brought water from the dispenser and handed it to Kim Oyun. Only then did he come back to himself, gulping the water down before forcing out his words.

“Th… thank you…”

Including Oyun, there were five people in the break room. The one who brought him water was Choi Yooyoung from the 5th Floor Legal Team, and the one still staring at her phone in the corner was Park Yeji from the Design Team on Jiyeon’s floor.

“What happened outside?”

“Don’t go near the door! Do you want to die?!”

Oyun shouted at Yooyoung as she instinctively stepped toward the door. Startled and irritated by being yelled at, she frowned deeply. Whatever had happened outside, it was serious.

“G-guys! Look at this!”

Park Yeji rushed over, still holding her phone with a horrified expression. She thrust it toward the others. Yooyoung checked first.

“What is… Is this fake? This has to be fake, right? This is a White Zone, this can’t be happening.”

Shaken just as badly as Yeji, Yooyoung spoke cautiously. But Oyun trembled violently and shook his head.

“It’s not fake. I saw it. I was being chased, right before I got in here!”

At their reactions, Jiyeon finally looked down at Yeji’s phone.

〈Haseong City paralyzed by mutant outbreak. Total number unknown〉
〈Massive mutant surge centered around workplace districts. Entire city placed under temporary lockdown〉

〈Mutants spreading across Haseong City within minutes. A scene of utter chaos〉

“These articles are from ten minutes ago, and they all have titles like this,” Park Yeji said, her voice trembling with fear.

A lockdown. That meant the city was essentially being declared a Black Zone.

“Then… does that mean we’ll all be trapped in Haseong for ten years?”

Choi Yooyoung asked, chewing anxiously on her fingernails. She was referring to the Gray Act.

The Gray Act was a law that allowed individuals who survived ten years inside a Black Zone to migrate to the White Zone. The purpose of the act was to prevent Black Zone survivors from fleeing into White Zones en masse and destabilizing society.

Ten years inside a Black Zone sounded brutally harsh, but those who survived were granted generous compensation and support for reintegration. Even so, the system was designed under the assumption that most survivors would not make it through those ten years.

It was, in a sense, ceremonial.

In reality, the number of people who managed to live ten full years in a Black Zone and relocate to a White Zone was less than five percent of all survivors. Even Jiyeon, sheltered as he was, knew that much.

“It might be a false report, right? Reporters exaggerate things all the time. I’ll search again.”

Pretending to stay calm, Yooyoung began scrolling through news articles on her own phone. But before long, her expression hardened bit by bit. From that alone, Jiyeon could tell the article Yeji showed them wasn’t a mistake.

“It’s only a temporary measure right now. It’ll take some time before a full lockdown happens. If we get out before it’s finalized, the Gray Act wouldn’t apply.”

In the tense atmosphere that felt as if Haseong City had already turned into a Black Zone, Suhyeong spoke up first. Even in emergencies, he always seemed calm, just as he did now.

“Before the full lockdown is declared, we should try to get out of the city.”

“What?! No! They said there are mutants outside! If we go out there, we’re dead for sure!”

Kim Oyun practically exploded at the suggestion, leaping up from his seat. The other two nodded quickly, agreeing with him.

“We don’t even know what’s happening out there. Going out blindly sounds dangerous.”

“Y-yeah. If we stay here, won’t a rescue team eventually come?”

“………”

At their words, a faint wrinkle appeared between Suhyeong’s brows, so subtle almost no one would notice.

“What about you, Jiyeon? What do you want to do?”

Suhyeong turned to him with his usual easy smile. Taken aback at having his opinion asked, Jiyeon’s gaze wavered.

It was true: escaping the city before it officially became a Black Zone was logically the right choice. But he was scared. The mutant he encountered yesterday was nothing like what he learned about in training. It had been far worse, more horrifying than he ever imagined. Yesterday it was only one person, Manager Park. He had no confidence he could get through countless mutants waiting outside.

“Maybe… we should stay here for now, and see how things go?”

“………”

After watching him for a moment in silence, Suhyeong seemed to think it over before nodding.

“Alright. Then for now, let’s monitor the situation from here.”

And so the five of them stayed in the 6th-floor break room, keeping watch on what was happening outside.

---

About thirty minutes passed. Under normal circumstances, lunch break would be ending, and they would have had to return to their desks, but no one came looking for them.

During that time, Yooyoung tried calling the Mutant Reporting Center; Yeji and Jiyeon checked for updates online; and Kim Oyun… having skipped lunch, devoured every snack in the break room by himself.

“I called the Mutant Center, but all I get is the automated ARS message. I’ve called five times, five times, and it’s all the same!”

As Yooyoung fidgeted anxiously, Yeji dropped her face onto the table with a heavy sigh. After the extreme stress of yesterday and today, Jiyeon felt almost completely drained.

Oddly, the only one who remained composed was Suhyeong. He was even cleaning up the table where he and Jiyeon had eaten earlier. He seemed more bothered by the now-cold abalone porridge than by the fact that they couldn’t contact emergency services.

“I’ll try calling again.”

“Mm. Even if they answer, there’s nothing they can do.”

Finishing his cleaning, Suhyeong spoke in a detached tone.

‘Why is Team Leader Yoon acting like nothing’s wrong?’

His poised, almost indifferent demeanor made Jiyeon feel that same uneasy suspicion he’d felt yesterday.

“Aren’t you scared, Team Leader?”

He finally asked the question that had been on his mind since yesterday. Suhyeong paused briefly at the unexpected question before answering in his usual steady voice.

“Maybe because I already know that panicking won’t solve anything. I guess I’m tired of these kinds of situations.”

“…?”

Jiyeon frowned slightly, not understanding what he meant.

“What does that…”

Before he could finish, the screen of his phone lit up. Seeing the name, he quickly checked the message.

[Jang Joohee
Are you guys okay??
I’m with Sunbae Choi on the 3rd floor cafeteria right now.
You’re all still alive, right???]

Joohee was spamming the Planning Team group chat. Confirming that his teammates were safe, Jiyeon let out a breath of relief and sent a reply.

[I’m in the 6th-floor break room right now.
Jang Joohee
Ah thank goodnessㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
We can’t move from here at all. The hallway is full of mutants.
But as long as we’re inside, we’re relatively okay. Are you staying in the break room, Assistant Manager?
I think we’ll probably keep watching the situation from here.]

There were eight people in the group chat, but aside from Jiyeon, no one replied to Joohee’s messages. What happened to the others…

“Jiyeon.”

At some point, Suhyeong had appeared right beside him and called out to him.

“How much battery do you have left on your phone?”

“Huh? Um… sixty-five percent.”

“Then start charging it now. Once it’s full, we’re leaving.”

“Huh? I thought we were staying here?”

“Shh.”

When Jiyeon’s voice rose, Suhyeong pressed a finger to his lips, signaling him to stay quiet. Then he leaned down slightly and whispered into Jiyeon’s ear in a very soft voice.

“Don’t panic. Just listen.”

“…?”

“Kim Oyun. He’s been bitten.”

“What do you…”

Not fully grasping the words, Jiyeon turned to look at Oyun. Now that he had eaten all the snacks in the break room, he was shoveling down the leftover porridge Jiyeon had been eating. The way he devoured food like someone possessed was undeniably strange.

“When I sat him in the beanbag earlier, I saw bite marks on the back of his hand. The wound was small, so I wasn’t sure, but seeing his behavior now, I’m certain. Extreme hunger is one of the symptoms.”

“T-then…!”

“Shh. Since the wound is small, it’ll take a little longer before he fully mutates. That’s why you need to start charging your phone.”

Jiyeon nodded stiffly. The blood on the ID card earlier had already given him a bad feeling. Part of him wanted to stay here as long as possible, but if they waited, they might have to face a mutated Oyun, something he absolutely did not want.

“Once we get out of here, we’re heading to the 5th-floor office.”

“The fifth floor?”

Shouldn’t they be heading straight out? Jiyeon wanted to leave the building as quickly as possible, so he asked.

“There’s something I need to pick up.”

Seeing his confusion, Suhyeong added the explanation. Jiyeon didn’t know what he meant to retrieve, but in this situation, Suhyeong was the only person he could trust. Jiyeon nodded without protest.

“We should tell Yooyoung and Yeji too, shouldn’t we? About… Oyun being bitten.”

“Mm. Do as you think is best.”

Suhyeong sounded indifferent, as if he didn’t care whether they came along or not.

Jiyeon plugged his phone into the charging cable on the wall, then walked over to Yooyoung and Yeji.

“Could you two talk with me for a minute?”

“Talk? About what?”

“It’s important.”

He led them to a table in the corner. Sitting across from him, both women looked extremely uneasy.

“Mm… everyone…”

Unsure how to begin, Jiyeon parted his lips, hesitated, then finally spoke with a sigh.

“I don’t think we can stay here. We need to leave right away.”

“Huh? Why? Did some kind of order come down?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Jiyeon glanced at Oyun. Thankfully, he was too focused on eating to notice them whispering.

“He’s going to mutate soon.”

“What?!”

“Shh.”

Doing as Suhyeong had done earlier, Jiyeon gestured for them to lower their voices. The two women turned to look at Oyun. Anyone could tell his behavior was abnormal, and their faces turned pale.

“Looks like he got bitten in the hallway. Team Leader Yoon saw the bite marks.”

Sitting beside Jiyeon, Suhyeong nodded.

“Judging by the wound, he still has some time before he fully turns. But we can’t stay in here with him. We need to go.”

Listening with a stricken expression, Yooyoung chewed nervously on her nails while staring at the door, her eyes full of fear.

“A-and what if we push him out?”

“Push him… out?”

“We don’t have to leave. We can just force him out of here.”

At her words, Suhyeong’s expression hardened.

“How exactly are you planning to do that? Tell him, ‘Hey, you’re going to turn soon, so get out’? Do you think he’ll sit still for that?”

Known for being gentle and kind, Suhyeong threw out the sharp words with a cold face. The unfamiliar tone made Jiyeon flinch. His pretty face tensing like that was enough to intimidate anyone. Up until now, Jiyeon had only seen him as an easygoing sports fanatic who liked buying food for people, but seeing this side of him made Jiyeon tense up without realizing it.

“…Staying here won’t help us survive anyway. To stay alive, we shouldn’t create unnecessary chaos. It’s better for us to leave.”

Perhaps noticing Jiyeon’s tension, the edge in Suhyeong’s voice softened slightly, though the firmness of his words remained.

“I won’t force anyone to come along. But whatever choice you make, you take responsibility for it. So, what do you want to do?”

“……”

At his words, Yooyoung opened her mouth, then closed it again, unable to respond.

“Alright then.”

Taking her silence as a refusal, Suhyeong nodded faintly.

“Do what’s comfortable for you. Either way, Jiyeon and I are leaving once the phones are charged. What about you, Park Yeji?”

“I… I’ll go with you.”

Yeji glanced nervously at Yooyoung as she said it. Yooyoung, surprised by her answer, shot to her feet with a furious expression.

“I… I don’t want to leave! Do you know what it’s like out there?! We just have to kick him out! Why should I risk my life out there?!”

“So then you’ll stay here…”

“Don’t talk to me like that!”

Cutting him off sharply, Yooyoung snapped her head toward Oyun. Having finished the porridge as well, he was now rummaging through the trash for something else to eat. Whatever she was thinking, Yooyoung suddenly marched straight toward him.

“Excuse me, Oyun.”

Standing in front of him, she called out. Watching her, a growing dread spread over Jiyeon’s face. They had whispered for exactly one reason: if Oyun realized they were trying to exclude him, no one could predict how he might react.

“Were you bitten?”

And with that, Yooyoung destroyed every part of Suhyeong’s plan.

“W-what?”

“I asked if you were bitten by a mutant!”

“What do you mean bitten?! Are you accusing me?!”

At her abrupt question, Oyun jumped up and shouted. His overly sensitive reaction made Yooyoung glare.

“Why are you so flustered? If you weren’t bitten, just say you weren’t.”

“Are you crazy?! You’re pinning everything on an innocent person!”

“Then show us your hand. Assistant Manager Hong said he saw bite marks on it.”

“What? Choi Yooyoung?!”

“Why are you suddenly dragging me into this?!”

Caught completely off guard, Jiyeon panicked and called out to Choi Yooyoung. But Yooyoung ignored him and kept cornering Kim Oyun.

“Give me your hand. I need to check.”

“Why?! Why should I?!”

“Give it here!”

In the end, Yooyoung snapped and shouted. Oyun threw the snack box he was holding onto the floor with a loud thud and lashed back irritably.

“Shit, why the hell are you going off on me?!”

“You’re the one acting crazy! It’ll be over if you just let us check, why are you making a scene?!”

The two hurled curses at each other, voices rising in anger.

“Stop! Both of you, calm down!”

Before it turned into a physical fight, Jiyeon quickly stepped between them. But Oyun glared at him with murderous eyes.

“You think I can calm down right now? And Assistant Manager Hong, I didn’t expect this from you. Talking behind my back?!”

“That’s not it, Oyun…”

“What do you mean not it?! You all planned this together, didn’t you? Huh?! Trying to force me out of here!”

“No, we didn’t.”

Jiyeon was the one who had wanted to leave the break room in the first place. But Oyun refused to listen. He grew even more agitated and started throwing chairs and office supplies in every direction.

“Stop it, Mr. Kim Oyun.”

Stepping forward, Suhyeong shielded Jiyeon behind him and blocked Oyun’s path. Faced with someone taller and larger than himself, Oyun faltered for a moment.

“We’re leaving, so stop this.”

Though he smiled prettily, the same smile he used as the face of the Sales Team, none of his usual warmth or gentleness was there. Overwhelmed by Suhyeong’s presence, Oyun slowly lowered the chair he was holding. And then…

“Ah! What the hell?!”

Taking advantage of his distraction, Yooyoung grabbed his arm and checked his hand. There on the back of Oyun’s left hand was a bite mark, already red and swelling.

“Hah, look at this. You were bitten. And you were planning to stay here with us? If you have any conscience, leave on your own!”

“You fucking…! What the hell are you doing?!”

“Kyaaah!”

Oyun shoved Yooyoung away violently.

“Hey! You crazy bastard! Did you just push me?!”

Shrieking, Yooyoung clutched her shoulder where she’d been shoved. Watching the chaos unfold, Jiyeon felt a headache coming on and pressed his forehead with a grimace.

“Shouldn’t we tie him up?! What if he mutates?! Team Leader Yoon! Assistant Manager Hong!”

“Hm.”

In desperation, Yooyoung looked to both of them for help.

“He hasn’t mutated yet. I don’t think there’s any need for that right now.”

At Suhyeong’s cool, dismissive answer, Park Yeji hesitantly added her voice.

“R-right. We’re leaving anyway, so… Yooyoung, you deal with it.”

“W-what did you just say?!”

Now that even Yeji sided against her, Yooyoung looked utterly dumbfounded. Regardless, Suhyeong began preparing to leave the break room.

“First, we need to check how many mutants are outside in the hallway.”

Ignoring Yooyoung, he walked toward the door and pressed his ear against it, trying to gauge how many were nearby.

Suddenly, a heavy thud struck the door.

“Damn it…!”

“W-what was that?!”

Startled, Suhyeong rushed back, and everyone turned toward the door.

Thud!

Thump!

Someone was pushing the door repeatedly. Between the irregular bangs, faint groaning noises seeped through, pained, guttural sounds.

“Grrr… grrhk…”

Jiyeon knew that sound well. It was the same groan Manager Park had made yesterday. And it wasn’t just one voice.

Boom!

The pounding grew even more violent.

“M-mutants, right? They’re mutants. They’re right outside this door…?”

“Haa.”

Shrinking back and trembling, Jiyeon leaned toward Suhyeong. With a quiet sigh, he stood protectively beside him and spoke.

“You know this, mutants have hearing about four times sharper than normal humans. They probably heard the yelling.”

“Th-then what do we do? Are we going to die now? Huu…”

Yeji asked in a wavering voice, on the verge of tears.

“They don’t have the intelligence to break down the door. If we stay quiet, they’ll stop moving and leave.”

As he spoke the word “quiet,” Suhyeong looked pointedly first at Yooyoung, then at Oyun.

“S-sorry… I’m sorry. I must’ve lost my mind. I was so scared thinking about going outside…”

Only now realizing her mistake, Yooyoung lowered her head and apologized. As Suhyeong said, once the noise stopped, the pounding gradually weakened.

“I think… they’re gone.”

Relieved, Jiyeon slumped into a chair, exhaling shakily.

“Ms. Choi Yooyoung. I understand you’re scared, but what you just did doesn’t help anyone right now. Calm down and think rationally.”

“Y-yes… I’m sorry… sniff…”

Tears streamed down her face as Yooyoung bowed her head. It seemed like the chaos had finally settled.

But unlike her, who regained her senses quickly and accepted her mistake, Oyun could not calm down.

“Fucking… bastards…”

It felt like boiling fire was surging from deep inside his body, overturning everything. No matter how much he ate, the hunger kept growing. Instinct began overpowering reason.

And learning that they had branded him a mutant and tried to exile him filled him with raw betrayal and rage.

Why me? Why is it always me?

The anger born from that injustice wrapped around him like chains. He didn’t want to die alone, not like this. And so, he suddenly bolted toward the door.

“Oyun! What are you doing?!”

Jiyeon was the first to notice something was wrong and called out to him urgently, but it was already too late.

“Oyun…! Stop!”

“Aaaargh! Fuck! Why am I the only one who has to end up like this?!”

Before anyone could stop him, Kim Oyun unlocked the break room door and flung it open.

“Grrk, grrrr! Kyaaak!”

“Kyaaah!”

The moment the door opened, three mutants standing right outside squeezed through the gap and spilled into the break room.

“Kyaaaaargh!”

“Assistant Manager Choi, Assistant Manager Kim! Hurry, bite those bastards too!”

In his frenzy, Oyun laughed wildly as he yanked the door open even wider. But his laugh disappeared instantly. One of the mutants twisted its body at an unnatural angle and lunged at him, mouth gaping wide.

“Kraaaah!”

“Wh-what the hell? Why are you coming at me?!”

“Grrrk… gruuugh…”

“I’m already bitten! Bitten, I said!”

Panicking as the mutant lunged for his throat, Oyun held up the bite mark on the back of his hand as if trying to reason with it. But the mutant, incapable of understanding anything, only became more agitated by his movements.

“Khaaak!”

“W-wait, aaaargh!”

The mutant grabbed Oyun by the hair and sank its teeth into his jaw. A wet tearing sound echoed as soft flesh was ripped away.

“Kwooooaagh!”

As if eating the flesh off his face wasn’t enough, the mutant clawed at Oyun’s belly and ripped it open, tearing into the organs inside.