Chapter 1 Part 3

Startled, I stood up from my seat and stood in front of the sink. There was a man with a very familiar face standing there, looking at the mirror with a dumbfounded expression. …Fortunately, or unfortunately, the face of the man reflected in the mirror was indeed mine. Of course, I couldn’t feel any joy in remembering my own face in this situation.

I let out a sigh and checked the pockets of my pants. I was looking for something that could be a clue. Fortunately, I found a black wallet in the back pocket and checked the identification card inside.

Lee Chae-eun, 27 years old. Female.

…Female? Even though my face was clearly printed on the ID card, the number indicating the gender was marked as female. Startled, I even checked if my genitals were properly attached. In a sense, the fact that I might be a woman was more terrifying than this crazy situation with zombies. Fortunately, everything was in place, neatly tucked inside my underwear. For a moment, I felt a strange sensation as if something had gone wrong. 

I was brought back to life.

The first digit of the resident registration number indicating a change in gender. 

And even the moment of death being reset. 

Like a mismatched puzzle piece forcibly inserted by someone, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that my current situation was arbitrary.

I couldn’t remember my own name or age, but I could guess that I wasn’t someone with an extraordinary personality. At least for now, I had the courage to open the bathroom door and run out to save others, and I was sure that I wasn’t a selfless person. Instead of offering my body as a food source for the people who had turned into monsters outside, I chose to stay quietly in the bathroom. 

Even if the woman in the cafe, who was the starting point of the bloodshed, became the trigger for the extinction of humanity, it didn’t matter much to me. There was no trace of pity or even a speck of humanity left. Well, that’s probably why I made the extreme choice of suicide. 

The absence of memories didn’t cause much confusion. After all, it wasn’t like I was missing a leg or an arm in a yard where monsters that eat people roamed around, and not having memories wasn’t a problem at all. And if you ask if I feel like dying again, the answer is no. The desire for suicide seemed to be greatly influenced by the presence or absence of memories. As the despair that made me want to give up on life disappeared from my mind along with the memories, a pitiful survival instinct took its place. It wasn’t a strong desire to live, but rather an attachment to life to the extent that I didn’t want to be torn apart by the monsters. 

However, my hope that firefighters or police officers would come and rescue me if I stayed quietly in the bathroom was not fulfilled. Just like in a game, when the time ran out, I suddenly found myself back in the past. In other words, it meant that I woke up again in the calm cafe where nothing had happened yet. It was enough to drive me crazy.

I couldn’t help but feel bewildered by the situation repeating itself. If time was repeating regardless of my death, there was a possibility that I would have to live my short life of just about 30 minutes forever. In my confusion, as the first woman who manifested was about to bite the neck of the part-time worker, I pushed several people into the bathroom and locked the door. Then, I checked the exact time on my phone. 

It was 20:04. 

When that time came, I once again returned to the cafe before the zombies appeared. It was all so puzzling. 

As soon as I regained my senses, this time I dashed out towards the back door of the cafe. I felt the need to get out of the cafe space for the time being. However, the woman who was spilling blood rushed into her territory as prey entered and lunged at my neck. In the end, my breath was cut off in the shortest time possible, and I died once again. When I opened my eyes, I was back to the beginning. 

Only then could I be sure. Whether I died or not, this damn world did not pass 20:04. Of course, if I died, I would go back even faster. Even among the people I had saved with considerable effort, no one remembered the situation before the return. It was only me who realized the repetition of this infinite time. 

Without any rules, reasons, or causality. Like a broken film, the slaughter repeated endlessly. I even thought it might be better if I lost my memory like the others. The initial fear and shock had faded a bit, but in its place, the fear of never being able to escape from this situation forever had taken hold.

When I went back the next time, I didn’t bother to save anyone. The people who scattered in fear of the zombies felt like predetermined settings, reacting according to given values. When time reset, it was as if nothing had happened, and the people came back to life. I didn’t want to attach any meaning to the deaths of those people. 

As soon as I regained my senses, I went into the bathroom and locked the door. I anxiously waited for the situation to end. In other words, I was waiting for everyone to turn into zombies. 

I found myself involuntarily covering my ears and lost in thought as screams echoed from beyond the door. What the hell was this situation? I needed someone to explain. Whether it was the reason why I, who had died, came back to life, or the reason why zombies appeared in the heart of Seoul, I set aside such questions and just hoped that this insane situation would eventually come to an end. I felt like my sanity would soon be compromised if things continued like this. 

Finally, when the screams ceased to be heard from beyond the door, I decided to gather some courage and take a look inside the cafe instead of staying in the bathroom. I cautiously opened the bathroom door and surveyed the situation inside the cafe. The putrid smell of decay and the stench of blood assaulted my nostrils, causing me to reflexively gag and cover my mouth. I barely even breathed, afraid that the sound of my breathing would attract the attention of the zombies. 

The dark interior was truly a glimpse of hell itself. Although I had occasionally imagined hell in my life, I could confidently say that with my meager imagination, I had never even come close to envisioning such a horrific sight. The wooden tables, which usually gave a warm feeling, were now covered in thick blood, and the floor was marked with muddy footprints as if someone had walked around with blood-soaked feet.

The creatures, no longer recognizable as humans, moved slowly with a rough sound that seemed like growling. They bumped into tables and walls, unable to take more than a few steps, as if their autonomous nervous system was reflexively controlling their movements. It was truly a bizarre sight.