Chapter 3 Part 4

…It was hard to understand exactly what he was saying. What was clear was that something like a miracle or God’s will happened, and the story I wrote became a world. Moreover, it was a world with a fatal flaw where only the five days that served as the setting for the story were infinitely repeated. It was a story that was hard to believe outright, but it was also hard not to believe, given the current situation.

And there was no afterlife. This meant that retributive justice and karma were issues that not even God could solve, and that they were matters that individuals had to resolve on their own. This unfair world was rude even in death.

Lost in complex thoughts, I heard the real estate agent’s disgusted voice from behind. Without realizing it, I turned my head and saw Yoo Min-ho… tying a sneaker lace to the severed wrist of a zombie. He looked like he was about to take it for a walk like a puppy. What the hell was wrong with that guy…?

“Wait, then… why did you bring Yoo Min-ho? Just like I’m not Lee Chae-eun, he’s not Cha Min-jae either. Co-authoring… that’s unlikely… Well, does giving inspiration count as writing?”

Hyeon-ho, who had been excitedly talking the whole time, leaned back in his chair and stared at me. It was hard to understand the meaning of that gaze. Now, in Hyeon-ho’s eyes, which had only shown a sense of hatred, a trace of pity was mixed in. The look of awkward pity rather than outright hostility scratched at my insides more.

“When I… brought you here, you had to pay a price too.”

“…Are you talking about my memory?”

“That’s right. The memory of this world you created was erased from your head. However, there was one thing I didn’t anticipate… that when you committed suicide, you also completely erased the memory of your own life from your head. Well, I don’t know how terrible your life was for you to do such a thing… but thanks to that, the crazy thing happened where you, in a blank state, couldn’t remember that you weren’t Lee Chae-eun.”

“…I don’t understand. I remember my three-syllable name exactly.”

Hyeon-ho hesitated for a moment, then turned his gaze behind me and smiled faintly. Following his gaze, I saw Yoo Min-ho, who had tied the zombie’s hand with a string, approaching us. Was that guy really a psychopath? It was hard to judge whether he had a strong stomach or had just gone crazy. But the next moment, I couldn’t think of anything else because of what Hyeon-ho said.

“Yeah… In the end, you did remember. From the fifteenth time? From then on.”

“…What?”

“Did you think the moment you remembered was the first time?”

“…..”

I couldn’t properly interpret what I had just heard. My mind was completely frozen, but my heart was beating like it was about to explode.

“We suffered in this building for so long that our souls were worn down. And of course, that includes you.”

I was completely frozen by the unbelievable thing he said when Yoo Min-ho, who had come closer, suddenly interrupted the conversation.

“What is it? What are you talking about so seriously?”

But neither I nor Hyeon-ho could answer his question. The moment Yoo Min-ho’s eyebrows were about to rise crookedly, thinking he was being ignored, Hyeon-ho suddenly answered in a cheerful voice with a smile on his face.

“You’re Cha Min-jae, right? I’m a huge fan of yours. Actually, I really wanted to acknowledge you earlier, but we were in a bit of a… pressing situation.”

“Ah… You’re not going to ask for an autograph in this situation, are you? No pictures either.”

“Hey, you’re stingy, just like the rumors say.”

The sound of their conversation was distant. I stared blankly at Hyeon-ho, who was acting so unlike his previous tone and expression. Suddenly, all of this reality felt confusing. He said that wasn’t the first time? Then had I been thinking of myself as Lee Chae-eun all this time and repeating this tedious role-play? For how long? I was so confused that I didn’t even realize that I hadn’t heard the answer about Yoo Min-ho. I knew it wasn’t a normal world, but I never imagined it was this crazy.

“Haa… haa…”

As I gasped for breath, Yoo Min-ho sat down in the chair opposite me and asked nonchalantly.

“What’s wrong with him? He doesn’t look well.”

“He must be shocked by what’s going on outside. He was so forceful when he brought us here… Min-jae, you should comfort hi-.”

At that moment, I jumped up from my seat without realizing it and grabbed Hyeon-ho by the collar.

“So, what happens if all three of us survive and the world doesn’t end?”

“…..”

I could feel the gazes of those around me, but I didn’t care. My head felt like it was going to explode. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with this damn world. Moreover, now that I remembered the entire scenario, the grand task of saving the world felt even more daunting.

“I don’t know either. How would I know a future I’ve never seen before?”

“…What?”

Hyeon-ho lightly removed my hand and whispered softly in my ear.

“…Maybe it will just remain an ordinary world? Like a real world created by God, where you have free will and no one can be sure of the future. I want to live and die in such a world. So, Ki-hyeon, please let me out of this building.”

…Crazy. He said he didn’t know either. My heart clenched, and I kept gasping for air. This broken world I created, there was no peace anywhere. I resented God for letting a miracle happen in such a way. I stared blankly into space, completely lost, when Hyeon-ho’s annoying voice sounded.

“You seem to be in shock. You should get some rest.”

…Rest, my ass. There was less than an hour left until 9 o’clock. It meant that I had to go out again to the zombie-infested outside without even a moment to catch my breath. I felt like crying.

I leaned on the table, half out of my mind, and stared blankly at the CCTV of the second-floor hallway. As expected, most of the high school students in uniform had turned into zombies. As Hyeon-ho said, there was no reason for the zombie virus. It was born simply because I wanted to write such a story.

In this movie, the first to manifest were a woman and her son at the cafe. The woman and her son, who attends a cram school on the second floor, manifest almost simultaneously. In other words, even if I had succeeded in subduing the woman, I could never have stopped the zombie virus from spreading. The desperation I had felt, repeating meaningless deaths without knowing that all those efforts were in vain, was pathetic.

I just wanted to give up. I wanted to stop here and die. But this damn world didn’t even allow death to be a rest. It wouldn’t let me give up. It was forcibly pushing me. Just for the absurd reason that I wrote a story.

As I was slumped in despair, a tattered, blood-soaked hand crawled in front of me. Moreover, the cut surface of the severed wrist emitted a strong, foul odor. My thoughts were shattered in an instant, and a harsh curse escaped my mouth.

“F*ck, what is this!”

As I recoiled and stood up, Yoo Min-ho pulled the sneaker lace tied to the zombie’s wrist towards him and looked at me.

“What? You have a weak stomach? You have a pet. A black-furred cat with my name. I’m giving you a special gift because you might be lonely… Ah, is it because it’s red that you don’t like it?”

“Crazy, insane bastard… Are you not aware of the situation?”

“I’m scared. I’m doing this because I’m so f*cking scared.”

“…..”

Perhaps the words ‘I’m scared’ weren’t completely untrue, as I could see his fingertips trembling faintly. No, normally, if you’re scared, shouldn’t you avoid it and run away? It seemed like Yoo Min-ho was the type to act tough when he was scared. Or maybe he didn’t feel much of a threat from a part of a body.

Suddenly, I remembered when we were trapped alone in the real estate office, he said he was scared and asked me to hold his hand. It was a memory that only I had. The thought that this conversation would also remain only in my memory made all conversations feel meaningless, and fatigue washed over me.

“Anyway, don’t keep shoving that thing in my face. It’s making me sick.”

“…You feel a bit different today?”

Ah… the same old routine. It seemed like he felt that something was different every time. The problem was, he would say the same thing again next time, and I was too tired to keep explaining the same thing.

Silently avoiding him, I moved to the sofa by the entrance, and he followed right behind me. I ignored him, closed my eyes, and regulated my breathing. I felt the need to somehow organize the current hopeless situation in my head. But Yoo Min-ho didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving me alone. It was hard to understand why he was so interested in a stalker.

“…Why did you come to the real estate office?”

“…..”

“Don’t tell me you came to save me?”

“…..”

“…Anyway, I’m alive thanks to you. Earlier… thank you for cutting off the arm with the ax, too. I thought I was going to die for sure.”

At his unadulterated words of gratitude, I unknowingly opened my eyes and looked at him. Yoo Min-ho was sitting right next to me, looking at me. When I looked at his face, it felt like something sharp was rattling in my heart, uncomfortable and painful. I kept feeling anxious and nervous. I didn’t know if it was compassion or guilt, but that feeling made me uncomfortable.

…Why did he think that he wanted the world to end? I swallowed the words I couldn’t ask.