Chapter 4 Part 11

His life had never been easy. No matter how hard he tried, turning his life around seemed impossible, and the label of ‘orphan’ clung to him like an inherited status. Even worse, the man who appeared just before he became an adult, claiming to be his father, only wanted to use Yoo Min-ho for his own gain.

Tragically, there were only two people he allowed himself to care about, despite his general suspicion of others: his father and me. Yoo Min-ho could never forget me, the person who shared his hardship and gave him his first true affection in childhood. Ultimately, that sole affection blossomed into romantic love.

“…If you make me leave, I have nowhere else to go.”

Instead of mentioning that everything would reset the moment the zombie virus spread to people, that is what I told him. On the television, scenes were now playing of firefighters shooting water cannons at zombies using fire hoses. They were putting on quite a show for a single zombie that couldn’t even walk properly.

“If they play their cards right, they might even capture one. Who knows, they might end up researching the zombie virus and bringing the dead back to life?”

“…It’ll be a miracle if they don’t get scratched when they approach to put handcuffs on it.”

Yoo Min-ho and I held our breath watching the television. I swear I wouldn’t have watched a Korea-Japan soccer match with such fervor. Contrary to my persistently pessimistic expectations, the chaotic situation was brought to a close as the fire truck crushed the zombie under its weight. The woman who had been hanging from the fifth-floor window ledge was also safely rescued and loaded into an ambulance. This was the first rescue in this damned zombie outbreak.

However, we couldn’t afford to view the situation as entirely hopeful. The entire world was shocked by the sight of the zombie continuing to move even while its body was being torn to pieces. People were terrified just imagining what would happen if the dozens, hundreds of zombies inside the building were released, given that the situation was already uncontrollable with just one outside.

That very night, the government deployed personnel around the building. This was ostensibly in preparation for any possible escape of zombies through the windows. Though they called it preparation, it was effectively surveillance, and we were isolated.

Public opinion had even begun to turn against the rescue operation. Selfish logic—that the few must be eliminated for the sake of the many—was surprisingly gaining traction. The public did not want anyone rescued from the building, fearing they might be infected with the virus. This vague fear stemmed from the complete lack of information regarding how this unknown virus spread or manifested. The live broadcast of the zombies was more than enough to instill overwhelming terror in people’s minds.

Naturally, none of us could sleep that night. Just as we were mentally exhausted from watching the news reports debating rescue methods all night, Yoo Min-ho brought in a game cartridge from somewhere. The timing was painfully ironic: it was a zombie game.

“…You really want to play that right now, in this situation?”

“Are we just going to keep watching that depressing stuff? Does watching it change the outcome?”

“Why, of all things, a zombie game…”

“It’s like running a simulation beforehand. Besides, this is the only game we have that two people can play.”

With that, Yoo Min-ho connected the game to the large wall-mounted TV and handed me a controller. What he said had a point. Obsessively watching the news wasn’t going to provide any solutions. Moreover, leaving the apartment right now was impossible, and since we were on the 49th floor, escaping through the window was out of the question. Even if we managed to get out, we had no idea how the soldiers guarding the area outside the building would react.

Sinking deep into the sofa, I stared at the TV. Soon the opening sequence appeared, and the game began. The game itself was quite simple: when a zombie appeared in a blind spot, you shot it in the head before it could approach. Even if you were attacked, the game wasn’t over until the energy bar was completely depleted.

…If reality had been this easy, we would have escaped long ago… In reality, the zombies kept moving even if you severed their heads or necks, and just brushing against them meant game over. However, regardless of how easy I thought the difficulty was, it seemed I had no talent for gaming, as I couldn’t beat Yoo Min-ho no matter what. Ah… I died again while momentarily looking away.

“Look outside.”

While I was deeply engrossed in the game, I heard a voice beside me and looked toward the living room window. Outside, thick, heavy snow was falling ceaselessly, threatening to blanket the entire city. It struck me as strange that even amidst this absurd situation, the weather continued to change as usual. Well, even if all of humanity were wiped out, the seasons would still change, and snow and rain would still fall. The only difference would be that there would be no humans left to assign meaning to those natural phenomena. Thinking that way, the existence of humanity suddenly felt insignificant.

Yoo Min-ho put down the game console, stood before the living room window, and watched the endless, heavy snow as he asked me, “… Do you think we can get out of here?”

Hearing the tremor of anxiety in his voice somehow made my own resolve feel stronger. We had to get out. If not this time, then next time; if we failed next time, then the time after that. Unlike my previous life, which had ended in a bad ending with Yoo Min-ho’s death, this time I had been given infinite chances. Firming up my wavering spirit once more, I answered in a steady voice.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get us out of here. No matter how many times we have to try, I’ll make sure we return to our normal lives.”

“…That again? If we get out of here, let’s go get counseling together first.”

“…Sure.”

“Can I hold your hand?”

Without arguing, I gripped Yoo Min-ho’s hand, feeling his warm body heat spread through my palm. Simultaneously, I felt the anxiety that had been shaking my heart begin to settle down. In fact, depending on how you looked at it, the situation could even be seen positively. After all, Yoo Min-ho, who had been dead, was alive beside me. Even in a world overrun by zombies, being alive was far better than being dead. Because being alive meant there was still a chance. Thinking that way made my heart feel a little stronger. The snow, once it began to fall, covered the world below in an endless blanket of white.

Three days after we entered Yoo Min-ho’s apartment, the government withdrew all rescue plans and decided to demolish the building by bombing it. This decision followed the first and only rescuer—a woman—manifesting as a zombie in the negative pressure isolation room of the hospital she had been transported to. The zombie virus spread through the entire hospital in an instant, and when the situation became uncontrollable, a missile struck the hospital that very day. Patients, medical staff, guardians, and even children inside the hospital all met their deaths at once. When survival was at stake, people made surprisingly selfish and shrewd decisions.

Snow poured down on Seoul even on the final day. We sat side-by-side on the sofa, each drinking a can of beer while awaiting the imminent end. Everyone near the building had evacuated in preparation for the blast shockwave. No, not just the immediate vicinity; most people in Seoul had left for the provinces, leaving the entire city deserted. Staring out at the black, dead ghost city devoid of a single light, I had the pathetic thought that perhaps Seoul real estate prices might finally drop.

Ironically, the sight of the stark, desolate cityscape covered in pure white snow looked breathtakingly beautiful. Looking down upon the pitch-black night view of Seoul, I tried desperately to steady my mind.