Chapter 4 Part 6

When I walked out, I saw Yoo Min-ho sprawled on the sofa, watching television. The large TV on the wall was broadcasting the news, which was entirely focused on the building where we were.

The footage shown as supplementary material depicted the interior of the building’s first floor. It appeared to have been filmed by an unmanned camera. The huge TV screen was filled with the repulsive sight of zombies. I recognized some of the zombies I had seen in the café, now appearing on public broadcast, though I certainly wasn’t happy to see them. People were horrified by the sight of zombies with dripping eyeballs and half-exposed brains lurching about with bizarre movements. Beneath the screen, the title was written in bold: ‘Zombie Virus in the Middle of Seoul?’

The announcer’s worried voice reported that dozens of countries had already designated South Korea a travel ban zone. This building now seemed to be the focus of global attention, not just our own nation’s. The biggest problems were cannibalism and contagion. Everyone was terrified that the unknown virus would spread beyond Korea to the rest of the world. The news then moved on to discuss the collapse of the stock market and the movements of foreign investors. The sheer fact that all of this was my creation was staggering.

“Want some coffee?”

Yoo Min-ho spoke first while I stared blankly at the news. Coffee. I felt like I was going to gag just smelling coffee beans now. I swore that even if I survived this, I wouldn’t be able to drink coffee until the day I died.

“No, don’t you have anything else? Like milk or juice.”

“…I have Coke. Coke Zero. Want that instead?”

“Yeah.”

I answered briefly and sat on the sofa, gazing out at the night view beyond the living room window. The scenery of Seoul, viewed from the 49th floor, looked exactly as usual. As I blankly stared at the scattered city lights, I suddenly heard a rustling sound from right behind the sofa. Without thinking, I glanced toward the kitchen and saw Yoo Min-ho’s back as he took the coke out of the refrigerator. That meant something else was in the apartment. A chill ran all the way from the top of my head down my spine.

“…Z-Zombie!”

As I fell into a panic, searching for anything that could serve as a weapon, I suddenly spotted something peeking out from the side of the sofa, looking at me. …It wasn’t a zombie. It was a yellow kitten entirely covered in soft fur. And it was a baby kitten. Gamgyul, wasn’t that its name? Anyway, the tiny creature blinked its large eyes wide and looked at me with curiosity. Even though I realized it wasn’t a zombie, my startled heart refused to calm down easily.

“Haa…. F-Fuck, that really surprised me.”

“It was more surprised than you were, you know?”

Yoo Min-ho glanced at me and spoke with an exasperated tone. As I pressed my other hand hard onto the one that was shaking disgracefully, the cat, with a light movement, hopped onto the armrest and licked my hand. The sensation was warm and rough, making me slightly ticklish. It let out a high-pitched cry—”meow“—and looked at me as if begging for something, its eyes so bright it felt overwhelming.

“Isn’t it cute?”

“…I hate animals.”

“Even though it’s a cat?”

“Aren’t cats animals? If a zombie spots us, it won’t even be a mouthful for them. Take good care of it.”

“Fuck, haa—fine. Gyul, come to hyung. Why are you putting yourself through that humiliation next to someone who dislikes you?”

Meow-.

I couldn’t understand what humiliation I had inflicted. Can’t some people just dislike kittens? But whether it was Gamgyul or Milgam, the little thing settled down, burying its head between my rear end and the sofa. The thought that I might accidentally crush its tiny head if I shifted my body made my back straighten involuntarily.

“…It seems to like you.”

Yoo Min-ho, having said that, poured two glasses of cola, handed one to me, and then perched on the edge of the sofa. 

As I took a sip of the dark liquid bubbling with carbonation, Yoo Min-ho asked in a low voice, “Now tell me. Why are you pretending to be Lee Chae-eun?”

“…I’ve never pretended to be Lee Chae-eun. Think carefully. From the very beginning, you were the one who arbitrarily decided I was Lee Chae-eun.”

“…Fine, let’s assume that for now… So, who exactly are you?”

“Who am I?”

“I don’t know why I thought you were Lee Chae-eun, but… what is certain is that Lee Chae-eun is a woman. This whole situation is seriously, profoundly wrong.”

I was speechless for a moment. It was because I was at a loss as to where or how to begin explaining. Honestly, I wasn’t confident I could convince him of the truth.

“If I tell you… will you believe me?”

“Whether I believe you or not is for me to judge. Just try.”

The house was utterly silent. The night view reflected through the living room window was utterly ordinary, and the kitten rubbing its face against my hip looked endlessly peaceful. Sitting inside the warm, cozy house made the entire situation—with zombies swarming everywhere—feel like a lie. After licking my lips several times, I finally managed to speak.

“…Just so you know, I’m not on any medication, and I’m not crazy.”

“I know.”

“I… well, my name is…”

“…..”

“…Seo, Ki-hyeon. I’m… twenty-seven. Six years older than you.”

“So what? Should I call you ‘hyung’?”

“…Forget it.”

Having said that, I downed the cola in the clear plastic cup in one gulp. On the news, they were now arguing about how to rescue the people inside the building. The prevailing opinion was to set aside the first and second floors teeming with zombies and start the rescue from the fifth floor, where the officetels were located. Of course, there were a few dissenting voices urging caution due to fear of the unknown virus, but they were the minority. It seemed likely that escaping this building might be possible soon.

“Right, Mr. Seo Ki-hyeon. Honestly, I have a ton of other things I’m curious about… but first, how did you know the elevator would stop on the 22nd floor? Just like you said, exactly three zombies rushed at us. But no matter how I think about it, there’s no way you could know something like that. Did you guess? That’s impossible. Or do you have superpowers? Did you travel to the future or something?”

“……”

“I thought about it while you were showering… everything felt strange right from the start. The way you suddenly appeared and dragged me all the way to the management office, and when we went to the convenience store… even when we took the elevator… I just thought we were lucky… but thinking back on it now, it makes no sense. You acted like someone who knew exactly where and how the zombies would appear and move. Didn’t you?”

…Now was truly the time to answer his questions with the truth.

“You asked how I knew the elevator would stop on the 22nd floor? It’s simple. …It’s not the first time we’ve been there…”

“…What?”

“You probably don’t remember, but you were eaten countless times by that zombie with the mangled ankle on the 22nd floor.”

“…I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about right now?”

“The reason I brought a mop handle instead of a pipe wrench or an axe is not because I was lucky, as you say. It’s because I’ve gone through it so many times that I know it’s the most effective.”

The clear eyes, filled with confusion, quietly stared at me. Explaining things logically to Yoo Min-ho was impossible anyway. Instead of offering a tedious, drawn-out explanation, I spoke the truth directly.

“The reason I knew you lived on the 49th floor, and the reason I knew this tiny cat’s name was Gamgyul, is the same. You’ve told me before.”

“…Are you kidding me? When did I ever—”

“Do you like games? In a game, when the main character dies and it’s game over, you return to the save point, right? It’s similar to that. This world is an insanely realistic zombie game, and the main characters are you, me, and Do Ji-hyuk. If any one of the three of us dies, time rewinds to when the first zombie appeared. If the zombies spread outside the building, it’s game over. If the main characters die, it’s game over.”

“……”

“But you know what the most screwed-up part of this damn game is? Everyone else forgets everything when it’s game over, but I’m the only one who remembers all those tens, hundreds of deaths. Every time you see me, you start cursing me out as some stalker, and you absolutely won’t follow me to the management office unless I threaten to slice my wrists open with a box cutter.”

“……”

“…And you always ask the same thing. You’re not Lee Chae-eun, are you? Who are you? It’s not torture by hope, it’s enough to drive a person crazy. Haa…”

“…You must have been severely traumatized. No matter how many zombies pop out, this isn’t a game, it’s reality. You’re escaping reality right now. If you go outside, you need to get some counseling—”

“What drives me most insane… isn’t being ripped apart by zombies, or time repeating because we can’t get out of this building. …It’s you, Yoo Min-ho. You, who only remember my name right before you die.”

“…Your condition is more serious than I thought. And who is Yoo Min-ho now…”

Now, undisguised pity shone in his eyes. It seemed he thought I had completely lost my mind, unable to accept the reality of rampaging zombies. But I didn’t care if he didn’t believe me. 

If we couldn’t escape this place and the loop reset again, the truth would vanish from his mind anyway… and if the government found a solution and the situation was resolved as it was, it was a story I didn’t necessarily need him to believe.