1. The New Virus

    “Ah, as soon as you put the glass down—random game, random game! Hyejin’s favorite random game!”

    As the end-of-semester party wore on, the students, flushed with alcohol, were visibly red-faced. Saejin poured bottled water into a pot of odeng soup that had boiled down to nothing and turned the gas stove from low to medium heat. The moment Hyejin, who was sitting next to him, drank her penalty shot, the random game resumed again, causing a whirlwind of activity. Saejin had thought he could hold his liquor fairly well, but there was no competing with the stamina of the freshmen.

    Pressing his fingers firmly to his brow to steady his spinning vision, Saejin muttered that he’d sit the next round out and stood up awkwardly. Though he heard complaints that he was killing the mood, if he drank even one more mouthful, he’d end up crawling home—so he decided to pace himself. The room temperature wasn’t particularly high, but the alcohol had raised his body heat. To cool down the flush of warmth, he flapped his shirt and headed toward the convenience store. The swaying of his vision made even descending the stairs a task that required effort. He clung to the handrail for a while, stumbling, and only after finally making it outside did he allow himself to relax.

    “What’s up with him?”

    Saejin spotted one of his classmates squatting on the ground, dozing off, and asked another student who was keeping watch nearby. The student simply shrugged and replied, “Seems like he’s drunk.” But something felt off. Saejin glanced at the exposed skin, which was far too red to be chalked up to alcohol alone. He eyed the dark red skin on the back of the guy’s neck and gave a soft warning.

    “Maybe he should stop drinking now.”

    Sanghyeok, his head buried in his knees, didn’t answer. Instead, he kept letting out these strange, low sounds—“Ugh, ugh”—over and over. It seemed he was too far gone to speak properly.

    ‘He really drank himself into a stupor.’

    Leaving the staggering crowd behind, Saejin continued toward the convenience store. As he was picking out an ice cream, a thought struck him, and he tilted his head. In the department, Sanghyeok was known for being able to drink anyone under the table. At last year’s end-of-semester party, he was the last one standing, helping his classmates get home. And tonight, he was attending in his capacity as a student council officer, keeping an eye on the freshmen. Even if he’d had a few drinks to match the mood, it didn’t seem like he would’ve downed enough to get that drunk.

    ‘Is he just not feeling well today?’

    Just as Saejin was worrying about Sanghyeok, who couldn’t even hold himself upright, the store owner’s TV caught his attention with a news report.

    — Breaking news. The number of patients suffering from high fevers, burns that resemble scalding, and vision impairment is rapidly increasing. While the exact cause has yet to be identified, the pattern of clustered infections has led the Disease Control Agency to suspect the emergence of a new virus.

    ‘A new virus?’

    The breaking news was anything but ordinary. Wanting to know more, Saejin set the ice cream he’d been choosing on top of the freezer and searched for “new virus.” Almost instantly, articles that seemed to have just been uploaded began appearing on his phone screen.

    ‘…Looks like this is actually serious.’

    The articles reported a surge in patients experiencing high fevers, and that the emergency services (119) were overwhelmed. Other headlines said the same. Some even advised that if you had a personal vehicle or could move a patient on foot, it would be faster than calling for an ambulance. Yet, despite how hot the topic was, it didn’t feel quite real—maybe because the virus had only just been reported.

    “That’ll be 1,400 won.”

    When Saejin placed the ice cream with its damp wrapper on the counter, the owner responded with a mechanical voice. While Saejin fumbled in his pocket for his card, the store owner glanced back at the continuing news broadcast. The report wasn’t over yet.

    — We’ve just received new information. The first death suspected to be caused by the new virus has been confirmed. The patient died only three minutes after arriving at the hospital.

    “What the hell is going on…?”

    The store owner, frowning as he stared at the screen, turned his head at the sound of the card reader beeping to confirm payment. It was still hard to wrap his head around the fact that a new virus had emerged, and now they were reporting a death. As time passed, the anchor’s updates grew more and more dire.

    Unease weighed down Saejin’s steps. Just as he tore open the ice cream wrapper near the convenience store entrance, the sound of an ambulance siren reached his ears. It could’ve been dispatched for a simple accident—but for some reason, the phrase “new virus” echoed in his mind.

    ‘Am I overthinking this?’

    Saejin stared blankly down at his phone. The alcohol had dulled his judgment, but it couldn’t hurt to be cautious. Ice cream in his mouth, still deep in thought, he finally made a decision and opened the student council group chat.

    [ Me: I’m not feeling well, so I’m heading out firstㅠㅠ ]
    [ 2017 – Kim Eunju: Looks like Sanghyeok should head out too, lol. Got it! ]
    [ 2018 – Joo Seongtaek: Wow, Yoon Saejin, you traitor!? Just dipping out on us? ]
    [ 2018 – Yoon Kyungwon: lol what’s with that attitude…? Even Gijoon, who puked up a whole pitcher, is still here. ]
    [ President Yeong Eunjin: You’re really not feeling well? Then it can’t be helped. The rest of us will clean up, so get home safe. ]
    [ 2018 – Yoon Kyungwon: ???? The rest of us are confused ]
    [ 2018 – Yoon Kyungwon: (photo) Looks like everyone except me, Seongtaek, the president, and Eunju are completely wasted, lol. The rest have already gone to the afterlife. ㅠ ]
    [ 2018 – Yoon Kyungwon: Alright then, ok ok. Yoon Saejin, you’re on puke-duty during the start-of-semester party ^^ ]

    [ Me: Yeah, got it ㅋㅋㅋ ]

    Just before leaving the bar, it seemed more than a few people had noticed how unsteady Saejin was. Though they pretended not to care, they all responded positively to his message about heading home early. Saejin let out a soft laugh at Yoon Kyungwon’s reaction and crunched into his ice cream. The soda-flavored chill washed away the thick alcoholic taste in his mouth. Now sobered up, Saejin threw away his trash and craned his neck toward the direction of the bar.

    ‘…Did Sanghyeok make it home?’

    Worry gnawed at him, but the street was empty. Clicking his tongue, Saejin turned on his heel. Wandering around would only get him dragged back by student council members—better to get home quickly.

    To reach his place, he had to pass through a chilly back alley. He zipped his padded jacket all the way up to his chin, crossed his arms, and briskly walked forward. Every now and then, a honking horn shattered the silence, and his body jolted each time. The news of the new virus had already put him on edge, and the uneasy air around him only heightened his anxiety.

    He was practically running with long strides through the darkness when a piercing siren he’d never heard before blared from his pocket. He pulled out his phone to silence the irritating noise and saw two emergency messages:

    [Emergency Disaster Alert – As of 9:00 PM, the number of infected is estimated to be 30,000. Please refrain from going outside as cases of high fever continue to rise.]
    [Emergency Disaster Alert – Over 15,000 deaths reported. If you experience a sudden high fever, head to the nearest hospital immediately. If 119 is delayed, please contact emergency services via 112.
    First Aid: Cool the body with cold water and stay hydrated with cold fluids.]

    He’d only ever received disaster alerts during earthquakes, but now, with these messages pouring in, the seriousness of the situation was undeniable.

    ‘Aren’t those numbers wrong…?’

    It hadn’t been that long since the first news report, and already infection and death tolls were in the tens of thousands? His first thought was that there must be an error. But no correction came. A shapeless fear crept up and swallowed him whole.

    Whatever the case, he needed to get home safely—first and foremost. Just as Saejin turned at the fork in the road, a strange noise from the path ahead stopped him. Instinctively taking a step back, he pressed himself to the wall and cautiously poked his head around the corner to identify the source.

    ‘What… is that?’

    A man stood in front of a parked car, and by his feet was a grotesquely twisted body lying on the ground. Saejin quickly clamped his hands over his mouth to muffle the scream rising in his throat. He watched in horror as the man pulled out a heavy tool from the trunk and repeatedly struck the figure on the ground. The pulverized body writhed like a worm and let out sickening, choking sounds—“gghk, gghk.”

    The man ran a hand through his hair, steadying his breathing—but then, as if sensing Saejin’s gaze, he suddenly snapped his head around.

    “Gasp…”

    The moment their eyes met—icy and razor-sharp—Saejin instinctively gasped, his lips parting involuntarily.

    Run.

    While his mind froze, his legs acted on instinct, launching him into a sprint in the opposite direction. Should I call the police? But they said lines are jammed because of the virus. Will they even answer? As a whirlwind of thoughts crossed his mind, the man chasing him grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him back roughly. Saejin nearly fell backward. He had run with all his strength, but the man had still caught him.

    He might kill me too, just because I saw it!

    Trembling in fear, Saejin shut his eyes tight and slowly turned his body. A low, firm voice burst out, harsh and blunt.

    “Hey.”

    “Y-Yes? Me…?”

    The man’s tone made it clear—if he didn’t respond, he’d get hit. Snapping his eyes open, Saejin found himself facing a rough-looking man with a sharp, angry face. The man stared at him for a long moment, then scowled deeply.

    Should I beg him to spare me? Saejin’s lips kept twitching, ready to plead. But before he could say anything, the man grabbed his wrist and dragged him back down the alley—toward the spot where he’d been beating the person. Saejin kept repeating, Why are you doing this? I’m just an innocent college student, but the man didn’t acknowledge a word.

    “You trying to die, or what? If you’d gone that way, you’d be monster food by now.”

    “…Huh?”

    A gangster-looking guy had just dragged him off without warning, and now he was yelling at him? It was all so overwhelming, but Saejin instinctively lowered his head and muttered a string of apologies.

    “Hey. Look at this.”

    Apparently frustrated by Saejin’s confusion, the man nudged the collapsed figure to get his attention. Only then did Saejin manage to lift his eyes properly and stare at the body on the ground.

    ‘Wh… what is that.’

    The person Saejin had assumed was dead was still writhing with grotesquely twisted arms and legs. Under the streetlight, their face was scorched black, the skin bubbling with blisters from what looked like burns. Their closed eyelids had sunken in, and some sticky liquid—maybe pus, maybe tears—was oozing between the lashes.

    The man had struck the back of their head with a heavy tool, yet the body hadn’t died. Instead, it kept squirming nonstop, as if trying to crawl using limbs stripped down to bone. The aftermath of violence was so brutal and revolting that Saejin felt an overwhelming urge to vomit.

    “Ugh…!”

    Sinking to the ground, bracing himself against the wall, Saejin vomited up everything he’d drunk. The alcohol burned as it came back up, but the shock of witnessing that grotesque creature was so great, he barely registered the pain. What the hell was that thing? It looked like a human—but everything about it felt off. The only word that came to mind was monster.

    “I don’t know what you thought you saw and ran from, but does this thing look human to you?”

    The man gave the creature a nudge with his foot and muttered a low curse. Then he rolled his shoulders and moved around, muttering that his body felt stiff from exertion. But standing in front of a burnt, broken, bloodied creature, it wasn’t the kind of thing any normal person would say.

    “…Do you know what this is? Earlier, you said that way was full of monsters like this. So you mean… there’s more than one?”

    At this point, Saejin couldn’t help but question if he was just drunk, dreaming, or hallucinating. Monsters appearing out of nowhere, a virus spreading and killing at exponential speed—it all felt too absurd to be real. He wished it was a dream.

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