Chapter 5: The Beginning of Chaos

Upon entering the apartment, Ji-hoon was met with an unexpected scene. Min-jae, So Mi, Soo Won, and Min Ji greeted him with makeshift weapons pointed his way, creating a tense atmosphere.

However, as they realized it was him, they dropped their defensive stance with a collective exhale. Examining their faces, Ji-hoon could tell that something had happened while he was on his walk.

As soon as he saw his brother Ji-hoon, Min-jae rushed towards him and gave him a warm hug. Ji-hoon could feel the tension melting away from him as he hugged his brother back.

It was evident that something had really spooked him. The weight of whatever had happened seemed to have lifted off the shoulders of those who were with him – So Mi, Soo Won, and Min Ji. They too let out a sigh of relief as they saw him, resting themselves on the ground. It was a moment of mixed emotions – relief that it was him, but also fear from whatever must have occurred while he was away.

Min-jae pulled himself out of the hug and Ji-hoon finally had the chance to ask him for what happened while he was away. Min-jae signaled Ji-hoon to sit down, and as they settled, he began telling him about the events that had occurred in his absence.

Shortly after Ji-hoon left, they heard noises coming from the unit located between theirs and So Mi's. It sounded like someone was continuously banging against the door.

Concerned for their neighbor's well-being, So Mi and her friends decided to check on the resident to see if he was okay. They went to the door and knocked, and to their surprise, it was immediately opened by the same man who had been the first to react while the zombie attacked the woman earlier.

Soo Won, accompanied by the others, took a step forward and asked, "Is everything okay? We heard some loud noises."

The man, with a calm demeanor, replied, "Oh, everything's fine. Why do you ask?"

So Mi stepped forward, expressing their concern, "We've been hearing some noises. Is everything okay?"

The man casually replied, "Oh, that. I just had a minor accident, nothing to worry about."

Soo Won, with a hint of skepticism, pressed further, "Is that really true?"

The man nodded, "Yeah, you can come in and check. I'm still cleaning up, but it's nothing serious."

So Mi and Soo Won exchanged hesitant glances.

The man, sensing their hesitation, said, "You don't have to come in if you don't want to but believe it or not, everything's okay."

So Mi, still cautious, replied, "No, we'll go in, but you have to leave the door unlocked."

Soo Won sensing the uncertainty of the situation had asked Min Ji to stay outside and wait for them while they went inside.

The man took them inside, and as they entered his unit, they could see that his living room was in disarray. Furniture was overturned, and there were signs of a struggle. The atmosphere grew tense as they surveyed the scene.

Soo Won, feeling a sense of unease, cautiously asked, "What happened here?"

"Well, I was looking for something just before you arrived. It's just, you know, things got a bit out of hand." He replied

Soo Won, sensing the inconsistency in the man's story, added, "You mentioned having a little accident earlier. How does that relate to what we're seeing now? What were you really looking for?

As the man's admission hung in the air, he casually replied, "Oh, did I say that? Well, I might have lied a bit." So Mi and Soo Won, now feeling a growing sense of unease, began to move back slowly.

So Mi, trying to make sense of the situation, asked, "What do you mean you lied?"

However, instead of offering an explanation, the man suddenly lunged towards them. In an instant, he reached So Mi, catching her off guard as he gripped her throat. Soo Won, reacting swiftly, managed to evade his grasp by jumping out of the way.

With So Mi held captive, Soo Won shouted to Min Ji, who was waiting outside, urging her to get help.

Min ji swiftly ran around, knocking on doors and urgently screaming for help in response to the commotion inside.

Min-jae had been the first to come out from their unit brandishing a bat as he wondered about the chaos. However, he quickly shifted his attention when he saw Min-ji running around, desperately seeking assistance.

Without hesitation, he entered the apartment but all he found was So Mi kneeling on the ground and Soo Won inspecting a bite mark on her neck.

The other residents also arrived to check on the commotion, but it was already too late. Soo Won explained that the man had jumped out of the window and escaped as soon as the commotion drew attention outside.

She also went on to explain the entire scenario and what had happened to the other residents, further heightening the tension within the already uneasy apartment.

Getting even more confused and scared by this strange occurrence, the residents agreed to get of the corpse they had tied up since the cops they called hadn't arrived even after so long and they couldn't risk something else happening that caused the corpse to be released.

The unsettling events had left everyone on edge, and Min-jae suggested that So Mi and the others stay in their unit for a while until they could figure out what was going on. The current situation had stemmed from that decision. Uncertain about the person at the door, they opted to ignore it, and fear set in when the individual began banging on the door more aggressively instead of calling out or walking away.

As Ji-hoon listened to everything that had happened, he realized that things might be even worse than he thought. He didn't have enough details to judge what had happened but the appearance of an intelligent foe meant even more uncertainties concerning their present situation.

After he was done absorbing all the details, he turned towards the girls and politely asked, "I don't doubt what you're saying, but any additional information could help me understand the situation better. Did he give any indication of why he attacked and then just left?"

His eyes widened in concern as So Mi revealed the bite mark on her neck. He hesitated for a moment before gently asking, "What happened? Did he say anything before leaving?"

So Mi seemed hesitant to answer, her gaze briefly meeting Ji-hoon's before she showed him the bite mark. "He bit me," she whispered, her voice carrying a mix of fear and uncertainty. "And then he said, no one could save me now." She paused, her expression troubled, leaving an unsettling air of uncertainty in the room.