5. Introductions

'.....'= Thoughts 

"....."= Conversations 

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Inside the small room, Jin-soo, Cheong-san, and the girl were panting heavily, their chests heaving from the exertion and adrenaline. The tense silence was broken by a girl rushing forward and hugging the girl beside Jin soo and Cheong-san tightly, tears streaming down her face.

"Thank God, On-jo, you're all right!" she cried, her voice thick with relief.

On-jo hugged her back, her own eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I'm okay, I- sak, I'm okay."

Meanwhile, the others in the room eyed Jin-soo warily, their gazes fixed on the large, bloodied knife in his hand. The girl in the pink sweater, who had earlier protested against letting them in, pointed accusingly at him.

"You killed our classmates!" she screamed, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and anger.

Jin-soo frowned, his expression hardening. "Shut up," he snapped, his voice sharp. The stress and frustration of the situation boiled over in those two words.

Cheong-san stepped forward, his face set in a determined expression. "Na-yeon, enough. Those- those were not our classmates. They had turned into zombies. What do you expect him to do? Lay down and allow them to kill him" he said firmly, addressing the girl in the pink sweater. "He saved our lives."

Na-yeon looked at him, her defiance wavering. "But—"

"No buts," Cheong-san interrupted. "We wouldn't have made it without him."

On-jo, having extricated herself from I-sak's embrace, approached Jin-soo. "Thank you," she said sincerely and bowed her head, her eyes meeting his. "I'm On-jo, by the way, and this is Cheong-san."

Jin-soo gave a slight bow his grip on the knife relaxing slightly. "I'm Jin-soo."

The room fell into an uneasy silence as they absorbed the reality of their situation. The sound of distant screams and the occasional thud of zombies against the doors echoed faintly, a constant reminder of the danger just outside.

Gyeong-su, sweat glistening on his forehead, approached Jin-soo cautiously, Woo-jin at his side, still fumbling with the lock on the door to ensure their temporary safety. "I'm Gyeong-su," he said, his voice steady despite the turmoil swirling around them. "And this is Woo-jin. We were trying to secure the door. We've got Na-yeon, I-sak, Joon-yeong, Min-ji, Ji-min and Hyo-rung here with us."

As he introduced each name, a corresponding face in the room gave a nod or a wary glance, all still grappling with the shock and fear of their circumstances. Na-yeon, having been chastised by Cheong-san, remained silent but her eyes never left Jin-soo, suspicion still evident. I-sak, having calmed slightly, stood protectively near On-jo, while Hyo-rung along with Min-jn and Ji-min stood in the corner, their expressions a mix of exhaustion and anxiety.

Joon-yeong nodded his head at Jin-soo and quickly took Gyeong-su's place and held the door along with Woo-jin.

Woo-jin, turned to Jin-soo, his gaze serious. "What's it like out there?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper, as if speaking too loudly might draw the attention of the horrors outside.

Jin-soo sighed heavily, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "It's chaos," he replied, his tone grim. "The whole school is overrun with zombies. We barely made it here. There's no safe path, no easy way out. Every turn, every hallway, is a gamble with your life."

Cheong-san nodded in agreement, his face etched with worry. "We were lucky to find this room. But it's only a matter of time before they find us, too. We need to figure out a plan."

Gyeong-su ran a hand through his hair, glancing around the small, cramped room. "There's no way we can stay here forever," he said, voicing the thought that was on everyone's mind. "We need to find a way out of the school, or at least somewhere more secure. Does anyone know if there's a safer place we can go?"

Joon-yeong, normally quiet and reserved, spoke up hesitantly. "The teacher's lounge," he suggested. "It's on the third floor. It's got sturdy doors, and there might be food and supplies there. Plus, it's away from the main entrances."

The group considered this, weighing their options. It wasn't a perfect plan, but it was something.

Cheong-san looked at Jin-soo. "Do you think we can make it to the third floor?"

Jin-soo shrugged, glancing at the knife in his hand, still stained with the blood of the undead. "It's risky," he admitted. "But it's probably our best shot. We'll have to move fast and stay together. No one can get separated."

The tense atmosphere in the small room was shattered by a sudden, forceful bang on the door. The already on-edge group jumped, their hearts pounding with renewed fear. The sound of frantic knocking followed, accompanied by a voice shouting, "It's me, open the damn door!"

Woo-jin, recognizing the voice, rushed to the door. "It's Dae-su!" he exclaimed, quickly fumbling with the locks to let him in. As soon as the door was slightly ajar, Dae-su pushed his way inside, slamming it shut behind him.

"What the hell is happening out there?" Dae-su demanded, his face flushed and sweaty, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He looked around, his eyes wide with panic and confusion.

Cheong-san, with a tense face walked near the window and looked outside,"It's like 'Train to Busan' out there," he said, his voice tinged with tension.

Jin-soo, standing off to the side, allowed himself a grim laugh. "Seems worse than 'Train to Busan'," he muttered, his grip tightening on the bloodied knife in his hand.

Dae-su, about to snap back with a retort, noticed Jin-soo for the first time. His eyes darted to the knife, and he visibly tensed. "Who the hell is this guy?" he started, but quickly changed his tone to a more cautious one. "Jin-soo? " he asked more politely.

"Yeah?" Jin-soo, narrowing his eyes at the sudden change of tone of Dae-su wondered whether the previous Jin-soo was friends with this guy or something.

"Uh-You did a good job beating that bast*rd Gwi-nam," Dae-su spoke awkwardly.

"Huh? Okay," Jin-soo was confused a bit but he was glad that this guy knew him from the fight in the cafeteria and was not a close friend of previous Jin-soo or something.

Cheong-san stopping their awkward conversation, gestured toward the window. "Everyone, come over here," he spoke. "You need to see what's happening outside."

The group moved hesitantly to the window, peering through the cracks in the makeshift barricade. The scene below was one of utter chaos. Students, their faces twisted into grotesque visages of hunger and rage, staggered through the hallways and across the courtyard, chasing down the few remaining uninfected individuals.

On-jo gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "It's so much worse than I thought," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

I-sak clutched On-jo's arm tightly, her eyes wide with terror. "How did this happen so fast?" she wondered aloud, her voice shaking.

Jin-soo stepped forward, his expression grim. "This infection spreads rapidly. We've seen how quickly it can turn people. One bite, and it's over. We can't afford to get caught by them."

Suddenly Gyeong-su shouted,"Don't leave the door unguarded!"

"Shit!" Woo-jin and Dae-su, immediately heeding Gyeong-su's shout, rushed to the door, throwing their weight against it to ensure it remained securely shut against any possible intrusion by zombies. Meanwhile, everyone else in the room, except for Cheong-san and Jin-soo, backed away from the window, their bodies sagging with the weight of mental exhaustion as they slumped down, trying to process the dire situation they were trapped in.

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