“Sitting at a desk for class from morning? I really hate it.”
“I know, right? It’d be better to go out and run around. Wouldn’t it, Ire?”
Ire nodded in agreement. When Matteo was teaching Ire how to read as a child, he’d make him sit at a desk, and Ire felt like he was going to die from restlessness every time. Even at a young age, he realized he had no talent for learning.
Lost in thought, something suddenly hit him from behind. It was a crumpled piece of paper, and when he unfolded it, it read ‘Rag.’ He turned around to see Park Mu-jin’s group sitting above, snickering. Ignoring them, he looked straight ahead, and Seo Young-jun lowered his voice and whispered.
“I’m more terrified of having to see that bastard all the time than this boring class.”
“Want me to beat him up?”
At Ire’s words, Seo Young-jun’s eyes widened, then he laughed and put his arm around Ire’s shoulder. “You, I appreciate the thought, even if it’s just words.” He seemed to take it as a joke. Oh Nam-gi made a fuss, wanting to join in, but just then, the door opened and someone came in.
The man with the round face was said to be some kind of professor. According to Seo Young-jun, his classes were incredibly boring. As if to prove it, the man began a gentle explanation. His voice was more suited to saying mass in a cathedral than teaching in a military academy.
“Now, in the last class, we discussed the origin of the virus, and we learned about the characteristics of the Infected and their weaknesses. Let’s quickly review and move on. Initially, they were called blood-sucking zombies and were close to beasts without cognitive abilities. They bit indiscriminately, craved blood, and had remarkably developed hearing, smell, and physical abilities. But after decades, intelligent individuals began to appear one by one. They were very few in number, but they were as threatening to humans as a nuclear bomb. However, they self-destructed and eventually died. If that hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t be sitting here studying; they would be.”
After explaining for a while, the professor asked if anyone had seen an Infected in person. While everyone was just looking at each other, Park Mu-jin raised his hand and arrogantly tilted his chin.
“When I was young, I saw the knight working at my house get Infected. So, my father used the revolver he had to smash its head. I still can’t forget that scene. It’s also why I respect my father.”
His gang gave him thumbs up, and the professor smiled and nodded.
“That’s right. The reason you’re all here is similar. It’s to protect your precious family, lovers, and friends, isn’t it?”
“From these terrible monsters.” No sooner had he finished speaking than the professor pressed a button, and the dark curtain behind him slowly rose. Everyone watched in breathless silence as the back of a person appeared inside a transparent glass window.
What is it? Who is it?
While they were whispering with puzzled expressions, the professor approached the glass and tapped it with a stick. Instantly, the man who had been showing his back slowly turned around, and the lecture hall became as silent as if everyone had stopped breathing.
Cloudy, hazy eyes. Fangs clearly visible inside the open mouth. It was so emaciated that its ribs were showing, and its chest rose and fell dramatically with each labored breath.
“Wow, I’m seeing one for the first time. It looks just like a person.”
“Yeah, except for the eyes and teeth, it’s no different from us.”
The trainees’ eyes were filled with excitement. When the professor operated the remote control, a low growling sound echoed through the lecture hall. The Infected came closer to the window and peered as if examining the professor’s face. Grrr- Grrr- The sound of scraping vocal cords grew more intense, and suddenly, it slammed its hands against the glass window!
Bang- Bang- Bang-! It opened its mouth and lunged as if to devour the professor in front of it. When that didn’t work, it went back a ways and then ran and slammed its head into the glass. The faces of the trainees, who had initially been smirking and watching, gradually hardened.
“Shit, what if it breaks out…?”
“It’s bulletproof glass, you idiot. Can’t you tell…?”
“Ugh, that’s creepy. Are we going to meet things like that in the field?”
“Why, I think it’ll be fun.”
Amid the different reactions, the professor unfolded his arms and raised his hand to get their attention.
“Now, what should you do in this situation?”
Someone shouted enthusiastically.
“Shoot it in the head!”
“Correct.”
The professor called the instructor over the microphone, and a moment later, an armed soldier burst out of the door inside the glass. The moment the Infected turned around and charged, a burst of fire erupted from the gun. The sound of the shot echoed through the lecture hall, and those watching simultaneously stopped breathing.
The Infected, its head blown apart, fell to the floor with a thud. As the brain, crushed like tofu and mixed with blood, flowed out, the trainees’ faces were filled with admiration and horror. Meanwhile, other soldiers came and collected the body and covered the window.
“Did you all see that clearly? I thought everyone was bored with my class, so I prepared something special. Now, enjoy your lunch, everyone.”
The professor smiled mischievously, waved the book he had brought, and left. As soon as the professor had completely disappeared, Seo Young-jun grabbed Ire’s arm and shook his head.
“Showing us something like that and then telling us to enjoy our meal. He’s a complete psycho.”
Oh Nam-gi, who was next to him, chimed in.
“Why, I thought it was awesome? You’re so squeamish; what are you going to do about the next class? It’s dissection.”
At the word dissection, Seo Young-jun pretended to gag, and Ire smiled bitterly. He shifted his gaze to where the Infected had been thrashing about just a moment ago, but it was only for a brief moment. He soon left the lecture hall as if nothing had happened.
Because it was Saturday, everyone was bustling about to go on leave or outings after lunch. When Ire tried to stay in the dorm because he had nowhere to go, Seo Young-jun, Oh Nam-gi, and even the guys from other rooms joined forces and forced him into the car.
Once he was out, he couldn’t help but gape at the scenery outside the car window. It was truly another world. The cars speeding down the clean streets were so pristine that they looked like they had just been manufactured.
Unlike District B, which turned into darkness at night, District A was dazzling beyond words. He was staring blankly at the brightly shining signs when the car stopped. In a daze, he followed Seo Young-jun into a building, and the sound of music pounded in his ears. As he went inside, his vision blurred with the flashing lights.
While he was still trying to get his bearings, Seo Young-jun grabbed Ire’s arm.
“Come on. We’re going up there.”
He climbed the stairs leading to the second floor, where oval chairs were placed everywhere. It was a structure where you could look down from above. Leaning on the railing and looking around, Ire’s mouth dropped open without him realizing it. There were bars in District B, but the atmosphere was completely different from here. They had a lot of homemade alcohol there, and sometimes people got sick from strange things being added to it.
“Ire, do you want a beer?”
Ire refused Seo Young-jun’s offer. Matteo didn’t allow alcohol, so Ire had stayed away from it and cigarettes even when his peers were drinking and smoking out of curiosity.
“What? You can’t drink?”
When Ire nodded, they all laughed, saying it was funny. Then, bottles of alcohol were placed on the table, and Oh Nam-gi opened one and held it out. When Ire waved his hand, Oh Nam-gi came right next to him and insisted.
“Just try it. It’s your hyung giving it to you.”
“No, thanks…”
“It’s really weak alcohol.”
When Ire hesitated, Oh Nam-gi put the bottle directly to his mouth.
Before he knew it, he had swallowed a mouthful, and it was sweeter than he had expected.
“How is it?”
“It’s good…”
No sooner had he finished speaking than they all laughed and thrust bottles of alcohol at him.
“Welcome to District A, newbie.”
“Let’s get along from now on. I liked you from the start.”
“Don’t lie. Who was it that was complaining about a sissy coming?”
While everyone was laughing, Ire looked around. Come to think of it, Han-gyeol, who shared the same room, was nowhere to be seen. Considering his personality, it wasn’t that strange. Compared to the outgoing Seo Young-jun and Oh Nam-gi, Han-gyeol was quiet.
Just as he was gradually getting used to the loud music, the number of alcohol bottles increased, and women who were acquaintances of Seo Young-jun joined them.
“Your hair color is pretty. And your eyes too.”
A woman with yellow hair braided to one side whispered to Ire. What was her name? Irin? Arin? Then, without realizing it, his gaze went to the woman’s clothes. Seeing the dress with the deeply exposed chest, Ire realized it was rude and immediately averted his eyes.
“Cute. You just looked at my chest, didn’t you?”
He almost spat out the beer he was drinking.
“No…”
“Yes, you did. I saw you.”
Then, she gently pressed her chest against his shoulder. When he moved his body to the side, she became even more aggressive. “You’re really handsome. What’s your name? Where do you live? Huh?” His throat was parched from the sweet voice, so he gulped down the beer in front of him. His sternum tingled. He belatedly realized it was Seo Young-jun’s alcohol and frowned.
“Ugh…!”
Turning his head to the side, he discovered that the woman’s face was right in front of his nose. Before he could avoid it, her lips were rubbing against his. Surprised, he hurriedly pushed her away, and the woman smiled.
“Now it’s sweet, right?”
Whistles and cheers erupted from all around. Seo Young-jun shook his alcohol, saying that the two of them looked good together and that Arin had fallen for him. Then, as if they had been waiting for it, they started kissing each other passionately. The somewhat shocking scene left him dazed. At the same time as the woman named Arin tried to put her arm around his neck, he jumped up from his seat.
“Just a moment!”
He hurriedly left the seat and went downstairs. Whether it was because of the alcohol he had drunk so quickly or because of the unexpected kiss, his stomach was churning. He rushed outside and went to a corner nearby, where he threw up everything he had eaten. But all that came out was the strong alcohol.
“Shit… how embarrassing…”
Breathing heavily, he hung his head, and then he heard footsteps.
When he raised his head, a water bottle popped out in front of him.
“Thank y-,”
Ire’s mouth slowly opened as he was about to say thank you. Am I hallucinating because I’m drunk…? Why is this person here? Someone he had never expected was standing in front of him. The gaze that looked down at him askance was similar to that of a beast hunting for prey in the darkness.