“Close the door!”
He shouted roughly and ran while holding Deputy Lee, turning around.
“Aaaaah!”
Kwajik! Among the screams of the karaoke bar owner who was following, a chilling sound was heard. It seemed the door was forcibly closed. Then what happened to Assistant Manager Kim who had his neck sticking out?
“Aaah! Uwaah!”
He headed toward the entrance, but the door wouldn’t open as if blocked by something. Joo Seonghan gritted his teeth, ran down the short corridor on the side, entered any room, and roughly closed the door. His legs gave out and he slid down the door. Joo Seonghan sat down on the cold floor and blocked the door with his back.
‘Keuaaaak! Don’t, don’t! Aaah! Aah!’
Beyond the door, the karaoke bar owner’s screams and the sound of sneakers scraping on the slippery floor rang out. What is this, what’s happening? The customers who were in the karaoke rooms began coming out one by one. Their end was the same as the karaoke bar owner’s. Screams full of terror and the sound of flesh being torn and bones breaking. His heart felt like it would burst.
“Uuk… Uk…”
Deputy Lee pulled her arm free from Joo Seonghan’s grip and covered her mouth. She, who had turned pale white, crawled on the floor and retched in the corner.
“What, what on earth is that… Clearly, it was clearly a person but why… the legs…”
She wiped her trembling lips with her shaking hands and spoke haltingly. Joo Seonghan wiped his forehead soaked with cold sweat and clenched his fist. It wasn’t a dream. Two months ago, what Joo Seonghan saw in the alley wasn’t a dream.
On a late weekend night, he went out because the refrigerator was empty while watching a movie alone at home and drinking. On the way, he sat facing a cat he encountered, giving it treats and drinking, and saw men in black suits and large bags. And he saw a gun too. Once he recalled it, the hazy memories poured out on their own. The voice saying they shot right in the neck and the drooping arm sticking out of the bag, the large feet that didn’t match it, and two fingers that wavered like an afterimage.
That day, why did I drink so much? Ah, because it was my birthday.
Bang!
“…As, Assistant Manager… It’s, it’s coming…”
The screams beyond the karaoke room door stopped. Bang! Joo Seonghan’s body, sitting leaning against the door, jerked violently.
“…Deputy Lee-nim, I’ll drag it to the corner… Deputy Lee-nim should escape through the back door in that gap.”
“But, but…”
There was only one thing Joo Seonghan learned from his memory of two months ago. What was beyond the door was a monster that had to be dealt with using a gun.
Bang! Bangbangbangbangbang!
It must have been resting for a moment. As if it regained its stamina, the force of the monster hitting the door was getting stronger and stronger.
“Deputy Lee-nim, quickly come this way.”
Deputy Lee, who had been trembling in the corner, pressed her lips together tightly and shed tears. Joo Seonghan put his hand on the wall and leaned his body back. Bangbangbang! It felt like his spine would break.
“We’ll both die.”
At Joo Seonghan’s words, Deputy Lee, who had been swallowing her sobs with hic, hic, crawled to the front of the karaoke machine near the door. Joo Seonghan let go of the hand he had on the wall. And he got up from blocking the door and moved toward Deputy Lee. Kwadang! The door that had barely been holding opened noisily.
Tak. One of the monster’s legs entered inside. Its hot breath spread throughout the room. Did I ever tell my parents I loved them? Joo Seonghan tightly hugged the monster’s waist and ran to the corner of the room. I’m sorry! Deputy Lee, who cried out, escaped outside. Keuhk! The monster that bumped its head against the wall groaned. What do I do now? Joo Seonghan’s head froze.
Tak, his back neck was grabbed. A beast’s growl was heard right next to him. Joo Seonghan didn’t notice the sweat flowing down his chin and turned his head. He met the monster’s bright red eyes rippling with anger.
“Uuut!”
His head was slammed into a smelly old sofa. He lost his grip on the monster’s waist, and the monster, whose body was freed, raised its fist. Hard muscles stood out on its slender arm. He quietly watched the falling fist. I can’t die like this. His survival instinct spoke to him. Joo Seonghan barely tilted his face back to avoid the fist and struck the monster’s solar plexus with his elbow with all his might. Keueok! He escaped from its grasp in the gap when the strength left the monster’s hand. Just as he ran toward the outside, tak, his ankle was grabbed.
“Aah!”
The grip strength was considerable, as if it wouldn’t let go again. Even as he fell to the floor and was pulled close to the monster, Joo Seonghan struggled desperately to free his leg from its hand. He kicked the beast’s thigh and knee with his leg that wasn’t caught, scratched its slender wrist and tore its skin. However, he was already in the monster’s embrace. Drip, drip… Sticky saliva flowing between the monster’s sharp teeth dirtied Joo Seonghan’s face.
“Heut.”
He groaned briefly with a sleepy voice. A cold, slender hand was gripping Joo Seonghan’s neck. Keureureu… The face covered with freckles came close. The air passage gradually narrowed. Heueu… Through his blurring vision, he saw the monster raising its fist again. Joo Seonghan looked up blankly at the monster’s bright red eyes. Then, the gaze that had been touching his suddenly looked up.
“Found you.”
Basak. A large-built man who appeared stepping on wood fragments that had fallen off the door shot his gun without hesitation—tang. The monster, which had noticed his appearance in advance, rolled its body to the side and dodged the bullet. Keok, heuut… Joo Seonghan, abandoned by the monster, forcibly inflated his shrunken lungs and breathed roughly while lying face down on the floor. Tang, tang!
“Wow, incredibly agile.”
The man threw the pistol with silencer he had been holding with both hands and drew out a knife. Joo Seonghan raised his head with his chest heaving. The man in a black suit glanced down at Joo Seonghan.
“If you want to live, get out.”
He crawled on the floor. His ankle, which had been caught once, hurt, so he crawled out of the room on his knees. Unable to go far, he leaned against a nearby wall and sat down. His whole body trembled busily. His raised hand was vibrating frantically, too much to watch.
“Haah…”
Joo Seonghan buried his face in his trembling hands. Rough noise came from inside the room.
“Just stay still!”
Kiyaaak! Following the monster’s chilling voice, the sound of objects breaking rang out.
“Ah, Sunbae-nim, this is a basement karaoke bar. No, I didn’t know there were six either. Please come and provide support. This one is pregnant and its strength is no joke.”
Kudangtang! Aah! Hey, you crazy bastard!
Joo Seonghan flinched and trembled his shoulders, gritted his teeth and got up. It was dangerous to be right near the door. The man inside needed help, but if Joo Seonghan, who knew nothing about the monster, got involved for no reason, the situation might only become more complicated. Joo Seonghan put his hand on the wall and stepped forward to escape the karaoke bar. His ankle throbbed, but it seemed like just the muscle was shocked. Whispering to himself it’s okay, it’s okay, he moved forward a few steps.
“What, a survivor?”
A man with a long rifle slung over his shoulder limped into the corridor. He, who was covered in blood all over his face and body, looked Joo Seonghan up and down and narrowed his brow.
“You look a bit familiar… Anyway, survivor. Don’t go far and stay near the karaoke bar. I’ll ask you a few questions once the situation is wrapped up. Ah, Team Leader-nim, can you hear me? There’s one survivor here.”
As the man tapped his ear and said Team Leader-nim again, a loud sound of something breaking came from inside. A voice came along with it.
“Sunbae-nim!”
Chaeng- jik. The sharp metal that hit the wall and fell to the floor slid. Joo Seonghan looked down at his feet. A knife as long as a forearm that stopped after hitting his shoe was shining blue. Kwang! A person flew out from inside the room. The man in a suit who had been fighting the monster inside roughly crashed into the opposite wall and fell. His lips opened on their own at the unrealistic sight.
“Fuck, get down.”
The man with a hardened face said as he aimed at the room entrance where smoke was leaking out. Joo Seonghan slid down. Keuut… The man who had been slammed into the wall looked drowsily inside the room with eyes he opened with difficulty.
“Ah, this doesn’t seem like it’ll work… Its belly got bigger. Why is the speed so fast…?”
The man who expressed his doubt quietly turned his head toward where Joo Seonghan and the man with the gun were. As soon as he did, a slender arm shot out and grabbed the man’s ankle and pulled. Tang, tang, tang! Dalkak. One of the monster’s arms fell off spurting blood, and the gunfire stopped. The man who threw the rifle that ran out of ammunition drew a pistol from his chest and ran into the room. He tried to.
Peok! If only the monster hadn’t picked up and thrown the man sprawled on the floor. The two people in suits tangled together and crashed into the wall with a loud sound. Keohk! The man with the gun groaned painfully and slid down. Blood splattered before Joo Seonghan’s eyes. Tak, tadak. The monster that lost one arm appeared from inside the room, bleeding.
“Uh…keut, fuck… Team Leader-nim, where are you now?”
The man holding the pistol in his hand aimed it at the monster with both hands. Sticky blood dripped drop by drop from his fingertips.
“I think Hyeonjoo and I are going first.”
Tang, tang! The man’s gun that made a loud sound spewed smoke. For some reason, the monster was only hit but its body wasn’t pierced. Rather, it even took steps. However, contrary to its face that barked fiercely, the speed at which it approached them was too slow. Its body seemed heavy. Joo Seonghan lowered his eyes. The monster’s belly was greatly swollen. Tang, tang, teng! The monster deflected the bullets. Keureureu, it groaned and approached the two people. Joo Seonghan groped the floor with his hand. He felt the unconscious man’s knife. He swallowed dry saliva.
“Team Leader-nim. That bastard isn’t affected by guns anymore.”
