Daniel sat on the toilet, hunched over, his entire focus on his phone.
[JIHO AN: 36 ATTEMPTED CALLS]
With every call that went unanswered, his grip tightened, knuckles white from the pressure.
"Fuck... FUCK...!! FUCK!!! FUUUCK!!!" he screamed, kicking the stall door with every curse. The voices of his classmates echoed in his mind—how Jiho wasn't strong enough to survive, how he had a bite wound, how the zombies had likely surrounded him...
And how Jiho would be forever remembered as scum, thanks to Daniel's own manipulation.
"Jiho...!!" His voice cracked, his hands trembling as he clutched the phone tighter. "I'm sorry... So fucking answer the DAMN PHONE!!!" he roared, giving one final, brutal kick to the stall door, sending it crashing off its hinges with a deafening bang.
Eunhee, startled by the noise, hesitated at the entrance, her hand instinctively reaching out. Daniel remained hunched over, his face hidden, body rigid.
"Daniel...?" she whispered, her voice laced with uncertainty as she cautiously approached.
"Stay..." Daniel's voice was barely a rasp, "Stay away, Eunhee. Now's... Now's not a good time, alright?" he murmured, still staring at the floor, trying to keep his emotions in check.
"Hey," she said softly, kneeling beside him, wrapping her arms around his big, yet tense frame. "It's only been an hour... Maybe he's still running. Maybe he just can't answer right now." She tried to soothe him, her words tender, almost pleading.
"Please. You know him as well as I do." His voice dripped with bitterness. "He can't run for shit."
"Then... then maybe he dropped his phone," Eunhee offered, desperate to find any explanation that could ease his torment.
"THEN HE SHOULD'VE CALLED FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S PHONE!" Daniel exploded, shoving her away in frustration.
Eunhee recoiled, the weight of his anger pressing down on her, leaving her speechless. The bathroom was silent except for the shallow, ragged breaths Daniel struggled to control.
"Fuck." He wiped his face with his sleeve, his voice quieter now, defeated. "Of course, he wouldn't call... Not to us. Not after everything," he muttered, the realization cutting deeper than he'd expected.
"Daniel," Eunhee said softly, stepping forward again, her voice low, "you did what you had to do. As scared as I am for Jiho... he was responsible for his own actions." She bit her lip, her words faltering slightly.
Daniel's head snapped up, his wide eyes locking onto hers.
'What...?' Daniel's thoughts churned, disbelief washing over him. 'Is she serious...? Does she actually believe that bullshit about Jiho being manipulative? You've known him for ten years just like I have! How could you say that!?'
His stomach twisted, bile rising in his throat. He had carefully crafted those rumors, expecting Eunhee to eventually question him. He had even planned how to gently adjust the lies once they were alone. But here she was, parroting back the poison he had fed to the school so blindly, it seemed.
'Did you really believe everything just like that!? Jiho... Jiho loved you! He never would've hurt you! How could you not even question me, even a little bit?' Daniel bit his lip subtly.
Eunhee's gaze softened as she reached for him again, but Daniel couldn't shake the twisting in his gut. 'I know you've put me above everyone... but to just accept this without doubt...?'
Daniel gasped a little as he looked at her unwavering eyes,
'He... Couldn't have meant so little to you!!'
"... You—" Daniel started, raising his gaze to meet hers, the truth on the edge of his tongue.
It was just then a loud scream was heard from just outside the bathroom.
"What the—?!" Daniel sprang up as Eunhee's head snapped backwards.
"Get behind me," he instructed, and she complied shortly after.
Daniel rushed out of the bathroom, his heart pounding. Just outside the bathroom, a male student was attacking a female student, pinning her against the wall. Her screams echoed through the hallway.
"FUCK... IS THAT...!!?" Daniel exclaimed as he looked closely. It was a zombie. Its lips were torn apart, teeth aiming for the female student's neck as she desperately tried to push it away.
"HOLY SHIT...!!! A ZOMBIE!!!" A student who had left the classroom screamed, alerting everyone nearby. Some ran away, while others watched from a safe distance, unsure of what to do.
Without hesitation, Daniel sprinted forward and delivered a powerful kick to the zombie's side, knocking it away from the girl.
Daniel was a big guy. A kick from someone of his size was bound to make a smaller student fall over.
But the zombie merely stumbled a few steps sideways.
"What the fuck...!? How strong is that thing..!?" Daniel murmured.
"PAUL!!!!" The female student cried as Eunhee hurried to grab her, pulling her away. The zombie regained its stance and began mindlessly advancing towards Daniel once more.
"DON'T HURT HIM!!! PLEASE, DON'T HURT HIM!!!" The girl cried as Eunhee kept her at bay.
"Fuck, DANIEL, USE THAT!!" A student shouted, kicking a chair towards Daniel.
Daniel's eyes snapped to the chair. He grabbed it by the backrest and swung it against the zombie's head with all his might.
Blood splattered everywhere, causing the nearby students to back off with loud gasps, several female students screaming relentlessly in the background.
But the zombie didn't fall despite Daniel using all his strength.
"Shit...!" Daniel muttered, gripping the chair tighter. The zombie, undeterred, continued its advance.
"Come on, Daniel! FUCK IT UP!!" a student cried.
The others started to follow, cheering Daniel on, chanting his name.
"DANIEL, DANIEL, DANIEL!!!" they yelled as Daniel regained his resolve and struck the zombie repeatedly on the head with the chair.
"NO!!! WHY ARE YOU CHEERING!!! IT'S PAUL!!! STOP IT, DON'T HURT HIM!!!" the girl cried as Eunhee embraced her tightly, guiding her head away.
Four hits.
Seven hits.
Fifteen hits.
The zombie finally went down with the sixteenth blow, as Daniel reached his limit and collapsed to his knees.
'Fuck... Just one of them... Took this much out of me... What... What the fuck... I thought zombies were supposed to go down faster than this... It was like... I was fighting a brick wall...' he thought to himself as he collapsed.
'And... Jiho's... Surrounded by monsters like that...?' he thought, the realization hitting him harder than he hit the zombie with the chair.
Blood flowed like a stream from the zombie's head, creating a small pond in the hallway.
The students surrounding the exhausted Daniel couldn't help but cheer loudly.
"HE FUCKED IT UP!!!" someone cried.
"LET'S GOO!!!" they shouted enthusiastically, as if their favorite baseball team had just hit a home run.
"NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" A high-pitched scream pierced the hallway, silencing all of them.
"YOU MONSTERS!!! YOU ALL ARE FUCKING MONSTERS!!! THAT WAS PAUL!!! THAT WAS PAUL!!!!" she screamed, collapsing to her knees, gasping and wheezing with a runny nose.
"THE YOUNG WOMAN IS RIGHT!!! THIS WAS YOUR FELLOW STUDENT!!!" a teacher's scream soon followed, causing all the students to awkwardly look elsewhere.
Daniel huffed and puffed, his gaze wandering to the zombie's abdomen, noticing a small bite wound, ignoring the bashed skull and the bits of brain that started to pour out onto the floor with the blood.
His eyes widened as he looked at the wound, a flash of Jiho's injury crossing his mind.
He got up and violently walked toward the girl, pushing Eunhee away unceremoniously.
"Daniel, what are—" Eunhee called, but Daniel interrupted with a scream as he shook the girl's shoulders violently.
"SINCE WHEN WAS HE BIT!?" Daniel demanded, silencing everyone around him.
"You... You fucking... You fucking monster...!" she murmured, looking at him with teary eyes.
Daniel clenched his teeth, shaking her even more wildly. "ANSWER ME! SINCE WHEN. WAS HE. BIT!?" he growled, his voice echoing through the hallway.
"Daniel!!" Eunhee called out, trying to draw his attention to no avail.
The girl collapsed to the floor, her breathing labored and short as she looked at Daniel's eyes. "He... It... It was..." she cried.
"He protected me from a zombie..." she began explaining, everyone's attention turning to her, "and the zombie grazed him with its teeth on the stomach..."
"WHEN!?" he screamed, louder than before, causing the girl to flinch slightly.
"Daniel... Please, let's just go..." Eunhee softly called from the side. Students who had gathered around watched, their faces pale as they listened in curiosity.
The girl reluctantly answered, "About... About 40 minutes ago..."
Daniel's face turned even paler as he recalled Jiho's injury from earlier.
'No...' Daniel thought as he let her go and stepped back.
"He's..." he said out loud.
"Jiho's... dead... And... It's my fault..."
----------------------------------------
"I'm so glad...!" Jiho murmured, fidgeting nervously as he stood across from her on the school's rooftop. "I've felt this way ever since I met you, but I didn't know how to say it... Will you go out with me?" His voice was soft, hopeful, as a blush spread across his face.
Eunhee didn't hesitate. "Yuck. No."
Jiho blinked, frozen. "What...?" His voice faltered, disbelief washing over him. "I... I think I didn't hear you."
"You're deaf, too?" she replied coldly, her expression deadpan. "I said NO. You're not a real man, Jiho. Why would I even want to touch you?"
"Eunhee... why?" Jiho gasped, his heart sinking as he looked up at her, confusion and hurt flooding his chest.
"You took too long, Jiho," she said flatly, a hint of boredom in her voice. "I've been with Daniel for a while now, behind your back. It was fun keeping it hidden."
"Wait, wait, I don't understand why—" Jiho stammered, his words stumbling over themselves as cold sweat formed on his brow. His eyes widened in panic as his world started to spin.
Before he could say more, Daniel appeared, almost materializing beside Eunhee, his arm slinging around her waist with a smug grin. He pulled her to him casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"D-Daniel... W-why... You... you said..." Jiho's voice cracked, his eyes filled with desperation as he struggled to comprehend.
"Jesus, Jiho." Daniel scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Even now, you can't think of anything to say on your own." His tone was dismissive, dripping with mockery. "The only time you ever acted by yourself was when you were about to die. And even then, it was because some stranger pitied you and accepted your feelings, knowing you'd be dead soon after."
Jiho's knees buckled. His voice was barely a whisper, broken. "Y-you... could've at least... told me."
Eunhee tilted her head, her tone matter-of-fact. "But you're weak, Jiho. If we told you, you'd curl up like a child, making everyone feel sorry for you. Honestly, the thought of it was exhausting... almost as exhausting as your entire presence. We would've had to console you constantly, making sure you didn't accidentally kill yourself over it."
Jiho's world collapsed further with each word, his breath catching in his throat, but Eunhee barely seemed to notice his pain. She paused, as if letting the weight of her words sink in before Daniel took his turn.
"But... Daniel..." Jiho whimpered softly, his eyes filled with tears as his voice broke. "I... I trusted you..."
Daniel stopped for a moment, his expression unreadable.
For just a second, Jiho allowed himself a glimmer of hope, raising his gaze toward them.
Then Daniel leaned in, kissing Eunhee, slow and deliberate, right in front of him. He broke the kiss just long enough to glance back at Jiho with a smirk.
Jiho's heart shattered, the remnants of his hope obliterated as he watched them, powerless.
"...And I'm grateful that you did," Daniel mocked, his voice dripping with cruelty. Jiho's eyes widened in disbelief, his mind unable to process the betrayal. "And now that you're dead, I have her all to myself for real. And who knows? Maybe I'll even score that hot Japanese chick who saved you." Daniel laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through Jiho's chest.
Eunhee stood beside him, her expression indifferent, as if Jiho's existence no longer mattered.
"Enjoy being a zombie, twink," Daniel added with a sneer, turning away as if Jiho was already gone.
Suddenly, Jiho felt cold, decaying hands grabbing him from behind, dragging him toward the edge of the roof. His throat tightened as he struggled, but it was too late. He felt teeth sink into his neck, tearing flesh as blood gushed out.
"GRAAAHHH!!! NOOOo!!!!!" Jiho screamed, his voice hoarse and desperate, tears streaming down his face. His breath grew shallow, his body trembling with the agony of betrayal and the realization that he was going to die.
Misaki's words echoed in his mind, blending with Daniel's voice.
"You know what this means, right? You'll want to chew on your mommy and daddy, your friends... Just a mindless zombie..."
Her words mingled with Daniel's.
"I will hurt you if you get near us again."
"I'm going out with Daniel."
The voices overlapped, attacking his thoughts as he was dragged closer to the roof's edge.
"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" he screamed, his hands desperately clawing at the air, reaching for something—anything—to save him. His fingers scraped the ledge in vain as he was pulled over, plummeting toward the ground below.
As he fell, he caught a reflection of himself in the building's windows. The hands dragging him down belonged to a grotesque figure.
It was him.
The zombie that pulled him down was him.
The ground rushed up to meet him, and before he knew it, he hit the cold, unforgiving pavement. The pain jolted him back in time.
Suddenly, he was no longer falling from the roof but lying on the curb as a child. His teeth bit down on the hard concrete as bullies prepared to curb-stomp him.
'Right... This was when I thought I'd die for the first time,' he thought distantly. 'I never went back to this memory or got traumatized over it because I figured... As long as Daniel was with me, I didn't have to be afraid anymore.'
'But now...'
'This time, I really am going to die.'
'No one is going to save me now.'
Jiho closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact, preparing for the inevitable as the bully raised his foot to crush his skull.
Then, a voice cut through the darkness. A feminine voice, soft yet strong.
"Hey."
Jiho's eyes snapped open.
Jiho raised his head; it was Misaki.
'M-... Misaki...?'
"Say, Jiho." She said, her voice steady yet laced with a sharp edge.
"Why are you never angry?" She questioned, her gaze piercing.
'Huh...? What do you mean?'
"What you saw just now, it would make anyone and their mother want to tear their own hearts out. What is it with you, Boyo? Don't you want to... chew that bastard whole?" Her voice dropped to a low growl, her words sinking into him as an image of Daniel and Eunhee, entangled in each other, flashed before his eyes. His jaw locked as if biting into the curve of that memory, unable to release the tension.
'... I...' Jiho thought as he looked at the vision of them together, not even sparing him a glance. He was still down on the ground, invisible, insignificant.
'... Anger won't make either of them see me.'
===========================
"YOU FUCKER!!! COME BACK!!!!" She screamed, hurling a vase that shattered against his back as he walked out the door.
"MINSOO!!!! I SAID FUCKING COME BACK HERE!!!!" She ran after him, slamming her fists into his broad back, but he didn't stop. He didn't flinch. Her punches were as light as falling leaves to him.
"YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME... YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME WITH HIM!!!!" Ji-yeon cried, pointing at the boy standing over a bloody, broken dog. The hammer in his hand dripped with the dog's blood. His face was blank, confused, as if he didn't understand why his mother was so upset. The dog wheezed and whimpered in agony.
"I'm sorry, Ji-yeon," Minsoo said, his voice flat as he turned to face her, his eyes devoid of emotion. "Like I said, just take him to adoption. Do that, and I'll stay."
Ji-yeon flinched.
"You and I both know... He's too far gone. We've known for a while. You know it now, but you still choose to pretend as if there's something to salvage." He muttered, already halfway out the door.
Ji-yeon's gaze shifted to the boy, her eyes filled with discomfort and disgust as she looked at the beaten dog lying at his feet.
===============================
'I could scream, kick, or break things, but that won't make them see me... Nor will it change what happened,' Jiho thought, his mind spinning in the whirlwind of the memory. 'They gave me trust, let me give them all of mine... And now it's all gone. There's nothing left.'
He looked down at the pavement, feeling utterly defeated.
"I understand... So, you just don't have true anger inside of you? Hah, I can feel it... It's like that place inside you is completely empty... What an anomaly you are!" Misaki growled with excitement.
'...What?' Jiho's mind, numb with confusion, could barely process her words.
"Well... Since you're hollow..." she whispered, her voice laced with malice, "You don't mind if I slip in, do you?"
Jiho's gaze shot up, his breath catching in his throat.
"...!!!" He gasped, looking up at her with wide eyes, frozen in place.
The figure before him had morphed into a decayed version of Misaki—a grotesque, corpse-like mimicry. Her once-lively eyes were now hollow, rotted sockets, skin peeling off in grotesque patches. Blackened veins bulged beneath the cracked, ashen skin, her mouth twisted into a decayed, lipless grin.
He tried to scream, but before the sound could escape, she lunged.
Her corpse-like form forced itself into his open mouth, prying it wide with a horrifying strength. He could feel her cold, rotted fingers forcing his jaw apart, stretching his skin to its limit. Jiho gagged as her decayed arms slithered down his throat, slick with congealed blood and the stench of death.
Her legs, barely clinging to the brittle bones, squirmed, wriggling in through his lips as her body contorted unnaturally. Every movement scraped against his insides like shards of glass. The pressure built in his chest as her slimy, decomposing form slid further inside him. His mouth tore at the corners as she forced herself deeper—flesh, tendons, and bones snapping in ways that should have been impossible.
Jiho's vision blurred with tears as his body convulsed violently. His esophagus stretched, the sensation of cold, decayed flesh writhing through his insides. He gagged, bile rising as he felt her bones shift beneath his skin, her limbs crawling like parasites down into his stomach.
It was suffocating, agonizing. Every inch she consumed felt like his body was being hollowed out, piece by piece.
And then, she was fully inside.
A burning sensation erupted from within.
Jiho's body snapped to life, flipping off the ground with unnatural speed. His eyes locked onto the foot that had nearly stomped him—and without thinking, he bit down savagely.
He ripped into the bully's ankle, tearing away skin, flesh, and veins, blood spurting into his mouth. The metallic taste was sharp, but it only fueled the inferno inside him.
What should I do...?
I know now. He thought, his eyes burning with rage. I want to tear Daniel's throat out...!!!!
With his teeth.
[RING] [RING] [RING]
Jiho jolted awake, his body drenched in cold sweat, gasping for air. His heart pounded violently in his chest, the vivid nightmare still clawing at the edges of his mind.
Jiho's eyes darted around, his breath ragged as he tried to ground himself in reality. His hands trembled, gripping the sheets, the phantom sensation of tearing flesh still lingering in his teeth.
He was still in Misaki's apartment, covered with a blanket on her couch.
There was no light coming from outside anymore; it was nighttime, but the apartment was still brightly lit. Several hours must've passed, and Misaki had probably left the lights on.
"Ahhk!" he groaned, clutching his head tightly. The ringing noise that woke him was nowhere to be heard.
His head pounded violently, more intensely than before. But then came an even stronger sensation...
...extreme hunger.
Driven by instinct, Jiho scrambled off the couch, tripping onto the floor in the brightly lit apartment. Desperation overtook him as he sprinted towards the refrigerator, moving as if nothing else mattered. Even the pounding in his head did nothing to slow him down.
He yanked open the refrigerator and devoured anything he could grab.
Spoiled grapes, a half-eaten sandwich torn from its packaging, several cans of beer, raw carrots, and leeks.
"FOOD... FOOD...!!!" his mind echoed as he stuffed himself with anything remotely edible.
After emptying the entirety of Misaki's refrigerator, his gaze locked onto the freezer.
He violently yanked it open, tilting the entire fridge with the force, and pulled out over a kilogram of frozen ground meat. His eyes glistened as if he'd found a hidden treasure.
Without hesitation, Jiho moved to the sink, slamming the chunk of meat against the ceramic with all his strength—again, and again, and again.
"GRRRGHH!!"
"GRRRCH!!"
"GRRRRRGH!!" he grunted with each blow, his voice raw and guttural. Grunting was foreign to Jiho; he had never expressed anger like this before. Yet something about that frozen, unyielding meat fueled an unfamiliar rage.
The frozen ground meat shattered into pieces, and cracks began to form in the ceramic sink.
Jiho grabbed the frozen chunks, stuffing them into his mouth, cracking the icy meat with his teeth, swallowing it whole. He repeated this until he devoured every last bit of it...
...alongside everything else frozen in Misaki's freezer.
He gasped, wheezing, with the freezer and refrigerator still open.
Reeling from the frenzy, Jiho shoved his head under the sink, turning on the faucet, and gulped down liters of water until he finally stopped.
He leaned against the sink, the water still flowing as he caught his breath.
Several minutes passed. Yet, despite his frenzied consumption, the headache persisted... And the hunger clawed at him still.
"Fuck...!!"
"What... What is happening to me!!!?" he muttered, wiping traces of food and water from his mouth.
Suddenly, a bright red message flashed in front of Jiho's eyes.
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
His heart raced.
"The fuck... What is this?" he gasped, clutching his head as his vision blurred.
[SOMEHOW, YOU RETAINED YOUR HUMANITY, SOMEWHAT! EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE FAR FROM SAFE!]
Jiho blinked in confusion, feeling a pang of dread twist in his stomach.
[EITHER WAY, REJOICE! YOU ARE NOW A SENTIENT ZOMBIE! TRY NOT TO LOSE YOURSELF AND CHEW ON THE ONES YOU LOVE, BOYO!]
"A... HUH!!?" he gasped, staring at the screen in disbelief.
"... Am I a... zombie now?"