The last thing Baek Jiwoo remembered was the jarring screech of brakes, the sickening crunch of metal, and the blinding white light that consumed him. Then, nothing.
He awoke to a symphony of chaos. The air was thick with the stench of decay and the guttural roars of unseen creatures. A wave of nausea washed over him, and he instinctively clutched his head, the throbbing pain echoing the pandemonium around him.
He was lying in a cramped alley, the stench of rotting garbage assaulting his senses. A rusty metal pipe lay discarded beside him, its surface slick with something that looked suspiciously like blood. He struggled to sit up, his body aching with a strange, unfamiliar pain.
"Where... where am I?" he croaked, his voice hoarse and unfamiliar.
Panic clawed at his throat. This wasn't his world. The towering, dilapidated buildings, the rusted vehicles, the air thick with ash and dust – it was a scene straight out of the apocalyptic novel he had been reading just moments before his demise.
He stumbled to his feet, his vision blurry, his head spinning. He needed to find somewhere safe, somewhere to figure out what the hell was going on.
As he stumbled through the desolate streets, the horrifying truth dawned on him. This wasn't just a fictional world; he was trapped in it. The horrifying monsters, the grotesque zombies, the portals spewing forth unimaginable creatures – they were all real.
He was no longer Baek Jiwoo, the ordinary office worker. He was Hwang Eun-Hee, an Omega survivor in this apocalyptic world. The realization hit him like a physical blow, a wave of despair washing over him.
Suddenly, a guttural growl ripped through the air, sending shivers down his spine. He turned to see a hulking figure emerge from the shadows, its eyes glowing an eerie red. It was a creature from the novel, a monstrous hybrid of wolf and demon, its fangs bared in a menacing snarl.
He froze, paralyzed by fear. He was unarmed, vulnerable, and utterly unprepared for the horrors that awaited him. Just as the creature lunged, a figure materialized from the shadows, a blur of motion and raw power.
The figure, a towering Alpha with piercing blue eyes and a steely gaze, slammed into the creature, sending it flying back with a bone-jarring impact. The Alpha then turned to Jiwoo, his expression unreadable.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice deep and commanding.
Jiwoo could only nod, his mind reeling. The Alpha, his savior, was none other than Ye Kyu-Bong, the dominant Alpha from the novel.
"I'm Ye Kyu-Bong," the Alpha said, his gaze intense. "And you are?"
Jiwoo swallowed, his throat dry. "I... I'm Hwang Eun-Hee."
The Alpha, Ye Kyu-Bong, studied him for a moment, his expression unreadable. "You're an Omega," he stated, his voice devoid of emotion.
Jiwoo felt a shiver run down his spine. He knew what that meant. In this world, Omegas were seen as weak, vulnerable, and often exploited. He was a target, a pawn in a game he didn't understand.
"We need to get out of here," Ye Kyu-Bong said, his gaze sweeping over the desolate street. "It's not safe."
He extended a hand, his fingers calloused and strong. Jiwoo hesitated for a moment, then took his hand, feeling a surge of warmth and strength flow through him.
As they made their way through the ruined city, Jiwoo couldn't help but wonder what their future held. Would they become allies, or would their paths diverge, leaving them to face the horrors of this world alone?
The answer, he knew, lay somewhere in the shadows of this apocalyptic world, a world that was both familiar and terrifyingly foreign.