5:00 PM
A hand reached out, brushing against a phone screen to check the time. The glowing numbers confirmed it.
"It's 5:00... We've been studying for two hours. Let's take a break," a boy suggested, his tone, hopeful, as he stretched his arms.
Beside him, a girl sat stiffly, her expression, betraying her annoyance. She wasn't paying attention to him; her focus was elsewhere, locked onto someone sitting across from them at the opposite table.
There he was—effortlessly commanding attention without even trying. A high schooler, yet his appearance was strikingly mature. His sharp facial features were the kind you'd expect to see on a magazine cover, not in a mundane study session. His hair fell naturally across his forehead, soft strands occasionally shifting as he leaned forward to explain something to the group gathered around him.
He seemed completely at ease, smiling faintly as he guided his classmates through their struggles. His friendly demeanor was magnetic, drawing people in like moths to a flame.
The boy sitting beside her gently shook her shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Su Won, where are you?" he asked, his tone filled with concern.
She blinked, turning to look at him briefly, but said nothing. Instead, she silently slipped her test results into her backpack. Her expression was stiff—her annoyance and frustration unmistakable. Without another word, she stood up and headed to the room adjacent to the study hall, connected by an inner door.
The room was quiet, with a small table holding some snacks and water bottles. Ignoring everything else, she went straight to the washroom.
Standing in front of the mirror, she stared at her reflection, her emotions swirling inside her. She couldn't stop thinking about it—how she had placed second again. Despite all her efforts, despite working harder than anyone else, she was still losing.
To him.
Ever since he joined the school, it had been the same. No matter what she did, he always seemed to be one step ahead.
She let out a slow, shaky breath and splashed cold water on her face, trying to shake off the storm of emotions within her.
When she stepped out, she paused. There he was—the boy from earlier—standing in the corridor with three of his friends. It seemed they were taking a break as well.
Su Won glanced around, her eyes scanning the corridor. No one seemed to notice her. Hanbin was standing a few steps away, casually chatting with a group of friends, completely unaware of her presence.
She took a cautious step forward, her movements deliberate and quiet. Her heart raced, but her expression remained calm, betraying none of the storm within her. Reaching the glass door at the end of the corridor, she hesitated for a moment before her fingers moved swiftly, locking it with a soft click.
Satisfied, she turned and walked back to the study room, her steps steady, her face devoid of emotion. As the door closed behind her, the quiet hum of the study room enveloped her once again.
Su Won sat down again, her pen in hand and her notebook open, but her mind refused to focus. The numbers and words on the page blurred as her thoughts spiraled back to her result.
What would she say to her mother? How could she explain this?
Her chest tightened as she imagined the disappointment in her mother's eyes. No matter how hard she tried, the weight of her failure pressed down on her like a heavy burden.
Suddenly, a loud, piercing scream shattered her thoughts.
It was a female voice—sharp, frantic, and filled with terror.
Everyone in the study room froze for a split second before the commotion erupted. Chairs screeched against the floor as students bolted toward the snack room, curiosity and fear driving them.
Su Won's heart raced as she hesitated for a moment, then stood up, following the others to see what had happened.
The sight in the corridor sent a wave of terror through the students. A boy was being stabbed by something—a shadowy, indistinct figure. Blood stained his shirt as he screamed in agony, collapsing against the glass door.
The other three students with him were frantically trying to open the door, their hands banging and pulling at the handle. They didn't realize it was locked. Panic set in as the students inside the study room scrambled to help, rushing toward the door to force it open.
But it wouldn't budge.
The door was stuck, trapping the chaos on the other side.
Su Won's breath quickened as she watched the horrifying scene unfold. Her hands began to tremble uncontrollably, and a cold sweat ran down her back. The muffled screams, the pounding on the glass, the blood—it was too much.
Without a word, she turned and quietly slipped out of the room, her heart hammering in her chest as she ran, desperate to get away.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she stepped out of the room. The hallway stretched before her, eerily silent – a stark contrast to the usual bustle of school. The stillness felt wrong, unnatural. It was as if the school itself had been swallowed by a deep, unsettling calm.
"Why is the school so quiet today? What was that...?" Su Won's thoughts tumbled over each other, too jumbled to make sense of.
As she moved down the hallway, her gaze fell upon a horrifying scene. Lifeless bodies lay sprawled across the floor, blood pooling around them in dark, crimson stains. The air grew thick, suffocating, and the metallic scent of blood burned her nostrils. Panic clawed at her throat, making it hard to breathe.
Desperate to escape the sight, she darted into the nearest washroom, the door creaking as it swung shut behind her. Inside, she bent over, gasping for air, her chest heaving with the effort.
But then, a pair of eyes met hers. Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened in shock. For a Moment, time seemed to stop as her heartbeat thundered in her ears. The figure in the corner, what was it?
Something about it didn't look quite human, yet it carried an unmistakable humanoid form. Tall—unreasonably tall—its long legs seemed to stretch endlessly. The most unsettling part were its eyes, glowing red as if something were burning beneath the surface. The creature moved toward her with slow, deliberate steps, its head slightly tilted, as though sniffing the air.
Su Won's hands flew to her mouth, trying to stifle the sobs that broke through her trembling body. Tears streamed down her face as panic clawed at her heart. Was this how she was going to die? The monster closed in, its presence suffocating. It leaned closer, its burning red eyes fixed on her for a brief moment, then sniffed her and moved past her, slipping out the door without a sound.
Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor, the shock freezing her in place.
When she emerged from the washroom, her vision was blurred by tears, and her steps faltered. She was heading toward the study room when a familiar voice called out.
"Su Won... Where did you go?"
Her boyfriend's face appeared in front of her, worry and relief etched into his features. Just as she was about to fall, he caught her, holding her steady.
He guided her into the study room and made her sit down, pushing a glass of water into her hands.
The other four students, including Hanbin, stared at her in shock, eyes wide with fear and confusion.
"What's happening outside?" Min Jun asked, his voice shaking.
Panic filled the room as the realization set in.
"Are they zombies?" Soo Hee's voice was high and thin, full of disbelief. "Are we locked up in school?" Her worry shifted to their parents, eyes darting between the others. "What about our parents?"
There was silence.
"But before anything else...what's happening right now?" Park Jo San's shaky voice broke the tense silence. "When I went outside, there were dead bodies in the hallway."
His words sent a shiver through the room, and panic started bubbling up again.
"Let me check the internet," someone suggested, pulling out their phone.
A few moments later, the person's face fell. "There's no network," he said, his voice trembling.
"What?" The others quickly fumbled for their own phones, hoping for a different result.
"It's true...there's really no network," another confirmed, holding up their phone in disbelief.
"But we can't even go outside," Jisoo chimed in, her voice tinged with fear. "There are...animals. Or something..."
In the middle of the chaos, Hanbin seemed detached, lost deep in thought, his expression unreadable. Meanwhile, Su Won sat motionless, her breathing heavy. Her hands clenched tightly on her lap, her knuckles white as she tried to steady herself against the overwhelming dread settling in the air.
"Are you okay? Su Won? Su Won?" Park Jo San's voice broke through the air, but it seemed as if Su Won couldn't hear him. Her gaze was distant, locked in her own world, unresponsive to his concern.
"Your hands are cold..." Jo San murmured, gently holding her trembling hands. He began rubbing them to warm her up, his worry etched into every movement.
After what felt like an eternity, Su Won finally replied, her voice quiet and detached. "Jo San, I'm okay."
Her eyes drifted past him, landing on Hanbin. He was staring at her, his expression unreadable, yet something about it felt deeply unsettling. This wasn't the usual Hanbin she knew—this version seemed cold, distant, and utterly unfamiliar.