Day 3 – 5:30 AM, Ruined Seoul
Seok-hoon's blade was already raised when Kyung-min and the Silver-Haired Woman emerged from the alleyway.
His breathing was heavy, his body covered in dirt and sweat. Behind him, Ji-hye, Min-jun, and Tae-sik were equally exhausted—each carrying fresh cuts and bruises from their escape.
Six.
Only six survivors remained.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The silver-haired girl glanced at Seok-hoon's readied stance and scoffed. "Relax. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't waste time talking."
Seok-hoon's grip tightened but, after a beat, he slowly lowered his weapon. His gaze flickered to Kyung-min. "You're alive."
Kyung-min exhaled, trying to catch his breath. "For now."
The relief in Seok-hoon's voice was subtle—barely noticeable—but it was there. It wouldn't last.
Ji-hye, arms crossed, studied the silver-haired girl with open distrust. "You. Again."
She raised an eyebrow. "Nice to see you too."
"Where the hell did you come from?" Tae-sik muttered, his fingers flexing over the hilt of his weapon. "No one saw you leave the parking lot."
The girl didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned her back to them, scanning the ruined streets. Checking for threats.
"That's not important right now," she said finally. "The parking lot's gone. There are bigger things to worry about."
Min-jun pushed up his glasses, eyes sharp as he studied her. "And you happen to have a plan?"
A faint smirk crossed her lips. "Of course."
5:45 AM – Following the Silver-Haired Girl
No one wanted to trust her.
But no one had a better option.
She took the lead, moving through the ruins with purpose. Unlike the rest of them, who scrambled for survival, she knew where she was going.
Seok-hoon kept his distance, walking alongside Ji-hye. Min-jun remained quiet, his sharp gaze fixed on their guide. Tae-sik dragged behind, occasionally rubbing his bruised ribs.
Kyung-min followed just behind her, watching her closely.
"You're leading us somewhere specific," he finally said.
She didn't slow down. "I am."
"Where?"
"A shelter."
Ji-hye scoffed. "A shelter? We just lost one. You expect us to believe you know of another?"
The girl didn't turn, her silver hair catching the faint light of the rising sun. "Believe what you want. But if you keep wasting time arguing, we won't make it."
There was something unnerving about her confidence.
She wasn't guessing.
She was certain.
That was why they followed.
6:30 AM – The Hidden Shelter
The city had been silent for a while.
Too silent.
The usual distant sounds of monsters moving, of the faint echoes of collapse—all absent.
Kyung-min didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
Then, finally, she stopped.
A ruined government building loomed ahead. Half-buried under rubble, the entrance barely visible.
"Here," she said simply.
Tae-sik frowned. "You're joking."
She ignored him, stepping toward the collapsed structure. With practiced ease, she pushed aside a section of fallen stone, revealing a narrow opening—leading into the darkness below.
The air was stale, thick with dust and the scent of decay.
Ji-hye tensed. "How do you know about this?"
The girl glanced at her. "Because I've used it before."
That shut everyone up.
She disappeared into the opening.
And one by one—they followed.
6:50 AM – Securing the Shelter
The underground space was bigger than expected.
It wasn't a bunker, but it might have been used as an emergency storage facility before the collapse. Rusted metal shelves lined the walls, some still holding long-expired food packs and old supplies.
The air was heavy, but it was safe.
Seok-hoon swept his gaze across the room, checking for any potential dangers. "This will do."
Tae-sik exhaled, dropping onto the cold ground. "Finally."
Ji-hye kicked a broken crate aside, her expression skeptical. "How long do you think this place will last?"
The girl sat on an overturned box, her face impassive. "Long enough."
Kyung-min glanced around. This was their new home.
For now.
7:30 AM – Ration Count & Unspoken Tensions
Min-jun sat near the corner, counting their remaining rations.
"Four full ration packs," he said. "Some water, not much. Emergency energy bars. Maybe enough for two days, if we stretch it."
Silence.
Everyone understood what that meant.
Ji-hye clicked her tongue. "We'll need to go out soon."
"No," the girl said.
Everyone turned to her.
She leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees. "We stay here. No one leaves for the next few days."
Tae-sik's expression twisted. "Are you serious? If we don't gather more food, we—"
"You'll die faster if you go out now."
Her voice was calm. Certain.
Kyung-min could feel the weight of her words.
Min-jun adjusted his glasses. "...Because of the reset?"
She met his gaze. "Yes."
Ji-hye exhaled sharply. "Explain."
The girl sighed, leaning back. "Think about it. The reset is still stabilizing. That means new things are appearing—dungeons, monsters, unstable zones. If you go out now, you're walking into the unknown. We wait. The longer we survive, the more we learn."
No one responded immediately.
Because she was right.
The night had been hell.
Going back out blindly—even Seok-hoon knew it would be suicide.
"...Fine," Seok-hoon finally said. "We wait."
9:00 AM – The Divided Group
Even in silence, the tension grew.
It wasn't just about food.
It wasn't about trust.
It was about who was left.
Ji-hye's eyes lingered on Kyung-min for a little too long. Tae-sik openly avoided looking at him. Even Seok-hoon, who kept his emotions locked away, was quietly observing.
They had lost so many people.
And he was one of the ones who survived.
Min-jun, the only one not openly hostile, didn't comment.
The Silver-Haired Woman didn't care at all.
She barely even acknowledged their frustration.
Kyung-min kept his head down, saying nothing.
He had seen this before.
Survivor's resentment.
When the weak lived while the strong died—there was always dissatisfaction.
And now, trapped together in this space for the next few days, with dwindling food and no way to leave…
It would only get worse.