Chapter 23

While the woman hissed at him in a low, sharp voice and the man muttered irritably beneath her hand, Yu-su clung tightly to the blanket rope and studied them.

They both appeared to be in their late twenties. Their clothes were clean, and employee identification cards hung around their necks. Yu-su could not see anything in the lounge that might be used as a weapon.

Because he had stopped in the middle of his descent, Muwon’s voice drifted down from the floor above.

“Jeong Yu-su, why did you stop?”

“There are people inside,” Yu-su called back. “Two of them, around our age.”

Yu-su tipped his head back and met Muwon’s gaze when the other man leaned out through the window above. The instant he heard that strangers were present, Muwon’s expression tightened.

“What do they look like?”

“Harmless enough. I’m thinking of going inside.”

“I’ll be down in a second.”

While they spoke, the woman approached the window and looked directly at Yu-su. “Excuse me. Who are you?”

“I’m Assistant Manager Jeong Yu-su from the Technology Team at Hyeonmyeong Construction.”

“Oh.” She blinked. “No, that isn’t what I meant…”

“I’m on my way down. Could we come inside and regroup for a moment?”

The woman studied Yu-su’s face for several long seconds before opening the window fully and stepping aside. Yu-su climbed through and landed inside with a soft, practiced thud.

An uneasy standoff began. The woman remained silent, seemingly unsure of what to say.

“You said you’re heading down?”

“Yes.”

Just as the silence threatened to stretch into something unbearable, the sunlight vanished. Muwon filled the window frame as he pulled himself inside.

“You said there were people.”

The man, who had remained silent until then, immediately straightened his posture, while the woman stared at Muwon in obvious surprise.

“Manager Do?”

“Ms. Joo Hee-eun.”

“Is that really you, Manager Do?” Relief and disbelief rushed into Hee-eun’s voice. “How are you here? Oh my God, you’re not hurt, are you?”

A crooked smile tugged at Muwon’s lips. “You think there’s a fake Manager Do running around? I got stuck working late and couldn’t go home. I’m physically fine. What about you?”

“I’m fine too. I’ve been here the entire time.”

The atmosphere softened almost instantly. Yu-su’s gaze moved between Muwon and the woman he had addressed as ‘Ms. Joo Hee-eun’.

“You know each other?”

“Yeah, she’s part of my team,” Muwon said with a grin, nodding his head toward the man standing behind Hee-eun. “Who is he?”

“Oh, this is…”

“I’m Lee Seongwook from the Estimating Team!” the man blurted.

“Hm.”

Muwon acknowledged him with a low rumble. When he glanced toward Yu-su, Yu-su offered the others a brief nod of greeting.

“As I mentioned, I’m Assistant Manager Jeong Yu-su from the Technology Team.”

“I’m Joo Hee-eun. I’m also on Manager Do’s team.” She gave Yu-su a strained smile. “You can speak casually with me.” Hee-eun gripped the bedframe, her brows drawing together as the remaining strength drained from her legs. “Could I sit down for a moment? My legs have gone completely weak…”

“Of course,” Yu-su replied. “Should we all sit?”

“Yeah,” Muwon agreed. “You two sit down too.”

“Yes!”

Hee-eun slid to the floor and began rubbing her knees and hands. The shock of someone suddenly appearing outside the window, only for that person to be someone she knew, seemed to have released much of the tension that had kept her body rigid.

Muwon looked down at her. “We’re not exactly on the clock, and given the situation, let’s forget about ranks.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Hee-eun said.

“Mind if I drop the formalities?”

“You already have, haven’t you?”

Their quiet laughter faded into a long, weary sigh. Hee-eun lightly slapped her cheeks a couple of times, then raised her head and looked at Muwon.

“Phew… I can’t tell you what a relief it is to run into someone I know.”

“You said you’ve been here this whole time.”

“Yes. Seongwook screamed in his sleep and woke me up.”

“When did I scream?!” Seongwook cut in indignantly. He cleared his throat a moment later and glanced at Muwon. “I… I saw zombies swarming outside when I was leaving work. There were bodies scattered all over the floor. Real corpses.”

“So you came in here and never left.”

“Yes. But wow, I never expected to run into you here, Manager Do. Do you remember me, by any chance? I greeted you once when you first joined the company. We also took a smoke break together with Manager Song…”

“I don’t smoke.”

Muwon’s curt dismissal sent Seongwook’s gaze darting around the room. After a brief pause, he tried again with an awkward smile.

“But why are you heading down? The announcement said we’d be rescued if we went to the roof.”

Yu-su answered in Muwon’s place. “The roof is overrun with zombies.”

“Ah…”

“So we’re heading down and hoping to reach the roof of another building.”

Hee-eun frowned. “Another building’s roof… Is that even possible?”

“We have to try. We’re planning to move while the helicopter throws everything into chaos.”

Hee-eun considered his answer for a moment, then nodded and softly clapped her hands together. “That makes sense. Zombies seem sensitive to sound, and they can suddenly break into a run, can’t they?”

“Yes,” Yu-su replied briefly. He then stood up and walked over to the bed, lifting one of the crumpled blankets. “We need to create more rope from these blankets if we want to continue descending. Is this one usable?”

Hee-eun opened her mouth to answer, but Lee Seongwook spoke over her.

“How many are you taking?”

The lounge fell silent.

Yu-su’s hands stilled on the blanket, and an uncomfortable tension settled over the room. Feeling all three pairs of eyes on him, Seongwook hurried to explain himself, keeping his gaze fixed on Muwon.

“No, it’s just that it gets cold at night. We need something to cover ourselves with too…”

No one answered. The silence merely stretched on.

Hee-eun shot Seongwook a faint glare while he offered the others an awkward, wounded smile. Both of them assumed Muwon and Yu-su had taken offense, but they were mistaken. The two men were thinking about the fact that the building would eventually collapse and kill everyone inside. There was no point in saving a blanket if it could only keep someone warm for a single night.

They would have to take Hee-eun and Seongwook with them. The only question was how.

Their gazes met across the room.

After a brief silence, Yu-su turned to Hee-eun. “It would be helpful if we could leave some blankets behind, but you can’t stay here waiting forever. If you want to come with us, say so.”

“Yes! I want to come.”

Startled by her immediate answer, Lee Seongwook turned toward her, but she refused to meet his eyes.

Yu-su nodded without hesitation. “Most of the nearby rooftops are infested with zombies, so we’ll have to travel quite a distance. It’ll be dangerous. Are you sure you’re willing to take that risk?”

“Yes. Well…”

Hee-eun and Yu-su exchanged a look, silently acknowledging that being left alone with a man was hardly an ideal situation. Jeong Yu-su could only nod in resignation. Beside him, one corner of Do Muwon’s mouth lifted in the faintest smirk.

Lee Seongwook, who had been lingering a few paces behind them, quickly piped up. “I’ll come too! Being left on my own is, well… a little…”

“Suit yourself. But if you’re coming with us, you follow my instructions.”

Even after Yu-su laid down the condition, Seongwook continued staring at Muwon, visibly waiting for his approval.

Muwon raised an eyebrow. “Why are you looking at me? Jeong Yu-su is in charge.”

“Excuse me? But…”

“Jeong Yu-su.” Muwon gave Seongwook a crooked, skeptical look and gestured toward Yu-su. “He’s the leader.”

Yu-su’s expression hardened. “Going off on your own or acting on impulse puts everyone in danger. Honestly, even if you follow every instruction perfectly, this is still going to be risky. Are you sure you want to come?”

“Uh, well… yes. I’ll do what you say.”

Faced with such a half-hearted response, Yu-su swallowed a sigh. He would rather conserve his energy for more pressing matters than waste it on further persuasion.

“Do Muwon.”

“Yeah?”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“I am.”

Yu-su hauled up the backpack still tangled in the rope they had fashioned from blankets and began rummaging through its contents.

“The sun will set soon, so let’s eat, get some rest, and head down early tomorrow morning. Sound good?”

“Of course. Want me to prepare anything?”

“I’ll handle it. Besides, I’m not sure how much food is left here.”

Joo Hee-eun answered without a moment’s hesitation. “We’ve eaten through almost everything, but there’s still a little left.”

“We can restock at the lounge downstairs anyway, so there’s no point in skimping.”

“That’s good to hear. Shall I bring over what we have here?”

“Hey, Assistant Manager.”

Before Yu-su could answer, Seongwook cut in and pointed toward one of the makeshift backpacks fashioned from a bathrobe.

“What’s in that bag?”

Yu-su blinked several times before replying flatly. “Various things. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, no reason. I was just curious.”

“Hmm… I’ll go get the snacks.”

Hee-eun pressed her lips into a thin line, rose, and headed toward the lounge. Seongwook immediately trailed after her as though he expected her to steal something.

Watching his hasty retreat, Yu-su turned to Muwon.

Muwon tilted his head and cracked his knuckles. “He’s not the kind of guy we should keep close.”

“I figured as much, but why?”

“I remembered as soon as I heard his name. He’s the bastard who got sued for workplace harassment.”

Disgust spread across Yu-su’s face. “What did he do to get sued?”

“I don’t know the details, but my gut says he’s bad news.”

“Then keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn’t cause any serious trouble.”

“Got it.”

Five minutes later, Muwon and Yu-su sat side by side on the bed while Hee-eun and Seongwook occupied the chairs, the four of them sharing an early dinner. Hee-eun popped one of the apple cookies Yu-su had handed her into her mouth and gave them the brightest smile she had shown since they met.

“I never thought much of these apple cookies before, but right now, they taste like dessert from a five-star hotel.”

“Were there no apple cookies in this lounge?”

“No. There were only empty boxes, so we’ve been surviving on mini chocolate bars. I was getting so sick of them…”

Winter dusk settled quickly, but even a meager meal shared among the four of them softened the atmosphere considerably. As they ate, Yu-su took the opportunity to study the two people he had met that day with a more discerning eye.

Joo Hee-eun had joined the company the year before last and was now twenty-seven.

Hyeonmyeong Construction clung to such a backward workplace culture that it rarely hired women at all, so the mere fact that she had lasted this long hinted at a resilient core beneath her affable exterior. She was petite, with sharp eyes and a dark brown bob. According to Muwon, she was “clearly damn good at her job, and she never backed down when the neighboring teams gave her trouble,” which suggested that her personality was every bit as firm as her work ethic.

If Muwon, who was notoriously stingy with praise, thought that highly of her, she was as good as vetted.

Lee Seongwook, on the other hand…

He was twenty-nine, the same age as Yu-su and Muwon. Muwon seemed to know him, and Hee-eun apparently did as well, but when Yu-su asked what kind of person Seongwook was, her silence and swift change of subject had been verdict enough.

Seongwook was of average height and build. He bragged about being so devoted to fitness that he had even done a professional physique photoshoot, but a few words with him were enough to expose the vanity behind all that bluster. Worse, he kept trying to establish a hierarchy, directing nearly all his attention toward Muwon, only to be shut down every time. Yu-su had encountered his type before and had naturally relegated him to the background.

Three days until the military rescue arrives after we get out… I just hope he doesn’t become dead weight.

The thought of being stuck with him for at least four days was unpleasant, but Seongwook had not committed any overt crime, and Yu-su could not simply let someone die because he found the man irritating.

He had no choice but to drag the man along, keep him at arm’s length, and head off any trouble before it arose.

His thoughts settled, Yu-su drained the last of his lukewarm orange juice and looked up to find Hee-eun smiling at him.

He tilted his head slightly. “Is there something you wanted to say?”

“Well, you and Manager Do are close, aren’t you? I never imagined the two of you knew each other.”

“You sound as though you’ve known about me for a while.”

“That’s right! You’re secretly famous, Assistant Manager.”

“What? Why?”

“For starters…”

Your face. Your face.

Hee-eun conveyed the message through her eyes and a tiny gesture, then continued nonchalantly before Yu-su could even react.

“You get here incredibly early and leave incredibly late. It’s almost as if you… haunt the place.”

Yu-su stared at her in silence.

“Manager Do is just openly famous.”

Hee-eun mimed tapping the ceiling with her index finger. Muwon, who had been listening, let out an amused chuckle.

“For being a nepotism hire?”

“Oh, heavens no. I mean, you’re the heir to Cheonsan Group.”

A ripple of laughter passed around them.

“That’s why it feels like the two of you have nothing in common,” Hee-eun continued. “You’re complete opposites.”

“We’ve known each other since middle school.”

“No way. May I ask how you met?”

Muwon waved a dismissive hand. “It’s not a story worth telling.”

Yu-su gave him a dry look. “If you know what’s good for you, get lost. I want to talk to Hee-eun.”

“Abandoning me the moment you find someone new. How cruel.”

As Muwon shrugged and joked, Seongwook stepped over and placed a can of coffee in front of him.

“By the way, Manager Do, are we going down through the window tomorrow?”

Yu-su had explained that exact detail only ten minutes earlier. Tomorrow, they would secure the rope of knotted blankets around themselves and climb through the window to the floor below.

Muwon remained silent. Yu-su glanced at Seongwook, but Hee-eun quickly drew him back into their conversation. Undeterred, Seongwook pulled up a chair and sat directly across from Muwon.

“The reason I’m asking is, you know, I earned reward leave during my military service for doing well in guerrilla training. And you were UDT, weren’t you, Manager Do?”

Muwon gave him no answer, his expression as unreadable as ever.

“I thought about applying to the UDT too,” Seongwook continued. “Maybe we would’ve gone through training together if I had. Not that you’d know anything about men like that, Hee-eun. And as for our assistant manager here, did you even serve?”

Before Yu-su could open his mouth, Muwon rose from his seat and gave Seongwook a curt nod.

“Then get started on the rope.”

“Huh? Oh, right. Right.”

“I’ll help,” Hee-eun offered.

“Me too,” Yu-su added.

Even as they sat in a circle braiding the rope, Seongwook’s boasting never let up.

“You don’t have any experience, Hee-eun. Are you sure you can make it down? If you’re scared, want me to catch you from below?”

“No, thanks. I’ve gone bungee jumping before. It was fine.”

“Oh. Women do that kind of thing too? Who’d you go with?”

Muwon finally looked up. “Quiet. Shut it.”

The room fell dead silent. Hee-eun pressed her lips together and shook her head, while Seongwook faltered, visibly awkward.

“If you’re tired, just say so,” he muttered, before finally clamping his mouth shut.

Yu-su let out a sigh. Whatever problems came with being around other people, he could not deny that hearing the voices of the living, rather than the growls of zombies, brought genuine comfort.

***