Re-entry into Myeongseo Elementary School
The people who had managed to contain the zombie outbreak at Myeongseo Elementary School were still in the midst of cleanup.
"What the hell are they doing after all this shit went down?"
"Can we really trust this?"
"No police chief around..."
Anxiety was bubbling up from all sides as they watched the cops huddled together talking among themselves.
"Hey, Mr. Jang."
The folks who'd run shops near the school latched onto Jang Man-cheol from Myeongseo Chinese Restaurant.
"This gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, I'm freaking out here."
"Why ask me?"
Jang Man-cheol sighed in response.
"I don't know jack shit either."
"We ain't asking you for the answers."
"Yeah, and with Min-gyu dead, you not scared at all?"
At that, Jang Man-cheol's face twisted in anger.
"Why bring up Min-gyu?"
"Come on, they just crammed us in here!"
"Couldn't even save us properly."
It wasn't wrong. The cops gathered here didn't have enough manpower to hold off the monsters, let alone rescue people outside.
"Shouldn't we get outta here?"
"The guy who took down that monster in Min-gyu's place left too."
"Yeah, exactly."
Jang Man-cheol let out a low groan at their words. That man who'd caught Jeong Min-gyu—Go Cheon-su—had definitely asked him for something. And that something was...
'Keep an eye on things.'
Jang Man-cheol glanced at the cops in the distance.
'What the hell am I supposed to watch for...'
As he mulled that over, the cops were venting about the gravity of the situation among themselves.
"How'd zombies even show up? Didn't they check properly?"
"What're you talking about? We checked fine."
"Is that even the point right now? Look at this mess."
A lot of people had died. They'd barely regained control. The survivors were full of doubts and unease about the current state. No one knew what to do next.
"Everyone, calm down."
That's when Traffic Division Chief Lee Seo-jun spoke up.
"The gate couldn't have been the issue. I was in charge there."
He was second only to the police chief here. Others of similar rank hadn't survived to make it back. With the chief missing, it wasn't an exaggeration to say he held full authority now.
And he'd been guarding the entrance. No one could argue the problem started there after he emphasized it.
"We've resolved the issue, so don't worry too much. Focus on calming everyone down."
The mood settled a bit at Lee Seo-jun's steady words. These were cops, after all. They'd dealt with plenty of chaotic situations. They couldn't crumble at this.
"Got it. We'll do better."
"Guess we can call this our bad luck paid off."
"Yeah. No need to make a fuss."
Lee Seo-jun smiled at their renewed resolve.
"Good. I'll check the chief's spot then. Leave things to you guys for a bit."
"Sure, leave it to us."
"We'll handle it."
With their firm assurances, Lee Seo-jun left the other cops and headed to the main building. The gatekeeper cop had returned to the front by then.
"Chief."
Lee Seo-jun stopped as the gatekeeper spoke.
"What? Contact from Jin Kyung-ho?"
"Yes. Says we need to move the police chief."
Lee Seo-jun sighed.
"What the hell?"
They'd only planned to move him if something went wrong. It wasn't easy dodging eyes, so they'd been careful. Why complicate things now? No, Jin Kyung-ho wasn't the type to go down easy anyway.
His nerves prickled at the thought of that man named Go Cheon-su.
"Knew he was bad news from the start..."
No time to dawdle anyway. He'd kept the chief alive as a backup if things went south. But now he might just have to dispose of him. Somewhere no one would find.
This Myeongseo Elementary School is mine. He planned to stand above the cops and fold in every outsider one by one.
"I'll handle it, so keep that in mind. Got it? The three of us are in this together. Stay sharp."
With that, Jin Kyung-ho—no, Lee Seo-jun—entered the main building. But he didn't head to another floor. He slipped out the back door toward the annex unseen.
Meanwhile, Jang Man-cheol was hiding in the bushes by the main building entrance.
'What the...!'
He'd overheard everything and bit his lip hard.
'These bastards really are up to something!'
He had to follow. Keeping watch, he saw the gatekeeper step away from the main door to pick up a long stick on the ground.
'Now's my chance.'
Jang Man-cheol slipped into the main building. But he had no idea where Lee Seo-jun went.
"Fuck...!"
Muttering under his breath, he noticed the back door rattling slightly. He hurried over and spotted Lee Seo-jun heading to the annex.
He glanced around once, then followed.
Myeongseo Elementary School came into view in the distance.
"Info window."
Info 1: Protect the police chief at Myeongseo Elementary School. If he dies in tonight's crisis, city security will deteriorate sharply.
"Ha, shit."
The key info was right there.
"Why didn't I know this sooner?"
The phrasing "at Myeongseo Elementary School" wasn't random.
"Heo Young-woong!"
Whatever path, Seoul was the goal. Learning via Jin Kyung-ho just shifted the order a bit.
"We're almost at Myeongseo Elementary School. Listen up from now."
Screech.
Go Cheon-su pulled over, hopped out, and opened the back door.
"You'll drive from here, Heo Young-woong."
"Me?"
"Yes."
Showing up driving himself would just invite questions he didn't have time to answer.
"If they ask what happened, say hoodlums jumped you."
"Hoodlums..."
"Remember: Act clueless about details until we dig deeper. Just play nurse and keep Jin Kyung-ho pinned."
Go Cheon-su knew Jin Kyung-ho didn't act alone. There were accomplices, so better to pivot elsewhere.
"Mm."
Heo Young-woong eyed the bound Jin Kyung-ho in the passenger seat and groaned.
"This really okay?"
"Put away the weak heart."
Jin Kyung-ho had tried to kill the chief—and nearly Heo Young-woong too.
"Draw their eyes, and I'll slip in. Move to this side."
Go Cheon-su glanced over—yep, Jin Kyung-ho was stirring.
Only one play here.
He stepped to the passenger side.
"Brothers, choice time. 1. Tuck him back in verbally. 2. Zap him to dreamland with the stun gun."
"Yes, 2."
Click.
Passenger door open—Jin Kyung-ho's eyes bulged as he muttered.
"You little shit... grrrraaaggh?!"
Bzzzzt! Zzt-zzt! Bzzzzt!
The stun gun crackled; Jin Kyung-ho convulsed wildly.
"Shoulda just said mackerel at a time like this."
Jin Kyung-ho flopped like fresh fish on the dock before going still.
"Brothers, any odds once we're in that school?"
Viewers weren't just there to troll—they hated immersion-killing anticlimaxes.
'They drop hints without straight spoilers now.'
Go Cheon-su smirked and headed back.
"Heo Young-woong, let's move quick."
"Y-yeah."
Heo Young-woong, startled by the treatment of Jin Kyung-ho, scrambled to the driver's seat.
"Just like you said, right, Go Cheon-su?"
"Yes. Thanks. I'll follow right in."
Heo Young-woong nodded firmly, resolve set.
"Got it. Cover our backs."
Click. Gear in—Go Cheon-su stepped back. Heo Young-woong nodded once more and drove toward Myeongseo Elementary School.
"Alright, brothers, time to roll in."
Vrooom.
A jeep barreled toward Myeongseo Elementary School. Gate cops jumped back in surprise; inside, people panicked at the commotion.
"It's me!"
The driver was a young cop: Heo Young-woong.
"South Substation Patrolman Heo Young-woong!"
"South Substation?"
"More survivors?"
Other cops swarmed him, eyes wide.
"What happened? Wasn't it a total wipeout?"
"Yeah."
"And this jeep..."
Recognizing Jin Kyung-ho's ride, they peered inside.
"Chief!"
Jin Kyung-ho lay slumped, out cold. Cops yanked open the passenger door to check.
"What? He's cuffed!"
His mangled hands let them remove them keyless. They laid him on the ground and turned to Heo Young-woong.
"What the hell happened?"
"Totally smashed up."
Heo Young-woong swallowed hard.
"I... don't know. Found the car like this."
"What?"
"Who did..."
As cops reeled, Heo Young-woong scanned around. Civilians watched, uneasy.
"Hey, everyone. Let's move him for treatment first. People are watching..."
Cops snapped to.
"R-right, gotta move him."
"Help out!"
They hauled Jin Kyung-ho off. Heo Young-woong followed, eyes flicking aside.
'Go Cheon-su, now.'
Go Cheon-su was squeezing through a hole in the Myeongseo Elementary fence.
"Damn it."
The tree-obscured, sloppily torn netting was tougher than expected.
"Rip it more..."
Not even bulky, but he got stuck.
Go Cheon-su gritted his teeth.
"I'll avenge Min-gyu, don't worry."
Ignoring them, he wriggled through—and spotted a clothesline.
"Huh."
Nearby was the on-duty room building. Hats and clothes hung from before.
"Perfect."
He donned a hat and hoodie to hide his face. Unrecognizable unless up close.
"Let's go."
Headed to the nearest main building. Gatekeeper cop still there.
Playground view: crowds, Heo Young-woong's jeep, cops carrying Jin Kyung-ho.
No sign of burly Jang Man-cheol.
'Not playground or main building?'
Sure, watch things—but no contact method set.
'Fine.'
Absence narrowed it down.
"Annex it is."