Second Floor Surprise
Sending Anna off like that felt like a recipe for disaster.
Was she always this hot-headed, or had the virus outbreak just frayed her nerves to the breaking point? Hard to say.
Kang Youngman, who'd been watching the exchange, stepped in to mediate.
"How about this, then? To round up the people and talk them into it, we'll need someone with a softer touch anyway. I'll take that guy along. With his looks, no one's gonna push back."
"…Me?"
Lee Beom-sik's eyes went wide at the unexpected suggestion.
But to the group, it somehow made perfect sense.
And Anna piled on.
"Yeah, that's a good call. Second floor's clear of zombies anyway. Me and that big lug are more than enough."
"Any objections? If not, that's the plan. What do you say?"
Youngman glanced around, asking again.
No one spoke up.
Beom-sik nodded along without protest.
No point throwing cold water on the unanimous vibe.
The stubborn folks downstairs can handle the explaining and convincing themselves.
Beom-sik figured he'd just stand there quietly.
"Alright, let's move."
Han Jaejeong, sledgehammer slung over his shoulder like it weighed nothing, took the first step.
Youngman, Beom-sik, and Minyoung stayed behind, still hashing something out.
Anna, heading for the stairs but blocked by Jaejeong's bulk, darted past him quick as a flash.
Her height—taller than most women—and natural athleticism made it easy.
"Hey…"
Jaejeong spoke up first, like he had something on his mind.
"Spit it out."
"I'm not some ajusshi."
Anna twisted around with a scowl.
"Oh, come on, whatever. Does it matter?"
"It matters. Hey, you like it if someone calls you ajumma?"
"Ha, who'd call me that? They'd be the weirdo."
Anna snorted dismissively.
Her brazen attitude made Jaejeong furrow his brow.
"Same here. Hey, who looks at me and thinks ajusshi…"
"You totally give off ajusshi vibes."
"What? Where the hell do you get that from!"
Jaejeong bristled without thinking.
Anna, finding his reaction hilarious, stopped dead and looked him up and down.
"Fine, whatever. Good is good. But honestly, married or not, you look way older than me… Oppa doesn't fit. Should I go with uncle?"
"Uncle? Fuck… you got any idea how old I am?"
"How old?"
"Forget it… let's go."
Jaejeong brushed past Anna's curious stare and planted himself by the door.
He always got pissed when people judged him on looks alone.
Who the fuck chooses to look like this?
Still, he'd always believed men should look tough and rugged.
That way, no one messed with you—friends had drilled that into him.
"Yeah, makes sense if you've got people to protect…"
Jaejeong muttered under his breath as he gripped the handle.
"Get ready to fire on sight."
"Told you, nothing's here."
"You been inside?"
"No, but use your head. Zombies can't climb stairs, right? They can't even open doors. How the hell would they get up here? Am I wrong?"
Anna shot him a frustrated look.
"No harm in being careful. I'll take point—you stay ready to shoot. That bow's for smashing zombies, yeah?"
"Y-yeah."
Zombie.
Even saying it, Jaejeong looked baffled.
Their behavior and infection method matched movie zombies to a T, sure.
But seeing the similarity and calling them that were two different things.
Anna had said it first, so he'd parroted her without thinking.
Somehow, "zombie" made it all feel less real.
Like a joke, or some detached fantasy—unsettling, even.
Especially when Minyoung kept repeating "zombie" like it was clinical.
Not like there was an official name anyway.
Jaejeong shook off the stray thoughts and cracked the door open slow.
The second floor was lined with random rooms.
Different from the third—every window had blinds pulled tight, making it dim as hell.
Jaejeong swallowed dry.
A bow was fast, but you fired once, then reloaded.
Miss the head, and it was useless.
At least, from what Jaejeong knew of archery.
So he'd have to handle any surprises up close.
Scanning Anna, he saw nothing but bow and arrows.
"What're you staring at?"
"…Nothing."
Jaejeong tamped down his irritation.
"Then why keep eyeing me up and down?"
"Bow's one shot at a time, plus reload. Just checking if you've got backup for close quarters."
"Ohhh… I thought—"
"You're the weird one for thinking that. What kinda creeps you hang with…"
Anna cleared her throat awkwardly at his intensity and scanned around.
"So, oppa, how'd you end up here? What'd you do before?"
"Which first?"
Jaejeong answered while rounding the corner.
Chatting was better for clearing dark, quiet spots like this.
If any Infected were around, they'd react to noise first—easy to pinpoint numbers and position.
No chance of bumping into them blind.
"What'd you do?"
"Cop."
"No shit? Where? Traffic?"
Jaejeong, crouched low, straightened and glared back.
"Hey, that's…"
"You look down on traffic cops?"
"No… you think this build fits traffic?"
"Totally violent crimes. Right?"
"Violent Crimes Unit."
"Same diff. Ooh, detective. Kinda reassuring."
"First nice thing I've heard."
Turning the corner, Jaejeong entered a long hall lined with doors on both sides.
Slivers of sunlight pierced the blinds, giving some visibility.
No power anyway—natural light was it.
Gonna rip these damn blinds down after the sweep, Jaejeong thought.
"What about you? Archer?"
"What it looks like."
Anna puffed up, gesturing to her bow.
Jaejeong, ignoring her, pressed his ear to the first door on the left.
Then knocked.
Knock-knock—
No reaction.
Infected would've charged.
He moved to the next.
"Good at it?"
"You'd flip if I told you where I was headed."
"Where?"
"National team trials."
Jaejeong shot her a surprised look.
Anna arched her brows smugger than ever.
"But… you look kinda old for trials? My bad?"
"Came a day early for a checkup at the hospital—shoulder surgery sidelined me for years, was gonna quit. But rehab went great."
Pulling her tank top aside to flash the shoulder scar, Anna drew a grimace from Jaejeong.
"Hey, kid. Why're you so damn fearless? Don't flash just anyone. World's full of psychos."
"When did I flash? Just showed my shoulder. You're the psycho for thinking weird."
"You got a sassy informal speech thing going? Pretending to mutter?"
"Why bring it up now? You ignored it fine before—now it's inconvenient."
Anna pouted.
Jaejeong switched topics.
"Anyway… hospital visit turned into this. Alone?"
"Nah, with Dad."
Jaejeong shut up.
Her cocky, fearless vibe had thrown him off.
How many had intact families left in this shit?
Dozens lost loved ones overnight.
"Uh…"
"Save it. No pity needed. I wanted to die with him at first, but the more I thought, the madder I got. Won't go till I wipe those fuckers out."
Anna glared out the hall window, grinding her teeth.
Tears welled up, ready to spill.
Jaejeong looked away to give her space.
Felt right for her.
Then—
"…Hold up."
Something. A sound.
"What?"
Anna nocked an arrow in a blur—unbelievably fast.
Jaejeong tugged her shoulder gently, backing up.
"Slow, slow."
They retreated like stealthy cats, silent.
Why?
Anna's brows wiggled the question.
But Jaejeong kept eyes locked on the far end of the hall.
Just pulled her back steadily.
Trailing his pull, Anna glimpsed movement.
A pale hand poked from an open door.
Then wrist, elbow, shoulder.
She couldn't look away.
Neck, then face—and Jaejeong yanked her around the corner.
Clear of the hall, Jaejeong hefted the sledgehammer one-handed.
Veins bulged on his thigh-thick forearm.
If zombies could think, they'd run, Anna thought, watching.
"See it?"
"Yeah."
Jaejeong nodded.
Same thing, probably.
"Zombie, right?"
"Likely."
Jaejeong peeked back.
A blackened Infected staggered toward them.
He pulled back, eyed Anna.
No zombies on second floor? Yeah, right.
He shut his eyes tight.
"What? Move, lemme see."
Anna tried peeking but hit Jaejeong's arm.
"Good call not buying your bullshit. Bullshit it was—keep your head in. It's coming."
"Weird. How'd it get up? How many?"
"One. Possible somehow. Bitten before mutating, maybe. Problem is, probably not alone…"
Thwang!
Jaejeong's jaw dropped mid-sentence.
Anna zipped past, wheeled into the hall, loosed an arrow.
It punched through the Infected's skull with a crunch.
Over before it could react.
But that wasn't the issue.
The Infected, spotting Anna in that split second, unleashed a bellowing roar.
The echo boomed to the far end.
WRRAAAAGH!
RAAAAAAGH!
Chilling howls answered from afar.
Jaejeong snorted.
Dozens of meters away, dark shadows swarmed into view.
"Ah, shit."
A curse slipped from Anna's lips.
They charged like they meant to devour her.
Jaejeong's eyes flicked to a nearby pillar.
Beyond it, the iron door to the stairwell.
Go now or never.
He lunged to grab Anna.
Hand swiped air.
She was striding toward the Infected like a maniac.
"Hey! What the fuck!"
A few steps in, Anna ignored him, drew another arrow.
Aimed at the twenty-odd horde.
Her eyes bored into one spot.
One, two, three!
The arrow sliced the air.
Infected