The Forged Proof
Operation Perseus. (4)
By one-thirty in the afternoon, Major Oh’s anxiety and confusion had reached their peak.
“Huuu……! Huuu……!”
Major Oh exhaled smoke like a man at war with his cigarettes, rubbing at the corners of his eyes. With every passing second, he felt the blood in his veins drying up.
Tututututut—! Tututututut—!
The gunfire never stopped hammering his eardrums, and the zombies’ roars had long since lodged themselves inside his skull. From tonight onward, for days to come, that guttural moaning would haunt him as phantom sound.
“Is the defensive line…… still holding?”
Major Oh turned and asked, but only the radio operator and helicopter crew stood behind him. The platoon leader who should have answered was nowhere to be seen.
‘Ah…… right. He said he was joining the firing line…….’
Major Oh finally recalled the earlier report and turned his gaze back toward the river. So many soldiers had already fallen to the zombies that even platoon leaders and sergeants were forced to fight on the front lines.
Tututututut—! Tutututut—! Tututututut—!
The steady chatter of a K-3 machine gun told him the line was still intact—and that the zombies were still coming.
‘Where the hell are all these zombies coming from……?’
Major Oh stared across the river with hollow eyes and lit another cigarette. No matter how many they mowed down, fresh hordes kept pouring onto the walkways and plazas.
Exhausted beyond measure, Major Oh had abandoned the riverside café that had served as their temporary headquarters even before noon, relocating the command post to a parking lot south of the Han River. Still the zombies came, and still the soldiers had to keep pulling triggers.
“Major! Second Platoon is requesting ammunition resupply!”
The radio operator’s voice was hoarse from shouting over the gunfire that never ceased.
“Tell them to hold. Get on the radio with…… Third Bird……”
Major Oh answered in a voice drained of life, merely twitching his fingers. He no longer knew what he was even doing.
“Third Bird is low on ammo too!”
“Then send Second Bird, you idiot! Or Fourth! Do I have to personally check how many rounds are left on every single helicopter?”
Major Oh snapped at the radio operator, then dropped his head. He was sick of everything—the Han River scenery, the gunfire, the zombies, even the operator’s cracking voice.
What now?
The same worry looped endlessly in his mind. It was time to admit that finding Hwang Nayeon’s zombie was impossible. After four hours of searching without a single lead, no miraculous stroke of luck was coming.
What was he supposed to tell Lt. Colonel Jeong……? Even if he reported the truth, the blame would still fall on him……
Deep creases formed on Major Oh’s forehead. Six Black Hawks’ worth of fuel. Fourteen dead. Tens of thousands of rounds expended. That was what today’s operation had cost him—and he was returning empty-handed.
Would Lt. General Park tolerate a commander like this?
Major Oh shook his head. If he were the general, he would never let this slide. He would strip the man of his uniform or demote him out of sheer disgust. In the worst case, every failure connected to Hwang Nayeon’s disappearance would be pinned on him. A scapegoat who talked too much was dangerous; suicide was the easiest way to silence him.
Gulp—!
Major Oh swallowed dryly, hand at his throat. The image of someone breaking into his quarters, overpowering him in his sleep, and strangling him with a necktie made it hard to breathe. It was a horrifying, repulsive thought—but if things continued this way, that future could become real.
What had gone wrong? Where had the operation derailed? What should he have done from the very first moment to find that damned woman?
Major Oh clutched his head, face twisted in despair. No matter how long he thought, the answer eluded him. Searching for one woman among hundreds of thousands—millions—of zombies scattered across Seoul…… It had been an impossible mission from the start.
He should have found some excuse to avoid Lt. Colonel Jeong’s orders last night…… If he had known it would come to this, he would have let Yang Jaeyeol beat him senseless and used the injury as an excuse to stay behind.
While Major Oh wallowed in belated regret, the radio operator delivered what sounded like a death sentence.
“Major! The flight leader says they must return within twenty minutes! They can’t delay any longer!”
“……Hrk!”
Major Oh jerked upright as if he had seen a ghost. The moment to return to Busan had finally arrived.
“What about Captain Lee……? Where is Third Platoon right now? Ask if they’ve found anything.”
He gave the order with the desperation of a drowning man clutching at straws. While the radio operator contacted Third Platoon, Major Oh clasped his hands tightly like a man praying.
“They’ve passed Children’s Grand Park Station and are moving north! They’re currently searching inside the park!”
Goddamn it!
The moment he heard the reply, Major Oh’s strength left him. “Moving north” meant they had found nothing. Twenty fully armed soldiers, supported by Black Hawk overwatch, had advanced barely two kilometers in four hours. It was absurd. Captain Lee—that bastard—was unforgivable.
Even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me, you son of a bitch!
Major Oh ground his teeth, deciding he would leave Captain Lee and Third Platoon behind in Seoul. Yet the betrayal of his last shred of hope was too bitter to bear.
‘Four hours of searching……! If they had just found one female zombie……! Why the hell is that so difficult? It could have happened by chance……! Then I could have taken the photo, smiled, and gone home, you useless bastard! Why couldn’t you do that? If you had, neither of us would have to die…….’
Major Oh stared at the Polaroid camera hanging from his tactical vest. Suddenly, his eyes flashed with madness.
‘……No!’
He wiped his sweat-drenched face and shook his head violently.
‘That’s not it! Why am I so desperate to find Hwang Nayeon? They only asked for a photo of her as a zombie!’
A revelation worthy of Archimedes struck him. Major Oh’s entire body erupted in goosebumps of joy.
A photo and reality were different. If he had to present the actual zombie Hwang Nayeon, then searching made sense—but a photo could be faked.
Moreover, they had requested a palm-sized Polaroid. Unlike digital photos that could be endlessly enlarged and scrutinized, the image quality here was poor. As long as the body type and face shape were roughly similar, deception was entirely possible.
‘All I need is one woman who roughly resembles Hwang Nayeon…… She doesn’t even have to look that close. Just similar height and build, maybe a bit younger…… Light brown hair—no, hair doesn’t matter. That can be dyed. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?’
Major Oh blinked, feeling like a fool for having tried so earnestly to fulfill Yang Jaeyeol’s demands. The faces were familiar from constant proximity, but even that problem could be solved.
‘……We found Hwang Nayeon’s zombie, but her face was destroyed beyond recognition by machine-gun fire. Or perhaps…… her face was cut by glass or metal during the transformation process…… Burned…… Yes, burned so badly the skin melted. Even with such severe injuries, if she was still breathing when bitten, she would turn…….’
Changing the angle revealed countless escape routes. A smile finally appeared on Major Oh’s lips. That was it! All he needed was a double—someone to dress in a female officer’s uniform, smash the face, and turn into a zombie! And then……
‘No, if the face is too damaged, he’ll get suspicious. So the face…… Right, makeup! We can have it done at a salon along with the hair! Make her look similar with cosmetics, then add some wounds and blood later—it’ll be perfect!’
The plan assembled itself in seconds. No matter how well Yang Jaeyeol knew Hwang Nayeon, he only knew the living version. He wouldn’t recognize her zombie face. Of course it would work. If he showed any doubt, they could simply shout him down……
Even if he remained suspicious, what could he do? Once they delivered Polaroids of a face riddled with bullet holes and set on fire, there would be no body left to demand further proof. He couldn’t ask for more evidence. That meant mission accomplished.
“Hah, huhuh…… Hahahaha!”
For the first time since arriving, genuine laughter burst from Major Oh’s mouth. Such a simple solution had existed all along—why hadn’t he seen it? If he had, he could have avoided this hellish day……
‘Then…… what excuse can I give for returning here? If I ask for more helicopters, Lt. Colonel Jeong will lose his mind…… Ah, right! Captain Lee—that bastard! Yes! Leaving him behind gives me the perfect reason to come back!’
He could punish the man and solve the problem at the same time…… If he left Captain Lee and Third Platoon here for one night, it would kill two birds with one stone. He would return, report that Captain Lee had stayed behind to continue the search, then find a suitable woman in Busan, dress her in Yoo So-jin’s uniform, and…… Everyone would be happy.
‘What if they find out later that it was fake?’
The worry flickered briefly, but Major Oh shook his head and dismissed it. Returning empty-handed or getting caught lying—either way, he was screwed. So he might as well try something.
“Major! Third Platoon and the escort helicopters are asking if they should return!”
The radio operator’s voice no longer irritated him. Major Oh cleared his throat loudly and issued a stern order.
“The escort helicopters are to return to the temporary headquarters. Tell Third Platoon to find safe cover immediately and hold position. Inform Captain Lee: they will remain in Seoul today to monitor zombie movements and withdraw tomorrow with the next detachment.”
“Ah……”
The order was so unexpected that the radio operator stood frozen, mouth agape. Leaving fewer than twenty men in Seoul…… and without any proper defensive position established…… Even though it wasn’t his mission, his chest tightened and no words came out.
“What are you doing, you idiot! Relay the order! And recall First and Second Platoons too! We have to return to Busan! Move!”
Major Oh barked at the operator, then rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
‘Tomorrow I’ll come back, throw the substitute woman to a zombie so it tears off an arm or leg, and everything will be over…… That much…… I could even do myself. Though facing a zombie is a bit terrifying…….’
Major Oh tilted his head but steeled himself. If rumors were to be avoided, he had to handle that part alone. He would have the soldiers prepare a zombie with its limbs already removed, take the woman to where it was tied, and……
‘Right. I should tie the woman up beforehand too. I don’t know how quickly she’ll turn after being bitten. Then blow the zombie’s head off, wound the woman’s face, soak her in more blood…… But to be safe, maybe I should get rid of the hairdresser who did the makeup as well?’
The big picture was drawn, but details kept snagging.
Kill them, or not……
While the surrounding soldiers loaded equipment onto the helicopters for withdrawal, Major Oh wrestled with the decision. Killing an innocent hairdresser left a bad taste, but one more corpse or two hardly made a difference.
‘Yes. Might as well clean it up completely. Fake Hwang Nayeon first, then the hairdresser.’
Having decided to kill both, Major Oh looked up to see the First Bird—the one that had supported Third Platoon—returning.
Tututututut—! Whump whump whump—!
The First Bird touched down on one side of the vast parking lot. Major Oh picked up Hwang Nayeon’s small handbag—the day’s only trophy—and walked toward it. Then……
“You! What the hell are you doing here? Why are you on that helicopter?”
Major Oh’s face hardened at the sight of Captain Lee jumping out of the open hatch.
“You’re not going anywhere until this problem is solved! You’ll bury your bones here!”
“Major! Listen, sir……!”
Captain Lee raised both hands as if pleading to be heard.
“I told you to stay there with Third Platoon! Are you disobeying orders, you bastard?”
Truly enraged, Major Oh’s hand moved toward the pistol holster on his vest. An incompetent, insubordinate piece of trash like this dared to wear an army officer’s uniform—it was intolerable. So many people had suffered, died, and been wounded because of him……
“I led Third Platoon to safety inside a building! They’ll continue scouting the zombies from there! But something happened that I had to report in person, so I had no choice but to return by helicopter! Please calm down, sir!”
Captain Lee desperately grabbed Major Oh’s wrist and shouted. The action only fueled the major’s fury further.
“Let go, you bastard! Do you want to die today? Hey, flight leader! Put this bastard back on the bird and send him to Third Platoon!”
“Major!”
Captain Lee cried out, spittle flying.
“I can fix everything! That……! The woman’s photo! We just need a photo of the woman, don’t we? A zombie Major Yoo So-jin! I’ll take the photo! Just one day! Give me today and I’ll prepare thoroughly and bring you that photo without fail! I swear it!”
‘Huh……!’
The strength drained from Major Oh’s hand on the pistol grip. It was pathetic how easily he understood what this worthless man was proposing—without any effort at all. The bastard had reached the exact same solution after his own long deliberation. Using an innocent young woman as a substitute to solve the problem through deception……
‘So I was just as much trash as him…….’
The realization was so sad and shameful that Major Oh’s chest tightened.
“If I fail this time! I’ll accept it even if you shoot me! So just once! Please give me one more chance, Major! Tomorrow we won’t need such a large-scale deployment! Two Black Hawks will be enough to bring back the men we left behind! Then I’ll bring you exactly what you want—photos of the zombie, photos with a bullet in its forehead, photos of it set on fire! All of them! Please, Major……!”
Captain Lee, unaware of Major Oh’s thoughts, continued his desperate pleading.
‘……Fine. Let’s leave it to this bastard.’
Major Oh quickly changed his mind. This way he could avoid the trouble of choosing a lookalike himself, the danger of facing a zombie, and the burden of shooting an innocent person. And if things went wrong, he could shift the blame onto the captain. To some extent……
“Huu…… Really? Are you confident? Did you…… come up with some secret plan?”
Major Oh took a deep breath, the killing intent gone from his eyes. Captain Lee nodded frantically, eyes brimming with tears and snot.
“Yes, sir! I’m confident! Just once! Please believe in me one more time!”
“Since you’re so sure…… I’ll believe you one more time. Don’t disappoint me this time. Understood, Captain Lee?”
Major Oh removed his hand from the pistol and placed it on Captain Lee’s shoulder.
“Thank you for trusting me! I won’t disappoint you! I swear on my parents’ souls!”
Captain Lee babbled like a madman.
The two officers had reached an agreement. Each for their own gain…… The fact that twenty soldiers of Third Platoon had been left behind in Seoul meant nothing to either of them.