ATTACK AT THE AIRPORT

With a determined yet cautious expression, Eunhye slid off Sae Joon Hyun, their entangled bodies finally disentangling as they both struggled to shed the weight of their coats.

She felt a lump form in her throat as she removed her brown overcoat, the fabric slipping from her shoulders and falling to the floor of the airport in a soft rustle. Beneath it, she revealed a striking red gown with thin straps, accentuating her slender figure, paired with matching red high heels that clicked against the tiled floor. A silver bracelet adorned her right wrist, glinting in the dim airport lights as she moved.

Eunhye wasted no time, immediately dropping to her hands and knees and crawling forward. Sae Joon Hyun followed suit, the long black coat hindering his movements as he grappled to keep it from impeding his progress.

As they reached the relative safety behind a nearby wall, both let out a sigh of relief, their chests rising and falling with the exertion of their escape. Sae Joon Hyun's breaths came raggedly, the confines of his full-necked, full-arm brown shirt suddenly feeling constrictive, suffocating even, as if the very fabric were closing in on him under the weight of the situation.

Eunhye fixed him with a sharp glare, her eyes demanding answers as she waited for him to respond. When he seemed oblivious to her unspoken inquiry, she couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. "Repenting.. In America?" she finally asked, her voice tinged with both urgency and disbelief, echoing the thoughts that raced through her mind.

Eunhye's mind swirled with a mix of disbelief and curiosity as Sae Joon Hyun revealed his unexpected method of repentance. She struggled to process his words, the incongruity of his appearance and his actions clashing in her mind.

"Why? Is it impossible?" Sae Joon Hyun's voice cut through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present moment.

"No.. I mean.. How exactly are you repenting? You look like you are here for vacation," Eunhye responded, her voice laced with skepticism.

"Haha. I do, don't I? I have good clothes. Is that a problem?" Sae Joon Hyun's tone was light, almost dismissive.

"No.. Ugh.. So.. How were you repenting?" Eunhye pressed, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Hm. My Uncle has a business here," Sae Joon Hyun began, his voice taking on a more serious tone.

"Woah," Eunhye interjected, surprise evident in her voice.

"He owns a food truck," Sae Joon Hyun continued.

"Food truck?" Eunhye repeated, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Yeah. He sells dumplings," Sae Joon Hyun confirmed.

"Dumplings?" Eunhye echoed, still trying to wrap her mind around the revelation.

Sae Joon Hyun let out a dry laugh. "Haha. It's ironic, isn't it? His 'business' isn't going well at all. That's why I offered to help," he began, his voice heavy with a mix of bitterness and regret. "I shut myself away in a room, baking without any distractions, just letting that report play on a loop in the background. Over and over again."

He paused, as if the memory weighed on him. "I wanted to make my life as miserable as possible, push myself to the edge. There were times when I thought about just ending it all. I could kill myself, you know? But then, that would mean I wasn't ready to take responsibility for what I did."

His gaze drifted, as if searching for answers that weren't there. "I often wondered, why am I the one facing all the consequences? It was the company head who ordered me to do it. So why me?"

He sighed, the weight of his choices pressing down on him. "In the end, I just accepted it. Maybe I should have spoken up, refused to do the report. Maybe... I should have just quit," he finished, his voice tinged with a deep remorse that lingered in the air.

"I..see..." Eunhye responded, her voice softening with understanding.

"Whatever. So.. What do we do now? Do you know how to operate a helicopter?" Sae Joon Hyun's sudden change of topic caught Eunhye off guard.

"Wha -" Eunhye began, her mind still reeling from his revelation.

"I saw one here. We can fly back with it," Sae Joon Hyun interrupted, his tone matter-of-fact.

"I much understand where you are coming from. Knowing your story now, I respect your thoughts and even forgive you," Eunhye said, her voice sincere.

"And you want me to?" Sae Joon Hyun questioned, his tone tinged with confusion.

"But! You are insane!" Eunhye exclaimed, her disbelief evident.

"Huh?" Sae Joon Hyun responded, taken aback by her outburst.

"We can't possibly fly a helicopter! I don't know how to and also.. It won't be so easy. There might be more people like.. Them," Eunhye argued, her voice tinged with fear.

"All the more reason to leave this place," Sae Joon Hyun countered, his tone resolute.

"Ugh! You can't operate one, can you?" Eunhye questioned, her frustration mounting.

"I can," Sae Joon Hyun responded confidently.

"What? A helicopter? How?" Eunhye's disbelief was palpable.

"No details. We are strangers," Sae Joon Hyun replied cryptically.

"But I have the right to know your age at least. How old are you?" Eunhye pressed, her frustration evident.

"One year younger than you," Sae Joon Hyun divulged.

"You are... Nineteen? No. No, no, no! You can't possibly fly us out," Eunhye exclaimed, her shock evident in her voice.

"You were nineteen once yourself," Sae Joon Hyun pointed out.

"Ugh! Where do we go from here?" Eunhye questioned, her voice fraught with uncertainty.

"The helicopter is past the third section. We will have to go very carefully because section two is quite exposed," Sae Joon Hyun explained, his voice steady despite the gravity of the situation.

"Hm?" Eunhye responded, her heart pounding in her chest at the thought of what lay ahead.

"It is an open area. If there are those things around, we won't be able to hide," Sae Joon Hyun cautioned, his tone somber.

Eunhye could hear her own loud and quick heartbeats, the fear coursing through her veins as she contemplated the dangers that lay ahead. The memory of the gruesome scene she had witnessed earlier flashed before her eyes, sending shivers down her spine. Yet, despite her apprehension, it seemed like escaping via the helicopter was their only option.

"We'll be fine as long as we are careful," Sae Joon Hyun assured Eunhye, his voice calm yet determined. With cautious movements, they both stood up, their eyes scanning the empty expanse of the airport. Eunhye followed closely behind Sae Joon Hyun, her senses on high alert. They moved in silence, stopping intermittently to listen for any signs of danger.

"Did you...hear that?" Eunhye's voice trembled as she tugged on Sae Joon Hyun's sleeve, her eyes wide with apprehension.

"What?" Sae Joon Hyun's focus shifted around them, his senses tuned in for any potential threat. Soon enough, a faint sound reached his ears, the noise of something being dragged against a surface.

"Someone is.. ?" Eunhye's voice wavered, her fear palpable as she pressed herself closer to Sae Joon Hyun, seeking reassurance.

"I don't know. Maybe it's a human," Sae Joon Hyun speculated, his voice steady as he tried to rationalize the situation. Eunhye nodded, though her assurance was fleeting amidst the overwhelming sense of dread that hung in the air.

With a gesture from Sae Joon Hyun, they resumed their cautious advance, moving towards the source of the sound. Each step felt heavier than the last, Eunhye's heart pounding in her chest with every beat. The closer they got, the more her trembling intensified, her breaths coming in short, ragged gasps.

"It's outside the second section," Sae Joon Hyun confirmed, his voice low as they approached their destination. Eunhye followed closely behind him, her senses on high alert, her mind racing with the possibilities of what they might encounter.

The air in the empty airport hung heavy with tension, the silence broken only by the echo of their footsteps as they cautiously approached the source of the voice. Eunhye's grip on Sae Joon Hyun's sleeve tightened, her nerves on edge as they responded to the shaky voice that reverberated through the desolate space.

"Who... Who is there?" The voice quivered, its uncertainty palpable in the stillness of the surroundings. Eunhye released her hold on Sae Joon Hyun's sleeve and spoke up, her voice steady yet tinged with relief. "Humans! We are humans!"

A moment of silence followed before the person revealed themselves, stepping into view with cautious movements. He was a strikingly handsome young man, perhaps in his early twenties, dressed in a white shirt stained with blood, black pants, and white sneakers. Beside him stood a woman, appearing to be in her early thirties, wearing a yellow frock that was also marred with blood, clutching a bloody handbag tightly.

"I am so glad...to see you two..." The woman's voice faltered as she sank to her knees, exhaustion evident in her trembling form. Eunhye's gaze flickered to the woman's bloodied handbag, her steps faltering momentarily before she composed herself.

The young man spoke up, introducing himself as Jaeyeon, a detective, and the woman as Kim Yuri, a teacher. They had been en route to Korea when they encountered a group of strange individuals, forced to defend themselves against the horrifying creatures that had attacked them.

Eunhye nodded in understanding, her eyes lingering on Jaeyeon's blood-stained shirt, a silent testament to the horrors they had faced. Turning to Sae Joon Hyun, she watched as he introduced himself as a reporter, his casual demeanor contrasting with the gravity of their situation. A flicker of annoyance crossed her features at his nonchalant attitude, but she pushed it aside, focusing on the relief that they were all safe.

"Do you want me to say, nice to meet you? This isn't that kind of a situation though," Sae Joon Hyun remarked with a shrug, earning a sigh from Eunhye. "I am glad you both are safe," she said softly, offering a small smile to Jaeyeon and Kim Yuri, who returned it with gratitude.

Together, they followed Jaeyeon and Kim Yuri to the room where they had taken shelter, the atmosphere heavy with the weight of their shared experiences. The room was dimly lit, with flickering overhead lights casting long shadows across the floor. The air was stale, tinged with the metallic scent of blood and the musty odor of abandonment. As they settled in, each person's thoughts turned to the uncertain future that lay ahead, and the daunting task of surviving in a world overrun by the unknown.

Eunhye sat quietly on the cold floor, her back pressed against the unforgiving metal wall of the airport room. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions, a mixture of disbelief and fear that left her trembling. Across from her, Sae Joon Hyun sat on one of the metallic beds, his gaze distant, lost in his own thoughts. Jaeyeon, ever the practical one, was busy cleaning his pole, meticulously wiping away the blood and grime. In the corner, Yuri crouched quietly, her face pale, eyes fixed on the ground.

Eunhye’s thoughts raced, trying to make sense of the nightmare they found themselves in. Everything had been going so well. She had debuted in a girl group under a good company, and her parents, who had once been skeptical of her dreams, were now her biggest fans, proudly telling everyone, “My daughter’s on television.”

And then there was the offer—a chance to be a part of a dance show in America. It had been a dream come true. The cheers of the audience, the love and support she received—it had been everything she’d ever wanted. So why? Why were things like this now?

She glanced around the room, her heart heavy. Why am I here, trapped in an airport with three strangers, fighting to survive something that feels like it’s straight out of a horror movie? She couldn’t help but wonder what she had done to deserve this. If only she had asked her manager and bandmates to come with her. But no. That would have dragged them into this nightmare too. I want to go home, she thought desperately. Back to Korea, to my bandmates.

She could picture it so clearly—telling them all about her amazing experience in America, how she had mentored so many talented young dancers, showing off the gifts she had received, the pictures she had taken. She wanted to brag, to tease them, to laugh and joke together like they always did. She wanted to see her parents again, to tell them how far she had come, even if it meant enduring her father’s lectures about her ‘unstable career.’ She missed them all so much—her mother, her father, her sister.

And then there was her manager. Always so strict, always scolding her for not mingling enough or for pushing herself too hard. But she knew he cared deeply, always worrying about her and the others. I want to do all of this, she thought, her resolve hardening. That’s why I must survive this. I don’t know what’s happening, but I have to survive. And I have to help them survive too. We will leave this place... together.

With renewed determination, Eunhye looked up, her eyes filled with a quiet strength. She didn’t know what the future held, but she knew one thing: she wasn’t going to give up. Not now, not ever.