Chapter 8

"WAKE UP."

I jolted my eyes open, looking from side to side to see where I am.

Seems like I'm in the void again, with the same figure I always remember.

"...What happened?"

"A BIG BITCH GOT YOU, HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE? RISKING YOUR LIFE FOR A DAMN HUMAN WHO'S JUST GONNA DIE ANYWAYS."

"Your... unnecessary remarks can't stop me. Either complain and deal with it, or shut up and stand the fuck down."

"YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR ME, I'M THE ONE KEEPING YOU ALIVE ALL THIS TIME. YOU COULD'VE DIED WITH YOUR MONSTER ENCOUNTERS IF IT WEREN'T FOR ME WARNING YOU."

"So? Should I be returning a favor that I didn't ask you?"

"What's your intention, anyway?"

"..."

"If my desire is the one that created you, then I am the one who brought you here."

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? YOU? CREATED ME? YOU MUST BE CRAZY."

I forcefully grabbed its hand, pulling her closer to the point that our eyes are one inch away.

"Either you, are going to help me survive. Or, I kill myself, and both of us will die."

The vehicle flipped due to an unidentified monster, Yunji woke up, inside the upside-down car.

Her eyes redirected to the one in the driver's seat,

Her hand searched for her bag, she felt in on the palm of her hands and pulled it with every ounce of her strength,

The five bottles she put on there only had three broken ones, but two were somewhat fine.

She grabbed the bottles and her gun and crawled from the broken window.

Yunji limped towards where Sangwook, who was unconscious, is.

She grabbed the broken glass window from the ground and endured the pain as she cut the seatbelt.

After that, she carried the man outside the broken vehicle. And she saw a gigantic monster, in front of her she saw Mr. Han and Hyunsu,

The monster was about to strike, but flames engulfed its legs, and gunshots were aimed at the back of its head.

Gilseop and Hyunsu looked at the girl, struggling to even get up but she still manages to.

The muscle monster had an eerie smile that looked at her, as it walked to Yunji.

But all she could do was smirk.

"Welcome back,"

It looked to the side, seeing there was a firetruck headed at it. The vehicle collided with the monster and was trapped in a broad wall.

But, it hasn't been minutes, the monster already recovered and started shaking the truck and trying to reach the person inside.

Yunji kneeled, feeling the pain all over her body. But she felt a tug on her shoulder,

Sangwook was beside her, grabbing her in time before she collapsed.

She noticed the destroyed van malfunctioning, signing it'll explode.

He didn't have a choice but to carry her inside the nearest concrete pipe, as the van exploded.

He covered her figure from the flames, as they heard deep groans of pain from the muscle monster,

Yikyung was inside the firetruck, using it to push the monster as it resisted.

The monster tried to grab her inside, but she evaded it and continued to push. Until flames emerged from the beast's foot and distracted it due to the pain.

Yikyung saw two figures, Sangwook threw the Molotov cocktail for Yunji, who had her arm on the guy's shoulder.

The monster had an idea and grabbed the bottom of the vehicle to flip it upside down, as gunshots appeared on its forehead and got on its eye.

"Where the hell did she get a gun from?" Sangwook pondered, seeing Yunji shoot it from a distance with good aim.

And with that, Yikyung had the advantage and swiftly pushed the monster off toward the construction site, as it screamed in pain.

She maneuvered the vehicle away from the edge and aimed for the burning shipping container, she advanced toward it and let it fall off.

━° ⌜ 미지의 악마 ⌟ °━

Yunji woke up in a comfortable bed, seeing she was only in her tank top. Her jacket was hanging,

Examining the room, she saw Sangwook bandaging his own hand, he glanced at her and then looked away.

"...Are━"

Sangwook tried speaking but was overwhelmed with embarrassment.

"...thank you," Yunji spoke,

"for saving my life."

"Now, that's how it feels like to save someone..." She smiled, as the guy recalled what she said to her to convince him to join.

The guy didn't respond and left the room.

━° ⌜ 미지의 악마 ⌟ °━

Sangwook found himself inside the convenience store, where he found Jaeheon, drinking by himself again.

"You're back," Jaeheon greeted.

"Is this your daily routine?" He sarcastically asked,

"There's nothing to steal here, but you're so diligent."

Jaeheon filled his shot glass with soju,

"A rat's been sneaking in and out."

Jaeheon laughed at the joke, the rat being referred to as him. He drank the soju from the shot glass and refilled it once more,

Sangwook stepped toward him, grabbing his arm to stop him from drinking any further.

"What are you doing?"

Sangwook gently brought his arm down for him to let go of the glass,

"What did you grab at your first birthday ceremony?" Jaeheon suddenly asked, being a little tipsy.

"What?"

"You know, you put out things like a pencil, money, thread in front of the baby. If they pick up a pencil, they'll be smart. If they pick up money, they'll be rich. If they grab thread, they'll live a long life. You know the custom,"

Sangwook sat with him on a chair,

"I don't remember," He answered,

"Come on, of course, you don't remember. Either your parents tell you or you see it from pictures."

"If you don't explain your problem, who can help you?

Every problem has its own solution. But if you don't talk, no one can help you."

He recalled the words of the girl, as he finally found the courage to.

"Mine were all burned,"

The smile from Jaeheon dropped, as he listened to his friend.

"I have nothing left,"

"..I learned that, God won't let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But I think God overestimates humans."

He slid his shot glass toward Sangwook, glanced at it, and drank the alcohol.

━° ⌜ 미지의 악마 ⌟ °━

Yunji brought out her phone, and went to her photos to pull out her mother's image,

Oh, how she missed her... so, so much.

She was disappointed in herself, for not being a great daughter or a sister.

But, regardless, she loved them so dearly.

As Yunji remembered the lullaby she used to sing to them when the stars appear, and the moon shined bright at them.

Their mother always reminds them, that whenever the moon glows or not, as long as it is there, it's a sign that she's with them. That she loves them, so much.

And then, she sings this lullaby.

"In a world of stars and dreams so wide,A lullaby of love we'll softly confide,With a melody that wraps you in its embrace,Let me sing you a tale of a tender embrace...

~Hush now, my dear, close your eyes,Rest your head under moonlit skies,You're safe in my arms, love's guiding light,I'll hold you close, through day and night.

In this enchanted land where dreams take flight,Our hearts intertwined, in the softest twilight,But as the stars weep, a tale unfolds,A love so deep, a story to be told~

Yet fate, in its wisdom, dealt us a blow,A storm came raging, dark clouds in tow,Through tearful whispers, we said goodbye,But our love will linger, as stars in the sky.

Now the moon weeps, with a silver tear,As your memory lingers, oh so near,In this lullaby, I'll keep you tight,And watch over you, through day and night...

...Hush now, my dear, close your eyes,Rest your head under moonlit skies,You're safe in my arms, love's guiding light,I'll hold you close, through day and night.

Sleep now, my love, in heaven's embrace,Till we meet again in a better place,This lullaby, a bittersweet song,For love everlasting, forever strong..."

Yunji sang her mother's song, realizing the deepest meaning of it.

"You have a really angelic voice,"

She was startled by his voice, laughing it off as she looked behind her to see Eunhyuk standing there.

"Sorry... I just wanted to recall my mother's memory."

"It's alright, can you perhaps tell me more?"

He asked, surprising Yunji, but she agreed to it anyways.

Eunhyuk took a seat beside her and listened with all ears.

"After my mom sings that lullaby, I always asked myself what was the meaning of it... and why was her voice always so sad. So, I did, and her answer was... really tragic but it's true."

"She said,

'It tells a heartwarming and tragic tale of love, loss, and eternal remembrance. It begins with a soothing melody, emphasizing the love and protection a caregiver offers to a child or loved one. The imagery of a world filled with stars and dreams creates a magical and comforting atmosphere.

As the lullaby progresses, it hints at a deeper love story between two individuals who share a profound connection. They are united by a love that feels infinite and transcends the boundaries of time and space.

However, as the song reaches the bridge, tragedy strikes, and fate takes a cruel turn. A storm symbolizes the hardships that the couple faces and tearful goodbyes are exchanged. Despite their separation, the love they shared remains immortal, like stars that continue to shine in the sky even after they're gone.

The lullaby's chorus serves as a reminder of the enduring love and protection offered by the caregiver. It reinforces the idea that love can transcend even the most tragic circumstances.

In the end, the lullaby becomes a poignant tribute to a lost love, expressing the grief of the one left behind. The caregiver promises to keep the memory of the departed loved one alive, watching over them in their heart forever."

"It's really beautiful, I'm touched by it," Eunhyuk smiled at her, and she did the same.

"You should smile more, it suits you."

It made him smile an even bigger one, as they both enjoyed each other's silence, after hearing such a lovely story.

━° ⌜ 미지의 악마 ⌟ °━

Hyunsu woke up and found Yikyung standing in front of her, he saw the woman take out her pocket knife and grabbed his hand, and sliced it.

He immediately snatched it out of her grasp after her sudden attack

"What are you doing?" Hyunsu exclaimed, she ignored it and took his injured hand.

The skin easily sealed off the blood,

"What was the first symptom? A nosebleed? Passing out?" She asked continuos questions which made the boy anxious,

"When was it exactly?"

"..What?"

"Try to remember. You must remember because it's the day you became a monster, I heard it speaks to you. Did it speak to you?"

It took a while for Hyunsu to answer as he looked away from her, but he confirmed it was true.

"Have you ever completely escaped from it?"

Hyunsu glanced at Yikyung, whose eyes swelled with tears.

"You have, right? How?"

"Tell me!"

She screamed, grabbing his collar tightly.

"I just wanted to live," Hyunsu answered,

Yikyung lets him go, realizing what she's doing to the poor kid. She backed away and crouched down, curving into a ball.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"There were more people who tried to resist monsterization, the government carried out experiments on them to find a way to stop this disaster..."

"━Were the experiments... successful?"

Yikyung looked up to him, tears fell from her eyes.

"You should be asking me what happened to the people who were used in the experiment," She sighed,

"I ran into soldiers, they caught me, to be exact."

"I told them about you, I..."

Her mouth trembled, her brows slanted, and her eyes shook.

"...wanted to live, too."

━° ⌜ 미지의 악마 ⌟ °━

"...Seonyeong?"

Yunji woke up from resting, seeing the lady beside her with a smile.

"What are you doing here...?"

"Is it bad to visit you?" She joked, and the two chuckled.

"It is a crime and felony," She sarcastically spoke,

She noticed the residents piling up from afar, and even Eunhyuk was there.

"Yunji,"

Seonyeong called her name, with a tone of sadness.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you, for being there for me, for letting me cry on your shoulders, and for smoking with me whenever I needed it, you always knew how to comfort me."

"Seonyeong... is there... something, wrong?" Yunji was concerned, as she suddenly thanked her for all of the simple things she's done,

"Thank you, you made me feel like I had a daughter that takes care of me."

Seonyeong smiled, and tears followed as they trickled down her cheek.

"I'm... infected."

Yunji felt her whole heart drop,

After Seonyeong, whom she felt like her mother.

Was getting taken away from her life, again.

"B-But... how━"

"Shh, it's okay, dear, I don't want to put all of you in danger. But, I'll be quarantined inside the gaming room."

"I don't care if you're quarantined... how could this...be?"

Seonyeong heard her voice tremble,

Yunji could hardly accept the fact that she was infected,

The old lady hugged her instead, like how she would comfort her, she would let her cry on her shoulder.

So, she figured, she should do the same too.

Yunji silently cried her eyes out on her shoulder, as Seonyeong massaged her back.

"It's alright, let it all out..."

Seonyeong repeated the exact same words Yunji told her the day she was devastated by her husband's monsterization.

And after a while, Seonyeong asked Yunji to face her.

Her eyes were red and puffy, and tears got on her bandages. So, Seonyeong wiped her tears away and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Your hair is beautiful, honey."

She then caressed her hands, as she sniffed.

"You need to make sure... to take care of yourself, be strong and survive,"

Yunji slowly nodded,

"Let's meet again, okay?"

and Seonyeong left the security office, with a smile on her face.

Yunji brought both her hands up to her eyes, trying to force herself not to cry.

"This whole world... is fucked up."

━° ⌜ 미지의 악마 ⌟ °━

Yunji was still resting inside the security office, alone, and in silence.

Seeing nobody in there, she noticed a cutter on the table.

Yunji grabbed it and sat on a chair, removing her hand from the jacket sleeve and twisted her wrist, showing the countless cuts that left markings on it.

She pushed the cutter open and pushed it deeper, and attempted to drag it on her skin. But a hand pulled her to stop.

A familiar guy with glasses on,

"Stop that," Eunhyuk spoke, and Yunji followed; she closed the cutter. He took it from her hand, stuffing it inside his pocket.

"Why are you cutting yourself?" He asked.

"I..."

"...feel like shit," Yunji answered,

"Why?"

"I... don't know. I just, do."

"I don't even know either, why am I surviving this mess if there isn't any chance of survival anyways?"

The man listened with all ears,

"I was completely useless, not only we wasted Mr. Han's time building the van only for it to blow up, but we couldn't even make it to a convenience store and bring medicine before you could finish Jisu's surgery."

"I was a complete burden, I wasted these valuable bandages on myself. I can't believe I'm this selfish...I'm━"

"Don't say such things to yourself,"

"Those surgical tools and medical books you brought saved Jisu's life, it didn't matter if you three got here with food in your hands or medicine. As long as you three were alive, it was all that matters."

"Liar,"

"You're just saying that just so I could feel better, but food and medicine are more valuable than me."

"Without you, Yikyung would've been dead. If you hadn't damaged the muscle monster, then, Gilseop and the others wouldn't be in the daycare, telling his stories to the others like a kid." Eunhyuk reasoned, making the girl laugh.

"How are you feeling? Physically?"

"I'm... good."

"Tell me whenever you feel like shit, I'll always be here for you." Eunhyuk comforted the girl,

earning a small smile from her.

"Let's take a walk, shall we?" Yunji offered,

The duo walked together in silence, traveling to the large space on the first floor.

The barricaded entrance, where they first encountered the terrifying experience of the slithering monster.

The entrance to the interior staircase, where Yunji attempted to go on her own to get to her room, and there they met Sangwook and Eunyu.

The convenience store, where problems existed when Seokhyeon was still around.

The main hall, where they would practice their traps.

This place had memories, those memories were bad, yet good.

"Do you smoke?" Yunji asked, pulling out the cigarette pack from her pocket.

"How could you smoke in such a state like that? And, No, I don't."

"For stress relieving."

She put a cigarette in her mouth and took out her lighter, but Eunhyuk took it out of her mouth and broke it into two in front of her eyes.

"How could you do that...?" Yunji sarcastically spoke,

"Stop smoking, it's bad for you."

"I already know that,"

They both laughed it off and continued walking until they come across something... romantic?

Eunhyuk and Yunji glanced at each other, and then at the two kids.

Eunyu and Hyunsu, both their thumbs colliding as they made some sort of promise.

"Congratulations, it's your first love," Eunhyuk spoke, startling the girl.

"Better invite me to your wedding, I'll be the maid of honor." Yunji joked,

"Oh my god, you're infuriating, hey━ Hyunsu! Look, do it like this! I taught you this just now, why don't you get it?"

She showed her middle finger at the both of us as she stood up from embarrassment.

The three smiled at her acting,

"Jeez, what are you two staring at? You're so annoying."

Eunyu walked away, leaving the three behind.

"Looks like someone is growing up, really quickly." Yunji was the first one to speak,

"You should clean yourself up, it's been a while since you last cared for your hygiene."

"I d-don't need it,"

"It's alright, you can wash yourself up. You deserve it." Eunhyuk told him, as he looked at the man and then at the girl, who nodded.

"You heard the man,"

"...Thank you,"

━° ⌜ 미지의 악마 ⌟ °━

Yunji quickly locked the door of a stall after running there. Her entire body was hurting and she noted that her nose was bleeding.

She made every effort to be silent as the blood trickled. For her, this wasn't an ordinary nosebleed.

It had the sensation of a volcano exploding and streaming lava that was scorching hot.

Yunji heard their alarm trap sound, but she was unable to stop her nose from bleeding. Her body continued to hurt.

However, she couldn't let anyone die.

She shouldn't care if they found out she's infected,

She just needed them to be safe.

Fortunately, Yunji was only in her tank top.

She then walked to the main hall where the alarm had been set off after wiping the blood from her nose with her arm and grabbing her axe from the management office.

There, she saw Jaeheon fighting the creature while Jinok fled.

It was the security guard, monsterized security guard.

Jaeheon used his sword to bring the grasscutter the monster held, up.

Yunji took the opportunity to use her axe to strike him in the waist while he was preoccupied and pushed him away

"Jaeheon, call the others! I'll handle this one."

"No, you're the injured one, I'm not letting you die."

The security guy swiftly rose to his feet and turned to face the female in front of him. As he lifted his hand to extend it. She avoided his weapon swing by using her axe to block it.

Jaeheon attempted to chop off the body's head with his sword but to no effect. He wondered why the neck of the corpse was so difficult to cut.

"Jaeheon, move!" Yunji yelled as he did exactly that.

Once more, the guard raised the grasscutter, but this time he pretended to strike her from the side before directing it toward her face.

Her eyes widened, as she didn't have enough time to dodge it.

"━Yunji! Oh my god!"

"━Yunji!"

"━Fuck!!!"

She cried out in anguish as the axe fell from her grasp after the blade sliced through her flesh and left an enormous cut on her jaw and collarbone.

"Yunji!" Jaeheon yelled, wanting her to escape.

The people gasped as blood splattered on the ground, Yunji's blood.

She, however, chose to disregard the pain and grasp the grasscutter's handle while it was still on the ground.

"Jaeheon━ the engine!" Yunji yelled

He knew what she was trying to say, so he attacked the open grasscutter engine from behind.

The creature roared when the grasscutter ceased to operate. Its might allowed it to inflict a wound on her leg.

Jaeheon attempted to cut off his head with his blade again, but it split into two as Yunji bit her lip in agony.

Yunji uses the handle to propel the monster in the direction of the elevator. As she hit the trigger, the blade was almost cutting her leg.

"━Yunji, what are you doing?!"

"━Yunji, stop!!!"

"━Come back!"

Without any weapons, Yunji could only use her physical strikes to battle the monster inside the open lift.

She sustained injuries to her hands, neck, face, and shoulders from the grasscutter's blade. But she was able to put up a fierce fight.

She looked at the residents and at one specific person.

Eunhyuk.

Who stood there, frozen, and couldn't process what was happening.

She looked at Seungwan, who was holding a burning Molotov cocktail,

"Throw it!"

The grasscutter went on her waist, cutting the cloth and making it bleed.

Yunji brought him into a chokehold with one hand, and the other was on the weapon.

"Eunhyuk! "

The girl called his name, making him snap back to reality.

"Shit! I'm about to pass out!"

The monster tried pushing the weapon in his hand onto her neck, tilting its head as the flies on its face flew every where.

"No! I can't die... I can't die without killing the monster!"

"Please, whatever you are, I need you!"

"Please!"

"YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT ME, CAN YOU?"

Yunji's eyes turned scarlet red, and cracks appeared on her eyes. She pulled the weapon away, stopping the elevator from closing as the residents watched the bizarre scene.

She punched the monster, again and again, and again, without any remorse.

Yunji pinned it to the wall and continued punching its head, blood going everywhere.

"THROW IT!"

Yunji yelled at the people,

She heard a bottle crack and fire spread inside the elevator.

Her leg got caught in it, but, the monster's corpse was mostly burning.

Yunji sought this opportunity to leave the elevator, taking the grasscutter that was blocking the door with her.

It was awfully silent,

The people looked at her with shocked eyes, especially the three. Yikyung, Eunhyuk, and Eunyu.

She took the time to take a breath, not facing the others until Yikyung's name called her.

"Yunji..."

'Yunji' was startled, she stayed silent while watching the elevator door go up.

"Yunji, look at us," Yikyung demanded,

The girl turned around and faced the residents, who had broadened eyes and a shocked expression.

She wasn't Yunji,

It is something else.