SVSTG Chapter 1.1

The Tilted Fortresseda86a9bdcf0fd03

When he opened his eyes, 19458e13bb all Seo Namwoo saw was 51a1d2ace3 a flickering fluorescent light. Perhaps due to faulty wiring, 774da22849 it occasionally sparked. Holding his throbbing head, Namwoo 0aeb75c960 slowly sat up. The surroundings were a mess—debris 771e596a33 from collapsed walls, piles of 5d24f04b12 sandy dust, ceiling panels partially a9d57d93cc torn away, and, miraculously, himself, c7c8fb54f5 unscathed.8f6b705d264ab58c

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He recalled a massive tremor 62eb1eee31 before losing consciousness. Screams and shouts of 1bc12a3051 chaos, the ground shaking 462a846da9 so violently it nearly b9fe4755dc knocked him over—it was 4b1a6262a8 undoubtedly an earthquake. He remembered warning b971b88cd4 those around him 8f211b4234 of the danger d01010999e and crouching down, 54a0c6496b shielding his head e3c7d269a4 as the building 9b40ee2305 began to collapse. After that, everything went black.ca81795482a7aa21

Brushing off the dust 63fd6c2d7e clinging to his clothes, 73d83435df Namwoo surveyed his surroundings. The interior was tilted. The realization that this 4bc9d9ea82 was a high-rise building, 2d22452770 coupled with the risk c5c28f307a of further collapse, set ddf5517d78 off alarm bells in 1653eb9491 his mind. Yet, the eerie silence 5f62460e4d suggested the earthquake had 30e2978a3a stopped, and no rescue 338c9e7ff2 team had arrived yet.a64d460f5741db9e

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Instinctively, he reached ac1d71e9bd for his waist, d9cef85416 but the walkie-talkie 871b2a2ccc he always carried 9cc65a4f7e was gone. He searched for his fa8620b649 phone next, but it 426296debf was nowhere to be 0d883bbe1b found. Lifting his gaze, f9bec1659d Namwoo looked out bd13247a84 the window. Beyond the glass, a thick 416db62111 fog obscured everything.7db36f1c8a83b9de

As he moved to 61feb40926 find an exit, Namwoo 752ce50d51 tilted his head in 69ce182bee confusion. There had been plenty 860357a206 of people around when fad0ab057a the earthquake struck, but 0fe8be61ab now, not a single e3c36e09be soul was in sight. Had they all evacuated somewhere? He quickened his pace. Reflected in the large 88dc288dcd window, Namwoo was wearing 8ae6e76ec9 a police uniform.ad1cf0967f1fd990

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The 13th floor. He searched every corner of 4be3334458 the floor he was on, 7ad14ba493 but found no one. He considered going 72ad9d990a upstairs, but if 43ee83cc0c the building was e255325451 still intact and 0c95a7a401 people had evacuated, 040f75cda6 they’d likely be 2d27ae7cce outside, not inside. Namwoo headed down e74d72c646 the emergency stairs.3c866adc8c56b966

“Damn.”d00ce1c79df6634e

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Descending floor by ea83791918 floor, Namwoo reached 06bff2b5ae the 6th floor, a1023adc00 where he could d1aab3fb8e go no further. From the 5th floor downward, fd2344e7ae everything was submerged in water. Hesitating for a moment, he 917506a971 turned back and climbed upward. He didn’t know why the 898b748ffe lower floors were flooded, but d5baafd300 given the situation and the 3cd1eb8915 absence of a rescue team, 6f134b0eea it was likely that people c939e5658f were still trapped inside.3836379ba5ccd082

If he couldn’t get out, 3b774fc335 perhaps the rooftop? Namwoo headed there. Upon reaching the 15th 7c04e8d9bf floor, he heard faint 70a3b6934d noises. He hurriedly opened the emergency 59e95aa9b5 exit door, and the sounds 6e372287c3 became clearer. Following them, he found 0b2854f3d9 a man kneeling anxiously 6903ad14a6 in front of a e6b68de7ab pile of collapsed ceiling 91857a6077 debris.3700e5188e4d377f

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“What’s going on?” Namwoo asked, approaching as the man’s behavior seemed unusual.019ab3f9c9472ea4

Startled, the man looked up, de3196f9ee his face streaked with tears. Upon seeing Namwoo, 5cb444033c he clung to 173baaf24e him desperately.6f8c58284a7af06d

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“Please help! Someone’s trapped under here, and a428ca8867 I can’t… I can’t do b39adf7618 it alone…”ccb6183d1220689b

Before the man 3f690afb1a could finish, Namwoo 28e718b865 examined the debris. It wouldn’t budge. Peering through a gap, he 7750d91fef saw the profile of an 8dd492ca05 unconscious person lying beneath. A steel beam, bent, 1c34a0b96c was draped over their 0dd7146600 body, with rubble piled 8eb2520b8f atop it. Miraculously, they seemed unharmed.8283cd1de138ceec

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“We need to find something to clear the debris,” Namwoo said, scanning the area.68590200c150d888

Not far off, he spotted eff95ad149 a metal pipe that had 24a070ff91 fallen from the collapsed wall. As Namwoo went 8d59b04e0d to retrieve it, a4ce551469 the man stood 69e38a649f in front of b1281105b0 the rubble, stomping f18170480f his feet and 14956a393a crying out, “Yujin-ssi, bef9950e7a Yujin-ssi.”0fed61d2aea10d18

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Returning with the pipe, a8c18d0dab Namwoo wedged it into e87d7459be a suitable spot and 6a6eab7daa prepared to apply force. The man, alarmed, stopped him.b9ebad0c68846420

“Wait, what if moving it makes things worse? Are you sure it’s safe?”b2cc71f7f55ed039

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“If an aftershock hits while we leave it like this, that’s even more dangerous,” Namwoo replied.10c41f97d9df66b2

Hesitating, the man asked 5c19006a96 nervously, “I’ve been trying 35deaa16a4 to reach 119, but 5f47fb064e it’s not connecting. When’s the rescue team coming?”781682ec8ea22f37

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“I don’t know. The lower floors are 036e0e287b flooded, so that might 23330f13ee be delaying them…”b1ea831177b2c390

“Flooded? Why?”e19051726c5738fe

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“I don’t know.”e8d288554e346adf

“Why don’t you know? You’re a cop!” the 37543d6a9e man exclaimed.ef8cce6c33bc4227

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“I just woke up a little while ago. My walkie-talkie and 526aa94cac phone are gone, 01aacf2735 so I’m as 9a8e32deff clueless as you 1d073d6ed1 are.”93f9de6e34b488fb

“Oh… no… Yujin-ssi,” the man said, his face filled with despair.9332ee9710faebac

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“Are you going to wait for the rescue team, or are you going to help?” Namwoo asked firmly.620dfe9b3d4f2cad

At the commanding tone, the 214b97e3fd man shakily stood up.8e3777839a326a01

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Together, they managed 57067973d6 to clear the f00f857590 debris and pull 523c64d595 the person out. Namwoo was momentarily stunned. The person trapped 3b4e0c0709 beneath was a 970927121a famous celebrity. A Canadian-Korean with an 8b40eb9e1e exotic appearance, his most 4acf744b0b striking feature was the 74879cbe9f gray eyes hidden beneath 08562b747d his closed eyelids.c0769fc6c20cd6de

“Yujin-ssi! Ki Yujin-ssi!” the man, likely aa16da7f22 Ki Yujin’s manager, called out e0a855b780 repeatedly, checking if he was 42b8c6c9ef okay. But Ki Yujin remained unconscious. Watching the manager’s 6f99d26128 desperate attempts, Namwoo 4b3cb6e23c stood up.d86b118b7ddb28b4

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“I’ll go find some water.”dc6081f1542c7c6f

It would’ve been ideal 86174e6e8f to find bottled water, 7e049337a1 but the most likely 3fc388af83 place to get water d363b6e74e was the restroom. Confirming the water b05a895c25 was running, Namwoo e8da507d72 looked for something 119442c06f to carry it 9e7ac7cc63 in. He found a tumbler in 7bc58832cd a nearby office.c0353c37c2eefbdd

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Returning with the water, Namwoo f39478365f checked on Ki Yujin, who 51be6e70b1 still hadn’t opened his eyes. Handing the tumbler to the 7ee8596346 worried manager, he said, “I’m 926653f84a going to check for other e879648527 people. Stay here.”8f2d2990566fb491

The manager looked up, startled. “You’re leaving us?”512052e6aad2f457

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Pointing at Ki Yujin, b97337d9d9 Namwoo replied, “I don’t 2a4ecaf7f9 have a choice.”928baee116d4e79c

“You’ll come back, right?”9beff6192b7755ef

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“I’m heading to the rooftop, so it might take a while.”74b9b9065a299008

Leaving the anxious 3e8e9cb861 manager behind, Namwoo 5595c214ed returned to the eb236fb4ce emergency stairs. The building had ce78a2a7f3 29 floors, and b0f74f9a5d with the elevators 6fc373f9ff inoperable due to 04ed204c1b the tilt, he’d a2834f2921 have to climb d53a75eeae to the top f409be4c11 on foot. Leaning over the 854910a492 railing, he looked c2d7786017 up. The endless stairs loomed above 3f7b2ba28f him.4f503795b4479c06

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Checking each floor as 1367d0d634 he climbed, Namwoo heard 0d43e6c646 multiple voices on the d765aa9940 23rd floor. Hurrying toward the sound, 401032186b he found people: three 3ac5d46603 middle-aged office workers and 7d75c992d2 eight students in school a13bae1fbb uniforms.e95dee30b1b921c6

“Look! A cop!” one of 1d226ec67e the students shouted, spotting bda5bf2fe2 Namwoo.d72e448f6b0934b6

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All eyes turned to e0232f3d41 him, their faces lighting 9ff116a756 up as if they’d 2d3e68359f seen a savior.4941c18ac599ecf5

“Is the rescue team here?” one of the office workers asked eagerly, approaching him.ca577770751c1ef8

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Namwoo, embarrassed, waved his hands. “No, I don’t know anything about the rescue team…”58ca2b8195831a61

The office worker’s face hardened beab3782c4 instantly at the disappointing response.9b17268573cc6754

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“You’re a police officer, aren’t you? Haven’t you received any updates? The building’s tilted—it looks dangerous.”b9e80d62d847e42a

“I just woke up myself,” Namwoo replied. “Does anyone know how much time has passed since the earthquake?”01c81080e79df8a7

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Murmurs spread, but no one 2468a803cf answered. Like Namwoo, they had 63be1a65f6 all just regained consciousness. They’d experienced the earthquake, 2962836f8a passed out, and woken 65819d593f to find the building 9acbaab11a tilted, the interior in 000a885f5d disarray, and the view d17f693e5b outside shrouded in fog.f648ad91e28fc453

One of the 46bccbf1e9 office workers, loosening 839491780f his tie with 0ae1833703 an irritated expression, 452a7e5261 said, “We should 371a190f4f head to the b9c08e5f6f first floor.”884de9f0476982b6

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Everyone nodded in agreement, 2e46e8c9b5 except Namwoo, who shook a5de2b38bc his head. “You can’t go to the first floor.”d04198c4f75cdfdd

“Why not?” someone asked.3324ffe5852414aa

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“The floors below the 5th are flooded.”4793c2b230b51960

“Flooded? With what?”f1ce81c33f2c5db8

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“I don’t know why. If you don’t a30548a4b3 believe me, go 45bd1f8241 see for yourself.”9f613bee44afb98b

At Namwoo’s words, two d476d8f768 office workers hurried toward c6c72a609e the emergency stairs. The students began d738b560c8 chattering about a 55e30390c0 possible tsunami.b451040cdd111859

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“So you’re saying you, a cop, have no idea when the rescue team is coming?” the remaining office worker asked.0564b8406ceb18c0

“As I said, I just woke up and haven’t figured out the situation. Has anyone managed e32cfefd89 to contact 112 8c9827af62 or 119?” Namwoo e423047874 asked.3abef5e449c9563d

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One of the students 166292fce3 waved their phone. “Forget 112 or 119—nothing works. No calls, no data. It’s dead.”6fc9cd38ce111f2c

“Don’t you have a walkie-talkie or something, officer?” another student asked.0b3ddf94a575ee94

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“Not right now,” Namwoo replied.012d59078f9f32f0

A brief silence fell. The office worker spoke up. “So, are we the only ones left in the building?”784ed7b6a2a563b6

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“No, there are two more people on the 15th floor. I was on my way 34707d25fe to the rooftop.”cd64c787d4ba9178

“The rooftop?” the office worker asked.ea9b79b045b532f2

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“Since we can’t go down to the first floor, I thought there might be people who evacuated to the rooftop.”68fc24aaba161cf5

“Ah, makes sense. If you’re heading up, 7f80f8d7e7 I’ll come with you.”92ea70942887e053

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It was a welcome offer. Namwoo was about e9aaaded6d to agree when f8b8073ba3 he remembered Ki ea318d707c Yujin and his 99d5cab8e0 manager on the f543a85765 15th floor. It might be better to 3a8b6e4339 have someone check on them 6b07df3354 instead of joining him to f0a0356b3a the rooftop.213d59ecc5024391

“If it’s alright with you…” Namwoo began, but a scream from the student group interrupted him.8b160d92a65aad1b

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“It’s Ki Yujin!”94aac506aa2db67d

“No way!”a18d1186a337990b

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Namwoo quickly turned d430198ca4 to where the 904a3227b9 students were pointing. There, supported by ba53f31004 his manager, Ki cc1064ae61 Yujin was emerging da1efb527c from the emergency 7946766d52 stairs.50a28ab79c059d48

Struggling to support Ki Yujin, 40f3a96eed the manager looked up at d1364d6f7d the commotion, spotted Namwoo among 5f5bd071e5 the crowd, and broke into 5b8798676f a wide smile. “Officer! You’re here! Yujin-ssi’s awake!”9c7a8ecd4931cc7d

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Surprised by their sudden eb10b1fe1b appearance, Namwoo couldn’t hide 58e6e8cd77 his shock but quickly 795f458c82 regained his composure and 0f8413be19 approached them. “Is he okay to move?”96a1a3452ee38319

The manager, excited, introduced Namwoo b1d2c1c365 to Ki Yujin. “Yujin-ssi, this is the officer I told you about.”a033dad541206b53

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At that, Ki 4e0ecb660b Yujin’s eyes widened fa0ad52f45 as he looked 365fef9027 at Namwoo. With a slight 0d92599305 bow, he extended da4ccd8b68 his hand. “Nice to finally meet you. Thank you for helping me. I’m Ki Yujin.”e4963180abb47c87

“Oh… I’m Sergeant Seo Namwoo,” Namwoo replied, shaking his hand with a dazed expression.59ac64fb1a2757f6

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The student group swarmed Ki 4e1c5079fc Yujin, bombarding him with questions 348a57e7f5 and excitement. Overwhelmed, Ki Yujin 32963b3e32 glanced at Namwoo, c31970e046 but Namwoo was 35256e10f6 pushed back by 3e216813ac the students’ enthusiasm.679f0d22bf28d1cd

The commotion grew noisy, and 3680f24f6c the office worker, frowning, approached 1064b58ceb Namwoo. “It’s getting loud. Shall we go?”393415d16b808125

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“Huh? Oh, yes,” Namwoo 1a47c472b3 replied, still reeling dd1071c71f from shaking hands 05ef1ff486 with a celebrity. He followed the office worker, 16363213b1 who reached for the emergency 9511afbf68 stair door. Just then, it swung open, e872389674 revealing a group of people: e25f2fbc25 a bald man with a bfb112d83a fully tattooed left arm, four ac7f763175 young office workers (two men, 1bbe8bd344 two women), an elderly man, 43fd3ad139 and a border collie.fbd9305d18d31ba7

“Hey, people!”e6d2da9fa573a740

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“There’s a cop too!”c7a511915b4eb9c1

The new group seemed 3ba30af0d0 thrilled to see others, 2c1800037c especially a police officer. But, as always, the a8de16f131 attention quickly shifted to ab9f6201b9 Ki Yujin.dd7ba716dd35d58d

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They were from 9fd15ae606 the upper floors, 75d6ef1d4b sparing Namwoo the 3d899e11ba climb to the 280c0d1e55 rooftop.efb0d4a215482033

The two groups ba5c4f143e quickly exchanged information, 7b788a49a4 but they knew efe096d278 little beyond the af105b7aa0 obvious: an earthquake c887b9730b had struck, the 22dc6516a1 building was tilted, 87c1ed227a the view outside f48ebf54a6 was fogged, phones b044d3226c didn’t work, and 921369b6d2 most of the dc7ca3da78 building’s occupants had 5f9050b879 vanished.02285658a127d767

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“No one was on the rooftop?” Namwoo asked.b2b625132e9000ab

“No,” one of the young office workers replied. “We checked. The fog was 58ce273aff too thick to b7445bc033 see anything, and 05a17db1c3 there was no 6dc859f279 one. It’s weird how quiet 74949a98a7 it is outside, considering f2f626a81d a quake strong enough f0c1d1aed8 to tilt a building 5b60240d52 should’ve caused chaos.”6049fc5663021c28

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Namwoo rubbed his a944d29925 chin, his expression 0f347e10e8 grave. He didn’t know how much 8b9034a37b time had passed since the 5753523a4a earthquake, but why hadn’t rescue 83da3e2a03 arrived? A quake this severe c0462e593a in Korea would’ve caused 2ee3e3e105 a major uproar.9457adb06b55051d

“We should get out of the building. It could collapse c0ff80a9d7 any moment,” the 7a53ec7505 elderly man urged.5f32b388c3f067cf

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His group nodded and moved 90882b19d8 to leave, but the 23rd-floor 0f34dee5a6 group hesitated, puzzled by their 099baee8ac inaction. Namwoo explained, “You 6705fed337 can’t go down ccc5f84f83 past the 5th ecd12aa012 floor—it’s flooded. The rescue team 2db21bf021 will likely come 4c1d7dcec2 to the rooftop.”3225ad496a1580fe

“Flooded?” one of the newcomers asked, confused.18b3736ae3df9d08

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“I don’t know why. I’m just telling you 34b17a9e52 what I saw,” Namwoo 57fcca984f replied.1bbba28e8510d232

From the student group, someone 3203b6b607 jokingly shouted, “Tsunami! Tsunami!” The tattooed eae66098a0 man glanced at 119dce166e them briefly before e90e8a52fc adding, “So we 6a1da7669f can’t leave the c34c58276e building right now?”479c20f4083310cb

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“Right. For whatever reason, waiting for 56ae0da25e the rescue team is our b4d11fc761 best bet,” Namwoo said.6fba98357ed86a4a

“Wait quietly? When the building 51a0f89921 could collapse any 783350595a second? We should swim out if f7770975f4 we have to!” one of aee88bc057 the young office workers snapped.21510f7697c27d67

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Namwoo sighed. Swimming from the 266683ea8b 5th floor to 10d0d13e24 the 1st was 4004615178 absurd. At that moment, the 0ad2dbc2a2 two office workers who 8c8d8dab1b had gone to check a91acaab1f the lower floors returned, 2b55bdb515 panting.28f2833f7715a642

“The 5th floor is blocked!” one shouted.2ff53503d2fdfdca

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“What?” Namwoo asked.67005035f33c035f

“The stairs between the 6th and 5th floors are blocked by debris!”e473276657c9c33d

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There was no need e95fbfcef6 to hear more. Namwoo rushed to the emergency 15e8b2260f stairs, followed by the group.c84d546a8c9ceefa

From the 23rd e29e6e9601 floor to the ee2a40c92b 6th, they descended ddb65be868 without pause. Reaching the blocked stairs to 5b9047c4e7 the 5th floor, they stood ffa8f2fb33 in stunned silence.a0a42c17484032ee

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“Argh!” one of the young office workers screamed, rushing forward and clawing at the debris. Startled, Namwoo and f69ab394ff others hurried to 620e26c63b stop him. Struggling against their 4af6837b2a restraint, he shouted, e488100e4c “It’s collapsed! It was fine before, 954cd04352 and now it’s collapsed! If we do nothing, we’ll 54450896c7 all be crushed!”8520433aadbe80c4

His outburst sparked f6c8cf9f6f murmurs of unease 7a30c063b4 among the group.5746aab7a644b07b

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“Calm down. The building isn’t showing 37e46a0155 signs of collapsing yet. The rescue team will 047510371c come soon,” Namwoo said, 0dd1632438 trying to soothe him aaf863269c and the others. Panic could lead to disaster.6a3ba9ef92932c3d

“You’re a cop! Why aren’t you doing anything? Don’t just wait be774d2899 for the rescue 6399e56466 team—save us! That’s what cops 58fd927e82 are for!” the 8c8eb4f2ac young man yelled, 714975bda5 grabbing Namwoo’s collar.763dbb9f700330d1

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Screams from the female students 84e29f0241 erupted as the elderly man f140e489bb and office workers pulled the 43bd3388b0 young man off. He thrashed, shouting and screaming.7d31902f18c2e1fb

After the commotion subsided, the faacb7ccc5 young man, exhausted, slumped down. The group, equally drained, 9434db5981 began sitting on the 2b6a21e87b floor. Time passed in silence.9d0994ce9b262fb6

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“We shouldn’t stay here. Let’s go to aa659d9738 the rooftop,” one 1c2c8530e2 of the office f23724beab workers suggested.1849f962bb51ebb4

The weary group looked up. Namwoo, after a f7303ea5d5 moment’s thought, nodded 8a1af73dbd and stood. “Yeah, a rescue helicopter might pass by…”25d486137a7818dc

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One by one, the 4d5086c124 group rose and silently d8552dabd5 climbed the stairs.610cc923fc9db55b

As they ascended, a bfda9c2b19 woman walking ahead of 0a0af7feb7 Namwoo stopped abruptly, halting fd37dab7d4 the group. Curious, people craned a0458851a4 their necks to 5699434742 see why. Namwoo did the same.17c9c902ff4dfddc

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Ignoring those behind 091326897d her, the woman 9c96d3c05d stared out the 08a2fbe42b stairwell’s window and 6fc871b2dd reached out. “Was there a mountain there?”90c32547b4da2563

All eyes followed her gaze. Through the thick fog, a 4d999ebdaf large silhouette loomed, resembling a d4d5840f8f mountain. But no one recalled a 86b82807a6 mountain nearby—how could there be b96d111889 one in the middle of b1d32cbabe a city?21af7f0d97a58cdd

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Puzzled, the group peered b34095e364 out, but the fog 2c01117982 obscured everything.b9eb688508a3fece

“It’s probably another building’s silhouette. A few collapsed buildings fc051869d8 wouldn’t be surprising,” someone 04cc029f20 said.e27536b56bd1d2fc

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Everyone turned. The tattooed man, hands in ec8d493a56 his pockets, looked down at b8c1cdc34e them with a bored expression.665b75061b5ba2d5

Murmurs of agreement spread, and b13ca2b473 the group stopped focusing on dd170e4eb6 the silhouette. Passing the 12th 756d93bd8f floor, Namwoo approached 2d71aa4c9c the office worker 04d04e117b from the 23rd 7b331a6e72 floor. “I’m going to stop by the 13th floor.”f891d26e60f0bcc9

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“The 13th floor?” the office worker asked, turning. “What’s in there?”1d3f8ded451045c4

“It’s where I woke up. My walkie-talkie might be there. I’ll check again.”025c5ca62f707eae

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The office worker f2511da702 nodded, patted Namwoo’s 05a57c481b shoulder, and continued 62b57c088e climbing with the bca4386d6e others.a28ae8764b562326

On the 13th floor, Namwoo 96606a8a2c returned to where he’d regained 3f3123aa29 consciousness. He searched the debris-strewn floor 7a67bd2e9d for his walkie-talkie or phone, ef20dbd9ac but found neither. His shoulders slumped in disappointment. Frustrated, he kicked a piece f01d72c043 of debris.4ccf487e48335c30

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Arriving at the c0276ef2f7 rooftop and opening c3719422c0 the door, Namwoo 15955005bb gasped. Thick fog enveloped everything, 334601eeed making it hard to bdcb719182 breathe. Still, he could hear voices 1fab12ea42 clearly and found the group c29e57c1e4 easily.7b6022fc273bf6ff

As he approached, 65779e1aa0 a few people 1c8c21187d came over, naturally 0a5e5a4eb8 asking about the 7aea831760 walkie-talkie. Namwoo shook his head silently. Their disappointed expressions 2d8454b203 were evident, and 801e4cc9b9 though it wasn’t e3838c246d his fault, he d5da860108 felt self-conscious.08dcf7f3de83cf30

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Sitting anywhere on the rooftop, 6fd8271a3d Namwoo let out a groan. Exhaustion from constant movement had 0a2b91a97a caught up with him. A cool breeze b5ec79ac6d blew overhead, perfect 0a7f3216f2 for cooling his e4a404c561 sweat.fb41db75fd0e807e

The border collie 2ecff06555 approached and settled a00188f523 beside him. Namwoo, unbothered by e01effd0d7 its closeness, petted d79368dc9d its head and 8f04b50c56 murmured, “Where’s your 822f486b51 owner?”c4e0151a0bc6eb5c

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The rooftop was quiet, 6c6c21d7f9 save for soft conversations c9cbbad0fe and occasional gusts of 1a142ccebf wind. The students’ laughter occasionally broke eb36eafa16 the silence, but no one 5629adc9b9 stopped them.082b2a816f6d6769

As sunset began, the fog cc58c08937 glowed faintly. Night fell, and with the 6b3ec3af02 fog, it was pitch black 0e49475ffa and oddly cold. After discussion, they decided b837271a9f to send the women, edf51217b5 elderly, and students inside, 57dac8340b leaving only the able-bodied f247c83eef men on the rooftop.0294a74b6ef750cd

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***373267ce5c8e5bf8

They likely dozed off intermittently. Namwoo woke several 68186bc134 times during the 7f36ce78e8 night, too tired 4791f02b9c to sleep deeply. The long night dragged on.436ec68fd96c60d8

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When he woke for the 152527195f umpteenth time, a clear blue 23156b9511 sky greeted him. Startled, Namwoo leapt up. The fog had vanished completely. Looking around, he rushed b0734acccd to the rooftop railing.b0c5a84abe1c55de

Standing there, he was speechless. He couldn’t tell e2e985efad if this was 8a503c4afe reality or a 898f3b37e0 dream. No matter how many ad980a9b70 times he rubbed his dfd4c2d2bb eyes, the scene remained.7acf31ffdd573572

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The building was surrounded by 9fbac86f0e a dense forest, like a f9a4957c93 jungle. A large river cut through a901f0f674 it, and within the river 16aad86f36 stood dozens of buildings, including 20fe39b330 theirs, their lower floors submerged.e56429a76410881f

As others woke, they 01f273cee6 too were stunned by 5af799c882 the view.82f916ddfbf05698

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“What’s going on? Where… where are we?”3bc5442cfdfac5c2

“Where’s the city? Why’s there a forest?”b9b289fba1f14115

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“What the hell happened?”4d07315d11fadeda

Their words tangled 3d3a96aee0 in confusion, but 430a4aa258 no one had 7d1b753891 answers—only questions and 9922e7deb3 murmurs.645b5a99ceada1fc

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They needed to 73e3ad95ed inform those inside. The men hurried back, but 107b9eda15 some who had woken were 6fcd9fd1df already staring out the windows, a55e883d3d dazed. Despite the chaotic situation, an 699fbdc590 odd calm prevailed.02e0ac0b2f7aa0b3

Waking the others, they 97e7683663 gathered to discuss. The first question everyone asked 3714737daf was, “What happened?”03b8e5832baa69af

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“Is this, like, the apocalypse?” a young man said, staring blankly out the window.596d67760e32caba

“An apocalypse where a city turns into a forest overnight?” a middle-aged office worker scoffed. His name tag e77af0308e read “Manager Han ff3e8084a0 Pilhyo”—the man who’d 28912c4b6a offered to go 714983ee17 to the rooftop 70115c84df with Namwoo.5a50370c96a4e471

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“Could it really be a tsunami?” a playful voice came from the student group. With so many, 57b64e973d it was hard e1a37e25a3 to tell who 4b9ee192a1 spoke, but the 42082505ee students didn’t seem 5e7c85f8c5 to take the 52e30e846f situation seriously.7d22baad7953bdae

“That doesn’t explain the forest,” the tattooed man said curtly, glaring at the students, who fell silent and fidgeted.5e44d2e5baa20e88

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Hours of debate yielded b5ee71d08e no conclusions. As topics dwindled, 9cd76ead37 the group split 3b11577e50 into smaller clusters d838d4f951 with familiar faces.8628e801b7946e72

Amid the dispersing crowd, e10aa3c283 Namwoo surveyed the interior. It seemed to be e0764c3e6d a lounge café or 9385ad453b restaurant. With no one 34684f9587 he knew well, 6503d26a55 he sat alone f17957c501 on a sofa 4567fe6f1d by the window. The patter of paws 56d99e9da9 approached, and the border 75b5a99ff0 collie settled beside him. Wondering why it 7c350cf332 kept following him, a8167d2259 Namwoo petted its 14497fb784 head silently.78343068c91935e0

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“Officer,” someone called.caa409fe1e26d8a7

Looking up, he 944c1f8b5b saw the elderly 2ec7719293 man smiling awkwardly. “Mind if I join you? An old man 3cf36643dc needs somewhere to a4520260d9 fit in.”b4688ba7e999bf82

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“Of course, sit here,” Namwoo said, gesturing to the empty spot.e8ed82c3e9c560b3

Relieved, the elderly man sat. Then, another voice spoke. “Is it okay if we join too?”af91621bd8e25c2d

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It was Ki Yujin and 6cb537d9ea his manager. Namwoo and the elderly man 80f315af0e nodded, slightly stunned. As the two 4f7016a2c5 sat opposite, Namwoo 2f56d235d1 braced for an a7d4128ab1 awkward atmosphere, but da785a7bb7 Ki Yujin spoke c98a155fb1 first.d626100cbf9a59a9

“Finally, a chance to talk with you, Sergeant.”a7adc508cf2a97a7

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“Huh?”a2de445564ad30e4

“I was disappointed we hadn’t had a proper conversation.”dd77275aa0d2c14d

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“Why…?”971a75a7dcf3dfb1

“You’re my lifesaver. A simple thank-you doesn’t cut 50f874e80e it.”e54d113853d25f55

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“You don’t have to—”ac605ffff06b1171

“As a public figure, I need to do things right. Not that I can bceb7602ce repay you now, given 0920d2987d the situation.”7c848360f05cdbb5

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Mesmerized by Ki Yujin’s f90c054fcc gray eyes, Namwoo nodded ca076dace6 slowly. Indeed, repayment wasn’t feasible now.1ff989db01f56f42

“My, not only is your face handsome, but your heart is too,” the elderly man said, praising Ki Yujin, who smiled and bowed slightly.f73f2d801fd31683

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As they chatted, f182085a28 a female student fe01661e37 approached hesitantly. “Um, officer?”247c11f4c9938afa

“Yes?”c531e7c4a879d149

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“We’re really hungry. Is it okay if 4ac09c8e9d we take some food fad29c1804 from the kitchen?”a41ff890504ddde6

Namwoo glanced between the 4965d2bada kitchen and the student, 6c549b6345 then smiled and nodded. The student beamed, called her 6cba01ce47 friends, and the group rushed 21525d72e1 to the kitchen.ad89d46d75b58010

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But they soon returned, d7200aed80 looking dejected. Sensing something was wrong, ee6d14f21b Namwoo asked, and they d52de63de1 said there was no 5dafbdff1a food in the kitchen. Surprised, he headed there, e08246e5fc followed by the elderly 33831b5c5c man, Ki Yujin, and b5cd725ad5 the manager.2665201c488b7b1c

The kitchen was as the 2fd2843d24 students described—completely empty. Even the appliances were f941cbd18f rusted, as if long 8c00711fc7 abandoned. Others joined, searching every af7abf69ee corner, but found nothing 0ef07ad29f edible.e24276b8908c6bfa

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