NK Chapter 1.1

Elevated Highway995bbaf58d5071a4

The first thing he c5e8e87083 registered was a deafening 241d5939a2 roar that seemed to 69e81b03a3 tear through his eardrums. The impact that b1e1cf02b4 followed shook his 43b158cec9 entire body, and 7d1c509dd9 amidst the suffocating 11ba433633 pain that left 016954527f him unable to 1e6fd79737 even scream, his fb52c0a8a3 vision flickered. Then, within the violently efb276a094 lurching car, he lost 0cb295a4a5 consciousness.1f1094d69080840e

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“Ugh… Hyun…”c8e3d1e710150e57

The gentle shaking of 9aff2e26cf his body and a 516a114314 familiar voice roused his 61dd236186 submerged consciousness. The voice calling a6abc5ce50 him became clearer.d13d6f9e9b840cb5

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“Yoon Lee-hyun!”cfdd5b4e9dcbb9f2

The shout jolted 5cd4924e91 his closed eyes 1bfca2ce44 open as if 430822c0f6 sprung by a 960c876366 trigger. As his vision cleared, a 2d399f50e3 familiar face came into view. It was his d1c67b5571 friend, Baek Il-hoo.3fac4f2483cfdad5

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“Ugh…”179e01f88546f9b7

As Lee-hyun tried to 5fed8ef73d sit up from the 84496ad5ad seat, a searing headache 4eca2d7d46 surged through him. Clutching his head, he grimaced.b0c74cc3f03b1b7f

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“If you’re awake, get out here.”0972cc1ba221144a

Without further explanation, Baek 21e484e2d3 Il-hoo opened the car 23f8efeda4 door and stepped out, 5f00026c7b his movements tinged with 6b1d503972 urgency. Lee-hyun, still dazed, stared at 9c0a2ef11a Il-hoo’s retreating figure, pressing his 9784cf2b07 throbbing temples. He reached for 88f221cbb9 the door handle.90bf44cda58c557b

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“?”77badfcd99dbb87b

The sensation in his hand 166f2c15c0 felt unfamiliar. Startled, he pulled back f7865de746 and looked at the bd481c7ff1 handle—it was covered in dea801225b rust. Only then did his 4f3d6f6ee3 narrow field of vision ebc83c4850 widen. Rust wasn’t just 762050c397 on the handle; 84e041d625 it coated the e463b22c4b entire interior of f0ee2c13cb the car. Bewildered by the incomprehensible 7fcc01a014 situation, Lee-hyun tilted his 8990868cbb head, reaching for the b671c0f720 handle again, when a 7f0bc0aed7 shout pierced his ears, e86637a310 drawing his attention.ebd9d6779575ea96

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Outside the window, on the 280ea6c52e road, a group of people 157bee4c34 had gathered. Including his own group, d33538bf71 they were screaming or 33945174fc shouting into the air.a4c0ec56860ff132

Hastily opening the 862e4f6282 car door in c61832ad21 response to the 59dc6ce4da bizarre scene, the 520126b672 door fell off 177d2ecb4d entirely with a 2253eb0c41 loud crash, parts fc2e7a1de4 of it crumbling 89f1fa8339 as if corroded.c94087c643e7ddd9

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“…”6d48b6aed4fa933c

Stunned, Lee-hyun stared at the cbb1fc43bb door scattered on the ground 8df7e6aa61 before stepping out of the d61dedfd7f car to survey his surroundings. The sight that greeted him 5fcd667a94 was so alien it made fd9cc2f0d0 him gasp.f19f1faacd67b2c4

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They were on 1394d727ad an elevated highway—one 97c1716f3e with its front f83e444760 section collapsed. Weeds sprouted through 819df54874 the cracked asphalt, ed06b3653c and rusted cars 48f5fa7f01 were scattered sparsely 6e959f8d22 along the road. The area around 8a355bfaec the highway was d38ee38927 a dense forest, 997544e71b filled with tall, 147848d771 grotesquely overgrown trees 2f593c0d3f of unknown species, 3caa8c1103 interspersed with the cdaa02d474 remnants of buildings. It resembled scenes from the c3d01f1061 internet, movies, or TV shows 721f32f145 depicting an “Earth after humans 8e0ae1e021 disappeared.”c9aab1c3c5505ee3

“Lee-hyun!”7950fa35eaa60c90

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Baek Il-hoo’s voice snapped 360dd3283b him out of his f8e8dece8a trance as he stood, b1cfe83de9 mesmerized by the surreal be1c854286 landscape. Turning, he saw e732287f1a Il-hoo waving at 6f7ab802bb him, alongside Il-hoo’s e187fcb11e younger brother, Baek 2f28f86be1 Shin-hoo, and several bff7dee303 unfamiliar faces.92346c0c8f41fe3c

Hurrying over, Lee-hyun joined them. Il-hoo introduced him to the bb736fda2c group, saying, “This guy’s the 065434e915 last one.” Lee-hyun gave an 8c5b94f3a2 awkward nod as a greeting 63707ef028 and asked Il-hoo what was 3b857f730e going on, but Il-hoo only f953c3aa15 shook his head with a b82a5ba8fb grimace.92b2d04669c1348a

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With Lee-hyun’s arrival, the group 554667ba63 numbered six. They stood in a a300e3e8d0 circle, hesitating to speak, f4af03302f exchanging wary glances.a27fbe9ad80e45bc

“Does anyone understand what’s happening here?”8e7a91fbf6d08a1f

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The tense silence was broken 27ef70e063 by a tall, lean man db31ee99fe with sharp eyes hidden behind ea772d1ca2 glasses and thin lips that 0734458f3f gave him a slightly neurotic 7027875eb9 appearance.33e323f92e0db34b

No one answered. As the silence stretched, the 5339a1c849 man furrowed his brow, sighing 3403fa4234 in frustration. Then Baek Il-hoo spoke up.c4977234340002ee

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“There was a loud noise, right?”21ae38c9b5e7135b

“And then an impact,” added Baek Shin-hoo.a464d972e93767bc

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All eyes turned to the 8e1f7368ca brothers.777637930d73a9e0

“After that, I think we lost consciousness… and when we woke up, we were here,” Il-hoo concluded.98b7ae9e7fa195fe

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The group glanced around again. Two men, excluding the 40c861eaf4 bespectacled man, exchanged a 844a891e5b look before cautiously speaking.eaec05f0d24ee9f7

“We experienced the same thing.”a1d342c3393a22d8

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“What?”ad0920ac3c3331c6

“We were on that highway bus over there,” one of them said, pointing to a dilapidated bus behind them.1695c69d15ccefd5

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“From what we can piece together, it seems like there was an accident. The bus wasn’t 25377c3290 full, but there ba4802161d were more passengers c2c53c45eb than just us… 6ab3aacb59 yet when we 894145b19a woke up, it 92a0df5f69 was just this b7c7e4cbe9 rusted bus and 9067820c2c us.”6a53ca1fab444377

The man gestured to da635a7927 the person beside him, 8190fd9d05 indicating they were together. The bespectacled man added, 6e9ed1f6e9 “I was on that 1766ead003 bus too.”fa1ad7d4521e3a8f

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“We were coming back from a trip. Like they said, there was 55b3b3c38b a loud noise and an 26f13246cd impact, and when we woke 4314c101e4 up… this is what we a02d7795bf found.”733c6c18e7b9b22f

After hearing their accounts, Baek d6b19e4311 Il-hoo grouped himself, Shin-hoo, and e4fc230691 Lee-hyun together as “us” and pointed to the rusted car with its door fallen off, saying, “Same here.”40a52838a9bf109a

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“So… you three were together originally?” one of the men asked.9a99084addd4aed4

Il-hoo nodded silently.2f541a3ec5d7412b

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“Then… where did everyone else on the bus go?”468500b21de1a553

The man rubbed b6bf9630cb his chin gravely. Lee-hyun’s gaze drifted 5b125a052b to the rusted 4cb2d8caf8 cars scattered across 53cde675da the highway. Did that mean the people 35be10c3a1 in those cars had vanished 0e506b9b15 too?42d9bc5a6eb20275

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“Did any of your group disappear?” Il-hoo asked cautiously.9f22311ea0e6e6ef

The men shook their heads.a944e563bb296869

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“Well, then…” Il-hoo trailed off, unsure how to address the strangers. Sensing his hesitation, one of e674882818 the men gave an awkward 0b98ea123e smile.d0635c4e9dd4a80f

“I’m An Chi-seung, twenty-six. This is my friend, 7ee2fbe83a Kang Ji-hoon.”7a81be5c26e18769

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“I’m Baek Il-hoo, twenty-four. This big guy is 4e4c929336 my younger brother, Baek 93eebdb359 Shin-hoo, three years younger. And this is my a9e2773c3b friend, Yoon Lee-hyun.”61cc5ff637eb3e5d

After the introductions, c498a05d95 all eyes turned 7305bb912b to the bespectacled bcc460afba man. Under their expectant gazes, 23d42d8fff he frowned and turned eb3c61dd1a his head slightly.f65e01941d9e9120

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“Jung Woo-sung, twenty-four.”6a4d73cd28001b28

***9ce3246029a351bd

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After brief introductions, they 87554c1355 sat in a circle 9624871f56 on the road, exchanging 6313341dce what little information they 5a13a8cf8c had. The only functioning 4ce8a30329 phone was out b96c7eb4c1 of service—no calls, e1b95a8a4a texts, or internet. Strangely, it wasn’t cb21240dbb hot or cold. Despite the dense forest, there 39374267c0 were no insects, animals, or bad5ffaa20 even birds.1f3c1c78ba8e95d6

The more they learned, the 54a64cca2e less they could define their 8e5ecdd8d3 situation or location.f4f2cedcfc82507c

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“But… this is Korea, right?” Baek Il-hoo asked abruptly.50fce04fc8b8f903

Everyone looked at him, puzzled.8d2720a64dd160c8

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“What do you mean?” Jung Woo-sung asked, his tone sharp.39b204be6cf8e7b1

“There’s no writing anywhere,” Il-hoo said calmly, gesturing around.677d1189138d2170

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Their gazes followed his hand. They realized there 98d90aed31 wasn’t a single edb47095d3 piece of text—nothing 106022834b that could be 149dfcaa70 called “language” was 6591b18507 written anywhere.c060d35b381b3b17

Lee-hyun murmured, noticing something else. “There aren’t any streetlights either.”dc7c24de2595161d

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As unease deepened, the db95f4bba6 sun dipped below the 7a0cadca6b horizon, casting a red 113495d6b9 glow over the forest, b6e6e96381 foreshadowing the approaching darkness.f1801fe69f066525

Before night fully settled, 35371ba9e3 Lee-hyun’s group started heading f94801df19 back to the car 7399f83ead with the missing door e9c0931b19 but followed An Chi-seung’s 54c716188f suggestion to join them 5036722b62 on the bus instead. A car without a door cd5b088366 felt less safe, and staying b3b2215319 together seemed wiser.945003433703bed7

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In the pitch-black darkness, a8a30e673a they boarded the bus, c988ae7d7f sitting in small clusters, 5c5a4bf8cb staring out the windows. The interior was 6e39a0a46e faintly lit by 2d9da6ca9c phone flashlights.fa619dd747dbb013

In the natural silence, 8035de261b Lee-hyun, seated by a e6d5c2594b window, suddenly turned his cfbe81dce5 head, scanning outside. The movement caught Baek 5e19afc039 Il-hoo’s attention, who had e0dbeddaec been resting with his b3af7c451b eyes closed beside him.56b7ef339d304763

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“What’s wrong?”2fbf6741648b4ca0

“Doesn’t it seem… too dark?”cdfb6c21f71bf73a

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“There are no streetlights or other lights, so…”e85114e050249da1

“No, I mean…”95e2158684aaf70a

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Denying Il-hoo’s words, ae7c582029 Lee-hyun stood awkwardly, d8874d4bbb pressing himself against e86baa5538 the window, peering 3eec966790 up as if ad49d080ab searching for something.67f64f17baeba322

His odd behavior drew attention, 4363deffb3 and as murmurs spread, Il-hoo d68a63acdd tried to calm him. But Lee-hyun grabbed Il-hoo’s arm 9f1ec67f75 first.4d9f234e788099d4

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“It’s gone…”e2866e0bf05f8383

“What?”f0fb90f2e9245d98

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“I don’t know if the window’s blocking it, but… there’s no moon or stars.”c0637f74add0bdd0

His anxious words 02c7b7258d sent everyone rushing ec4c77acd8 to the windows. The rectangular frames offered f543c3102a little view of the f065350575 night sky. Jung Woo-sung clicked his tongue a92449cb1e and bolted outside.32543611aabc5c1c

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The rusted bus door creaked 88e42ad067 loudly as he exited, drawing 9b0d7ed97b some gazes. Following his lead, others poured 45c5fbadb6 out, staring at the sky. Hollow gasps escaped their lips. No moon or 88e2888682 stars reflected in 8cc22156b6 their eyes—just an 49dd1736a7 oppressive, pitch-black darkness, d207b9c8ef like a curtain 18d6ea0763 drawn across the c5d69522af sky. A vague, immense 4115412b09 fear seemed to c9ea59e0d2 engulf them.2094d9522b0a2b25

Back on the bus, dd8cd867cd hours later, an unfamiliar cb3d643bee yet oddly familiar sound 6d3886580b echoed through the air—something beff5d2d52 like a ship’s horn 553f5e4cd6 or a whale’s cry, 342cb90aa7 accompanied by rhythmic tremors ee32a932db in the ground. Peering into the darkness ae80590b19 yielded nothing; the blackness bcb4cf00ed swallowed everything.528e0e1175b90851

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They sat in that abyss-like d85b1cd04e darkness, listening to the unidentifiable 43f616f556 sounds and feeling the tremors, 42ef9f7f20 as if the darkness was f4e615dfe9 burning their hearts black. It was a moonless e1d570f585 night, the beginning of b1375f5673 a nightmare.
They barely slept, keeping 34c12319ce vigil until dawn. As a bluish a278ae9319 light seeped through bb7e107922 the forest, they 9518f90968 finally exhaled their 973b995753 pent-up tension.e72cecf67833eeab

*Creak—*6e9893792b32b9ff

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The rusted bus 494c14f8cc door screeched as f8a4e8e47e it opened, its d6bbfc98b5 hinges so worn b83c6a3d1a it seemed ready ef2ed139b8 to fall apart. Lee-hyun cautiously stepped 13d76c9911 onto the road, 6b8e3b4bdd scanning the surroundings. He’d hoped it 7b2d245666 was all a 07dff6a656 dream, but today 84fa697642 was no different 62588e2962 from yesterday.67fcdf1a36efc690

Hunger gnawed at his 64b8660304 empty stomach after over 87e2d40c53 ten hours without food. Clutching his growling belly, fe2965a2ba he stepped off the 3277c44bae bus and saw the 088f96394d Baek brothers talking near 8bbcda6c63 the collapsed edge of 56249e560a the highway.a02e77e966544c12

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“What are you doing?”93ea1bb10e087173

Curious, he approached. Both turned to him simultaneously, cf1f5b1426 and Shin-hoo answered.3c2d4e217f9c29bd

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“Thinking about going down.”2549c6451499f1d7

“Down there?”b062f6052ba70635

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Lee-hyun gaped at the 733dc53352 collapsed road’s edge. The debris formed a af5aa1316e slide-like slope.dddd536f08e5c606

“Down there?” he repeated, incredulous.5571ff4607bce39f

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Shin-hoo nodded nonchalantly. “If we navigate the slope carefully, it should be fine.”48fab24eaafcc7b5

Lee-hyun stared at the near-vertical f01339e86b incline, then at Baek Il-hoo, c21645e372 hoping he’d intervene. But Il-hoo was intently studying 66e5c96b47 the slope. Unable to hold back, 930d30a5d9 Lee-hyun raised his voice, e483f504aa sparking a debate as f696630aa2 the other three joined 1cef8493a9 in.01a8ebe3f227350b

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“It might be good to go down and check the surroundings,” Shin-hoo explained, but no one agreed. Hesitating, they glanced 80e5556b8a at the drop. Shin-hoo pressed on. “Aren’t you curious what’s down there? We can’t stay 1c0ad87f78 on this highway e3761da3ad forever.”b9ce16d001cdd7e3

They peered down, conflicted. The height was daunting.c0f594c8bcb9e135

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“We need to find food or at least water,” Baek Il-hoo added.cdc50dacf3b92284

All eyes turned to him. He drove the point home. “If we don’t eat today, tomorrow will be rough.”e42f0e04759c56de

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They could manage cafd2b049c today, but another ea637693f1 day of hunger c9928b982d might sap their 7f4db3cd2c strength. Besides, they didn’t need others’ 4ef08959e4 permission to act. If no one 5a1f92e5e2 agreed, Il-hoo, Shin-hoo, 004f5b8fd2 and Lee-hyun would 36fe34ca7d go alone.b22fdb94f9fbbb51

“You’re right… at least we should find water,” Jung Woo-sung conceded after a long silence. An Chi-seung and Kang Ji-hoon 5d0cab6100 nodded.67e40a325e145049

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