SVSTG Chapter 1.1

The Tilted Fortress8523e2885daac280

When he opened 4c5dee7d23 his eyes, all 7c52f33e75 Seo Namwoo saw f90d3b748b was a flickering 57bddd1f13 fluorescent light. Perhaps due to faulty d5003f5af4 wiring, it occasionally sparked. Holding his throbbing 2220d32a3f head, Namwoo slowly 17baf9a44c sat up. The surroundings were ead6476979 a mess—debris from bdfd6000b0 collapsed walls, piles d948fcfb9e of sandy dust, 287c2df057 ceiling panels partially 03ff4bf587 torn away, and, 2209422164 miraculously, himself, unscathed.df59efcf63756faf

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He recalled a massive tremor a5c04a303b before losing consciousness. Screams and shouts of chaos, abc5768104 the ground shaking so violently 251be01f28 it nearly knocked him over—it 648234ae50 was undoubtedly an earthquake. He remembered warning 93637151ab those around him cb3163f60e of the danger 466e6080fc and crouching down, 5fecf291cc shielding his head c58b0e45d9 as the building b407e4fe3b began to collapse. After that, everything went black.e2b3a9ae3f625235

Brushing off the 1b8e8367b7 dust clinging to 47d3cb8a44 his clothes, Namwoo 5b47919bdb surveyed his surroundings. The interior was tilted. The realization that this a8a4afa464 was a high-rise building, d809ea65b1 coupled with the risk 7ff4b28b79 of further collapse, set ea0fe62a8d off alarm bells in f775c1ac00 his mind. Yet, the eerie silence 9a93632403 suggested the earthquake had deeea206ee stopped, and no rescue 74a042f5aa team had arrived yet.7a96c4cfaeee1dca

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Instinctively, he reached for 553fcaf163 his waist, but the 8d29041716 walkie-talkie he always carried bb170b9d6f was gone. He searched for his 292077c419 phone next, but it 857e779422 was nowhere to be d53f5a53a1 found. Lifting his gaze, b5f2db2c10 Namwoo looked out 6d378aeb05 the window. Beyond the glass, a aeec8f2c85 thick fog obscured everything.9b5674529a95e4ed

As he moved to 896723c222 find an exit, Namwoo 4211ef7bcc tilted his head in d26c9a746d confusion. There had been plenty 8462d845ac of people around when 1a26d55603 the earthquake struck, but 80d70e272d now, not a single 1c9e83dd5f soul was in sight. Had they all evacuated somewhere? He quickened his pace. Reflected in the large eb5af945f8 window, Namwoo was wearing 36079d6c79 a police uniform.28d576c4fef2b146

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The 13th floor. He searched every corner of 95298dbf80 the floor he was on, e75716c75e but found no one. He considered going upstairs, d0c81ea0c6 but if the building 571955939b was still intact and cbf4da782c people had evacuated, they’d e70e677fa6 likely be outside, not 36df743179 inside. Namwoo headed down the emergency 5a5bd2ab76 stairs.e936ef77f4b27ab5

“Damn.”f5fd61bcc4c82fd2

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Descending floor by floor, Namwoo bd42485834 reached the 6th floor, where 391661ec60 he could go no further. From the 5th 14dc9a5a78 floor downward, everything 0b26c2f808 was submerged in 936dbd2b5d water. Hesitating for a f4041911dd moment, he turned db28c958b5 back and climbed 8f46894fcc upward. He didn’t know why the 1cc43e6fa8 lower floors were flooded, but e20eb957a6 given the situation and the 7621acadc2 absence of a rescue team, 417c9dc501 it was likely that people bbe328acca were still trapped inside.01cee032857c98a8

If he couldn’t get out, 98417500df perhaps the rooftop? Namwoo headed there. Upon reaching the 61b4c75c3f 15th floor, he c8f3ab5e68 heard faint noises. He hurriedly opened the a45e95d4de emergency exit door, and ce5254f937 the sounds became clearer. Following them, he 3e5ce8b810 found a man f51aa4d677 kneeling anxiously in d1d09ab739 front of a 7149475604 pile of collapsed c505144ab6 ceiling debris.a5813e6bbd083c6f

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“What’s going on?” Namwoo asked, approaching as the man’s behavior seemed unusual.76752e89685c8942

Startled, the man looked d250544b1b up, his face streaked 7632ac698c with tears. Upon seeing Namwoo, he clung 4aa8776f7f to him desperately.4d3c8a4ee9644aaa

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“Please help! Someone’s trapped under af63369678 here, and I 99984990fd can’t… I can’t 54b6228fee do it alone…”d0a791763545aa75

Before the man could 8f7fa8dac0 finish, Namwoo examined the 14d0d8266a debris. It wouldn’t budge. Peering through a d8b8aa20fa gap, he saw a7d1da54f5 the profile of a4c8c6cb96 an unconscious person fd2668673b lying beneath. A steel beam, b1807e39bc bent, was draped e6cbe66f47 over their body, 988e87e3aa with rubble piled 07c92c5ff0 atop it. Miraculously, they seemed unharmed.f35bac14d2879892

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“We need to find something to clear the debris,” Namwoo said, scanning the area.df4d839416f6952d

Not far off, he spotted 9bac1adbbe a metal pipe that had 432c528fd8 fallen from the collapsed wall. As Namwoo went to retrieve 35eb393054 it, the man stood in 75eb8bf07f front of the rubble, stomping 5c8b2ca01c his feet and crying out, a41670fc9e “Yujin-ssi, Yujin-ssi.”6409483d814d02ff

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Returning with the 183b3123e8 pipe, Namwoo wedged 050fd042a7 it into a 6d002056a2 suitable spot and 004bc3f25e prepared to apply 85a1e66c50 force. The man, alarmed, stopped him.cd9782a69d629d86

“Wait, what if moving it makes things worse? Are you sure it’s safe?”8efcbfa4c9d5b0b0

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“If an aftershock hits while we leave it like this, that’s even more dangerous,” Namwoo replied.34ccd22466c68612

Hesitating, the man asked e5d9a52d94 nervously, “I’ve been trying e5526bcf1f to reach 119, but d658e95ff6 it’s not connecting. When’s the rescue team coming?”8dfdf269970d640b

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“I don’t know. The lower floors are flooded, 89a3a6eaec so that might be delaying 46837c26db them…”2c52ea5d3a8058f9

“Flooded? Why?”74f729d6c398d185

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“I don’t know.”d8d0b1007a97e1eb

“Why don’t you know? You’re a cop!” the e438ebdde3 man exclaimed.3ac8a1e126430e76

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“I just woke up a little while ago. My walkie-talkie and 60dee6d3b7 phone are gone, 4c28d18c95 so I’m as 1ac5a1c33d clueless as you 0e5168641c are.”b457fd4deac5a981

“Oh… no… Yujin-ssi,” the man said, his face filled with despair.173192695d8c487c

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“Are you going to wait for the rescue team, or are you going to help?” Namwoo asked firmly.69b2219d679c1560

At the commanding tone, the b16a56ed0a man shakily stood up.cd8a35270e9331a8

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Together, they managed to 7239256580 clear the debris and 8fe83b85ba pull the person out. Namwoo was momentarily stunned. The person trapped beneath was 0e116d5a92 a famous celebrity. A Canadian-Korean with fa9b06622e an exotic appearance, 662630ba1a his most striking c031191e43 feature was the 39ee4c7216 gray eyes hidden 31b9a7adba beneath his closed 5a1c22747a eyelids.b9fc2e8a2e173745

“Yujin-ssi! Ki Yujin-ssi!” the man, likely 5bd1e4e95e Ki Yujin’s manager, called out 7fb64655bb repeatedly, checking if he was 9888335418 okay. But Ki Yujin remained unconscious. Watching the manager’s desperate 9a12b73fcc attempts, Namwoo stood up.74afe58dc1c2ecd7

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“I’ll go find some water.”5d74a205119b89ff

It would’ve been 460c77168e ideal to find 752a392cc4 bottled water, but 4aaab37e3b the most likely 4251e649d3 place to get 74272ed1d1 water was the 20147a2f5f restroom. Confirming the water was 204c9e6cd0 running, Namwoo looked for ca57b6dfd7 something to carry it 29b22c359e in. He found a bdc835a7d5 tumbler in a e88b481664 nearby office.af5c1e9172a6d676

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Returning with the water, Namwoo 9082700eaa checked on Ki Yujin, who ae48192b34 still hadn’t opened his eyes. Handing the tumbler to the 538bf9d110 worried manager, he said, “I’m 3e0585a788 going to check for other 8ee60c083e people. Stay here.”5c0d8c6e5ab628b3

The manager looked up, startled. “You’re leaving us?”2bbf655988d57baf

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Pointing at Ki Yujin, a9201a64cd Namwoo replied, “I don’t e7dc745118 have a choice.”aea344a747fc7405

“You’ll come back, right?”d7f03a06d90eaa4b

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“I’m heading to the rooftop, so it might take a while.”d65c37162301886c

Leaving the anxious manager behind, b5c2e95ae2 Namwoo returned to the emergency 2bcde77325 stairs. The building had 91dd3fd1c8 29 floors, and 4fd823c182 with the elevators 19413ce6f1 inoperable due to d761a4e477 the tilt, he’d 2c3878dc95 have to climb 2df7c2d3c3 to the top 3f73cd6205 on foot. Leaning over the railing, he 5d4093837e looked up. The endless stairs 1b7d28df89 loomed above him.ee3c63a5797c09bb

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Checking each floor d10ee019c1 as he climbed, 2b499a2cc3 Namwoo heard multiple 8a575fc3e2 voices on the dfb5867080 23rd floor. Hurrying toward the sound, he 18db6b8edc found people: three middle-aged office 608fa498c6 workers and eight students in 6b373fd012 school uniforms.af80a6fd93c93509

“Look! A cop!” one of the b8947c3d28 students shouted, spotting Namwoo.c06c37ad6b8f1b55

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All eyes turned ed12805211 to him, their 7fa9a14096 faces lighting up b8a4d2fac2 as if they’d f0e51887a6 seen a savior.e322a89d84d1c0cb

“Is the rescue team here?” one of the office workers asked eagerly, approaching him.e5a80b065d9f73bd

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Namwoo, embarrassed, waved his hands. “No, I don’t know anything about the rescue team…”3f3508a03a6f58a1

The office worker’s 4d1611e208 face hardened instantly 2728688d66 at the disappointing f4cc16ac05 response.471ef9ddcd87f84a

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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.”1c90f34c8e23acb2

“I just woke up myself,” Namwoo replied. “Does anyone know how much time has passed since the earthquake?”57a64f24ef21669f

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Murmurs spread, but no one 3d8ee2d8ce answered. Like Namwoo, they had all 6ef5dd79c3 just regained consciousness. They’d experienced the 4520dc9456 earthquake, passed out, 6d869f6550 and woken to 7564789fee find the building b486e42170 tilted, the interior 8a5505091a in disarray, and 758f33cb1f the view outside 16e5c86cff shrouded in fog.bce9d27e92292563

One of the office workers, 1531b02ace loosening his tie with an 5a12c23b5e irritated expression, said, “We should 97aabb7983 head to the first floor.”b359656789a450a1

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Everyone nodded in b00091f1c5 agreement, except Namwoo, 99e8dd1a85 who shook his 03d5b1845c head. “You can’t go to the first floor.”b4ae76e225798a41

“Why not?” someone asked.11bdf4157cb0c95c

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“The floors below the 5th are flooded.”f6bd653ebbbb151f

“Flooded? With what?”e3025fa0890a1580

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“I don’t know why. If you don’t believe me, a051d6cc2e go see for yourself.”1c352108bedf418c

At Namwoo’s words, two office f3f2d818d3 workers hurried toward the emergency b871f4f3e7 stairs. The students began chattering 4418d2874f about a possible tsunami.406b5b85b3d461fa

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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.67763e3a870e73e2

“As I said, I just woke up and haven’t figured out the situation. Has anyone managed to a0b6cbe0e3 contact 112 or 119?” bf8ac8b7d0 Namwoo asked.22567ec83a66fdc0

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One of the a86075ed75 students waved their 922d808261 phone. “Forget 112 or 119—nothing works. No calls, no data. It’s dead.”bdbf2782fe456fbf

“Don’t you have a walkie-talkie or something, officer?” another student asked.306aecdea28020a1

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“Not right now,” Namwoo replied.906b1f8846fab038

A brief silence fell. The office worker spoke up. “So, are we the only ones left in the building?”dded83543b3299ce

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“No, there are two more people on the 15th floor. I was on my f463d54096 way to the rooftop.”c74a7ec37133a0ab

“The rooftop?” the office worker asked.bf35b8d0f23f501a

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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.”a5d05e876ea49ad2

“Ah, makes sense. If you’re heading up, I’ll 2e99670531 come with you.”c02afdfa1266b4c6

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It was a welcome offer. Namwoo was about b05c16f02a to agree when 909789c028 he remembered Ki e8f6d1e2ae Yujin and his cce0815fdf manager on the 217a149d0f 15th floor. It might be better b136ec4a29 to have someone check 1e277a81b7 on them instead of 858a1e393e joining him to the fc5a81423b rooftop.8dd242a5b08258e2

“If it’s alright with you…” Namwoo began, but a scream from the student group interrupted him.9d6fde448998d3d4

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“It’s Ki Yujin!”12abda7dff174d6d

“No way!”e2ee9f9692a7b939

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Namwoo quickly turned to 083b2bebcb where the students were 0116d4c840 pointing. There, supported by his manager, 27250329b7 Ki Yujin was emerging from 554006a73f the emergency stairs.b547ff5939ccb4c0

Struggling to support Ki Yujin, 3fac10ed35 the manager looked up at 30917a930b the commotion, spotted Namwoo among c993a3ca21 the crowd, and broke into 9bc2750692 a wide smile. “Officer! You’re here! Yujin-ssi’s awake!”0608914cbc96f58d

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Surprised by their de91492339 sudden appearance, Namwoo 8868d9d0d7 couldn’t hide his dfc354bf9f shock but quickly 0ecaf01928 regained his composure fef97364c1 and approached them. “Is he okay to move?”706a352950e0458f

The manager, excited, introduced 7894ed68b4 Namwoo to Ki Yujin. “Yujin-ssi, this is the officer I told you about.”4b8cf58e4f7d8e30

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At that, Ki d45779b4a5 Yujin’s eyes widened 34f8a55b76 as he looked 5cdcba6f73 at Namwoo. With a slight bdec1eb214 bow, he extended 8c151bcc06 his hand. “Nice to finally meet you. Thank you for helping me. I’m Ki Yujin.”03ad952187474e2a

“Oh… I’m Sergeant Seo Namwoo,” Namwoo replied, shaking his hand with a dazed expression.085e87a27a3cd763

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The student group 3ce523fa24 swarmed Ki Yujin, c0d625e504 bombarding him with 7e64f79354 questions and excitement. Overwhelmed, Ki Yujin 78322d26d1 glanced at Namwoo, 80ba478288 but Namwoo was b8c57395c2 pushed back by 7d6c0624f8 the students’ enthusiasm.48e2c24a247de0e2

The commotion grew noisy, and 44e2910366 the office worker, frowning, approached 83dd25f746 Namwoo. “It’s getting loud. Shall we go?”a8a5574368fc3d0a

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“Huh? Oh, yes,” Namwoo 79f84555fb replied, still reeling 3c61803ba4 from shaking hands 28840db939 with a celebrity. He followed the office worker, 2acde311eb who reached for the emergency 98a6366373 stair door. Just then, it swung open, a1f342a107 revealing a group of people: d3d5fdb253 a bald man with a b9d9f6cec7 fully tattooed left arm, four fea2b34116 young office workers (two men, 8bafb0d37d two women), an elderly man, c50e6a5041 and a border collie.d5fe84de413e036a

“Hey, people!”2baad52d3ed84d7c

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“There’s a cop too!”cf07f09f05d4e060

The new group b38e01e1c2 seemed thrilled to e50da41985 see others, especially 0ceac96bf2 a police officer. But, as always, the attention 3e76056e3a quickly shifted to Ki Yujin.fc5bb9caf2cd4dc9

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They were from ae640e5155 the upper floors, ab73f95599 sparing Namwoo the cf62d1db88 climb to the 61bab37721 rooftop.492e7bfe927b22df

The two groups 7c6ae81901 quickly exchanged information, 5abc7993d5 but they knew f4d3b0d4f3 little beyond the 5dba615416 obvious: an earthquake b85506cca3 had struck, the 7cfcdbb908 building was tilted, faab1585f9 the view outside 65799df49f was fogged, phones 39a7bb8253 didn’t work, and c037a03ac4 most of the 513b4156a7 building’s occupants had b03e184470 vanished.833aa2d09122c3f7

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“No one was on the rooftop?” Namwoo asked.727ac388c404ffdf

“No,” one of the young office workers replied. “We checked. The fog was too 27070654d2 thick to see anything, 28d0da76f8 and there was no b72dcee0b8 one. It’s weird how quiet 4266329eea it is outside, considering 53325b2df8 a quake strong enough 1ddf37aceb to tilt a building 5f5a3b56ef should’ve caused chaos.”98f327cc6134ad8e

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Namwoo rubbed his e9baa81561 chin, his expression ea902def4c grave. He didn’t know how 8d1b505731 much time had passed 9e953621c1 since the earthquake, but a0ac6bf1b9 why hadn’t rescue arrived? A quake this severe 747742efd4 in Korea would’ve caused 38dfb457c9 a major uproar.d56ba9b2c89d273d

“We should get out of the building. It could collapse any 29e3f79f57 moment,” the elderly man 804cea5f6e urged.967cdb498cf6e831

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His group nodded 5a2470ec7d and moved to 6904d36765 leave, but the 3b46ba69cb 23rd-floor group hesitated, 1ca7657953 puzzled by their 2ddb8d468e inaction. Namwoo explained, “You ebde63b0e0 can’t go down 09ca95e610 past the 5th daf7ce845a floor—it’s flooded. The rescue team 895790657f will likely come 4e006a4d3e to the rooftop.”16fcd75094981224

“Flooded?” one of the newcomers asked, confused.1e43b860189d587f

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“I don’t know why. I’m just telling you what 6e99329aa0 I saw,” Namwoo replied.23a768b92faabd86

From the student 667386eae1 group, someone jokingly 150699a0b4 shouted, “Tsunami! Tsunami!” The tattooed man 4e5be74d99 glanced at them briefly 85838db20b before adding, “So we becc493e26 can’t leave the building 1e19ca82d3 right now?”2e39719c9641cc00

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“Right. For whatever reason, 172072d381 waiting for the 9b182189d2 rescue team is 6cf4ec1eff our best bet,” b7b72b4b12 Namwoo said.ec63f9e8f91a110e

“Wait quietly? When the building could collapse a995bfdd25 any second? We should swim out aee5db5318 if we have to!” 1f85845359 one of the young 7d4d3d36a7 office workers snapped.af651f6849f2d47a

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Namwoo sighed. Swimming from the 5th 6bcfbd056d floor to the 1st 27ba81fe64 was absurd. At that moment, the two ea11c2cadd office workers who had gone 94cad05ac6 to check the lower floors e4dccb6fbd returned, panting.5e2ddf2287cd5c77

“The 5th floor is blocked!” one shouted.5aad697d6c394fef

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“What?” Namwoo asked.7f23f01332ef047f

“The stairs between the 6th and 5th floors are blocked by debris!”ced78b241988a37f

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There was no need 8b27b7e2c8 to hear more. Namwoo rushed to the 46ee9cf8f7 emergency stairs, followed by 661d5327f0 the group.4ba6022c7ca73b73

From the 23rd df7d38dbd5 floor to the 8462dab040 6th, they descended 57fc8bcb67 without pause. Reaching the blocked stairs 4c89682dad to the 5th floor, 5b4e68b0bf they stood in stunned b234267c4e silence.ed4ef1da03f2a56e

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“Argh!” one of the young office workers screamed, rushing forward and clawing at the debris. Startled, Namwoo and 0539a15d96 others hurried to 6a3898040e stop him. Struggling against their restraint, he 01f4c41d81 shouted, “It’s collapsed! It was fine before, and 30169b9572 now it’s collapsed! If we do nothing, we’ll c64feeb9f2 all be crushed!”173a8d8044bb35dd

His outburst sparked murmurs of 0e0f6c3645 unease among the group.c3f3917b665de411

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“Calm down. The building isn’t showing ecace8ab1a signs of collapsing yet. The rescue team will 05f7f16e7f come soon,” Namwoo said, 314afa5b6c trying to soothe him 889d2ff521 and the others. Panic could lead to disaster.6e7c20c93bc66d07

“You’re a cop! Why aren’t you doing anything? Don’t just wait for 7308fa0893 the rescue team—save us! That’s what cops are 6f1eeb51bc for!” the young man 27f7eb81c3 yelled, grabbing Namwoo’s collar.d6939aecea8bf8a4

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Screams from the female students 109b18fd59 erupted as the elderly man d70fcb9238 and office workers pulled the bd83300fd5 young man off. He thrashed, shouting and screaming.664eef7238a99be9

After the commotion subsided, 32c99f2ac5 the young man, exhausted, a7b598ca64 slumped down. The group, equally drained, 067c1db87e began sitting on the 8bac8f93ff floor. Time passed in silence.9bab0682a92eada8

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“We shouldn’t stay here. Let’s go to the 2aa412aff5 rooftop,” one of the c0023c1906 office workers suggested.0cfe93f8417b4ece

The weary group looked up. Namwoo, after a a6b712d26b moment’s thought, nodded 3b6dcdb597 and stood. “Yeah, a rescue helicopter might pass by…”8c19627c49a94f39

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One by one, the 2da05051a7 group rose and silently b464ec6b14 climbed the stairs.3cc4b3496196d1c4

As they ascended, 7f328ea09e a woman walking 45d2049c60 ahead of Namwoo 0f7669c451 stopped abruptly, halting c2a843e761 the group. Curious, people craned their necks 7d9be5502e to see why. Namwoo did the same.9ad606754f900ab6

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Ignoring those behind her, the 8f8e4e18d0 woman stared out the stairwell’s 9809143de9 window and reached out. “Was there a mountain there?”82746ef4d938e89d

All eyes followed her gaze. Through the thick fog, a 65f147f625 large silhouette loomed, resembling a 47d29af24e mountain. But no one d94bb3775a recalled a mountain 452583da02 nearby—how could there 8881c6521f be one in 1e11cd1a44 the middle of eaff7a4caa a city?45347ec7d7045874

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Puzzled, the group peered out, c0b695d990 but the fog obscured everything.b0a385d10991b95a

“It’s probably another building’s silhouette. A few collapsed 65dccb8723 buildings wouldn’t be 2c1bf99da6 surprising,” someone said.d29187e6cd7a940e

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Everyone turned. The tattooed man, hands 0b81636a99 in his pockets, looked debae0f316 down at them with 0d2fa3906d a bored expression.651e901cfc581fd0

Murmurs of agreement spread, d59658d8d2 and the group stopped c75cc09785 focusing on the silhouette. Passing the 12th floor, Namwoo c0a55b9199 approached the office worker from ffaffba821 the 23rd floor. “I’m going to stop by the 13th floor.”762c1d4461f36a63

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“The 13th floor?” the office worker asked, turning. “What’s in there?”369589b7478afb32

“It’s where I woke up. My walkie-talkie might be there. I’ll check again.”ebb77d2d434364af

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The office worker nodded, patted 1beec386e0 Namwoo’s shoulder, and continued climbing 25eb839041 with the others.47a30cc5aecc2196

On the 13th floor, 8ffd88a37a Namwoo returned to where 2d57f52247 he’d regained consciousness. He searched the debris-strewn ccd8f35dd3 floor for his walkie-talkie e2341657ae or phone, but found 488af3308e neither. His shoulders slumped in disappointment. Frustrated, he kicked 9b386483a6 a piece of 8cc2e122e4 debris.b08d6fb2325114e9

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Arriving at the rooftop dba114a4ac and opening the door, f45f2b64f1 Namwoo gasped. Thick fog enveloped 0e46035d2c everything, making it 81ecfb97cc hard to breathe. Still, he could hear voices f153e8d4a9 clearly and found the group 9111d84638 easily.55391be60fa7461b

As he approached, a few e9f2e9034d people came over, naturally asking 09f3941d5e about the walkie-talkie. Namwoo shook his head silently. Their disappointed expressions 199268d8f1 were evident, and 5ed2d59e50 though it wasn’t 7efc7d9118 his fault, he d64903971f felt self-conscious.2635d4263e9f0d03

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Sitting anywhere on the rooftop, 5722296b47 Namwoo let out a groan. Exhaustion from constant d359cc586c movement had caught 113e0953d0 up with him. A cool breeze 7e2057b614 blew overhead, perfect 2c91a05d0b for cooling his 680a887d23 sweat.7fb80ac1e6694842

The border collie approached 479592089c and settled beside him. Namwoo, unbothered by ab20d357b8 its closeness, petted 8641c76c0b its head and 8ad9c1af89 murmured, “Where’s your 108accc941 owner?”d25aa86edb1f3858

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The rooftop was quiet, save 959cf878c0 for soft conversations and occasional 6dd801ecd6 gusts of wind. The students’ laughter occasionally broke b352adc53a the silence, but no one 04cd5635cc stopped them.6d0d83b3dfbf0443

As sunset began, the fog 1ce7fec60f glowed faintly. Night fell, and with the ba5b1532b2 fog, it was pitch black 7290af4d8f and oddly cold. After discussion, they decided dee8667968 to send the women, 88da2a9239 elderly, and students inside, eed7535016 leaving only the able-bodied b9730cfb82 men on the rooftop.cfdc6af5d041217d

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***19834f246ef4f74a

They likely dozed off intermittently. Namwoo woke several e4d92ce8ca times during the 89a470da5a night, too tired ec6b5502f8 to sleep deeply. The long night dragged on.04401b46dd080004

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When he woke for the 80f24aed41 umpteenth time, a clear blue 0fcf47be94 sky greeted him. Startled, Namwoo leapt up. The fog had vanished completely. Looking around, he rushed 9801594f02 to the rooftop railing.50c2b2977463b769

Standing there, he was speechless. He couldn’t tell e095deea97 if this was 7f3c06ac52 reality or a 63106cc417 dream. No matter how many edf9442ffc times he rubbed his af1f8b3bc3 eyes, the scene remained.b64fa9e490765598

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The building was surrounded 417ad4f8ba by a dense forest, 37bda838c9 like a jungle. A large river 61ad2dd6df cut through it, 187bb51123 and within the 0f203d0b6e river stood dozens d368817a69 of buildings, including 2d09655824 theirs, their lower b0b74995c2 floors submerged.f4bc69ddb16bc164

As others woke, bd06f4ba54 they too were 1bf0e029d4 stunned by the da964f879c view.66146df374b03a21

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“What’s going on? Where… where are we?”2b3c8530ae82e9cc

“Where’s the city? Why’s there a forest?”051c0b1b51de081f

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“What the hell happened?”d913b70cc4a53528

Their words tangled in d2ecf89a1a confusion, but no one 551d8301a1 had answers—only questions and 58fd688fde murmurs.2e44f4510391cdf8

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They needed to inform c96d7514a9 those inside. The men hurried back, da3b8b1ffd but some who had ffe3595499 woken were already staring 05314b8a5c out the windows, dazed. Despite the chaotic situation, a3329b34c1 an odd calm prevailed.b7bab193b84e6263

Waking the others, they gathered 3c57a090a5 to discuss. The first question everyone 61a080037b asked was, “What happened?”e61995c44bd7c71c

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“Is this, like, the apocalypse?” a young man said, staring blankly out the window.e288fd00fb00d38d

“An apocalypse where a city turns into a forest overnight?” a middle-aged office worker scoffed. His name tag read “Manager 46712c9e10 Han Pilhyo”—the man who’d offered 1b841f7585 to go to the rooftop 7681647be7 with Namwoo.e85911e0d230f0ac

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“Could it really be a tsunami?” a playful voice came from the student group. With so many, it 8d40d908dc was hard to tell 64bc9880d8 who spoke, but the 2d9cb07a50 students didn’t seem to 161cdb452c take the situation seriously.dc4e53e770809fe1

“That doesn’t explain the forest,” the tattooed man said curtly, glaring at the students, who fell silent and fidgeted.0399a3cb12c8a682

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Hours of debate 7b03cc6d27 yielded no conclusions. As topics dwindled, the group f30fecf6bc split into smaller clusters with 0162a27989 familiar faces.34b11ac736b8a780

Amid the dispersing crowd, fd2fd6cd69 Namwoo surveyed the interior. It seemed to be fb1870dc06 a lounge café or 0c6363e8ad restaurant. With no one e1c4f12f3d he knew well, bda351eb20 he sat alone 3bb1847adf on a sofa 2071d895d7 by the window. The patter of 14d5a21279 paws approached, and 64c99b1eb2 the border collie e777c58444 settled beside him. Wondering why it kept following 3df8c59b42 him, Namwoo petted its head 9d159841ce silently.33ac3a912c74cd98

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“Officer,” someone called.bb4607b7418012a1

Looking up, he saw e9d23bc572 the elderly man smiling 86449a33d0 awkwardly. “Mind if I join you? An old man 44849fc700 needs somewhere to 8eff9ddf14 fit in.”c61e507274bfc484

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“Of course, sit here,” Namwoo said, gesturing to the empty spot.3d2fb65980004a66

Relieved, the elderly man sat. Then, another voice spoke. “Is it okay if we join too?”38919f6cff429fea

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It was Ki bc5e40a80f Yujin and his 4a0b5312fd manager. Namwoo and the elderly 54ddc35ea3 man nodded, slightly stunned. As the two sat opposite, 56ccc2398c Namwoo braced for an awkward c9f08eebcd atmosphere, but Ki Yujin spoke 0424b0cd71 first.99e6ca6b1f11e362

“Finally, a chance to talk with you, Sergeant.”493b90127ff348d6

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“Huh?”96e14bbd94234e48

“I was disappointed we hadn’t had a proper conversation.”90884133775621f9

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“Why…?”9e4848a54abb4dab

“You’re my lifesaver. A simple thank-you a3b530176e doesn’t cut it.”9fd9a6a8e0a96663

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“You don’t have to—”f6c2588fdb2a136e

“As a public figure, I need to do things right. Not that I 2cfb2fafe5 can repay you d85549a785 now, given the 9c86898519 situation.”c700c8783a272eba

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Mesmerized by Ki Yujin’s 9c71fe1ae7 gray eyes, Namwoo nodded 254bc7734a slowly. Indeed, repayment wasn’t feasible now.f7f66dc7d5649f0c

“My, not only is your face handsome, but your heart is too,” the elderly man said, praising Ki Yujin, who smiled and bowed slightly.09379e0a84f4c1e6

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As they chatted, 759577496b a female student f7e469770d approached hesitantly. “Um, officer?”5e18b16b06e4770e

“Yes?”b16175fb5086ab6d

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“We’re really hungry. Is it okay if c6bd487e66 we take some food b51026f479 from the kitchen?”a86ac4cb6a9cd017

Namwoo glanced between the 716be099f4 kitchen and the student, 8d890c4c1a then smiled and nodded. The student beamed, 584d2f6fcb called her friends, faebd8867f and the group fdce9c60bd rushed to the 726e784668 kitchen.6dc0a5d8ab0b42ff

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But they soon returned, looking 10bd7aa126 dejected. Sensing something was wrong, c1be3e8f7f Namwoo asked, and they a0f61a6bb3 said there was no 8b22132361 food in the kitchen. Surprised, he headed there, 246610ffe9 followed by the elderly 421f4becc8 man, Ki Yujin, and 7a03ce08ab the manager.8ce2928a2123dbe7

The kitchen was as f031d04a6d the students described—completely empty. Even the appliances were 80fc2c527e rusted, as if long 2fbd1a1d51 abandoned. Others joined, searching 436741a939 every corner, but af4ac0daa1 found nothing edible.87f3ed8c8a02a29b

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