ZFS Chapter 1

“Oh God, have mercy on us.”

 

The solemn resonance of the organ, intertwined with hymns, echoed through the church. The harmonies, created by dozens of voices, blended in perfect accord.

 

All the aspiring priests wore serious expressions. Among them, the man in the center row—baptized with the name John—Tae Yujun, appeared almost divine, bathed in the mystical light filtering through the stained glass.

 

He had an innate quality that naturally captured people’s attention. His pale skin stood in stark contrast to the black cassock, complemented by the deer-like curve of his neck. His elegant facial features were nothing short of exquisite.

 

What truly gave him the aura of a mysterious figure from a classical painting, however, were his black eyes. They appeared somewhat lonely, like polished obsidian—so deeply dark that no matter how long you gazed into them, you could never tell how deep they went.

 

Yet Tae Yujun himself seemed entirely indifferent to his striking appearance. With his simple hairstyle and a cassock identical to everyone else’s, he quietly blended into the crowd.

 

“Brothers, let us now reflect on our sins.”

 

A silence descended, marking the start of the meditation. Like the other aspiring priests, Tae Yujun bowed his head. Yet his thoughts remained fixated on the phone secretly tucked in his pocket. More specifically, he was anxiously wondering if a new message from Dr. Jang had arrived.

 

Why isn’t he reaching out? It’s already been three days since he stopped answering calls or reading messages.

 

For over ten years, they had communicated more frequently than most parent-child pairs, always staying in touch. Tae Yujun had assumed Dr. Jang was simply busy, as he had mentioned a looming deadline for a report to a pharmaceutical company he was working with on a research project. Still, it was hard to believe that he would completely cut off contact.

 

Concerned his phone might be malfunctioning, Tae Yujun opened a browser. As usual, the portal loaded smoothly. He tapped around to confirm everything was normal. What could have happened? This level of silence—he’s never been this unreachable.

 

He sighed inwardly, absently fiddling with the phone’s screen. He was about to send another message to Dr. Jang, so he exited the browser and opened the messaging app. But something caught his eye—the main news headlines.

 

The top story read, “Seoul Jung-gu Shelter.”

 

The second headline was, “Unusual Behavior of People Near Yeongdong Cathedral.”

 

Yeongdong Cathedral? That’s right here.

 

Tae Yujun tilted his head slightly, observing the parish priest as he prayed, before searching for related keywords. Immediately, a flood of social media posts and freshly uploaded articles appeared. The sheer volume of results was overwhelming, leaving him unsure where to begin.

 

[Crazy person climbing a street tree.JPG]

[A strange person suddenly jumping off a building.AVI]

 

Tae Yujun clicked on the most popular post. The people in the videos were strange and uncanny. A student in a school uniform climbed a street tree like a monkey, while a middle-aged man, who looked like an office worker, scaled a building. Their bizarre movements sent chills down Tae Yujun’s arms.

 

“John, what are you doing!?”

 

Engrossed in the videos, he was startled when the parish priest scolded him loudly.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

 

Tae Yujun quickly shoved his phone deep into his pocket. Flustered, he joined in the penitential act, trying to calm his embarrassment. However, the images from the videos lingered in his mind. Even as he participated in the confession, the scenes replayed in his thoughts. No matter how hard he tried, it didn’t make sense. The video appeared too realistic to be fake.

 

“I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts, in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do.”

 

He and the other seminary students struck their chests with their right fists.

 

“Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.”

 

The Mass continued seamlessly, the choir’s powerful voices singing hymns that created a solemn and majestic atmosphere. The sound grew louder, completely drowning out all external noise.

 

Then, at the climax of the hymn, something strange caught his attention.

 

“…What is that?”

 

The stained glass of the cathedral served both as decoration and a shield against direct sunlight. Because of its design, any movement outside would cast a faint silhouette on the glass.

 

Tae Yujun rubbed his eyes and stared intently at the stained glass, high above him. There was definitely something moving.

 

“A person?”

 

At first glance, the figure outside seemed human. It had a head, and its arms and legs were flailing visibly. Judging by the outfit, it looked like a woman wearing a one-piece dress. But Tae Yujun couldn’t make sense of it.

 

This is the second floor. Moreover, it is a second floor of a building designed to be extraordinarily high, befitting its nature as a cathedral. For a human silhouette to appear in this window, the person would logically need to be at least four meters tall.

 

Unless they were stuck directly against the window. But that doesn’t make sense, does it?

 

“John! What are you doing, losing focus like that?!”

 

The parish priest bellowed furiously, pointing at Tae Yujun. The sight of the usually model student being reprimanded made his fellow seminarians tilt their heads in confusion, their gazes fixed on him.

 

It could have been a thoroughly embarrassing and unsettling moment, but Tae Yujun had no time for such feelings. The shadow outside the window had begun to move.

 

“Th-That…”

 

The moment Tae Yujun pointed, it happened. Crash! The stained glass shattered, and the figure outside burst through.

 

“Ahhh!”

 

“What—What is happening?!”

 

Standing closest to the window, Tae Yujun was showered with shards of glass. He raised his arm to shield his face, but the violent shattering left a cut on his cheek.

 

“Ugh!”

 

There was no time to dwell on the pain. He was horrified by the scene unfolding before his eyes. The figure that had smashed through the window was no human—it was a monster shaped like a human.

 

The monster twisted its limbs grotesquely, emitting a gurgling sound. As Tae Yujun had suspected earlier, it wore a floral one-piece dress, but its arms and legs bent at bizarre, unnatural angles.

 

Its face was even more horrifying. Where the eyes should have been, there were empty sockets crusted with dried blood, and the rest of its features were horribly disfigured.

 

“Ummph.”

 

For a moment, Tae Yujun held his breath. An overwhelming stench poured from the woman—or rather, the monster that dressed like a woman. Crack. The creature twisted its neck and fixed its hollow gaze on Tae Yujun. His entire body froze, paralyzed by sheer terror.

 

“Aaaaah!”

 

Paul, a fellow seminarian next to Tae Yujun, screamed as he leaped from the pew. But what happened next was the most horrifying of all. The monster, leaping like a grasshopper, landed squarely on Paul’s shoulder as he tried to run.

 

Crushed under the monster’s weight, Paul fell flat to the floor, and the creature sank its teeth into the back of his neck with a sickening crunch.

 

“Save me, save me!”

 

Paul screamed at the top of his lungs. Tae Yujun froze, unable to move. He awkwardly tried to shift his legs to run, but his steps stumbled and tangled.

 

“More are coming in! Run, quickly!”

 

A fellow seminarian shouted. Tae Yujun snapped out of his daze and looked back. About ten monsters were leaping through the broken window.

 

They wore high heels, carried bags, and had hoodies on—their appearance was eerily similar to the zombies from Hollywood movies. Their joints were grotesquely bent, as if life had been unnaturally forced into their dead bodies.

 

With the monsters increasing in number, the screams grew louder, and a desperate escape began. Dozens of people inside the cathedral tripped and tumbled over one another. In an instant, the interior of the church descended into chaos.

 

Terrified and panicked, no one could find the exit. Fortunately, a seminary student in the back row managed to open a door and yelled for everyone to escape. People fled so frantically that they left their shoes behind.

 

Tae Yujun also fled the cathedral, now a scene of pandemonium, and rushed down the stairs to the first floor. Huff, huff. As he ran, gasping for air, he slapped his own cheeks hard. Each time his legs grew weak, he struck his face again. It was his way of trying to bring himself back to his senses.

 

When he reached the lobby, the faster ones were already escaping the building. Tae Yujun joined the fleeing crowd. At that moment, Antonio, a fourth-year student, saw him and shouted loudly.

 

“Not outside! To the dormitory, John! The dormitory is safer!”

 

“Got it!”

 

Antonio was right. Monsters were already spilling in from outside the building. Escaping that way meant breaking through them. Fighting them barehanded was impossible. Those who had recklessly run outside were quickly caught by the monsters and met a horrific end.

 

Tae Yujun changed direction and sprinted along the path leading deeper into the premises.

 

The monastery dormitory was located on a hill, 500 meters away from the cathedral via a winding path. For an adult male, it was a short run, just a few minutes.

 

But the monsters gave no regard for limitations, unlike humans. They could climb roadside trees, leaping into the air and landing in the path to intercept and snatch up the slower runners.

 

“Ahhh!”

 

At times, they grabbed ankles, pulling victims down, then climbed on top to sink their teeth into their arms. Once a monster latched onto someone, it would never let go of its prey.

 

The sounds of monsters attacking people reverberated loudly from all around. The screams of the victims, so close they felt just within arm’s reach, sent chills racing down Tae Yujun’s spine. His legs threatened to buckle beneath him.

 

“Ah!”

 

The sound of someone falling came from nearby. Tae Yujun turned his head toward the source. It was Cecilia, the youngest nun of the monastery. She appeared to have badly twisted her leg and couldn’t get up.

 

“Sister! Can you walk?”

 

“No, I can’t… anymore. Just leave me behind.”

 

Her voice trembled as she fought back tears. Tae Yujun quickly scanned his surroundings before lifting her into his arms. Then, he took off running again. Cecilia wrapped her arms around his neck, her sobs muffled against him.

 

Behind them, the horrifying blend of screams and monstrous roars continued to echo. Tae Yujun gritted his teeth and ran with all his strength, desperate to escape the nightmare unfolding around them.

 

---

 

Won Hyuk had always been brimming with confidence when it came to driving. At one point, he had even raced in the F1 league. Even now, though he had left racing behind to focus on management, he still spent his days off in amateur races, indulging in the thrill of speed. He often said that the moment he sped off with his Jack Lauren felt like heaven.

 

But now, he felt he might have to take those words back, if only for a moment. Four or five monsters clung to the windshield of his Jack Lauren, with another four or five hanging onto the roof. Their gaping mouths emitted a foul stench as they let out shrill, ghastly cries. Their faces were horribly disfigured, eyeless, and the hunger in their eyes was unmistakable. It was clear—each one could barely restrain its urge to sink its teeth into Won Hyuk.

 

Crash! The window beside the driver’s seat shattered. A monster shoved its head through the broken glass, snapping and lunging, trying to bite at the edge of Won Hyuk’s trench coat.

 

“Shit.”

 

Every time Won Hyuk muttered a quiet curse, his sharp eyes radiated a dangerous presence. Objectively, he was undeniably good-looking. But his rough, chiseled features, broad shoulders, the knife scar running across his forehead, and his piercing three-white eyes gave him an intimidating appearance.

 

“Get off me, you pieces of shit!”

 

Won Hyuk yelled as he slammed the gas pedal. But the faster he drove, and the louder the engine roared, the more the monsters took interest. Those perched on the trees above leaped onto the car, while others scaling nearby buildings threw themselves toward him.

 

He weaved and swerved through the chaotic streets, showing off his driving skills in a desperate attempt to escape the monsters. But the damage to his car was mounting. Every time a monster landed with a heavy thud on the roof, deep dents were left behind.

 

If the road ahead had been clear, he could have easily rammed through the monsters and made his way to Yeongdong Cathedral. But that wasn’t an option. The streets were clogged with fleeing cars and panicked crowds. No matter how remarkable his driving skills were, navigating through the turmoil in the heart of Seoul wasn’t going to be easy.

 

Then another monster fell onto the windshield. Crash! This time, the force of the impact shattered the rearview mirror.

 

“This isn’t going to work. If I stay in the car, I’ll end up getting killed by the debris.”

 

With that, Won Hyuk made up his mind to abandon his beloved Jack Lauren. He opened the dashboard, grabbed two pistols, and pulled over to the side of the road as he began to decelerate. Before the car had fully stopped, he sprang out, throwing himself onto the pavement.

 

“Ugh!”

 

The impact of his body hitting the ground was immense. He tumbled and rolled, his trench coat scraping and tearing in the process.

 

“Ugh, that hurts.”

 

Won Hyuk cracked his neck to both sides as he stood up. The shock had been immense, but concerns about his body would have to wait. His beloved car, Jack Lauren, was completely engulfed by monsters. Oblivious to the fact that their target had already slipped away, they writhed and crawled over every inch of the vehicle, inside and out. Disgusted by the grotesque sight, Won Hyuk shook his head.

 

Leaving behind the chaotic sounds of blaring horns and sirens, Won Hyuk stepped into a narrow alleyway. After confirming no one was around, he reached into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper. Fortunately, it was neither scratched nor torn.

 

[Korean Catholic Church Registry – Baptized Name: John (Tae Yujun)]

 

Amidst losing his bodyguards, his Jack Lauren, and the looming threat that his money would soon be nothing more than useless paper, the registry was the most critical item to Won Hyuk.

 

His eyes lingered on the photograph attached to the document, and he whistled softly.

 

He had skimmed the registry when he first received it, but even now, the face left a lasting impression. It reminded him of a rose blooming in a swamp. Despite the dark, almost brooding expression, the sharp, elegant features couldn’t be concealed, even in a photograph. Won Hyuk brushed his thumb across the picture. If the photo was this striking, he wondered how the person would appear in real life.

 

“Tae Yujun. How am I supposed to meet you? I don’t have a car anymore, and buses or subways aren’t an option right now.”

 

Muttering to himself, he glanced around. Something caught his eye—a worn truck with a banner that read, “Delicious Sweet Potatoes.”