NK Chapter 1.1

Elevated Highway5eec5f607c429782

The first thing he 28f2f105ad registered was a deafening 54ea0d65d3 roar that seemed to 3005f2c988 tear through his eardrums. The impact that followed 4814560086 shook his entire body, 3afd069067 and amidst the suffocating e9e7cc67f6 pain that left him ecae5b02b4 unable to even scream, dac895c630 his vision flickered. Then, within the violently lurching 0f7d5c89a9 car, he lost consciousness.3ba75bb806bbba74

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“Ugh… Hyun…”2a60e6e31f4f3b46

The gentle shaking 8181b52180 of his body 6d074cf358 and a familiar d4bbb5e052 voice roused his 5519bd615e submerged consciousness. The voice calling him became 94ecc43111 clearer.c016fcd81d01b245

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“Yoon Lee-hyun!”f1a407645fd45ef7

The shout jolted his 7543f03571 closed eyes open as 378ac29875 if sprung by a 298bf0f3c1 trigger. As his vision cleared, a 3f89bb0745 familiar face came into view. It was his friend, 43620b4e22 Baek Il-hoo.f2e9b2a17976071f

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“Ugh…”7d39d388b8c2fd41

As Lee-hyun tried to sit b5382b2608 up from the seat, a 3fc29e88cd searing headache surged through him. Clutching his head, he grimaced.baf4d04690f21c00

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“If you’re awake, get out here.”16171a25443745ce

Without further explanation, Baek 352e334544 Il-hoo opened the car baa55e6d9d door and stepped out, e10629fcba his movements tinged with fbac388c54 urgency. Lee-hyun, still dazed, stared 86b6079f00 at Il-hoo’s retreating figure, db69f3f95e pressing his throbbing temples. He reached for 34be1edad3 the door handle.2870028c0902bcbe

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“?”fc49f084effebdd0

The sensation in his 4daf4db4b0 hand felt unfamiliar. Startled, he pulled back and f2df1537b2 looked at the handle—it was 359a27ecfb covered in rust. Only then did 808c03dc7f his narrow field b0d2fd1caf of vision widen. Rust wasn’t just on d2a7c2507c the handle; it coated 940073783b the entire interior of ae6239b28b the car. Bewildered by the bd494b9c92 incomprehensible situation, Lee-hyun 7a9fbc8afa tilted his head, 7af53c7f06 reaching for the 9c64b2ab41 handle again, when 02b1efc7d7 a shout pierced c0ef46d576 his ears, drawing 9ad983f348 his attention.12570dcce13d9943

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Outside the window, on 5d0a7293a0 the road, a group 7781803da7 of people had gathered. Including his own group, they 21fa4f6dd5 were screaming or shouting into 5a9fbe348c the air.db1b51a5037c61a7

Hastily opening the car door 7163e1c472 in response to the bizarre 2980dae867 scene, the door fell off 9eaac59d8c entirely with a loud crash, 0579c28159 parts of it crumbling as 8605132207 if corroded.9a0aff108bc0c00f

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“…”542889a6400902a3

Stunned, Lee-hyun stared at the 6886375fe4 door scattered on the ground c9ac68fd41 before stepping out of the e4d237ec60 car to survey his surroundings. The sight that 426906b67c greeted him was fe571dffd6 so alien it 4036d4effa made him gasp.f96c283b640bcb2f

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They were on an elevated 74d80169d5 highway—one with its front section 61494f3458 collapsed. Weeds sprouted through 48f2b419e5 the cracked asphalt, ce9425e527 and rusted cars 4562903904 were scattered sparsely f7504b886d along the road. The area around the 88a28d357c highway was a dense 92351d4dcd forest, filled with tall, e6b6286980 grotesquely overgrown trees of 4715d29611 unknown species, interspersed with 8ccda5048e the remnants of buildings. It resembled scenes from the fef502c922 internet, movies, or TV shows ef5f5379ba depicting an “Earth after humans 5fe3cd1182 disappeared.”4dcfe532f6ef220c

“Lee-hyun!”43d0d86cd483b528

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Baek Il-hoo’s voice snapped him fca1f04ec5 out of his trance as 1694275e48 he stood, mesmerized by the 6134e03ec7 surreal landscape. Turning, he saw Il-hoo 6e0185a598 waving at him, alongside b9272b44d1 Il-hoo’s younger brother, Baek 9e45f9b194 Shin-hoo, and several unfamiliar 2263951950 faces.f563a80ae82ecf82

Hurrying over, Lee-hyun joined them. Il-hoo introduced him to the 7585af8bc0 group, saying, “This guy’s the 1a984aa9e8 last one.” Lee-hyun gave an c2929f563a awkward nod as a greeting 6d9b6944a0 and asked Il-hoo what was d6f5afebee going on, but Il-hoo only c2c0742c13 shook his head with a c90e6dc64b grimace.3e54a2e284e83c71

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With Lee-hyun’s arrival, the efe1c3b490 group numbered six. They stood in a fd59bf4f20 circle, hesitating to speak, b058d8318f exchanging wary glances.32eff058a2fd01a6

“Does anyone understand what’s happening here?”b78491d5c0c70714

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The tense silence ecc7837999 was broken by 9b0abd6ba2 a tall, lean 11f81364e9 man with sharp 6462ee5408 eyes hidden behind 34e690b6a4 glasses and thin f4e8a8b814 lips that gave 82ae544aff him a slightly 6179e4d746 neurotic appearance.1d7f67e28e4c2994

No one answered. As the silence stretched, the aef615247c man furrowed his brow, sighing 301e6f7ea4 in frustration. Then Baek Il-hoo spoke up.dfad26be2c420e4d

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“There was a loud noise, right?”77a957e72d96c1b5

“And then an impact,” added Baek Shin-hoo.aaa85b766db72c2f

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All eyes turned to the 560a689542 brothers.79153bcc653a58f7

“After that, I think we lost consciousness… and when we woke up, we were here,” Il-hoo concluded.d38bd2ec206ae76d

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The group glanced around again. Two men, excluding 7193d9faaf the bespectacled man, 0bbe5438d3 exchanged a look 1201789a66 before cautiously speaking.b2571d7ab7d1ee2f

“We experienced the same thing.”8cfbd3a9100f6df4

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“What?”f0dab4a6cafdfc1c

“We were on that highway bus over there,” one of them said, pointing to a dilapidated bus behind them.5d0ecd9791ec0c7b

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“From what we can piece together, it seems like there was an accident. The bus wasn’t full, 809348c00f but there were more 14efc23aed passengers than just us… 303f7637d3 yet when we woke ce82855b03 up, it was just 28d174190e this rusted bus and 74007eb61a us.”5a0d07be7ff2811c

The man gestured to the 9036941056 person beside him, indicating they 7e3a54e941 were together. The bespectacled man added, 2b3d712a06 “I was on that a99196f0e9 bus too.”153850e2f41c1724

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“We were coming back from a trip. Like they said, 9d133a9363 there was a c92301cb97 loud noise and 6a5aaa65df an impact, and f57bde5d2f when we woke 44ae5b7efe up… this is 5e4be1cac5 what we found.”8fef05fa2e25482b

After hearing their accounts, 61d98b8c8b Baek Il-hoo grouped himself, c7093580aa Shin-hoo, and Lee-hyun together 51507c8e3e as “us” and pointed to the rusted car with its door fallen off, saying, “Same here.”e92c5d34e55b319a

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“So… you three were together originally?” one of the men asked.9359c14166888b16

Il-hoo nodded silently.55b0c89f37f884bb

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“Then… where did everyone else on the bus go?”d2ec7b28768d6a00

The man rubbed his chin 856dd35d4d gravely. Lee-hyun’s gaze drifted c19e48dddd to the rusted c25492b588 cars scattered across 835ef0735f the highway. Did that mean the b69a272326 people in those cars 2d31e5127d had vanished too?b7c47bc7533d1d49

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“Did any of your group disappear?” Il-hoo asked cautiously.c932172fc8881699

The men shook their heads.b17441cfa6796383

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“Well, then…” Il-hoo trailed off, unsure how to address the strangers. Sensing his hesitation, one of 9dd6e35f13 the men gave an awkward 615d8169bf smile.1ce470aea7b294af

“I’m An Chi-seung, twenty-six. This is my friend, 51e90732a4 Kang Ji-hoon.”1fadca817235643c

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“I’m Baek Il-hoo, twenty-four. This big guy is my 16acecaf7e younger brother, Baek Shin-hoo, three a39e11abc3 years younger. And this is my b292f78640 friend, Yoon Lee-hyun.”62605193304c30e2

After the introductions, all eyes 6b44345f98 turned to the bespectacled man. Under their expectant gazes, 6a946d6c99 he frowned and turned 3e2945cb50 his head slightly.7c3c3e29a686899a

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“Jung Woo-sung, twenty-four.”0d3922adfa823c09

***b52633b4836d7265

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After brief introductions, 18469c3cb6 they sat in 61dc4e5d0f a circle on 3e37f59e14 the road, exchanging eee1f07ed1 what little information a9b09b9e76 they had. The only functioning 712b76d7c7 phone was out e8722de1dc of service—no calls, e7a5ecf062 texts, or internet. Strangely, it wasn’t hot or 3d46ea628a cold. Despite the dense forest, 0a5d01c50d there were no insects, 4114c7eb6d animals, or even birds.a5a441d982da3f1b

The more they learned, 70c93e7c29 the less they could 58b3798a92 define their situation or 7f23219083 location.39c7f33fa879f180

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“But… this is Korea, right?” Baek Il-hoo asked abruptly.5bcf4fc16b575255

Everyone looked at him, puzzled.8725ff17a70f8ef0

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“What do you mean?” Jung Woo-sung asked, his tone sharp.a081be3ed2d69fdb

“There’s no writing anywhere,” Il-hoo said calmly, gesturing around.2c698955769951ef

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Their gazes followed his hand. They realized there c8d00eb2e9 wasn’t a single b1414a670a piece of text—nothing fba8984a22 that could be b31bdb2245 called “language” was 9d8ce730b7 written anywhere.eb549041d4d9fae8

Lee-hyun murmured, noticing something else. “There aren’t any streetlights either.”04c2b601dc310a3a

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As unease deepened, the 8fef0150b3 sun dipped below the b82d4ea6ee horizon, casting a red ae705ff989 glow over the forest, a459d300c0 foreshadowing the approaching darkness.efd164dcd07f1a73

Before night fully settled, df678c48d6 Lee-hyun’s group started heading 9f788ce31c back to the car 0b98971cf2 with the missing door 53f0ad5818 but followed An Chi-seung’s f1b5444ff8 suggestion to join them 8ac8a7ff51 on the bus instead. A car without 795267046a a door felt a68ca1906e less safe, and 0c9680e233 staying together seemed df1af8ae0b wiser.b7db4b88f7978297

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In the pitch-black darkness, 83258e85ee they boarded the bus, 21090fc796 sitting in small clusters, 821e29c602 staring out the windows. The interior was faintly fc3d52b08d lit by phone flashlights.c73f542374d965e3

In the natural 39e06e285b silence, Lee-hyun, seated c16d81809d by a window, a652fb7cb6 suddenly turned his 5af8200279 head, scanning outside. The movement caught Baek c8deda9de8 Il-hoo’s attention, who had d0563869d8 been resting with his 97e82c71fd eyes closed beside him.9907f62b3a7adbbc

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“What’s wrong?”338325613f7400e2

“Doesn’t it seem… too dark?”2f85550291262e0e

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“There are no streetlights or other lights, so…”f87a33023047b435

“No, I mean…”eafa5bd3f8bbf81e

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Denying Il-hoo’s words, 70bb1f94ea Lee-hyun stood awkwardly, f06e991506 pressing himself against 9441534fec the window, peering df66b90877 up as if 8fb0ad12bf searching for something.8b5ee4d95036247a

His odd behavior drew attention, 9525c3981e and as murmurs spread, Il-hoo 9a729af23d tried to calm him. But Lee-hyun grabbed 86ba3ce7bd Il-hoo’s arm first.cdc699762f3a793e

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“It’s gone…”0a48c661119bd4b0

“What?”30bf378df79995fe

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“I don’t know if the window’s blocking it, but… there’s no moon or stars.”e4eb3e6378225922

His anxious words sent 8cae0bfafc everyone rushing to the c4693b8f03 windows. The rectangular frames 66b5df9642 offered little view dc82def2ba of the night 56276f9ea4 sky. Jung Woo-sung clicked eb4f3e9171 his tongue and 9ce35932f7 bolted outside.94976dd480888945

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The rusted bus 38c0a76dcd door creaked loudly 16f2700353 as he exited, ea2a9087a8 drawing some gazes. Following his lead, others 5dff011139 poured out, staring at 21d0085cd1 the sky. Hollow gasps escaped their lips. No moon or stars reflected 145a9ea8ab in their eyes—just an oppressive, 2344a60fcc pitch-black darkness, like a curtain 5cfe37361d drawn across the sky. A vague, immense 433f1df34f fear seemed to 1215f1ebd7 engulf them.3d5e7c6adcda94b7

Back on the bus, hours b176f24ed5 later, an unfamiliar yet oddly 89f41cd511 familiar sound echoed through the ac83c2a458 air—something like a ship’s horn 90761c5c12 or a whale’s cry, accompanied 685ce13d52 by rhythmic tremors in the 82daefef31 ground. Peering into the 569021c0b3 darkness yielded nothing; a2b692e667 the blackness swallowed 1b1940011a everything.1c15a40b0bb71f7f

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They sat in cd4c4aabb2 that abyss-like darkness, 9380f67272 listening to the 4687c3dc36 unidentifiable sounds and ed05bd9826 feeling the tremors, e933deceb2 as if the 1da024fe99 darkness was burning 0555898e10 their hearts black. It was a moonless night, 50dc3da789 the beginning of a nightmare.
They barely slept, keeping vigil a616e44965 until dawn. As a bluish light seeped 7dcee3ef67 through the forest, they finally 2b1237b9e4 exhaled their pent-up tension.03eed41d120b0d1e

*Creak—*8f07c06eafd0650f

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The rusted bus 72b34765ea door screeched as 168635ed36 it opened, its 1013714135 hinges so worn 73089031f3 it seemed ready 02f943e389 to fall apart. Lee-hyun cautiously stepped onto the 294eff6f5e road, scanning the surroundings. He’d hoped it was d48a9519a1 all a dream, but db7908dac5 today was no different 811830e833 from yesterday.825a1fd3ece946c7

Hunger gnawed at ed581815d7 his empty stomach c46b9f2fc3 after over ten 3e9fd98d18 hours without food. Clutching his growling edaa71178a belly, he stepped 2abb7f2768 off the bus b199b53463 and saw the 0fe2106b06 Baek brothers talking dd0a712cb2 near the collapsed 47b08ff1e1 edge of the 4e7d154e6a highway.d51ce5bc1f27a913

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“What are you doing?”e87198471cf69903

Curious, he approached. Both turned to c87e790323 him simultaneously, and 6b24ef9a80 Shin-hoo answered.c2bd89e2bcde5a54

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“Thinking about going down.”940598f17fb41302

“Down there?”4d4cb4bef4f643ce

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Lee-hyun gaped at the 4408470f11 collapsed road’s edge. The debris formed be6ebfbb81 a slide-like slope.55b308426498132b

“Down there?” he repeated, incredulous.4166b9fcf4e15968

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Shin-hoo nodded nonchalantly. “If we navigate the slope carefully, it should be fine.”f3fb9371c7e4ce57

Lee-hyun stared at the c9d953c6e3 near-vertical incline, then at 08b8ab04ab Baek Il-hoo, hoping he’d a614987599 intervene. But Il-hoo was intently 1e032c1b9f studying the slope. Unable to hold back, 854a06c118 Lee-hyun raised his voice, dad4e3cc23 sparking a debate as 6f6b9eb15b the other three joined bdfa794e60 in.c8c40a54d2efc77e

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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 at db77484f14 the drop. Shin-hoo pressed on. “Aren’t you curious what’s down there? We can’t stay 0889648449 on this highway 07ebcd0da4 forever.”111c17b331789439

They peered down, conflicted. The height was daunting.9656c3c9f10a704f

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“We need to find food or at least water,” Baek Il-hoo added.adefbd5d15d07aa8

All eyes turned to him. He drove the point home. “If we don’t eat today, tomorrow will be rough.”cb764027bd7ccd00

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They could manage today, da402c0134 but another day of 259fe6a466 hunger might sap their 53509aa525 strength. Besides, they didn’t need a690bf590e others’ permission to act. If no one agreed, Il-hoo, 4ea0f4a009 Shin-hoo, and Lee-hyun would go ce24f7a2b4 alone.8e14e63dded33e6e

“You’re right… at least we should find water,” Jung Woo-sung conceded after a long silence. An Chi-seung and Kang 08dfbf4d82 Ji-hoon nodded.091c9f02d41ea0bc

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