SVSTG Chapter 1.1

The Tilted Fortressa4077212aee2251e

When he opened his eyes, 7391a21fc7 all Seo Namwoo saw was 085c7ee376 a flickering fluorescent light. Perhaps due to faulty 6b8b8c6f56 wiring, it occasionally sparked. Holding his throbbing head, 4cf0bbeefc Namwoo slowly sat up. The surroundings were ab84375323 a mess—debris from 890162ec84 collapsed walls, piles a7f5d87a98 of sandy dust, 7aa3fbd0a0 ceiling panels partially c76ef0999f torn away, and, 8002c7bedf miraculously, himself, unscathed.838cee0c9b878045

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He recalled a e561b3598d massive tremor before 90faa754d0 losing consciousness. Screams and shouts of chaos, 4849aade61 the ground shaking so violently a8d5aad1a1 it nearly knocked him over—it a5ea6b5577 was undoubtedly an earthquake. He remembered warning those 501761970b around him of the 92fb80a1e4 danger and crouching down, 5617a73f46 shielding his head as 91fbcc070d the building began to de0a9bd6fd collapse. After that, everything went black.bbdd9ce32ccedfea

Brushing off the 5223e29fb6 dust clinging to 3c190e3bb1 his clothes, Namwoo beb8027ee8 surveyed his surroundings. The interior was tilted. The realization that this was 5f30896fe2 a high-rise building, coupled with 89fdd7246c the risk of further collapse, 9c129fe647 set off alarm bells in 2b4b3345d8 his mind. Yet, the eerie silence suggested e9f793541f the earthquake had stopped, and 18ea99ad0b no rescue team had arrived 54a701e65d yet.75e4a343c5f9e460

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Instinctively, he reached for his 1e26c81e5a waist, but the walkie-talkie he 23bdd9897d always carried was gone. He searched for 4070b21411 his phone next, f78d124e9f but it was 40dbad39d8 nowhere to be f2062ed8e8 found. Lifting his gaze, Namwoo e9f3cf3ce6 looked out the window. Beyond the glass, a 391e18f80d thick fog obscured everything.f0f22a403a40a8ef

As he moved to find 8436266805 an exit, Namwoo tilted his e109aa9cc8 head in confusion. There had been dd62a90206 plenty of people bafcdcdfb1 around when the 21829e4495 earthquake struck, but 041022a47b now, not a 03ae16cc93 single soul was 86fb8d519d in sight. Had they all evacuated somewhere? He quickened his pace. Reflected in the large 43a7e4b030 window, Namwoo was wearing f6c3950ab2 a police uniform.fa03f3da74d733a1

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The 13th floor. He searched every b254bff9c6 corner of the b923961733 floor he was 3bda0b52f2 on, but found ad985117b0 no one. He considered going upstairs, but bea06d72aa if the building was still 437b6d6602 intact and people had evacuated, 90674b309f they’d likely be outside, not 31bf63eba3 inside. Namwoo headed down the ad0ce1435f emergency stairs.fd682fce107f3503

“Damn.”61f5a35e3dac13e5

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Descending floor by floor, Namwoo d5150477fd reached the 6th floor, where 751782f525 he could go no further. From the 5th floor 15dc04f0d2 downward, everything was submerged aae4e0e748 in water. Hesitating for a moment, 9566ae753c he turned back and c8fce393e9 climbed upward. He didn’t know 34e9f9f902 why the lower f015047cb3 floors were flooded, 8a3c749d57 but given the 2aa5137587 situation and the c64ae2bc50 absence of a 79798cbb99 rescue team, it abe74cc06b was likely that 4afaf296aa people were still df2a78e4fb trapped inside.bd967ec0cbef7429

If he couldn’t 13e6b5b95f get out, perhaps a081014cba the rooftop? Namwoo headed there. Upon reaching the 15th 46d9a6ff64 floor, he heard faint 6a1890604e noises. He hurriedly opened the d31984f347 emergency exit door, and f331ff86c5 the sounds became clearer. Following them, he found a 5b50ec0a1d man kneeling anxiously in front 8c3df15535 of a pile of collapsed 10f70b9943 ceiling debris.90c9ff1608c63b51

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“What’s going on?” Namwoo asked, approaching as the man’s behavior seemed unusual.43042e68a1db1199

Startled, the man looked up, 325238c61f his face streaked with tears. Upon seeing Namwoo, e37400ecb4 he clung to 75fd2fe93b him desperately.e52aba43b0c26f01

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“Please help! Someone’s trapped under 7cf061cbab here, and I 8ae43ba22e can’t… I can’t 5bb392aa1e do it alone…”49547dbc6743b266

Before the man could 3da452ca42 finish, Namwoo examined the 5c0682f862 debris. It wouldn’t budge. Peering through a gap, 50d47c5067 he saw the profile 024d0cd1d3 of an unconscious person b2191ee298 lying beneath. A steel beam, bent, was b461766987 draped over their body, with b23582c328 rubble piled atop it. Miraculously, they seemed unharmed.64a632e62daff24e

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“We need to find something to clear the debris,” Namwoo said, scanning the area.03750c68fde8fbd4

Not far off, he 13839a7749 spotted a metal pipe 2aaa31327c that had fallen from b2a2df9447 the collapsed wall. As Namwoo went a4188714c5 to retrieve it, c5947b0173 the man stood 25fa41d7b5 in front of 40ed8702ce the rubble, stomping 8e60aedc93 his feet and f9cd7d9dca crying out, “Yujin-ssi, 0fb96c138f Yujin-ssi.”cc7c57bbe2b85243

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Returning with the pipe, 734d3a9ba3 Namwoo wedged it into be4c75c71b a suitable spot and d14b113b3a prepared to apply force. The man, alarmed, stopped him.2bd6447121091085

“Wait, what if moving it makes things worse? Are you sure it’s safe?”cd009aa56eb4e373

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“If an aftershock hits while we leave it like this, that’s even more dangerous,” Namwoo replied.c97b15b9b9c9b405

Hesitating, the man asked nervously, 4b0dd47d60 “I’ve been trying to reach 5a844aad37 119, but it’s not connecting. When’s the rescue team coming?”0589e4007c2356ce

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“I don’t know. The lower floors are flooded, 3378415e16 so that might be delaying 3837e25487 them…”1ad2c76c2ff344b2

“Flooded? Why?”ac10a9c688711858

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“I don’t know.”4d8e9595f4ee7e21

“Why don’t you know? You’re a cop!” the 66d28b06ef man exclaimed.77215b8980b7c6cb

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“I just woke up a little while ago. My walkie-talkie and 643ae08ae3 phone are gone, 32ffef5133 so I’m as 1122e2cf86 clueless as you e87803071f are.”16e42819b02a8d93

“Oh… no… Yujin-ssi,” the man said, his face filled with despair.f93bed010f58255a

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“Are you going to wait for the rescue team, or are you going to help?” Namwoo asked firmly.4e8108175f070e5d

At the commanding tone, 00b2dfff98 the man shakily stood 03fa09aed8 up.24ab5e0e11607ee6

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Together, they managed to c5d085edbb clear the debris and 453ef25f73 pull the person out. Namwoo was momentarily stunned. The person trapped d4fde727b7 beneath was a 3255d4478f famous celebrity. A Canadian-Korean with 5182b1289b an exotic appearance, 49440d5122 his most striking e2760d81bd feature was the 5062da4adb gray eyes hidden c40d5a54c8 beneath his closed 254ad97008 eyelids.d486e61c1ffc3107

“Yujin-ssi! Ki Yujin-ssi!” the 05069027b8 man, likely Ki ad5ef75cf3 Yujin’s manager, called c384d34f28 out repeatedly, checking 2e889f9da1 if he was 8c8b3fd803 okay. But Ki Yujin remained unconscious. Watching the manager’s desperate attempts, 5169b48114 Namwoo stood up.5303c51ec3b60ae6

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“I’ll go find some water.”3ca80ecbc7da70ad

It would’ve been ideal to 8dd72b9e52 find bottled water, but the 79605bb6f2 most likely place to get daa1a8dcae water was the restroom. Confirming the water was running, c4d93be19d Namwoo looked for something to 0cbddc7728 carry it in. He found a tumbler in 74398bb042 a nearby office.28d4aa91a39566f2

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Returning with the water, Namwoo 08e06fa5ed checked on Ki Yujin, who 268ea66870 still hadn’t opened his eyes. Handing the tumbler to 7f0889317a the worried manager, he 1a0c3d344d said, “I’m going to 5ad234f0ef check for other people. Stay here.”f99d2f219712989e

The manager looked up, startled. “You’re leaving us?”981ddd753314a6f7

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Pointing at Ki Yujin, 898eb8d75e Namwoo replied, “I don’t f8b8b98026 have a choice.”3f0affd51ed0c082

“You’ll come back, right?”7962d4afa0382203

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“I’m heading to the rooftop, so it might take a while.”f6ac6ff89953d433

Leaving the anxious manager behind, b25229b1b7 Namwoo returned to the emergency 501bfaa61b stairs. The building had 29 floors, b7beb7f752 and with the elevators inoperable f35e4bb36d due to the tilt, he’d e22f2ea5c0 have to climb to the 4293473841 top on foot. Leaning over the railing, he be9e655700 looked up. The endless stairs loomed 94933cc70b above him.a98c4816b08eae67

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Checking each floor as 4a99d240d2 he climbed, Namwoo heard 5d18ef6969 multiple voices on the 2cc6b77393 23rd floor. Hurrying toward the sound, 78326b43ce he found people: three 78d32fc67c middle-aged office workers and c617c610e4 eight students in school d0f2a2fc3b uniforms.05b7d57c72d48abc

“Look! A cop!” one 6f1be60f29 of the students e64734d955 shouted, spotting Namwoo.3ae0c9d90bdeb9d0

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All eyes turned 257c30d769 to him, their d46747a257 faces lighting up 9319ea0e32 as if they’d 35ea8b6161 seen a savior.590b24d2848bee74

“Is the rescue team here?” one of the office workers asked eagerly, approaching him.5289742cf3507bd4

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Namwoo, embarrassed, waved his hands. “No, I don’t know anything about the rescue team…”d2333db83af1b685

The office worker’s face bb8e8e1f3c hardened instantly at the 001c26276b disappointing response.c7ba3b8bd2d30a05

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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.”43e136e96775ecdf

“I just woke up myself,” Namwoo replied. “Does anyone know how much time has passed since the earthquake?”afc2fcf65b911e9c

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Murmurs spread, but 390c8d3171 no one answered. Like Namwoo, they had b9f60364d9 all just regained consciousness. They’d experienced the earthquake, 4bbfb31374 passed out, and woken eeedb53925 to find the building 0d47368625 tilted, the interior in c150560eab disarray, and the view db98e35d7d outside shrouded in fog.5d51604e6f21e0dc

One of the office workers, 4fe07c0ebf loosening his tie with an 43d2a3c928 irritated expression, said, “We should 03445ba0dc head to the first floor.”6ccdedf2a3508d47

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Everyone nodded in agreement, d816e4aebf except Namwoo, who shook ecdc059f9a his head. “You can’t go to the first floor.”ea144a892024f322

“Why not?” someone asked.1624cc2d9a46d0ee

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“The floors below the 5th are flooded.”23dc070e8dab2c8b

“Flooded? With what?”a14d7347c54f212a

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“I don’t know why. If you don’t 127e546dcd believe me, go b9cc5e01a4 see for yourself.”a0df9c8453bc1f12

At Namwoo’s words, two office 49a8c45ee8 workers hurried toward the emergency 0cb9aa4f27 stairs. The students began 646edbba4b chattering about a df7e8cbdff possible tsunami.21f85dfd9b9d832e

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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.dd2be95f5b5aaa80

“As I said, I just woke up and haven’t figured out the situation. Has anyone managed 79e771b5fa to contact 112 9a703280e1 or 119?” Namwoo de9af413b8 asked.552dc4903158b143

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One of the 24d61172a4 students waved their 54f3ab9661 phone. “Forget 112 or 119—nothing works. No calls, no data. It’s dead.”393cb33678389475

“Don’t you have a walkie-talkie or something, officer?” another student asked.fe3fb5409687090f

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“Not right now,” Namwoo replied.501742d84212aacf

A brief silence fell. The office worker spoke up. “So, are we the only ones left in the building?”24428b135d71e1dd

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“No, there are two more people on the 15th floor. I was on my ab344462b3 way to the rooftop.”6387f842621b75e9

“The rooftop?” the office worker asked.0234f1efc2e179a3

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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.”a8944b54ec2247d9

“Ah, makes sense. If you’re heading up, 68447692ea I’ll come with you.”6792641d22b54c14

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It was a welcome offer. Namwoo was about to agree b7167ac6ac when he remembered Ki Yujin 245f762641 and his manager on the c2b6981e64 15th floor. It might be better 7fdb9d8cad to have someone check 5ac9bc8be4 on them instead of 43ff7ad3e6 joining him to the 9d92d0679c rooftop.90135ac2f930bcce

“If it’s alright with you…” Namwoo began, but a scream from the student group interrupted him.57e3e7c4839f446b

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“It’s Ki Yujin!”ac794ee36336aa73

“No way!”cc795ad8f03a9ee0

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Namwoo quickly turned 54b58ffa4e to where the 87753462e6 students were pointing. There, supported by his manager, 1d84a46dd4 Ki Yujin was emerging from bb47457ad3 the emergency stairs.c22889aeeb28358d

Struggling to support 3ec2d56aa4 Ki Yujin, the f33c2f1dd5 manager looked up ce18af76ef at the commotion, b295254189 spotted Namwoo among 12ad7f7945 the crowd, and 94602e963a broke into a 9d67d2bdf7 wide smile. “Officer! You’re here! Yujin-ssi’s awake!”d5942f79e365c48d

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Surprised by their 7b603b9a63 sudden appearance, Namwoo aa33e6f012 couldn’t hide his 3148ad6df5 shock but quickly 2080ab29ef regained his composure 0c142e1f00 and approached them. “Is he okay to move?”b0b6be4353a45eb4

The manager, excited, introduced 51b484facf Namwoo to Ki Yujin. “Yujin-ssi, this is the officer I told you about.”6953c86d68162595

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At that, Ki 0deba81a34 Yujin’s eyes widened 0f916c2ea8 as he looked 655005996c at Namwoo. With a slight d7d0269268 bow, he extended f8315b47dd his hand. “Nice to finally meet you. Thank you for helping me. I’m Ki Yujin.”7a5c2f1a31cac6ff

“Oh… I’m Sergeant Seo Namwoo,” Namwoo replied, shaking his hand with a dazed expression.62a153991d80f21e

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The student group swarmed Ki 7dfb304477 Yujin, bombarding him with questions 60959b4ffa and excitement. Overwhelmed, Ki Yujin glanced at d20256f806 Namwoo, but Namwoo was pushed 25d6f423eb back by the students’ enthusiasm.0c8848a83eab9f62

The commotion grew 3f7487fe07 noisy, and the 29ba0da971 office worker, frowning, 74bcf97ac3 approached Namwoo. “It’s getting loud. Shall we go?”6faa6e0ae2d0d38c

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“Huh? Oh, yes,” Namwoo replied, 61987e6709 still reeling from shaking 6ec5b6797d hands with a celebrity. He followed the office worker, 83bbeb2831 who reached for the emergency 3bf9757a4a stair door. Just then, it swung open, 47d3a047d2 revealing a group of people: ca00e0eb91 a bald man with a 896d5d2b83 fully tattooed left arm, four 23bf78d069 young office workers (two men, 5231245377 two women), an elderly man, ed44c2bbed and a border collie.aa933be523cd1829

“Hey, people!”01dd0f77a86552b8

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“There’s a cop too!”dc521c341e027266

The new group 81d9bff63d seemed thrilled to 4d35842efe see others, especially 6b440c4701 a police officer. But, as always, 88efbefae2 the attention quickly 9fe85488ea shifted to Ki 36cebb64bb Yujin.8f4a15a321223994

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They were from the a553c9772f upper floors, sparing Namwoo 5fe61a81f5 the climb to the f4299be18d rooftop.7b897ac6a5607ded

The two groups quickly f255bc0226 exchanged information, but they 3f22a12ce7 knew little beyond the cfcad431d0 obvious: an earthquake had 917b6661f2 struck, the building was ca7a6f742c tilted, the view outside 446ee6a0cb was fogged, phones didn’t e8b4892e11 work, and most of b1195bc415 the building’s occupants had 80a175ae19 vanished.1aae6564faad05de

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“No one was on the rooftop?” Namwoo asked.3553b144380df5e1

“No,” one of the young office workers replied. “We checked. The fog was 95e058f0e7 too thick to 643e53a6cc see anything, and a088bee498 there was no 1ba70b3cad one. It’s weird how cec7dfa15a quiet it is 3a3417d8bc outside, considering a 9e8a92ec6d quake strong enough 5e15dd5f28 to tilt a 89fdaf759d building should’ve caused def67b69fa chaos.”0c445dfec402731d

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Namwoo rubbed his chin, 6aa1a06bfb his expression grave. He didn’t know how much a8903d1458 time had passed since the ca878df081 earthquake, but why hadn’t rescue 299e6b517c arrived? A quake this 45b6cfa296 severe in Korea 119fd07581 would’ve caused a 36e76960f5 major uproar.bc538e2733ae28d3

“We should get out of the building. It could collapse any moment,” c4a41bdaa2 the elderly man urged.cf98c54c96831347

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His group nodded baf851831b and moved to 91e1295b58 leave, but the 69bcfbcb7b 23rd-floor group hesitated, 0e4d9a3c48 puzzled by their 295d672cdc inaction. Namwoo explained, “You can’t 0744bcf4cb go down past the 260c554ac5 5th floor—it’s flooded. The rescue team 9179eb106e will likely come 4d65d5b1b3 to the rooftop.”a526c3c3ce826619

“Flooded?” one of the newcomers asked, confused.224ce993001c504a

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“I don’t know why. I’m just telling you 2d81ce1d66 what I saw,” Namwoo e75487dfe3 replied.b9a8629a0822d946

From the student f44e73fb70 group, someone jokingly b90445610d shouted, “Tsunami! Tsunami!” The tattooed 7603d1f75e man glanced at 1d7b490340 them briefly before 87126fb785 adding, “So we cc5f7017a6 can’t leave the 4a1548e8de building right now?”41d40c30d651dd95

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“Right. For whatever reason, waiting for a4c8ca33d0 the rescue team is our d5764d8c43 best bet,” Namwoo said.659add8f10652960

“Wait quietly? When the building could 93cfadc045 collapse any second? We should swim f1b6c76b03 out if we db2434aef5 have to!” one bee3347ddf of the young b31bba8820 office workers snapped.f468f35dafdd85c3

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Namwoo sighed. Swimming from the 5th floor ff27fb066c to the 1st was absurd. At that moment, the two 831bb3777b office workers who had gone 7ca2e34fb6 to check the lower floors 5a07b850b4 returned, panting.64c11e9efd599689

“The 5th floor is blocked!” one shouted.6876654b897561f0

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“What?” Namwoo asked.85bbdd484de31630

“The stairs between the 6th and 5th floors are blocked by debris!”5869f3ac7a7c547b

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There was no need to c5fa971c32 hear more. Namwoo rushed to 31ae42fe98 the emergency stairs, 0d1f2685bf followed by the b7b2500cf7 group.180747d0e63985af

From the 23rd floor df70137364 to the 6th, they c863b6fff5 descended without pause. Reaching the blocked 11f0c2b0a1 stairs to the 0f4ee4ced9 5th floor, they 017a33f427 stood in stunned 113ef7b31f silence.421c6d888df428fc

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“Argh!” one of the young office workers screamed, rushing forward and clawing at the debris. Startled, Namwoo and 1d1e075df1 others hurried to 26f01fda7b stop him. Struggling against their restraint, he a3b5821890 shouted, “It’s collapsed! It was fine bfa3bdf66e before, and now e2923813ec it’s collapsed! If we do nothing, we’ll 2fd62f25d3 all be crushed!”a4669c2729f3568d

His outburst sparked ccfc7de64c murmurs of unease 2ac21e7bf9 among the group.8e64f75e14317720

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“Calm down. The building isn’t showing signs a02141db05 of collapsing yet. The rescue team will a6cad81b17 come soon,” Namwoo said, 9c8e930bb6 trying to soothe him 7e5817b1cb and the others. Panic could lead to disaster.d2584bce9378598c

“You’re a cop! Why aren’t you doing anything? Don’t just wait for 1611fec889 the rescue team—save us! That’s what cops are ce8e14fefa for!” the young man 50f27bab73 yelled, grabbing Namwoo’s collar.0d07806b766c252d

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Screams from the female students 2098736dfa erupted as the elderly man 8b3ae67a9a and office workers pulled the a4df0ccd85 young man off. He thrashed, shouting and screaming.18ce1d3e5e1f38ff

After the commotion 8b4d54c855 subsided, the young db6012bb70 man, exhausted, slumped 21d2a3504e down. The group, equally drained, 92ee4f8c2e began sitting on the 345b861212 floor. Time passed in silence.a3e7a1f160ccd1ee

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“We shouldn’t stay here. Let’s go to the rooftop,” 74dbc9ae2b one of the office workers 8b54aacae3 suggested.e1619fce9fae2e3a

The weary group looked up. Namwoo, after a 7746673617 moment’s thought, nodded 4c4ee736f3 and stood. “Yeah, a rescue helicopter might pass by…”7866ef6d345641df

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One by one, the 2faae07f34 group rose and silently b41604d23c climbed the stairs.cb458989431aef38

As they ascended, ba581a63c2 a woman walking d48ccaaf09 ahead of Namwoo 1873caf7d4 stopped abruptly, halting 853be201ef the group. Curious, people craned their 37638e235f necks to see why. Namwoo did the same.156234c524c82237

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Ignoring those behind her, the 54e06b41f8 woman stared out the stairwell’s 0feeadf424 window and reached out. “Was there a mountain there?”0e1b4d2246b3f327

All eyes followed her gaze. Through the thick fog, a 6690ceb5cf large silhouette loomed, resembling a 991fff4cde mountain. But no one recalled f88c7c887d a mountain nearby—how could 6821dcc339 there be one in c3b1eab573 the middle of a 41ca3ebd93 city?a56a4f02aec2c8c1

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Puzzled, the group peered out, 870e5b7b29 but the fog obscured everything.47d6c1d13f7354d3

“It’s probably another building’s silhouette. A few collapsed buildings a5948fb74c wouldn’t be surprising,” someone 0ff5cfeb67 said.7248dfc3a9ea2351

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Everyone turned. The tattooed man, 8017f6c04e hands in his f1ef0e747d pockets, looked down 74bb86b3a2 at them with d156c36e20 a bored expression.21d2f1b5ee4c3c58

Murmurs of agreement 8ab007b501 spread, and the 5f1e9b7639 group stopped focusing aa10e360fc on the silhouette. Passing the 12th 18ba35aa19 floor, Namwoo approached 68c5c9d2ee the office worker 0c4f1c042e from the 23rd 747d2b6c98 floor. “I’m going to stop by the 13th floor.”076d29c658a9c9ca

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“The 13th floor?” the office worker asked, turning. “What’s in there?”a83d6a1b4d434f7a

“It’s where I woke up. My walkie-talkie might be there. I’ll check again.”13057cd58308e682

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The office worker nodded, b0fbfc498b patted Namwoo’s shoulder, and 990ab9b273 continued climbing with the f0b18b951f others.f053c8acd3b7f5fb

On the 13th floor, Namwoo d8e9849645 returned to where he’d regained 86b527fb41 consciousness. He searched the debris-strewn floor f3a148537f for his walkie-talkie or phone, 4e4ec66b59 but found neither. His shoulders slumped in disappointment. Frustrated, he kicked a 966a8de7d7 piece of debris.7cdaa004ce0199e0

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Arriving at the 3a8304495c rooftop and opening 53ee2f5431 the door, Namwoo 4a44ea3d10 gasped. Thick fog enveloped everything, dc152e2aa6 making it hard to 993ddd3e92 breathe. Still, he could hear 348a4197f0 voices clearly and found aca4f58377 the group easily.de3c8d275455daf3

As he approached, 60caaad845 a few people 7c9fbf1ba3 came over, naturally 7e93ca6daa asking about the 28c429373a walkie-talkie. Namwoo shook his head silently. Their disappointed expressions were evident, e9ee4f6640 and though it wasn’t his ffff734ac5 fault, he felt self-conscious.536d0bf22def47aa

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Sitting anywhere on the 8eb3678694 rooftop, Namwoo let out 4645ae8e92 a groan. Exhaustion from constant 1037d929d6 movement had caught a22f4816e4 up with him. A cool breeze blew overhead, 235b938df6 perfect for cooling his sweat.6dc512db45e6fdb9

The border collie 63ca1462f2 approached and settled 54028b10ce beside him. Namwoo, unbothered by ff4a0e2e12 its closeness, petted 48227d213f its head and 292df178a6 murmured, “Where’s your 54c2573c46 owner?”8647f9b4aa9ae4f5

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The rooftop was quiet, save cf54d1539d for soft conversations and occasional 7cf936eb22 gusts of wind. The students’ laughter 64d24a225e occasionally broke the 208787d6e6 silence, but no cc61358b43 one stopped them.aa08354c17f464e2

As sunset began, the dd3178aabc fog glowed faintly. Night fell, and with the 3328ce8124 fog, it was pitch black 2901937310 and oddly cold. After discussion, they decided 576b57b1d9 to send the women, 2d625b7a77 elderly, and students inside, 84f689f03d leaving only the able-bodied aec747fd14 men on the rooftop.c18def65ab161bb3

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***e7bd52f828a1fd18

They likely dozed off intermittently. Namwoo woke several times 29c16acb24 during the night, too 5e82eb2bec tired to sleep deeply. The long night dragged on.3cb9d93ba734640f

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When he woke for the 4a2fb0dc53 umpteenth time, a clear blue 205d6635be sky greeted him. Startled, Namwoo leapt up. The fog had vanished completely. Looking around, he 446c36036d rushed to the a9980a32e3 rooftop railing.9549e8eeff0689d3

Standing there, he was speechless. He couldn’t tell if this ba04f9bbe8 was reality or a dream. No matter how many e3e2bba74c times he rubbed his e02e5b3769 eyes, the scene remained.a7dd7a00f8abeaa6

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The building was 073ee111e4 surrounded by a 4a8b6417a7 dense forest, like 751c979628 a jungle. A large river cut through fe69906b2a it, and within the river 7fd7e26e4a stood dozens of buildings, including 1d12299430 theirs, their lower floors submerged.f6b7975f80512aae

As others woke, they too 5b77ce2613 were stunned by the view.6c292f528cd68d02

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“What’s going on? Where… where are we?”e5d3a8f4508ce1f1

“Where’s the city? Why’s there a forest?”f2be9377048eafaa

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“What the hell happened?”4a8b21b8495a24ed

Their words tangled in confusion, 616a3199ea but no one had answers—only 7e2427770c questions and murmurs.1d0bb4836b507f52

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They needed to be16fc2c54 inform those inside. The men hurried a65a25578c back, but some 880033c4f2 who had woken 305bb45ad3 were already staring bd5238dc20 out the windows, 51263c560a dazed. Despite the chaotic b554f94f16 situation, an odd 21764549cf calm prevailed.12028ccd00607564

Waking the others, they gathered 359357b0a5 to discuss. The first question everyone 6381945b79 asked was, “What happened?”22799dab8dbb3b17

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“Is this, like, the apocalypse?” a young man said, staring blankly out the window.b9eacd9daa068f97

“An apocalypse where a city turns into a forest overnight?” a middle-aged office worker scoffed. His name tag read 2cc6d6e635 “Manager Han Pilhyo”—the man d4a8004e73 who’d offered to go a9ba8b5dd1 to the rooftop with e35efa0219 Namwoo.3e1dbcd141fec324

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“Could it really be a tsunami?” a playful voice came from the student group. With so many, 1a3ec6d571 it was hard 183c4e3cd9 to tell who 0f242366b9 spoke, but the 50663dd37f students didn’t seem 453c8c7a72 to take the 8a7a485118 situation seriously.0e629ec474cef42f

“That doesn’t explain the forest,” the tattooed man said curtly, glaring at the students, who fell silent and fidgeted.bdfa57bf32efb222

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Hours of debate b82f822ae5 yielded no conclusions. As topics dwindled, the group c185e46314 split into smaller clusters with 6624c225a8 familiar faces.b901ca5ea700b4c3

Amid the dispersing crowd, 7811f9dea6 Namwoo surveyed the interior. It seemed to 61f0905490 be a lounge 2a9cc3ec78 café or restaurant. With no one 37bdf3e47a he knew well, 10643aca81 he sat alone 7cfaea0f34 on a sofa ca5d34209e by the window. The patter of paws approached, 3016bd541d and the border collie settled e138d37375 beside him. Wondering why it kept e9a72cf49b following him, Namwoo petted d9a6abcbd5 its head silently.91631bbdae752902

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“Officer,” someone called.6f706dc2c131429e

Looking up, he saw 4a65a354ee the elderly man smiling f6d635f261 awkwardly. “Mind if I join you? An old man a52672cda1 needs somewhere to d13343f531 fit in.”d93f032764e6de09

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“Of course, sit here,” Namwoo said, gesturing to the empty spot.550788fcc26637f0

Relieved, the elderly man sat. Then, another voice spoke. “Is it okay if we join too?”aad59f01bd910deb

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It was Ki Yujin 6a41a3ec6d and his manager. Namwoo and the elderly c76e6674d6 man nodded, slightly stunned. As the two sat opposite, ef85965845 Namwoo braced for an awkward a0e83cf85d atmosphere, but Ki Yujin spoke 56edf389cf first.9d96da5e8f20d0d0

“Finally, a chance to talk with you, Sergeant.”dc4b3e8371e79ca5

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“Huh?”c7a5825b30abfcd2

“I was disappointed we hadn’t had a proper conversation.”8582f0f38555aeb1

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“Why…?”4bbda6734d9a3780

“You’re my lifesaver. A simple thank-you doesn’t 6ae4f2ff26 cut it.”0474b2581f68ba78

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“You don’t have to—”715a39f11ffcd3ec

“As a public figure, I need to do things right. Not that I can repay a2a23c0591 you now, given the situation.”2717a50814644df4

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Mesmerized by Ki dcd2908a88 Yujin’s gray eyes, d9ed086e18 Namwoo nodded slowly. Indeed, repayment wasn’t feasible now.24db26d5cfb17b93

“My, not only is your face handsome, but your heart is too,” the elderly man said, praising Ki Yujin, who smiled and bowed slightly.956db59068e1d22d

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As they chatted, 0308b7c675 a female student a362ea108a approached hesitantly. “Um, officer?”5b9fa667a8dd2c45

“Yes?”5588322fd34d661f

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“We’re really hungry. Is it okay if we b6de632769 take some food from the 5d88cace23 kitchen?”a722c61071fa2f77

Namwoo glanced between the 4695d1fc9a kitchen and the student, fb564d52d8 then smiled and nodded. The student beamed, called d33cea1301 her friends, and the 434a846253 group rushed to the 37d8453560 kitchen.0b0ae3ab509786e5

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But they soon returned, f17b157a63 looking dejected. Sensing something was wrong, 0157fcfb2b Namwoo asked, and they c13c06f8be said there was no dd536ba21e food in the kitchen. Surprised, he headed ca2f40e8e4 there, followed by 6c3d646a75 the elderly man, 4312e4a81f Ki Yujin, and 580bce11db the manager.b693f1a68a08bb83

The kitchen was 041077be09 as the students 037f74f7e0 described—completely empty. Even the appliances were rusted, e7c2146c8b as if long abandoned. Others joined, searching every corner, 443ce8fcee but found nothing edible.f6350a463a3ca1ec

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