Seojun studied Bobby’s narrow shoulders and twig-thin arms, then clicked his tongue in disapproval.
Bobby and I are practically the same size. If we run into Gas Mask, neither of us stands a chance...
To make matters worse, Bobby was even shorter than Seojun. With his slight frame and a personality that inspired very little confidence, he hardly looked dependable.
The longer Seojun stared at Bobby’s frail back, the more urgently he wanted to find Johan and William.
He quickly folded the crumpled map, slipped it into his pocket, and prodded Bobby forward.
“Bobby, pick up the pace. You can do it. I believe in you, so you should believe in yourself too!”
“Uh-huh!”
Seojun gave the axe an encouraging wave.
The blade cut through the air beside Bobby’s ear with a faint buzz, almost like a passing bee.
Spurred on by Seojun’s relentless encouragement—which felt suspiciously like being pursued by a debt collector—Bobby quickened his steps.
Seojun nodded inwardly in satisfaction.
Sometimes, people needed both the carrot and the stick.
Before long, they reached the mountain cabins.
The area was just as dark and unwelcoming as when Bobby had left it.
Bobby swallowed nervously and reached for the cabin door. Despite the tremor running through his body, his voice came out surprisingly clear.
“You brought me here, so you’re going to spare me now, right? Right?”
“Yes. I won’t forget your... bravery anytime soon, Bobby.”
The irony of those words was not lost on Seojun, who had long since considered using Christina and the others as shields against Gas Mask and the man-eating monster.
He could clear up Bobby’s misunderstanding later.
For now, his attention was fixed on confronting Johan.
“......”
Yet the moment Seojun’s hand touched the door handle, he hesitated.
A strange mixture of anticipation and anxiety prickled beneath his skin.
Bobby gave him a puzzled look, but as usual, Seojun paid no attention to him.
The door creaked open.
Seojun’s gaze sharpened as he surveyed the cabin.
Then he quietly called his guide’s name.
“Bobby?”
“I didn’t lie! This is where we were staying!”
Bobby’s voice rose defensively.
The small cabin was empty.
“Who said you were lying?”
“Put down that bloody axe, and then we can talk!”
“Why are you so nervous? Life is too short to spend it jumping at shadows.”
Bobby looked offended by the rebuke.
However, since he held only a lantern while Seojun carried a bloodstained axe, he wisely chose not to argue.
Satisfied by Bobby’s sudden restraint, Seojun murmured,
“It isn’t your fault.”
Although Seojun was not particularly fond of Bobby, there was a trace of genuine warmth in his voice.
This was not a plot someone like Bobby could change.
The brutal slaughter waiting ahead, along with the screams and terror that would accompany it, had already been decided.
They were trapped inside a predetermined nightmare.
“This isn’t something we can handle...”
Seojun stood motionless in the cramped cabin.
His voice was thick with exhaustion. He tried to sound casual, but the fatigue seeped through every word.
A sudden pang of loneliness struck him.
He pushed it away almost immediately.
Loneliness? Now?
One wrong move could get me killed.
Meeting Bobby must have dulled Seojun’s judgment.
This was hardly the time to indulge in useless emotions.
He cautiously moved deeper into the cabin.
The rumpled bedding and the footprints left across the bed confirmed that Bobby had been telling the truth.
Seojun grimaced as he surveyed the mess.
The cultural divide runs so deep. It never seems to get any smaller...¹
After a moment of thought, the pieces finally fell into place.
Seojun turned toward Bobby.
“Their belongings are still here, so they can’t have gone far. Bobby, can you think of anywhere your friends might have gone?”
He paused, then added in a soothing tone,
“They wouldn’t simply abandon you. You have such dependable friends. Surely they would come running if they knew you were in danger.”
“......”
Bobby’s expression darkened.
His lips tightened into a thin line, as though he had suffered a grave injustice.
Then, in a trembling voice, he declared,
“They must be at Christina and Airi’s cabin. Johan is playing dirty! He knows Christina and I have been getting closer lately. It isn’t fair for him to make a move the moment a powerful rival steps away!”
“I may not be on the best terms with any of you, but that sounds... doubtful.”
Bobby’s outrage was palpable.
The fear he had clung to only moments ago appeared to vanish entirely.
Seojun raised an eyebrow at the sudden outburst.
Bobby was not even Korean, yet somehow he had leapt straight to the most dramatic possible conclusion.
“Johan Gentil! I thought we were friends!”
Bobby continued ranting as he stamped his feet, apparently forgetting every trace of camaraderie he had just invoked.
Seojun blinked at the spectacle.
The agitated Bobby looked like an overinflated balloon on the verge of bursting.
“Bobby, calm down.”
Seojun shifted the axe into clearer view, partly to reassure Bobby and partly as a precaution.
Life was unpredictable, after all.
“Ugh!”
Before Bobby could lower his voice, a brilliant light flooded through the entrance of the dim cabin.
The sudden brightness forced Seojun to squint. After spending so long in darkness, it was almost painfully blinding.
Shielding his eyes with his left hand, he peered toward the doorway.
Christina stood there holding a lantern, an awkward expression on her face.
“Christina, is Bobby in there?”
Airi, William, and Johan appeared behind her one after another.
Christina glanced toward Bobby with a peculiar expression.
“Uh, yes. He’s inside.”
It was obvious that she had heard what Bobby had been saying.
His face flushed crimson beneath the lantern light, leaving him no chance to hide his embarrassment.
Standing behind Christina, Airi patted her friend’s shoulder and stepped into the cabin.
She zipped up her summer jacket while muttering about the cold, then complained irritably,
“Bobby, where the hell were you? William and Johan came all the way over to our cabin because they were searching for you...”
Her voice trailed off.
“Wait. Seojun?”
Airi noticed him a moment later, but the rest of her sentence died on her lips.
Seojun, who normally remained neat and composed even while spouting the most absurd nonsense, looked utterly ruined.
His once-bright red vest was torn and stained with dark patches. His black trousers and formerly white sneakers had turned a muddy gray.
His clothes were only part of the problem.
Seojun himself looked as though he had been dragged through hell.
Scratches covered every patch of exposed skin. Dried blood and grime smeared his hands and shoulders. Bruises darkened his ankles, wrists, and cheekbones.
His hair was a wild mess, and a feral gleam lingered in his eyes.
The lantern light exposed his battered condition without mercy.
Then there was the axe.
The edge of its blade gleamed ominously in his hand.
Airi stared at it, speechless.
No one could blame her.
“Jun?”
Johan, however, seemed less concerned by the axe than by Seojun’s bloody, dirt-streaked palm, probably injured from gripping the handle too tightly.
He stepped into the glow of Airi’s lantern, leaving his face partly hidden in shadow.
Seojun narrowed his eyes, trying to read his expression, but could make out very little.
Even so, Johan’s blue eyes seemed to shimmer within the darkness.
They held a sharp, cunning glint, like the gaze of a coyote watching from the edge of the wilderness.
It did not suit Johan’s usually bright and easygoing nature.
For one fleeting moment, it felt as though some sly creature were lurking nearby beneath his skin.
“Jun, you’re hurt.”
Johan’s warm, familiar voice broke the tension.
He approached Seojun without the slightest hesitation.
For a moment, Seojun wondered whether Johan had somehow failed to notice the weapon in his hand.
He quickly dismissed the thought.
William, for instance, had already positioned himself protectively in front of Airi.
Christina looked tense, while Bobby had taken refuge close beside her.
Johan’s eyes were every bit as sharp as those of a seasoned desert traveler.
Yet whether he was a coyote, a wanderer, or simply Johan Gentil, he gently guided Seojun toward the bed and made him sit.
“Stay still. I have a first aid kit.”
Then he glanced at the weapon.
“And put the axe down...”
Johan knelt beside Seojun and began searching through his bag.
If Seojun had chosen to attack, he could easily have brought the axe down on Johan’s head.
Seojun was clearly not the only person aware of that possibility.
Perhaps feeling vindicated at last, Bobby blurted out,
“Johan, get away from him! He’s a murderer! A complete psychopath! He threatened me too!”
Bobby’s panicked accusations echoed through the cabin as Johan continued searching.
At last, Johan turned the bag upside down.
Its contents spilled across the floor: an umbrella, a cellphone, underwear, cigarettes, a wallet, and one solitary lemon.
At the very bottom lay a compact first aid kit.
Johan picked it up and immediately began taking out bandages and ointment.
“Jun, let me see your hand.”
Seojun met Bobby’s frightened stare.
Bobby was still fixated on the blood-covered axe as though it were the only thing standing between him and death.
But Johan stood directly in front of Seojun—a towering, 194-centimeter quarterback whose sheer size radiated stability.
Somewhat reassured, Seojun obediently placed the axe on the bed.
“Fine. Thanks.”
“Leave it to me.”
Johan’s reply was gentle.
He gave Seojun a broad yet strangely clinical smile and took hold of his hand.
After carefully cleaning and bandaging the wound, Johan looked up with a satisfied grin.
He gave the knot a playful tug.
“I’m good at this, Jun. Fixing things and all that.”
Seojun flexed his fingers, genuinely impressed by Johan’s skill.
Apparently, his athletic background came with a few useful extras.
Christina nodded in agreement.
“That’s true. Just the other day, Johan repaired my teddy bear after it tore. He did an amazing job. When I tried fixing it myself, it ended up looking like some kind of monster doll with a grotesquely oversized head...”
“That teddy bear?”
Airi interrupted with a mischievous smile.
“The one from the ‘Pepe the Frog’ series you’ve loved since you were little? Johan fixed it for you?”
Her gaze moved between Johan and Christina before she nudged her friend with an elbow.
“Sounds like the two of you shared a moment.”
“Airi! It wasn’t like that. We’ve been close like family since childhood.”
Startled, Christina lightly smacked Airi’s elbow away.
Seojun chuckled quietly to himself.
Johan is the male protagonist, and Christina is the female lead.
The two of you are destined to end up together.
Though being the male lead doesn’t necessarily guarantee survival...
“Ah, Jun. Why are you staring at me so intensely?”
“......”
Seojun had been contemplating Johan’s ridiculous remark with a grave expression when he suddenly noticed that the atmosphere inside the cabin had brightened.
Airi caught his gaze and gave him a playful wink.
Apparently, her teasing had not been meant only for amusement.
She had been trying to ease the tension.
Caught off guard by the unexpected kindness, Seojun could only lower his eyes toward the floor.
Once his injuries had been treated, Seojun recounted what had happened without adding unnecessary drama.
He explained that a masked attacker had ambushed him after his shift at the convenience store, forcing him to flee toward Hamon Campground.
The plainness of his account made the whole ordeal sound almost absurdly simple.
Seojun inwardly rolled his eyes.
Would they think he was lying?
Ironically, because he normally spoke in such a theatrical and self-important manner, his restrained explanation sounded more believable than usual.
Bobby, naturally, remained unconvinced.
“What? You’re saying a murderer chased you here, so you came looking for us?”
He scoffed.
“Don’t make me laugh. This is the twenty-first century, not some kind of apocalypse! And you never said any of that to me. You’re obviously lying.”
“All I can tell you is that it’s true.”
Seojun gave him a tired look.
“And Bobby, you might have heard the explanation sooner if you had allowed me to speak. How was I supposed to know you would betray your friends at the first opportunity?”
“Argh!”
Exhausted, Seojun lacked the strength to rise after being treated.
He remained slumped on the bed, speaking in a subdued, hesitant voice.
“I was running, and then I tripped... or perhaps I collapsed. When I woke up, I heard Bobby’s voice and followed it.”
His shoulders sagged lower.
“I left my phone behind. I was planning to borrow one from you.”
Seeing his condition, Johan sat beside him and allowed Seojun to rest his head against his shoulder.
The solid support felt reassuring.
Seojun looked up at Johan with faint suspicion.
Their eyes met.
Johan smiled gently.
Then Airi asked the question that had clearly been bothering her.
“Even assuming Seojun got lost, why were you wandering around alone in the middle of the night, Bobby?”
She crossed her arms.
“Because of you, both Willy and Johan had to go back and forth across that enormous lake.”
In truth, William had simply been worried that Bobby might stumble upon the cabin where Airi was staying.
At that moment, Seojun realized that the cold pressure he had sensed earlier was coming from Johan.
He also found himself wondering where the carnivorous monster from the lake had gone, considering how freely everyone had been moving around.
Before he could think any further, Bobby’s frantic voice cut through the cabin.
“I was only trying to follow the traces of Hannah O’Lantern’s ritual for communicating with the universe!”
Christina released a long, weary sigh.
“You seriously should have been born in the ’90s!”