Chapter 7
Thanks to Lee Dohyeon, they had managed to buy themselves some time to escape.
But it wouldn’t be long before it was their turn.
The only thing giving them any hope of survival was that the monster wasn’t as fast as they had expected.
BANG—! CRASH—!
...Even if its attacks were powerful enough to smash the floor apart, as long as they didn’t get hit, they still had a chance.
Isn’t there somewhere we can hide?
But they couldn’t keep running forever.
Han Siwoo hurriedly looked around, searching for somewhere they could hide.
That was when he spotted the kitchen.
As if he had just found their savior, his pace instantly quickened. Han Siwoo rushed toward it and desperately grabbed the doorknob.
Please!
Click, click.
“It’s locked...?”
If he had been alone, perhaps he would have given up and searched for another place.
He couldn’t know for sure.
But Han Siwoo wasn’t alone right now.
At Kang Haneul’s anxious question, his hand twisted the doorknob even more desperately.
Click, click, click.
The loud rattling echoed through the hallway.
But the door showed no sign of opening.
Thud. Thud. Thump.
As the monster drew closer, their anxiety grew stronger.
Thick beads of sweat rolled down Han Siwoo’s forehead.
“Please! Open the door! Please open it!”
Kang Haneul desperately pounded on the door.
“Fuuuck! What are you bastards doing?! Hurry up and open the damn door!”
Lee Dohyeon was rapidly getting closer.
Kang Haneul turned her head, her eyes filling with tears.
“The door’s locked...”
“What?! Why the hell did these bastards lock every damn door?!”
Lee Dohyeon knew perfectly well that opening a classroom door in this situation was practically suicide.
But he couldn’t hold back the curses rising inside him.
Their lives depended on it.
Han Siwoo tried to calm his trembling heart as he looked toward Lee Dohyeon.
The monster was chasing right behind him.
The distance between them was terrifyingly small, as though it could catch him at any moment.
Han Siwoo looked back at the doorknob.
It’s not going to open...
He hated the stubbornly locked door, but he couldn’t exactly blame the people inside either.
Rather than wasting time here, searching for another classroom would probably give them a better chance of surviving.
The sound of the monster charging toward them grew louder, and the vibrations beneath their feet became stronger with every step.
There was no more time to hesitate.
They had to choose.
Either get inside...
Or run.
Han Siwoo chose the latter.
“This place won’t work! Let’s find another classroom!”
“We’re about to fucking die! When are we supposed to find one?!”
Han Siwoo finally released the doorknob he had been clinging to and was about to turn away.
Then—
Like a miracle, a voice came from the other side of the door.
“Wait... Is that Siwoo? Han Siwoo, is that you?”
It was a familiar voice.
Han Siwoo’s eyes widened.
“Jihoon hyung?”
It was Kim Jia’s older brother, Kim Jihoon.
“Ah, this is driving me crazy! There’s a monster outside with you right now, isn’t there?”
At Kim Jihoon’s words, Han Siwoo stopped breathing for a moment.
Countless thoughts clashed inside his head.
His desire to survive—
And his unwillingness to put Kim Jihoon, someone he had known like an actual older brother, in danger.
But his hesitation didn’t last long.
He gave the answer that came naturally to him.
“Don’t worry. We’re going somewhere else.”
“Hey! Han Siwoo! Stop talking nonsense and tell him to open the damn door!”
A horrified Lee Dohyeon shouted back.
During those few seconds of hesitation, the monster had closed the distance even further.
“Ah, screw it! If you don’t want to die, hurry up and get inside!”
Click!
The tightly shut door suddenly flew open.
Han Siwoo stared wide-eyed for a moment before quickly pushing Kang Haneul into the room.
Then he threw himself inside as well.
But they couldn’t close the door.
Lee Dohyeon still hadn’t made it in.
Han Siwoo grabbed Kim Jihoon’s arm just as he tried to shut it.
Kim Jihoon immediately turned toward him.
“What are you doing?”
“Just wait.”
“Why aren’t you closing the door?! Do you want all of us to die?!”
Kim Jihoon’s friend, Kim Taeyoon, who had been watching everything unfold, shouted furiously.
Kim Taeyoon placed his hand over Kim Jihoon’s on the doorknob and began pulling the door shut.
“Wait! I’m not inside yet!”
Lee Dohyeon screamed desperately toward the closing door.
Han Siwoo resisted with all his strength, but there was no way he could overpower two grown men at once.
As the door continued closing, Han Siwoo’s eyes met Lee Dohyeon’s through the narrowing gap.
Guilt stabbed through him.
He had already abandoned Lee Dohyeon once and run away.
Closing the door was the correct decision.
They couldn’t put everyone in danger just to wait for one person.
But Han Siwoo couldn’t do it.
More precisely...
He felt like he shouldn’t.
He quickly calculated the distance.
He can make it.
It would be extremely close.
But Han Siwoo felt strangely certain that he could save Lee Dohyeon.
For the first time, he decided to gamble.
Han Siwoo shoved his body into the narrowing gap in the doorway and stretched his hand toward Lee Dohyeon.
“You idiot!”
Kim Taeyoon clenched his teeth and pulled on Han Siwoo’s arm.
People could display far greater strength than usual in a life-or-death situation.
Han Siwoo grimaced from the pain and desperately held his ground.
The distance between him and Lee Dohyeon was barely a handspan.
And the monster was still farther away than that.
It was okay.
They could do this.
