It had been nearly an hour since the weight of silence descended like fog. The group had each chosen their supporting Celestial Patron—Ji-ah, Jinho, Ryeok—forming unspoken contracts bound by the constellations themselves.
But Hyunwoo?
He hadn't chosen.
Not yet.
He couldn't even ask them which Constellation they had aligned with. The rules were clear—once a contract was formed, only the Patron and the Incarnation would know of it unless willingly disclosed. And in this world, trust was a currency more volatile than gold.
He looked to the skyline, where broken towers stabbed into the smudged heavens. The city resembled a canvas, blotched in shadows—dark blues and inky blacks streaked with ash. It was an image born of a world half-burnt and half-forgotten.
Hyunwoo's eyes narrowed.
"Staying still invites death."
The thought cut through the fog in his head.
He could almost hear the soft hiss in the dark. He knew the signs.
Spawn of the Hollow Hunger
Drawn to hesitation. Drawn to stillness. Drawn to those who wait too long.
He exhaled slowly, a plume of vapor escaping into the chill.
The events of the first time he fought the spawn of the Hollow Hunger flooded Hyunwoo's mind.
[Kill Registered.]
[Spawn of the Hollow Hunger has consumed a civilian.]
[Estimated Cooldown Before Next Hunt: 45 seconds.]
Hyun-woo backed away from the door, gripping the axe like it was an extension of his arm. His mind raced.
You can't fight it directly. Not now. But you can bait it.
In the novel, the protagonist used heat and noise to redirect its attention...
The fire extinguisher.
He grabbed it with his free hand and yanked the pin loose. Cold fog hissed into the air. Visibility dropped.
[Improvised Environmental Disruption – Visibility Reduced: 80%]
[Spawn Tracking Efficiency: Lowered]
For a moment, the train felt like a dream....fog-filled, red-lit, quiet.
Then came the scream. Not from a passenger.... but the creature.
A sharp, grating shriek that rattled the metal walls. The doors behind him exploded open as the Spawn lunged forward, tail whipping across the ceiling.
Hyun-woo ducked.
The axe came up by instinct.
Steel met bone.
Sparks flew.
[Successful Hit – Target Armor Integrity: 98%].
Hyunwoo shook his head and came back to the present.
"We need to find a well-fortified safe zone," he said aloud. "Somewhere militarized, defensible, with enough structure to repel the next wave."
Ryeok looked uncertain. Ji-ah nodded solemnly. Jinho still looked uneasy.
Hyunwoo softened his voice. "But first... we need supplies. Food. Water. Essentials. There's a convenience store nearby. We hit it fast and clean."
No one argued.
They moved.
The city was an open grave, its corpse picked over by time and monsters. The wind whispered through broken alleys, carrying fragments of groans and the scrape of unseen claws. Every broken window was an unblinking eye. Every alley, a waiting mouth.
"Stay close," Hyunwoo whispered. "Don't make a sound."
The convenience store stood like a tombstone on the corner of a half-toppled street. They moved in quickly, scavenging with discipline—bottled water, canned food, gauze, tools. Each of them carried only what they could run with.
And then....
"Hyung..." Jinho's voice was uncertain. "There's a woman here... she looks hurt."
Hyunwoo's head snapped toward the back aisle.
She was slumped against a broken fridge unit. Blood soaked the side of her shirt. Her breathing was shallow.
And then—
[Activating 'Narrative Sense – The Reader's Script']
Loading Character Profile...
Cross-referencing source: The Final Apocalypse Chronicles...
—
Name: Hana Lee
Role: Healer / Support-Type Survivor
Affiliation: None (Solo)
Disposition: Gentle, perceptive, and emotionally resilient
Known Abilities:
— Restorative Field (Lv. 3)
— Pulse of Empathy (Passive)
— Herbal Reclamation (Crafting Trait)
Character Notes:
A warm soul in a dying world. Known for her unwavering kindness and refusal to abandon others. Despite the burden of empathy, she pushes forward, stitching wounds and lifting spirits in silence. Her presence often marks a turning point in darker arcs.
—
Hyunwoo exhaled.
He remembered her.
In the novel, she had been the reason Sung Jinhyuk lived past his second death.
She was the fragile center of something human amidst a world gone mad.
But now—
She was alone.
She looked too injured and was on the verge of dying from the blood loss.
Hyunwoo's jaw clenched. He moved quickly.
"Ji-ah. Take Jinho. Carry the bags," he ordered. "I'll take her."
Her body was light. Too light.
Her breath was warm against his neck, shallow and fast.
There are four well-fortified safe zones near this area.
Chungmuro is the closest.
She needs medical attention....It's better if one of our team members is with her.
They moved. Fast and silent.
No Spawn attacked. But the world still watched them.
It took them two and a half hours to reach the outskirts of the Chungmuro Military Safe Zone.
Not due to distance—Hyunwoo had memorized the city layout from both reality and fiction. It was because the ruined skeleton of Seoul had become a living maze, one where every wrong turn could be your last. Entire buildings leaned like drunk titans against the wind. Sinkholes opened like maws in the cracked asphalt. The city was no longer home—it was a waiting tomb, patient and cold.
They moved through it like ghosts.
The wind was sharp, slicing between alleys. Distant sounds—clicking claws, wet dragging noises—forced them to pause more than once. At a collapsed tunnel, they waited a full five minutes for a Spawn of the Hollow Hunger to pass by, holding their breath behind a burned-out vehicle. The creature had moved on, slow and serpentine, leaving behind the smell of rust and rot.
Jinho's leg cramped. Ji-ah helped him stretch it without a word. Ryeok kept glancing at the rooftops, tension carved into his jawline.
Hyunwoo, meanwhile, said nothing.
He carried Hana Lee on his back the entire way. Her breath, warm and faint, brushed against the nape of his neck. Her blood had soaked through his coat—sticky, dark, and cold. She didn't stir.
When the first outline of the safe zone appeared—a line of rusted metal barricades half-buried in sandbags—no one said a word. Incarnations stood guard with military-grade rifles, the barrels dull and well-worn. Makeshift flags bearing the Seo Group insignia fluttered in the evening wind, a crude symbol of what passed for authority in this world.
The moment Hyunwoo stepped across the threshold, a soft tone echoed in his ears. Then—
[You have entered: Chungmuro Military Safe Zone]
The words floated in front of them like a translucent digital banner — large, unmistakable, glowing with quiet authority. It hovered there for a moment like a silent sentinel before fading into motes of blue light.
Ryeok muttered, "It's real..."
Jinho slumped forward, nearly collapsing. Ji-ah grabbed his shoulder to steady him. Even Hana stirred faintly at the sound, her fingers twitching against Hyunwoo's back.
But Hyunwoo...
He didn't look at the walls.
He didn't look at the others.
His gaze was fixed deeper — toward a section of the inner encampment. Toward a structure that looked less like a safe zone building and more like a command post.
That's where he would be.
An ex-military officer.
A tactician from the Korean Special Warfare Command.
And now, according to the novel, a ranking figure in the Seo Group — Lieutenant Colonel Jeong Yoonsik.
Hyunwoo's expression didn't change, but tension flickered behind his eyes.
"According to The Final Apocalypse Chronicles...
In the early chapters, Jeong Yoonsik was a minor supporting character.
But midway through the novel, he became one of the most influential military minds who allowed a faction to survive three major sieges.
Without him, the Seo Group would've collapsed before Chapter 50."
And more importantly—
"He had access to something the others didn't.
Something they never understood how to use properly:
Tactical-grade Scenario Beacons.
Portable command devices with the power to delay scenario triggers... or force them to activate under specific terms."
In the hands of the Seo Group, they were wasted.
In Hyunwoo's hands, they could be the key to reshaping fate.
And now he was here.
Not to join them.
Not to ally with Seo Jaeyoon.
But to find Jeong Yoonsik... before anyone else realized his true value.
The air inside the Chungmuro Military Safe Zone was thick with the scent of gun oil and disinfectant. Compared to the apocalyptic hellscape beyond the barricades, this place was almost... sterile. Too quiet, too clean. The kind of silence that didn't come from peace — but control.
Hyunwoo's eyes flicked across the terrain.
Watchtowers, turrets, and uniformed survivors moving in practiced formations — it wasn't hard to see how the Seo Group held onto power here. Order was their brand. Authority, their leash.
But none of it mattered now.
Hyunwoo's gaze locked on the Medical Bay near the far edge of the compound — a squat white building with makeshift red crosses painted across the walls. There were no cries of pain. No rushing stretchers. Only calm, methodical healers moving like factory workers.
"This place should give her the treatment she needs..."
He adjusted the grip on Hana Lee, still unconscious in his arms, her face pale and cold against his shoulder.
"...It's a miracle she survived with a wound that deep."
He didn't let himself think about what might've happened if they'd arrived a minute later.
As he reached the entrance, two medics in camouflage stepped forward. One of them — a woman with a no-nonsense expression — gestured inside.
"We'll take her from here," she said, not unkindly.
Hyunwoo hesitated a moment longer — then slowly passed Hana Lee into their care. The second medic caught her weight easily, already checking her vitals with a basic health detector embedded in his armband.
[Status: Patient is Stable]
[Treatment: Trauma Salve Administered. Monitoring for System Shock.]
He exhaled — only to freeze when he heard footsteps behind him.
The kind of steps made by boots are too clean, with a rhythm too rehearsed.
"So... You must be the newcomer."
The voice was smooth. Too smooth.
Hyunwoo turned, already knowing what he would see.
A tall man with an immaculate tactical coat, sharp cheekbones, and a confident smile that was just a little too wide. Behind him stood a trio of armed survivors — Seo Group enforcers, each dressed like a personal entourage. One of them casually rested a hand near the holster of a scenario-registered rifle.
"I'm Seo Jaeyoon.
It's a pleasure to meet you."
He offered a handshake.
Hyunwoo stared at it for a moment, then took it — firm, brief, detached.
As they shook hands, a blue screen flickered in Hyunwoo's vision.
📘 [Character Profile – Seo Jaeyoon]
Name: Seo Jaeyoon
Affiliation: Seo Group – Leader
Attributes: Command (C+), Charisma (B-), Manipulation (B)
Skills: [Tactical Coordination Lv. 2], [Safe Zone Authority Lv. 1], [Command Voice Lv. 1]
Summary: A high-level survivor who believes himself to be the rightful authority of Chungmuro. Arrogant, calculating, and theatrical.
Evaluation: Overconfident. Lacks the foresight of true leaders.
Caution: Strong influence over Seo Group members. Prone to political maneuvering.
"The Seo Group," Hyunwoo thought with a blank expression,
"is full of egotistical bastards who think too highly of themselves... despite not having much actual power in The Final Apocalypse Chronicles."
He remembered reading scenes where they boasted about their influence, acted as if their word was law .... and yet, time and time again, they failed to adapt when real crises hit.
"They're arrogant. Pretentious. They built their empire on scavenged power and fear.
But there was one man among them who was different."
Hyunwoo's eyes narrowed as he scanned the group behind Jaeyoon.
"...Jeong Yoonsik.
The only one who stayed true to his word.
A former Special Warfare officer who didn't just survive — he fought.
He saved lives.
And more importantly...
He knew how to read the Scenarios."
But he wasn't here.
No sign of him among the group.
A slight chill passed through Hyunwoo's spine.
"Damn it... Where is he?"
Seo Jaeyoon was still talking.
Something about "establishing communication," "registering entry logs," and "contributing to the defense effort." Hyunwoo nodded automatically, offering nothing beyond vague, polite indifference. He'd heard this exact speech before — in the novel.
"You don't survive an apocalypse by listening to politicians in body armor."
Then he turned on his heel without another word, walking back toward the Medic Bay — ignoring Seo Jaeyoon's slightly stunned pause.
Inside, the sterile scent of antiseptics stung his nose. He stepped into the side corridor and spotted Hana through a clear glass partition. She was lying on a padded cot, hooked to a basic intravenous recovery line. Her face had regained some of its color.
One of the medics looked up. "She'll be fine," she said. "She's responding quickly to treatment."
Hyunwoo felt something inside him unclench.
He didn't smile.... not yet. But the sharpness in his expression softened, even if just by a sliver.
"Good," he muttered.
But his mind was already moving.
"If I don't find Jeong Yoonsik soon...
Seo Jaeyoon will start getting suspicious.
And if he finds out I'm not here to 'join' them... things will escalate fast."
The longer he stayed here, the more dangerous it became.
He needed to move.
He needed to find the Lieutenant Colonel.
And if possible, recruit him before the Scenarios forced his hand.
The sterile scent of antiseptic lingered faintly in the air. Outside the glass doors of the Medic Bay, life in the Chungmuro Military Safe Zone moved with tense precision — soldiers barking orders, civilians moving in cautious clusters, and automated drones scanning rooftops for potential threats.
Inside, Hyunwoo stood at the edge of the recovery ward, watching the girl lie beneath crisp, military-issue linens. The wound had been deep — near fatal — but the skilled healers stationed in the zone had stabilized her.
He glanced over his shoulder and spotted Ji-ah by the door.
"Stay with her," Hyunwoo said quietly. "Make sure she gets the care she needs. I won't be long."
Ji-ah gave a determined nod. "I'll stay. Don't worry."
As he turned to leave, his footsteps echoed softly down the corridor. Ryeok was already waiting near the barracks — tall, broad-shouldered, arms crossed with a calm vigilance that made him look like a seasoned hunter instead of a survivor. The wind stirred his dark jacket slightly.
"You called?" Ryeok asked in a low voice, tone gruff and direct.
Hyunwoo nodded. "We're going to check on the scavenging team."
They moved through the compound together — two shadows slipping between lines of soldiers, passing checkpoints and tents marked with red crosses. The sky above was graying with dusk, painting the world in desaturated tones.
Near the southern gates of the zone, the scavenging party had just returned — and they were in rough shape.
A cluster of injured survivors sat slumped against the concrete barrier. Makeshift stretchers had been thrown together from broken doorframes and a tarp. Blood stained the dirt beneath them. Field medics knelt beside the worst of them, wrapping gauze and giving injections.
Hyunwoo's eyes scanned the group. Bandages. Torn sleeves. Bruised faces.
He stepped forward.
"What happened?"
One of the older men looked up at him.... face drawn and pale, a cut running down his left cheekbone.
"We went scavenging in Zone 3," the man rasped. "Same route we've taken five, six times before. Easy in, easy out."
He wiped the sweat from his brow.
"But halfway through, the building collapsed behind us. Trapped us. And then the Spawns came — not a horde, but enough to kill. We were cornered."
Hyunwoo's brows furrowed. "But you made it back."
The man nodded slowly, voice quiet now. "We didn't make it out ourselves."
A girl nearby.... no older than her early twenties — interjected, voice trembling.
"He appeared."
"Who?"
She looked at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. "A tall man wearing a long black coat. He moved like... like someone from a different world."
Hyunwoo's heart began to pound.
"He didn't even flinch," she continued. "His eyes... they were onyx black. No whites. Just... darkness. He cut down the Spawns in a blur. We didn't even see how he moved."
"No," Hyunwoo thought. "That can't be..."
Ryeok was silent beside him, watching the survivors closely.
Hyunwoo took a step closer.
"Did he say anything?"
The girl nodded hesitantly. "'How much longer must I endure this?' That's what he said... right before he left."
The words were like a knife to Hyunwoo's memory. His pulse quickened.
One of the younger men added, "He gave us just enough time to escape. Then he vanished."
"Did he mention his name?"
There was a pause — and then the girl replied:
"...Yeah. He said his name was Jinhyuk."
Hyunwoo froze.
"Jinhyuk... Sung Jinhyuk."
The protagonist of The Final Apocalypse Chronicles.
"Why... why is he following the original script now?" Hyunwoo thought. "Last time I saw his profile, he was ahead of the narrative by a mile — already acting outside the plot. But now... this... this feels too aligned."
His mind reeled with implications. Had something changed? Was someone interfering? Or was Jinhyuk adapting — evolving?
Hyunwoo exhaled slowly and gave the group a firm nod. "Thank you. Get some rest. Ryeok will help organize your treatment and food rations."
Ryeok didn't need to be told twice. He stepped forward silently, already motioning for the field medics to bring additional supplies.
As Hyunwoo turned to leave, his thoughts darkened.
He needed to find Jeong Yoonsik — and fast.
If the Seo Group was already playing their political games, and if Sung Jinhyuk was truly back on track with the original script, then the only person he could rely on to keep the safe zone from tipping into chaos... was the man who hadn't shown up yet.
"Yoonsik... where the hell are you?"
With a final glance back at the injured group, Hyunwoo stepped into the darkening corridor, the weight of the narrative once more pressing on his shoulders.