Debut or Die-Chapter 279
It’s been five minutes since we went for that “psych test” and ended up doing a zombie escape.
“Watch your head.”
“Phew.”
We’re crawling through the ventilation shaft.
From the cameras installed at intervals, this feels like the right route.
Their blocking of the cam gives the impression it’s hard to find—nice touch.
Actually, it flows naturally: looking for the crew in a crisis makes sense, so the story stays solid.
The mood’s good, too.
Cliché, but the dark, eerie shaft draws you in.
Creak—
Rattle! Screeeech!
Sounds echo beyond the walls.
“Whoa.”
“Did you hear that?”
“It’s definitely zombies!”
No one’s failing to get into it.
I checked that everyone was tense, then nodded and kept crawling.
Soon, we turned a corner and found a fork. Ryu Cheong-woo, leading, came to a stop.
“Should we split up...?”
“Shh.”
He edged against one wall, herding the others to follow.
“Gah!”
At the signal, everyone pressed close to the wall.
Then:
“Screeeech!”
“Eep!”
Kim Rae-bin clamped a hand over Big Sejin’s mouth.
A zombie had latched onto the opposite grille, shrieking. Its suit was soaked in fake blood and wounds—grim stuff.
They hired extra actors for this—impressive.
Wait—an ominous sound:
Thunk.
The fan inside the grille the zombie was clinging to... broke off.
Clang, clang, tiddidi-ding...
Before debris could hit our feet:
“To the right! Over there!”
“Waaah!”
Cha Yoo-jin darted into the other tunnel, yanking and pushing us along.
Rounding up the herd?
It worked. We scrambled on all fours down the side tunnel, reaching the other shaft.
But at that moment, a zombie behind us smashed through the barrier and the vibration shook the passage.
Brrraaak!!
“Ahhhhh!”
“I’ll open it—now!”
Next to Kim Rae-bin’s scream, Seon Ah-hyun lunged at the grille and pulled it away.
It dropped easily, revealing pure darkness beyond—an unlit room.
I spoke at once.
“I can’t hear any zombie noises in here.”
Ryu Cheong-woo answered immediately.
“Let’s go in. Watch your step in front!”
“Yes!”
One by one, we exited through the grille.
Relying on the dim light filtering in, I waited until I saw the first ones steadying the others, then I crawled out alongside Ryu Cheong-woo.
We slammed the grille shut behind us.
Thud!
But it popped back open—Big Sejin called out calmly.
“This won’t stay shut! Check for something to brace it with!”
“Wait—hang on! If we push this over...”
Bae Sejin pointed to something dark nearby. # Nоvеlight # Kim Rae-bin dashed over.
“It’s a cabinet!”
“Move it!”
Immediately, three held the grille shut while four of us shoved the cabinet into place.
But we had no time to spare.
Thunk.
The vibration hit the hands holding the grille.
“It opened.”
The zombie had smashed through and was pushing in. I peeked around the corner at it.
“There it is.”
“It’s coming!”
The tension was palpable.
They must be pacing it.
This is a PPL-fueled lab prank—they wouldn’t deny us enough time to react.
Yet the zombie at the shaft’s end was wrenching itself free at insane speed.
Damn it.
Already right in front of us.
Just in case, I planted my weight on the hands bracing the grille.
They can act, but could they tone it down a bit...?
“Get back!”
I reflexively twisted aside—and a steel cabinet barreled through the grille into the tunnel.
Bang!
The cabinet, loaded with who knows what, blocked over half the shaft.
At that moment, the zombie rammed against the grille.
“Arrgh!”
Thunk!
Four grown men had to struggle to hold back the cabinet, and the zombie couldn’t break through.
“Oof!”
But Cha Yoo-jin, at the front, nearly collided with the zombie while pushing.
“—!”
“Graah!”
Ryu Cheong-woo and I yanked Yoo-jin back. He hopped aside with a grin.
“You okay?”
“No problem—watch out!”
Yoo-jin laughed, spotless despite all the fake blood.
“Phew, thought we’d have to tie him up~”
“Ha!”
Big Sejin joked, and a few of us laughed, easing the tension we’d over-immersed in.
Of course, the complaints came fast once we shook off the shock—being lured into labor worse than a street food gig.
“Wow, I can’t believe this situation! Crew, you guys—”
“I really didn’t see this coming...”
“No wonder they made us sign forms at the desk. Thought it was tests.”
“Shh!”
At that, Yoo-jin held a finger to his lips.
“There are more zombies outside! Let’s scout here first!”
He was clearly having fun—eyes gleaming.
“He’s right. Let’s see where we are. It’s dark, so pair up... I’ll go alone.”
“Got it, leader!”
We snapped back into shooting mode and resumed exploring.
They’ll edit it to be fun anyway.
I shrugged and used the faint grille light to survey the room.
“Ah, I’m not great at night vision, but I can do whatever you need...”
“Okay. Speak up if anything comes up.”
“Yes!”
With all this chaos, actors still haven’t shown up—so this must be a sealed room...
I trailed Kim Rae-bin to the wall and touched it. The moment my hand landed:
“...!”
I felt its grain.
...wood.
I halted.
A dark, sealed, unfamiliar wooden space...
It gave me chills.
“Hey, did you find any suspicious liquid on that wall?”
I moved my hand again.
“No—clean. I was just slow because I was careful.”
“I see! Good call. We don’t know where zombies will pop up!”
Right—that was paranoid.
This is a variety show.
With a zombie-virus twist, it’s already pure entertainment.
Obviously everyone’s in makeup—sealing or not doesn’t matter...
“Wait—what’s this?”
“Hm?”
My mechanically patting hand found something colder than wood.
“There’s... a metal box on the wall. Kind of big.”
“...!”
A suspicious box.
“What did you find?”
“Just a sec.”
“I’ll check on this side!”
Kim Rae-bin darted around and called out.
“There’s a lock mechanism on the other side! Should we open it?”
“Oh—hold on! Wait, guys!”
Before long, Big Sejin and Seon Ah-hyun arrived with a flashlight.
“Like this?”
“Perfect!”
They used the beam to pick the lock on the metal box.
Zzzriiing!
It opened on its own—and a blue laser shot up from inside.
“Huh?”
“Duck!”
Even Bae Sejin and Cha Yoo-jin, who’d been scoping for windows, shrieked.
“Get down!”
I yanked the nearest person beside me to the floor.
But then:
Click.
The room lit up.
“...??”
Looking up, I was blinded by an intense glare—lights had come on.
Of course.
“It’s just the lights turning on.”
“Ah—okay?”
I reluctantly patted the other’s back to help him up.
Then I registered what the box had been attached to.
A massive, dark wood display cabinet. Beyond it, a neatly painted wall. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
So it was furniture.
What I’d touched was a wooden cabinet, not a wall.
...This isn’t a wooden cabin—it’s an office.
“Hah.”
A rueful laugh escaped me.
Beside me, others laughed at a different meaning.
“So the lights came on...”
“We must’ve looked ridiculous.”
“This is brilliantly staged.”
“...What’s the mechanism?”
Bae Sejin squeezed the box. Big Sejin rubbed his hands in glee.
“Ah—there’s a note from the mannequin here.”
He read it quickly and summarized:
A zombie virus was leaked in the lab, and the only weapon that works is this laser gun, smuggled in with the virus. Everyone else is infected, so you have to use the laser gun to survive.
“Whoa—they say we can kill zombies with this?”
“Nice.”
Big Sejin pointed at the purple cylinders.
“They’re the battery packs—three shots per charge!”
“Really?”
Ryu Cheong-woo picked up the laser gun and aimed at the zombie clinging to the grille—specifically at its arm next to the cabinet.
Then, one quick shot.
Zzziiiing!
“Kyaah!”
The arm froze, paralyzed, and wouldn’t move.
“Wow!”
“Okay, good.”
Cheong-woo shrugged and tapped the gun.
“Sorry to ask, but can you shift that cabinet a little? I’ll go for the head next.”
“...Sure.”
From here on, it felt less like zombie escape and more like zombie shooting.
My prediction was half right.
Zzzriiing—bang!
I saw another zombie barreling down the hall get struck and topple.
That was Cheong-woo’s skill—I counted roughly seven similar cuts.
“Wow.”
“You’re amazing, hyung!”
“Ha.”
That was the eighth “wow.” I’d bet on it making the final edit.
But Cheong-woo eyed the cylinders and shrugged.
“Only two shots left... hope we escape soon.”
“Yeah...”
He’d been frugal. With only ten shots total, he’d used only what was necessary.
Maybe I shouldn’t have shot that first vent zombie.
But what’s done was done. I rubbed my forehead.
The directors likely intended the gun to spark conflict among us.
Since our path relied on stealth and cooperation, that gun slowed us down.
In fact, it secured the escape by taking time to shoot—so with two shots left, no big deal.
Well played.
The route was tense: restrooms with caged zombies, counseling rooms, a creepy playroom, then the corridor—it was a solid course.
But there was a problem.
“Whew!”
“Two hours of this is intense.”
Checked my watch: the back door was at the corridor’s end on the map from the desk, and it felt final.
There must be one last trick.
Yet Bae Sejin’s watch said under ten minutes remaining.
We need to escape for the final scene to work.
We’d have a tense finish.
“Let’s move.”
“Watch ahead—if there’s a zombie, tap my shoulder.”
“Yes!”
We inched along the flickering, ominous corridor to the back door—no event.
“Oooh.”
“Looks like it’s over.”
“Great—we did it!”
This is kind of anticlimactic.
I inwardly sighed but didn’t stop Cha Yoo-jin from tugging the door.
It didn’t budge.
Beep—ek.
Instead, red text appeared on the intercom display:
[Please present your pass.]
“Damn.”
The final trick revealed itself.
“A pass?”
We stared blankly, then immediately began rapid discussion.
“Where are the crew?”
“I’ve never gotten or handed in one.”
“Ugh.”
“Should we go back to the desk?”
With less than ten minutes left, that vague puzzle had us stumped. They ran their hands through their hair.
There must be a hint.
For a final escape, a crucial clue must be hidden in what we’ve experienced.
Otherwise, the story feels clumsy.
They said I’m an “idea bank”...
“...!”
Suddenly, I sprinted back down the corridor we’d come.
“W-what, Mundae?”
“Just a second!”
No time to explain.
Nine minutes.
Tight.
I ran, calculating in my head.
Going straight back, the distance was shorter than it seemed.
No zombies in that room’s path—if I go now...
I could escape!
I sped down the hall when:
Crack.
Something fell behind me in the corridor.
Whoosh.
Dark smoke began seeping from wall crevices.
One by one, flickering lights went out behind me. Ahead was pitch black.
Power loss...
I reached the end of the hall.
Smoke hissed around me.
Smells like burning...
I stood alone in a dark, smoke-filled dead end.
“......”
A cold sweat trickled down my neck.
