I often ask myself…
"Who am I? Do I really know myself? What's my dream? Do I even have a dream?"
But I never got an answer
That is… until it happened.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring~
The sound of an alarm clock echoed in my room.
Knock, knock.
Someone was banging on my door, and a girl's voice shouted,
"Bro! It's already time for school! Wake up and eat breakfast already!"
I groaned, turned off my alarm, and stretched.
"Yeah, sis… I'll be there in a minute…"
My name is Yotema Jaemyung.
"Jae" means ability, and "Myung" means bright.
My parents gave me this weird but unique name because they wanted me to grow up confident and righteous.
I'm 16 years old, a second-year student at Manila Integrated High School in the Philippines.
My mom is Filipino, my dad is Korean—which makes me a Kopino, half Korean, half Filipino.
"Dad, Mom, we're heading to school!"
Ji said with a bright smile.
Ji and I took our parents' hands and gently touched them to our foreheads—a Filipino tradition called mano.
"Take care, and don't forget your lunches. I love you both,"
Mom said warmly.
"We will, Mom. We love you too,"
Ji and I replied together.
As we walked to school, Ji suddenly rubbed her chin.
"Hey bro, I've been thinking…"
"What is it?" I asked.
"When are you getting a girlfriend?" she said casually.
"I mean, even if you're average-looking, not good at studies, and kind of a loner… there should still be something charming about you, right?"
"…."
I stared at her with the eyes of someone who had just been stabbed a thousand times.
That hurts.
Time passed, and soon I was sitting in my classroom.
"Good morning, class,"
the teacher said.
"Good morning, sir!"
the class replied.
"All right, that's it for today. Eat your lunch and wait for your next teacher."
I was about to grab my lunch when three classmates blocked my way—
Kurt, Ren, and Cain.
"Hey, Yotema," Cain sneered.
"You Kopino freak. Why are you getting your lunch? Did I give you permission?"
"And why should I listen to you—" I started.
Before I could finish, a punch hit my face.
I stumbled back and crashed into the lockers.
"Ugh!"
My body felt numb. My vision blurred.
"I dare you to talk back again," Cain growled, kicking me down to the floor.
The class just laughed.
No one helped.
No one… except one person.
"C-Cain! Stop it!"
my best friend Jacob shouted.
"Y-You're going too far!"
Cain turned and punched Jacob too, sending him falling onto a table.
"So what? You want to die with him?" Cain scoffed before walking away.
Jacob slowly stood up and rushed to my side.
"Are you okay, man?" he said angrily.
"I swear, one day I'll beat those guys…"
"I'm fine," I replied weakly, forcing a smile.
"You shouldn't have done that… but thanks."
School finally ended.
Ji was waiting for me at the gate.
"Bro, what happened to you? You look terrible. Did someone bully you?"
"I just tripped on the stairs," I lied.
"Nothing serious. Your big bro is tough, you know."
I was cold to most people…
but I never wanted my family to worry.
On the way home, Ji suddenly stopped.
"Hey… look at the sky. Doesn't it look weird?"
The sky had a strange greenish tint.
"Yeah… kinda creepy," I said.
"Maybe zombies will appear and bite you—rawr!"
"Stop it! That's not funny!" Ji pouted.
Then she pointed ahead.
"Isn't that Jacob? Your best friend?"
He was standing in the middle of the street.
Not moving.
"Jacob!" I called.
No response.
I slowly walked closer and reached out, pulling his shoulder.
He turned.
And my breath stopped.
Jacob's skin had lost its normal color—it was turning silver, like dull metal reflecting the light. Thin, dark red veins spread across his face like cracks on broken glass. His eyes were no longer human; the whites had swallowed everything, glowing faintly as if something else was looking through them.
His body twitched unnaturally, jerking in small, uneven movements, as if his muscles no longer belonged to him.
Blood slowly trickled from the corners of his eyes, nose, and mouth, dripping down his chin.
This wasn't Jacob anymore.
It was something wearing his body.
"J-Ji…" I whispered, my voice shaking.
"Run… run now…"
Ji was frozen in fear.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me.
What is happening?
Was that really Jacob?
This can't be real… right?
As we ran, we saw more creatures—
twisted, unnatural beings wandering the streets.
Then we reached our house.
But standing in front of it was a monster.
It was over six feet tall, its body thin and twisted, covered in silver, metallic skin that looked hard and cold, like armor grown from flesh. Long, sharp claws extended from its fingers, scraping against the ground with a chilling metallic sound.
Its eyes were blood-red, glowing in the dim light, staring at us with no emotion—no mercy.
But the most terrifying part was its feet.
They were not normal feet at all—each leg ended in a long, lance-like spike, piercing the ground with every step, leaving deep cracks in the concrete.
When it opened its mouth, rows of jagged, shark-like teeth were revealed, stretching into a wide, unnatural grin.
It didn't look alive.
It looked like something that was built to kill.
Ji finally screamed.
"KYAAAAA!"
The monster slowly turned its head toward us.
I let out a nervous laugh.
"Ha… haha…"
And that was when everything truly began.