Dohyun slammed the reinforced inner door of the bunker shut, the massive steel plate grinding against the concrete frame. The external blast door was still open—he'd left it that way, a risk he had to take, to allow for quick access if the immediate local chaos cleared. The van, laden with precious supplies, was parked just outside the outer entrance.
The silence inside was a terrifying contrast to the screams still faintly echoing from the road above.
He turned to face Yoona, who was pressed against the wall, clutching her flimsy backpack. He could hear her ragged, panicked breaths.
"What was that? What is happening out there?" Yoona whispered, her eyes wide and pleading.
The main chamber door opened, and his parents emerged, drawn by the frantic sounds of his arrival. His mother's face was pale with confusion, his father's grim with dawning realization.
"Dohyun," his father said, his voice measured but strained. "What in God's name did you drive us into? Those people..."
Dohyun took a deep breath. He had to tell them a truth so monstrous it would shatter their reality, but one they needed to survive.
"What you saw... they aren't sick," Dohyun said, his voice flat. He pointed the Silent Pistol at a canned ham on the steel table. Pfft. The bullet hissed, destroying the can with a small, neat hole. "They are the dead, and the world outside is gone. Now, listen to me, because this is the only truth that matters."
The Revenant's Confession
He skipped the part about the System and the Level Up, focusing on the future he'd lived and the enemies who had killed him.
"Six months from now, I died. Right after this apocalypse started. I was killed by Min-ji and her boyfriend, Hyuk-jin. Min-ji was using me, and Hyuk-jin... he's the one who murdered Yoona last year. Before the zombies."
The confession landed like a bomb. Yoona gasped, a hand flying to her mouth, tears instantly streaming down her face. His mother let out a strangled cry. His father stood motionless, his face turning the color of ash, the revelation of his daughter's death compounding the world's ruin.
"I woke up three months ago. Here," Dohyun continued, his eyes cold and unwavering. "This bunker, the supplies, the gun—it's all because I knew this was coming. I robbed every bank in the city to pay for this. I lied to you to save you."
He walked to his pack and pulled out the fully assembled 5.56 Assault Rifle and the Silent Pistol, laying them on the table. He then retrieved the three large capacity magazines he'd bought for the rifle.
"Dad," Dohyun said, pushing the rifle and one magazine toward his father. "You stay here. You keep this door locked, and you kill anything that gets inside this chamber. You protect Yoona and Mom. Don't waste bullets, but don't hesitate."
His father, a gentle man who had only ever held a golf club, stared at the weapon. Slowly, mechanically, his hand closed around the cold steel. The shock was deep, but the primal need to protect his family was deeper.
The Traitor's List
"I have to go back," Dohyun stated.
His mother stepped forward, clutching his arm. "No! You can't! You just told us it's death out there! We're safe, stay with us!"
Dohyun gently detached her hand. "I can't. The moment Hyuk-jin realizes I'm alive and took the bunker, he'll hunt us. I have a chance to kill him before he gathers his strength. And I need to find the others."
He brought up the Tactical Map (Seoul) on the System's interface, displaying it only for his own eyes. The map, though not yet 'live,' showed predicted high-value zones based on his future knowledge—the known haunts of his ex-allies.
"In the future, I survived with a group," Dohyun explained to his father. "They were my friends, but they betrayed me in the end. They're valuable and dangerous. If Hyuk-jin finds them, he'll recruit them, and they'll be unstoppable."
Dohyun grabbed a marker and scrawled a list on a piece of cardboard, using their future skills as identification:
Min-ji (The Bait): My ex-girlfriend. Priority target. She betrayed me. She dies first. I need to confirm she's not with Hyuk-jin yet.
Seo-yeon (The Blond Girl/Scout): Incredibly fast. A master scavenger and parkour expert. Dangerous if armed.
Jae-wan (The Big Guy/Tank): Absolute brute strength. He was my protector, but he chose Min-ji in the end.
Hye-ri (The Nerd/Engineer): Brilliant with electronics, demolitions, and defenses. Can turn any building into a fortress.
Soo-min (The Beautiful MILF/Medic): A veteran nurse, essential for healing. She had the only good medical supplies.
Officer Kim (The Police Woman/Tactician): A survival expert and trained martial artist. My second-in-command, until the betrayal.
"They're spread out, probably in their own safe houses," Dohyun explained. "But they are valuable. And they all chose to kill me. I need to get to them before Hyuk-jin does, because my plan... my plan for Min-ji is to trade her life for theirs, then kill them all."
He zipped his backpack, the weight of the Silent Pistol a comfort. He checked his System status one last time.
"Level 3. Strength 13, Agility 13, Perception 17. The Hunt begins."
"I'll be back," Dohyun promised, his voice cold. "Keep the van hidden. Seal the outer door the moment I'm clear. Don't trust anyone."
He slipped out of the bunker, leaving his terrified, devastated family behind to guard his tomb. The smell of death and burning gasoline hit him immediately. The city was a slaughterhouse, and the Revenant had just stepped out to hunt.