Day 1 – The Beginning

Part 1

        Hyuna stumbled out of the elevator laughing and clutching to Hyunseung as if her life depended on it. He was smirking, trying to hold back his own laughter, though he had no idea what was so funny. The two were drunk, but Hyuna was more so. She had been downing wine and champagne all night. Her laughter subsided as they neared the limo that had taken them to the hotel. She buried her face in Hyunseung's chest and breathed in the scent of his expensive cologne. The fragrance of him had always comforted her. He was her best friend. She counted herself lucky to have him.

        The driver opened the door when he saw the two approaching. He had heard them before he ever saw them but it would have been impossible to tell who they were. Young, drunk people had been coming into the parking garage all night. Hyunseung gently helped Hyuna into the backseat.

        “Mind your head,” Hyunseung laughed. His words came to late as Hyuna hit her head on the ceiling of the limo. She fell onto the backseat with a small groan of pain and started rubbing her head, making a mess of her long, dark hair. Hyunseung and the driver exchanged amused glances before Hyunseung followed Hyuna into the limo and the driver took his place behind the wheel. “We go through this enough, yet you always manage to hurt yourself getting-”

        “Stop nagging,” Hyuna stated lashing her arm out to smack Hyunseung lightly in the face. Hyunseung laughed at her moodiness, knowing that it would quickly subside.

        Hyuna crossed her arms over her chest and blew her bangs out of her face. She turned to Hyunseung with a pout set on her painted lips. He eyed her, wondering what it was that she was thinking about. Hyuna wasn't the type to pout unless she wanted something.

        “What?” Hyunseung asked. His eyes blinked slowly as he watched Hyuna scoot across the backseat until her thigh came into contact with his. “What?” he repeated. Hyuna sighed and brushed her fingers lightly against Hyunseung's cheek. He rolled his eyes and grabbed a hold on Hyuna's wrist. He cast a sidelong glance at her painted nails and then looked back to her made-up face. He looked more bored than Hyuna would have liked. “You should know better than that.”

        Hyuna wrenched her arm free from his grasp and scooted back to her original spot. She leaned against the door and rested her forehead against the cool glass of the window. She was annoyed with Hyunseung, though in the back of her mind she knew that he was just watching out for her well-being. That didn't change her outward mood though.

        Hyunseung rolled his eyes, annoyed that Hyuna was going to be acting like she was mad at him.

        “Are you really mad at me?” he asked, his voice low and soft in the quiet of the backseat. “Or are you just trying to annoy me?”

         “A little bit of both,” Hyuna replied after a moment of silent thought. She heaved a heavy sigh and glanced over at her best friend. She cleared , gaining Hyunseung's attention. He raised his dark brows at her in question. “I'm sorry.”

        “It's okay. You're always like that,” Hyunseung stated. It was clear that his words only upset her. He had hoped that she had known he was joking, but it was obvious that that was not the case. He would have apologized but it wasn't in his nature. “We're almost home.” Hyuna ignored his comment and continued to watch the lights pass by outside the window.

        The limo pulled to a stop. Hyuna didn't wait for the driver to open the door for her. She opened it on her own and stepped out into the cool night air. The Seoul night was quiet, it felt almost eerie as Hyuna stood on the sidewalk, waiting for Hyunseung to join her. A shiver ran up her spin and when a hand touched her lower back she let out a shout of surprise. Hyunseung chuckled lightly and pushed Hyuna forward slightly.

        Together they walked into the apartment building they had each lived in their whole lives. Not much had changed since they were young. The red carpet was the same and the gold light fixtures were just as shiny and dust free as ever.

        A wave of warm air rushed over Hyuna as she stepped into the building, Hyunseung at her side. They were greeted by and old, friendly man. Hyuna smiled half-heartedly in his direction before being whisked away towards the elevator by Hyunseung. The giggles of her drunken state were long gone and she only felt dizzy and a bit sick. Hyunseung was just as normal as ever. Alcohol hardly seemed to effect him for long. But he had drunk considerably less than Hyuna.

        Hyuna leaned her head against his strong arm and closed her eyes. She was tired and couldn't wait to lie down on her plush bed. The thought brought a happy smile to her lips.

        The elevator chimed as it opened onto their floor. Hyuna linked her arm with Hyunseung's as they traversed down the hall to her apartment. Hyunseung punched in the numerical pass code, unlocking the door. He opened the door and waved for Hyuna to go in first. Hyuna unlinked her arm from his and called out for her parents. She knew they would want to know that she had made it back safely.

        But there was no answer to her call. She turned back towards Hyunseung, a worried look etched into her features. She took a step towards Hyunseung, her heels clicking against the hard wood floor.

        “I guess they're not home,” she sighed. She ran her fingers through her hair and released a slow breath. “Stay with me.”

        “Fine,” Hyunseung sighed. He watched Hyuna retreat towards her own bedroom. He knew better than to follow. He headed in the opposite direction; towards the guest bedroom. This wasn't a foreign situation.

        Hyuna awoke with a headache and sun light stinging her eyes. Hyunseung stepped away from the curtains he had just pulled open and turned towards the girl with a smile on his lips. She was groaning and cursing.

        “Stop complaining and get out of bed,” Hyunseung stated, pulling the comforter off of her bed. Hyuna tried stopping him but had failed. She pulled the sheet closer to her body and sent him a warning look. “Why can't you wear normal pajamas to bed?” He knew she was probably wearing nothing more than an over-sized t-shirt, as per usual. That wasn't going to stop him from dragging her out of bed.

        He stepped closer to the edge and grabbed onto her arm. She easily sat up, not wanting to be dragged out of bed.

        “Is breakfast ready?” she asked.

        “No, I don't think so. The cook never showed up,” Hyunseung replied. He sat down on the edge of her bed. He glanced over at the confused look on Hyuna's face. “I don't think your parents ever came home either. Do you know where they were going last night?”

        “Some dinner thing,” Hyuna replied. She pulled her sheet up to her chin. She chewed on her bottom lip until she caught a taste of blood. Releasing her lip, she met Hyunseung's gaze. He could tell that the girl was worried. He ruffled her already messy hair and gave her a reassuring smile. “I'm sure they're fine. They probably stayed at a hotel or something.”

        “Yeah.”

        “Now, come on. Maybe breakfast is ready at my place.”

        Hyuna nodded and climbed out of bed. She watched Hyunseung leave before she retreated to her closet to pick something to wear. She didn't feel like bathing and didn't think that Hyunseung would appreciate it if she did. Besides, she was starving.

        Hyuna pulled on a pair of jeans as she exited her room. Hyunseung was waiting just outside. The bored expression on his face as he watched her button her jeans, told Hyuna that he could care less about the state of dress she was in. Sometimes she wondered about him. He never seemed too interested in girls. On the other hand, he never really seemed too interested in guys either.

        Maybe he just isn't into me, Hyuna thought with a frown. She pushed the thought from her mind, finding it ridiculous that she even cared. He was her best friend and she wouldn't want to lose that.

        Hyuna didn't bother putting on shoes. She followed Hyunseung wearing the socks she had carelessly slipped onto her cold feet the night before.

        “Mom?” Hyunseung called as he stepped into the apartment. He removed his shoes at the door, then stepped further into his home. His brows furrowed when there was no response. His mother was always home. She only left to go shopping or to meet her friends, and she always had these things planned out ahead of time. “Dad?”

        Hyuna gripped onto the sleeve of Hyunseung's nice jacket, a bad feeling creeping over her. It was a feeling similar to what she had felt the night before when she had stepped out of the limo. The apartment was too quiet. There were no sounds coming from the kitchen or the bathrooms. It wasn't like Jang family too keep their home so quiet.

        Hyunseung pulled his handphone from his pocket and opened his contact list. Hyuna's brown eyes watched as he selected his mother's name. He placed the phone to his ear and walked towards the large open windows that showed a view of Seoul. Hyuna looked down at the street below, her eyes growing wide at the chaos below. She tugged on Hyunseung's sleeve and pointed down.

        Hyunseung's arm slowly fell, bringing the still ringing phone from his head. He stepped closer to the window so that his nose was almost against the glass.

        Groups of people were walking down the street and the road was filled with unmoving cars. They only inched forward slowly, clearly not getting anywhere anytime soon. It wasn't quite clear what was going on below. Hyunseung couldn't make out the faces or the anything, they were too far from him.

        He backed away from the window and started for the living room, where he the television.

        “-advise everyone to stay home,” the anchorwoman said. A look of fear was set onto her face. “Stay calm...” She continued to give advice, but for what Hyunseung had no idea. The feed of the woman cut to a live shot of the streets of Seoul. Crazed looking individuals were biting into the flesh of others. Hyunseung heard Hyuna gasp from behind him and then felt as she moved closer and began clutching to his sleeve once more. He was still confused as to what was happening.

        He turned away from the television and headed for the front door. Hyuna had let go of him and stared wide-eyed at his retreating form.

        “Where are you going? She said to stay home,” Hyuna said at last. She was finally able to move and quickly ran after him. She followed him down the hall and stood by him as he waited for the elevator to reach their floor. “Weren't you paying attention to the footage they were showing? It doesn't really seem like it's safe out there.”

        “Aren't you curious to know what exactly is going on out there?” Hyunseung asked, glancing down at her. Hyuna was shaking her head, her dark, unbrushed hair slapping her cheeks. Hyunseung smirked and turned his attention to the opening elevator.

        Inside stood the old doorman, the man who had had a friendly smile on his face the night before. Hyuna gasped at his now bloodied mouth and white eyes. A gaping wound was set into his neck, caked in drying blood. Hyunseung took a step back, fear and disgust gripping at his insides. He willed the elevator doors to shut, for the man to disappear. It all felt like a bad dream.

        The man took a step forward, seemingly with effort. He threw himself at the the living pair standing outside the waiting elevator. Hyuna pulled Hyunseung out of the way and started running back towards their apartments. She glanced back to see that the man was following them, groaning viciously. His jaw snapped open and closed, saliva spilling out onto his chin and dripping down his neck. Hyuna's apartment was nearer.

        She pulled up the lock and started punching in the pass code. She got it wrong the first time, her fingers shaking too much to properly enter the numbers, but she got it right on her second try and pulled open the door as soon as it had beeped, telling her that she had entered the password correctly. She pulled Hyunseung in behind her with little effort and he slammed the door shut.

        He turned to her with fearful, confused eyes.

        “What the hell...”

         Clawing could be heard from outside, scratching at the door. Hyuna backed further into the apartment, wanting too get as far away from the doorman as possible.

        “What happened to him? Is that what the people in the street are like?” Hyuna asked, her words coming out fast. Hyunseung hardly understood what she was saying. He didn't care anyhow. His mind was too preoccupied on the monster scratching at the door, begging to be let in.

        He was worried. His mom hadn't answered her phone. Had she fallen prey to one of those things? Was she one of them? And what about Hyuna's parents? What had happened to them?

        He glanced up at his friend to see that her make-up stained eyes were filled with tears. She wiped them away with the back of her hand, smearing her mascara across her face. Hyunseung sighed and stepped closer to her. Hyuna threw herself into his arms and he rubbed her back comfortingly. He didn't know what to say to her. It wasn't often that she cried. Besides, what do you say to someone when you're just as scared as they are?

        “Mom and dad...” Hyuna started, but she couldn't seem to finish her sentence. She just buried her face deeper into his shirt. His scent did little to comfort her this time around.

        “Let's watch the news. We can figure out what's going on and then work out what to do,” Hyunseung said. He did his best to keep his voice steady. “Do you want to try getting in contact with your parents?”

        Hyuna stepped away from Hyunseung and nodded her head. She silently retreated to her bedroom.

        Hyunseung the television, now ready to listen to what the anchorwoman had to say about the situation taking over Seoul.