Chapter 5 Preparation (1)

After the manager was taken away by the police.

As the incident was roughly wrapped up and the scene was almost cleaned, Chae Jin appeared to switch shifts.

Curious about the commotion in the neighborhood on his way to work, Chae Jin asked me,

"Bro, what happened? I saw police cars and ambulances passing by just now."

Having experienced a serious event, I didn't have the time to answer Chae Jin's questions one by one, so I only gave him the conclusion.

"The manager attacked passersby and was taken to the police station."

"Huh? What? Why did the manager?"

"I don't know. We can talk about it later. Hurry up and switch shifts."

"No. What happened? Tell me!"

Without the mental capacity to answer Chae Jin's questions, I quickly handed over the day's work and went up to the attic.

Current time: 8:23 PM.

It had been less than an hour since I witnessed the manager attacking passersby like a madman.

The memory was still vivid.

The manager's attack on passersby was as bizarre as something from a horror movie.

While my instincts told me something strange was about to happen, my rational mind dismissed it as impossible and urged me not to entertain such thoughts.

Still, out of a lingering concern, I turned on the computer.

I frantically searched SNS, YouTube, internet forums, and personal broadcasts, but found no reports of respiratory patients attacking people.

Was my anxiety just a false alarm?

The most common search results were warnings about respiratory diseases and prevention methods.

"Was the manager suffering from some psychological issue?"

I couldn't understand why a person would attack others like a rabid dog for no reason.

Despite my anxiety, fatigue began to set in.

Click, click.

With a lingering sense of unease, I securely locked the attic door before going to bed.

* * *

The next day, I woke up to the familiar sound of my phone alarm.

"…Did I sleep for about 9 hours?"

It was time to switch shifts with Chae Jin.

The events of last night came to mind, making me feel uneasy.

After a quick wash, I grabbed a metal pipe from the rooftop storage and went down to the convenience store.

Looking around cautiously, I entered the store.

"Hey! Tae Kyung, you're here early? What's that pipe for?"

"Did anything happen last night?"

"Nope. There weren't many customers. I'll head home now~"

Chae Jin seemed ready to switch shifts, taking off his uniform and gathering his things.

"I'll eat the leftovers for breakfast, rest a bit, and switch shifts with you at the regular time, so wait for me."

"Can't you switch earlier…? Tch!"

Ignoring Chae Jin's grumbling, I grabbed two triangle rice rolls, a red bean cream bread, and a banana-flavored milk, and sat in a corner of the store.

Chomp, chomp.

Unlike my usual focus on food, my eyes kept darting to the people outside the window while I ate.

While scanning the outside, I noticed a suspicious man wandering around the store and the neighborhood alleys.

His appearance was clearly suspicious.

'What's he doing?'

I kept the metal pipe from the rooftop within reach and continued to watch outside.

Chae Jin, standing at the counter, noticed my behavior and asked,

"Bro, what are you looking at? Is something wrong?"

"That man. Why is he always hanging around here?"

"Man? Oh! That guy! I've seen him since early morning. He came to the store but didn't buy anything. He asked if I knew anything about the incident last night."

"Who is he?"

"I don't know. But what happened last night? I heard the manager was taken by the police?"

Chae Jin, curious about last night's events, kept asking questions.

"Last night…"

I explained in detail about the manager's behavior and his attack on six passersby.

After hearing my explanation, Chae Jin asked a very selfish question, as expected.

"So, is the manager going to jail? What about our part-time jobs? Our salaries? What will happen?"

"I don't know yet. For now, it seems we'll have to split the work between the two of us."

"12-hour shifts? No way."

"Then do you want to close the store? What will you say when the manager comes back? And do you have another part-time job right now?"

"No…"

"Is there any place as comfortable as this for you to work part-time?"

Chae Jin grumbled for a while about the 12-hour shifts but, realizing there was no other choice, said he would come back at 8 PM and left.

After the shift change.

I sat at the counter and searched various forums and websites on my smartphone for information about last night's incident.

Ding, ding.

"Welcome!"

"Hello, I'm Han Gi-tae, a reporter for CBS Incheon News."

It was the suspicious man I had seen through the window while eating breakfast.

'So he's a reporter. That's why he was wandering around the neighborhood.'

The reporter, as if waiting for me, asked,

"Did you work last night? I heard about an incident where six passersby were attacked in front of the store. Do you know anything about it?"

"Yes, I was the night shift worker."

"Great! Can you tell me more about what happened last night?"

"…"

I was hesitant to reveal information about the manager to the reporter.

I was concerned about exposing the manager's personal information and worried that it might tarnish the store's reputation in the neighborhood.

"Are you worried about the perpetrator's identity being revealed? Don't worry, we'll pixelate the face, and the age and name won't be disclosed."

"Still…"

"I already know that the perpetrator of last night's incident was the store manager…"

He must have heard about the incident from the neighborhood residents.

The reporter reassured me that the identity would not be revealed and asked me to provide detailed information.

Since the identity wouldn't be revealed, I decided to explain the details of the incident to the reporter, just as I had to the police.

The reporter took notes in his notebook while recording my story.

After the conversation, the reporter checked the store's CCTV.

"Are all the CCTV cameras working?"

"Of course."

"I think the incident was recorded on the outside CCTV. Can I see it?"

Since I had already provided detailed information, I decided it was fine to show the CCTV footage.

The CCTV showed the manager holding a bento and a can of beer, sitting on a bench in front of the store, and then attacking a woman, followed by five more people.

After seeing the footage, the reporter, eager to get the video, asked me to provide it.

"Hey, can you provide this video as a tip? Our station offers a reward for news video tips."

"Hmm, providing the video might be difficult. The CCTV isn't mine, and I'm concerned about the manager's face being revealed."

I firmly refused to provide the CCTV footage.

The reporter, eager for the video, increased the reward amount and reassured me that the manager's identity would not be exposed.

Unable to resist the increasing reward and the reporter's earnest persuasion, I agreed to provide the CCTV footage for 500,000 won.

The reporter, having obtained the video, left the store, assuring me that there would be no issues.

500,000 won.

A large sum that would take about 55 hours of part-time work to earn.

Happily pondering where to spend the unexpected 500,000 won, the morning shift passed quickly.

'Is it already this time? I'm getting hungry…'

Thinking of having a simple lunch with instant noodles, I was browsing the noodle display when I heard people murmuring outside the store.

Ding, ding.

Soon, a group of people entered the store.

They were neighborhood uncles and aunts who were close to the manager.

They crowded into the store and started asking me about the manager's whereabouts and last night's incident.

The owner of the rice cake shop, who was closest to the manager, asked,

"What happened last night? Is Mr. Park at the police station?"

"I'm not sure, but I heard he's receiving treatment at a hospital."

"Mr. Park, though grumpy, is not the type to harm others…"

"Hmm, I have the detective's phone number. Please wait a moment."

Remembering the note with the detective's phone number, I headed to the counter to retrieve it.

Suddenly, I heard a very disturbing sound.

"Cough, cough."

Among the group, someone was coughing continuously, as if something was stuck in their throat.

It sent a chill down my spine.

I recalled how the manager's cough started as a light one and gradually turned into a severe, continuous cough.

Then I remembered that the manager had mentioned going to see a meteor three days ago with some neighborhood friends.

It was likely that these people had also gone to see the meteor and touched it.

I stopped in my tracks, turned my head, and carefully observed the group to find the source of the coughing.

At that moment, I met the eyes of someone with bloodshot, staring at me.

'Gasp!'

I felt a shiver run down my spine.

My mind was filled with the thought of quickly getting these people out of the store.

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

I quickly retrieved the note from under the counter and handed it to the rice cake shop owner.

"Rice cake shop owner, here's the detective's phone number. Please call him and go to the hospital where the manager is."

After handing the note to the rice cake shop owner, I practically forced them out of the store.

The other neighborhood residents followed, and the coughing sounds in the store disappeared.

Shake, shake, shake.

I realized my hands were trembling.

After work last night, I had spent hours searching the internet for information about recent respiratory diseases.

But since I didn't find any significant articles or opinions, I had felt a bit relieved.

However, that relief quickly turned to fear.

A cold, unpleasant feeling enveloped my body.

'Could it be?'

I had personally witnessed the symptoms of the manager and some neighborhood residents.

Therefore, I couldn't help but give weight to the credibility of the tabloid post suggesting that something from outer space had entered the Earth along with the meteor.

As a 'military enthusiast' and a 'prepper enthusiast,' my instincts were telling me to stock up and prepare for something.

The purpose for the unexpected 500,000 won became clear.

'…I need to buy something.'

But before that, there was something I needed to do.

I looked at the spot where the manager used to sit.

For some reason, it seemed unlikely that anyone would sit there again.

What needed to be done?

I turned on the computer and opened an internet window.

Then I started clicking various buttons in quick succession.