Bab 43: Apocalypse Begins.
A week has already passed, and Diego is still nowhere to be found. U-jin felt an overwhelming sense of worry as Diego hadn't returned home since their altercation. The fear begins to grip everyone's hearts, as they start to wonder if Diego has taken a dangerous path.
"Mun-hee, have you located him?" U-jin asked, anxiously gathering with the others in the student council room.
"Yeah, it's the same warehouse where Ji-woo and I found him before," Mun-hee replied, swiftly typing on her iPad.
"I'm going to find him," U-jin declared, standing up to leave.
"Are you out of your mind?" Eun-woo exclaimed.
"I'm coming with you," Ji-woo chimed in, rising from her seat.
"But Ji-woo, you have a competition today," Ga-ram reminded her.
"Isn't it too dangerous to just walk into the lion's den without any police backup?" Si-woo voiced his concern.
"Worry not, I'll use my drone to keep an eye on U-jin. If there's any trouble, I will immediately inform the police. You all need not worry," Mun-hee assured them.
"Good, because I'm certainly not going with him," Eun-woo stated firmly.
"Ji-woo, let's go. Young-chul and Seo-ah are waiting for us," Ga-ram urged Ji-woo.
"Be careful, U-jin," Ji-woo said before leaving with Ga-ram.
U-jin drove to the countryside where the warehouse was located, parking his car right in front of it. The thugs standing outside aimed their guns at him.
Stepping out with his hands up, U-jin pleaded, "I'm only here to find my brother. I need to talk to him."
One of the thugs approached U-jin and forcefully pushed him inside the warehouse. As he glanced up, U-jin saw his grandmother's step-sister, Diego, and even Yong-rae standing behind a barricade.
"It seems my dear grandson has willingly delivered himself to us. What a delightful surprise, wouldn't you all agree?" the woman chimed, and the thugs around her grinned maliciously.
U-jin's eyes met Diego's, searching for answers in his brother's expression.
"Diego, I had no idea this was your plan all along. Setting your brother up to follow you here," she continued, yet Diego remained silent, his gaze fixed on U-jin.
"Don't worry, I'm not cruel enough to order you to kill your own brother," the woman smirked, her voice oozing with sadistic amusement. Diego's sudden reaction caught her attention.
"Yong-rae, would you do us the honor?" she requested, moving towards him and placing a loaded gun in his hand. Leaning in closer, she whispered, "Let's see if you were right about Diego."
Yong-rae's smile widened as he descended the stairs, coming face to face with U-jin.
Despite the imminent danger, U-jin remained unfazed. "Before you do anything, I just want to talk to my brother," he pleaded.
Diego finally descended the stairs and stood next to U-jin. "What is it?" he asked, his voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty.
"I don't understand, Diego," U-jin began, his voice filled with genuine confusion. "I understand why you want to destroy our mother, but me? I want to know why. I want the chance to--"
"To make things right? There's no time for that now," Diego interrupted, his tone bitter and resolute.
"Yes, there is. I'm so sorry, Diego, for all the pain I've caused you," U-jin confesses, his words sincere and heartfelt.
Diego's eyes widened, struck by the unexpected remorse in his brother's voice. He hesitated for a moment, his emotions flickering across his face before a realization swept over him.
Yong-rae looked towards his boss, receiving a signal to proceed with killing U-jin.
"All right, this ends now," Yong-rae declared, lifting the gun towards U-jin's head. However, before he could squeeze the trigger, Diego swiftly kicked the gun out of his hand.
Yong-rae's surprise quickly transformed into a sinister smile. "Shoot them both!" he commanded, expecting his thugs to execute his orders. But to his astonishment, none of them moved; instead, they turned their weapons towards him and his boss.
"Traitors!" the woman shouted, while Diego chuckled. "Did Mun-hee capture everything here?" he asked U-jin, who was still in shock at the turn of events.
"Yes, how did you..."
"I've always known, even the time both her and Ji-woo followed me," he smiled.
"So you had to become so mean and snobbish to execute your plan?" U-jin questioned.
"Yep, take them to the red room until we plan our next move," he ordered the thugs, who dragged them out as they screamed.
U-jin smiled, "I thought I lost you."
"I need Mun-hee here. I have all the evidence to incriminate both Yong-rae and our grandmother's step-sister. I want her to broadcast everything," Diego declared.
"She has already heard you," U-jin said, looking towards a drone that was descending towards them, "I am needed back at school."
"Okay, let me walk you out," Diego said, as both of them exited with the drone trailing behind.
But as they approached U-jin's car, they suddenly felt the ground shake.
"What's happening? An earthquake?" Diego questioned.
"I don't think so. Look," U-jin pointed, and they both noticed the sun being obscured as the moon moved closer, ultimately standing in front of it.
"An eclipse," Diego whispered in awe.
Meanwhile, Eun-woo was heading towards his car in the school park when he glanced up at the sky and beheld the rare phenomenon.
"I thought it wasn't until next year that we would have this," he pondered.
"Eun-woo, I need to talk to you!" Kim Ae-ra exclaimed, rushing towards him.
"Ae-ra, what are you doing here?" Eun-woo asked, surprise evident on his face.
"Ae-ra, there you are! Our parents have been looking for you everywhere," Hyun-ki called out, rushing towards them with Sung-min in tow.
But their attention quickly shifted as a glowing blue light emanated from their school building, illuminating the entire sky.
The heavens were awash with the blue radiance before it suddenly disappeared, replaced by lightning crackling across the planet's surface.
"What is this?" Eun-woo murmured, watching in awe as the ground started to rupture, creating deep cracks that separated Eun-woo and Ae-ra from Hyun-ki and Sung-min.
"Everyone, get to safety!" Eun-woo shouted, urging the students in the school park to find shelter.
"Ae-ra!" Hyun-ki screamed, desperately trying to reach his sister.
"Don't worry, you guys should go to the top of that school building. We will meet you there," Eun-woo instructed, grabbing Ae-ra's hand. But Hyun-ki seemed oblivious, refusing to budge. Sung-min had to hoist him over his shoulder, carrying him towards the school building.
Eun-woo and Ae-ra swiftly made their way in the opposite direction, toward another school building with a bridge connecting it to the school building that Hyun-ki and Sung-min had gone to. They entered the building with a group of frightened students and hurriedly climbed up the stairs to reach the bridge. At one point, Eun-woo let go of Ae-ra's hand to guide the other students safely across the bridge.
As the ground continued to crumble beneath them, the building began to collapse, engulfed in flames and billowing smoke as molten substance as erupted from the ground. Panic filled the air as the students screamed and fled in all directions. Amidst the chaos, a large stone fell on a female student's leg, trapping her. Eun-woo rushed to her aid, swiftly removing the stone and helping her to her feet.
Together, they sprinted across the bridge, the girl and Eun-woo the last ones remaining. The bridge started to give way, crumbling bit by bit. Ae-ra stood on the other building, eyes filled with tears, screaming Eun-woo's name, urging him to run faster.
Eun-woo glanced back, sensing the encroaching danger of the erupting magma reaching him. Knowing he couldn't make it, he selflessly pushed the female student forward, causing her to land safely on the other building. Another male student quickly came to her aid, helping her up.
Ae-ra's screams echoed through the air as she witnessed the bridge collapse, with Eun-woo swallowed by the fiery molten substance. However, miraculously, the magma diverted its path, flowing towards the opposite side, leading to the football field.
Meanwhile, Mun-hee and Si-woo rushed through the hallway in the computer building, urgently wanting to find Ji-woo and Ga-ram. When screams echoed from one of the computer rooms, they bravely entered to find the aftermath of destruction caused by burning magma. The water tank poles had collapsed, causing a rush of water to flood towards the building.
Si-woo and Mun-hee quickly rallied the others to escape, but before reaching the stairs, they noticed Kwan searching for someone.
Through a window, they witnessed the water rapidly approaching the building. In a split second, the window shattered upon impact, and Si-woo and Mun-hee clutched onto a metal table to secure themselves. As the water forcefully carried Kwan down the hallway, Si-woo managed to grab hold of her, ensuring her safety.
"Si-woo, have you seen Hyun-ki and Ae-ra? I'm worried about them," Kwan anxiously asked.
"No, I share your concerns. I hope my sister will make it through this as we did," Si-woo as he looked towards the water that has broken through the other side of the window making the water level in the computer building to reduce.
Meanwhile, Ji-woo raced on the track, ready to pass the baton to Ga-ram, but their plans were halted when a sudden burst of light struck the ground beside them, causing a stir among the runners.
Looking up, they were astonished to witness an eclipse. As trembling shook the earth, chaos ensued, with the ground splitting apart and people being separated. Ji-woo acted swiftly, rushing to aid those clinging to the edge of the collapsing ground to prevent them from falling.
Joined by Seo-ah, Young-chul, and Ga-ram, they worked together, helping everyone they could. Seo-ah and Young-chul eventually fled with the other students, while Ji-woo and Ga-ram decided to follow suit.
However, in an unfortunate turn of event, a crack in the ground veered towards Ji-woo but came to an abrupt halt just in front of her. Both Ji-woo and Ga-ram released a sigh of relief, only to have their elation cut short when the ground beneath Ga-ram suddenly gave way.
Heartbreakingly, Ji-woo's attempt to save Ga-ram ended in tragedy, as the ground crumbled beneath Ga-ram. Ji-woo watched in despair as Ga-ram fell into a muddy river that had emerged from the opening in the ground.
Overwhelmed with grief, Ji-woo knelt down, tears streaming down her face. Amidst the chaotic scene, Seo-ah and Young-chul noticed Ji-woo and returned to her side. They understood the devastation that had occurred and offered their support, helping Ji-woo to her feet as they searched for a safe place to seek refuge.
Meanwhile, U-jin and Diego found themselves driving through the countryside, desperately trying to reach Seoul. However, they encountered an alarming sight—trees collapsing and the ground cracking all around them.
"Have you managed to reach anyone?" U-jin asked, concerned.
"No, there's no network coverage at all. That's why the drone isn't working either," Diego explained.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure we get there in time," U-jin reassured him, but as soon as those words left his mouth, a massive crack formed right in front of the car, causing the ground to crumble.
U-jin instinctively swerved the car to the right, narrowly avoiding catastrophe as they veered off the road and hung precariously over the edge of a cliff. From the depths of the chasm, magma erupted, intensifying the danger.
U-jin was at the part of the car that was over the cliff while Diego was on the safe side.
Diego unbuckled his seatbelt, panic setting in. "We're going to die here. There's no use, U-jin," he said, his voice filled with defeat.
"No, you can survive. Just go without me," U-jin smiled, determination shining in his eyes.
"You must be crazy!" Diego exclaimed, anger and frustration evident.
U-jin chuckled ruefully. "It seems I've heard that twice today... but believe me, Diego, Ji-woo needs you more. If something were to happen to me, you'll be the one to face her."
Diego tried to argue, but the cliff trembled once more. In a split second decision, U-jin leaned over, opened Diego's side door, and forcefully pushed him out. Diego stood in shock, watching as the car succumbed to the fiery abyss, consumed by the magma.
Overwhelmed with grief and disbelief, Diego let out a despairing scream. From his vantage point, he surveyed the once-familiar cityscape of Seoul now ravaged by magma, water submerging certain areas due to rising tides, and other sections featuring demolished buildings alongside those still standing. It became clear to Diego that his world would never be the same again.
–—–—–—–—–—–—–—
In the real world.
Few months later.
Eun-kyung discovered herself within the confines of an enigmatic and peculiar bookshop. It was her brother who had implored her to accompany him to this mysterious place, finally unveiling the unsettling truth about the four days blackout, which proved to be far from a laughing matter.
"You and this old man are insane," Eun-kyung exclaimed, her voice brimming with disbelief.
"I assure you, I am not insane. You are the sole individual capable of salvaging that world. Simply unearth the cause of the breach and eradicate it," the old man asserted.
"He's right. Just heed his counsel," Eun-woo interjected with conviction.
"No, thank you. Why don't you undertake the task yourself?" Eun-kyung challenged, her tone tinged with skepticism.
"You are the chosen one, the only one capable of saving that world. You possess the...oh, forget it. Just do it!" he bellowed with frustration.
"I'm going to inform Mum," Eun-kyung declared as she turned to leave.
Overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility, Eun-woo let out a weary sigh and firmly clasped Eun-kyung's hand, guiding her towards the book.
In unison, they touched the book, and a brilliant purple light emanated from its pages. Eun-kyung and Eun-woo were awestruck by the enchanting display, only to find themselves promptly whisked away into the realm of the novel.
The old man, who had been an eyewitness to this event, clasped his head in his hands, grappling with the overwhelming task of explaining the inexplicable to Yoon-mi. "How am I going to convey this revelation to Yoon-mi now that she's around?" he lamented.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
CelesteVega
CelesteVega Such a long chapter.
Volume one has ended and now I will be taking a break. Don't worry our characters are still around.
The next volume will be filled with action scenes and I need more thinking about it. As you can see in the preview, Eun-kyung didn't go alone, her brother has joined the show. How will they survive now as the world is a mess. The world background will also change, it wouldn't be like how I left it.
NOTE: I'm not dropping it, just doing more planning.
Thanks for reading.
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