A pale dawn glimmered on Haeryun Academy's ivory spires as four figures converged beneath the vaulted arch of the Central Atrium. The morning mist wove through marble columns, draping the courtyard in a ghostly veil, while cherry blossoms drifted like soft pink snow. Here, ambition and brilliance reigned—a sanctum for prodigies whose minds shaped tomorrow's world. But today, an unseen darkness seeped through the cracks of perfection.
Shin Jae‑hyun stood apart by design. His tailored charcoal suit contrasted with the dusting of petals at his feet. At twenty‑one, he was celebrated as a mathematical savant—his latest proof still unspoken among even the highest circles of academia. Yet his eyes betrayed a restless spirit: a hunger for meaning beyond formulas. As he checked the encrypted drive in his leather satchel, he sensed the air shiver with anticipation.
A few strides away, Park Seo‑yeon descended the Phantom's steps as gracefully as a swan slipping into water. Draped in a modern hanbok whose crimson embroidery caught the morning light, she carried the poise of childhood privilege and the mind of a polyglot scholar. Her smile greeted Jae‑hyun with warmth that belied her noble lineage—a brief warmth that flickered, then vanished, as an uneasy hush fell over the courtyard.
Bounding into view, Lee Min‑woo flashed his easy grin. Even his school‑issue sports jacket seemed bespoke for his athletic frame. He slowed only when the petals cleared his path, a subtle sign of the respect he commanded among his peers. Though his muscles spoke of rugby fields and lacrosse matches, his dark gaze held a guarded sorrow—always there, just beneath the surface.
Last came Kim Ha‑neul, whose presence pulsed with restless energy. Her augmented lenses glowed faintly as she tapped a holo‑pad teeming with biometric data. The heir to a biotech empire, she'd unlocked regenerative pathways once thought impossible—but the more she explored, the more she feared what power she'd unleashed.
They exchanged quiet greetings—Jae‑hyun's nod, Seo‑yeon's soft "Good morning," Min‑woo's handshake, Ha‑neul's nodding spark of recognition—when a distant wail shattered the stillness. It was a sound neither human nor animal, raw with fear and fury. Hearts seized in unison.
Min‑woo's shoulders squared. "That came from the northeast wing. The bio labs."
Seo‑yeon's hand flew to her obi. "That's Ha‑neul's domain."
Ha‑neul's breath hitched. "Something's gone terribly wrong." She tapped her pad; data streams cascaded across the air. "All sensors read violent disturbances—heart rates at maximum, body temperatures spiking…"
Jae‑hyun's voice was calm, but the urgency behind it made blood drum in their ears. "We need to see. Now."
They sprinted through the Atrium's twin doors, which slammed shut behind them, groaning like a wounded beast. Scarlet emergency lights bathed the corridor in hellish hues. The scent of antiseptic warred with something fouler—an undercurrent of decay, sharp and metallic.
At the lab door, Jae‑hyun interfaced with the panel. His fingers flew: "Lockdown override… now." The lock snarled, then succumbed. Inside, shattered glass crunched underfoot as they crossed the threshold, rifles of holographic displays cutting through the dim.
The lab was chaos incarnate. Gone were spotless benches and humming incubators; now spilled vials and overturned chairs lay tangled in a morass of limbs. Figures twisted in unnatural spasms, skin mottled and torn. Mouths hung open in silent screams, eyes glazed with something feral.
Seo‑yeon froze for an instant, then steeled herself. She drew the dagger from her sash—its blade inscribed with her family's crest—and held it at her side.
A student‑turned‑horror lunged, fingers arcing toward Ha‑neul's throat. Instinct flared: Min‑woo charged, slamming into the creature with shoulder and elbow. Bone cracked; the thing collapsed in a twitch. Seo‑yeon sliced clean through another's arm as it reached for Jae‑hyun, whose phone streamed live video back to security HQ.
"Containment protocol two!" he barked over his shoulder. "Seal the corridors!"
But the lock panel fizzled and sparked. Ha‑neul's holo‑pad flashed red. "Power fluctuations—grid's destabilized!" Her own serum vials lay in shards on the floor, iridescent green liquid pooling and sizzling against tiles.
Min‑woo kicked the vial's remains toward the grate. "What do we do with that?" he shouted.
Ha‑neul's voice trembled. "It's my catalyst—meant to regenerate cells. It rewrote death instead—brought them back… wrong."
A low growl rose from the cluster of twitching bodies. Feeble at first, then swelling into a cacophony of gnashing teeth. The threat multiplied: more figures pressed against the reinforced glass as sirens wailed.
Jae‑hyun's mind raced through equations, probabilities—but none mapped this nightmare. "We need an exit!" He pointed at the emergency hatch above the fume hood. "Up there!"
Seo‑yeon kicked a chair aside for a boost. Min‑woo hoisted her; she reached the hatch and yanked it down. Yellow‑streaked daylight spilled in as she hauled herself onto the platform.
"Grab her!" shouted Ha‑neul. Min‑woo complied, muscles coiling like springs. They all tumbled into the service duct—narrow and suffocating but secure. Panels slid shut behind them with a pneumatic sigh.
Breathing ragged, the quartet pressed against cold metal. In the gloom, only their heavy breaths and distant growls reminded them of the carnage they'd fled.
Seo‑yeon wiped sweat from her brow. "What now?"
Jae‑hyun exhaled, eyes distant. "We learn what this catalyst truly is—and why it turned our friends into monsters." He glanced at Ha‑neul. "Your work holds the key."
Her face was pale, resolve hardening. "Then I'll see it through—even if I must destroy every sample."
Min‑woo laid a steady hand on her shoulder. "We're in this together."
Seo‑yeon's gaze found Jae‑hyun's. "And we'll find a way to stop whatever comes next."
Above them, the hatch rattled as guards—uninfected or not yet lost—battled through the lab. Below, the ducts stretched into darkness.
Some doors had closed forever. Others waited to be opened.
And somewhere, deep within Haeryun's hidden chambers, the true horror was only beginning to stir.