_
Abyss : ABYSS
= A deep pit from which it is difficult to escape.
= Bottomless pit
_
EP 1. Abyss
_ Sunday, January 16, 2022
That day could have been any other day. People greeted the morning, ate breakfast, and ended the day as usual, watching the setting sun. It was just another uneventful 24 hours, a day, nothing special. That was it.
It was around dawn when the darkness had lifted slightly and the dim light was beginning to dawn, only to be filled with black smoke. The ground shook, and with a loud bang, the outside of the window was filled with so much smoke and dust that I couldn't see even an inch ahead. In an instant, I was gripped by fear, wrapped in my blanket and pillow, and trembled.
"What... is it an earthquake?"
I didn't even know what the commotion was. My own safety and the survival of my family and friends were my top priorities. I hurriedly searched the area, found my cell phone, and contacted everyone I knew before the explosion finally stopped. Feeling drained, I fell back into a deep sleep, almost collapsing, with smoke still rising outside the window.
I had no idea what conversation was going on on my phone right away.
Jiing- Jiing-
After some time, I was suddenly woken by a barrage of phone alarms. It felt like quite some time had passed, but it was still dark outside, making it difficult to tell if it was day or night. I pressed and held the power button to check my phone, which kept ringing.
"What, what is it...!!"
My friends and parents were flooding me with messages. Even acquaintances I'd lost touch with for a while, and even people I'd exchanged numbers with in passing, were constantly sending me KakaoTalk messages and messages, making it difficult to control the screen. When I finally managed to click on my mom's KakaoTalk message and check the contents, I was utterly shocked.
"...war...?!!"
Among the piles of KakaoTalk messages from my mother, one word caught my eye: "war." Wondering what was going on, I called her in a panic, swallowing my saliva. Several beeps erupted, and the clock hands continued to turn, but there was no sign of my mother's voice.
"Please... Mom, please...!!"
It was a desperation I had never felt before, but coincidentally, the annoying ringtone soon cut off and the poor counselor's voice came over the phone.
After the beep sound, the connection is not established -
I couldn't hear my mother's voice until the very end. Thoughts like, "What if I had woken up a little earlier?" and "What if I had seen her a little earlier?" and all sorts of negative images flashed through my mind, but I managed to pull myself together and make a rational decision.
If there really was a war, there would have been a lot of disaster text messages and news, so when I typed with trembling hands and went to the internet news window, it was a complete mess.
_
[Headline | North Korea Invades South Korea at 11:16 PM on January 16, 2022... Will a Second Korean War Break Out?]
North Korea: "Peaceful unification collapses, a hollow illusion of a Korean people."
UN Security Council Recognizes North Korea's Surprise Invasion, Plans to Deploy UN Troops
"We must not overheat to nuclear war," urgent experts cry.
_
"...Fuck..."
Slowly, a curse slipped out. A war in the middle of the night? A danger I couldn't believe, yet didn't want to believe, was looming before me. My mind went dark, and I felt lost, as if there was no way forward. The shaking of the ground, which I'd assumed was an earthquake, was actually a missile, and the black smoke outside the window, which I'd assumed was the remnants of an aftershock, was actually the remains of a bomb. It felt like a movie.
Looking outside more closely, I saw buildings and cars that had collapsed in a haphazard manner, beyond recognition, and faintly visible fighter planes streaking across the sky. Only then did it really begin to sink in. My mind was quite ignorant.
I packed a wartime emergency kit, recalling memories I'd seen online. I frantically searched for everything—a flashlight, matches, emergency food, a blanket, newspapers—but the house was still in good condition, and I felt fortunate that the anxious day was drawing to a close.
And so, the first day of the war passed.
Monday, January 17, 2022
The second morning dawned, a slightly more pungent tang. I hadn't slept with the window open, but my throat felt dry and scratchy. I gulped down water as soon as I woke up. With my thirst somewhat quenched, I picked up my phone and perused the news and all my KakaoTalk messages.
"...Today isn't much different."
Comment sections were still chaotic, and communities and message boards were overflowing with rumors. I tried to watch the news on YouTube, but the video frequently cut out and wouldn't play properly. For someone living in the 5G era, the intermittent Wi-Fi was a real annoyance, but I persevered and played the official government briefing video.
"South Korea is currently facing another serious crisis, following the Korean War and the IMF crisis."
"For the citizens who are experiencing confusion and anxiety, the Ministry of National Defense is deploying elite troops to calm the situation..."
Even if it was called a government briefing, it wasn't much different. It was just the same old, sloppy speeches from high-ranking officials at an official event. There was no detailed information about the current situation. And so, 20 minutes passed in vain.
.
.
.
"My fellow citizens, the Republic of Korea can overcome this."
"thank you."
"...It's so annoying and I'm falling over."
I muttered to myself without thinking, then collapsed onto the mattress. Truthfully, I had a lot to do, but I didn't know what to do. How could I confirm the fate of my lost family, and the dangers lurking around me were too great. Just stay still. It was the least I could do to ensure my safety.
To appease my hunger, I took out some fruit from the refrigerator and ate it, and even drank some water that was left out, although it wasn't cold, before my head finally started to work a little.
'...What should I do now?'
What can I, a mere civilian abandoned in this desolate land—neither a soldier, a member of the upper echelons, nor a member of the government—do now? At first glance, it seemed like there was no answer, but a clue soon emerged.
The most important thing in a crisis. Right now, when independent action is most dangerous, you need to have sound limbs, a sound mind, and at least a decent place to live.
We had to find survivors.
.
.
.
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
It's already been a week since we started searching for survivors. We knocked on doors and climbed over walls, regardless of whether the house was intact or completely destroyed, but we couldn't find a single survivor.
The fear that perhaps everyone had already fled came over me, so I threw away all my work and sense of duty and started desperately searching for people.
The pain brought on by loneliness was more vicious and agonizing than I'd imagined. On days when I didn't speak a word, the loneliness and anxiety that would surge through me would gnaw away at my mind. Even amidst all this, the sound of bombings and the rising dust clouds, each passing second, felt like they were drawing ever closer, and my body was crumbling further and further.
"Haa... haa..."
"Ugh...!!!"
The air, much thicker than it had been a few days ago, was seeping through the mask and tickling my airway. It was a medical mask, not a dental one, and it was turning into a useless piece of cloth.
As my things began to break down one by one and my food ran out, I was overcome by a feeling of great helplessness.
The inside of the house looked relatively undisturbed, as if the electricity and water had all gone out, but the inside was not so good. The sink and the washbasin were both overflowing with dirty water, and even the cell phone and television, which seemed to be working fine, soon broke down, leaving me completely cut off from the world.
"...eww..."
How far has the military come? What is the current situation in our country? Are my mom, dad, and friends safe and doing well? As the days passed, my mind became more and more complicated and my ability to act decreased. In my neighborhood, which was almost in ruins, not a single person, not even a rat, was visible.
Ah, so this is how I'm going to die alone in this war zone, not from starvation or execution? I burst into tears. The stinging liquid, mixed with dust, ran down my nose and cheeks, soaking the blanket, but I didn't have the strength to wipe it away.
I felt myself becoming a wreck day by day, and I rotted away like that.
rustle-
"...huh...?"
Thud- thud-
As darkness fell in the evening, the sounds of something, whether human or animal, could be heard.
If it's the military, then the military. I might as well just kill them. Feeling completely drained, I took out my phone and shone the flashlight on it.
"Hey, do you see that?"
"...Isn't that a light?"
"no way...!!"
...Wait a minute, is this... a human voice?
then...
"There's someone here!!!!!!!"