A ten‑story building, relatively old, with rough, weathered walls.
Beside its entrance, a small garden with withered flowers—
as if something had drained their lifeblood and corrupted their souls.
I stand now before the entrance of this residential complex.
The place where my home is.
But I feel suffocated, my whole body trembling like jelly.
A memory that just surged into my mind carried the stench of death and terror.
But I cannot retreat.
My brother… my only family… is alone inside.
Sweat trickled down my forehead; I wiped it away with my sleeve
and silently stepped into that cursed building.
The place where my brother was killed.
My heart pounded violently. I could hear its thundering beat.
But I must not surrender. This time, I must save my brother.
---
That day, I came home a little late.
When I reached the rented unit, a stench of rot and a mass of decaying flesh—
twisted like creeping branches—was protruding from the neighbor's apartment
and stretching toward ours.
A bitter odor that burned the back of my throat filled the air,
like a toxic, suffocating atmosphere.
It felt as though a mountain of garbage had piled up here.
Even breathing seemed difficult in that moment.
Splinters of wood littered the floor,
so I stepped carefully toward the door.
It was open—and what I saw was truly horrifying.
A grotesque, massive heap of rotten flesh stood before me.
And worse than that… my brother, staring at me with terrified eyes,
was being swallowed by that putrid mass.
He couldn't even scream… only that pleading gaze, begging to be saved.
My knees buckled. Something twisted inside me;
it felt like thousands of blades piercing my heart.
I struck my chest hard to free myself from the pain, but it was useless.
My brother was suffering right before my eyes.
I had to save him… I had to save him. But I couldn't.
He was right there, yet I didn't take a single step.
Blood‑red tears streamed from my eyes,
and a deep hatred dissolved into my bones.
All I did was hide in the stairwell corner,
covering my mouth with trembling hands so my breathing wouldn't be heard.
I despised myself. I should have done something.
And now I am here.
I will not let it happen again.
This time, I will save my brother—
even if it
means being devoured by that rotten monster.