Plague 2023 (Plague 2022 Season 2)

Episode 36

SILENT OBSERVERS: THE EYES OF EVIL

The tension in the room thickened as the woman in the white lab coat slowly scanned the faces before her. Her gaze was calculating, as though she was piecing together a puzzle, and her expression remained hidden behind the mask that covered her face. Her hands, casually resting in the pockets of her lab coat, seemed too relaxed for the situation, only adding to the unease that filled the air.

When she finally spoke, her voice was muffled but clear, carrying an authority that demanded attention. "That boy might die if he doesn’t receive proper attention."

Her words hung in the air like a death sentence. She began to walk toward them, the sharp, deliberate click of her black heels echoing off the walls with each step. The sound was unnerving, like the ticking of a clock counting down to an inevitable end. The group stiffened, their eyes following her every move as she approached Sae Joon Hyun, Jaeyeon, and Yon. When she reached them, she paused, standing over Sae Joon Hyun's slumped form, her shadow casting a cold, foreboding presence over them.

“We can help,” she said, her tone matter-of-fact, as though this was all just another routine procedure for her.

Hamin, who had been standing off to the side, couldn’t hold back his frustration any longer. “Who are you?!” he demanded, his voice brimming with suspicion.

The woman turned her head slightly to glance at Hamin, her eyes briefly meeting his before returning to the trio at her feet. There was a faint, almost imperceptible smirk in her eyes, a hint of condescension that made the hairs on the back of Hamin’s neck stand up.

“You did a good job, Ahn Yon,” she said, her voice smooth, acknowledging Yon’s work without a hint of emotion. “The wound is perfectly sealed. But he needs more than that, and I’m sure you know that too.” She paused, her gaze sliding back to Hamin from the corner of her eye. “Knowing who or what I am is not important right now.”

Her words were cold and dismissive, as if she was speaking to a child who didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. Before anyone could respond, a sharp intake of breath drew everyone’s attention to Eunhye. Her eyes were wide, fixed on one of the figures standing behind the woman. A shorter woman, also in a lab coat, clutched a briefcase tightly in her hands. But it wasn’t her attire that had Eunhye on edge—it was her eyes.

Those eyes. Eunhye knew them all too well, and they sent a chill down her spine. They were the same eyes she had seen in the white room—the room where she and her friends had been trapped, forced to watch as their comrades turned into mindless, flesh-hungry zombies. The memory was burned into her mind, and those eyes were at the center of it all.

"You! It's you!" Eunhye’s voice broke the silence, filled with a mix of fear and anger. She glared at the woman, her hands shaking as the recognition hit her like a punch to the gut.

Yuri’s head snapped toward the shorter woman, her breath catching in her throat as she recognized those same sinister eyes. The shock turned to a simmering rage. Sae Joon Hyun, who had been trying to steady himself despite the pain radiating from his shoulder, turned to see what the commotion was about. His eyes narrowed as he took in the woman’s face, and the realization struck him as well. This was no ordinary encounter.

Ignoring the pain shooting through his body, Sae Joon Hyun forced himself to his feet, pulling Jaeyeon up with him. Jaeyeon, startled, instinctively wrapped an arm around Sae Joon Hyun’s waist to support him. Sae Joon Hyun’s left hand gripped his wounded shoulder, trying to hold back the pain that threatened to cripple him.

“Step back, everyone,” he ordered, his voice firm despite the strain. His command cut through the tension like a knife, and without hesitation, the others obeyed. Eunhye and Yuri moved behind him, positioning themselves defensively. Yuri’s eyes never left the shorter woman, the one she now knew had been responsible for so much of their suffering.