✔ 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈, 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠

[02] In Bits and Bytes

'This is ridiculous, Beomgyu,' I tried to tell myself, but my own voice bounced off the wall of my sanity as usual. With careful, quiet steps, I made my way to the entrance and heard the doorbell ring again. Startled, I covered my ears, finally leaned towards the peephole and dared to look outside. The disgustingly distorted face of a zombie was staring back at me. Gray, dead eyes fixed me with a blank stare and the slack remains of once rosy lips hung from its jaw.

A shiver ran through me when I recognized the undead man as the letter carrier.

He seemed fresh out of a nightmare.

His loud, irregular breathing came through the door, reinforced by a musty smell that thickens the air around me. The smacking sounds of the meokbang stream that had previously enlivened my senses were swallowed up by the oppressive silence of my apartment.

The zombie outside seemed to be waiting for me to react, and the possibilities spun like a merry-go-round in my head.

No matter how surreal it seemed, the shadows of my virtual world had now transferred to my front door.

I froze in front of the door, my heart pounding in an irregular rhythm. It seemed as if the letter carrier zombie was staring at me through the peephole, his foul breath literally blowing in my face. With trembling hands, I fumbled for the door handle and carefully turned it to make sure the door was locked. The thought that this monster could find its way into my safe haven made my knees buckle. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I tried to control my breathing.

An oppressive feeling spread through my chest.

How had this nightmare vision entered my reality?

Without a clear thought, I sat down on the floor, leaning my back against the door. The cold tiled floor seemed to want to penetrate me, but I couldn't turn my attention away from what was going on beyond the door. The smacking sounds barely penetrated my ears and were drowned out by the oppressive groaning on the other side.

"Please go away," I whispered, not knowing at that moment whether I meant the zombie or my general fear. "Please go again." My voice was just a breath. Fear constricted my chest with invisible shackles. The room seemed to shrink, the walls closing in as if to enclose me in their menacing grip. Every breath felt heavy and suffocating, as if the air had suddenly become thicker.

As I sat on the cold floor and the silence enveloped me, I tried to convince myself that this could only be a brief nightmare. That I would wake up in a moment and all this would pass. But the muffled breathing and footsteps outside the door disproved my inner reassurance.

I closed my eyes and prayed inwardly that this zombie letter carrier would just go away.

But how long could I sit here and wait for it to pass?

Since I wasn't sure, I just started counting to distract myself from the noises behind the door. When I finally got to sixty, I knew that at least a minute must have passed. I turned my head and pressed my ear against the wood, but couldn't hear anything.

A relieved sigh escaped my lips and for a moment I thanked my landlord for the sturdy door. I pulled myself up by the door handle and hesitantly looked through the peephole. Sure enough, I could see the zombie shuffling down the stairs and slowly disappearing. The extra minutes I waited felt incredibly long. But I had to make sure he didn't come back. Finally, I unlocked the lock and pulled the door open. Breathing heavily and with wobbly knees, my eyes wandered along the corridor and finally downstairs. There was a letter on the footrest. I briefly considered slamming the door shut again. But my knees gave way immediately, bringing me closer to the floor, so I reached outside in a flash and picked up the letter, returning to my apartment without unnecessary detours.

With an exhausted and relieved sigh, I leaned against the door and looked at the letter in my hand.

It was clearly addressed to me, but how could the letter carrier zombie have known that?

By chance?

I took my time before finally opening the letter and reading through the contents.

──────────────⚜──────────────

──────────────⚜──────────────

I wrinkled my nose.

Bloody hell.

A reunion?

I thought I was rid of these idiots for good. But they only proved to me again that they were idiots, because they had actually forgotten that I didn't have a degree. After all, I'd dropped out six months earlier and had never seen these people again. The class rep had probably been misinformed. I also didn't want to feel pressured by her.

I would have preferred not to have read this letter at all!

Shaking my head, I stared at the invitation letter, which made my hand seem almost superfluously small. The memories of my school days and my decision to leave school early suddenly felt very present. A bitter taste of the past and discomfort spread through my mouth. I slowly got to my feet, but my legs still felt weak after the experience, so I shuffled listlessly into my gaming room and slumped down on the chair. Leaning back in my cozy armchair, I pondered how I should deal with this invitation. The idea of meeting up with my former classmates again filled me with an uncomfortable feeling. I had distanced myself from that part of my life, and now suddenly there was a knock at my door again.

I just stayed in my chair for a few minutes, my eyes fixed on the invitation letter. Finally, I sighed heavily and decided not to face this confrontation and put the letter in the top drawer. I tried to put it out of my mind and started the computer.