Frozen in time, the panicked crowd looks up at the sky...

... the nuclear missile above Seoul, also stopped in time.

The nuclear missile is scrutinized by the terrified people around the hospital.
On the 9th floor: an open window, and inside...

... No one! Neither in the beds, nor on the floor.
A Hospital Room with nothing abnormal... and empty.

In medium orbit, a private spaceship is frozen in time.

An American flag is painted on the hull, as well as:
Company name "SpaceX" and spaceship name "Dragon".
The spaceship has a transparent observation bubble at the front.
Inside, a Western woman and man look at Earth, frightened.

The cosmonauts KARA FISHER (33) and JOHN DOYLE (45) look through the bubble.
Inside the spaceship, everything is frozen in time, in zero gravity:
Them, the equipment, the cables and tablets, EXCEPT...
... a person behind them, in a cosmonaut suit... Yeon-Joo!!

:

...... !!!! (looks around, incredulous, bewildered)

Whatever Yeon-Joo anticipated, this is absolutely not it!!
She notices the flags on the suit armbands:
USA for the man, New Zealand for the woman.
She looks at her own armband: South Korean flag.

She floats near them and sees through the bubble:
The trajectories of hundreds of nuclear missiles.
They are immobilized in time, and suddenly--
TIME RESTARTS!
The missiles fly, the objects in the cabin move.
(The dialogues are in English, subtitled.)

:

(cries) Oh my God, no, no!

:

(afflicted) Will we be the only survivors?

:

..... !!! (horrified)

"WaAAAHH..." The people scream in terror seeing the missile fall, and--
A FLASH!! of light blinds everything!!!

VBROOOMM!!! A nuclear explosion destroys Seoul.

Skyscrapers blown away, pulverized, incinerated. Population disintegrated.

Devastating shockwave... Atomic mushroom...

FLASH!! of light in the sky and--
VBROOOMM!!! A nuclear explosion destroys New York.

FLASH!! of light in the sky and--
VBROOOMM!!! A nuclear explosion destroys Moscow.

Around Earth: missile impacts, intense immense flashes of light...
... followed by atomic detonations, glowing bulges digging into the clouds.

The three cosmonauts see the explosions from the large porthole.
The end of the world: all major metropolitan areas are atomised.

A brief moment of horrific stupefaction, then...

:

(thunderstruck) AAAAHHH !!! CHUL-MOO, MOM !!! AAAAHH !!!

:

(screams, cries) NOOO... Boo hoo hoo... AaAAAahh...

:

(devastated) May God accept these billions of souls.

:

(howls in grief) RAaaAAhh... Chul-MOOOOoooooo... !!

:

(hand on Yeon-Joo's shoulder) I'm sorry for your son and your mother, Yeon-Joo.

:

(fading sobs) Boo hoo hoo... AaAahh... boo hoohhh...

:

Sorry also for your family, Kara... (tears) ... and sorry for mine...

They continue to cry...

The Dragon spaceship orbits and enters Earth's shadow.

John Doyle and Kara Fisher are worried by Yeon-Joo's state, catatonic.

:

What's wrong with her? This doesn't look like just grief.

:

I don't know... (waves his hands in front of Yeon-Joo) Yeon-Joo... Doctor Oh... Oh Yeon-Joo, can you hear me?

:

(hears her name... like a litany bringing her back to reality...) (!!!) How do you know my name? What am I doing here?

:

The shock had an impact on your memory?

:

Yeon-Joo, the SpaceX Fram7 space mission. You were in charge of medical experiments in zero gravity.

-

!! (realizes) A retro-causality. Something changed in the manhwa! I've always been with them. But I have no memory feedback. Is that normal?

:

Are you feeling better?

:

(embarrassed) Yes, I might have... a little difficulty with my memories... but it'll be fine.

:

Commander Doyle, we can't return to Earth as planned.

:

We could join the International Space Station? We'd gain 6 months of autonomy.

:

(nods, turns on the radio) Hello, ISS? This is SpaceX Dragon spaceship.

Fshhh... Only static answers...

:

Hello ISS? Do you read me? (Fshhh... ) (panics) ISS, answer me! Hello ISS, it's urgent! (Fshhh... )

:

(depressed) They couldn't get into orbit as fast as us. They took an EMP. All their equipment fried.

:

(horror) So... They're all dead?!

(dramatically nods "yes")

:

(takes it in) ... What are we going to do? We have a week, maybe two if we ration ourselves.

:

The radioactive fallout will be 99% less in two weeks. But we need a favorable place to splash down. Then we risk drifting and getting lost at sea.

:

(thinks, then) ... I know where!

:

.... (falls back into apathy)

Froshhh... The Dragon spaceship falls, heat shield heated white-hot.

The cabin is shaken.

The 3 cosmonauts stress, suits sealed, harnessed.

~

New Zealand is one of the countries least impacted by the nuclear conflict.

The Dragon spaceship cools while crossing clouds.
It falls above New Zealand.
This country consists of two main large islands.

Plop-Plop! The spaceship's parachutes deploy...
... at 5 km above the Marlborough Sounds.
It's a network of submerged valleys, in the north of the South Island.

~

I'll easily find help there.

John Doyle checks the coordinate screens, worried.

:

A problem, commander?

:

I don't understand. The Draco thruster corrections were precise though.

:

... ?!

:

(alarmed) We won't reach the sea.

:

(!!!) This spaceship isn't designed for a landing!

:

.... (indifferent)

The Dragon spaceship flies above a sea arm...

~

At what speed?

Then the spaceship drifts toward a hill, and descends... descends...

~

40 km/h.

:

We're going to crash! Hold on!!

Oppressed, they tighten their straps, grab the handles.

BOM-CRASH! Final, the spaceship falls onto a green meadow.
It is partially destroyed, smoking...

:

(shakes his head, recovers) ... Are you okay?

:

.... (seems fine)

:

(suffers) AaAaah... My legs! I can't feel my legs anymore!!

:

... !!

(They are dressed in LCVG thermal suits, spacesuits removed.)
Yeon-Joo examines Kara, who is lying on the grass.
She feels the vertebrae, at the base of Kara's back.

John Doyle exits the Dragon spaceship, carrying a case.
He sets it next to another case already out and open.

It contains survival gear:
Radio, solar chargers, medical kit, flare gun, repair tools.
John Doyle takes out a CAD radiation detector.
He turns it on: KrKrrrr..., "0.01 rem/day".

:

Finally some good news, the radiation level is acceptable.

:

.... (looks at Kara, sorry)

:

How is she?

:

A problem with the spine. This leg paralysis will last. I don't know how long. Maybe the spinal cord is severed and it's permanent.

:

... !

:

(sorry) I'm going to try to dismantle a water filter from the--

BANG! A bullet passes through John Doyle's head and shatters it.

He collapses dead!

:

!!!

:

!!!

The shooter: TIMMY, a mentally retarded boy.
He holds a scoped rifle, barrel smoking, resting on...
... the roof of an old rusty diesel pick-up, about a hundred meters away.

:

(talks like a retard) Aga~ Right in the~ bullseye... Agaga~~

At the wheel of the pick-up: JOE the slimy one, next to BOB the toothless one.
Three consanguine degenerates, living in the bayou!

:

That's good Timmy, you're a good little guy.

VRRR! Joe starts and drives toward the Dragon spaceship.

:

Than-ks~ Uncle Joe. Aga~

:

Hey, what's that bitch doing?!

Yeon-Joo pulls from the case... the flare gun and--
POW! Frrzzz... She fires at the pick-up.

:

Shit! (turns the wheel)

:

Agaaa! (falls into the back of the pick-up)

FRRZZZ... The rocket passes just over Timmy then...
... SBROF!! Explodes, setting a bush on fire, farther away.

Yeon-Joo tries to reload...
The pick-up charges toward her and--
VRRIK! It stops in a controlled skid 5 meters away.

Bob opens the car door, holding a hunting rifle and--
BANG! He shoots at Yeon-Joo's feet.

:

Drop your toy!

:

... !! (keeps the gun in hand, but...)

Timmy gets down with his rifle.
Joe gets out of the pick-up with a large-caliber revolver. (357 Magnum)

:

You wanna end up like the ass of the last bitch I fucked?

(desperate, drops the flare gun)

(appalled)

:

Turn around, hands behind. (threatens with the revolver)

Yeon-Joo turns around, reluctantly.
Bob ties her hands with a self-locking Nylon loop. (flex-cuffs)

:

(examines the spaceX cases) Look at what just fell from the sky. It's the good Devil sending us this! Load the gear, boys.

:

Yes, Uncle Joe. Aga~ (slings his rifle and loads a case)

(rifle slung, loads the other case into the pickup truck's bed)

:

(to Yeon-Joo) Why didn't you stay up there, you pretentious bunch of idiots? Your space shit fucked up?

:

..... (sullen)

Paf! Bob slaps the roof of his pick-up.

:

Their pretty modern cars fried for no reason, but good old Bob's rusty chariot held up like his last tooth. (talks about himself in the 3rd person)

Bob smiles hideously, to show the single tooth hanging from his bare gums.

:

It's something caused by the bombs, Bob. It fries all the circuits. The refined little lady won't be able to use her hair dryer anymore... or get her waxed pussy wet on her high-tech dildo.

:

Aga~ Ah-ah-Ah... ~AgaHah-ah-ah...

Joe forces Yeon-Joo to climb into the back of the Pick-up.

:

Talking about that turns me on. I feel like fucking this Asian whore. She smells good, like fresh shrimp. Drive the car, Bob.

:

... !!

:

Leave me some, Joe. (climbs into the driver's seat)

:

Don't worry, I'll leave you your favorite hole. I won't wreck her rear end. (climbs into the back of the Pick-up)

:

Aga~ Can I... have fun with... (points at Kara) Aga~ that one, Uncle Joe?

:

Yeah, have fun Timmy. But you're walking home.

VRRR! The Pick-up starts...

(crazy smile, pulls out a large knife)

:

.... !! (terrified)

Bob drives the pick-up, bouncing over the meadow.

In the pickup truck's bed:
Yeon-Joo is lying uncomfortably on her back, hands tied behind her.
Joe kneels between her legs, ogles her thermal suit lubriciously:
A zipper from top to bottom, also opening the crotch.

:

That's real sexy your lingerie. You came straight out of a 70s porn.

He grabs the zipper, unzips slowly...
Yeon-Joo has a leg reflex to struggle, but stops when remembering:

~

"In the middle of nuclear winter, the brave Doctor Oh Yeon-Joo saves the victims of radioactivity and survives in a world returned to barbarism". A barbarian chief could rape her at the beginning, to traumatize her and give depth to her character.

:

("yes, that's it!", screams) NARRATOR !!! Is that you, behind all this?!! ARE YOU HERE?!! NARRATOR !!!

:

Don't make me go soft with your deliriums of--

FREEZ... Time freezes... and in the sky...
... The yellow frame materializes... then the Narrator inside!!

:

Of course, Oh Yeon-Joo. "Lost Reality" continues... with you, as Female Lead of the story!

:

... !!! (horror)

A bright yellow frame materializes: "*Oh Yeon-Joo does not resist*".

:

!!!! (terrified, but reacts by reflex--)

Yeon-Joo passes her tied hands under her butt.
She brings them in front of her with flexibility.

She rummages in a case, !!!, finds something!
She pulls her hands out of the case with the grabbed object.
We don't see what, but:
She drops a pointed cap into the case.
Yeon-Joo grimaces with effort and Shsss... suction noise.

The Narrator disappears. ZEERF... Time restarts, and--
Tshik! Yeon-Joo stabs an empty syringe into Joe's neck! Joe, ??!

She presses the plunger with her thumb.
She empties the air into the carotid artery, swelling it horribly.

:

... !!! (pushes her arm, prepares to strike, but--)

Clac! Joe straightens his head, eyes bulging.
He suffers an explosion in his brain.
Joe collapses and convulses abominably while drooling.
He agonizes from a cerebral air embolism.
Yeon-Joo rushes and draws his 357 magnum revolver.

Bob sees Yeon-Joo in the rearview mirror, without Joe.
VRIIIK! He brakes!
Yeon-Joo is thrown forward and--
Crash!! She smashes the glass behind Bob.

(!!!) Bob feels the barrel of a large revolver, pressed to his nape.

:

Shit.

Bob sees his own death augured in the rearview mirror:
Yeon-Joo aims at him point-blank, with the 357 magnum.

SLOW MOTION :
POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! Yeon-Joo empties the cylinder into his head!
The recoil makes the gun rise from the nape to the top of the skull, during the shots.
The bullets exit through the jaw, the eyes, the forehead...
Spurt! Strash! Zratch! ... explode his face!!!

All that remains is a crater of crushed bone, blood and brains that...
... Knuck! dislocates from the nape.

Ptoc! Bob's last tooth falls onto the floorboard.

Sblang! Yeon-Joo collapses, exhausted by the stress.
She sees with disgust:
Slang... slang... Joe wriggles like a slimy worm, sliding in his snot and piss.
The last spasms of life calm and... he croaks.

Yeon-Joo rests a bit.
(??!) A strange detail comes to her mind...

-

(?!) His order didn't work? (thinks...) ... Or then... ?! (remembers a line from Kang Chul...)

~

The Narrator has no access to the Imagination.

:

(!!!) YES! (realizes, and...)

The darkness swallows Joe's corpse...
... then the Pick-up... the meadow, the hills, the sky...
EVERYTHING disappears into the darkness around Yeon-Joo!

Yeon-Joo looks at the absolute darkness.
With a smile of demented relief, she remembers...

Yeon-Joo remains half in the fractured dimensional portal.

She closes her eyes, hoping...
She recalls this line from Kang Chul:

~

No more valid destination for me and Do-Yoon... So by default... That brought us into the Imagination!!! (Ep29)

-

If this fails, I'll be annihilated.

KRASH-ZLLIIIiiing!! The portal and Yeon-Joo shatter into a myriad of quantum stained-glass windows!

:

(devastated by her deficiency) It had worked from the beginning. This insane place made me live two weeks of nightmare!! I knew it though, but impossible to discern once involved.

Yes, this space adventure, the apocalypse and the confrontation with the degenerates...
... That was only a creation of the Imagination!!
She focuses on her hands, and the nylon loop binding her wrists disappears.

Yeon-Joo walks in the void... but realizes it's useless.
She stops and looks around, hoping for something... but nothing happens...
Mentally unstable, anxiety gnaws at her...

-

Did I come here for nothing? ... How to leave then? (frightened) Could I stay alone here? Indefinitely? No... No...

She closes her eyes, tries to calm down.
But the terrible memory of her nightmare returns...

Yeon-Joo runs like a madwoman, screaming hysterically...
To the horizon, corpses of soldiers or civilians, charred or killed by weapons.
"Yeon-Joo... you killed me." All reciting the same litany, when she passes near.

She opens her eyes, terrified of giving life to the nightmare and...
... the nightmare materializes in the void! Corpses as far as the eye can see!

:

.... !!! (terror!)

They recriminate "Yeon-Joo... you killed me.", moan "Yeon-Joo... you killed me."

:

(goes crazy) Yes... YES... I killed you!! IT'S TRUE!! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? You heard what you wanted. I killed you, from the first to the last. I KILLED YOU ALL!!!

A general lament and...
The regiments of dejected corpses return to the void...

Sensation of fatigue.
Yeon-Joo, lunatic, would like to rest and...
An armchair materializes in the void!
Bomf! She lets herself fall into it.

Her haggard eyes fix her own hand.
A can of Soju materializes in it.
She drinks the can, mind empty...

After a while, Yeon-Joo gets up.
She drops the can, which returns to the void, as well as the armchair.

:

(speaks into the void) You're here, aren't you? You necessarily came here. Where are you? Why don't you come?

She looks in another direction.

:

Where are you? Kang Chul! KANG CHUL !!!

:

(behind her) I'm here, Oh Yeon-Joo.

:

(turns around, !!, hope) Chul...

:

Why did you come here?

:

(?!) To bring you back from the void. To leave with you!

:

I don't want to leave with you.

:

(??!) What... Why??!

:

You know well that I can't forgive you, Oh Yeon-Joo.

:

... !!! (pale)

:

You destroyed my life, Mi-Ra's, and our eternal love. Destroyed countless other lives. How could I forgive?

:

!!! (catastrophic) You... You knew... ? All this time... without ever talking about it?

:

Why talk about it? That would only have hurt our son. Should he hear that his mother is ugly greedy?

:

(cries) How... How did you find out?

:

Oh that? It's very simple. But before answering, I must remind you of something important...

:

.... (worried)

:

There's a reason why you came here. And if you want to leave, you'll have to resolve this story.

:

I won't leave without you! You can't stay alone here?! And your son?!!

:

You managed to reach the hospital, survive the Narrator. Then with Soo-Bong, you temporarily stopped the nuclear conflict.

:

(?!) ... Why are you summarizing for me--

:

How would I know? I had already disappeared. I know it for the same reason I know your betrayal.

:

....... (begins to guess with affliction)

:

The Kang Chul in front of you is only the one you imagine.

:

... !! (pierced by sadness)

:

You attempted the impossible to find a dead man. So the reason why the Imagination will let you leave...

:

..... (tears)

:

...

Defeated by the evidence, Yeon-Joo lowers her eyes, desperate.
Then, she looks at Kang Chul with tenderness, holds out her hand toward him.
He accepts without moving. She caresses his cheek...

:

(smiles at her, emphatic and tragic) You know it, since I pronounce your own thoughts...

:

(nods "yes") Agh... (hiccup, series of ventral spasms, then...)

Yeon-Joo cries immensely, almost in silence, enough to break the heart.
She looks at this Kang Chul, then looks away, sensing the illusion.
She continues to cry, accepting being alone here, facing the inevitable mourning...

:

Are you ready, now?

:

... Yes...

:

Keep me as a sweet memory. A memory that helps you move toward a better life.

:

Farewell... Farewell Kang Chul...

Kang Chul vanishes into the void.
Dozens of unreal fractures appear on Yeon-Joo.
KZLiiiiing!! She decomposes into a multitude of quantum stained-glass windows.

Only the void remains in the Imagination...

GlinnnZk!! Quantum stained-glass windows gather.
They reconstitute Yeon-Joo, intact.
She glances at the window:
The missile is frozen in the sky, time is stopped.
She falls to her knees in sadness and cries a little, when...

(!!) Yeon-Joo sees characters writing in the air.
"TH.....", becoming "THE E..", and during this time:
KZZT! Min-Soo's corpse materializes on the floor.
"THE END".
(Time spent in the Imagination was infinitesimal, so she returned before the end of the manhwa.)

(!!) Yeon-Joo checks Min-Soo's pulse... None!
Tud! Tud! She performs cardiac resuscitation... In vain!
She stares at the word "THE END" remaining displayed, without disappearing.
She understands and stops the resuscitation.

-

His death caused the end of the manhwa. Why did he die?

She examines Min-Soo...
She finds no wound, or anomaly on his neck.

:

(!) And Soo-Bong?!

She sees a yellow envelope in Min-Soo's front pocket.
(?!) Yeon-Joo remembers...

:

Professor Park, you can stop this nuclear war!!

:

(?!) My extraordinary surgeon talent unfortunately doesn't go that far.

Yeon-Joo sees no envelope in Min-Soo's pocket.

~

He didn't have that before.

Yeon-Joo opens the envelope, takes out a letter, begins to read:
Text in a yellow frame, Narrator's font!

~

I don't know if this message will have a recipient. Maybe you, Oh Yeon-Joo. You who read, I regret that your affliction will never be published.

As she reads, a malaise disturbs her... (we don't see the text)
Then a horrific surprise... followed by a terrible apprehension.
Her eyes widen in fright... She frenetically shakes "no, no, no" with her head...
Something terrifying... worse than seeing death coming or being tortured.

Yeon-Joo drops the letter... An eruption of alienation rises in her...
An abyssal despair, swallowing the infinitesimal balance she had recovered.
She BURSTS into a hysterical paroxysm of compulsive spasms.
Mind irrevocably shattered!

:

(unleashed, demented howls) ARAAAAAAAHH !!! RAAAAAHH !!!!! RAHHHH !! RAHHAAAAAAAA !!! AAAAAAAAH !! RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH !!!!!

Yeon-Joo sees a scalpel box sticking out of Min-Soo's pocket.
She opens it: a handle and 6 different blades arranged around.
Trembling, she takes the handle and screws the largest blade onto it.

She holds out the scalpel, directed toward her heart, and as hard as possible--
TSHAK!!! She stabs herself in the heart!!!
Her body curls up, INERT... Successful suicide.

Frozen in time: terrified and screaming people, lying, charred and burning alive.
They are sprayed by the sprinklers, with immobile water drops, like the splashes.

(The Narrator's voice-over recites the text of the yellow letter:)

~

I didn't choose the protagonist of "Lost Reality" by chance.

On the floor, blue flames dance frozen, on a sheet of alcohol-spread water toward...

... the corridor is littered with corpses mutilated by axe.
Severed arm, severed head, blood on the walls, reddening the water on the floor.
The dirty ambiance of a psychopath's butchery.

The Narrator's cavernous voice resonates, reinforcing the sinister atmosphere:

~

The first reason, Park Min-Soo was close to you...

Vlan! The door of room 9-11 opens.
A woman comes out. (we don't see her face)
She holds a bloody axe.

She wears a thermal suit, intact at the chest.

~

And the second reason...

:

According to my diagnosis, a pacemaker would be sufficient.

:

You'll be able to stay here in complete discretion. I'll personally take care of the operation.

:

What?!! A whole month?!

:

Oooh! I still have the right to ONE month of vacation every ten years!

A satellite orbits, its antenna directed toward Earth.

~

In case of signal loss, it was to cause a heart attack.

KZZT! Soo-Bong and Min-Soo appear.
Bompf! Min-Soo collapses! Soo-Bong is pulled into the fall.

:

Arghh... Arhh... (grimaces in pain, clutches his heart)

~

As soon as Park Min-Soo left "Lost Reality", Squeak!

Blocking the double door: the bloody axe slipped between the handles.

On Min-Soo's corpse: the scalpel box and the yellow envelope stick out of his pocket.

Ren-Bo, mummified dead, with the word "THE END".

~

A "THE END" without "FINAL CHAPTER", like the first end of "Butterfly Girl".

Yeon-Joo passes between the immobile people, terrified and burning alive, indifferent.
Her suit blackens and melts. She burns alive, but her skin and hair remain intact.

She clicks with a flaming finger the button of an elevator. It lights up.
The elevator opens. She gets in and clicks "Ground floor".

~

This person will live prisoner of a timeless world, for eternity.

:

(as if drugged) Is that you... my son?

:

Mom I'm scared. Grandma isn't moving anymore.

:

... It's normal... Stay where you are... Mom is coming to get you... (turns off her smartphone)

Yeon-Joo holds Chul-Moo in her arms.

He sees the immobile nuclear missile in the sky, through the window.

:

(frightened) Is it the end of the world?

:

... No... It's... a world without end...

She picks up the pouch and unfolds the drawing inside:
Mi-Ra and Kang Chul face to face, in black and white.

Yeon-Joo, ... !!, submerged by a surge of hatred.
Skritch! She tears the drawing!

:

Dirty whore... (skritch! tears the pieces) You ruined us... (skritch!) BITCH!! (skritch!) You ruined EVERYTHING! (skritch!) EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT!! (skritch!) EVERYTHING!!!

She throws the pieces of paper and exits the bedroom...
On the floor: Kang Chul's pouch intact, original position.

Behind the desk: the organic remains carbonized by acid, as originally.
Chul-Moo watches them from the entrance, horrified and confused.
Yeon-Joo enters with her cleaning gear.

:

Don't stay here... It's dirty... Mom has to clean... You'll come when it's clean.

:

... !

Yeon-Joo picks up Kang Chul's pouch and throws it into the trash bag.
Then she goes behind the desk.
Zinn... Chul-Moo sees the pouch reappear on the floor.
Afflicted, he watches his mother clean in vain...

Yeon-Joo leaves toward the bedroom, with her cleaning gear.
Chul-Moo hiccups with grief and watches the funny cartoon while crying.

Relieved, he sees Yeon-Joo in the garden, head turned toward the sky.

:

(runs toward her) Mom. (wraps around her leg affectionately)

:

(doesn't notice him, looks at the immobile missile) Yet I see the sink water flowing... ?

Yeon-Joo abruptly goes into the house.
She accidentally forces Chul-Moo to unhook his leg.

:

(falls) ... !! (sad...)

Shortly after, Yeon-Joo comes out holding a pair of binoculars.

:

?! (worried) Mom... What do you want to do?

:

(looks at the missile with the binoculars, adjusts the magnification) It's the best for us, my baby...

:

!! (frightened) The best? For what??!

Binoculars view: a final zoom and...
... THE NUCLEAR MISSILE MOVES, flaming reactors!!!

:

(howls in terror) MOM !!! MOM !!! STOP !!!!!

:

(follows the missile with the binoculars) Staying forever a two-year-old baby... You don't deserve such a cruel destiny.

:

(terrified, shakes her legs) MOMMMMMMMMMMMMM !!!

The missile falls and... FLASH!!! A flash of light blinds EVERYTHING!

VBROOOMM!!! A nuclear explosion destroys Seoul.

Devastating detonation. Skyscrapers pulverized. People incinerated.

The darkness... then in subjective view, we open our eyes...
... on a female nurse leaning over us, in a VIP Hospital Room.

:

Mr. Park, don't try to speak. You're not in a condition to.

Facing her, a man in the bed: intubated, face and torso bandaged, under intravenous.
It's only in the eyes petrified with incredulity that we recognize... Soo-Bong!
The nurse places a cybernetic helmet on Soo-Bong's skull.

:

We're going to do calibration tests. Think about saying "Hello".

A speaker emits a synthetic voice:

:

(?!) ...... He... o...

:

That's good. Act as if you want to articulate it.

:

... Hel... lo.

The door of the room opens and...
Professor Min enters and walks up to Soo-Bong's bed. (seen Ep11)

:

How's our miracle patient?

Soo-Bong answers through the synthetic speaker. (via the cybernetic helmet)

:

How did I survive?

:

An ambulance brought you just in time. Then my team took you in charge. Multiple operations. Thoracic and facial surgery. We noticed you were coming out of a thoracotomy. Beautiful work. Who had operated on you?

:

(hesitant eyes, "impossible to reveal") I don't remember anymore... Will I stay mute for life?

:

No, thank heaven, your vocal cords are intact. We reconstructed your jaw, bone grafts, dental prostheses.

:

(suspicious eyes, "incoherent details") But... Where did you find me? And the person who hurt me?

:

No idea. The ambulance wasn't registered.

:

And the scalpel stab in the heart? How did you heal me from that?

:

(?!) Mmh... You had a slash on the belly. But no stabbing in the heart. You wouldn't be alive!

:

... !! (tries to remember...)

-

(!) ... And after... What happened?

Sitting at the table: Yeon-Joo nebulous, Chul-Moo joyful on her lap...
... facing Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin, happy and relieved to see her.

:

(sees Chul-Moo cut in two, half real, half manhwa) Why is Chul-Moo like that?

:

? (looks at Chul-Moo) ... What's special about him?

:

... ?!?

:

Mom doesn't remember. But it doesn't hurt.

:

... ?! (looks at Yeon-Joo, worried)

:

What happened, Unnie?

:

(vague memory) ... I was in a car... in the countryside... I was alone? ... There was... (suffers) in a yellow canvas... (jerky breathing) a face... a horrible face. (twists in pain, clutches her head) ArAAaahh... RRAAaaHAaa... !!!

:

(pained, takes her in his arms) Mom! Mom!

:

(realizes, in a low voice) The Narrator?

:

(sees Yeon-Joo suffer, signals "shh" to Yoon-Hee) We would have liked to help you, Yeon-Joo. But we were far away.

:

(comes back to herself, dizzy) ... Where?

:

We were on a romantic trip... (tells a long story)

C20#1. FLASHBACK - Hermitage Garden.

Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin stroll as lovers, among the other tourists.

:

(amazed) WAaah, this would be the perfect place to conceive a child.

:

Here, in front of everyone? Wouldn't that be a bit rude?!

Suddenly-- All movement ceases! A time stop.

:

(!!) This isn't possible... ?!

:

??!

Time resumes its course...

:

(?!) It was temporary. (disturbed)

:

A bit longer, and it was possible for a child.

C20#2. FLASHBACK - Hermitage Museum.

Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin stroll among the tourists, when--
A time stop! Temporary... Time resumes.
Definitely an anomaly coming from a manhwa!
Yoon-Hee wants to get to the bottom of it.
She takes out her smartphone, clicks on "Oppa Soo-Bong".

~

Mungsey Hospital, nurse Yeo-Rin, I'm listening~~ ?

:

(!) I'm trying to reach Park Soo-Bong.

~

He's on the operating table right now~~.

:

(!!) Why?

~

He had a fatal car accident~~. I don't know more, have a good day~~. (hangs up)

:

(!!!) Soo-Bong is in critical condition. (worried)

:

... (sorry)

:

What rudeness, that nurse! (clicks on "Unnie Yeon-Joo")

She waits, but no one answers...

~

Time stopped several times in the morning. And impossible to reach you, Unnie.

C20#3. FLASHBACK - Hermitage Museum.

Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin stroll among the tourists, when--
A time stop! Temporary... Time resumes.
(?!) They see worried people around, looking at their smartphones.

Yoon-Hee takes out her smartphone, news page: (Korean website)
"3rd world war. Nuclear strikes on military targets."

:

(!!) A nuclear conflict?!

:

Are these the bombs that destroy entire countries?!

:

(anxious) If this gets worse... This place will be bombed!

On the loudspeakers, in Russian then in English:
"Please evacuate calmly, please".
Guides and security agents make people evacuate.
The tourists are panicked. The Russians stay calm.

C20#4. FLASHBACK - Palace Square.

Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin wait among a worried crowd.
People look at the news on their smartphones.

WIIIIIiiiiiiiIIIIIIiiiiiiiiIIIIIIiiiiiiiii... The Saint Petersburg siren sounds.
Yoon-Hee checks her smartphone:
"3rd world war. Nuclear annihilation triggered!"

:

(!!!) No, no, no, not this fast?!!

:

.... (stoic, can't do anything about it)

The tourists howl in terror. The Russians stay calm despite the anxiety.
A loudspeaker broadcasts (Russian/English):
"Go to Admiralteyskaya Metro calmly".
Police arrive and direct the people.
Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin follow. No jostling.

C20#5. FLASHBACK - Escalators, Admiralteyskaya Metro (noon).

Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin go down the endless escalators with the crowd.

:

(reads her tourist guide) Lovey, it says it goes down to 86 meters! The deepest metro in the world, also designed as a nuclear shelter!

:

Luckily we came here, instead of visiting Paris.

C20#6. FLASHBACK - Station, Admiralteyskaya Metro (noon).

Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin, bored, seem to have been here a long time.
They see around them: the immobile crowd, stopped in time.

:

It must have been an hour.

:

(exasperated) Easily four!

C20#7. FLASHBACK - Transition corridor, Admiralteyskaya Metro (noon).

A guillotine door blocks the corridor: a multi-ton armored door!
Technicians are next to an electric console and manual levers.

:

(grabs a lever) Should I be able to open that?

:

Wait. That's not a good idea. If time resumes, that will put everyone in danger here.

C20#8. FLASHBACK - Tunnel, Admiralteyskaya Metro (noon).

Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin, hand in hand, walk on the railroad track, lit by regular lamps.

They see an armored door blocking the railroad track, in the distance.

:

Aish! Now that I think about it, it's logical. A nuclear shelter must necessarily be closed everywhere.

:

Too bad we didn't think of it before, with logic.

They reach the door, activatable by an electro-mechanical jack. (side opening)

:

(points at a box connected to the door, with a lock) That should open with this.

:

We're not going to put people in danger?

:

Not if we can close it from the other side. We need to go back to the station and find the key on a technician.

C20#9. FLASHBACK - Tunnel, Admiralteyskaya Metro (noon).

From the other side, Vriiiimm... The armored door opens...
Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin enter the new portion of tunnel.

:

Let's see if we can close from this side. (key in hand, fiddles with a control box on the wall)

They lose sight of the door and when Wang Shin turns around...
The armored door is closed!

:

(?!) I think it's useless. It closes automatically. Like supermarket doors?

:

Oops! We could have exited by the station door. I had forgotten that everything was reset, in this kind of time stop.

:

(amused) Ha-haaaa... Your bird brain included.

:

Yah!! (Paf! hits his shoulder) I managed to open a nuclear bunker written in Russian!

:

("Ouch!", rubs his shoulder) Bravo, Princess Dong.

C20#10. FLASHBACK - Sennaya Square (noon).

Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin exit the metro, against the flow of the frozen people.

:

Aish. A pedestrian alley. We need a car.

:

(admires the superb architecture of the buildings) At least, we're doing tourism...

C20#11. FLASHBACK - Sadovaya Street (noon).

Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin arrive near a frozen old car, "in motion".
A static man holds the wheel. The road is deserted.

:

Aish. Two kilometers for that.

:

They're disciplined here. They evacuated really fast.

:

My kitty, get the driver out.

:

Mh-Mh! (Toc! Toc! knocks on the window) Sir, please get out. We're requisitioning your cart!

:

(??) Yah!! (opens the door, unfastens the seatbelt) Use your muscular arms! Get this guy out! HOP-HOP!!

Wang Shin smiles. He gets the man out of the car and throws him to the ground.
He falls sideways, locked in a sitting position, like a bizarre statue.
Yoon-Hee settles into the driver's seat, and immediately--
VROOM... The car rushes forward, already at full speed!

:

(thrown backward) WHAAaaaahh...

:

?!! (sees her moving away)

KRASH! The car smashes a store window and enters inside.
Brang! Impact noise from inside.
Zinn... The car and its driver reappear at their original position, without Yoon-Hee.

:

... ?!!

C21#1. FLASHBACK - Nevsky Express, Toward Moscow + Car.

Yoon-Hee drives another car, weaves between the frozen cars.

:

Sweetie-pie, look up the translation of "Translation" in the translator. (hands him her smartphone)

:

... ?!

:

(points at the GPS screen) We need to switch this thing to Korean, or at least to English.

:

Oh. (types "Translation" on the smartphone, and gets "Перевод")

:

(sees a gas station and slows down) After all this time driving, we need to fill up.

:

(switches the GPS to Korean, then smiles proudly at Yoon-Hee) And there, it's translated!

Yoon-Hee stops the car at the gas station, then looks at the GPS... In Russian!

:

(?!) You didn't translate anything!

:

(looks, ??) I just did it! (starts again) These damn modern things are so capricious.

:

(looks at the fuel gauge: full) (?!) The tank is still full?!

:

Ah yes! I found the key to the mystery. Everything returns to the starting point, as soon as we don't pay attention.

:

Aigoo. That always slips my mind. (sets the GPS for Seoul) Wow... 11,000 kilometers. A week, without stopping or sleeping. (turns on the radio, Frshh... static noise) Without music. (dejected)

C21#2. FLASHBACK - Route E22, Toward Kazan + Car.

Yoon-Hee drives through a small town and sees a general Hi-Fi store.

:

(stops the car) Watch the car five minutes, my bunny. (gets out and goes into the store)

Later... Wang Shin is tired of waiting. He gets out, stretches, back to the car.

Yoon-Hee comes out of the store, holding a bag full of discs. The car has disappeared!!

:

YAH !!!

:

?! (turns around, "no car anymore") ... Ah.

PRELAP: Death Metal music.

C21#3. FLASHBACK - Route R242, Toward Yekaterinburg + Car.

The sound system of this new car blasts Death Metal.
The bag full of discs is on Wang Shin's lap.
Yoon-Hee drives on a winding road, between the Ural mountains.

:

(nods his head with the tempo) I like this brutal music. It makes me energetic.

:

Heol. You have the same tastes as Mi-Ra.

:

Hu-Hoo! Don't ruin my pleasure.

C21#4. FLASHBACK - Siberian Highway, Toward Krasnoyarsk + Car.

Yoon-Hee drives, exhausted.
Wang Shin, stoic, looks for a disc.

:

My eyes are crossing, from concentrating on the road so much. It must have been four days, if time was running.

:

Let me take over for you.

:

Aigoo. You never drive. You don't even have a license.

:

Hu-Hooo. Did I need a license to ride a horse? This cart is easier to master than a fiery stallion!

:

Ooo-Kay... It might be possible... in a straight line... (brakes and stops the vehicle)

Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin get out and switch places.

He takes the wheel, smiling with challenge.

C21#5. FLASHBACK - Route R258, Toward Chita.

On a mountain road bordering Lake Baikal:
A curve... continuous brake marks going straight...
... toward a smashed guardrail, in front of a ravine.

Zinn... The brake marks disappear. The guardrail becomes intact again.
We slide toward the ravine, then into a deadly fall...

C21#6. FLASHBACK - Shore of Lake Baikal.

... we go down a cliff of several tens of meters.
At the bottom, on a rocky beach: Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin, lying down, without injury.

:

(regains consciousness, looks at Yoon-Hee) You okay, you're not hurt?

:

(regains consciousness, surprised) I'm fine. And you?

:

Very well. (looks at the cliff) (?!) That fall should have been deadly.

:

(sees no debris around) The car disappeared.

They stand up.
The beach has no access, framed by rocks.
The cliff is impossible to climb for Yoon-Hee.

:

How do we leave from here?

:

(points at the rocks) We just need to swim a bit to go around that. We'll eventually find a beach without a cliff.

:

(feels the water) WaAh!! It's cold.

:

(sarcastic) Oooh... Princess Dong, Princess Dong.

:

!!! (sudden anger)

Bompf! She shoves Wang Shin. SPLACH! He falls into the lake.

:

(splich-sploch... struggles) AhAAAAhA !!! IT'S FREEZING!!!

C21#7. FLASHBACK - Route R258, Toward Chita.

Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin climb a slope and reach the road.

:

(grumbles) A deadly accident, 300 meters in freezing water, this endless embankment. Bravo, MIS-TER the fiery stallion rider. Never again, you drive.

:

What thrilling adventures!

:

Icing on the cake, it's deserted here. We're going to walk 20 kilometers in the taiga, before finding a car.

:

Ah. We could wait for one to pass.

:

Heol. (sarcastic, pretends to hitchhike, waves her thumb)

C21#8. FLASHBACK - Route A370, Toward Vladivostok + Car.

Yoon-Hee drives another car.
She arrives in view of a upscale hotel. Luxury cars parked in front.
(Hotel Parus, city of Khabarovsk.)

:

(slows down) Could we change cars? The clients must have the keys.

:

We could also eat a good meal and rest.

:

It's really weird, but I'm not hungry.

:

We can't get any weirder.

:

No need to rest either.

:

We must rest!

:

...?

:

The warrior's rest.

:

(Aegyo with the mouth) Oooh, so that was it?! (excited)

:

Hey Hey... (tickles her)

:

(uncontrollable jumps) Hee hee hee, Hoo hoo hoo, Ah ah, Stooooop!!

SBRANG! She hits a parked car, by accident!

Yoon-Hee drives a luxury car on a nearly deserted avenue.
Wang Shin looks at the Ryugyong Hotel, a 330-meter pyramid.

:

They build structures as impressive as in Seoul, here.

:

Apparently this hotel was never finished. We could check that, but I feel a bit tired.

:

Tsss... What a stupid idea to have cut Korea in two.

:

If time restarts now, we'll end up in "Crash Landing on You".

:

Oh oh oh, that was one hell of a walk!

:

Uh uh uh, the top of romance!

:

Hi hi hi!

:

...... (absent)

Alone here, Wang Shin and Yoon-Hee talk discreetly, concerned.

They catch a glimpse of Yeon-Joo inside through the window:
She’s acting erratically, shaking her head occasionally, or mumbling silently.

:

What horrors has she endured to become like this?

:

She doesn't seem to be in a state to take care of her son.

:

This house is sinister. Something terrible must have happened here. She'll continue to go bad, attached to this place.

:

Unnie, you should settle at our place. It's more spacious and comfortable.

:

... But... Here... I have to maintain the house...

:

I'll come take care of it every day, Yeon-Joo.

:

Mom... Please...

:

... Fine... Here or elsewhere... (looks elsewhere)

:

...... (silent sigh of relief)

Soo-Bong stands upright, dressed in shoes, pants and jacket.
His head is bandaged, except a slit on the mouth. Nose and eyes clear.
Professor Min attaches the cybernetic helmet to him, then adjusts a speaker on his jacket.

:

You'll use this as long as you're mute, for 2 months. Then you'll come for speech therapy rehabilitation for 6 months. (directs him toward a mirror) Come see for yourself.

(looks at himself sadly in the mirror, lower face swollen)

:

You can just open your mouth slightly, without forcing. Liquid food only. (helps him open his mouth)

:

... ! (sees metal bars and tensors in his mouth)

:

Your jaw is immobilized, while the bone healing finishes. The maxillo-mandibular fixations and the arch-bars will be removed over the weeks.

:

(by the speech synthesizer) ... Thank you... Professor.

:

(enters) Your personal effects, Mr. Park. (holds Soo-Bong's vacation satchel)

:

(takes the satchel) And... the hospitalization fees?

:

It's covered by your insurance, Mr. Park.

:

(?!) My... insurance?

:

Oh, sorry. Given the circumstances, we took the liberty of searching through your things, and we found your medical insurance card.

:

(opens his satchel, takes out a wallet and a keychain) ..... ?!! (recognizes neither one nor the other)

:

A problem?

Soo-Bong opens the wallet: insurance card, credit card and ID card.
The ID photo is similar but the official seal is unknown.
Place of birth: "Cherry Tree Village". Address: "Villa BonSéjour".
He looks at the keychain of the key ring: a drawing of a villa and the emblem "BS".

-

(!!) The "Cherry Tree Village", and not Hagal-Dong?

:

Is something missing?

:

Is this really... my ID card?

:

We didn't touch anything.

:

Your identity has been officially confirmed in the administrative data.

:

..... ??!!!

Soo-Bong is under the porch of a pretty colonial-style villa.

Dubious, he inserts the key into the lock... It opens.

Soo-Bong examines the library: encyclopedias, practical guides, economics books.

-

A rebarbative library, neither novels nor manhwas.

He sits at the desk, turns on the computer... asking for a password!
Soo-Bong, annoyed... He opens a drawer and rummages through the papers.
Annual statements of the last 5 years, electricity, bank. No daily mail.

-

No password. He occupies this house for 5 years. Why did he disappear, as if I was replacing him?

Soo-Bong rests his elbow on the desk, from weariness.
Then he clasps his forehead in his hand and tortures his brain...

-

Do I have a link with this "Soo-Bong"? We could have identical passwords?

Soo-Bong types a password, "access denied".
He types another, "access denied".

-

(disappointed, then... reassured) That would have been too weird... (thinks about it more) ... Or... an older password?

He checks "Show the entered password" and types:
"°", "H", "$", "u", "n", "9", "m", "0", "0", "k", "1", "D"...
"°H$un9m00k1D" !

-

Oh Sung-Moo Kid... (hesitates to hit "Validate") Such a thing has no right to work.

Soo-Bong hits "Validate"...
Access authorized. The virtual desktop displays!

:

....... ?!!!

(Kang Chul bequeathed the apartment to Yoon-Hee and Wang Shin.)

Mi-Ra's sinister decoration has been replaced.
Typical objects of a Joseon palace adorn the place.
Chul-Moo looks at the decor, joyful.
Yeon-Joo examines the apartment with curiosity.
(She doesn't know that it's Mi-Ra's Apartment.)

:

Do you like it, Unnie?

:

... Yes... I like this place...

:

How about a gourmet feast to celebrate your arrival?

:

Yes, cool!

:

I'll prepare that.

They settle at the table.
Yoon-Hee goes into the kitchen area.
She opens the refrigerator... Empty!

:

Aish!! We emptied everything before leaving on the trip. (opens a cupboard) There are ramen and cans of tuna.

:

Halt there! (gets up and goes to the window)

:

... ?

Wang Shin opens the window and sees a small balcony on the floor below.
He climbs over the railing and lets himself fall.
He catches himself acrobatically on the ledge.
Then he swings and jumps onto the balcony below.

Soo-Bong is in front of the intercom, camouflaged with a raincoat and a hat.
He types "Park Sin-Moo" on the intercom. Response: "Person not found".
He types the apartment number "53". Response: "Sung Woo-Hee".
He steps back and looks at Sin-Moo's Apartment on the 5th floor.
He sees a girl open the window! "Where is Park Sin-Moo?!"

Soo-Bong listens to the concierge's answer.

:

Mr. Park Sin-Moo moved a month ago, without leaving an address.

:

(!) Did you see him on the day of the move? Or later?

:

No, professional movers took care of it. What's going on? Has this person disappeared?

:

("incite him to talk") It's possible. Before I alert the police, have you noticed anything suspicious since? How did he sell his apartment?

:

(fears problems) He sold the apartment to a real estate group. "Regal Logis", a reputable company, which then put it up for rent.

:

But nothing suspicious, all their papers were in order. I did my job correctly.

:

..... ("mystery")

Soo-Bong walks on the alley leading to Ren-Bo's "Fairy Tale" house.
He examines the garden: the flowers are maintained.
He checks the mailbox: no mail has piled up.

-

(!!) She stayed here. (hope)

~

YAH! What are you doing here?

Soo-Bong turns around and sees a female Gardener holding a rake.

:

(surprised by his appearance) Omo!

:

I came to see the owner of this house.

:

She's absent. Get lost, now.

:

(!) Wait! When does she come back?

:

Not before next year.

:

How do you know that? (annoyed) And by what right are you here?!

:

Yah! She charged me with maintaining the house and the garden for a year. Everything paid in advance, with the domestic bills. Contract in order!

:

Ren-Bo hired you? Are you sure it was her?

:

A girl with butterfly wings, I can't risk confusing.

:

... !!

A delivery man enters carrying a cardboard box, twice as big as a suitcase.
Spof! He sets down the cardboard box, then takes out a touch tablet and a stylus.

:

Mr. Park, your signature, please.

:

(takes the stylus, signs) What's in this cardboard box?

:

I don't know, I'm new. And the delivery was delayed for a month, because you were absent.

:

A month? (returns the stylus)

:

If you want, I can check on the app. (about to click with the stylus)

:

No need, I just have to open it to know. (looks at the large cardboard box...)

~

Get well soon, Mr. Park.

Soo-Bong consults the computer: a financial investment app.

-

This "Soo-Bong" makes his living playing the Stock Market.

He looks at the library, with the economics books, guides, encyclopedias.

-

A guy without imagination, rigid and materialistic.

At the foot of the desk: the large unpacked cardboard box.
And placed on the desk, what this cardboard box contained...

-

He has no interest in anything artistic, so...

... a large high-end electronic tablet!
Like the one Soo-Bong used for "Butterfly Girl".

-

... Why did he order this tablet? Precisely at the moment I arrive in this world?

Soo-Bong puts his elbow on the table, forehead in hand, reflects painfully...

-

I was outside the manhwa at its end. That would have created a retroactive identity for me here? Or simply, this "Soo-Bong" wanted me to replace him? But how did he know my password? How did he know I was coming into this world?

Soo-Bong contracts his eyebrows, without answer, lost in his thoughts.
In subjective view, Soo-Bong closes his eyes...
The darkness for a few moments... and...

... he opens his eyes in a memory:
Sin-Moo stabs him with a scalpel in the abdomen!
Soo-Bong's eyes suddenly widen!! A last instinct!!
SHLACK! Sudden gesture. Parry!
Soo-Bong diverts the wrist holding the scalpel.
Yet, he feels a river of hot blood flowing on his torso!
...
Sploch! Sin-Moo drops his scalpel into the pool of blood on the floor.
Soo-Bong believes himself dead, eyes bulging, facing Sin-Moo's hateful face, but...
... He sees behind Sin-Moo: stuck in his back... There's someone!!!
A face emerges laterally, in the shadow of Sin-Moo's head.
A dark face, impossible to recognize, lit against the light.

Soo-Bong opens his eyes suddenly, stunned by this memory...
What was missing in his memory, what happened after his syncope!

-

(excited) There was someone else!! But all this blood, where did it come from?! (without answer...)

Soo-Bong opens an internet site on the computer: "Happy Ending Editions"
Then the manhwa: "Lost Reality". Author: "Park Sin-Moo".
He clicks on the last episode, scrolls to the end image:
¤ Professor Park Min-Soo, dead in the Hospital Room, and the text "THE END".

-

Noona isn't in the scene. Why didn't she come with me? Where is she?

Soo-Bong looks alternately at the tablet and the computer...

-

A manhwa of which I'm not the true author. And even if I were, it's an END impossible to modify.

He turns on the tablet, displaying a blank image.
He grabs his vacation satchel, farther on the table.
Zip! He opens it.

-

(looks at the tablet, resolved) I must imperatively find a way to fix this. That's the reason why I received this tablet!

Soo-Bong searches for a way, face intense and determined...

---

FLASH, End image: "Lost Reality" end image + Soo-Bong determined + Tablet.