Season 1, Episode 3, titled “3 Times”, directed by Yoon Sunghyun, and written by Han Jinwon and Jee Hojin, continues exploring the unfolding zombie outbreak through the perspectives of Private Lee Jae-yoon at the 77A Building and his girlfriend, Kang Young-joo, navigating the streets of Gangnam. As the chaos intensifies, both the 1st Platoon and Young-joo’s group must adapt quickly, learning how zombies function and figuring out how to evade—or, when necessary, fight—them.

The episode’s central theme revolves around preparedness—or the lack thereof. The 1st Platoon’s initial incompetence highlights how unready they are for actual combat, given that they struggle to take down even a single zombie. Despite having hours to prepare for the inevitable confrontation, their complacency results in the deaths of two soldiers, leaving behind families and loved ones who will be devastated once the crisis ends. It isn’t until the end of the episode that the platoon finally realizes that the only way to kill zombies is by destroying the brain—a shocking oversight considering how popular zombie films are in South Korea.

In stark contrast, the civilians exhibit more competence: by staying quiet, cooperative, and level-headed, they successfully avoid drawing unwanted attention. This cautious approach proves essential for Young-joo’s group, allowing them to survive an entire day amidst the onslaught.

The 1st Platoon

At the 77A Building, Private Lee Jae-yoon (Park Jeong-min), Private Ra In-ho (Im Sung-jae), Oh Soo-jeong (Hong Seo-hee), and Chef Jung (Kwang-jae Park) reach the north stairwell and ascend to the 77th floor. They eventually reunite with the 1st Platoon but are forced to barricade the north stairwell exit to prevent zombies from breaking through. This leaves them only two escape options: the other stairwell or the elevator. The situation worsens when Chef Jung is revealed to have been infected, transforming into a zombie.

The platoon’s confrontation with Jung’s zombie underscores their lack of preparedness. Despite having watched live news broadcasts of the outbreak, they fail to recognize the severity of the situation. Their missteps include:

• Not loading their guns with live ammunition
• Hesitating to believe it’s an actual zombie outbreak
• Using ineffective, non-lethal combat tactics

As a direct consequence of their incompetence, Private Choi Chul-woo (Lee Jun-young) is bitten and turns, leading to both his death and that of Sergeant Jeon Hyung-bae (Kang Kang-seop). The blame falls squarely on Sergeant Kim Young-man (Kim Sang-hyeol) and his superiors for failing to properly prepare, despite having ample time to do so.

However, Sergeant Kim Young-man eventually takes responsibility, restoring order within the platoon. He allows his soldiers to check in on their families and orders them to keep their guns unloaded while carrying fully loaded magazines at all times. He also tasks Corporal Kwak Gye-young (Bong Chan-wook) with cleaning bloodstained gear while ensuring the rest of the platoon remains disciplined. Additionally, the soldiers prioritize protecting Soo-jeong, the only civilian among them.

The Survivors

Meanwhile, in Gangnam, Kang Young-joo (Jisoo) and Seo Jin-wook (Kang Young-seok) arrive at the Seoul Nonhyeon Police Station alongside other survivors, hoping to find sanctuary. Outside the station, survivors barter, sell goods, and stock up on supplies—attempting to maintain some sense of normalcy amid the chaos. While it may seem absurd for people to act as if it’s business as usual during a zombie apocalypse, the episode acknowledges the complexity of the situation: people still need food, resources, and money to survive.

The survivors display remarkable maturity, enforcing strict rules to ensure their safety. They remain quiet, turn off their phones to conserve battery, and avoid unnecessary noise that could attract zombies.

Young-joo and Jin-wook reunite with Sung Tae-sik, also known as Alex (Lee Hak-joo), who has managed to survive the early stages of the outbreak. Alex provides an update on the crisis, revealing that the zombie outbreak has spread worldwide, with confirmed cases in the U.S. and Europe. He also shares various theories circulating about the outbreak’s origins, including:

• Someone eating a Komodo dragon
• A lab leak in China
• A North Korean biochemical weapon
• Global warming releasing an ancient virus from Antarctic permafrost

Alex dismisses most of these theories as speculation, ultimately concluding that no one truly knows how the outbreak started.

The relative stability of the police station is short-lived. A group of desperate hunters storm the station, killing people for weapons. This senseless violence leads to new zombie transformations, forcing Young-joo, Jin-wook, and Tae-sik to flee. Their next refuge? A vinyl store bar, where they take a brief respite to eat before setting out for the 77A Building—where Young-joo hopes to reunite with Jae-yoon.

Rating: 9/10