Season 1, Episode 4 directed by Yoon Sunghyun, and written by Han Jinwon and Jee Hojin, delves into a flashback exploring how Private Lee Jae-yoon and Kang Young-joo became a couple during their college years while working part-time at an ice cream shop. The development of their relationship is heartwarming, comedic, and engaging, helping the audience understand the deep bond they share. This flashback continues until the episode returns to the present, where the couple struggles to reunite while surviving the zombie apocalypse.

The central theme of this episode is hope. Both the 1st Platoon and Young-joo’s group find themselves in dire circumstances, facing the harsh realities of long-term survival in a world overrun by the undead. Despair looms over them, exemplified by Sergeant Kim Young-man’s suicide attempt after failing to protect three of his men from the zombies. However, hope emerges for the 1st Platoon when the military sends a supply helicopter, providing them with enough resources to endure the outbreak. Meanwhile, Young-joo’s group makes a critical discovery—thanks to Alex’s quick thinking and Sam-soo’s survival instincts—that excessive alcohol consumption can prevent zombification and deter zombie attacks. By the end of the episode, both groups find the resilience they need to keep going until the crisis is over.

The Couple’s Past

In a flashback, Lee Jae-yoon (Park Jeong-min) and Kang Young-joo (Jisoo) are depicted as college students working at an ice cream shop. Young-joo is drawn to Jae-yoon’s kindness, dedication, and bravery, but he initially shows no interest in a romantic relationship. His reluctance likely stems from academic struggles and the looming prospect of mandatory military service. However, as time passes, Jae-yoon gradually falls for Young-joo, first as a friend and eventually as his girlfriend.

The 1st Platoon

At the 77A Building, the 1st Platoon once again demonstrates its incompetence when Oh Soo-jeong (Hong Seo-hee) is the only one to properly eliminate Corporal Jeon Hyung-bae (Kang Kang-seop) after he turns into a zombie. Despite multiple encounters with the undead, the soldiers still hesitate to treat zombies as a genuine threat, as if they are merely violent humans rather than reanimated corpses. This highlights the military’s alarming lack of preparedness and denial of reality. Even more concerning is the government’s refusal to officially classify the outbreak as a zombie crisis, raising suspicions of a large-scale cover-up.

The situation deteriorates further when First Lieutenant Park Sung-wook (Kwon Seung-woo) discovers he has been infected and takes his own life in the control room. As a result, only six soldiers remain: Sergeant Kim Young-man (Kim Sang-hyeol), Corporal Kwak Gye-young (Bong Chan-wook), Hwang Kyung-sik (Kim Jung-jin), Jung Tae-hwa (Lee Joo-won), Private Lee Jae-yoon, and Private Ra In-ho (Im Sung-jae).

Devastated by the deaths of his men, Sergeant Kim nearly attempts suicide, but he is stopped by Privates Lee Jae-yoon and Ra In-ho, who report that their food supplies are critically low and their water supply will run out in a few days. Just as morale hits rock bottom, a phone call from the battalion commander revives their hope—the military is sending a supply helicopter to the 77A Building, scheduled to arrive at noon. This news lifts the spirits of the entire 1st Platoon and Soo-jeong as they prepare for the chopper’s arrival. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong.

Being Drunk Keeps the Zombies Away

Meanwhile, in Gangnam, Kang Young-joo (Jisoo), Seo Jin-wook (Kang Young-seok), and Sung Tae-sik, also known as Alex (Lee Hak-joo), encounter Sam-soo (Tang Jun-sang), who has been bitten by a zombie but remains intoxicated from alcohol. Concerned about the bite, the group ties up and gags him at a nearby restaurant, puzzled as to why he has not turned into a zombie. Even more surprising is the fact that zombies seem to ignore him, as seen when a zombie police officer runs right past him without attacking.

Alex deduces that extreme intoxication prevents the zombie virus from fully taking over the host. Additionally, zombies appear to instinctively avoid individuals who are visibly unhealthy, sick, or inebriated—similar to the behavior of the undead in World War Z, where they bypassed the terminally ill. Recognizing this advantage, Alex suggests that the group should stay drunk as they make their way to the 77A Building.

Rating: 9/10