Season 1, Episode 6 directed by Yoon Sunghyun, and written by Han Jinwon and Jee Hojin, delves into the relentless terror of zombies, portraying them as creatures that instill fear so deeply that logic and morality crumble. As desperation takes hold, humans turn against one another to survive, while the protagonists find themselves trapped, struggling against overwhelming hordes.
The central theme of this episode is terror. Both the 1st Platoon and Kang Young-joo (Jisoo) experience the full horror of the zombie outbreak. The zombies are terrifying not just because they feel no pain but because they are as ruthless and predatory as wild animals, willing to hunt their prey at any cost. The characters are pushed to the brink, backed into corners with no apparent means of escape—until they discover hope in their own ways. The 1st Platoon finds a way out by utilizing the ventilation ducts to escape the 77A Building, while Young-joo takes refuge in a storage room, where she arms herself with a chainsaw. However, the terror is far from over. The ventilation ducts are soon revealed to be infested with zombies, and Young-joo, though heavily armed, is pursued by a seemingly endless horde.
This episode underscores the sheer horror of zombies—unlike vampires or demons, they cannot be reasoned with. Survival hinges on killing them or being fast and clever enough to escape their sight and attacks.
The 1st Platoon
At the 77A Building, the 1st Platoon, now led by Sergeant Kim Young-man (Kim Sang-hyeol), proceeds with their plan to escape and regroup with the military at Suseo Station. Oh Soo-jeong (Hong Seo-hee) points out that the VIP Lounge elevator is the fastest way down. The platoon, along with the two civilians, takes the VIP elevator, where they unexpectedly encounter Aaron Park (Kim Junhan) on the 58th floor.
Aaron, the hotel manager, miraculously survived by arming himself with a nail gun and layering cushions around his body to prevent bites. However, his survival is not due to luck—he has already been bitten on the leg but, remains alive because the alcohol in his system has temporarily slowed the infection from reaching his brain.
Before they can descend, the group is ambushed by zombies, forcing them to scatter into different hotel rooms on the 58th floor:
- Group 1: Private Lee Jae-yoon (Park Jeong-min), Private Ra In-ho (Im Sung-jae), and Chef Paulo (Justin Harvey) take refuge in a hotel room.
- Group 2: Corporal Kwak Gye-young (Bong Chan-wook) and Oh Soo-jeong find shelter in a romantic-themed hotel room—an ironic setting given Gye-young’s feelings for Soo-jeong.
- Group 3: Sergeant Kim Young-man, Private Hwang Kyung-sik (Kim Jung-jin), and Aaron Park hide in another room. However, Kyung-sik refuses to let Aaron in, knowing he is already infected.
Despite being left outside, Aaron is not attacked—his extreme intoxication seems to make him unrecognizable to the zombies.
Determined to help, Aaron advises Group 1 to escape through the ventilation ducts and reach the main shaft, where they can use a ladder to climb down. This information is relayed to the other groups, and they all agree to rendezvous at the main duct. Aaron follows suit, entering a staff room, drinking more alcohol to delay his transformation, and marking arrows in the vents to guide the others. However, before they can reach the main duct, they realize the ventilation system is infested with zombies, forcing them into a desperate crawl for survival.
The Express Bus Terminal Station
At Express Bus Terminal Station, Kang Young-joo (Jisoo) and Seo Jin-wook (Kang Young-seok) attempt to board a subway train bound for the safety of Suseo Station. However, in their desperation, the evacuees begin pushing and shoving, causing the glass doors to shatter. Many fall onto the tracks and are crushed beneath the arriving train.
What makes this moment particularly harrowing is that there were no zombies in the terminal—only human panic led to the tragedy. The crowd’s blind desperation results in mass casualties, including Seo Jin-wook, who is shoved onto the tracks and run over. His only remaining trace is his watch, lying amidst the bloodstained rails.
Young-joo, now alone, boards the train but selflessly gives up her seat to a young boy, ensuring his safety. His grandmother, deeply grateful, stays behind with her. However, grief soon drives the elderly woman into madness—she runs onto the tracks, forcing Young-joo to pull her back just as another train, this time filled with zombies, arrives.
The horror escalates when the grandmother herself turns out to be infected. Young-joo has no choice but to kill her, marking yet another loss caused not just by the undead but by human desperation and tragedy. With Express Bus Terminal overrun by zombies, Young-joo is left with no choice but to travel to Suseo Station on foot along the railway tracks.
Along the way, she takes shelter in a storage room, where she uses her engineering skills to repair a chainsaw. Armed with her weapon and outfitted with protective gear, she steels herself for the long and perilous journey ahead.
Rating: 9/10