Snow piled softly on the ground.

A brick hearth burned steadily.

Branches crackled and popped in the modest fire, their embers glowing warmly.

A kettle steamed as it boiled, and a packet of instant coffee sat nearby, ready to be opened.

Pouring just the right amount of water into a stainless steel cup and mixing the instant coffee—it was my breakfast for the day.

Despite all that had happened, this winter was peaceful.

Compared to the chaotic autumn or even last winter, this season had been unusually calm.

Perhaps this was one positive effect of the civil war.

In Seoul, thousands of people died daily, and millions fled as refugees, but for me, that was a distant world.

Looking back now, it’s embarrassing to admit, but there was a time during school when I thought I might save the world.

Back then, “The Last Explorer,” Jason Choi, seemed convincing enough to make me believe it was possible.

As the first human in the world to supposedly step through a Rift and set foot on alien soil, he captivated global media with a shocking claim:

“Rifts can be closed.”

Before I even graduated, Jason Choi became one of the key reasons Korean Americans suffered a tarnished reputation in American society.

It was all a lie.

He had never entered a Rift, let alone fought a monster.

The landscapes he described beyond the Rifts were completely unlike anything we’d come to know, and the so-called friendly small animals he claimed to have seen only existed in his imagination.

When the creatures we now call “Small Types” began emerging from the Rifts and slaughtering humans, the man who had supposedly ventured into the Rifts fled faster than anyone else.

Jason Choi never went to prison, but he got caught up in an astronomical number of lawsuits and was ultimately swept away in the fallout of a nuclear explosion.

Some users on American forums still claim he’s alive, but it’s more of a running meme than a serious belief.

Whether Jason Choi is alive or not doesn’t concern me.

But on our forum, there’s a man who’s been resurrected, almost like Jesus.

SUNBI: ㅎ곈디? 1234

Sunbi.

A man as dedicated to his desires as he was to elegance and style. This charming rogue had once been at the heart of the infamous Yuri incident, where he was killed alongside Demian04.

Defender, who cleaned up the scene back then, had confirmed their deaths.

Yet, here was Sunbi, appearing on the forum again, seemingly risen from the dead.

In a world where walking corpses are now commonplace, his sudden reappearance sent a chilling terror through the forum’s users.

Even I, Park Gyu, started sleeping with the lights on.

It’s only natural to feel afraid.

Not only had a dead man reappeared, but the messages he sent were utterly incomprehensible—far removed from anything a sane human could write.

Message from SUNBI: ㅎ뉘곕누? ㅎ눟누후누

It didn’t take long for word to spread that Sunbi was sending similarly bizarre messages to other users. A sharp observation from one user quickly defused the fear Sunbi’s resurrection had caused.

Anonymous848: Didn’t Sunbi leave his bunker behind when he died? Could someone else have taken it and logged onto the forum?

I agreed with this theory.

Defender: I buried Sunbi myself. He’s definitely dead.

Defender once again confirmed Sunbi’s death.

However, one user continued to advocate a different perspective.

berkut_break: What if it really is Sunbi himself?

This user, Berkut Break, was someone I had no particular connection with.

He hung around the fringes of the forum, discussing auteur cinema and postmodernism with others who shared his pretentious taste.

Still, he seemed to enjoy DragonC’s comics and Foxgames’ games, so he wasn’t entirely insufferable.

In an unusual move, Berkut passionately argued his case on the forum.

berkut_break: Let’s say Sunbi’s “inner person” has changed. Does that necessarily mean it’s not still Sunbi? The Sunbi we know is the user with the account ID viva112578 and the nickname SUNBI. Even if the inner person changes, isn’t it still at least half Sunbi?

It was drivel, not worth addressing.

He probably just wanted a keyboard battle.

These types spent their days trading “discourse” with each other, using convoluted terms that sounded like poorly translated Japanese or obscure German philosophy.

However, his tirade was swiftly dismantled by another user who shared my perspective.

unicorn18: What kind of crazy idiot are you?

Unicorn18’s blunt response climbed to the top of the forum’s popular posts. It was a testament to the times, though I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealousy seeing him get so much attention.

That jealousy must’ve festered into something toxic.

“...Tch.”

My tooth throbbed.

I had a cavity.

*

Being a survivalist doesn’t mean you’re prepared for everything, especially not dental issues.

I’ve always had weak teeth, so I tried to prepare—cheap 110-volt handpieces, online dental guides, and a decent light source.

But trying to drill into your own mouth using a mirror? Easier said than done.

I quickly abandoned the idea and looked for an alternative.

The obvious solution was to seek help from the “Viva! Apocalypse!” community.

After all, this was precisely what Melon Mask, the platform's creator, had envisioned: a place for humans to cooperate beyond the constraints of radio waves in an apocalyptic world.

SKELTON: (Skeleton in pain) "I have a cavity. Is there a dentist here? I can offer compensation if someone could help me."

Ten minutes passed without a reply. Then, my one and only internet friend responded to my pathetic plea.

Defender: "Dentist? Try dolsingman."

Dolsingman?

The name alone radiated life’s ups and downs. Sounded like the kind of guy who lurks on forums without saying much, just like I used to.

I reached out to him, hoping he wasn’t dead.

Message from dolsingman: "I can treat it, but I don’t have the equipment you’re imagining. I’d have to drill manually, and there’s no filler. You’d have to leave the hole open. Oh, and most importantly, I’ll need to tie you down first."

“...”

I hesitated.

It wasn’t hard to imagine what this “treatment” entailed. Torture disguised as dentistry.

I asked if there was another option.

Message from dolsingman: "Another dentist? There’s someone with proper equipment, rare in this day and age. But..."

SKELTON: "But what?"

Message from dolsingman: "I think he’s a fraud."

SKELTON: "A fraud?"

Message from dolsingman: "He practiced briefly before the war. Tried to pass himself off as a dentist. Last spring, I introduced myself as a fellow dentist, and he seemed thrilled. He even invited me to his house, said he had some questions."

SKELTON: (Skeleton curious) "He invited you over?"

Message from dolsingman: "Yeah. His grave mistake. He had a diploma from my university hanging on his wall, so I figured we’d talk shop. Turns out, he didn’t know a thing. Forget specific professors or coursework—he didn’t even know the name of the building where he supposedly studied for six years. 100% fake."

However, the so-called fraud did have excellent equipment.

And he was active on the forum, so he might still be alive.

Message from dolsingman: "No idea if he’s dead or alive, but the guy wasn’t wrong about one thing: it’s all about the equipment. If you’re interested, DM him. He’ll treat you comfortably—results not guaranteed, though."

The fraud’s username?

Dentist_Kim.

The name sounded way more reliable than dolsingman.

I dug into his history.

Sure enough, Dentist_Kim had been an active user since three years before the war, a forum veteran.

Dentist_Kim: "Hello. Never thought I’d join a site like this, but with how things are..."
Dentist_Kim: "Thinking about how dentists can survive during wartime."
Dentist_Kim: "(From English forum) How dentists can survive post-apocalypse."
Dentist_Kim: "Hey, John Lennon (French user), you copied and pasted that post. I DMed you, but no reply. Let’s discuss publicly."
Dentist_Kim: "(Photo) Secondhand dental unit chair I bought."

That was it. Five posts total.

His activity stopped exactly one month before the war began.

Though sparse, his posts showed he was serious about apocalypse survival.

Oddly enough, he seemed to be the catalyst for John Lennon's downfall on the forum.

I clicked on one of his posts:

Dentist_Kim: "(From English forum) How dentists can survive post-apocalypse."
"No medical field has benefited from modern technology as dramatically as dentistry. Imagine a world without handpieces. You’d need to lift weights to subdue patients and develop nerves of steel to handle their tantrums—not to mention the legal risks if they die under your care..."

I read another post.

Dentist_Kim: "Thinking about how dentists can survive during wartime."
"In disaster movies, doctors are always seen as essential—whether with survivors or villains. But dentists? Not so much. Why? Equipment. Imagine a post-apocalyptic world with a sleek dental chair, handpieces, and suction devices running on self-generated power. That dentist would be indispensable."

His posts were surprisingly engaging. A survivalist with a different background and mindset than mine, contemplating his path in a ruined world—it was interesting.

Before the war, the forum had plenty of useful posts like these. Even the craziest users were once considered normal.

Back then, I, Park Gyu, probably had a better reputation too...

In any case, it was clear that Dentist_Kim had dental knowledge and experience. Judging by the upscale house in Pangyo he mentioned, he was likely a top-tier, high-earning dentist before the collapse.

I sent him a message.

It took three days to get a reply.

Dentist_Kim sent a photo.

It was a basement filled with dental equipment—chairs, drills, lights.

This was it. The ultimate apocalyptic dental clinic.

The facility matched the ambitions he outlined five years ago.

Dentist_Kim: "Here’s my setup. Since you’re a fellow forum user, I’ll give you a discount."

Then came the conditions.

Message from Dentist_Kim: "Unopened single malt whiskey or a carton of pre-war cigarettes (menthols count as half). Whiskey must’ve been under ₩100,000 before the war. Luxury goods are welcome too (watches, bags, clothes—Chanel or Gucci level, and in good condition)."

His demands felt out of place in today’s world. Nostalgic, even.

But I didn’t have what he wanted.

I had a few cigarettes left, but not enough for a full carton.

I tried to negotiate.

Message from Dentist_Kim: "No bargaining~"

No dice.

I had no choice but to call my one and only friend.

Defender: "Luxury goods? I’ve got some. Maybe. What do you need? Hermes? Chanel?"

What a useful friend.

But then, he made an unexpected proposal.

Defender: "In exchange, ask him to treat us too."

SKELTON: (Skeleton shocked) "Us?"

Defender: "My sister’s tooth hurts too."

SKELTON: "Isn’t this too sudden?"

Defender: (Serious) "If I show up, he won’t treat me. You know that."

“...”

He had a point.

And so, the plan began.