People were screaming outside the window.

The parking lot below the building was already a scene of carnage. Blood-soaked people were running frantically, pursued by things that used to be human. The zombie apocalypse, something I thought only existed in movies or games, had become a reality right before my eyes.

Until just a few hours ago, I was an ordinary college student. Now, I stood pressed against the studio window, looking down. My fingertips were cold, and my heart was racing uncontrollably. No rescue teams came. The internet was down, and my phone screen was filled with an endless stack of emergency alerts. There was no way to deny the fact that the world had truly ended.

Yet, this space alone was strange.

---

The Sculpture Department studio at Manwol University was eerily peaceful.

"...What do we do now?"

I barely managed to force the question out.

The world was collapsing. Naturally, we should have been discussing how to survive or where to run.

But upon hearing my question, Kang Taeyun slung his hammer over his shoulder with total nonchalance.

"What do you mean, what do we do?"

"...?"

"We protect it."

"Protect what?"

"Our graduation projects."

He said it so confidently that for a moment, I thought I had misheard him.

Wait, the world just ended. You're worried about graduation projects instead of survival?

Before I could even process the absurdity, a dull thud echoed from the end of the hallway.

Thump.

Thump.

Something was pounding on the door. It was a zombie.

My body froze. But Kang Taeyun just scowled, looking like a student who had just been told by a professor to redo his entire project.

"Seriously?"

With that single remark, he walked toward the door, hammer in hand, and opened it as if it were nothing.

Crunch.

A sickening sound of impact rang out. The zombie that had been trying to squeeze through the gap collapsed straight to the floor.

Kang Taeyun nudged the corpse aside with the tip of his toe and let out a sigh.

"I'm trying to focus here."

"..."

"You think Sculpture majors get these muscles for nothing?"

He returned to his workbench as if nothing had happened. I could only stare blankly at his back.

Has the world gone crazy? Or were these three crazy to begin with?

---

That evening, Seo Doha provided the answer to that question.

...And not in a good way.

Another commotion broke out in the hallway. The sounds of pounding and growling grew closer. This time, it wasn't just one or two.

I instinctively backed away.

"Doha! Behind you!"

But instead of being startled, Seo Doha started up a chainsaw.

Vroom.

The terrifying mechanical sound vibrated through the room.

"They're back."

That was it. A calm reaction, devoid of surprise or tension. He looked like someone who had just discovered underclassmen making a mess of the lab right before a deadline.

Moments later, wire mesh came down and welding sparks flew in every direction.

Sizzle.

Bright red sparks illuminated the dark hallway. Zombies grabbed and shook the wire mesh, but it was no use. With surprisingly practiced movements, Seo Doha blocked off the entire hallway.

Just a few minutes later, the hallway had essentially become a fortress wall.

"Done."

I stared at the finished barricade with a dazed expression.

"...That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Just like that?"

"It's easier than a Metalwork assignment."

I was speechless for a moment.

Thinking about it, it made sense. These were people whose daily lives consisted of cutting, joining, welding, and building structures.

While a zombie might be a disaster to others... to these guys, they were just materials that were a bit more violent than expected.

---

The one I understood the least was Yoon Sehyung.

At least Kang Taeyun and Seo Doha fought. But Yoon Sehyung was scary in a different way.

"Sehyung, what are you doing?"

"Improving the living environment."

"In the middle of this?"

"Yes."

He really was improving the living environment. He began lifting 20kg bags of clay used in Ceramics and stacking them one by one.

At first, I thought he was building a barricade. But as time passed, it began to take a strange shape.

A bed appeared.

A table appeared.

Soundproof walls appeared.

...He even created a lounge area.

While I couldn't even lift one bag properly, he kept carrying them without even breaking a sweat.

"There."

Yoon Sehyung said as he laid down the final blanket.

"Sleep here."

"..."

"It's cold."

I looked down at the bed. To be honest, it looked quite comfortable. Zombies were running wild outside the door, but inside the studio, a bedroom more comfortable than the dorms had been created.

Is this right?

Is this really the right way to handle this situation?

---

To be honest, I still don't know. How they've survived this long. Why these three aren't afraid. Why their first thought upon seeing a zombie is to defend the studio rather than run away.

Maybe to an art student, a graduation project is the most important thing after their own life. No, sometimes I get the feeling that it's more important than their lives.

It was one night.

Dozens of zombies were howling outside the door. The wire mesh shook, and the iron door thudded. I couldn't sleep a wink out of fear, staring only at the door.

Meanwhile, Kang Taeyun was dozing off while hugging his hammer, Seo Doha was designing reinforcements for the barricade, and Yoon Sehyung silently draped a blanket over my shoulders.

"Don't worry."

"...Based on what?"

It was a question I asked without thinking. But strangely, all three of them looked at me at once. Their faces were far more serious than when they faced the zombies.

"You have us."

"We won't let you get hurt."

"And we won't let anyone take your project."

"...Did you just mix something weird in at the end?"

"Just your imagination."

It was definitely not my imagination.

Zombies were still running wild outside the door. But strangely, that wasn't what was bothering me anymore.

A Sculpture major with a hammer.

A Metalwork major with a chainsaw.

A Ceramics major stacking clay bags.

These crazy classmates who insist on protecting their graduation projects even while the world is ending.

Will I really be able to protect my project and survive this mess safely?