(The studio is empty, the interview set dimly lit. The remaining Plague 2022 characters are lounging around, chatting and waiting for... something. The next interview? Their turn? Who knows? But then—something odd happens.)

***

Yuri: (frowning) Hey… has anyone else noticed something weird?

Jeha: (kicking back in a chair) You mean besides the fact that we’re chilling on a fancy talk show set after surviving an entire apocalypse?

Yunha: No, no, she’s right. There’s something off. I overheard one of the crew members saying something about “the next guests.”

Zera: …Next guests? As in… other survivors?

Ji-hoon: No way, it’s just us. The apocalypse didn’t exactly leave a lot of people behind, remember?

Minyoung: Maybe it’s people from another quarantine zone? Like, other survivors we never met?

Hamin: (narrowing his eyes) Then why wouldn’t we know about them?

Sae Joon Hyun: Maybe they are from the sequels? The author won't tell us about that, right?

Yon: (snatches a piece of paper from the table) Uh… guys? What is this?

(Everyone gathers around as Yon unfolds the paper. The words "Why She Kills - Guest List" are written on top.)

Eugene: …The hell does that mean?

Mina: (stiffening) “Why She Kills”? That sounds like a title.

Minji: (in disbelief) Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me… we’re not the only ones?

Yohan: (reading further down the paper) Look, there are names here. And none of them are ours.

Hailey: (crossing her arms) Alright. Who’s messing with us?

Jay: This feels like a trap.

In-ha: (holding baby Kaneisyeon protectively) Or worse… a lie.

Eunhye: (suddenly standing) We need to ask the Author.

(A heavy silence falls over the group. Everyone exchanges glances. The Author—Lily—has always been around, conducting the interviews, asking the questions. But now? Now it feels different. Like she’s hiding something.)

Su-yeong: So… who’s brave enough to ask?

Jay: (laughs nervously) Not me.

Charyeong: (pointing at Ji-hoon) You go.

Ji-hoon: (deadpan) Why me?!

Yuri: (nodding) No, he’s right. You’re the perfect guy for the job. You’re nosy and you don’t shut up.

Ji-hoon: …Wow. Okay. Love the support.

(Just as Ji-hoon hesitantly steps forward, the studio lights flicker, and the door to the stage creaks open slightly. Everyone freezes.)

Young: (whispering) …Did that just open on its own?

Eugene: (grinning nervously) Haha. Cool. This is how horror movies start.

Mina: Someone go look.

(But no one moves. The silence stretches, the feeling of something bigger looming over them. And then—)

Minji: (whispering) …What if we’re not alone in this universe?

(The thought lingers in the air like a ghost. And for the first time, Plague 2022’s survivors aren’t thinking about the apocalypse. They’re thinking about something far, far bigger... And far more terrifying.)

***

To Be Continued...

(Next Week: The cast of Why She Kills arrives, and chaos unfolds!)