In Episode 1 of Newtopia, we meet with Lee Jae Yun, a private stationed at a high-tech military post perched atop a towering 77-story building, guarding Gangnam’s airspace. Lee Jae Yun is young, and sharp, but is still finding his footing, especially with the constant misadventures he shares with his best friend, In-Ho, a nearly middle-aged soldier whose experience doesn’t always save them from trouble.
Meanwhile, Sam’s love life is also in turmoil. His long-term relationship with Kang Yeong Ju has hit a dead end, and he can’t expect her to keep waiting for him. In a tough but necessary decision, he ends things, knowing it’s the right thing to do, even if it breaks his heart.
Episode 2
In Newtopia episode 2, Kang Yeong Ju and her co-worker get into a nasty car accident, and things take a turn when a man smashes straight through their windshield, left badly injured. Alex, a wealthy influencer tries to help, but only makes things worse, accidentally cracking the injured man’s ribs in the process. Before they can even catch their breath, an out-of-control truck barrels through the traffic, and whoever dies doesn’t stay dead, and one by one, the casualties start turning into zombies. Kang Yeong Ju barely makes it out alive and finds shelter inside a local saloon.
Meanwhile, over at the military post, Lee Jae Yun and Ra In Ho find themselves stuck in an elevator with Aaron Park. As we all have already seen, Park isn’t too fond of these two, and calls them them slow and clueless, reminding them that the military base in the building is supposed to be a secret, and yet they are, strutting through a hotel lobby in full uniform, practically announcing their presence to the world.
When the lift opens, they see dozens of injured hotel guests and staff, bleeding from their necks as if they’ve been bitten. Ra In Ho thinks it could be a rabid dog attack, but Aaron Park points out that the bite marks are too small for that. Before they can make sense of the situation, they are attacked by a hotel staff member—one who is somehow still moving despite being severed from the waist down.
It quickly becomes clear that the hotel is under siege by zombies, mindless creatures killing people and turning them into more of their own. Within moments, the entire building is overrun. Jack and Sam rush back to their unit, while Park stays behind to help the guests. Sam requests him to come along, insisting he’ll be safer with the soldiers, but Park refuses.
The government declares a national emergency and enforces martial law, placing the military in control. Soldiers in the building are ordered to arm themselves and prepare for the worst. They are also instructed to wear their dog tags so their bodies can be identified if they’re overrun.
Meanwhile, Ra In Ho and Sam find themselves in the hotel lobby with a staff member, surrounded by zombies. They attempt to make Molotov cocktails to burn them, but the plan fails. It’s only when Ra In Ho stabs one of the zombies in the head that they realize the only way to kill them is by destroying the brain. Next, they come across Chef Jung, who is desperately trying to hold back a horde of zombies behind a glass door but the glass begins to crack—just as episode 2 of Newtopia comes to an end.
