Chapter Text
The fire crackling is the only sound that can be heard as the remaining Hyosan High survivors gather around the small bonfire before they heard someone said,
" You made it."
They all turned around with shock to see her except for Suhyeok with worry and longing written all over his face.
"Oh? Prez!" Daesu exclaimed.
"Namra-yah" Suhyeok said soon after.
"Am I still your class president?" she said with a smile on her face as her eyes met with Suhyeok's.
Suhyeok can't get his eyes off of her. He's relieved that she looked okay but still can't help but worry so he asks.
"Are you okay? How have you been?"
She didn't answer but as her eyes were scanning each one of them, she said
"I've missed you guys." With a teary eye she added, "I've missed all of you."
She told them how she wanted to go see them but thought that she shouldn't. Onjo persuaded her that it's okay and that she can come with them now but Namra insisted that she still have some things to do like how there are others like her and some of them ran away from the school a while ago but few of them stayed. She added that she's neither a human nor a monster.
Onjo was disheartened by her answer and persuaded her that it'll be okay as she's holding Namra's hands.
Namra looked down over their linked hands before letting it go and said,
"We're friends even if we're apart, right?"
Onjo wasn't responding to her as she was crying so Namra looked towards the others and landed on Suhyeok's gaze and said, "Aren't we?"
To which the boy replied, "Yes, you're right. Wherever we are, we'll be friends."
As Suhyeok was answering with a smile on his face, his heart was tearing apart. To call someone you love as friends just so it would give her a peace of mind that both of you are okay even though you are far from being one. To know that you want more than being friends but can't because you don't know where you stand in her life anymore. To being able to see her after being apart for so long then realizing you can't be together because both of you lives in a different world anymore.
Suhyeok can't help but blame himself for putting Namra in a tough situation. If only he were strong enough to stop Gwinam that day, maybe Namra wouldn't be bitten and become a hambie. Maybe they would be together inside the camp where they could lean on each other for comfort but here they are, apart with head full of what-ifs.
"Well, that's good enough." Namra replied as she turned her head and told them. "It's them."
The others looked around with wonder as to what Namra was talking about. She bid them farewell as she zip up her jacket and jump over the rooftop like it was the most normal thing to do. They hurriedly ran after her and looked down to see if she's okay.
Suhyeok regretted doing so because he saw Namra together with an unknown man. They can't picture out who it is because of the distance but as they were talking, the man hugged Namra and was last seen holding her hand as they were walking towards the darkness.They all worriedly looked at Suhyeok because even though he never really said it, they know he cares so much for Namra. How they would hear him cry and call out he name asking for forgiveness. Onjo was about to say something when Suhyeok told them,
"It's okay. It's been four months. Things are bound to change. I let her down that day when we were so close to the camp. She seems happy and that makes me happy too so let's go back the camp before somebody notices we were gone for so long."
The group warily looked at each other and decided to say nothing of it as a sign of respect for Suhyeok. As they were walking back to the camp, Suhyeok made up his mind to go back tomorrow and tell Namra how he really feels and to tell her that even though they were apart for so long, there was never a day where he was not thinking about her. Regardless of what Namra would reply to him, he would accept it wholeheartedly.
That night, Suhyeok didn't sleep a wink.