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It’s a cold and snowy day amongst the ruins of what used to be Hyosan City. Namra is walking slowly and casually to the remains of her highschool to meet someone very important to her. She’s going to meet her boyfriend and lover, Lee Suhyeok.
However, this isn’t going to be a joyful reunion or a casual date for them if casual can even be the word used to describe Hyosan in its current state. No, this is going to be a sad day for them. Today is the day that Choi Namra and Lee Suhyeok broke up.
Every step Namra takes towards the school becomes heavier the same with her heart. She may be calm and collected on the outside but her thoughts and personal feelings are the complete opposite. She’s been deciding on making the choice ever since she heard from Suhyeok two weeks ago that all the refugees from the outbreak were being moved to cities across South Korea. However, Suhyeok, being the optimist he always was, suggested that Namra and her group of “hambies” can sneak out of Hyosan and join up with the rest of the refugees.
However, the moment Namra heard the news she could only think of the realistic and logical options to this. The only reason they were moving the refugees was simply because they ran out of space in the compound. She had to assume that the military was gonna lockdown and militarise the area surrounding Hyosan and other areas affected by the virus as well. Lastly, she knew she could never leave since she had a responsibility to the group of people she’s found to keep safe.
Only bad things can happen if they decide to abandon Hyosan, one of the hambies might infect another human and restart the outbreak. They might all be hunted down and experimented on for their rare mutation. She couldn’t allow those things to happen anywhere else, especially with what happened to Hyosan.
She passes by old streets that used to be bustling with people and the chatter of friends and family. She likes talking walks here and there reminiscing over the days Hyosan wasn’t the wasteland it was today. It was even more tolerable and maybe deep in her heart it was worth staying here because Suhyeok told her so.
Lee Suhyeok, the boy she had grown to deeply love over the past few months since the outbreak started. The one who truly cared about her despite everyone at the beginning hating her for some wrong she had no knowledge of committing or doing. The one who protected her against everything and told her life was worth living. The one she could truly say will be the only one her heart will ever belong to.
He changed her, he changed her in ways she never thought might have been possible to her but he did and she will forever be grateful to know him.
As she made her way to the gates of Hyosan High, she saw someone on the roof waving to her. She didn’t need to guess who it was and her heart ached a little bit as she saw him. Lee Suhyeok with a charming smile and eyes glistening with joy to see her. She tried to smile and she couldn’t no matter how hard she tried. She really wasn’t ready to do what needed to be done despite convincing herself she was ready.
She just looked down and made her way to the main building where the bonfires of the remaining high school students always were. She couldn’t help but take breaks every floor she ascended. Trying to gather some courage and some bravado to prove that she was going to be okay after this but she just felt her stomach churn uncomfortably and throat go dry as she thought of what she was going to say to Suhyeok. She could only look down as his look towards her felt heavy and oppressing since she was not looking forward to what was coming. As she neared the rooftop, she couldn’t help but stop in front of the stairs leading directly to the rooftop.
“Am I really ready for this?” Namra paused to contemplate until she heard the voice of Suhyeok murmuring something.
“I hope she agrees, the refugees are going to be leaving in a week from now.”
The moment she heard that she felt her eyes water a bit and she was now fighting to hold back tears. She went into one of the classrooms and started to wipe away her tears as fast as she could. She had to do this as painful and heartbreaking as it may be.
She stopped wiping and looked up while biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing down to appear calm long enough for her to deliver the message and leave.
“This is for the best, this is for the best, this is for the best…” She repeated to herself.
She steeled her nerves to make a choice that will inevitably save both their lives. She went out of the classroom and ascended the stairs with as much confidence as she could muster and slowly entered the rooftop.
She saw Suhyeok with his back turned looking into the distance until he turned to face her with a boyish smile. She remained stone-faced and gave him a cold look.
“Prez, what’s wrong?” Suhyeok dropped his smile and asked with concern. He slowly approached her and Namra backed up a bit as he stepped forward causing Suhyeok to give her a questioning look.
“Here it goes.” Namra thought to herself as she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply before looking directly at Suhyeok, who only had concern and worry on his features.
Her eyes softened a bit before forcing herself to turn back to her cold expression and finally say the words that she’s been dreading to ever say to him.
“Suhyeok.”
“Yes?”
“I think we should end this.”
Suhyeok stood there dumbfounded and slack jawed while Namra wanted to cry as she continued.
“It’s time to end this. It’s been fun while it lasted but let’s face it this will never work. I want to end this now before it prolongs itself.”
“Namra, wait. What are you saying?” Suhyeok said still not believing what she was saying with eyes beginning to water.
“I’m saying it’s time to break-up.” Namra said as coldly as she could.
Namra turned to her heel to start walking away until she was stopped by Suhyeok’s hand holding her wrist. She refused to turn around but her hearing can tell how hard his heart was beating.
“Is that all you’re going to say to me?” Suhyeok said with a broken voice.
Namra paused and didn’t even muster an answer for him to find some semblance of closure.
She gathered as much strength as she could without hurting Suhyeok and pulled her arm away and started walking down the stairs leaving Suhyeok alone upstairs.
She was halfway down until she finally heard him break down. She stopped almost ready to turn around and comfort him but she forced herself to keep walking.
“Walk away and forget him.” She thought to herself. Oh, she wished it were that easy.
The more she walked down the stairs, the more things she heard Suhyeok say from the rooftop with a broken voice covered by tears. Thoughts and comments of “Did she ever really like me?” or “Was it all pity until now?” came out of his mouth. Namra started to cry herself as she heard it but she just kept walking as she forced herself earlier. She started running once she made it to the first floor to the nearest clearing with trees and finally broke down.
“It’s for the best, it’s for the best, it’s for the best…” She started to chant to herself in between the sobs and coughs as some semblance of comfort to herself. She wept for an hour before she finally ran out of tears to cry.
The walk home was quiet. She only had thoughts of the boy she left behind and how she should have probably watched him go home before she went back here but why would she do that. He isn’t exactly her boyfriend anymore at all for her to be responsible for his well-being. She stopped in her thoughts and further blamed herself for not watching over him until he made it to the wall. She thought all these things but only regret and despair stayed deep within her for today’s events.
She made it back to her house in the condominiums and went to lay in her bed. She didn’t even have any energy left to try and put a blanket over herself as she began to tear up again. She turned on her side to try and sleep but was only haunted by an image of Suhyeok sleeping on her chest. It was a polaroid she took of him when they slept on her bed during one of their dates. She would keep it there to help her sleep at night and it proved a great comfort to her in times of problems for her.
Now, it served as a reminder of what she just lost today and she began to cry once again. She slowly grabbed it and put it close to her chest. She cradled herself to sleep and passed out from exhaustion.
Her last thoughts amidst the sadness before passing out were of Suhyeok and the moments they shared from the day of the outbreak all the way to their last date two weeks ago were Suhyeok finally said the words ``I love you” to her.