Chapter Text
Cheol-soo's POV
"Look, I really wish I hadn't done that," Eun-ji says softly. "But how could I have known what you did on the roof? And besides, some good came out of it, didn't it?" There's the smallest tint of desperation, like she's trying to convince herself as much as him.
He holds onto that tint.
Because Cheol-soo is at a crossroads.
He can't get the sight of him, as unfocused as the confirmation of his death was, out of his head. They didn't even see him turn. He just crawled backwards and died.
But at the same time, isn't that the kind of death he was expecting? A death that goes by so fast, with no one caring that he was there in the first place?
And normally, he would just accept that. He'd push down any anger or bitterness because those things were for people who could do things about it.
But Eun-ji tells him that it's okay to be bitter. That something can be done about it.
He just can't be bitter at his actual killer.
Because everything hurts when you're Kim Cheol-soo, and he was always going to die a death that no one cares about. And he was always meant to be alone.
But what if he doesn't have to be alone?
He's a coward.
But once, he was a coward who would do anything to stay alive.
Now, he'll do anything to feel alive.
He'll do anything to have what was just handed to everyone else.
A pretty girlfriend. For his life to matter to someone. To leave this place with the hope that his life will be okay in some way.
A friend.
A friend would be enough.
And no one else will ever want him.
And he's not sure he'll ever want anyone other than Eun-ji.
Plus, he sees something in her. Something so sad. It's grief. It's something just as lonely as him. He doesn't want to be lonely anymore and he doesn't want her to be lonely either. She's so... strong in the show. Stronger than either of them thought they'd ever have hope to be.
Cheol-soo doesn't want to die. He wants to live. But for a long time, that was never his problem. For all the scars he's been left with, he was never suicidal. He's always kept his head down, waiting for high school to be over. Waiting for life to pass him by. Waiting for Eun-ji to pass him by.
Is it so wrong that he starts to ask for more?
Because Eun-ji's adoration is all he's had in him to hope for in the last few years of unending sadness. And he hasn't really hoped for her at all. It was just a thought. Just a pipedream. Just an imaginary musing about life getting better.
And it's always been her because-
Because she's the only one who will ever see all the dark parts of him, all his anger, his bitterness, all the parts of him that want to be like their tormenters, and... understand it.
Not just understand it, but love it too.
Like how he learns to love all those parts of her.
"I forgive you," Cheol-soo says, though she didn't apologize. But if beggars can be choosers, then he offers her that. They can keep going on the path they were on before his death, the path that might give him more hope than he's had in so long, if he can acknowledge that he was wronged by her.
Eun-ji smiles again, so beautiful...
-and then she hugs him.
No one has hugged him, genuinely hugged him, in such a long time.
He brings his hands up to return the hug, and she whispers in his ear. "Thank you."
No. Thank you.
XXX
Commander Jin's POV
He wishes nothing but the best for those children.
But he did what had to be done.
Seon-mu wasn't brought here to make friends. He was brought here to prevent a massacre.
He understands their anger. Their hatred. He doesn't hold it against them. They're just children after all. Just parents. They have every right to their emotions.
(It's how he would feel, if were a civilian, if it were his children. His daughter, Ha-eun is the same age as them...)
But Jin Seon-mu is a military commander. A martial law commander. There were too many factors to rescue them. A helicopter is an unstable environment, and they're carrying Lee Byeong-chan's computer. They found out about asymptomatics, they know nothing about them, they don't know how long it will take to find results on how to handle them.
It's not pretty, but it's truth. And someone has to recognize that and act accordingly, because if no one does, if everyone acts on emotions, then there's no way they can minimize the damage of this outbreak.
Maybe that makes him a monster, but it will save the majority.
He takes all his logical reasoning, as strong as concrete, and he uses it to build a wall around his heart, keeping away all his guilt, his shame, his compassion. There will be time for his reckoning after everything is said and done.
He's not here to make friends or play around. This is his job, and the hatred of others cannot deter him from serving best he can.
He almost can't believe that this was supposed to be his day off. But God knows when he goes back, he won't be relaxing. And Min-ri was so looking forward to a day with just them and the kids...
(He's so sorry.)
But Seon-mu has a job to do.
So, he stands, ignoring the glares sent his way, and he walks to where Kim Cheol-soo and Min Eun-ji sit. They look up at him, incredulous. Even a bit amused. It matters not. He swore that he'd give every victim of this show his reassurance as a military commander.
But even then, he's confused at his forgiveness of her as anyone else, but it's not his job to judge or question. He just has to do what needs to be done.
"You have my deep apologies for your death. I assure you that this will be prevented."
The girl snorts. Cheol-soo glances at her and then follows her lead so that they're both laughing at him. A part of him considers demanding their respect from his position. But he decides against it. So, Seon-mu turns and walks back to his spot on the couch, keeping his expression and emotions blank despite anything he might be feeling otherwise. And he ignores the heated looks sent his way as well.
Choi Nam-ra was asymptomatic. She's already been shown to be dangerous. He was right to be overly cautious. He was. He made the right choice.
He'll continue to act on his position. They don't have to like his decisions. They don't have to like him. But that's why he's the one making the decisions and not them.
XXX
Assemblywoman Park's POV
Eun-hee Park has never done anything improper for her entire life.
But she's about ready to kill this man, who ordered for her daughter and eight other children to be shot and killed.
How dare he?
And-
And-
And things like that don't happen to families like hers. They're model citizens. Leaders in their communities.
But did Nam-ra want to be a leader? Did she want to be used as an example? Did she want all the privileges that come with perfection?
Eun-hee doesn't know. She doesn't know her own daughter.
So, Eun-hee doesn't kill anyone. Instead, she sits with her daughter and her boyfriend and tries to change.
She supposes that a part of her has always feared that Nam-ra would repeat history. Marry for love and then he just... stops loving her. He just leaves her with a child to raise and with nothing but a check once a month to show any interest in how well their little girl is growing up.
But Eun-hee thinks this might be different.
With Nam-ra's father, everything was perfect. Completely as it should be. Proper dates at refined restaurants. A fairytale wedding. The sweetest baby girl in the world. A nuclear family. Isn't that the dream? Isn't that what everyone wishes for?
But there were no real hardships. At least at first. So, when the baby cried as babies do, when the hours at work began to pile up, when the infatuation passed, and it was time to grow up, he refused to do so. He left her. And he left Nam-ra.
But with Su-hyeok, all they've been through is hardships. Their lives being at stake, her daughter's transformation, and now, abandonment by the military. And through it all, he's stuck by Nam-ra.
How does a teenage boy show more dedication towards a girl he's just started to date than some men show after five years of marriage?
Eun-hee feels an odd... excitement? Or curiosity? She just wants to see where this relationship will go.
And they do deserve to see it through, whether it lasts or not. They deserve to experience it.
Everyone here deserves all the highs and lows that growing up will bring them. But they will have to grow up.
What if no children survive?
None of her daughter's classmates. None of the seniors. Not even those horrible two children who have done nothing but make things harder for the other kids. Not even her-
Eun-hee cannot afford to think like this.
What do they fight for if there's no children? What future do they have without them? What hope is there?
"Hope," she tells Nam-ra.
"What?" her daughter asks softly.
"I believe we should value hope over wisdom," Eun-hee explains. "You brought that up earlier. But honestly, what is wisdom without hope?"
Wisdom is only as good as hope. It's the belief in a better future that makes all the knowledge in the world worth anything.
Nam-ra considers this. "I'd say the choice to leave us behind was based on wisdom. Or at least logic." She looks down. "I am what he fears after all."
Before Eun-hee can tell her not to say such words, Su-hyeok wraps an arm around her shoulders. She swallows down what she wanted to say, instead letting this interaction play out accordingly.
"Hey, that's not true," he says softy. "You aren't dangerous at all. I don't see how anyone could ever be afraid of you."
Eun-hee sees the way he makes her daughter happy, and wonders why she hasn't missed her smile in recent years.
XXX
On-jo's POV
She doesn't want to keep going.
Why would she want to keep going? She's been wanting this all to end for hours now. She never wanted any of this in the first place, but now-
This isn't fair.
Cheong-san doesn't deserve this. He doesn't deserve any of this. And he loves his mother so much.
That's the thing about Cheong-san, he loves with his whole heart. When he considers you a friend, or family, or otherwise his, then he's dedicated to you. He'll do anything to protect you. But like everyone, there are people he's closer to than others. She saw his devastation when he dealt with Gyeong-su turning. His solemnness after I-sak turned.
But his mother? His mother?
That's too much for him to handle.
On-jo needs to sort out her feelings for him.
Because does she like him? No, really, does she?
"On-jo?" She's brought out of her thoughts by her father, standing in front of her, nervous in a way that she's never seen him before. "Can we take a moment to talk? Please?"
He raised her all on his own. He taught her everything she has to offer about surviving. He's doted on her for her entire life. He tucked her in every night.
And he left that couple all alone in the city, using her as his reason.
She nods, squeezing I-sak's arm and shooting Cheong-san a reassuring look, hoping that I-sak and Gyeong-su are enough to keep him comforted.
On-jo lets him lead her away, to a corner just for them. She thinks she prefers it to the lunchroom, or the bathroom, or any other one of I-sak's ideas for generating privacy. At least for this. Whatever he has to say can be heard by whoever wants to listen in.
"Why did you do that?" On-jo asks, pleading for him to make her understand.
The husband's begging for help still haunts her, and Dad just left them to die.
"I'm so sorry," he says, earnestly. "I really wish that there was something I could've done for them-"
"You could've tried," she scoffs.
But she feels kind of dumb. On-jo doesn't know all the ins and outs of survival and first aid. Not like him. She has to remember that, even though seeing herself make plans brings her a sense of... pride. She's always been the dumb girl with horrible test scores, and yet she was the one who knew how to use a fire extinguisher, and came up with the plan to use the drone, and the bathroom... the stupid bathroom. But she's not anything. Not really.
"I'm sorry," he repeats.
"I hate that you said you couldn't help them because of me." It makes her angrier than anything else. Even more angry than being left behind. Even more angry than Cheong-san risking their friendship. (Though, is she still angry? Or is she just scared?)
"I get that." He nods, solemn. "But I didn't have the resources to help them."
On-jo says nothing to that.
"It will haunt me as well," Dad gulps. "But I have to put your wellbeing first. I... understand if you don't look at me the same way after witnessing that."
On-jo looks at him, at the shame on his face, and her heart breaks, because this is her dad.
And didn't she ask for this? Didn't she want him to come for her by any means necessary? Didn't she say that so long as he doesn't hurt himself, she wants him to do anything to rescue her?
She didn't mean that.
But she'll forgive him. She knows that she will. Maybe not now, but she will. She can't imagine never forgiving him. She loves him too much.
So, On-jo hugs him and hopes that all her pain, her doubt, and her fear, will even out in the end into something good.
XXX
Dae-su's POV
... Well, they're all traumatized.
And you know, he's tried taking naps during intermissions. It's not working. He's still traumatized. He's still tired.
He's not actually napping, he's just laying there.
"Are you actually asleep?" Woo-jin asks, dutifully.
"No!" Dae-su whines. This is so annoying!
"Were you sleeping?" Joon-yeong asks instead.
"No." He shakes his head, sulking.
Woo-jin and Joon-yeong look at each other, grinning like this is some kind of joke!
(But you know, at least they're more amused then traumatized right now.)
What would he do without those two?
"I'll read the description," the detective steps up, throwing the commander another dirty look.
"The auditorium quickly becomes a trap for the two newly united teams of survivors."
Woo-jin immediately perks up at that, his eyes lighting with excitement. No wonder why. Dae-su also gets worked up with joy at the thought of him seeing Ha-ri again.
"Byeong-chan's video logs reveal a drastic solution to the crisis."
No one says anything in response to that.
What else? How much more drastic can things get? Did they not just get abandoned on a rooftop? What else is there?
... Besides Cheong-san's mom, holy fuck, that's gonna be horrible to watch.
Hyo-ryung's gonna go through more heartbreak... Isn't she?
But you know, this is all super depressing. So, he focuses on the good parts.
"I'm gonna do it," Dae-su nods to himself. "This is it."
"What are you talking about?" Joon-yeong asks.
"I'm gonna ask Ha-ri out," Dae-su tells them. "Right this time."
Surely, that's why she was so mad when she heard his confession on the rooftop. He did it all wrong.
Immediately, both Woo-jin and Joon-yeong groan out, like they're fucking annoyed with him.
They don't understand. They've never been in love before.
Though...
There was this one party, and the host offered karaoke which naturally meant Woo-jin and Ji-min went turn after turn the entire night. Didn't even stop to use the bathroom or get drinks or anything.
But that's nothing out of the ordinary. They've done that every time karaoke has come up for as long as they've known each other. It's actually why Ji-min and Hyo-ryung are friends with them in the first place. Actually, maybe they should set up another session to cheer them up at least, and the rest of them too. Watching them is so much fun.
But what made him stop back at that party was that Joon-yeong was watching them with these absolute heart eyes. He looked so smitten that Dae-su was sure he had to have a thing for Ji-min. But he's never looked at her that way again, so like... What was that about?
He eyes Joon-yeong now, though his attention is on Woo-jin. He actually does look kinda like he did that night, if you squint...
Wait, were those friendship heart eyes?
Um...
But back on topic, Dae-su and Ha-ri for the wi- Hyo-ryung smiles at them as she passes them on her way to her seat next to a still sulking Ji-min. He grins back at her.
...
... Dae-su and Ha-ri for the win! Episode ten, here they go.
But also, he's gonna fucking hate the opening with Cheong-san's mom.